Picturesque Quebec : a sequel to Quebec past and present

by Sir J. M. Le Moine

[See page 107.]

VENERABLE MOTHER OF THE INCARNATION.

"In one of the many works which the philosopher of Chelsea has given to the world, we find the assertion of a great truth that history is but the biography of leading men. The poet of Cambridge also tells us that the lives of the great are so many models, and that as they have left their footprints on the sands of time, so may we by following their noble example render our lives illustrious. These reflections of the philosopher and poet extend no doubt to those of the fairer sex, in whom exalted virtue was manifested, and whose devotion in the pursuit of noble deeds awakens the spirit of emulation in all hearts. From the earliest period of time heroic women have appeared. The mother of the Maccabees, the mother of the Gracchi, the grand prophetesses whose actions are recorded in that sublimest of books, the Bible—these and many others adorn the pages of history, whether sacred or profane, and afford living, ever-present proofs, that the pathway of glory and honour may be pursued by even the weaker members of the human race.

In Canada, youthful though her record may be, there have appeared actresses on the great stage of humanity, whose virtues appeal for admiration, whose nobility of soul provokes general reverence, and whose impress upon the future destinies of the country is of a more profound nature than may be imagined at first sight.

Foremost among such heroic women, may be regarded the foundress of the Ursuline Convent in Quebec, the Venerable Mother Mary of the Incarnation. Gifted by nature, burning with zeal for the welfare of souls, imbued with the greatest confidence in the mercies of a bountiful Creator, she fully realized the great idea of Blessed Angela de Merici, that the preservation of the world from innumerable evils, largely depended upon the correct training of youth. Born in sunny France, she braved the dangers of the deep, so that on our virgin soil she might plant the pure, untainted flag of Christian education; and, now that the Province of Quebec has emerged from the lowliness of its early condition—now that the settlers by the banks of the St. Lawrence have become a great people, with a literature all their own, rich in its very youthful exuberance, with their language preserved, and the free exercise of their religion guaranteed no less by the faithful adherence to treaty obligations, than by their own hardy devotion, we can calmly review the past, and gratefully acknowledge the blessings bestowed on the country through the instrumentality of that lady who founded that holy sisterhood in our midst, which daily labours to honour the Intelligence of God, by the cultivation of intellectual graces. Few, indeed, are the families in Quebec which have not experienced the value of the Ursuline community in our city. One of the crowns of womanhood is gained in Christian education—an education which falls upon the soil of the soul, like freshening dew, and adorns the heart and mind with the flowers of virtue. Hence the life of the Venerable Mother Mary should be carefully studied and pondered over; hence her deeds should be proclaimed and her saintly legacies preserved, and therefore, it is, that the writer humbly calls attention to a new work, written by a daughter of Erin, written lovingly and sweetly in the quiet precincts of the Ursuline Convent, Blackrock, Cork, and in which may be found the story of the devoted French woman, whose name is now inseparably linked with that of Canada, told in chaste language worthy alike of the virtuous theme, and of the ability which marks the narration. The earlier days of the French Colony are depicted therein; and with an accuracy no less commendable than useful. In fact the book is eminently a readable one, the object of the publication being to extend the knowledge which all of us ought to possess of one whose life glorified God, and whose advent to our shores was a very benediction."

JAMES JOSEPH GAHAN.

Quebec, 27th January, 1881.

We copy the following from the Quebec Gazette, 10th October, 1793:—

THE VARIATION OF THE NEEDLE AT QUEBEC.

"For the information of the curious, the particular benefit of Land Surveyors, and safety of seafaring people, please to insert in your Gazette, that from critical observation on the variation of the needle at Quebec, it is found to be on the decrease, or in other words to be again returning to the Eastward,—a proof of which is, that in 1785, when the Meridian line on Abraham's Plains was ascertained by me, the variation was found to be 12 degrees, 35 minutes West; whereas at present the variation is no more than 12 degrees, 5 minutes West, having in the space of eight years diminished half a degree.