Monthly Archives: October 2015

The Golden Age of Illustration in Britain

30 Friday Oct 2015

Posted by in Art, England, Illustrations

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Alice in Wonderland by Arthur Rackham

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Arthur Rackham (Photo credit: Wikimedia.org)

The Golden Age of Illustration

Browsing through Women Painters of the World, from the time of Caterina Vigri, 1413–1463, to Rosa Bonheur and the present day, Walter Shaw Sparrow‘s selection of paintings by women and associated articles (1862 – 1940), I found works by Kate Greenaway and remembered the diversity Japonism had introduced in European art. Japonism swept Europe. It influenced Vincent van Gogh, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Mary Cassatt, and numerous other artists. But is also led to the Golden Age of illustration in Britain, the age of Walter Crane (1845-1895), Randolph Caldecott, Sir John Tenniel (1820-1914), Arthur Rackham (1867-1939), Beatrix Potter…

For the moment, however, we will glimpse the art of British artists, some of whom had been or were members of the Arts and Crafts movement (1890 – 1920) or had benefited from the broadening of objects and styles considered artistic introduced by the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, founded in 1848. The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood conferred acceptability to areas of the visual arts that had seemed marginal in earlier years, such as history painting and the illustration of books, children’s literature especially, and artwork that was reproduced, or prints.

Such movements broke with the constraints of academic painting and introduced a democratization of art. The “beautiful” could be found in a piece of textile or wallpaper, the decoration of a room, or to put it in a nutshell: design. Given the breadth of this subject, I will show art by Walter Crane, Arthur Rackham and Sir John Tenniel. This particular post is an illustrated introduction.

Tenniel, White Rabbit, dresses as herald, blowing trumpet (37)
Tenniel, White Rabbit checking watch (2)
C.59.g.11 97 detail Courtesy of The British Library

A Mad Tea-Party, Alice in Wonderland by Sir John Tenniel (25)
(Courtesy of The British Library)

By clicking on British children’s literature illustrators, you will find a list of illustrators of children’s literature:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_19th-century_British_children%27s_literature_illustrators
They are also listed at the foot of this post.

Town mouse and country mouse by Arthur Rackham

Town mouse and country mouse by Arthur Rackham (Photo credit: Google Images)

Centuries of Childhood

  • acceptance of childhood
  • moralistic literature
  • oral tradition

As it flourished, the illustration of children’s literature reflected a major transformation. Childhood was not born until recently, which can be explained, at least in part, by the high mortality rate among children. Too few reached adulthood. Besides, children’s literature had been put into the service of education. It was didactic and moralistic, or so people thought. (See Philippe Ariès and Centuries of Childhood, Wikipedia.) It was as though children were born tainted with the original sin, a condition baptism did not correct fully.

In literature, Æsopic fables flourished long before Beatrix Potter (Peter Rabbit). There are several illustrators of Æsopic fables who are also, to a large extent, illustrators of Jean de La Fontaine. Jean de La Fontaine retold a large number of Æsopic fables that had been taken away from the realm of oral tradition beginning with Latin author Phædrus (1st century CE) and Greek author Babrius (2nd century CE). (See Phædrus [fabulist], Wikipedia.) These were supposedly didactic, but the Horatian ideal, to inform and to delight, was not always served. Children were delighted and did not necessarily identify with the careless behaviour of a mere grasshopper. The tale was not about the behaviour of children; it was about the behaviour of a grasshopper. Children knew the difference.

Japonism

  • the Sakoku (locked country) period
  • incunabula
  • art reproduced: prints

Illustrations have solid roots in Western culture. Jean de France, duc de Berry paid a fortune for his illustrated Très Riches Heures. But it could well be that Japonism triggered the British Golden Age of illustration and its large European counterpart. Japan had isolated itself in the 17th century (1633–39). No one could enter or leave Japan under penalty of death. That period of Japan’s history is called the Sakoku period, which ended in 1853 with the forcible entry of the Black Ships of Commodore Matthew Perry.

However, as of 1860, Europe was flooded with Japanese prints. As prints, these were not the unique works of art Europeans created (beginning with the 8th-century Book of Kells). After the invention the printing press, certain books were still illuminated by hand. But, as of 1501, printers no longer left room on a page for an illustrator to illuminate a printed text. The hand-painted printed books produced during the period that spans the invention of printing and the demise of hand-painted books are called incunabula (les incunables).

Contrary to Europeans, the Japanese printed their artwork and these were considered by Europeans to be genuine artwork, despite duplication. Even Vincent van Gogh could afford a Japanese print of which he liked both the style and the subject matter. He did not learn a printing technique, but Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Mary Cassatt did. Art had become affordable and it spread to design, to use a broad term. Moreover, certain artists’ Japonism consisted in including the objects of the Orient in their paintings: white and blue porcelain, fans, screens… Many artists also liked the beau idéal Japan proposed.

Ironically, appreciation of Japan’s beau idéal contributed to the emergence of Art Nouveau, Art Deco and, eventually, modernism. Art Nouveau flourished during the golden years of illustration. However, the most significant element Japonism brought to European art was an acceptance of art reproduced: prints.

Japanese artists reproduced their art, called ukiyo-e, using wood block printing. Consequently, they did not adhere to the notion that a work of art should be unique and original. Apprenticeship consisted in attempting to master the art of one’s master. For Japanese artists, beauty was not a matter of taste. They supported the concept of a beau idéal, which meant that, in their eyes, beauty was one of a kind, but not the artwork.

Prints

It is in this respect, the acceptability of prints, that Japonism paved the way for the golden age of illustrations (see Illustration, Wikipedia). Many of us do purchase original art, but a reproduction can provide the same pleasure as the original. Such is the case of my beloved Child Händel. It is an inexpensive copy of a painting by Margaret Isabel Dicksee, but I like it. So did Walter Shaw Sparrow and Ralph Peacock who either compiled, the former, or, the latter, wrote a chapter of Women Painters of the World (Gutenberg [EBook #39000]).

As it happens, a poster by Toulouse-Lautrec may cost millions. Several copies were made, but few are available and the art of Toulouse-Lautrec is considered beautiful by a large number of art lovers. Although beauty is in the eye of the beholder, there is a significant degree of unanimity with respect to the beauty of certain works of art.

Early Illustrators

Jean de La Fontaine‘s Fables were illustrated from the moment they proved successful. As well, given that many were rewritings of Æsopic fables, the stories they told had the merit of being familiar. La Fontaine had several illustrators, the most famous of whom is Gustave Doré. But Doré’s illustrations are monochrome. Wood engravings and etchings, an intaglio technique, may be coloured, but prints are often monochrome art. (See Wood engraving and Etching, Wikipedia.)

Pioneers of “copied” art are John Leech (Punch), George Cruikshank (illustrator &c), Hablot Knight Browne (Dickens‘ illustrator), Honoré Daumier (French caricaturist), George du Maurier (cartoonist) and others.

However, we are beginning with John Tenniel, Arthur Rackham and Walter Crane. Walter Crane illustrated The Baby’s own Æsop. (See Gutenberg [EBook #25433] and Laura Gibbs’ mythfolklore.net.aesopica). Early illustrations were not coloured. Gustave Doré‘s, illustration of La Fontaine are monochrome pieces. Prints, such as the oriental prints that flooded Europe after the Sakoku period, could be coloured, in which they differed substantially from monochrome prints. Both Arthur Rackham and Sir John Tenniel produced monochrome as well as coloured illustrations and both illustrated Lewis Carroll‘s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

They and Walter Crane are our artists, as space and the nature of weblogs do not allow me to feature Beatrix Potter—who illustrated the books she wrote, the Peter Rabbit stories, Kate Greenaway, and others. All are listed at the foot of this post. Pictures can be found by clicking on the name of the artist. Their work may also be seen at Wikimedia.org. Write the name of the artist and specify Wikimedia.org. However, the art of other illustrators may be shown in future posts. 

Walter Crane was influenced by Japanese colour-prints (see Walter Crane, Wikipedia). As for Sir John Tenniel, he drew his illustrations which were then engraved by the Brothers Dalziel. (See Sir John Tenniel, Wikipedia.) Sir John Tenniel’s illustrations for Alice in Wonderland are a Gutenberg [EBook #114] publication.

Sir John Tenniel engaged in nonsense art and Lewis Carroll, in literary nonsense, but Carroll did not write limericks. Nonsense is an umbrella term and, although limericks can be used in children’s literature, they may be not suitable for children. Unlike Walter Crane’s The Baby’s own Æsop, “Hercules and the Waggoner” a fable by Æsop and La Fontaine, and Rudyard Kipling’s “Small boy of Quebec,” which is witty and delightfully naïve, limericks may be crude. But Walter Crane produced Toy Books inspired by Japanese art.

crane_toybook

Toy Book by Walter Crane (Gutenberg [EBook #25433])

 

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The Little Red Riding Hood by Walter Crane (Gutenberg [EBook #19993])

Conclusion

I must close this very incomplete post, but we have seen a significant expansion of the areas that could be considered legitimate art, from illustrations to design. Japonism played a role in this expansion and it also played a role in a democratization of art as did the Arts and Crafts movement.

As we know from previous posts, French artist Bernard Boutet de Monvel earned a handsome living as an etcher and designing interiors. So did Coco Chanel, designing clothes…

With kindest regards to all of you. ♥

RELATED ARTICLES

Sources and Resources

  • Walter Crane, The Baby’s Own Aesop (Gutenberg [EBook #25433])
  • Mabie, Hale & Forbush, Childhood’s Favorites and Fairy Stories (Gutenberg [EBook #19993])
  • Sir John Tenniel, Illustrations for Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Gutenberg [EBook #114])
  • Women Painters of the World (Gutenberg [EBook #39000])

List of British illustrators (Golden Age)

Lewis Carroll‘s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
(music: “Lake Louise” composed by Japanese pianist Kuhki Kuramoto) 

Alice in Wonderland by Arthur Rackham

© Micheline Walker
30 October 2015
revised 31 October 2015
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“The Child Händel” by Margaret Isabel Dicksee

26 Monday Oct 2015

Posted by in Art, Sharing

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The Child Handel by Margaret Isabel Dicksee, 1893

The Child Händel by Margaret Isabel Dicksee, 1893 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In Memorian

In Memoriam (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Reminiscence

When I was a child, my father built a high fidelity sound system and, in the evening, his friends came over to listen to records. I grew to love music.

My grandmother realized I was a musician so she gave me the piano her children had used. Later, I received as a reward the above-featured image: The Child Händel. It was monochrome: sepia and ivory, but I thought it was a beautiful picture.

After I was married, I had it mounted on a board so that I could hang it on a wall. It has since followed me, from house to house.

Margaret Isabel Dicksee

However, I could not remember the name of the artist who had created the painting. The name was removed when the print was mounted.

I found the print and the name of the artist when searching for images of Händel, but I also found a book in which it was featured. The artist is Margaret Isabel Dicksee (22 January 1858 – 6 June 1903) and the painting is one of two paintings Walter Shaw Sparrow (1862 – 1940) selected when he published his 1905 Women Painters of the World, from the time of Caterina Vigri, 1413–1463, to Rosa Bonheur and the present day. The second painting is In Memoriam.

Women Painters of the World

I believe yesterday’s more important discovery was Mr. Sparrow’s book. Traditionally, women have been busy weaving fabric and doing needlework rather than painting. Therefore, before 1905, the year Mr. Sparrow’s collection was published, very few books, if any, had showcased women artists. Mr. Sparrow may have known Mary Cassatt and Berthe Morisot. He may also have known Margaret Isabel Dicksee herself. She died at the age of 45, two years before Women Painters of the World was published. Artist Ralph Peacock wrote that Miss Dicksee “left behind the evidence of a most lovable nature.”[1]

About Miss Dicksee

Margaret was the daughter of Thomas Francis Dicksee, an artist, and the sister of artists Sir Francis Bernard Dicksee PRA KCVO and Herbert Dicksee (14 June 1862 – 20 February 1942). The latter specialized in oil paintings of dogs. If you click on the following link, pooches will appear:

http://www.mike-herwin.com/HD_Dogs.html

Several of Margaret Isabel Dicksee’s paintings are well-known pieces. Her painting showing Richard Brinsley Sheridan at the Linley’s is a familiar work, but its fame may rest, to a certain extent, on its subject matter: Sheridan at the Linley’s. Sheridan was the Right Honourable Richard Brinsley Sheridan who married Elizabeth Ann Linley, an accomplished singer.

Dicksee also made a painting of Swift with his Stella. But is it the Jonathan Swift? Jonathan Swift’s Stella was a grown woman, not a child.

Genre

Although several of Miss Dicksee’s paintings portray identified and historical figures, her work can also be associated with genre paintings, or scenes from everyday life. This is a characteristic of her art. You may also notice a theme: learning and teaching.

margaret-isabel-dicksee-1858-1903-sheridan-at-the-linleys-1899

Sheridan at the Linley’s (Photo credit: Google Images)

A Sacrifice of Vanities
Angelica Kauffman at Reynold’s Studio (Corbis)

(Photo credit: Google Images and Corbis)

Swift and his Stella

Swift and his Stella (Photo credit: Google Images)

AWNS_19020116_p007_i005_x

First Commission (Photo Credit: Google Images)

Conclusion

Let me invite you to look at Sparrow’s book. You will at times be twisting your neck, but it is a well-chosen selection of paintings by women. The music is by Händel, whom the British adopted. He regaled his British public with his Messiah 1741; HMV 56), his Water Music (1717; Suites 348, 349, 350), his music for the Royal Fireworks (1749; HWV 351), and other masterful compositions. He also composed intimate music, such as his pieces for the harpsichord. The video I have embedded is too long, but…

Sources and Resources

Women Painters of the World is a Gutenberg [EBook #39000] publication ←
Women Painters of the World are an Internet Archive publication
The Journal of Swift to Stella is a Gutenberg [EBook #4208] publication
Google Images: Margaret Dicksee

____________________
[1] Germaine Greer, The Obstacle Race (New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 1979), p. 314. (Ralph Peacock, in Women Painters of the World, pp. 69 – 70. [EBook #39000])

Georg Friedrich Händel (5 March 1685 – 14 April 1759)
Christopher Hogwood, harpsichord

Feeding the Doves (Wikigallery.org)

Feeding the Doves (Wikigallery.org)

© Micheline Walker
26 October 2015
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Limericks: “There was a small boy of Quebec…”

24 Saturday Oct 2015

Posted by in Literature

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1024px-1862ca-a-book-of-nonsense--edward-lear-001

A Book of Nonsense (ca. 1875 James Miller edition) by Edward Lear

Definition

A limerick (see Wikipedia) is a

  • five-line poem.
  • Its meter is predominantly anapestic (ta-ta-TUM).
  • Its rhyme scheme is AABBA.
  • The first, second and fifth lines (A) are usually longer than the third and fourth.
  • It’s intent is humorous.
  • Limericks are probably named after the Irish County of Limerick
  • The word ‘limerick’ was first used in St John, New Brunswick

     There was a young rustic named Mallory, (A)
    who drew but a very small salary. (A)
    When he went to the show, (B)
    his purse made him go (B)
    to a seat in the uppermost gallery. (A)

    Tune: Won’t you come to Limerick.

The First Limerick: Vice and Virtue

  • Thomas Aquinas
  • Vitiorum/virtutum

The oldest attested limerick is a Latin prayer by Thomas Aquinas dating back to the 13th century.

Sit vitiorum meorum evacuatio
Concupiscentae et libidinis exterminatio,
Caritatis et patientiae,
Humilitatis et obedientiae,
Omniumque virtutum augmentatio.

See The Lion & the Cardinal, by Daniel Mitsui
http://www.danielmitsui.com/hieronymus/index.blog/1397896/thomas-aquinas-invented-the-limerick/ 

limericks Cont’d

  • Edward Lear
  • Lewis Carroll

The form appeared in England in the early years of the 18th century and was popularized by:

Limericks Compiled

  • Gershon Legman compiled the “largest and most scholarly edition” of limericks: The New Limerick: 2750 Unpublished Examples, American and British (New York, 1977, ISBN 0-517-53091-0)

Children’s Literature

Limericks are associated with children’s literature.

800px-Hercules_&_Waggoner2

The Baby’s Own Aesop, illustrated by Walter Crane (Gutenberg [EBook #25433])

Jabberwocky_creatures

John Tenniel‘s depiction of the nonsense creatures in Carroll‘s Jabberwocky. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Literary Nonsense

For a list of authors who use or have used literary nonsense, click on literary nonsense (Wikipedia).

Nonsense Device: The Twist

A clever twist makes for a spirited limerick. But never would I have suspected that the great Rudyard Kipling would have used a “small boy of Quebec” to give one of his limericks its rather naïve, but charming twist.

A LIMERICK

There was a small boy of Quebec,
Who was buried in snow to his neck;
When they said. “Are you friz?”
He replied, “Yes, I is—
But we don’t call this cold in Quebec.”

Rudyard Kipling
[EBook #19993]

RELATED ARTICLE

Sources and Resources

slear-supposed© Micheline Walker
24 October 2015
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Justin Trudeau: Expectations

22 Thursday Oct 2015

Posted by in Canada

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Pierre et Justin

Justin Trudeau and Pierre Trudeau: There are both  similarities and profound difference between Father and Son. (The Canadian Press Files)

The Aftermath

I’m returning to the fine arts, stories, music, literature, aboriginals, &c. However, before I turn the page, allow me to comment on reactions that followed Monday’s Liberal Party victory.

On Tuesday, 20 October 2015, I read numerous newspaper articles as well as posts on the Federal election held Monday, 19 October 2015. By and large, journalists were surprised but happy with the outcome of the Canadian election.

However, I had written somewhere that because he was Pierre Trudeau’s son, Justin Trudeau had to face obstacles during his campaign. It was therefore suggested to me that being rich, famous and well-connected was not an obstacle, which I took to mean that being rich, famous and well-connected was an advantage. There can be no doubt that money, fame and the right connections can make a political campaign easier, but that is not altogether the case.

In other words, the fact remains that Justin Trudeau earned his victory in last Monday’s Federal election by presenting a coherent platform and one that addressed the needs of ordinary Canadians, beginning with Canada’s children and its families. It has become increasingly difficult for Canadians to make ends meet and save for retirement.

The Trudeau Family
The Trudeau Famiy
Sophie Grégoire & Justin Trudeau
24 Sussex Drive, Ottawa

24 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, is the home of Canadian Prime Ministers
(Photo credit: Google Images)

The Leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada

  • Pierre Elliott Trudeau
  • Justin Trudeau

It would be my opinion that, in 2013, during the Liberal Party leadership election, being Pierre Elliott Trudeau’s son probably helped Justin Trudeau secure the leadership of his Party. He replaced Michael Ignatieff (b. 1947) whose Liberals were defeated in the Canadian Federal Election of 2011 and who lost his own seat in Parliament. A change was needed. (See Liberal Party leadership election, 2013.)

However, at the beginning of the electoral campaign that culminated in a victory for the Liberals, Mr. Stephen Harper, the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, stated that Justin Trudeau “[would] exceed expectations if he [came] on stage with his pants on.” The inference was that Justin Trudeau was too young and unable to fill his father’s shoes.

http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/canadian-politics/trudeau-will-exceed-expectations-if-he-comes-on-stage-with-his-pants-on

Father and Son: The Moment

  • Pierre Elliott Trudeau
  • Justin Trudeau

http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/canadian-politics/trudeau-vs-trudeau

A comparison between father and son was inevitable and it is “trending,” which the image featured at the top of this post indicates. Moreover, although allusions to the father, Pierre Trudeau, were scarce during the campaign, the statement uttered by Prime Minister Stephen Harper at the onset of the 2015 Federal Election campaign remained on the mind of voters.

Pierre Elliott Trudeau

Pierre Trudeau was a Professor of Law who held a Master’s degree in Political Economy from Harvard University and had studied at both the Sorbonne and the London School of Economics. I will list some of the highlights of the Trudeau years.[1]

The above list is incomplete. Moreover, I should mention that Pierre Elliott Trudeau’s decisions and policies were not always popular. On the contrary. For instance, in October 1970, members of the Front de Libération du Québec (FLQ), the terrorist branch of Quebec’s separatist movement, kidnapped British diplomat James Cross and assassinated Quebec’s Minister of Labour and Deputy Premier Pierre Laporte (25 February 1921 – 17 October 1970). (See October Crisis, Wikipedia.)

Trudeau brought on the War Measures’ Act and, as a result, militant separatists were arrested and several spent a night or more, in prison. These Quebecers have since been elevated to martyrdom.

I should also note that many Québécois and French Canadian nationalists resented the introduction of multiculturalism. Multiculturalism seemed inconsistent with the previously enacted biculturalism.

The Multiculturism Act was not passed until 1988, under Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, but it was Section 27 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, embedded in the Constitution Act of 1982.

In short, the truly great Pierre Trudeau miffed a few citizens, and Justin Trudeau was not a sure winner if compared to his father. Although the son has a more engaging personality than the father, they share several views and the son is as determined as the father.

Justin Trudeau

Justin Trudeau is well-educated, but he is not the intellectual his father was. People remember. But let us consider that times have changed and that, in 2015, Justin Trudeau seemed the man of the moment, just as his father had seemed the man of the moment in the 1970s, but for different reasons. In choosing leaders, the moment is a crucial factor. Between 1968 and 1984, the moment called for the intellectually polished Pierre Elliott Trudeau to lead the country. But 2015 was a different moment.

In 2015 Canada needed a Prime Minister who realized that Canadians could not make ends meet and who could inspire the nation to help him bring about greater prosperity for everyone. In 2015, Canada needed a Prime Minister who could listen to Canadians and reach out to them. So the man of the moment was no longer Pierre Trudeau, it was Justin Trudeau.

http://montrealgazette.com/news/national/election-results-liberal-partys-long-purgatory-ends-in-quebec

Therefore, contrary to Mr. Harper’s statement, expressed above, Justin Trudeau exceeded expectations. Not only did he come on stage fully and properly dressed, but Canadians found in him a listener and a very approachable candidate. He, Justin Trudeau, had a coherent and persuasive platform.

Yes he needed money to run a campaign, but money is not what brought him a resounding political victory. Mr. Harper and Mr. Mulcair also had money. One can donate money, within limits, to a political party.

Conclusion 

People, members of Parliament and Premiers, are looking forward to working with Justin Trudeau, soon to be the Right Honourable Justin Trudeau. For instance, ten Indigenous Canadians will sit in the House of Commons, la Chambre des communes, which comprises 338 members. One is Robert-Falcon Ouellette, a Métis representing Winnipeg Centre. He holds a PhD.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/from-euphoniums-to-family-guy-5-little-known-facts-about-robert-falcon-ouellette-1.3280493

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/canada-election-results-winnipeg-centre-1.3278596

Trudeau & Robert-Falcon Ouellette
Robert-Falcon Ouellette
With Kathleen Wynne, Ontario Premier
Montreal, 20 October 2015

(Photo credit: Lucas Oleniuk/ Toronto Star)
(Photo credit: Paul Chiasson/ The Canadian Press)

Being rich does not preclude being good. Justin Trudeau is a good person. No, he was not expected to be elected. However, he exceeded everyone’s expectations and may continue to do so.

I have just edited this post, and I apologize.

With kindest regards to all of view. ♥

____________________

[1]  Pierre Elliott Trudeau was Prime Minister of Canada from 1968 until 1984, with an interruption in 1979-1980, when 40-year-old Conservative leader Joe Clark was Prime Minister.

Buffy Sainte-Marie

1© Micheline Walker
22 October 2015
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Justin Trudeau is Canada’s Prime Minister

20 Tuesday Oct 2015

Posted by in Canada

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Justin Trudeau

All 13 provinces and territories are sending Liberal MPs to Ottawa for the 42nd Parliament, part of a broad and decisive win by Justin Trudeau’s campaign. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-election-2015-majority-liberal-regional-narrative-1.3279126

Justin Trudeau has been elected Prime Minister of Canada and will lead a majority government.

His platform (program), his enthusiasm and his determination earned him a clear victory.

Canada has a government whose priority will be the welfare of all Canadians.

I will write further later, but couldn’t wait to tell you how very fortunate Canada is.

Best regards to all of you. ♥

images

justintrudeau_jpeg_size_xxlarge_letterbox

© Micheline Walker
20 October 2015
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“Ô Canada:” L’Hymne national, The National Anthem of Canada

19 Monday Oct 2015

Posted by in Canada

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Le Drapeau du Canada The Canadian Flag

Le Drapeau du Canada
The Canadian Flag

L’hymne national du Canada

« Ô Canada! Terre de nos aïeux,
Ton front est ceint de fleurons glorieux
Car ton bras sait [knows how to] porter l’épée,
Il sait porter la Croix!

Ton histoire est une épopée
Des plus brillants exploits.

Et ta valeur [worth], de foi trempée [lit. soaked in faith] ,
Protégera nos foyers et nos droits.

Protégera nos foyers et nos droits. »

Translation of the French Lyrics

O Canada! Land of our ancestors,
You wear a crown of florets glorious.
Because your arm can carry a sword
And [because it] can carry a Cross.

Your history is an epic tale
Of the most brilliant deeds.
And (because) your worth, (is) steeped in Faith,
It (your worth/value) will protect our homes and our rights. (2)

musique : Calixa Lavallée (le 28 décembre 1842 – le 21 janvier 1891)
paroles : Sir Adolphe-Basile Routhier (le 8 mai 1839 – le 27 juin 1920)

Sir A-Basile Routhier

Sir A-Basile Routhier

(Music composed in 1880 and adopted in 1980)
(flag adopted in 1965)
(Images: Wikipedia)

Calixa Lavallée
Robert Stanley Weir

Canada’s National Anthem

O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.

With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!

From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

music: Calixa Lavallée (28 December 1842 – 21 January 1891)
lyrics: Robert Stanley Weir (15 November 1856  – 20 August 1926)

English version below: Remembrance Day

Flag_of_Canada.svg[1]

images© Micheline Walker
le 19 octobre 2015
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Tomorrow, 19 October 2015

18 Sunday Oct 2015

Posted by in Canada

≈ Comments Off on Tomorrow, 19 October 2015

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justintrudeau_jpeg_size_xxlarge_letterbox

Justin Trudeau (Photo credit: Google Images)

http://globalnews.ca/news/2283565/the-home-stretch-last-day-for-campaigning-in-the-42nd-federal-election/

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/what-the-liberals-economic-plan-would-mean-for-canada/article26838610/

The Platform

Whether or not Justin Trudeau is elected Prime Minister of Canada, he has turned a page in the history of Canada. Throughout his campaign, Trudeau has focused on one issue: prosperity for Canadians, which is the real issue at the moment.

The Globe and Mail, Canada’s leading English language newspaper, reports that, if the Liberals are elected into office under the leadership of Justin Trudeau, Canada’s government will be more “interventionist” than prior governments. This is what circumstances are calling for.

The Children

Trudeau’s Liberals have identified the main issue. Too many children live in poverty, which is unacceptable. As a responsible leader, Trudeau will address this problem immediately. The cost of living is so high that it is taking away from the children of the nation nutritious food, a good roof, the means to purchase sport equipment, musical instruments, art supplies, and the funds to receive a proper education or job training. The cost of living should not be so high that a society finds itself compelled to take away from children the joy of childhood, a degree of that marvelous insouciance a child requires.

Liberal Party Leader Justin Trudeau has the figures for each city in Canada. He knows the number of children whose well-being is threatened at this very moment and he will help families now. If the government of Canada does not reach out to the people promptly, Canada will lose a generation.

Justin Trudeau has travelled the country and sent a clear message, a message so clear that Canadian political leaders have heard. One does not wait until the poor storm the barricades to reach out to those in need. One acts and one acts now.

Golden Years

It is in this regard that Mr. Trudeau has turned a page in the history of Canada whether or not he is elected to the office of Prime Minister of Canada. Or could it be that he is taking us back to golden years? When Lester B. Pearson was Prime Minister of Canada, he asked Allan J. MacEachen (b. 1921), the former Deputy Prime Minister of Canada, to build social programs that would protect Canadians: health care, unemployment benefits, disability benefits, old age security and other programs. Mr. MacEachen devoted his entire life to the people of Canada, however humble, the humblest. At the moment, these programs need better funding. I believe Trudeau will be a people’s Prime Minister, that he will ensure the safety of all Canadians.

Wealth in Canada

Trudeau and other political leaders know that Canada has an enormous potential for growth. Therefore we plan and then we pounce. There is immense wealth in Canada.

I’ve just looked out my window. Snow is falling very gently, which brings to mind Voltaire‘s famous statement. New France was “a few acres of snow.” As I have written in a previous post, if one knows that Voltaire spoke “obliquely” in order to avoid being thrown in the Bastille, his statement could be an indictment of Louis XV. In other words, that statement could read that France was neglecting New France as though it were a mere “few acres of snow.”

At any rate, there is wealth beneath that snow, including oil. In fact, there could be diamonds. Quebec Premier Dr. Philippe Couillard is having a road built leading to the bountiful north. We must be realistic and not bank on what could be an insufficient quantity of diamonds, but let us look back at Canada’s legendary tireless voyageurs, who sang as they rowed.

There are other sources of wealth. For instance, we could build rapid-transit systems. Canada is a large country, but we have groups of cities and some cities extend over a large territory. Building a train ensured that Canada went from east to west, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. Why not make it possible for students to go from Maple Ridge, British Columbia to the main campus, the very heart, of the University of British Columbia?

I cannot say this often enough. Human beings build the road to the future. It doesn’t just happen.

1024px-Ottawa_-_ON_-_Oberster_Gerichtshof_von_Kanada

The Supreme Court of Canada (La Cour suprême du Canada) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“My number is 9”

http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/canadian-politics/liberals-have-strong-momentum-as-election-day-nears-new-poll-finds

There was a particularly interesting moment in the campaign. Mr Mulcair introduced the subject of Canadian unity. Quebec has a secessionist party and the results of the last referendum, held in 1995, showed that Quebec was divided in two almost equal halves: 50.58% to 49.42%. (See Clarity Act, Wikipedia.)

That also sent a strong message, so strong that Ottawa had to be interventionist. It passed the Clarity Act of 15 March 2000. One vote cannot divide this country. If one vote could break this country, federalism would be brittle.

I missed some of that debate to a cluster migraine, but Mr Mulcair wanted a number, Mr Trudeau’s number. Mr Trudeau stopped and then stated unambiguously that his number was 9. Nine judges of the Supreme Court of Canada, i.e. all judges, ruled that one vote cannot divide this country.

United States President Bill Clinton was in attendance at the meeting that preceded the enactment of Bill C-20 (the Clarity Act), the Reference Re Secession of Quebec (Wikipedia). President Clinton stated the following (fourth line, “when…”):

But the Clarity Act would get a big boost during the closing speech by United States President Bill Clinton. While looking directly at Quebec Premier Lucien Bouchard, who was present in the audience, Clinton appeared to echo the Supreme Court Reference, warning that “when a people thinks it should be independent in order to have a meaningful political existence, serious questions should be asked…. Are minority rights as well as majority rights respected? How are we going to co-operate with our neighbours?”. Clinton argued that federalism allows peoples seeking recognition of their identity a way to do so without isolating themselves in a nation-state. The speech would lay to rest any doubts about the U.S. position on the legality and desirability of unilateral secession in Quebec.
(See Clarity Act, Wikipedia)

Which takes us back to Mr. Trudeau’s platform. His priority is the economic well-being of Canadians, from coast to coast including Nunavut and the territories. (See Voter Information, Wikipedia.)

With my kindest regards. ♥

untitled
© Micheline Walker
18 October 2015
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Karl Bodmer & Prinz Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied

14 Wednesday Oct 2015

Posted by in Aboriginals, Art, United States

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Mahchsi Karehde Mandan Indian

Mahchsi Karehde Mandan Indian (Photo credit: Pinterest)

A Prince and his Artist

  • Prinz Maximillian zu Wied-Neuwied
  • Travels to the Interior of North America

Karl Bodmer (11 February 1809 – 30 October 1893) was 23 years old when he accompanied explorer, ethnologist and naturalist Prinz Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied (23 September 1782 – 3 February 1867) to the interior of the current United States. Other ethnologists and naturalists chronicled the final days of Amerindian tribes, but few hired an artist who would adorn the account of their travels. Prinz Max, as he was known to his entourage, is the author of Maximilian Prince of Wied’s Travels in the Interior of North America, during the years 1832–1834 (Reise in das Innere Nord-Amerikas [1840]).

Confluence of the Fox River and the Wabash in Indiana
Fox River near New Harmony

I suspect Prinz Max had the financial means to hire Karl Bodmer. However, a keen keen interest in Native Americans was his primary motivation. Expeditions to the New World were hazardous. Prinz Franz had already travelled to southeast Brazil from 1815 to 1817 and knew the many dangers threatening explorers. As noted in Wikipedia, “he was a sympathetic recorder of the cultures of many of the native American tribes he encountered, notably the Mandan and the Hidatsa.” (See Prince Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied, Wikipedia.)

As for Swiss-born Karl Bodmer, unhindered by his youth, he produced several exquisite paintings. Prince Max wrote to his brother that Bodmer “[was] a lively, very good man and companion, seem[ed] well-educated, and, [was] very pleasant and very suitable for me; I am glad I picked him. He makes no demands, and in diligence he is never lacking.” (See Karl Bodmer, Wikipedia.)

On his return to Europe, Karl Bodmer moved to Paris where he transformed his watercolours into 81 aquatints. These would adorn Maximilian Prince of Wied’s Travels in the Interior of North America, during the years 1832–1834. Bodmer later settled in Barbizon, France, and joined members of the Barbizon school, artists living near the Forest of Fontainebleau who advocated realism. Gustave Courbet and Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot were colleagues. Bodmer also became a French citizen.

Koblenz

Prinz Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied and Bodmer met at Koblenz, Germany. Prince Maximilian, Karl Bodmer and taxidermist David Dreidoppel set out for America on 17 May 1832. Their trip to the interior of North America was delayed because of an epidemic of cholera. They had arrived in Pittsburg on 4 July 1832 but did not leave until 8 October. First, they travelled down the Ohio River and reached Mt. Vernon, Indiana during the late evening of 18 October 1832. The next day they continued to New Harmony, Indiana but went no further. The Prince had fallen ill, showing symptoms that suggested cholera.

Fox River near New Harmony

Fox River near New Harmony, Indiana, 1832, by Karl Bodmer (Photo credit: WikiArt)

The Great Traveller, Charles-Alexandre Lesueur

The Great Traveller and Artist, Charles Alexandre Lesueur by Karl Bodmer (Photo credit: WikiArt)

It would be a four-month delay, but the three travellers did not waste much time. The Prince met famed French traveller and artist Charles Alexandre Lesueur, the author of 60 books. He also met Thomas Say, who is referred to as “the father of descriptive entomology in the United States.”

Our team of three left for St. Louis, Missouri in April 1833. Prince Maximilian took copious notes and, as we have seen in a post on the Mandans, white Amerindians, he investigated the origin of the Mandan people, some of whom were said to be the descendants of a Welsh colony. Once the Prince had collected the information he required, he, his artist, and his taxidermist returned to Germany, but, as we have seen above, Karl Bodmer soon left for Paris where he prepared the aquatints Prince Maximilian used to illustrate his four-volume account of his expedition to North America. In 1877, Bodmer was made a Knight in the French Legion of Honour, Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur, France’s most prestigious decoration.

Bodmer died in Paris, at the age of 84, about forty-four years after the publication of Maximilian Prince of Wied’s Travels in the Interior of North America, during the years 1832–1834.

Herd of Bisons, on the Missouri River

Herds of Bisons and Elks on the Upper Missouri River, 1840 – 1843, by Karl Bodmer (Photo credit: WikiArt)

indians-hunting-the-bison-left-1832

Indians Hunting the Bison, 1832 (Photo credit: WikiArt)

Bodmer’s Subject Matter

Bodmer did not paint Mandan Amerindians exclusively. Mandans were the possible descendants of a Welsh colony taken to North America by Welsh Prince Madoc in 1170. His collection of paintings comprises portrayals of members of several Plains Amerindian tribes: Sioux, Assiniboine, Plains Cree, Gros Ventres (big bellies) and Blackfoot. These tribes had begun facing serious depopulation and are now bordering on extinction. Many were massacred or were starved to death when the bison was nearly exterminated. Few bisons have survived. There are less than 600,000 in the United States and about 15,000 in Canada. (See American bison, Wikipedia.)

Kiasax, a Piegan Blackfeet Indian

Kiasax, a Piegan Blackfeet Indian (Photo credit: WikiArt)

Massacres and Smallpox

As for the Amerindians whose manners and customs the Prince chronicled and Bodmer depicted, many died. Some were victims of massacres perpetrated by the whites. But they were also, if not mainly, victims of communicable diseases brought to the Americas by the whites. Smallpox epidemics were the worst killer and there is some evidence, perhaps inconclusive, of at least one induced smallpox epidemic, spread by blankets. As a weapon, germs seem more lethal than guns and bombs.

“You will do well to try to inoculate the Indians, by means of blankets, as well as to try every other method that can serve to extirpate this execrable race.”
Jeffery Amherst [2]

In 1837–1838, the Mandan tribe was decimated by a smallpox epidemic and its remaining members banded with the nearby Hidatsa and Arikara who are now the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation, composed of the sedentary Mandan and Hidatsa peoples and the semi-nomadic Arikara. Members of these three tribes spoke, and perhaps still speak, a Caddoan language. They lived in earth lodges and used the travois, first pulled by dogs and later by horses.[3] And all were farmers who also required the bison for their survival.

In the early days of New France, the summer of 1639, to be precise, smallpox reduced the Huron or Wyandot population, living from the great lakes to the Saint Lawrence River, to 9,000, half its former size. A significant number of disfigured Amerindians committed suicide increasing the death toll smallpox caused. Their appearance was very important to Amerindians who devoted long hours painting themselves.[4]

The greatest harm visited upon North American aboriginals is psychological. We often look upon ourselves as we are perceived. “L’enfer, c’est les autres[,]” (Hell is other people), wrote Jean-Paul Sartre (Huis Clos). The Cherokees‘ best hope may be their conviction that they are members of the Ten Lost Tribes, which they may be. Essential to the survival of a people is its glorious past, remembered and retold from one generation to the next.

As for Amerindians who are not descendants of the Ten Lost Tribes or white Native Americans Madoc left behind in 1170, they may take genuine comfort in the artwork they have inspired, their own art and other accomplishments, the interest they have aroused among social scientists and anthropologists: ethonologists, folklorist, psychologists, sociologist, &c.

With my kindest regards to all of you. ♥

P.S. My “pages” still exist, but they are in hiding.

RELATED ARTICLES

Sources and Resources

____________________
[1] “Barbizon school”. Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2015. Web. 14 Oct. 2015
<http://www.britannica.com/art/Barbizon-school>.

[2] During the French and Indian War, Jeffery Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst, Britain’s commander in chief in North America suggested using smallpox to wipe out their Native American enemy.

[3] Horses had become extinct because of climatic changes that also led to the extinction of the very large mammoth.

[4] Johann Georg Kohl, Kitchi-Gami: Life Among the Lake Superior Ojibway  (Minnesota Historical Society, 1985 [1860]), Chapter II.

(Please click on the map to enlarge it.)

Map to illustrate the Route of Prince Maximillian of Wied in the interior of North America, 1832-1834

Map to illustrate the Route of Prince Maximillian of Wied in the interior of North America, 1832-1834 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

Young Piegan Blackfeet Woman
Young Piegan Blackfeet Woman

© Micheline Walker
14 October 2015
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Welsh Native Americans: Madoc’s Story

11 Sunday Oct 2015

Posted by in Aboriginals, Travel Accounts

≈ 10 Comments

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Shakoka

Portrait of Sha-kó-ka, a Mandan girl, by George Catlin, 1832 (Caption and photo credit: Wikipedia) 

A varied Settlement of the Americas

My post on the Ten Lost Tribes: Native Americans generated more interest than I expected. This theory dates back to James Adair‘s (c. 1709 – 1783) History of the Indians, in 1775, and it is supported by Israeli scholars. (See Ten Lost Tribes, Wikipedia.) However, their entering through the Bering Strait during the last glacial period is not the only account of the migration of Amerindians to the Americas. Another account, besides the Ten Lost Tribes, is Welsh prince Madog or Madoc‘s story.

Madoc’s Story: White Native Americans

According to folklore, Madoc ab Owain Gwyneed, a Welsh prince and therefore a white man, sailed to America in 1170. These Amerindians were first mentioned in a cywydd, an epic poem, by the Welsh poet Maredudd ap Rhys (fl. 1450 – 83) of Powys.” The existence of these white Amerindians is, of course, a disputed issue, but there may have been Welsh-speaking “Indians.”

There is a tradition of a “white Indian” settlement at Louisville, Ky., and several 17th- and 18th-century reports were published concerning encounters of frontiersmen with Welsh-speaking Indians. Most anthropologists reject the idea of pre-Columbian European contacts with American Indians, but the evidence is not conclusive. The story is the basis of the epic poem Madoc (1805) by the English poet Robert Southey.[1]

Mandan_Bull_Boats_and_Lodges-_George_Catlin

Painting of a Mandan village by George Catlin, ca. 1833 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

1985_66_1_1b

The Mandan Tribe

Their descendants would be the Mandan tribe of South Dakota. Artist George Catlin (26 July 1796 – 23 December 1872), who specialized in painting Amerindians,  “thought the Mandan bull boat to be similar to the Welsh coracle.” It should also be noted that the Mandan tribe, established “permanent villages featuring large, round, earth lodges, some 40 feet (12 m) in diameter, surrounding a central plaza.” These earth lodges are displayed in the images above and below. (See Mandan, Wikipedia.)

Mandan Village by George Catlin

Mandan Village by George Catlin (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In his 1584 Historie of Cambria, David Powel reported that, dissatisfied with the quarrels that divided his family, Welsh Prince Madoc ab Owain Gwynedd, one of the numerous sons of King Owain Gwynedd, and his brother Rhirid, tried to create a settlement in North America. On board their ships were 100 settlers: men, women, and children, who disembarked.

The brothers sailed back to Wales to recruit more settlers, but the second group of Welsh colonists ported in Mexico. As for Madoc and Rhirid, they never returned to Wales, nor did they visit their North American colony.

We do not know where Madoc’s North American colonists ported, but they intermarried and it is claimed that they are the ancestors of the Mandan tribe, Plains Amerindians who lived on the banks of the Missouri River and its tributaries and spoke a Siouan language, and if their encounters with Welsh-speaking colonists are not imaginary, some may also have spoken Welsh.

The theory according to which the Mandans are descendants of the Welsh has been mostly discredited. But there are reports of encounters. According to Wikipedia, Francis Lewis, a Welshman, was captured by Louis-Joseph de Montcalm during the French and Indian War (1754 – 1763). During his captivity, Francis Lewis is said “to have had a conversation with an Indian chief who spoke Welsh, which apparently saved his life.” There were other such encounters. (See Madoc, Wikipedia.)

Cheyenne Amerindians using a travois (Photo credit: Google images)

Cheyenne Amerindians using a travois (Photo credit: Google images)

Brothers La Vérendrie in Sight of Western Mountains by C. W. Jefferys

Brothers La Vérendrye in Sight of the Western Mountains by C. W. Jefferys (Photo credit: C. W. Jefferys)

Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, sieur de La Vérendrye (17 November 1685 – 5 December 1749), known as La Vérendrye, named the Mandans. He had heard Mantannes. The  cart pulled by dogs or horses used by Plains Amerindians, is called a travois, from the French travail FR. La Vérendrye and his four sons opened the territory west of Lake Superior. Two of his sons reached the Rocky Mountains.

The Mandans were farmers and therefore sedentary, but the “buffalo,” or bison, was central to their survival, as it was to all Plains Amerindians. Its destruction by the white led to famine. In fact, it was genocidal. The bison provided meat, clothing, teepees (tents) and other essentials of life.

American General Phil Sheridan said, “Let them kill, skin and sell until the buffalo are exterminated. Then your prairies can be covered with speckled cattle and the festive cowboy.”

Four million buffaloes were killed in Canada and Amerindians participated in the mass slaughter of their very livelihood. I suspect they acted out of fear. (See The Buffalo Slaughter in a People’s History, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation).

King Philip‘s fear that Amerindians would lose the land that fed them was in no way imaginary. John Wadsworth Longfellow made famine the demise of Hiawatha‘s people, which was fictional but not imaginary. 

Please click on the images to enlarge them.

A Skin Lodge of an Assiniboin Chief
Fort Clark on the Missouri, February 1834 by Karl Bodmer
A pair of Mandan men in a print by Karl Bodmer, 19th century
“Mató-Tope, a Mandan chief”: aquatint by Karl Bodmer

The art above is by Swiss-French artist Karl Bodmer (11 February 1809 – 30 October 1893)

Yet, their skin colour was lighter than that of other American aboriginals, which is not obvious in the art of Catlin and Bodmer. Their features, however, could be European. It has therefore been speculated that they were of European origin, just as Cherokees would be the descendants of the Ten Lost Tribes. Interest in matters exotic and disappearing aboriginals is one of the characteristics of 19th-century scholarship, literature, and the fine arts. It may have led Prince Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied to study the manners, customs, and language of the Mandan tribe. For instance, prince Maximilian looked for possible similarities between Welsh and the Siouan language of the Mandans.

In 1832, Prince Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied and 23-year-old artist Karl Bodmer, also known as Jean-Charles Bodmer, went up the Missouri River and visited the Mandans and other Native Americans. In 1840, Prince Maximilian published his Travels in the Interior of North America during the years 1832-1834 (Reise in das Innere Nord-Amerikas, 1840). Prince Maximilian’s account of his travels, illustrated by Karl Bodmer, and George Catlin’s paintings may well constitute the only remains of the Mandan tribe, some of whom may have been of Welsh descent. According to the Census of 2010, there are very few Mandans left, a mere 365 full-bloods and 806 of partial Mandan ancestry.

Karl_Bodmer_Travels_in_America_(23)

Encampment of the travellers on the Missouri. Maximilian is likely the man on the right in blue smoking a pipe. Aquatint illustration by Karl Bodmer (Caption and Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Conclusion

It would be unrealistic to assume that all Native Americans entered the Americas from the Beringia Land Bridge. Diversity among Amerindians precludes a single point of origin. In all likelihood people crossed the Atlantic Ocean from the moment there was an Atlantic Ocean to cross. This is what human beings have always done. Europeans were fishing off the coast of Newfoundland in the 1200s.

Therefore, although Madoc’s story seems a little fanciful, it has entered the pages of the Encyclopædia Britannica and it is told in a wealth of details in Wikipedia. Although we cannot ascertain there ever lived a Madog or Madoc, it occurred to the British that they should claim discovery of the Americas because Madoc was in the Americas 300 years before Christopher Columbus. (See Madoc, Wikipedia.)

With kindest regards to all of you. ♥

RELATED ARTICLES

Sources and Resources

_________________________

[1] “Madog Ab Owain Gwynedd”. Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2015. Web. 10 Oct. 2015
<http://www.britannica.com/topic/Madog-ab-Owain-Gwynedd>.



images

Bisons by Karl Bodmer (Photo credit: booksofdante)

© Micheline Walker
11 October 2015
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Choosing Canada’s Prime Minister: the Main Issue

08 Thursday Oct 2015

Posted by in Canada, Federal Elections

≈ 4 Comments

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1

Justin Trudeau, Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada (Photo credit: Google images)

http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/election/justin-trudeau-promises-to-sign-global-arms-treaty-1.2599194

http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/national-post-view-the-new-ndp-same-as-the-old

Canada votes on 19 October 2015 and I believe Mr. Justin Trudeau will be elected Prime Minister of Canada. Mr. Trudeau was in Sherbrooke, Quebec, on 6 October and I was in attendance.

The People

  • Poverty
  • The Middle-Class
  • Education vs retirement

I do not think Canadians have any choice but to elect a liberal government under the leadership of Justin Trudeau. Justin Trudeau is the voice of the people, which sets him apart from his contenders.

In particular, his enthusiasm gives Mr. Trudeau and members of his team the winning edge. Enthusiasm means “possessed by a god.” With all due respect, I see very little enthusiasm on the part of his contenders. They are in fact rather lethargic.

The Great Divide

  • enthusiasm
  • lethargy

I’ll call this discrepancy, i.e. enthusiasm versus lethargy, the great divide.

Canadians need an enthusiastic Prime Minister and, supporting him, energetic Members of Parliament. They need a leader who can see there is a future because he is ready to build one. The rallying cry of Trudeau’s team could be:

WE CAN AND WE WILL.

As for his contenders, they seem to have abdicated.

The Main Issue

Mr. Trudeau’s address was not about bilingualism and biculturalism. What a change. His address was about bread and butter issues.

Canada’s social programmes need better funding. The gap is growing wider between the rich and the poor. Too many families have to choose between educating their children and saving for retirement. Many Canadians, children and the elderly, in particular, live in poverty.

Therefore, it would be my opinion that, on 19 October 2015, Canadians will elect a government whose programme is greater prosperity for Canadian families. Canada is losing its middle-class.

Change

In short, it’s all about change. An apathetic government will not bring about changes. It will see obstacles where there are boundless possibilities. Obstacles can be turned into challenges. It’s a matter of perspective.

Justin Trudeau is the son of the Right Honourable Pierre Elliott Trudeau and was brought up by his father. The manner was at times “unconventional.”

Justin Trudeau and his father, the Right Honourable Pierre Elliott Trudeau

Justin Trudeau and his father, the Right Honourable Pierre Elliott Trudeau (Photo credit: Google Images)

Justin Trudeau is not the polished intellectual his father was. We are looking at two different individuals. However, I see considerable determination on the part of the father depicted in the photograph featured above, and determination is what father and son have in common.

—ooo—

The candidates are:

My kindest regards to all of you. ♥

Sviatoslav Richter plays Maurice Ravel‘s “Jeux d’eau”

© Micheline Walker
7 October 2015
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