Page 90 - Pere Anselme Chiasson: Conversation and a Family Album

ISSUE : Issue 56

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1991/1/1

saint before long, by the Church. Miracles are still happening. (Was it you that started the Centre...?) D'4tudes acadiennes! In a way. In 1965, Fr. element Cormier was the rector of the uni? versity. I had just published my book on Cheticamp, and he knew I was interested in history and folklore. I had a big operation in 1963, so I was still in convalescence. He asked me if I would work at the Acadian Centre at the university. I accepted. When I arrived there, we had not much--we had books--and there was only one man working there--Ronald LeBlanc. But from then on we started to build up the Centre. And in 1968 Fr. Clement Cormier resigned as rector and became director of the Cen? tre d'itudes acadiennes. And he had lots of prestige, so he could obtain lots of money from the administrators of the uni? versity. But he was most of the time sick. So I was the one who was doing the work. I Oceanside Assistance Providing G'oup Limited Small Renwick Place Business 17 Commercial St. Development Glace Bay, N. S. B1A 389 Assistance Tei. 849-0544 We Serve New Waterford, Glace Bay, and Surrounding Area c New Shipment Just Arrived! Para Paints INTERIOR PAINT Premium Eggshell Enamel Professional Semi-Gloss Enamel Gelled Ceiling Latex 1 HIGH HIDE * NO SPLATTER WALLPAPER Over 1000 Rolls' 50 Patterns , 11 Sterling Rd. > GLACE BAY • 849-4510 was the one who was in charge, really, of everything. But on account of him I could have money. So we worked together. I have to say that I played an important role to build up the Centre. Even more than him, in a sense. But he could obtain money where I could not, because he had more prestige. He had built the university, he had been rector. And when he gave his res? ignation- -when he was 65 years old--I took his place as director of the Centre. And when I was there, I pushed for a folk? lore section. Every section--geneaology, folklore, history, archives. And archives of particular individuals, like historians who wrote on Acadia. So I looked (for these). One person, an Acadian, like Fr. Bernard who had written several books on Acadian history--when he died--he was liv? ing in Quebec--I went there and bought his archives, all of the papers he had. No, I am sure that I cannot deny that I did a lot for the Acadian Centre.... See, when you study folklore you are sur? prised to see how it's known nearly every? where. I had registered my father (on tape), you see. at the beginning, 1940 or something like that. No, later on, when I had that recording machine. And he was telling me jokes, he was singing me songs, and telling me jokes. And when I brought that back to Luc Lacourci're I told him, "See, I let my father tell jokes on it, be? cause...! didn't want to stop him. It was between songs." Luc Lacourci're told me af? terward, "Do you know, all those jokes are worth a lot? Because we find those jokes in the Arabs' country." Things like that, you see. And for him it showed him that jokes were known nearly everywhere around the world. And jokes that he had never heard in Quebec, or never found. So it means that the folklore--legends and things like that, jokes--are known far more than just in one place. It runs so fast. Spreads so fast. MORE Than the Best Soup in Town! Specializing in Homemade Soup ?? Salads ?? Sandwiches Deli Items ?? Fish Chowder ?? Burgers Fish & Chips ?? Desserts 350 Charlotte St. ''' '' '' TAKE OUT 'g' charlotte St. 564-4496 * SYDNEY • 562-5612 TfOilixcJltd. • Computerized Wheel Balancing • Alignment & Brakes • Complete Road Service • Shocks 539-5670 265 PRINCE ST. • SYDNEY IFGOOCMch BRUNSWICK-

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