250 THEISLAND ACADIANS

inferior status on the Island and in the country as a whole. Very often French was not highly regarded. In the homogeneous Acadian districts and parishes, French was still the language used in public meetings, religious functions and even in the workplace. In mixed parishes, however, English was spoken most of the time for any public business in the church, at school, at work or in community organizations even if Acadians constituted the majority. French was thus reduced to a language spoken in the privacy of the home or among friends. It is not hard to understand the feeling of inferiority many Acadians felt with regard to French, and even more so with regard to the Acadian dialect which was often ridiculed. It is not surprising, therefore, that many people associated their inferior socio-economic status with their Acadian origin and the French language. Thus they purposefully chose assimilation for themselves and their children as a means for social advancement.

Despite the strong trend towards anglicization, Acadian organiza- tions such as the Mutual Assumption Society, the Acadian Teachers’ Association and the Saint Thomas Aquinas Society continued to strug- gle for the preservation and growth of the French language and Acadian culture on the Island. In 1951, most of the Acadian groups in the province met at the third National Acadian Congress held in Egmont Bay. The aim was to assess the state of French life on Prince Edward Island as the president of the Congress, J.-Edmond Arsenault, explained in his opening speech:

The primary aim of this convention is to study our problems [...] Factual reports will bring to light all our accomplishments, problems we have not yet solved, and the conditions under which we are working for the survival of the Acadians.*’

This type of large gathering was more useful for stimulating Aca- dian pride than for actually finding concrete solutions to the problem of survival. The next congress took place in Rustico in 1955 as part of the “celebrations” for the bicentenary of the expulsion of the Acadians. This congress was essentially a patriotic and religious event. Numerous speakers reminded the Acadians of their forefathers’ tragic fate and of their own duty to preserve intact the values cherished by their courageous ancestors. The Acadian Historical Society of Prince Edward Island was formed as a result of the interest in Acadian history