Salt Lake Telegram | 1931-04-17 | Page 1 | 150 Pilgrims Follow Evangeline's Trail of Exile in Forest Primeval

Pilgrims Follow Evangeline's Trail of Exile in Forest Primeval ABBEVILLE La April 17 V- V The trail Evangeline trod In exile from the forest primeval of her native native na na- na- na tive live Acadia was followed today by pilgrim descendants of the folk she left behind They are here to return last Jast years year's visit of their CaJun Cajan cousins and participate Inthe Intile in tile the unveiling Sunday of a statue in St. St Martinsville of Longfellow's heroine The visitors from Grand Pre includIng In Including in- in chiding girls clergy and officials enjoyed a feast of barbecued crawfish crawfish crawfish craw craw- fish a famous Cajun delicacy last night and gathered this mornIng morning morning morn morn- ing for mass with the natives Inthe In Inthe Inthe the quaint and aged Acadian church 4 n here Today's journey led through the Spanish moss hung lanes of ot live live- oaks of the Bayou country Into a dozen villages where receptions receptions receptions recep recep- had been prepared Tonight will be spent In Lafayette The statue of Evangeline is inthe in inthe inthe the shadow of the tall taIl Gothic spires o of the St. St Martinsville church which was wets built bunt in 1765 by the priest Rev Jean Francois and Is the olde t house of worship in Louis LouLs- lana iana Monsignor J. J A A. A Richard Acadian AcadIan Acadian Aca Aca- dian Catholic bishop of oC Verdun Canada Canada Canada Can Can- ada will be in charge of the time dedica dedIca- tion lion St. St Martinsville Cajuns claim Continued on ou Pan Nine y i Pilgrims Follow Evangeline's Trail of Exile in Forest Primeval Continued from Page One that E grave Is by this church but her grave also Is pointed poin d dout out elsewhere and of course there Is no cert certainty that the maid ever existed ed save sa in Longfellow's fancy However the exile of oC Evangeline's people is no mere legend The story of how upwards of of them were driven from Nova Scotia to Louisiana by the thc British during the contest between France and England over o the North American continent Is one of oC the most moving chapters chapters chapters chap chap- In the states state's history Today there are arc several se thousand of the Acadians in this s section o othe of the thc and their name has been colloquially corrupted to Cajuns At the time of or the wholesale de deportation deportation de- de about of the Acadian remained around Grand Pre Al Although Although Although Al- Al though no visit was exchanged be between between between be- be tween the Canadian and Louisiana groups until last year they have re re- re very similar in customs an and language to each other and their common ancestors of oC two centuries ago