In Montreal, a city blessed with so very many works of public art, the Monument aux Patriotes stands as one of the most poignant. It was unveiled one hundred years ago today by nonagenarian Marion Cardinal-Marion, revealing a bronze sculpture by Albert Laliberté. This and other St-Jean-Baptiste Day events were covered on the front page of the 24 June 1926 edition of the Montreal Daily Star, the city's afternoon Anglo newspaper.
The reporting begins:
For all its coverage, the Star did not include a photograph of the newly installed monument that day. No Montreal newspaper did, which I expect had much to do with time constraints imposed by the technology of the time. The image at the top of this post comes from the following morning's edition of La Presse. That afternoon, the Star featured further reporting on the previous day's festivities, along with this:
Also featured is a photograph of Marion Cardinal-Marion herself, lone surviving child of notary Joseph-Narcisse Cardinal, the first of the twelve men hanged for their roles in the Lower Canada Rebellion.
The past may be a foreign country, but not entirely.
On this day, we honour those who fought for our rights in the Rebellions of 1837 and 1838, just as Manitobans celebrate Louis Riel every February. My daughter is a graduate of École secondaire Gabriel-Dumont, named for the man who was Riel's number two in the North-West Rebellion. That school is in London, Ontario, a few kilometres from the Canadian Thames. Visit the Veterans Affairs Canada website and you will find it includes a page devoted to the Gabriel Dumont Memorial.
One hundred year ago today, Quebec's Lieutenant-Governor Narcisse Pérodeau represented King George V in honouring the men who were hanged for treason under the monarch's grandmother Queen Victoria.
Montreal's Bureau d'art publique has a very good webpage about the monument. One hundred years ago, de Lormier was a bustling thoroughfare. It is less welcoming today, but that's only due to poor city planning and the rise of the automobile. Still, I encourage a visit.
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| The Montreal Daily Star, 25 June 1926 |
