THE LANDSCAPE AND LAKELAND ARE POWERFUL ASSETS OF GRAVENHURST, MUSKOKA
THE ALLURE IS ALL-ENCOMPASSING
The wind has been raising ever so slight whitecaps, out from the shallow water of Muskoka Beach this evening. It is only a few minutes now before sunset, and it is such a stimulating scene, that will soon be calmed by the last rays of the red sun, as it dips below the horizon lakeshore. It is a most poetic place, and a retreat for visionaries to ponder the mysteries of the universe. It is a place to sit on a bench, and enjoy a most soothing solitude, as geese flutter their wings rocking in the waves. It is as much, a living, natural art, and the voyeurs, sitting along this shore, are enthralled to be witness to a most glorious closing of the day.
British poet / philosopher, William Henry Smith never set foot in this beautiful region of Canada, and as far as my research has revealed, he never travelled to Canada during his life. His work however, was known in Canada, and very much appreciated by this country's man of letters, William Dawson LeSueur, a postal authority during the day, an historian and literary critic, in his spare time. It was LeSueur, of course, if you have read the start of this short commemorative series, (which began last night) was the fellow who brought together the life, work and reputation of a kindly author, by the name of William Henry Smith, with a fledgling hamlet tucked between two regional lakes, deep into the pine forests, hillside and bogs of South Muskoka. It happened in 1862, when LeSueur, responsible for naming new post office locations, throughout Canada, opted to take the title of Smith's book, "Gravenhurst; or Thoughts on Good and Evil," instead of the citizens' choice of McCabe's Landing. LeSueur intended it, of course, to be a preamble tribute to a revered author, and to a new settlement, on what was in essence, the frontier of the province and country in 1862.
In the early evenings, this summer, my wife Suzanne and I, have been taking minor road trips, down the Muskoka Beach Road, one of the most picturesque in the region, and stopping for a wee work-day respite, at Muskoka Beach, and watching the spectacular sunsets, with our pooch, Muffin; and a couple of cups of tea for our lounging comforts. Sitting there, above the beach, watching the evergreen needles wavering like a fan, across the lakeland panorama, might have inspired the good Mr. Smith to dawdle a while as well, thinking it a most beautiful, and tranquil scene, with setting sun in that fiery red glow sinking below the island contour, of the wider Lake Muskoka. Watching the summer evening slowly immerse in its own shadows, is wonderfully peaceful, and there is no finer scene in Ontario. It is an exceptional place to visit. A truly great adventure, living here as permanent residents. This is our good fortune.
WHO WAS THIS WILLIAM HENRY SMITH ANYWAY - AND WHY SHOULD WE CARE?
SHOULD WE BE PROUD OF OUR ASSOCIATION - OR TUCK IT AWAY WITH THE OTHER DUST OF AGES?
TO VIEW THE MUSIC VIDEO, COMMEMORATING THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NAMING OF THE FIRST POST OFFICE IN GRAVENHURST, YOU CAN CLICK ON THE BOX ABOVE. YOU MAY HAVE TO WAIT FOR IT TO LOAD BEFORE IT CAN BE VIEWED WITHOUT STOPPING.
"HIS POEMS 'GUIDONE' AND 'SOLITUDE,' WERE PUBLISHED TOGETHER IN 1836, AND ABOUT THE SAME TIME HE REVIEWED BULWER AND LANDOR IN "THE QUARTERLY. IN 1839 HE PUBLISHED HIS 'DISCOURSE ON ETHICS OF THE SCHOOL OF PALEY,' WHICH, IN PROFESSOR FERRIER'S OPINION, 'WAS ONE OF THE BEST WRITTEN AND MOST INGENIOUSLY REASONED ATTACKS UPON CUDWORTH'S DOCTRINE THAT EVER APPEARED'. IN THE SAME YEAR HE BEGAN HIS CONNECTION WITH 'BLACKWOOD'S MAGAZINE,' CONTINUED TO NEARLY THE END OF HIS LIFE. HE CONTRIBUTED ALTOGETHER 126 ARTICLES ON THE MOST DIVERSE SUBJECTS, STORIES, POEMS, ESSAYS IN PHILOSOPHY AND POLITICS, BUT PRINCIPALLY REVIEWS AND CRITICISMS, ALL VALUABLE, AND ALL DISTINGUISHED BY ELEGANCE AND LUCIDITY OF STYLE."
WILLIAM SMITH, WHILE WRITING FOR THE PUBLICATIONS SUCH AS THE "LITERARY GAZETTE," AND "ATHENAEUM," USED THE PEN NAME, "THE WOOL-GATHERER."
YOU MIGHT ALSO WISH, AFTER READING THIS, TO LOOK UP THE TEXT OF "GRAVENHURST; OR THOUGHTS AND GOOD AND EVIL," ON GOOGLE BOOKS, WHERE IT HAS BE FULLY RE-PUBLISHED.
It might appear, from using this detailed, literarily complicated opening biography, first released in 'The Dictionary of National Biography,' published by the Oxford Press, that I'm actually trying to scare readers off. I'm pretty sure, this information won't stir the younger readers, and I can't imagine the hisses I'd get, if I had to present this to a high school history class. Those not hissing, would be snoring, or asking to go to the washroom.....repeatedly. It's a tough sell but then I've been doing this historical stuff since I was a kid.....so I've gotten used to people switching me off for self preservation; which does speak to my own rather boring existence mired in the archives of local history.
I'm so positive about this particular story, and the connection we've never really made with William Henry Smith, that it's worth the risk, to keep plugging along, in this 150th anniversary month, of the official naming of the Town of Gravenhurst's first post office, by postal authority William Dawson LeSueur, after the title of the British author's book, "Gravenhurst; or Thoughts on Good and Evil." That date was August Ist, 1862, and one hundred and fifty years later, there is virtually no buzz, little interest, and no will to pursue much more knowledge than presently exists, about the historial and literary connection with old England. Well, that's never stopped me before. So here goes some more biographical information from the National Biography:
"His novel 'Ernesto,' a story connected with the conspiracy of Fiesco, had appeared in 1835. It has considerable psychological but little narrative interest. Similar qualities and defects characterizes his tragedy of 'Athelwold,' (1842) although it was greatly admired by Mrs. Taylor, the Egeria of Stuart Mill, whose scrap of criticism is one of the very few utterances of hers that have found their way to print. Macready produced a curtailed version in 1843, and his and Helen Faucit's acting, procured it a successful first night; more was hardly to be anticipated. It was published in 1846 along with 'Sir William Crichton,' another tragedy, and 'Guidone,' and 'Solitude.' From this time Smith lived chiefly at Keswick in the Lake District. In 1851, he unexpectedly received an offer from Professor Wilson to supply temporarily his place as professor of moral philosophy at Edinburg, but he was diffident, and had begun to write 'Thorndale,' and the tempting offer was declined. 'Thorndale; or the Conflict of Opinions,' was published in 1857, and, notwithstanding its length and occasional abstruseness, speedily gained acceptance with thoughtful readers. In the previous year he had become acquainted with his future wife, Lucy Caroline, daughter of George Cumming, M.D. whom he married at St. John's Church, Notting Hill, on the 5th of March, 1861," records the National Biography.
"Gravenhurst; or Thoughts on Good and Evil,' was published the same year. It confirmed and extended the reputation acquired by 'Thorndale,' but Smith owes much more to his wife's beautiful and affectionate record of their married life, almost devoid of incident as it is. His health began to decline in 1869, and he died at Brighton on the 28th of March, 1872. Mrs. Smith survived until the 14th of December 1881. Apart from her memoir (which the Gravenhurst Archives possesses in its collection), her literary work had principally consisted of translations from the German, both in prose and verse. Next after the biography, which has embalmed his name, Smith will chiefly be remembered by his philosophical dialogues, 'Thorndale,' and 'Gravenhurst'. The mutual relation of the books is indicated by the author himself, when he says that "Thorndale,' is a conflict of opinions, and 'Gravenhurst,' a harmony. No man was better qualified by inate candour and impartiality to balance conflicting opinions against each other, or by acuteness to exhibit the strong and weak points of all. The eclectic character of his mind aided the diffusion of the books; every one found much that commended itself to him, while less popular views were expressed with an urbanity which disarmed hostility, and the hesitation to draw definite conclusions was an additional attraction to a public weary of dogmatism. If these really charming compositions have become in a measure obsolete, the chief reason is the importation of physical science as an element in moral discussions, but their classic elegance will always secure them an honorable, if not influential place in the history of modern speculation.
"Smith's dramatic gift was not inconsiderable; his personages are well individualised both in his dialogues and his dramas. Of the latter, 'Sir William Crichton,' a play of the story times of James II of Scotland, is the more effective. 'Athelwold,' is a clear immitation of the style of Sir Henry Taylor, and, like the latter's 'Edwin the Fair,' brings Dunstan upon the stage. Both plays are full of wisdom, beautifully expressed, but neither is very vital nor very real."
"I call this somewhat irregular esssay on a very old subject by the name of the place in which it was written, because allusions to that place and its inhabitants, and some conversations with neighbouring friends, have crept into it," wrote William Henry Smith, in his book, "Gravenhurst; or Thoughts on Good and Evil," published in Edinburgh, originally in 1861. "One evening when returning from my walk through a village which, at least in these pages, bears the name of 'Gravenhurst,' I found myself meditating on the old problem of good and evil, and that apparently disproportionate amount of evil, which has often perplexed profoundest thinkers, and which has often startled into thought the most simple-hearted of men, when suffering themselves under any sharp calamity," wrote Smith of the community he used as the model for his study.
"A visit paid to a poor woman in distress, and a conversation held with a dear friend who keeps alive in me the habit of philosophical discussion, had led my thoughts in this direction. It was the hour of sunset. As I paused upon the parapet of our little bridge, the distant Welsh hills were glowing in their purple splendour; the river ran gold at my feet; every branch of every graceful tree that hung silently in the air received and reflected a new beauty from that entire scene of enchantment, to which also it brought its own contribution. The whole which is formed itself of separate parts, gives to each part its meaning and charm,"
More on the good Mr. Smith in tomorrow's blog. Please join me for another in the series of blog-chapters, recognizing the 150th anniversary of the naming of the Town of Gravenhurst, Ontario, on August Ist, 1862.
To view the music video, celebrating this milestone, you can click onto it for a viewing, in the box at the beginning of today's blog.
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