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This picture of the Acadian families at Andover will serve to show what the history of many other such families was in other New England towns.

Providence moves in mysterious ways, and it is clear to us now that the sufferings of the Acadian exiles were not in vain. It was time for the New England settlers to learn that most difficult of all lessons, the lesson of religious toleration.

In 1755 the Church of England was grudgingly allowed a place in New England. In 1780, when the constitution of the new commonwealth of Massachusetts was formed, the fullest toleration was accorded to all religious sects, including the Roman Catholics. Who can say that the example of the Acadians and the inoffensive manner in which they practised the rites of their religion did not help to bring about the change in public opinion which resulted in that perfect freedom to worship God, which now happily exists not only in New England, but also throughout so large a part of the entire world.

In closing, brief mention should be made of that other exodus, not of Acadians from Acadia to New England, but of Loyalists from New England to Acadia, which came with the breaking out of the war between the Colonists and the mother country in 1775. It is a singular fact that the family of the principal actor in the tragedy of the expulsion of the hapless Acadians from Nova Scotia in 1755, twenty years later by the force of events, were compelled to seek a refuge as exiles on the very soil from which the Acadians were expelled. I refer to the family of Major General John Winslow, who was in command of the expedition against Nova Scotia in 1755.