Document generated on 09/30/2021 6:19 p.m. Ontario History 4Square: An introduction to the Sharon Temple National Historic Site, to the Children of Peace who made it, and to their place in the history of Canada before Canada. By Mark Fram and Albert Schrauwers Marcus R. Létourneau Volume 98, Number 1, Spring 2006 URI: https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/1065846ar DOI: https://doi.org/10.7202/1065846ar See table of contents Publisher(s) The Ontario Historical Society ISSN 0030-2953 (print) 2371-4654 (digital) Explore this journal Cite this review Létourneau, M. R. (2006). Review of [4Square: An introduction to the Sharon Temple National Historic Site, to the Children of Peace who made it, and to their place in the history of Canada before Canada. By Mark Fram and Albert Schrauwers]. Ontario History, 98(1), 122–124. https://doi.org/10.7202/1065846ar Copyright © The Ontario Historical Society, 2006 This document is protected by copyright law. Use of the services of Érudit (including reproduction) is subject to its terms and conditions, which can be viewed online. https://apropos.erudit.org/en/users/policy-on-use/ This article is disseminated and preserved by Érudit. Érudit is a non-profit inter-university consortium of the Université de Montréal, Université Laval, and the Université du Québec à Montréal. Its mission is to promote and disseminate research. https://www.erudit.org/en/ 122 ONTARIO HISTORY personal way of the quality and richness his past and his profound dismay at its of his own antecedents. A thoroughly an- loss should be considered the most admi- glicized Franco-American, he was born in rable and essential contribution of these Pittsfield, Massachusetts. He heard his ed- pages. His book can most certainly be ucated, middle-class parents speak French judged a worthy if imperfect enterprise. only when they did not want the children Read it and weep! to understand. Marchand opines “that it would have seemed vaguely un-Ameri- Stephen Kenny can for them to have taught us French at University of Regina home.” (p. 355) Only during his own me- anderings, the recounting of which has Bibliography: resulted in this book, did he actually learn Brault, Gerard. The French-Canadian heritage in what “tourtière” was. In the Marchand New England. Kingston: McGill-Queen’s family that dish had long given way to the University Press, 1986. New England staple of baked beans. Roby, Yves. The Franco-Americans of New Eng- If an important part of true his- land: dreams and realities. Translated by torical sensitivity be memory, then both Mary Picard. Sillery, Quebec: Septentri- Marchand’s deeply emotional search for on, 2004. 4Square An introduction to the Sharon Temple National Historic Site, to the Children of Peace who made it, and to their place in the history of Canada before Canada. By Mark Fram and Albert Schrauwers. Toronto: Coach House Books, 2005. 64 pp. Illustrations. $10.00 softcover. ISBN 1-55245-164-X. SQUARE is more than a story The Sharon Temple is now a National about a religious building; it is an ac- Historical Site and one of the most re- 4count of a religious community and markable pre-Confederation structures its interaction with place. A collabora- in Ontario. This book also speaks to the tive effort, this monograph combines the larger societal context in which the com- theoretical expertise of Albert Schrau- munity and the Temple existed. As Fram wers (Awaiting the Millennium) and the and Schrauwers write, “the Temple sits at architectural knowledge of Mark Fram the intersection of two axes of history – (Well Preserved). Both authors’ works are a commonplace local society of the early landmarks in their respective fields and I nineteenth century in Upper Canada, in- would recommend each as worthy read- tersecting a three-thousand-year struggle ing. 4SQUARE outlines the history of to recover the myth of a paradise lost, a the Children of Peace, a Quaker offshoot dream of heaven on earth, a perfect place community, and the temple they built in in an imperfect world.” (p. 5) Sharon, Ontario, south of Lake Simcoe. Illustrated with many excellent imag- book revews 12 es, the book is noteworthy for its use of as a guide to the site itself, as a stand-alone short vignettes to present the important document some of the interrelationships elements of the Children of Peace and between the vignettes and the site are not their community. These sketches, each readily apparent. Undoubtedly this is the one or two pages long, focus upon such result of collapsing an immense amount topics as the community’s origins, the site of material on religious beliefs, history, of the Sharon Temple, the role of music, and context into a comprehensive work the societal context, and the relationship meant to cover all aspects of the commu- between the Children of Peace and the nity. To an uninitiated reader, recognizing social movements of nineteenth century these interrelationships may, however, Upper Canada. In particular, I enjoyed prove challenging. For example, the au- the presentation of the thors do not sufficient- revitalization of the ly discuss the leader of site after 1917. The the community, David work also resonates in Willson, until several its illustration of the pages after they intro- connection between duce him. communal belief and I was also disap- physical form. Beyond pointed in the treat- the authors’ assertion ment of the relation- that the Sharon Tem- ship between the ple was “the most con- Sharon Temple and spicuous architectural Solomon’s Temple. In embodiment of the particular, more ex- beliefs and practices planation is necessary of the Children of concerning the various Peace,” (p. 8) this work depictions provided provides a precedent of Solomon’s temple. for others who seek to Fram and Schrauwers study any community. need to identify what If one takes nothing the reader should take else from 4SQUARE, away from these im- one should note that ages. Additionally, the understanding a com- authors should have munity’s narratives is examined two theo- essential to understand- retical concepts re- ing its places, identity, lated to the idea of and development. As Malpas argues, peo- Solomon’s Temple: sacred geometry and ple are inseparable from the places that social hierarchies based upon the model they inhabit. of the inner and outer courts of Jewish However, these vignettes, which gen- temples. Sacred geometry, which finds its erally work well independently, do not al- expression in the construction of many ways serve to impart a coherent overall places of worship including gothic cathe- narrative structure. I found some ideas drals, is a physical representation of the disjointed, and while the book is suitable belief that geometric shapes are symbols 12 ONTARIO HISTORY of heaven’s perfect nature. Beyond the of the vignettes and explanations, and Sharon Temple, such ideas of geometric 4SQUARE also does not adequately dem- symmetry and uniformity in built form onstrate the skill and ability both authors can be found in other religious and uto- bring to their other works. However, as a pian communities such as the Shakers, supplement to an onsite tour, or as a mo- the Mormons, and Fourier’s Phalanxes. tivation to take one, this little book is in- Solomon’s Temple was also a structure of valuable; it will certainly become a critical social hierarchy; as one moved closer to tool for understanding the Sharon Tem- the Temple’s core, fewer and fewer peo- ple. Indeed, if one aim of 4SQUARE is ple were permitted entrance. Some reli- to pique the reader’s interest and to spur gious and utopian communities espoused discourse and debate, I would argue that similar social/spatial models in which it is undeniably a success. the holiest structures were reserved for the ‘Chosen People of God.’ For exam- Marcus R. Létourneau ple, both Shakers and Mormons have Queen’s University, Kingston endeavored to express the notion of in- ner and outer courts spatially. If Willson Bibliography: intended the Sharon Temple to represent Andrew, Laurel. Early Temples of the Mormons: Solomon’s Temple, the question remains, the Architecture of the Millennial Kingdom in ‘Was there a reciprocal social/spatial hi- the American West. Albany: State Univer- erarchy?’ Both sacred geometry and so- sity of New York Press, 1978. cial hierarchy are arguably integral to the Fram, Mark. Well-Preserved: The Ontario Herit- authors’ discussion of Solomon’s Tem- age Foundation’s Manual of Principles and ple, and merit additional exploration con- Practices for Architectural Conservation. Erin: cerning their relevance to the Children of Boston Mills Press, 1988. Peace and the Sharon Temple. Hayden, Dolores. Seven American Utopias: Lastly, while the images in this work the Architecture of Communitarian Social- ism, 1790-1975. Cambridge: MIT Press, are generally excellent, I was dissatisfied 1976. with the image of the Sharon Temple’s Malpas, Jeff. Place and Experience. New York: timber framework. (pp. 40-41) It is heav- Cambridge University Press, 1999. ily shadowed (which only serves to dis- Mandelker, Ira. Religion, Society, and Utopia in tort the shape of the Temple) and does Nineteenth-century America. Amherst: Uni- not adequately show the symmetrical na- versity of Massachusetts Press, 1984. ture of the building. I would recommend Pitzer, Donald, ed. America’s Communal Uto- using two traditional line drawings, a side pias. Chapel Hill: University of North view and an aerial view, to supplement Carolina Press, 1997. the drawing provided. Schrauwers, Albert. Awaiting the Millennium: While I personally found many of The Children of Peace and the Village of Hope. Toronto: University of Toronto the issues discussed interesting, I was Press, 1993. left unfulfilled at the end of 4SQUARE.