THE ACADIANS IN LOUISIANA.

(Part II., Section III.)

After a long journey down the Ohio and the Mississippi, Evangeline and Father Felician reached a part of the country where many of the Acadians had found refuge. It was in Louisiana, out of the dominions of the hated English. Here they were received joyfully by Basil, now no longer a smith but a ranchman, and owner of great herds of cattle. But from him they learned, to their immense disappointment, that Gabriel, becoming more and more restless, had finally started off on a long excursion to the north, hunting and trapping-had even passed them on the river as they slept. But Basil bids them take courage-on the morrow they will follow him. Friends come in, old neighbors, among them Michael the fiddler, and the evening is spent in a joyous feast. Only Evangeline wanders forth in the evening with melancholy longing. On the morrow they start forth, but they cannot overtake Gabriel. They reach the Spanish town which had been his destination, only to find that he had come and gone on the day before.

When you have written several of these abstracts, you will find that you are quite familiar with the story. Your abstracts should give in a shorter form the same story as the poem, but should not mention or refer to the poem itself, or to the poet. They should be simple and direct, but as lively and interesting as possible. It is well not to use the present tense throughout. Titles may be given each part as above.

II. FOR A MORE CAREFUL READING.

In reading the poem a second time, (a) a little more care may be given to each part to see just what place it holds in the poem, what relation it has to the other parts; (b) we may well study the characters somewhat; and (c) it is a good plan to memorize some of the passages.

a. Further Study of the Story.

As to the further study of the poem, part by part. Let us look at the part of which we have already spoken, Bk. II., Pt. III. We may notice:

1. It begins with a description (ll. 888-9101) of forest and farm which you may compare with that in the beginning of the poem (11. 20-36, 82-102). Some of the Acadians have found a comfortable, happy resting-place. Basil praises it highly (11. 986–998); it is beautiful and romantic, but we feel the difference between its luxurious and tropical charm and the simple old heartiness of Grand-Pré.

2. Basil, too, has changed from the village smith who made horseshoes while the children looked on, who played checkers with Benedict in the winter evenings; he has become the halfSpanish herdsman of the Southwest, most at home on his horse looking after his immense herds of cattle.

3. Here is the first real disappointment. In Part II., Section I., we are told that Evangeline had long sought Gabriel. In the next section we see how they missed each other, but in ignorance. Here we have the first picture of actual disappointment. Here the poet is more detailed and particular than in the next section, which, in rapid narration, recounts the future fruitless search. Here he brings strongly before us the keen disappointment of Evangeline by recalling to our minds the happier time when she and Gabriel were together. (Compare 11. 1026-1058 with 11. 369– 381.)

Such things as this give us something of an idea of the fulness of interest that the poem has. Every part has something to be noticed, and now that you have already read the poem through once, you will have a better idea of what each point means.

b. Study of the Characters.

We may also study in a little more detail the characters. It is better to begin with one of the minor characters. The full appreciation of the character of Evangeline requires a fuller

1 The teacher is advised to be careful to see that the pupil be always able to point out just the passage that he is speaking of.

It does much to give a habit of accuracy, too often thought needless in the study of literature.

knowledge of the poem than we now have. Take rather for study, Basil, Benedict Bellefontaine, Father Felician, or Leblanc. One may study a character in various ways; here are several :

1. Gather together all that the poet says of any particular character, summarizing each mention. Let us take Leblanc.

11. 268–272. His personal appearance.

273-275. He was father and grandfather.

275-277. He had been friendly to the English.

277-279. He was unsuspicious and straightforward, though warier as the years went on.

279-287. His fund of folk-lore.

293-297. He answers Basil modestly and without suspicion. 301-325. He illustrates his assurance that right will prevail, by his favorite story.

334, 340. We have something of his manner.

1260, 1261. He dies in Philadelphia, with but one of his many children at his side.

These are the facts that the poet gives us: now to turn them into a short sketch.

FATHER LEBLANC.

A figure who might be taken as in himself a sufficient example of the Acadian people and of the misery caused by their separation is René Leblanc, the old notary. He lived in assured comfort in the old village, known and loved, in the midst of a great family; he died almost alone in a great city, his children and grandchildren scattered and far away from him. Unsuspicious and guileless, perhaps credulous, he had still a dignity and firmness which made him respected as well as loved. Though old and bent with age, he had the simplicity of the children who loved to hear his stories and to listen to his watch. He believed in right and truth, and doubtless he bore misfortune when it came without murmuring. Not wholly like his own people was he in his friendship for the English; but he was involved in the common exile.

The same course should be followed with some other character.

2. After we have well in mind what the poet tells us of one or another, it is often interesting to think a little of what kind of character is presented to us, and here we may be helped by remembering other characters we may know of. Let us take Father Felician, the village priest. There are many presentations in literature of the character of the good pastor. Probably the most famous are those of Chaucer in the Prologue to the “Canterbury Tales" (11. 477-528), and of Goldsmith in "The Deserted Village" (ll. 137-192) and in "The Vicar of Wakefield."1 The word Pastor meant originally Shepherd (cf. 1. 857); it will be good to read what the Good Shepherd says of himself in John x. 1-5 and 10-17, and also to compare what Milton says of bad shepherds in "Lycidas," ll. 113–129.

Now, can you find elsewhere the character of the smith to compare with Basil? Perhaps you will think of another poem of Longfellow, and perhaps you have read Sir Walter Scott's "Fair Maid of Perth."

3. Often a poet will present two characters so contrasted together that each will bring out more strongly the individuality of the other. In Evangeline we have the hearty farmer Benedict Bellefontaine and the stout smith Basil Lajeunesse, dear friends; but, as is often the case with friends, men of very different stamp. What difference in character is shown by their occupations? Does the poet show any differences by the adjectives he applies to them, by the way he makes them speak and act? What difference is shown by their thoughts as to the coming of the British? Why is it Basil, not Benedict, who protests in the church? What happens to each? How does each bear misfortune? Is anything indicated by the difference in character between Benedict's prosperity in Acadia and Basil's in Louisiana? Look up the passages in the poem that give the answers to such questions, and you will have material for a good comparison. Then see if there is opportunity for any other good comparisons.

1 If the pupils cannot readily read these references, the teacher should read them or tell of them. In "The Deserted Village "it

will also be interesting to compare ll. 341-406 with 11. 533-665 of "Evangeline," and see which is best liked.

c. Memorizing.

Beside this study of the story and the characters, it is well on a second reading to choose good passages of the poem and to memorize them. Sometimes two or three lines will be enough, as ll. 351, 352, or 781–785, but it is good also to know longer passages, like the very beginning, ll. 1-19, or ll. 280–287, 11. 170-191, 11. 1089-1100. It is best for the students, with some guidance, to choose the passages for themselves, and if possible to give good reasons for what they choose.

After the second reading is the right time for a little study of the poet's life and character, and the place of our poem in his life. The pupils may study pages 5-12 of this introduction: the teacher should explain the historic facts, or let the pupils study pages

12-16.

III. FOR TEXTUAL STUDY.

We may now turn our attention to a number of minor matters. If we had considered them at first, our attention might easily have been distracted from things more important. But now that we can read the poem pleasantly and rightly, now that we have thought over the story and the characters, now that we know something of the author and of how the poem was written—now we can study all the little things that go to give us a full understanding and appreciation of the poet's thoughts. We shall want now to look up allusions, to stop and think over particular words or figures of speech; to notice all that is conveyed, by arrangement and disposition of the subject matter, in the way the poet tells the story; now and then it will be useful, by way of review and to be sure that we always have the meaning, to do a little grammatical analysis. Here the teacher must take the lead, asking questions and showing the way to find out the answers. We give, only as suggestion, a number of questions. In this work the notes will be of help, but they are not meant to tell everything: one must frequently turn to the dictionary, the encyclopedia, and to other books of reference.