A Period of Transition 105 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     Young Acadian from Rustico 
     
     Robert Harris, published in 1882 in Picturesque Canada: 
     
     the Country As It Was and Is. 
     
    
   
   
    
     no longer wore the so-called “French frock” (TR). After all, by wearing 
     
     the traditional dress, Acadian women did stand out from other women 
     
     on the Island. In 1880, according to an Island correspondent for the 
     
     newspaper Le Moniteur Acadien, the other ethnic groups made fun of 
     
     this traditional costume: 
     
    
   
   
    
     A few years ago our women used to wear the old-fashioned dress our mothers 
     
     brought from Acadia. They were very fond of it. It is hard to imagine why for 
     
     it is neither pretty nor practical. Because of it we were mocked and ridiculed 
     
     by other nationalities. To avoid disgrace, we persuaded our women to adopt 
     
     the present-day fashion and today the majority of them are dressed like the