Show LITERARY DEPARTMENT The Character of Evangeline WHEN reading for the first time Longfellow's beautiful poem II Evangeline Evange Evange- Evangeline line we are apt to criticise the wonderful and seemingly unnatural attachment of his heroine but after c considering her environments and the sudden catastrophes hurled at her from the hand of Fate we can only praise and reverence the purity strength and nobleness of her devotion Gabriel had been her almost constant companion companion- since her earliest childhood and having no mother brothers or sisters to share her affections she had lavished them freely upon him He had been the valiant participant in all the pleasures of her youth and shared her inmost t thoughts What wonder then that her hervery hervery hervery very life and soul were centered in him He on the other hand was doubtless attracted b by her exquisite beauty and the sublimity of her character as was every other youth in the village and fully appreciated the honor of her preference I for him He also knew what a skillful little housewife she would prove herself Thus they grew up together she the fairest of all the maidens in the village he the noblest of the youths Not a shadow had ever darkened the love which was apparent in every movement Openly they talked of and planned for their future Even the Ii little home had been built in which they were to dwell Then the calamities fell robbing her of home father and lover and making her life only a means by hy which h she hoped to r reach ach the one whose loss she most lamented Had her father lived Evangeline would doubtless have lave remained contentedly contentedly contentedly con con- with him to nurse him in his old age but having hewing no ties to keep her she allowed herself to follow the prompt prompt- ings of her heart Truly hers her's was wasa a love of which poets sing sing firm firm 1 unchangeable everlasting Nothing daunted her she surmounted every obstacle obstacle obstacle ob ob- stacle which stood between her and the sole sale aim of her life Not until her hair was str streaked aked with gray ray and the roses had faded from her cheeks did she discontinue discontinue discontinue dis dis- continue her patient search The thought that Gabriel still existed somewhere somewhere somewhere some some- where and loved her as of old spurred her on When hope of oE ever seeing him hir 1 on this earth had disappeared she devoted herself herself her her- self utterly to a work of charity With this abnegation came a sweet contentment contentment content content- ment over her soul a preparation as it were for the realization of her greatest desire nut in this life but in the next Lavon Pierce |