Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA 5 JANUARY 3, 1931 Fr. Walsh Attending \ r J’f xe Acadiatis Return Home Los Angeles Meeting - Spring Hill College President | Is Secretary of Jesuit | Education Body James T. Vocelle of Florida, Former Georgian and De scendant of Acadians, Expelled From Their Acadian Homes by English in 1755, Describes Reunion of De scendants in the Land of E vangeline (Special to The Bulletin) MOBILE, Ala.—Very Rev. J. M. j Walsh, S. J., president of Spring i Hill College has left to attend the I meeting of the Inter-Province Com mittee on Studies of the Jesuit Order of which he has the distinction of acting as secretary. The meeting will be held at Loyola University in Los Angeles. While in California Father Walsh will represent the Hill school at the Tournament of Roses where he will view the Alabama-Washington State football game on New Year’s Day. . The Christinas vacation of Spring Rill students began December 19 and Continues until January 5th. On the students’ return they will follow a repetition of the year’s work, fol lowed by the mid-term exams. The student body at the Hill num bers representatives from every Sou thern state as well as boys from the East and Middle West. Some of these latter, due to the great distance of their homes from Mobile, spent the holidays at the Hill, but these were comparatively few in number. With the Thomas Byrne Memorial Library at Spring Hill College prac tically completed at a cost of approxi mately $125,000 preparations are being made by the faculty and student body to secure books with which to stock the new building, which ranks with the finest library edifices of any college or university in the South. The Student Council of the Hill in stitution has the matter in charge at present and student committees will be appointed within the next; few days to handle the drive. The plan in brief is to have the students solicit gifts of books from friends of the school and alumni who live in or r near their home towns. It is expect ed that the Hill students will cover practically the entire South in the coming drive. Faculty representa tives will also play a large part in the coming campaign and will make personal calls in many localities. Savannah Council Names Directors The following article by James T. Vocelle, a native of Georgia, where he served in the Georgia Legislature as the rep resentative of Camden County a decade ago, and now a prominent member of the Florida bar, living at Vero Beach, Fla., is of unusual interest not only because of Mr. Vocelle’s connection with Geor gia and Florida but also because of . re manner in which the Acadians are linked with the his tory of Georgia. Mr. Vocelle’s ancestors and many others expell ed from Grand Pro, as recorded in history and in Longfellow’s Evan geline,” found their w r ay to Geor gia, just as others of the four or five thousand souls driven from their homes in 1755 found a haven in New England, the Middle At lantic States, Louisiana and else where. Mr. Vocelle and descend ants of the Acadians in all parts of the United States returned to the ancient home of their ancestors August 20 to commemorate the one hundred and seventy-fifth an niversary of this tragic milestone in the history of the Acadian col ony. Columbian ganized. Squires Reor- Other News (Special to Hie Bulletin) SAVANNAH, Ga. — At a recent meeting of Savannah Council, Knights of Columbus, D. J. Sheehan, J. J. Powers, N- T. Stafford, P. J. Golden, W. J. Saunders and 0. J. McManus were named to represent the Council on the board of direc tors of the Catholic Associatipn, which owns and operates the splen did building in which the Knights of Columbus, Catholic Women’s Club and other Catholic organizations have their quarters Columbian Squires, Circle No. 15, sponsored by the Council, have been reorganized and are functioning en thusiastically; an investiture is ex pected in the near future. A Decem ber feature of the Circle was a week end outing at the Vernon River Camp, which ended Sunday with an oyster roast in which the members of the Council joined. Rev. John J. Kennedy delivered the principal address at the memorial exercises for departed members held recently. i The death of John T. McCullougn was a severe blow to the Council. He was a loyal and valuable mem ber, and a consistent worker. His most recent post in the Council was that of lecturer. The Council followed its annual custom of sponsoring Christmas charity, and arrangements for the charity were made at the first De cember meeting. Presbyterian Pastor Becomes a Catholic BY JAMES THOMAS VOCELLE “Man is unjust, but God is just; and finally justice triumphs.” _ This truism contained in this sen tence taken from that immortal poem, “Evangeline,” which as Carlyle said of his “French Revolution,” came “di rect and flamingly from the heart of a living man,” namely, the noble Puritan bard, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, was never more splendid ly commemorated than it was on Au gust 20th just passed when there was commemorated at Grand Pre the one hundred seventy-fifth anniversary of the expulsion of the Acadians from their homes, the tragic story of which has been preserved for all time by the brilliant pen of the immortal New Englander. On that day Acadians from all parts of Canada, New England, Louisiana, Florida and other parts of the United States, to the number of five thou sand gathered at the scene of the tragedy that befell their forebears to clasp the hands of each other in fra ternal greeting and to recall i • a spirit of love the memories of those who had gone before. One hundred seventy-five years be fore our fathers had been torn from their families, been despoiled of their earthly possessions and sent into ex ile among enemies to their faith and their race, all because of prejudice and greed on the part of the perpe trators to a race, which they seem ingly wish. 1 to be exterminated from the face of the earth and which num bered between four and five thousand souls. One hundred and seventy-five years later their descendants, the rep resentatives of a class now number ing over half a million people, return ed to the fatherland and, kneeling on the spot made sacred by the imprint of the feet of their ancestors, offered up the great Sacrifice of Calvary for the happy repose of the souls of the honored dead and in forgiveness and love for all mankind. Can anyone gainsay the words of Longfellow that ‘Justice finally triumphs”? people, past and present, were re counted. The University of Acadia, located at Wolfville, just three miles distant from Grand Pre, was elo quently represented by Professor Mas sey; the town of Wolfville by its deputy mayor, Mr. Herbin, son of John Frederic Herbin, the famous historian of Grand Pre. and himself a descendant of the Acadian people; the Republic of France by the Hon. Mr. Cousier, charge d'affaires of the French legation at Ottawa; the Prov ince of New Brunswick by its prime minister, Hon. J. B. M. Baxter, and Hon. A. J. Legere, its provincial sec retary; the Nova Scotia Historical So ciety by its president, Dr. D. M. Mor rison; Massachusetts and New Eng land by Hon. John C. Chase, lieuten ant governor of Massachusetts, who presented the personal regrets of Gov ernor Allen for not being able to be present; the Province of Edward Is land by Hon. A. E. Arsenault, one of the Justices of the Supreme Court; the Dominion Atlantic Railroad by its president and general manager, Mr. George E. Graham, and the Acadian people themselves more intimately represented by Hon. Arthur T. Le- Blanc, Justice of the Supreme Court of the Province of New Brunswick, and President of L’Assomption Na- tionale, who presided over the meet ing; Mr. F. G. J. Comeau, General Freight and Passenger Agent of the Dominion Atlantic Railroad, to whom must go most of the credit for the success of the meeting; Father J. A. Allard of Bathurst, New Brunswick; Secretary of the Grand Pre Memorial Committee; Father F. A. Bourgeois, celebrant of the Mass, and chaplain of the Penitentiary at Dorchester, New Brunswick; Hon. Dudley Le- Blanc, Public Service Commissioner of Louisiana; Hon. Gordon Brunson, Mayor of Crowley, Louisiana; Hon. R. W. E. Landry, a distinguished barrister of Yarmouth, and member of the Nova Scotia Legislature. There were detachments of Canadian and French Marines there and all in all Church and State were ably repre sented by a distinguished group, all of whom united in expressing admira tion and praise for the Acadian peo ple, a marked contrast to what had happened one hundred and seventy- five years before, when British sol diers, acting under orders from Gov ernor Lawrence of the Province, had exiled the Acadian farmers and press ed upon their brows as bitter and piercing a crown of thorns as had ever penetrated the flesh of man since the black night of Calvary had ap parently settled the fate of Him who has ever since been the hope and in spiration of all the world. Illinois Minister Ordained Twenty-One Years (By N. C. W. C. News Service) MARENGO, 111. — Mr. Clarence ^■vis Austin, until May this year the x jMLtor of the Presbyterian Church ^ffere, has been received into the W Catholic Church by the Rev. D. P. i Drennan of Marengo. Mr. Austin was bom in Redding. He pursued his classical course at Marion Collegiate Institute at Ma rion. N. Y., and did his college work at Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo, Mich., where he received the degree of Bachelor of Arts. He later at tended Rochester University, Roch ester, N. Y.. and New Brunswick Seminary, New Brunswick, N. J., where he was ordained. June, 1909. During the war Mr. Austin served as an enlisted man in the Ninth United States Infantry until after Chateau Thierry when he became a First Lieutenant and acted ai Reconaissance Officer. On his re turn to the United States he spent three years in the hospital before coming to Marengo. «“ At Marengo he taught for three years in the high school before being called to the pastorate of the Pres byterian Church there. In May he resigned his pastorate and now has been received into the Catholic Church by Father Drennan. It was a glorious occasion and a kindly Providence cast His benign in fluence over it. The morning of Au gust 20th dawned with a fine mist of rain falling and the skies overcast, bearing ominous predictions for the day, but before the hour had been reached for the exercises to begin, the mists cleared away and the -eauty of an Acadian day had cast its smile upon the multitudes assembled. As it is said in “Evangeline,” Still stands the forest primeval; but under the shade of its branches Dwells another race, with other cus toms and language.” And so it was in returning home the Acadians found all changed from what their fathers had left, and yet one thing remained unchanged. It was the paternal touch of the Cath olic Church that was felt by the exile in his wanderings and it was the same touch that greeted the pilgrim on his return. Just as the ancient faith was the mainstay of the Acadian people, so it remains in the hearts and souls of their children, and in spite of the changes wrought by the hand of the tyrant and the march of time in the Acadian land, the unity and perpet uity of the Catholic Church was never more forcibly presented nor exempli fied than it was when the exiles re turned home. The old church was there to greet them on their arrival and the exercises of the day opened with a solemn High Mass, of which the Rev. F. A. Burgeois of Dorches ter, New Brunswick, was the cele brant. The sermon of the Mass was preached in French by the Rev. Father Alfred Lang, of St. Isidore, New Brunswick, and in English by the Rev. Father Philippe Hebert of Buctouche, New Brunswick. One of the most colorful parts of the entire celebration was” the pres ence of fifty Acadian girls from Lou isiana dressed in the costumes in vogue in the days of Evangeline, which added another link to bind the present with the past. The exercises were held around the memorial church which has been erected on the site of the ancient par ish church of St. Charles, in which the men of Acadia were imprisoned by Col. Winslow on September 5, 1755, and which is a replica of the ancient edifice. So far as the religious part of the exercises was concerned one might well have envisioned an Aca dian gathering on a feast day in the days before the expulsion. The self same service, the self same hymns, all sung by a choir of priests to the number of twenty-five. Once more the “Ave Maris Stella,” the national hymn of the Acadian people, and once more was heard the voice of the priest as from the long ago days of yester day proclaiming “Adjutorium nostrum in nomine Domini.” In the afternoon the secular exer cises were conducted and it was a dis tinguished assemblage. The Province of Nova Scotia was represented by the Hon. J. C. Tory, Lieutenant Gov ernor, and by the Hon. Dr. G. H. Murphy, of Halifax. Both of these gentlemen delivered inspiring and pleasing addresses in which the splen did traits of character of the Acadian What stronger proof could be pre sented of the unity, the age, the youth, the vigor and the strength of Catholic faith, and yet how neglect ful have we Catholics of the United States been in preserving and pre senting to those around us the history of the Acadian people. No more beau tiful and inspiring story of fidelity to God, Church and Country has ever been told than the story of the Aca dians and yet we have left it to a Protestant and a Puritan in the per son of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow to preserve. Well has he performed his task and in a manner most cred itable to the Catholic Church and of its tenets as everyone who has read “Evangeline” (and who has not done so) will testify. The neglect with which Acadian history has been treat ed by Catholics of the United States is not at all creditable and one of the duties that we owe to this heroic race is to make more accessible to the gen eral public the real story of what happened upon the shores of the Basin of Minas one hundred and sev enty-five years ago, and in further ance of this the celebration that was held at Grand Pre on August 20th is a good beginning. It made a wonder ful impression on those who saw it and was a splendid example of the fidelity and courage and the sterling quality of Catholic citizenship, as well as striking proof of the very impor tant part played by Catholics in the history of the provinces. In comment ing on the Acadians The Telegraph- Journal, published at St. Johns, New Brunswick, in its issue of August 19, said: “This is a people whose sons and F. J. NEVINS HONORED Brooklyn Man, Florida Benefactor, Made Knight of St. Gregory Christmas j J. J. Haverty Speaks at Mount De Sales ! Addresses Student Body at Macon Academy on Am- (By N. C. W. C. News Service) NEW YORK.—The Rt. Rev. Thomas E. Molley, Bishop of Brooklyn, con ferred the insignia of the Order of St. Gregory the Great upon Francis J. Nevins, well-known charity worker in the dioces, prior to the Solemn High Mass in St. James Pro-Cathe dral Christmas Day. Mr. Nevins, who was formerly a member of St. Charles Hospital Board and is at present a member of the Holy Family Hospital Board, has ex- j tended his charitable activities all over the diocese and for over 30 years has been a most generous bene factor of the Church in Florida. daughters are found on the old farms, i in professional life, musicians, artists, poets, teachers, lawyers, doctors, ora tors, statesmen—a people who are adding immeasurably to the rich sta bility of the Dominion; a people who sent its sons to the Great War to fight for the preservation of Home and its ideals; a people of whom Stan ley Baldwin said when in Moncton he stood acclaimed by hundreds of Aca dians, that their tribute to the Moth er country through him was the most wonderful, the most beautiful, that he, remembering their history, had ever known, could ever imagine.” Justice LeBlanc sounded the key note of the day when in opening the meeting, he said: “If there be any enmity left among us, let us bury it here today beneath the shadow of the cross that stands over us.” The holding of the celebration on August 20th was not an accident as was point ed out by Father Hebert in his ser mon. It was held within the octave of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, which is the national feast day of the Acadian people who had placed themselves under the guidance of the one spotless creature on the anniver sary of her coronation as Queen of Heaven. One whose heart beats in unison with one’s sires could on that occasion, without much stretch of the imagination picture in one’s mind the whole court of heaven looking down upon the fruitful valley of the Gas- pereau, and the Acadians of old, from their place of repose in Abraham’s bosom, smiling upon their children and rejoicing in the triumph of their race, who after nearly two centuries of wandering had returned home in God’s own appointed time, there to perform a labor of love, in a spirit of peace and to give testimony to the virility and courage of the Acadian race. They returned not as beggars, not as exiles, not as vagabonds, but as strong stalwart men and women, respected citizens, filling honored po sitions in all walks of life and as faithful children of Mother Church and true scions of their fathers. The Acadians were French settlers from what is now known as the de partments of Vendee and Charsnte Inferiere in France, who went to what is now Nova Scotia between 1632 and 1651. They settled around the Basin of Minas and were known as the Minas French. In the shifting fortunes of war, Nova Scotia finally became a British Province and under the treaty of Utrecht it was formally ceded by France to Great Britain. It was provided in the treaty that any of the inhabitants who chose might remove themselves within one year. The Acadians, so the records conclu sively show, made every effort to leave, because they could not be as sured that they would not be molest ed in their religious practices nor forced to take up arms against France, the only two things they asked for. Yet they were denied the right to move, in violation of the treaty; they were forced to undergo every con ceivable humiliation and torture; their priests were imprisoned and finally they themselves sent into ex ile, with families separated, husbands and wives torn apart, children sep arated from parents and all made ob jects of pity and charity. Truly a sad and disgraceful chapter in the history of a great nation. There is no doubt that the responsibility for the trag edy must rest upon the shoulders of Governor Charles Lawrence, and yet we search in vain for any record where any official of the British Crown during the dark days of the tragedy ever expressed any regret for the deed or ever made any effort to atone for the crime. erican Art (Special to The Bulletin) MACON, Ga.—J. J. Haverty, of At lanta on December 17 gave a most interesting and instructive talk on American Art to all the pupils, teach ers, and quite a number of other interested persons at Mt. De Sales Academy. Mr. Haverty gave an excel lent outline of the one hundred and thirty years of American Art. In a clear and scholarly manner he classified the artists and their work, describing the methods and the re sults as shown by the work in the dif ferent periods. He not only described the works, but gave delightfully in teresting sketches of the lives of the preeminent artists, aftd added zest to all that he said by having with him six paintings brought from his home in Atlanta. Everybody in the audience was deeply interested in the pictures he showed, illustrative of the methods of the different artists. The lecture came to an end all too soon. Mr. Haverty promised to give another lec ture in the very near future. The Sisters, pupils and all who had the privilege of listening to Mr. Hav erty are eager for the next lecture, and extend their sincere thanks to him for conferring so great a favor upon Mt. de Sales Academy. Mr. Haverty was presented to the audi ence by the class president, Miss Louise. Kilgore of Atlanta. Then fol lowed greeting by an Atlantan to an Atlantan, Miss Charity' Simmons; Welcome to Macon by a Maconite, Miss Cecile Cassidy. After Mr. Haverty’s talk an excel lent musical program was rendered in his honor, as follows: “Romance.” Sebelius, Roberta Waugh; “Carmena,” H. Lane Wilson; Schubert's “Seren ade,” violin class, Misses Violet Sim mons, Charity Simmons, Marjorie Wright, Angela Maggioni, with Ro berta Waugh at the piano; piano solo, Le Blanck, Mararita Smith; Rondo Capricciosa, Mendelssohn, Violet Sim mons; violin solo, “Romance,” Wieni- awski, Charity Simmons; chorus, “Hail, Hail, Loved Georgia!” high school pupils. Socialists Received at Aiken Academy (Special to The Bulletin) AIKEN, S. C.-On the Feast of the Immaculate Conception an inspiring ceremony took place in the Chapel of the Academy when eighteen of the student body were received into the Sodality of the Children of Mary. The Altar was aglow with crystal and blue lights and candles and cut flowers of various kinds were among the decorations. The young aspirants wore white dresses and the Madonna blue veils—and each carried a lighted taper tied with ribbon. The Chaplain, Rev. George Dietz, after blessing the medals, gave a very appropriate talk on the ceremony of consecrating themselves to the Blessed Mother, and emphasized the promise of Heaven to those who were devoted followers of Mary, the Mother of God. At the conclusion of his remarks, he then bestowed the medals and received the Act of Con secration, which was said in unison by those being received into the Confraternity. During the ceremony the Students sang ‘Salve Mater”—in plain chant, “Adoro Te,” “Tantum Ergo” and “Holy God We Praise Thy Name.” Miss Nancy Harley presided at the organ. Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament fololwed. Later in the evening the following program was presented: Recitation. “Greetings,” Mary Bridgman; Song. “The Open Road,” student body, piano, Isabelle Bridg man; Recitation, “The Virgin,” Wordsworth, Lelia Brennan; Piano solo, “Song of the Islands” King, Nancy Harley; Recitation, “The Tap estry of Life,” Bernadette SuUi^m; Violin Solo, “Festival March,” Reich, Emily Roper, Piano, Louise Roper; Song, “Ave Maria,” The student body; Piano duet, “Clayton's Grand March,” Blake, Lelia Brennan and Nancy Harley; Song, "Toe Gypsy Trail,” Wilson, the Student Body; Re citation, “Good Wishes,” Lila Baker. “Before the march of power the weak must bend, And yet forgive; the savage throng will smite. The glossing words of reason and of song, To tell of hate and virtue to defend, Shall never set the bitter deed aright Nor satisfy the ages with the wrong.” However, all that is past and the Acadians of today form a most im portant part of the population of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Ed ward Island, the New England States, Louisiana and elsewhere, and all men must rejoice that the sun of good will has risen sufficiently high in the heavens so that the tragedy of Grand Pre will never again be enact ed and as loyal children of Holy Church, we Acadians of today may use the words put into the mouth of Evangeline by the Puritan bard when on finding her long-lost lover dying, “And as she pressed once more the lifeless head to her bosom, Meekly she bowed her own, and mur mured, ‘Father I thank Thee.’” St. Vincent’s Stages Christmas Program (Special to The Bulletin) SAVANNAH, Ga.—A very inter esting and appropriate entertainment was given by St. Vincent's High School students in the Academy Auditorium, as a fitting commence ment of the Christmas Holidays. The Christmas spirit predominated in every number of the program which was as follows: Christmas Hymn in French, Stu dent body; The Spirit of Christmas, (Pageant) Freshman Class; Little Jesus (by Francis Thompson) re citation. Elizabeth Beytagh; The Pink Scarf (2 act play), Sophomore Class; How The Great Guest Came. (Mono logue, by E. Markheim), Nan Mc Carthy; Mental Arithmetic (Dialog), Jane Grady and Mary Lang: Two Christmas Boxes (4 act play) Junior Class; An Aspiring Dishwasher (Monologue), Peggy Burns; The Littlest Shepherd (Interlude with Tableau), Senior Class.