PRESENT PROBLEMS IN ROMANCE LITERATURE 465 



literature. If they choose to evolve a literature of their own, written 

 in a language which will differ considerably with time from modern 

 French, it will be an interesting experiment. They are numerous 

 enough not to have to fear their being absorbed by the British ele- 

 ment of the population, and their literature will ever continue to be 

 written in French, although their language will contain many dia- 

 lectic differences from the French of Paris. The Greek of Asia Minor 

 was not wholly the Greek of Athens, and the French of Belgium 

 and of Switzerland is said to be not always the French of Paris. 

 These remarks about the Canadian French literature are not meant 

 as a criticism, for I have the highest admiration for the courage and 

 perseverance which the French-Canadians have displayed in pre- 

 serving the language of their venerated ancestors, and I admire 

 also greatly many works of their literature. I merely wish to state 

 an interesting problem concerning one of the Romance literatures. 



In Louisiana we have also a native French literature of merit. 

 It dates from the year 1779, when Julien Poydras wrote a short epic 

 poem on the conquest of Baton Rouge from the British by the 

 heroic young governor of Louisiana, Bernardo de Galvez. We had 

 in 1814 a tragedy in classic style, Poucha-Houmma, by Le Blanc 

 de Villeneufve; and later several interesting plays of the Romantic 

 School, such as Les Martyrs de la Louisiane, by A. Lussan, and France 

 et Espagne and Qui perd gagne, by L. Placide Canonge. In history 

 we have the works of Gayarre and of Debouchel, and in poetry 

 several works which may be compared favorably with some written 

 by the best French writers. Our poets seem to have been inspired by 

 the romantic history of Louisiana, by its stately river and its pictur- 

 esque lakes and bayous, by its mild climate and luxuriant vegetation, 

 and by the beauty and grace of the women. We have, therefore, 

 more poems written in Louisiana than any other kind of literary 

 works, and we honor greatly the names of our poets in the past, 

 Adrien and Dominique Rouquette, Dr. Alfred Mercier. L. Placide 

 Canonge, Alcxandre Latil, Dr. Charles Testut. Mine. Kmilie Evershed, 

 Oscar Dugue, and Dr. Charles Delery. We have had few novels, 

 but these are interesting and have a pleasant local color, such as 

 Mine, de la Houssaye's Pouponne et Balthazar, Dr. Alfred Mercier's 

 L' Habitation St. Ybars, and George Dessommes's Tante Cydcttc. 



The problem in Louisiana is more difficult to solve than in Canada. 

 The French-Canadians are numerous, while the Louisianians of 

 French origin are in a minority in their state. They are loyal Ameri- 

 cans, but. like their Canadian brethren, they are sincerely attached 

 to the country and to the language of their ancestors, and they still 

 have an important daily newspaper and a native French literature, 

 not so large as before the Civil War, but very interesting. The pro- 

 blem of maintaining the French literature of Louisiana was partly 



