T HE L ITERARY AND H ISTORICAL S OCIETY OF Q UEBEC SOCIETY PAGES P UBLISHED Q UARTERLY ▪ N UMBER 4 ▪ S UMMER 2004 *NEW* ←←← **IMPORTANT** NEW LIBRARY HOURS AND STUDENT PRICE ←←← ▪ LIBRARY HOURS ▪ LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT (STARTING JULY 1) I am delighted to advise that on Monday June 17th the Quebec municipal council MO CLOSED approved a grant in the amount of 1 million dollars for the restoration of Morrin College TU-FR 11:00-15:00 and the creation of the Morrin Centre, our Society’s English-language cultural centre. WEEKENDS 10:00-16:00 We expect to be signing the 99 year emphyteutic lease within the next few days and beginning work. ▪ MEMBERSHIP ▪ This is a great day in the long and illustrious history of our Society. $60 PER ANNUM David F. Blair FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY President STUDEN T *NEW* PRIC E $30 PER ANNUM FROM HENRY DAVID THOREAU’S A YANKEE IN CANADA “In Canada you are reminded of the government every day. It is IN THIS ISSUE not content to be the servant, but will be the master; and every day it goes out to the Plains of Abraham or to the Champ de The First and Oldest? 2 Mars and exhibits itself and its tools. In the streets of Montreal New Acquisitions 3 and Quebec you meet not only with soldiers in red, and shuffling New Books for Children 4 priests in unmistakable black and white, with Sisters of Charity Transactions 5 gone into mourning for their deceased relative,--not to mention People Pages 6 the nuns of various orders depending on the fashion of a tear, of Morrin Centre Project 7 whom you heard,--but youths belonging to some seminary or Book Review 7 other, wearing coats edged with white, who looked as if their Blast from the Past 8 expanding hearts were already repressed with a piece of tape.” W.H. Drummond 9 Library Bulletin Board 10 Upcoming Events 11 To hear more travel impressions of Quebec City by prominent American writers, don’t miss our A Yankee in Quebec event on July 4th. IMPORTANT REMINDER: In preparation for the transition period and move, the EDITORS: Library is temporarily no longer accepting book donations. If you wish to donate books PATRICK DONOVAN (LAYOUT) please contact Caroline Lamothe with a list of titles for arrangements: AND VIRGINIA ROE 694-9147 or [email protected] PAGE 1 THE FIRST AND OLDEST HOW DOES THE LHSQ COMPARE TO OTHER LEARNED SOCIETIES? by Patrick Donovan For years, people have been saying the Literary and India, part of the former British Empire overseas, has Historical Society of Quebec is the oldest of its kind in several learned societies older than ours. The first and the former British Empire overseas. It would be great if most important of these is probably the Asiatic Society of this was true but it isn’t. This wearying talk of being “the Calcutta, India. Sir William Jones founded this society in first and oldest” happens frequently in heritage circles 1784 as a centre to study "the history, civil and natural, the and should generally be treated with extreme suspicion. antiquities, arts, sciences and literature of Asia." Its Anyone can make a claim, but the desire for bragging Bombay counterpart, founded a few years later, still rights often outweighs the drive to do proper research. maintains a musty Victorian lending library that bears an Research is an arduous task; bragging is easier. uncanny resemblance to ours, curved wrought-iron balconies on the mezzanine and all. Quebec City, founded in 1608, is still quoted in many official sources as being the oldest city in North The United States also founded several learned societies in America. Other places make similar claims: Jamestown, the days before the 1770s when it too was part of the VA (founded 1607); Tadoussac, QC (trading post British Empire overseas. “The first drudgery of settling established in 1600); Saint-Augustine, FL (founded new colonies is now pretty well over," wrote Benjamin 1565); and Saint John’s, NF (first permanent residence Franklin in 1743, "and there are many in every province in built in 1528). If one adheres to a geographical definition circumstances that set them at ease, and afford leisure to of North America rather than a cultural one, all the old cultivate the finer arts, and improve the common stock of Spanish cities in Mexico should be taken into account. knowledge.” That same year, Franklin founded the And what about Native American settlements? American Philosophical Society. The Society’s mandate covered not only philosophy but also the natural sciences, Over time, claims of being the first and oldest become literature, and history. The APA continues to flourish distorted. Most people only remember 10% of what they today and publishes its Transactions regularly. Over 200 hear. Is the Literary and Historical Society the “oldest in APA members have received the Nobel Prize. North America,” “the oldest in the British Empire,” or the “oldest in the world”? When memory fails us, (CONTINUED ON PAGE 3) resorting to the most pompous boast always sounds best. The idea that the Society is the oldest in the former British Empire overseas goes back to 1875. It derives from a letter by Sidney Robjohns of the Royal Historical Society of Great Britain to the LHSQ. This casual letter was taken as an authoritative source. It was referred to in two M.A. theses as well as the federal government’s 1984 heritage study on the LHSQ. With such credible endorsements, the boast of being the first and oldest appeared to rest on solid ground. Let us examine a few older societies that prove otherwise. Library of the Asiatic Society (Bombay, India), Founded 1804 (www. corbis. com) PAGE 2 THE FIRST AND OLDEST were encyclopedic, covering not only literature but also history and science. Furthermore, the LHSQ engaged in (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2) publication, scholarly research, the accumulation of archives, and fostered a museum with many complete Other existing American learned societies predating the natural history collections used for serious study. Over LHSQ include the Massachusetts Historical Society time, these functions were relegated to other bodies. The (1791), the New York Historical Society (1804) and the Society came to be a secretive private library for the American Antiquarian Society (1812). English-speaking population of Quebec City who could afford its steep membership rates. Is it right to call the An argument could be made that learned societies LHSQ the oldest learned society in Canada when it has existed in Quebec before the LHSQ, though in a very hardly fulfilled the functions proper to a learned society skeletal form. La Société Littéraire de Québec was founded in since the 1930s? What role can learned societies fulfill 1809 by a group of francophone intellectuals including nowadays? Philippe-Joseph Aubert de Gaspé (Les Anciens Canadiens). This group held meetings every other week. Although The learned society is not an obsolete 19th-century literary discussion and creation were their main concept. The proof lies in the fact that many of the older preoccupations, the circle hosted a talk on the medicinal learned societies described above have adapted themselves effects of music. During the Société's first summer, a to the 21st century admirably well. Thankfully, the Morrin public contest was held with silver medals awarded to “la Centre project is a bold first step in giving the LHSQ personne qui célébrera la naissance de sa glorieuse some of its original vigor and vitality back again. As a next majesté George III, par une pièce de vers, Anglaise, step, why not create partnerships with educational Françoise ou Latine.” Within less than a year, the society institutions and revive the Society’s Transactions? ▪ had folded. Unlike this predecessor, the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec (1824) was closer to the accepted Patrick Donovan is in charge of interpretation projects at the British model for a learned society. Its preoccupations LHSQ. A SELECTION OF THE LATEST ACQUISITIONS AT THE LIBRARY This list represents only a small portion of what was purchased in the last three months. Do you have sugges- FICTION tions of book purchases for the Book Committee? Bring reviews to the desk, and they will be passed on to the Committee for consideration. We appreciate your input! Barnes, Julian The lemon table Connelly, Michael The narrows Hodgson, Barbara The lives of shadows Non-fiction Rutherfurd, Edward The Princes of Ireland: the Dublin saga Calhoun, Charles C. Longfellow : a rediscovered life Gallant, Mavis Montreal stories De Botton, Alain. Status anxiety Slovo, Gillian Ice road Gray, Charlotte Canada: a portrait in letters Spark, Muriel The finishing school Ignatieff, Michael The lesser evil: political ethics in an age of terror Iyer, Pico Sun after dark: flights MYSTERY FICTION into the foreign Posner, Michael The last honest man: Akunin, Boris Murder on the Leviathan Mordecai Richler Block, Laurence The burglar on the prowl Truss, Lynne Eats, shoots and leaves Mankell, Henning Firewall Margolin, Phillip Sleeping beauty McCall Smith, Alexander The full cupboard of life Walters, Minette Disordered minds PAGE 3 NEW BOOKS FOR CHILDREN (TALL AND SMALL) by Caroline Lamothe, Head Librarian Albert, the dog who liked to ride in taxis Always Albert hopes for rain. On rainy days Mrs. Crabtree takes him with her for taxi rides. So much better than walks…One day – brilliantly sunny, for a surprise – Albert hops a taxi alone. More than one taxi, actually. You will never guess where he goes! (excerpt from dust jacket) Kingdom of the Golden Dragon Acclaimed author Isabel Allende’s first young adult novel takes the reader to the Himalayas to accompany the characters in a hunt for the fabled Golden Dragon statue, a priceless oracle that can foretell the fate of the kingdom.