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THE CHAMPLAIN MONUMENT AT ORILLIA"
...... ·s11 THIS BROCHURE is published in response to an insistent demand for a history of the Monument to Samuel de Champlain unveiled ....._==---=--' at Orillia on Dominion D ay, 1925. Public in- __, terest in the monument has as far exceeded the highest anticipations of the promoters as the praise of its -artistic merit has gone beyond their fondest hopes. The Committee feel that the monument is attaining the two-fold object which prompted its erection: The placing in Huronia of a worthy memorial to the great explorer who led the advance guard of white civilisation into Ontario; and the promotion of good feeling between the English and French-speaking people of Ontario and Quebec. .... To the further development of this spirit of inter-provincial and inter-racial goodwill this modest booklet is dedicated. 1("il- !ftn#i! LIJI
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·CHRISTIANITY·
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SCENES FRQM OF THE
Champlain and Darontal, Huron Chief. 2. Vernon March and Three" Squaws." 3. Landing of Champlain. 4 . "Adonwah '' Dance. 5. Hon. R. Lemieux Delivering Oration. 6. Chief BigCanoe (age 94). Sir William Mulock, Vernon March and Ovide Sioui, Chief of the Hurons at Lorette. 7 . Squaws Tanning Skins . 8. Milli ng Corn . 9. Gambling with Plum Stones . 10. H on . Mr. Justice Fabrc-Surveyer and Dr. Bedard, representing Prov ince and City of Quebec. 11 . Section of the Crowd. 12. Sir George Foster and Dr. J ohn Dearness, of London . The Unveiling Ceremonies J. By Wray R. Patterson, Publicity Secretary
~~~~ T \\'AS an inspiring a nd 2 the thrilling, vilJrant m elody, while the fitting celebration that on braves, ha vt ng p lanted t heir ceremonial Do minio n Day. 1925. com s pears in a circle, dance round t hem in memorated the ad,·ent oi s uif, jerky motion . the white race into O ntario. Then came t he brill.iant oration by the Concei\'ed o n a large scale. .I-Jon. Rodo lphe L emieux, Speaker ol t he with a fin e appreciatio n of H ouse of <...,omm o ns, and the un\'eiling of tne dramatic possibilities. the un,·eiling cere t11 e monument l)y him. Fo llo wing t he cere monies were \\'ell worthy o f the epochal mo ny, :\lr. (;eorge H . Clark, chairman of e,·ent commemorated and oi the intrepid tl1e co mmittee, presented to t he Yas t as and noble explo rer who was honoured. semblage the creato r of the memorial, ~ L r. The celebration opened at Couch ic b \ crnon ~I arch. ing Beach Park with the s inging of patriot ln the evening the armoury was the ic song: by a cho rus o[ 500 school cllildre11. scene o f a nofa l)le banquet. 'fhere four massecl i11 a specia l s tand. Then came the lmndrecl people listened to half a dozen histo rical spectacle. \\'eeks of patient toil speeches, any one of w hich woul [;z~~iiiiiliiiii~~ H E Ch a 111 pl a i n !vi o 11u111 en t Satisfied t ha t t he nece ·sary fu nds at O rillia had its g enesis could be obtained , the Com mit tee next in the ,·isit o f t he writer turned t heir attention to choo ing an artist. to St. John. N ew B runs I t was cons id ered ad1·isa ble to in vite com w ick, and Quebec. in the petit i,·e designs from culptors in Canada, summer o f 191 2. There he Great Brit ain a nd F rance. T he response saw the mo nu ments erect gave e\·idence that t he project had excited e 3 ' :E The Hon. Mr. Lemieux's Oration weI IA V I·: m et li\'ecl and died for the cause uf Christianity tu-clay tu per · and ci,·ilisatio n. \Ve g lory in the fact that form a nati L) nal t hey are the p ioneers of Canada. They outy which planted here a new society in the principles Clues ho nuu r to of the purest religion ; tney subouecl the botl1 the mem "·iloerncss before tl1em: they built temples ory of .'amucl to t he t rue Cod w.here formerly had as de Champlain cended the sm oke of idolatrous sacrifices; and to t he they broke tl1e first sod \\·here no\\" extend great l:'roYince hel(ls and gardens . a nd st retching o,·er of U n t a r i o. htl ls a nd ,·a11eys wnich had ne,·er until then Urillia, which been reclaimeo. can no \\" be seen in t he marks a lmost autumn t he \\·anng of golcle11 han·ests. t h e \\·estcrn l,·rom the farm s. t 11 e factories. the \"lllages. limit u f Cham the cities, t he firesides scattered in Ontano plain's numer and Queli ec is raised the joyous murmur of ous ,·oyagcs oi wea 1tn-agri cu ltu ra I. 111 cl us trial. comm er - The Hon. Rodolphe Lemieux e x pl o rat ion, c ial. has nol kept \\That lesson can we draw from t hi s to herseH alone the halo of this m emo rable celebration ? lt 11 as been truly saicl ceremony. She has in vited the Parliament that men live in the past by a knowledge ol Canacla to delegate ib Speaker to unveil of its hi story. aml 111 ll'1e future by ho pe tl1 e rnonument which reAccts so much cred and anticipa tion. 1f we look to our an it on the talented artist w ho fashioned it. cestors. conrernplate their exampte. imbibe 1t is titting and proper that the nation at their spirit: if we accom pany t11 em in their large s huu1d thus be associated \\·ith t he toils and rejoice in t11eir triumphs . we tercentenary oi the coming of Champlain ming le ou1 o"·n exis tence with theirs. w e into the interior o f t hi s beautiful regio n. 11,·e the li,·es "·hich tney li,·ed. endure what \\' ell mig ht it be s::i icl of t he great ex they endured. and partake in the reward \\'htch t hey enioyeo. ,·\ s we arc a llied to plorer that he was not only the 1~ at h c r of our ancestors so we arc to our posterity. i\ e\\" France, bu t in a sense. the father of ln a \\"Ord. we are the li,·i ng links between Canada as well. T hat the present genera the past and the futu re. tion ful ly reali ses the heroism. the ,·irtues . the wisdom of that master m ind. is e,·iden \\' e are assembled here to-day on this ced by the many statues erected to hi s hi stori c spot to record our homage not only m emory at Quebec. Ottawa. S t. John. on to Cha m p]ain but to that galaxy of pioneers tl1e s hores of Lake Champlai n. and here. at who encou ntered and surmounted obstacles O rillia. in the very heart of Ontario. In of al l kinds and laid the grou nd work of a deed. the name o f Cham plain belongs not g reat country. Lt is well tha t we. their to one race only. but to humanity. 11 is oescendants and bcneticia ri es, s hou lcl record fa m e as a cli scO\·erer extends far beyond our sympathy for t heir sufferings. our grat Quebec: it extends a ll o ,·er Am erica. itude for t heir labours . our admiration of \lore than ti1ree centuri es lrn,·e passed their ,·irtues. our ,·encratiun for their piety a\\'ay s ince Champlain left Quebec tn cunH.: - hut abo ,·e all that we should St >l emnly here. Your monument ,.i,·idly recalls the pledge uurseh ·es tu maintain their tradi fact that trade adYenture \\·as nnt the only tio ns and principles. [)i,·ine l' rm ·idence pursuit oi that great pioneer and his coni has " ·illed it that the descendants o f panion. H e often said that .. the sah·a tinn France a nd l·: ng land s'.10u l The Hon. Mr. Lemieux' s O ration (Continued) o thers. The fortunes o f \Ya r made of Brit cou ntry; faith 111 t he ultimate reward a 111 the do minating po\\·er 1n Canada. \\·hich the toils and trials of the pioneers French and l ~ n glish haH their respecti,·e \\·ould bring to coming generations. qualities and fai lings-but it 1s no vain ~ir . if it be true that it is gi,·en to noble boast to say that they belo ng to the 111 0 ·t a nd pure sou ls to sca n the distant future liberal and enlightened nati,1ns 111 the trl at that s upreme mo m ent w hen they pass to \\'Ori el . t he t\\'O natio ns which, fro m lime the great beyond. w hat a consoling ,· isio n i111111 e111 o ri a l. ha,·e been 1n the vanguard fo r Samuel de Champlain. w hen amidst of ci\'ilisatio n. '\To o ne among·st my Eng the s weet murmurs of the Chris tmas car lish- speaking friends here would deny to ols. he breathed h is las t on the 25th o f France the respect a nd admiratio n to which December. 1635. in the old castle at Q uebec! s he 1 entitled. A ll recognise the brilliance of her literature. the unequalled gifts s he If he sa\\', emerging fro m the colo ny . the has fo r the diffus io n o f ideas and ideals . u nceas1ng tide o f missio naries. explo rers. the s timulus s he has gl\·en to intellectual cou reu rs- E !, ~~~~:;i ~ IC'HJ:\ i\L\ RC 1-1 , the designer and :\ A~IU EL DE C H A ~l PLA T:\ \\'as born to O ntario in 161 5-16 at Brouage. France. in 1570. H e be gan life as a soldier. His first voyage A PHI J. 2~ . 1 61.~-Sails from H on fl eur, F rance. over~ ea s was made in 159\J, when he :.\1A i: 2.)- Lands at Tadousac . icined a Spanish expedition to the Jt·;q; 2 ~ - Fir s t 1n ass s in ce Cartier's t ime \!\lest I ndies, during which he vis ited said in Province of Quebec by Father Ill exico and P:lllama. and fi rst proposed a canal ,lamet at Riviere des Prairies. Cham across tl1e Is thmus. H e came to Canada in 1603. plain being present. as lieutenant to the V iceroy. From JC. 04 to 1607 he was in Acadia, with de ~ l o nl s . Quebec was Jrr.i: I-Father J oseph Le Carou, with 12 founded by him in 1608, and 1\fontreal in 1611. Tn Frenchmen. >els out \\'ith the Tndians 1G09 he made his fi rst expedition t o Lake Cham for t he TT uror1 -:ountry . plain, against the Iroouois. His deepest thrust into Jn.Y 9-lhamplain follo\\'s. \\'ith Etienne the con tinent \\'as made in 161 5. when he visited his Brule (l'i' iutcrprctcr), ouc 1'rcnchman allies. the Hurons. and joined t hem in an attack on and ten Ind iaus. their enemies. the I roouuis . This c-:: pedition J l'J. Y 20- Fi r~t see• " i\I er Douce,'' the marked the opening up to civilisation of wh at is Fresh \V;itcr Se:t of the Hurons. now the .Province of Ontario. T he r emainder of hi' Auo. 1-Chamnl:iin hnds at Thunder Bay. life was p. iven to th~ 0 ervice or Canada. and he spent nea1· renetangui£hene. the greater parr of hi« time in the colony. with fre ruent visits to F rance in it<; hehalf. H e crossed the AL'G. 12- First mass said in Ontario by Atlantic no fe\\'er than t\venty times on these mis FatbPr Le Car011. at larh;irrou'i-i. ~io n s. It was la rg-elv due to his exertions that AL·o ~ t7-Ch;1111plai11 a rri,·cs at Cahiaguc. Canada was rcstrred to Fr:!nce in 1632. ~f t er the " the princinal vill~rre of the country. capture of Q uel'er by S ir D avid Kirke in 162'1. whe-e a rc 2'l prc:tv larve cabins''-csti111- Chamolain re'urned to Canada as Governor in 16:-l:J . ated to contain :?.ooo s0uls. "Tt was r it and died al 0 11 e''ec on Christma' Day. 16:15 . hrJ11- uatecl." says Dionne." " n ear the Lake oured and l'Plnvrd. H e w;• s married on D ecember Ouentaron. now T akc Simcoe. at t he 11 n r 30. 1610. to H elen Boullc. \\'ho :tt t he time was onl v thern extremity. near the town of Orillia." twelve years •)f ;tile. anrl d;d 11 0t join him i'I SViPT. 1- Ch:1mplain sets c ut with the Hur Canada t ill Jfl20. She rem