Sir George Etienne Cartier: His Work for Canada and His Services to Montreal
Part 4
O my country, thou art blest, Favoured of all the nations now! But the stranger's vile behest Would the seeds of discord sow. May thy brave sons for thy sake Join to help thee, hand in hand, For thy great day doth e'en now break, O Canada, my own beloved land!
FOOTNOTES:
[1] Dr. Parkin--Life of Sir John A. Macdonald.
[2] John Lewis, Life of George Brown.
[3] Dr. Parkin--Life of Sir John A. Macdonald.
[4] A. D. DeCelles, Cartier Et Son Temps.
[5] Sir Adolphe Routhier-Conférence sur Sir George Etienne Cartier, issued by the Cartier Centenary Committee in pamphlet form.
[6] See following pages.
[7] The above which is a faithful translation of the famous French-Canadian national song, "O Canada Mon Pays, Mes Amours," is intended simply to give the sense of the original. The song was composed in 1835 by George Etienne Cartier, then a young man of 21 who was destined to become one of the most illustrious figures in Canadian history. Cartier was for some time secretary of the St. Jean Baptiste Association which was founded by Ludger Duvernay in 1834, and it was at the first celebration of St. Jean Baptiste day held in Montreal in 1835, that the song was sung for the first time by Cartier himself.
As the result of the indefatigable efforts of the president of the Cartier Centenary Committee, Mr. E. W. Villeneuve and those associated with him in this patriotic undertaking, the Centenary of Sir George Etienne Cartier's birth will be commemorated in 1914 by the unveiling of a magnificent monument on Mount Royal, and a series of historic celebrations. A brilliant success is assured for the Centenary celebration, and the splendid memorial which will stand on one of the slopes of Mount Royal will forever commemorate the illustrious career of Cartier and the great work of Canadian Confederation with which he was prominently identified.