From ‘Pale and Weak’ to Platoon Commander

We took a tour of the Citadel in Quebec City with a charming young man named Sam. He showed us a time line to explain the history of the Citadel, built originally to defend Quebec City from an attack by the Americans. It eventually became the home of the francophone Royal 22 nd Regiment formed during World War I.  Sam provided us with a great deal of information as we tracked the military history of the regiment through World War I and II, the Korean War and the War in Afghanistan. I decided during the tour to focus on the references to women and photos of women at the Citadel. The 22nd Francophone Regiment was started because in 1914 a very rich pharmaceutical entrepreneur named Arthur Mignaut wrote a letter to the then Prime Minister Robert Borden offering to make a donation of $50,000 to establish a solely French Canadian regiment. One of the ways Arthur Mignault had made his fortune was by selling little red pills for ‘pale and weak’ women.

During World War II women played an important role with their work in munitions factories building bombs. This poster encourages women to help the war effort, The woman says, “I’m making bombs and buying Victory Bonds.”This photo of Eleanor Roosevelt, Princess Alice wife of Canada’s then Governor General the Earl of Athlone, and Clementine Churchill was taken in 1944 at the Citadel when their husbands were in Quebec City planning for a post war world. The Roosevelts and Churchills stayed at the Citadel, which was one of the two residences of Canada’s Governor General. Sonya Butt was a British spy during World War II. At age 19 she parachuted into France where she worked as a courier and weapons instructor. Her photo is in The Citadel in Quebec City because just before they left on separate covert war missions Sonya married fellow spy French Canadian Guy d’Artois. They were reunited after the war and she came to live in Quebec where the couple raised six children together. Sonya died in 2014.

Members of Quebec’s 22nd Regiment pose with Korean nuns and female orphans at a Korean orphanage in 1953. Three battalions of soldiers from the 22nd Regiment served during the Korean War with the Canadian Infantry. 

In this video called Dispatches from Afghanistan Lieutenant Marie Christine Alamay talks about the women of Afghanistan she came to know during the time she was stationed in Kandahar as a platoon commander with the 22nd Regiment. 

I found it interesting that women moved from being ‘pale and weak’ to becoming platoon commanders as we toured the exhibit. 

Other posts……..

Times Have Changed

Are You This Determined to Vote?

A Train Introduces Me to a Fascinating Woman

Diana- Finding Greek and Roman Gods in Winnipeg

Where can you find Greek and Roman gods in Winnipeg?  Lots of places it turns out. Ever since the Olympus exhibit opened at the Winnipeg Art Gallery I’ve been looking for references to Greek and Roman gods in Winnipeg.  I found another one on Sunday night.  I was attending Bachtoberfest: An Evening in Leipzig at Canadian Mennonite University. A quartet of talented singers  performed excerpts from a hunting cantata composed by Bach to serve as dinnertime entertainment at the 1713 birthday party of a German duke. The celebration was held in the duke’s hunting lodge.

Guess who the main cantata characters were?   Diana, goddess of the hunt performed by soprano Rose van der Hooft, Endymion, Diana’s lover whose part was sung by tenor Nolan Kehler, Pan god of nature sung by bass Matt Baron and Pales goddess of shepherds and flocks sung by Lynette Ens.  It was the first time I’d heard the cantata and it was delightful. 

The Olympus exhibit at the Winnipeg Art Gallery has helped me become familiar with so many Greek and Roman gods.  It’s fun to see where else in Winnipeg I can spot them!

Other posts….

Poseidon- Finding Greek and Roman Gods in Winnipeg

Mercury- Finding Greek and Roman Gods in Winnipeg

Hercules- Finding Greek and Roman Gods in Winnipeg

Athena- Finding Greek and Roman Gods in Winnipeg

A Pen or a Wing?

The hand holds the feather gently.  This artwork sits in the center of a round about in Quebec City.  Our walking tour guide Janet told us it is a tribute to teachers. The sculpture is a hand resting on a pile of books. There is a feather in the hand’s palm. Our group had a little discussion about the meaning of the art piece. Some said the feather alludes to the quill which teachers in the past used to teach children how to write. 

I said the feather represented a teacher giving children the confidence and learning they needed to “fly” off into the world and be independent and successful.  It is the job of a teacher to give children ‘wings.’ Not everyone agreed with me. 

Whatever the viewer thinks the sculpture means it is nice to see tribute being given in a public way to the work teachers do.

Other posts………

What Are Kids Looking For in a Teacher? 

They Remembered the Books

Its the Principal of the Thing

Co-Creation at the Art Gallery

In her book The Participatory Museum Nina Simon presents ideas for making art galleries and museums more relevant and dynamic. One chapter is called Co-Creating with Visitors. I saw a great example of co-creation when I visited the Musée de la civilisation à Québec.

Empty City near Tianjin – photo by Ninon Pednault – La Presse My photo taken at The Musée de la civilisation à Québec

A gallery featured photographs of Chinese Ghost Cities.  China has been trying to keep their economy vibrant with all kinds of building projects. They have created whole cities just to keep people employed but more than 90% of the buildings in these cities are uninhabited.

City of Paris recreated in Tiangducheng China. Many couples who can’t afford to go to Paris get married in Tiangducheng. Hardly anyone actually lives there however. Photo by Ninon Pedault- La Presse My photo taken at The Musée de la civilisation à Québec

Replicas of Paris, London, Manhatten, Dubai and Florence have been built in China by Chinese construction workers but no one lives in them. 

A Town to Populate by Karine Giboulo

In her installation A Town to Populate  artist Karine Giboulo has created her own ghost city of skyscrapers, roads, houses and shopping malls but they don’t have any people in them.  Visitors to the gallery are invited to take balls of modeling clay from bins near the exhibit and use the tools provided to create people for the town. 

Lots of gallery visitors had taken on the artist’s challenge.  Here is the little person I created for A Town To Populate. 

Karine Giboulo has truly created a participatory installation that invites those who come to see her exhibit to be co-creators with her.  Participatory art is an exciting new way cultural institutions are trying to engage their visitors and make their exhibits more relevant and meaningful.  

Other posts……

Sunday Afternoon at the WAG

What Talent! Olympus Inspired Art. 

Inspiration in Quebec City

Waiting is a peculiar state in which doing doesn’t cease; it is just restrained, like an impatient horse.

– Philip Shepherd 

Why would the missionaries think that their religion provided a superior spiritual base and moral code to that of the natives?

–  Max Swanson 

While it is well enough to leave footprints on the sands of time, it is even more important to make sure they point in a commendable direction.

– James Cabell

In  research published in the February 2014 issue of Experimental Gerontology, scientists have found that eating cranberries can extend your life significantly.

– The Toronto Sun

There is something of the marvelous in all things of nature.

-Aristotle

You are the window through which you must see the world.

– George Bernard Shaw

Time has laid his hand
Upon my heart gently, not smiting it,
But as a harper lays his open palm
Upon his harp, to deaden its vibrations.
~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn’t leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I’d still be in prison.

― Nelson Mandela

The grass never sleeps.  

-Mary Oliver

My religion is nature. That’s what arouses those feelings of wonder and mysticism and gratitude in me.

― Oliver Sacks

Other posts………

Elegant Words

Hat Inspiration

Inspiration at Hecla Island Golf Course

 

A Black and White Religion

Will my religious beliefs seem this misguided to future generations? At the Musee de la Place Royale in Quebec City, we saw a painting called The Catholic Ladder.  It was created by Albert Lacombe in 1895.  He used this visual depiction of salvation to convert people who were illiterate to Christianity. Lacombe was a missionary to the Metis, Cree and Blackfoot across North America at the turn of the century. According to Lacombe’s theology, there were only two ways to go in life. You walked The Way of Evil and led a life characterized by things like lust and envy or you walked The Way of Good characterized by things like hope and charity. Lacombe had no problem making judgements about which path people were on. Here a priest leads First Nations people from the dark path to the light one. 

And here people like Martin Luther and Mohammed turn off the path of good towards the path of evil.  Lacombe saw no value in any religious faith other than Catholicism. And at the top of the ladder, Jesus sits in judgement sending people either to this hell replete with crowned dragons, fire and snakes or…….to purgatory which doesn’t look that pleasant either although there are ways to get out or to heaven where people are welcomed by Mary and Jesus and the angels. 

I spent a long time looking at this depiction of Christianity. It made me sad. It made me angry.  

I’d like to think that over the last century Christianity has evolved into a faith that emphasizes forgiveness rather than damnation.

I’d like to think we’ve gotten past frightening people into believing in the divine.  

I’d like to think Christians realize they don’t have a corner on the truth and understand just how much they can learn from other faiths.

I’d like to think we realize choosing the way of evil or the way of good isn’t always black and white and determining what is good or evil can be very difficult. Sometimes a choice we were certain was good can end up causing harm to ourselves and others.

I’d like to think that we don’t live our entire lives just focused on what happens to us after we die but rather focused on what we can do to bring the good things of the Kingdom of God to the people around us in the here and now.  

I’d like to think that but…… I know that fundamentalism is growing in all three of the world’s major religions and fundamentalism gives rise to ideas like the ones depicted in Lacombe’s ladder. 

Perhaps it is good for me to consider Lacombe’s ladder because it reminds me that our theology needs to continue to change as we learn more about history and science, and as we learn more about ourselves as individuals and as a world community.  It also makes me think about the fact that perhaps my religious beliefs will seem just as unpalatable to future generations as the ones in the Catholic Ladder are to me today. 

Other posts……..

Parfleches for the Last Supper

I Remember When

 

The Clapper

Do you know what this is?  I do from personal experience at Marion School in Winnipeg.  This little wooden object  is called a clapper and nuns who worked as teachers years ago used them to keep order and discipline.  When the two pieces of hinged wood were ‘clapped together’ it made a sharp noise.

I remember the clapper signaling the beginning and ending of the total silence during which we ate our lunch at Marion School.  Making a noise could result in the clapper being ‘clapped’ quite close to your ear and perhaps even nipping a bit of skin. 

Marion School built in 1950-photo from the Winnipeg Architecture Foundation website

I attended Marion School in St. Boniface when I was in grade one.  Marion School was predominantly French although there was one English class for each grade. Most of our teachers were nuns, although mine was not, and they all carried clappers in the pockets of their habits.

I was scared of the clapper and on at least one occasion when I had been sent to stand in the corner for some offence, remember a sister coming by and clapping it repeatedly right next to my ear. 

One of these clappers was on display at the Musée de la civilisation in Quebec City when I visited there. It was exhibited along with other disciplinary tools used by teaching nuns. I don’t know if I had ever seen a clapper since those long ago grade one days. But here was one again.  

My grade one class at Marion School with our teacher Ms. Bourreau. I am third from the left in the second row. 

Some people I have told about the clapper have declared it must be just a figment of my imagination. Now I have living proof that it was actually real .  

Other posts……..

The Nun’s Christmas

Mennonite Nuns

A Very Short Fight

My husband Dave and his cousin John pretend to be James Wolfe and Louis-Joseph Montcalm reenacting their battle against each other on our visit to the Plains of Abraham. Montcalm the leader of the French troops stationed in Quebec City thought they were safe from an English attack on September 13, 1759 because of the high cliffs along the St. Lawrence River
But James Wolfe and his well-trained British troops managed to find a route up the cliffs and under the cover of darkness crossed the St. Lawrence and made their way up the path. Montcalm had moved a large contingent of his men upstream leaving the Plains of Abraham vulnerable. The battle was very short. It was over in under 20 minutes. The English had defeated the French to take control of Quebec. Both Wolfe and Montcalm died in the battle. 

The battle field gets its name from Abraham Martin the farmer who owned the land where the English/French fight took place. 

The battle happened during the Seven Years War between the French and English which ended in 1760. There are information panels on the site of the Plains of Abraham which describe the battle. 

A monument in downtown Quebec City recognizes both the leaders of the French and English. Wolfe’s name is on one side and Montcalm’s name on the other. The obelisk was erected in 1828 in memory of both generals who died on the Plains of Abraham. Every school child in Canada learns about the Battle on the Plains of Abraham when they study the history of our country.  It was interesting….. and as you can see…… kind of fun to visit the site ourselves. 

Other posts……

Color, Color Everywhere

Eating Our Way Through Quebec City

A Bone Rattling Introduction

Color, Color Everywhere – Autumn Dreams Are In the Air

We started our sixth day in Quebec City at a restaurant called The Hobbit where we had homemade jam on baguettes, eggs and excellent espresso coffee.

Then we were off on a bus tour out into the Quebec countryside. The fall colors all around us were glorious. 

First stop was a chocolate shop on Île d’Orléans where all the chocolates are made on site.  Dave enjoyed his chocolates under the trees on the yard. 

We spent nearly an hour at Montmorency Falls.

We took the gondola up to the top of the falls and went for a walk on the suspension bridge. 

After stops at a museum where we learned about copper mining and copper artwork

We went to a bakery where we enjoyed fresh bread slathered with maple butter. We spent another hour exploring the beauty of the Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré. The art and architecture were fascinating. 

Supper was at a Moroccan restaurant. We spent a couple of hours playing euchre. Like the winning Liberals and the winning Blue Jays, Velma and Dave were the winning team last night. 

 Our day in the Quebec countryside had been verrrrrry cold but was beautiful and enjoyable. 

Color, color everywhere. Autumn dreams are in the air.  –  Mary Naylor

Other posts……….

Watching the  Blue Jays Win in Quebec City

Are You This Determined to Vote? 

Eating Our Way Through Quebec City

A Bone Rattling Introduction

Are You This Determined to Vote?

They worked for more than 20 years to earn the right to vote!!  It is election day in Canada. Here in Quebec City I’ve learned about an amazing trio who dedicated themselves to securing the right to vote for Quebec women.  Did you know that although Canadian women earned the right to vote federally in 1918 it wasn’t till 22 years later that women in Quebec got the right to vote in provincial elections? These equal voting privileges became a reality in Quebec because of the dedication of Therese Casgrain, Idola St. Jean and Marie Lacoste Gérin-Lajoie.A statue on the grounds of the Quebec Legislature honors these determined women.  They repeatedly organized marches in Quebec City to gain recognition for their cause. Each year they managed to find a politician willing to sponsor a bill in the Quebec legislature granting women the right to vote. It took fourteen such bills before they were finally successful.

In 1982 a Thérèse Casgrain Volunteer Award was established in recognition of Thérèse Casgrain’s tireless efforts to gain equality for Quebec women.  Prime Minister Stephen Harper discontinued this award in 2010. 

The statue of suffragettes in Quebec City reminds me of the Famous Five sculpture on the grounds of the Manitoba Legislature which recognizes Henrietta Edwards, Emily Murphy, Irene Parlby, Louise McKinney and Nellie McClung who took their fight to have women recognized as people in Canada all the way to the British Privy Council. It is because of them that there are female candidates running for office in the election today.  

If you are thinking you don’t have time to vote today, or you think it won’t matter anyway, or you just can’t be bothered, think of the Quebec women who wanted to vote so badly they persevered and fought for 22 years. Please vote today out of respect for a democratic privilege many people have worked so hard to earn, and none of us should take for granted. 

An updated version of this post can be found here. 

Other posts……

The Famous Five

Thankfully Times Have Changed

My Photograph is in the Supreme Court Building in London

The Lady from Saskatchewan, The British Dentist and Me