I SHOULD BE IN THE COMPANY OF SPIRITUALISTS, ARTISTS, POETS, BUT DEFINITELY NOT POLITICIANS OR HISTORIANS
A REQUIEM IN PRINCIPLE - WHERE I MIGHT HAVE GONE ASTRAY WITH MY RE-ENANCTMENT FERVOR
ONE DAY, WHEN MY CIVIL WAR RE-ENACTOR FRIEND, TOM BROOKS, OF GRAVENHURST, CAME TO OUR HOUSE FOR A VISIT, ON HORSEBACK BY THE WAY, I HAD A RARE CHANCE TO ASK HIM ABOUT HIS PARTICIPATION IN HISTORICALLY RE-CREATED BATTLES; SUCH AS THE ONE HE WAS IN, DURING THE FILMING OF THE MOVIE "GETTYSBURG." THIS WAS A BAD EXAMPLE, AS HE POINTED OUT, BECAUSE THIS WAS HEAVILY INFLUENCED BY HOLLYWOOD PROTOCOL, AND THE SHEER MECHANICS OF MAKING SUCH A FILM, PROHIBITED ACCURATE RE-ENACTMENTS, IN FULL REGALIA, AS THEY WOULD BE UNDERTAKEN WITHOUT THE PRESENCE OF FILM CREWS.
I HAD ASKED HIM WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO STAND THERE, IN A LINE, READY TO CHARGE THE ENEMY, AND HEAR THE MONSTROUS ROAR OF MULTIPLE CANON BLASTS. THIS WAS DIFFERENTLY STAGED, OF COURSE, FOR THE MOVIE, THAN IF HE HAD BEEN IN A TYPICAL RE-ENACTMENT SITUATION, WITHOUT A HOLLYWOOD DIRECTOR CALLING THE SHOTS. I TOLD HIM THAT I HAD WANTED TO JOIN-UP AS A RE-ENACTOR MYSELF, BUT I WAS AFRAID OF HORSES AND USING A VINTAGE FIREARM. I'M PRONE TO HURTING MYSELF. HE LAUGHED, AND RE-ASSURED ME, WITH A HAND ON MY SHOULDER, AND A HAND ON HIS HORSE "SPIDER," THAT HE COULD HAVE ME RIDING IN NO TIME. AS FAR AS FIRING A GUN? NO PROBLEM EITHER! NOW, AS FAR AS THE HARDSHIPS OF BEING A RE-ENACTOR, AND LIVING IN TENTS, AND COOKING THE OLD FASHION WAY, HE LOOKED AT ME AS IF I WAS A CITY SLICKER; AND WHEN I TOLD HIM I CAMPED FREQUENTLY IN ALGONQUIN, WELL, HE STILL THOUGHT IT WOULD BE QUITE AN ADJUSTMENT, TO BE A TRUE-TO-LIFE CIVIL WAR SOLDIER, NO MATTER WHAT SIDE I CHOSE TO REPRESENT IN BATTLE.
I DID BENEFIT IN THIS WAY, ESPECIALLY IN MY PERSPECTIVE, FROM THESE CASUAL CHATS WITH TOM BROOKS, WHO WAS A CAREER MEMBER OF THE CONFEDERATE ARMY, LIVING HERE IN GRAVENHURST, ONTARIO. RE-ENACTMENT BROUGHT LIFE TO HISTORY, AND THAT'S WHAT I NEEDED PERSONALLY, TO JETTISON ME OUT OF THE HOLE OF BLACK-PRINT, THAT COMES WITH WRITING BOOKS AND NEWSPAPER ARTICLES, AS I HAD BEEN OCCUPIED ALL THAT YEAR; AND CHANGING MY STYLE, TO REFLECT AN INTEREST IN LIVING HISTORY, AND ITS POSITIVE IMPACT ON THE PUBLIC I'VE BEEN TRYING, IN VAIN, TO REACH FOR ALL THESE YEARS. SO I TRIED TO DEVELOP A MORE INTUITIVE WAY, TO GENERATE SENSORY PERCEPTION, WITH WHATEVER STORY I WAS WORKING ON; AND EVEN IF IT WAS MY MOST RECENT ESSAY ON WASHINGTON IRVING, AND HIS RELATIONSHIP TO THE TOWN OF BRACEBRIDGE, I HAD TO PAINT A BELIEVABLE PICTURE, TO GET IT OFF THE ANTIQUATED PAGES OF HISTORICAL RECORD. IT HAD TO BE CONTEMPORARY OR IT WOULD BE LOST. IT WOULD BE A WASTED EFFORT. EVEN THOUGH I TRIED TO INFUSE AS MUCH COLOR AND ACTUALITY INTO THE STORY, I WAS AT BEST, ONLY PARTLY SUCCESSFUL. YET IT WAS THE WAY I FELT MOST COMFORTABLE WITH THE STORY. I WANTED READERS TO SMELL THE WOODSMOKE OF PIONEER BRACEBRIDGE, AND SENSE THE SOUNDS OF A BUDDING HAMLET, ON THE CATARACT OF THE NORTH BRANCH, OF THE MUSKOKA RIVER. AND I WANTED MY READERS TO BE ABLE TO SENSE WHAT IT MUST HAVE BEEN LIKE, BEING IN WASHINGTON IRVING'S STATION OF LIFE, LOOKING OUT OVER THE HISTORIC HUDSON RIVER, AND THE INSPIRATION HE GARNERED FROM THIS PORTAL, TO WRITE "THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW." THE TOWN OF BRACEBRIDGE WAS NAMED AFTER IRVING'S BOOK, "BRACEBRIDGE HALL," BUT MORE LIKELY, FROM THE FIRST TIME THE NAME "BRACEBRIDGE" WAS MENTIONED, IN THE EARLIER "SKETCH BOOK," OF 1919, WHERE THIS SHORT STORY WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED, ALONG WITH "RIP VAN WINKLE."
WHEN I USED TO WATCH OUT FROM THE SMILING ATTIC WINDOW, OF THE FORMER HOME / MEDICAL OFFICE, OF BRACEBRIDGE DOCTOR, AND MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT, PETER MCGIBBON, ON UPPER MANITOBA STREET, SITUATED ON A NICELY TREED LOT, ACROSS FROM MEMORIAL PARK, I HAD WITHOUT KNOWING IT, SET ABOUT A SOMEWHAT UNIQUE WAY OF LOOKING UPON MY HOMETOWN, AND REGION; AS A WRITER, FIRST, HISTORIAN SECOND. I DON'T REMEMBER THERE BEING ANY PERSONAL CONFLICT WHATSOEVER, AS TO HOW I SHOULD WRITE, OR HOW CLOSE I SHOULD BRUSH WITH POETRY AND ART IN MY OVERVIEWS AND GENERAL STORIES. I STARTED OUT AS A POET. IT'S WHAT I WANTED TO DO. IT'S THE WAY I SAW LIFE AND TIMES, AND THE COMINGS AND GOINGS OF THE GOOD PEOPLE OF MY HOMETOWN. SO I SAT IN THAT ATTIC OFFICE FOR DAYS ON END, DRINKING CHEAP WINE, (IT WAS ALL I COULD AFFORD), AND TRYING TO LIVE THE CREATIVE LIFE. I HAD GONE TO UNIVERSITY TO BECOME A WRITER, BUT CAME OUT AN HISTORIAN ON PAPER. THAT'S WHAT MY DIPLOMA NOTED, IN BOLD PRINT. A GRADUATE SPECIALIZING IN CANADIAN HISTORY. I BECAME AN HISTORIAN BECAUSE IT WAS SOMETHING I ENJOYED, UNTIL IT CAME TO WRITING. THEN I WAS A POET. SO OVER TIME, I HAVE BECOME MUSKOKA'S POET / HISTORIAN. HONESTLY, IT'S TAKEN THIS LONG, AND A HUNDRED THOUSAND PAGES OF EDITORIAL COPY, TO REALIZE THAT MY TRUE PASSION, IS STILL TO PURSUE THE POET'S LIFE AND WORK. I AM CERTAINLY NOT A NOVELIST, AND AS FAR AS SHORT STORIES, I SIMPLY CAN'T DO IT, BECAUSE WITH FEW EXCEPTIONS, I DON'T LIKE FICTION. THE EXCEPTIONS ARE, THE CLASSICS, AND ALWAYS WASHINGTON IRVING AND CHARLES DICKENS. I SELL VERY FEW WORKS OF MODERN FICTION IN MY BOOK SHOP, HERE IN GRAVENHURST, EXCEPT ONES WE'VE PICKED UP IN LOTS FROM ESTATES, AND WHAT WE ARE OFTEN GIVEN FREE IN BAGS LEFT AT THE SHOP DOOR. WHILE I HAVE WRITTEN FICTION, I COULD NEVER MAKE A HABIT OF IT, WHICH IS WHY I HAVE INSISTED ON WRITING STORIES BASED ON ACTUALITY, HAVING OF COURSE, HISTORICAL MERIT.
I POSSESS A VERY ROMANTIC, SENTIMENTAL OVERVIEW OF HISTORY, AND THE PEOPLE WHO FORGED IT IN OUR REGION. I AM SURE, AS REGULAR READERS, YOU WOULD CONCUR, I'M MORE FLOWERY THAN FACTUALLY CONSUMED. I AM DIFFERENT THAN OTHER HISTORIANS, BECAUSE I CAN'T PURSUE HERITAGE PROJECTS, WITHOUT INFUSING LIFE INTO THE CHRONICLE. BY THIS, I MEAN, MAKING USE OF SENSORY PERCEPTION, IN A MODEST ATTEMPT TO RE-ANIMATE WHAT IS THE BLACK AND WHITE OF HISTORY. I WOULD MAKE LOUSY COMPANY FOR MY HISTORIAN COLLEAGUES, BECAUSE, WHILE WE WOULD AGREE ON THE IMPORTANCE OF HISTORICAL ACCURACY, AND HONEST INTERPRETATION OF HISTORICAL EVENTS, I CONTINUE TO APPLY COLOR AND DEGREES OF SENSORY PERCEPTION, WHERE THEY WOULD DETERMINE, NONE WAS ACTUALLY NECESSARY.
SO WHEN I USED TO SIT BY THAT THIRD STORY WINDOW, I LOOKED OUT OVER THE FULL MAPLES AND BRILLIANT GREEN GRASS OF MEMORIAL PARK, NOTING ALL THE PASSERSBY, AND WROTE ABOUT WHAT I SAW, AT THE MOMENT, YET COULDN'T RESIST THE OPPORTUNITY TO INFUSE THE KNOWN PATINA HISTORY HAD GIVEN IT, AND THE SENTIMENTAL COLORATION I RECALLED FROM MY OWN YOUTH, CRISS-CROSSING THIS TRIANGULAR PARK, FOUR TIMES EACH SCHOOL DAY, OVER THE THREE SEASONS OF CLASSES. SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES DON'T LIKE THE IDEA OF DRESSING THE CORPSE OF HISTORY, AS IT HAS ALWAYS APPEARED. THEY WOULD CALL ME AN HISTORICAL NOVELIST, BECAUSE I COLOR-IN WHAT I THINK DESERVES TO BE REVITALIZED, AND RE-ANIMATED, IN ORDER TO BE MORE FULLY APPRECIATED. MAYBE I SHOULD HAVE WRITTEN FOR THE SILVER SCREEN, OR JUST CAPITULATED AND BECOME A NOVELIST, SITTING IN THE ATTIC WITH A MOTH-EATEN KNIT SWEATER, SMOKING A PIPE WITH A FACE CARVED ONTO THE BOWL, AND DRINKING PORT FROM A GOBLET INSTEAD. I WANTED THEN AND NOW, TO PRESENT HISTORY THAT IS TANGIBLE AND RELEVANT TO CONTEMPORARY TIMES, SO THAT IT WILL BE VIEWED IN A DIFFERENT, MORE PALATABLE LIGHT. I HATE THAT SO MUCH OF WHAT IS IMPORTANT IN OUR COMMUNITIES, FOR EXAMPLE, IS IGNORED AND DISRESPECTED BECAUSE, WELL, IT HAS NEVER BEEN UPGRADED AND MODERNIZED, IN ORDER TO FIT SOCIALLY, AND CULTURALLY, INTO THE MODERN SCENE. HERE'S AN EXAMPLE.
I WILL OFTEN HUNKER DOWN, IN SOME CORNER OF THE COMMUNITY, IN A MODESTLY APPOINTED BUNKER, OR PARK BENCH, LIKE AN ARTIST WITH A WONKY EASEL, AND IMAGINE THE PEDESTRIANS, WALKING THROUGH THE TRADITIONAL DOWNTOWN CORRIDOR, ARE SUDDENLY DRESSED IN PERIOD ATTIRE. MY CHOICE OF PERIODS. IT'S NOT AS STRANGE AS THIS MAY READ. THESE SAME PEOPLE, GOING ABOUT THEIR BUSINESS, BROWSING, SHOPPING OR ATTENDING APPOINTMENTS, WEARING THE CLOTHING OF THE LATE VICTORIAN PERIOD; OR THE EDWARDIAN VINTAGE, OR IN THE DRESS WE ASSOCIATE WITH THE DEPRESSION ERA. I HAVE NO PROBLEM IMAGINING THIS, BECAUSE I'VE DONE IT ALL MY LIFE. IF IT COULD COME TRUE, THAT LIKE A MOVIE SET, ALL THESE PEOPLE WERE TO WILLINGLY DON PERIOD DRESS, SPANNING THE CENTURIES OF BRACEBRIDGE, OR GRAVENHURST'S CHRONOLOGY, HOW MUCH MORE ENLIGHTENED EACH PARTICIPANT WOULD FEEL, ABOUT THE WELCOME AND VIBRANT SITUATION OF HISTORICAL CONNECTEDNESS. THINK ABOUT IT. TODAY, FOR EXAMPLE, I HAVE HAD TO RETREAT TO THE FRONT SEAT OF OUR VAN, OUT FRONT OF THE SHOP, HERE ON GRAVENHURST'S MAIN STREET. THE SHOP IS JAMMED WITH MUSICIANS TOURING THE STUDIO, AND IT'S TOO NOISY TO WRITE. I'VE FORGOTTEN HOW TO WRITE IN THESE CONDITIONS, FROM THE YEARS I COULD WORK IN A WILD NEWS ROOM ON A STRESSFUL PRESS DAY. BUT IF NOW, EVERYONE IN THIS PANORAMA OF STREETSCAPE, WAS TO AGREE TO DRESS IN THE PERIOD OF THE 1920'S, HOW MIGHT THIS LOOK TO THE VOYEUR? HOW MIGHT THIS FEEL, FOR ALL THOSE WHO ARE DRESSED-UP, FOR THE RE-ENACTMENT WALK UP AND DOWN THE STREET?
YOU SEE, AFTER AWHILE, THE CHARACTER RELEVANCE OF THE ATTIRE, AND PRECISE PERIOD OF HISTORY, IT IS RETROSPECTIVE OF, WOULD SUBTLY BECOME TANTALIZING, TO EVEN THOSE WHO HAVE NO REAL INTEREST IN HISTORICAL RE-ENACTMENTS. HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED WHAT ALL THE BUZZ IS ABOUT, FOR HERITAGE RE-ENACTORS? FOR EXAMPLE, CIVIL WAR RE-ENACTORS? FOR THOSE WHO ATTEND RENAISSANCE FAIRS? THOSE WHO DRESS THE PART, FEEL THE RUSH OF TIME TRAVEL. IT'S AS SIMPLE AS THAT, AND THIS, MY FRIENDS, IS MY PLATFORM. YOU COULD HAVE A PARTICIPANT WHO HAS ABSOLUTELY NO INTEREST IN HISTORY, ESPECIALLY PLAYING DRESS-UP, AND AFTER A SHORT WHILE, THE STREET SCENE I'VE BEEN WRITING ABOUT, STARTS TO LOOK AN AWFUL LOT LIKE HISTORY REPEATING. EVEN THE MOST RELUCTANT PARTICIPANTS, ARE GETTING INTO THE PERIOD THEME. THEY WOULD ARGUE IN ADVANCE, THAT THIS WAS NOTHING MORE THAN AN INCONVENIENCE, AND SOMETHING THEY WOULD NEVER CHOOSE FOR THEMSELVES. UNTIL THAT IS, THEY ARE IMMERSED IN SOMETHING THAT MAKES HISTORY COME TO LIFE.
ME THINKS, WE WOULD ALL UNDERSTAND THE CIVIL WAR CONFLICT A LOT BETTER, IF WE, WHO ARE CURIOUS, COULD PARTICIPATE IN AN ACTUAL RE-ENACTED BATTLE, LIKE GETTYSBURG. EVEN IF YOU TOOK THOSE WHO WEREN'T INTERESTED IN PERIOD RE-ENACTMENTS, TO THE ACTUAL BATTLEFIELD WHERE THOUSANDS OF LIVES WERE LOST, AND GAVE THEM THE CARE AND CONTROL OF A GUN, DRUM, OR FLAG, AND THE OUTFIT OF A FEDERAL OR CONFEDERATE SOLDIER, I'M WILLING TO BET THE FARM, THAT AFTER AWHILE, IN THE HEAT OF BATTLE, EVEN THE MOST HARD TO CONVINCE CONSCRIPT, WOULD BE QUESTIONING WHAT PORTAL THEY STUMBLED THROUGH, TO GET FROM HOME TO BATTLEFIELD; YET ACTING THE PART OF A SOLDIER, TRYING TO PROTECT THE FLANK. IT'S FUNNY HOW MAKE-BELIEVE CAN DO THIS TO SOMEONE, WHO WOULD CONFESS TO HAVING NO INTEREST IN HISTORY WHATSOEVER. IT'S HISTORIC THEATRE. IT WORKS. IT'S WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE WAY HISTORY IS TAUGHT IN SCHOOL. THERE NEEDS TO BE ACTUALITY INFUSED, AND AS I'VE JUST NOTED, A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORIC THEATRE, IS A GOOD WAY TO IMMERSE IN "THE WAY WE WERE," TO MAKE IT BELIEVABLE.
TODAY, MORE THAN EVER, HISTORY HAS TO BE REFRESHED FOR A MODERN AUDIENCE, THAT I FEAR, HAS BECOME MUCH LESS INTERESTED, BECAUSE OF THE WAY IT HAS BEEN TAUGHT THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL EXPERIENCE. YOU CAN'T LEARN ALL YOU NEED, TO BE A CANOEIST, FROM READING ABOUT THE TRAVERSES OF THE EARLY VOYAGEURS. IT IS ONLY PART OF THE EXERCISE. YOU CAN'T LEARN ABOUT THE OUTDOORS, BY ONLY READING BOOKS ON THE SUBJECT. WE ARE NOT INFUSING ACTUALITY AS WE SHOULD IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, IN PART, BECAUSE OF COST. YET ON THE REVERSE SIDE, AND AS A DIRECT RESULT, IT'S COSTING US IN OTHER WAYS, DOWN THE LINE; AS MORE AND MORE STUDENT GRADUATES, HAVE LITTLE TO NO INTEREST IN HISTORICAL ENTERPRISE, LET ALONE JOINING THE PROFESSION OF RECORDING HISTORY. HISTORY, AS IT IS TAUGHT, IS PRETTY DRY. LIVING IT HOWEVER, IS THE COMPLETE OPPOSITE, AND TOM BROOKS KNEW THIS AS FACT. AND HE SHARED SOME OF THE EXCITEMENT WITH A CIVIL WAR GREENHORN LIKE ME.
CLOSING THE GAP OF HISTORY FOR MODERN DAY CONSUMPTION
I have had quite a few historical-theme chats, always of the casual nature, with a local councillor, who I happen to respect. I have been trying to sell the individual on learning a lot more about local history, before taking another shot at a municipal council seat. I probably shouldn't try to push history, on people who are happy remaining contemporary, in every sense, but it is a life-long habit, and she wouldn't be the first to sense my cup of enthusiasm was flowing over. I tend to hug my way into the uncomfortable zone, by my overwhelming presentations, and suffocating enthusiasm, for what I'm representing at that precise moment. Whenever historians sense they can win someone over, to their way of thinking, it's like scoring a hat-trick, or kicking an impossible field goal, in the dying minutes of the game. A sort of religious conversion, but in the good name of history. I feel it is absolutely necessary, you see, that before one can govern, one also has to know what the contemporary platform is constructed upon. I want every councillor to know what the towns' and regional history is all about, from the beginning; being a hunting and fishing ground for the peoples of the First Nations onward to European settlement. I want them to know about the courage of the homesteaders, and the spirit of investment by brave entrepreneurs, who created settlements from the hodge-podge of homestead cabins. I want them to know about how many settlers didn't survive the hard life here in the Muskoka wilds, of the 1850's to 1880's, and what the Victorian influences were up to the time of the Queen's death, on the cusp of a new century. I have this imbedded belief, that you can not fully appreciate the legacy of any community, or neighborhood, without first delving into its past with vigor and enthusiasm; just as one would find, wearing period clothing, and having to re-enact a day in the life, of a Muskoka village, of once long ago. The problem, is convincing council candidates, ultimately our eventual community leaders, that a failing in historical knowledge, was a failing in school, but a disastrous reality in contemporary times. I would suggest a parallel, would be putting new shoes over the old ones, still on your feet. The only thing relevant then, is that your feet would really hurt, and it would be difficult to walk. It's not necessary to treat history as something to cover over, like old wallpaper, or dated paint colors. It should be a gentle, subtle amalgamation, as this is what patina and provenance represent. Not to be seen as only a burden we have to shoulder, because we have no choice.
I doubt that I will ever be able to convince my councillor friend, that understanding the color of history, and the actuality the text books never address, is the way to becoming a more dynamic, and in-tune elected official. Once out of high school, most of us abandoned history forever. Except a few like me, who have remained loyal to what the cumulative imprint of history has given us, as accomplishment, and in some cases, admittedly, failure. Trying to get councillors running for municipal office, this coming October, to read a book of local history, would parallel the times your mother tried to put a mustard plaster on your chest, or cod liver oil down your throat. I doubt that most of these candidates, could even answer ten questions of a serious historical quiz, about the town they wish to represent, or even orally, correctly answer five out of ten questions, based on events of their lifetime residency.
Yes, there's a shortage of passion for their respective hometowns, (in South Muskoka), and in most cases, couldn't care less about the accomplishments recorded by former citizens who have been dead, longer than they have been alive. Of course, it's sad. As I get so much out of history, beyond what the historians quote, it truly bothers me, that the modernists actually believe, they can build the future on an unknown stability of foundation accomplishment. I have gone through life, according to this standard, wrong-minded, that a foundation always has its relevance to everything built on top. There is a common thread. There is a unique character running through each community, that is there, despite the ignorance of its existence. There should be loyalty to community founders, and all those who have shaped the way we function today; lessons of the past understood, such that the same mistakes can be avoided by contemporary governance.
Possibly, I am over-bearing in my enthusiasm for history. Arguably, I can become intense and obsessive, following a project to fruition. I've always thought, that I made up for this blunt vigor, as a softener, by being kindly-passionate about my work. I have tutored hundreds of students, and assisted with advice and supplementary research, for university thesis development, and for authors composing books about Muskoka, and I had to ask Suzanne for assurance about this, just now; but she tells me that I have never once turned anyone away, who has contacted me, looking for some assistance, or clarification on a matter of local history. She has a great ability to recall when I've been shy of my responsibilities. While others fear me as a brutal lecturer, who yammers on, pounding in the same nail over and over, and unrelenting about the significance of regaling the work of past leaders, a few will give pause for thought, that maybe the old man isn't a crazy as he comes across, at first meeting. I volunteered early in the election campaign, to tutor council hopefuls, for the next four year term, free of charge. I believe our councillors need to be up-to-speed on our heritage, and the region's chronicle generally, and not just from what they've picked up by the happenstance of attending galas at the local museum, or taking a ride on a restored steamship. It's not enough to say you're a supporter of local heritage. But let me tell you, the insights one can get, from being tuned to our past, gives an advantage that will always pay dividends. Especially for our community.
Some council hopefuls, would say to me, "we're about 155 years into this community building thing, (Gravenhurst), so we obviously know what we're doing to build a community." I would argue back, that this era, of which I am presently watching navigate the main street of Gravenhurst, from my vantage point on Muskoka Road, is the most apathetic to local history I have witnessed, since getting involved in the history-gathering profession. It's not one aspect more than another, that has led to this, but the distancing is obvious in so many ways. It's as if a component of the modernists, were waiting for this precise moment in time, to shovel earth onto the historian's still warm bodies. The closing of the traditional newspaper offices, on the main streets, of our towns in Muskoka, for example, was certainly clear evidence to me, of drastically changing values, because each of the offices, in their own way, were bastions of historical and locally hewn traditions. They were icons of the old town. They were anchors in history, even in their contemporary business strategies. Losing them, was like having a limb cut-off the historian's body, because we always knew, that as long as they were in place, somewhere in our main business areas, our social-cultural roots, were still deeply imbedded. The traditional newspaper office, was the centre of the community. It's tradition spanned the centuries. Like the dispatching of town halls, from the centres of respective towns, in South Muskoka; town history as a direct result, got its biggest diversion, from its former commonplace.
There are some oldtimers who say, it was the most profound change to the way we were, as a community. I would say to my councillor friend, interested in being re-elected, that history yet to come, in this regard, has been adversely impacted, by the handiwork of a disconnected council. It didn't have to be this way. They didn't study, beforehand, what decentralization, in a still-small community, would mean to day to day life and business. The changes needed to adapt to the ongoing de-centralization, that are still evolving, means we should really look at how the imposition has affected constituents; ones who liked having town hall in the downtown area. The intuitive leader, would then wish to know, how such implemented changes coming, will affect the character of the old town, as a good and positive measure; or instead, with disastrous consequence. Or does it matter how history is affected, as long as we appear to be always moving forward?
For history to be profound, and life, and character-altering, it doesn't have to be drastic in occurrence, or abrasive in its nature of progression. Like war, political debacle, economic Depression or Recession. Councillors, in both Bracebridge and Gravenhurst, without appreciating it, changed the course of history, as it might have progressed, with the traditional expectation of government accessibility; if in fact, the town halls had remained anchored in the historic downtowns. At the time, there was no reverence whatsoever, to what this decentralizing move, would cause down the road; because these were times when looking forward, didn't at the same time, demand, or insist upon, the requirement of looking back. It was faulty logic to the exponent of ten.
Just like Bracebridge decided to sacrifice Jubilee Park, for a university campus, and then the move of Bracebridge and Muskoka Lakes Secondary School, into the hinterland; instead of redeveloping the central location, they already possessed. Yet not one councillor I've talked to, or heard explain the matter, over the years since, would take any responsibility, that by their drastic actions, they have changed forever, how the town will develop in the coming fifty years; profoundly different to what had been the character it has always possessed, based on small town values. Even small town values, can be applied successfully to large town ambitions. Historical precedent is relegated to the archives, like the books and documents that gather dust, out of circulation, out of relevance for what they can serve generously, in the modern sense. I see a lot of short-sighted folks out there, in government positions, and it's because constituents are equally naive, about what it means to ignore historical precedents; which is really a matter of lessons learned, and benefitted from, to cut to the chase of the argument. To not care about history is irresponsible. It plays a role in all of our lives, all of the time. We just don't think of it as being that intimate. Well, the history I'm writing about, is not at all, what you learned in the classroom. It's about what is taking place in front of me today, at this hour, on this very street.
Since I began writing this, two hours ago, I have become historic myself, in the sense of this blog, and this copy thusly antiquated. History is a fraction of a second past the present. Of course it is relevant. It's part of the human experience, and jamming all the experience into archives, or into the recess of the mind, where fond memories are kept, is human nature. But a waste of a perfectly good stock of precedents.
When I suggest my councillor friend, sit down with me for a history lesson, it would not be a waste of time. It would be a colorful portrayal of what our community has been, through the generations, its changes, natural and man-made, and none of it told, and reported, in black and white. My re-telling is always a re-enactment, and maybe it is better for the silver screen, than for a computer screen. The point I want to make, beyond touting the colorist-historian-me, is that our elected officials, can, over their four year term, cause huge and irreversible change, to the historic character of our communities; cause they feel like it! They don't really think too much about collateral impact, or social change their decisions create, that may or may not, alter an aspect of future development that could actually prove harmful to the local economy. I suppose now and again, we historians would just like to be consulted, and allowed to "doom-say", or give a thumbs up, even if we are ignored in the final analysis. In the case of both the Jubilee Park compromise, and the move out of town, of Bracebridge High School, we of the historical ilk, had to insist our voices be heard, and even then, it was made very clear to us, our opinions, unless in favor, were not wanted. So, we should shut-up and live with the end result. I was told this to my face, a number of times. Now, as history becomes itself, I am left to report on the success or failure of the aftermath of council's decision, and how it has affected the way the town operates. This, low and behold, is the privilege of the historian, who is entitled to offer an informed overview, for those of us, who do wish to learn from the past.
In high school history, I saw the world chronology in black and white. In university, I saw what history looked like when it was infilled with specific, detailed knowledge. From my attic window, overlooking Bracebridge's Memorial Park, I became a voyeur of history, with full color experience afforded me. It was a panorama onto the present, but with the profound and poignant coloration of all the history that had passed; in my time, and all the time before that. Coloration of actuality. Not the coloration of bias or adverse interpretation. History came to life for me, and it has never changed, no matter what portal provides me with an adequate view. There is the fundamental view these days, that stewardship of history, is what museums were created to undertake. Yet the real historical provenance, to serve and protect, rests upon our shoulders, every hour, of every day, of every week, and every year, whether we choose to believe it or not. We are our own museums. It would be nice, this said, if we occasionally paid attention to it; not just as part of our personal biographies. Rather, as part of our neighborhood relationship, and our place within the community; the role we play in the constant and resilient re-enactments that occur, just as frequently; despite the fact we often ignore them, in order to remain of a modernist-ilk philosophy.
Maybe it's true that I am more of a poet than an historian. I don't think a poet would make a good historian, so I will only consider myself therefore, of average quality amongst my peers. But I think there is a cross-over region; and for me, it happened while working from that upstairs office, in the former McGibbon house, where I not only benefitted from the historic character, and spirit of the old house, but so much so, from the wonderful view down upon the street, and park, throughout the four seasons. As I looked for their footprints, and snow angels imprinted, after the first snow in November, I enjoyed the public school students' playful ambles, across the newly bare lawn, of early April. Watching the November 11th Remembrance Day Ceremony, from the attic window, of a house once owned by an officer, of the 122nd Muskoka Battalion, of the First World War, and an abode once resided-in, by a soon-to-be Canadian Prime Minister, Sir Arthur Meighen, did add a tone of intimacy to the panorama of ceremony, unfolding in Memorial Park.
It's hard to put all the emotion, and all the passions in the hue of black ink, and have it all make sense, to the actuality of the present tense. This is, however, my lot in life. I re-enact history all the time. The only ill-effect, is that I have fallen out of favor with my contemporaries, for being a little too poetic for my own good. My intentions have been good. But this may explain why I can't leave well enough alone, despite the best efforts of my critics, to have me cease and desist.
There is a wonderful, charming, compelling and exciting history in this region, and I have enjoyed so much of it, for all of these years, working in Muskoka. There is much yet to be uncovered and celebrated. Ultimately though, it depends on acceptance and recognition, because it's validation we all need, in this profession, to carry on to yet another project; another year's sleuthing for a story that, potentially, will interest no one in particular. It's always a risk to invest too heavily on public endorsement.
I still make this offer, to tutor, free of charge, any of those council hopefuls, for this October's municipal election, who feel they need a little brush-up. All they have to do, is be willing to listen to some color commentary. My list of students will not be a long one, if indeed, I need a list at all. Suzanne, to keep me organized, insists on this kind of thing.
FROM THE ARCHIVES
WHAT OF THE UNKOWN, FASCINATES YOU? OR IS EVERYTHING KNOWN AND UNDERSTOOD. CAN SCIENCE EXPLAIN EVERYTHING?
"IF GOWAN GILLMOR KNEW ALL THE CONSTELLATIONS, HE ALSO KNEW ALL THE PLANTS AND FLOWERS OF THE NORTH COUNTRY. HIS EYE FOR BEAUTY WAS VERY KEEN, AND HE COULD CLEVERLY ADAPT THESE THINGS IN ALL THEIR RANGE TO HIS SERMONS IN THE MOST VIVID TERMS. SURVIVORS OF THE CHILDREN OF THOSE DAYS, CAN WELL REMEMBER THE WAY IN WHICH NATURAL PHENOMENA, AND WILDLIFE WOULD CREEP INTO HIS DISCOURSES. AN ALBERTA LADY, ONCE OF GRAVENHURST, HAS TREASURED MEMORIES OF HIM IN HER CHILDHOOD. ESPECIALLY SHE RECALLS A SUNDAY SCHOOL CHRISTMAS CONCERT WHICH HE OPENED WITH A MOST FASCINATING ACCOUNT OF HIS APPROACH TO TOWN, AT DUSK (AFTER MANY MILES TRAVELLING ON FOOT), THAT EVENING, AND SEEING THE 'EVENING STAR,' RISE OVER GULL LAKE, 'WITH FAIRIES ACCOMPANYING IT.' 'HE HELD US SPELLBOUND'."
THESE OBSERVATIONS ARE CONTAINED IN THE BOOK "GILLMOR OF ALGOMA - ARCHDEACON TRAMP," BY E. NEWTON WHITE. THESE OBSERVATION AS NOTED BY A FORMER STUDENT, WERE MADE EARLY IN THE 1900'S. WHAT'S INTERESTING, IS THAT THE ARCHDEACON REFERENCED "FAIRIES," TO CHARACTERIZE THE SPARKLING ENCHANTMENT THE EVENING STAR CAST DOWN TO EARTH. A BRILLIANT AND DEDICATED MAN, WHO HIKED ALL OVER THE DISTRICTS OF ALGOMA AND MUSKOKA, HE WASN'T ADVERSE TO REFERENCING THE SUPERNATURAL……AS WITH THE FAIRY-KIND. HERE WAS AN ANGLICAN MISSIONARY, GIVING CREDIT TO FAIRIES, WHERE GOD MOST DEFINITELY PLAYED A PART.
IF EVER ANYONE COULD ATTEST TO THE ENCHANTMENTS OF OUR REGION, IT WAS GOWAN GILLMOR. "MANY OF GOWAN'S TALES COULD ONLY BE DESCRIBED AS 'TALL.' HE JUSTIFIED HIS WAY OF DEALING WITH FACTS AT SUCH TIMES, BY SAYING THAT IF NOVELISTS AND POETS WERE RIGHT TO USE FICTION TO ENTERTAIN, OR INFORM, SO ALSO WAS HE. AND WE MIGHT ADD THAT LISTENERS, CHILDREN OR GROWN-UPS, WHO COULD NOT TELL HIS TRUTH FROM HIS FICTION, WERE TO SAY THE LEAST, ON THE GULLIBLE SIDE. HE NEVER MEANT TO DECEIVE ANYONE, BUT HE WAS KNOWN TO SAY THAT SOMETIMES HIS STORY-TELLING WAS SPOILT BY SOME PEOPLE'S EAGERNESS TO BELIEVE THE IMPOSSIBLE," WRITES NEWTON-WHITE.
"SOME OF GOWAN'S BEST KNOWN STORIES ARE DIFFICULT TO RECOUNT AT SECOND HAND. THEY WERE TOLD ON SO MANY OCCASIONS TO MANY VARIETIES OF HEARERS - YOUNG, OLD, CRITICAL OR OTHERWISE; WITH THE NEED TO APPEAL TO AS MANY INDIVIDUALS AS POSSIBLE, AND THE POLITICAL NECESSITY OF NOT BEING TOO SPECIFIC AS TO LOCALITY. AS WITH ALL HIS TALES THEY DEPENDED GREATLY ON THE MATCHLESS GIFT OF A TRUE IRISH STORY TELLER. TAKE THE WOLF-STORY; AND WE MUST ADMIT AT ONCE THAT CANADIAN WOLF HISTORY AFFORDS BUT THE REMOTEST PRECEDENTS, EVEN IN ALL ITS VARIATIONS," NOTES THE BIOGRAPHER. "IN THE NORTHERN BUSH ON A COLD WINTER'S NIGHT, GOWAN WAS TRAVELLING ON SNOWSHOES AND FOUND THAT HE COULD NOT REACH HIS DESTINATION BEFORE VERY LATE. HE DECIDED TO LIGHT A FIRE AND SLEEP IN THE SNOW. BEFORE HIS FIRE WAS GOING HE HEARD THE DISTANT HOWL OF A WOLF, THEN ANOTHER AND ANOTHER. BEFORE LONG THE CRIES WERE COMING FROM ALL DIRECTIONS - AND CLOSING IN! SOON THEY WERE FORMING A FAIRLY CLOSE CIRCLE AROUND HIM. THEIR EYES AND FANGS AND SINISTER MOVEMENTS IN THE DARKNESS WOULD BE DESCRIBED WITH TELLING EFFECT. THEN A LARGE WOLF, EVIDENTLY THE LEADER (AND IRISH IT WOULD APPEAR), SLIPPED TO THE FRONT, EYED GOWAN VERY CLOSELY, SNIFFED, THEN WHEELED SUDDENLY TO THE OTHERS: 'OCH! THAT'S ONLY OLD GILLMOR! LET'S GO, B'YS,' AND THEY VANISHED. ONCE, IN A CHILD AUDIENCE, THE SUSPENSE OVER, A BRIGHT ONE ASKED, COULD HE NOT HAVE CLIMBED A TREE? BUT THAT WOULD NOT HAVE HELPED; THE WOLF-PACK KEPT A TRAINED BEAVER FOR JUST SUCH EMERGENCIES."
"ANOTHER STORY EXAMPLE CONCERNED A CORPSE; AND WAS NOT QUITE AS MACABRE AS IT SOUNDS. GOWAN WAS VISITING A LONELY SETTLEMENT IN THE BUSH; A PLACE UNKOWN TO HIM. HE HAD BEEN WALKING ALL DAY, AND WAS TIRED. AT DUSK HE CAME TO A DARK AND GLOOMY LOOKING HOUSE WHERE HE ASKED FOR SHELTER FOR THE NIGHT. THE MAN WHO CAME TO THE DOOR LOOKED WORRIED AT HIS REQUEST; AND CALLED TO HIS WIFE. THE TWO HAD A WHISPERED DISCUSSION, AND THEN THE MAN SAID GLUMLY, 'ALL RIGHT, YOU CAN STAY. BUT YOU WON'T LIKE YOUR ROOM.!' WHEN GOWAN WENT TO HIS ROOM LATER, HE FOUND IT BITTERLY COLD. LOWERING HIS VOICE HE WOULD SAY SOLEMNLY, 'AN' WHAT D'Y THINK WAS IN THAT ROOM? A DEAD BODY!' AT THIS HE WOULD PAUSE WHILE HIS LISTENERS WOULD GASP AND ASK HIM WHATEVER DID HE DO? 'WHY, I BLEW OUT MY LIGHT AND WENT TO SLEEP OF COURSE.' THEN, WITH ANOTHER PAUSE, TO LET IT ALL SINK IN, HE WOULD ADD IN A RELIEVED VOICE, 'IT WAS JUST A DEAD MOUSE Y'KNOW!' YEARS AFTER TELLING THIS YARN TO A SOMEWHAT IMPRESSIONABLE PERSON, SHE REMINDED HIM OF IT. BUT THE ARCHDEACON LOOKED GENUINELY HORRIFIED. 'OH,' SAID HE. 'I OUGHT NOT TO HAVE TOLD YOU THAT ONE."
NEWTON-WHITE ALSO NOTED, OF THE ARCHDEACON, ON ONE OF HIS MAJOR WALKING MISSIONS, HE WITNESSED "THAT INFREQUENT APPEARANCE TO EARTH OF HALLEY'S COMET, WHICH WAS THEN 'A BEAUTIFUL SIGHT." "THE REFERENCE TO THE COMET CAME AT THE TIME WHEN IN THE DIARY (HE KEPT) THERE BEGAN TO APPEAR SUNDRY NAMES AND NOTES OF THE STARS; SOME EVIDENTLY FOR SERMON USE. THE STARS HE SPOKE OF AS HIS FRIENDS, AND HIS PARTICULAR ONE WAS 'ARCTURIS.' IN WHIMSICAL IRISH, HE WOULD ASSERT THAT WHEN HE DIED ONE OF THEM WOULD BE HIS -AND WOULD ACTUALLY POINT OUT WHICH ONE."
IN THE EARLY SETTLEMENT YEARS, AND THE ONGOING DECADES THAT SAW HEAVY IMMIGRATION FROM OVERSEAS, THE DISTRICT OF MUSKOKA INHERITED A LOT OF "OLD COUNTRY" LORE, MORE THAN JUST REFERENCED BY THE BORROWED NAMES OF VILLAGES IN ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND, FOR LOCATIONS IN THE HOMESTEAD GRANT LANDS OF ONTARIO. AS WILL ARCHDEACON GOWAN GILLMOR, MUCH OR HIS IRISH BACKGROUND, OF LEGEND, LORE AND TRADITION, MADE ITS WAY TO OUR REGION…..AND AS YOU HAVE JUST READ, THESE STORIES WERE TOLD AND RE-TOLD IN HIS SERMONS, AND CONVERSATIONS FOR MANY DECADES. THE DIFFERENCE WAS THAT HIS IRISH BACKGROUND AND THE WORK HE WAS DOING IN MUSKOKA AND ALGOMA, MEANT THAT MANY OF THESE FOLK STORIES HAD OLD COUNTRY PATINA, IN A PIONEERING REGION OF A NEW LAND. THIS WAS JUST ONE MAN, SPEAKING TO HUNDREDS IN THE DISTRICT OF MUSKOKA. THERE WERE MANY OTHERS, WHO SIMILARLY SPREAD VERSIONS OF OLD LEGENDS AND SUPERSTITIONS, AMONGST THE NEIGHBOR SETTLERS……WHO COULD WELL HAVE BEEN OF DIFFERENT CULTURAL BACKGROUNDS……ICELANDERS NEIGHBORS TO DANES, NORWEGIANS, SWEDES, IRISH, SCOTTISH, ENGLISH, DUTCH AND GERMAN. AND WHEN MARRIAGES OCCURRED BETWEEN THESE ETHNIC GROUPS, THE FOLK TALES AND SUPERSTITIOUS BELIEFS CHANGED AS WELL. OF COURSE, THIS WAS LIKE ANY PIONEER REGION IN THE COUNTRY, BUT IT BECAME CHARACTERISTIC OF LIFE IN OUR REGION IN THOSE FIRST FIFTY YEARS OF DEVELOPMENT. IF YOU WERE TO ADD THIS TO THE AMPLIFYING EDITORIAL PROMOTIONS, OF THE MUSKOKA DISTRICT, BEING PUBLISHED IN AMERICAN ADVENTURE BOOKS, LIKE "THE SPORTSMAN'S PARADISE," AMONGST MANY OTHERS, MUSKOKA WAS DEEMED AN ENCHANTED PLACE, LONG BEFORE GOWAN GILLMORE BEGAN WALKING THE TRAILS FROM OUR DISTRICT TO ALGOMA AND BACK…..AND SPINNING THOSE FASCINATING TALES OF LIFE IN THE WILDS.
"POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS ARE FAST FADING AWAY," WROTE WASHINGTON IRVING, IN HIS BOOK, "BRACEBRIDGE HALL," CIRCA 1822, IN A STORY TOLD BY THE FICTIONAL CHARACTER, GEOFFERY CRAYON, VISITING WITH SQUIRE BRACERBIDGE AND FAMILY, ON HIS ENGLISH COUNTRYSIDE ESTATE. HE CLAIMED THIS WAS THE CASE, "OWING TO THE GENERAL DIFFUSION OF KNOWLEDGE, AND THE BUILDING INTERCOURSE KEPT UP THROUGH THE COUNTRY; STILL THEY HAVE THEIR STRONG HOLDS AND LINGERING PLACES, AND A RETIRED NEIGHBORHOOD LIKE THIS IS APT TO BE ONE OF THEM. " IRVING HIMSELF, OF COURSE, WAS A DEFENDER OF THESE SUPERSTITIONS, AND OLD FOLK TALES, TRADITIONS AND LEGEND; IN ENGLAND AND AT HOME IN AMERICA, WHERE HE WORRIED THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE FROM BRITAIN, HAD ADVERSELY INFLUENCED MANY FROM THAT RICH CULTURAL ANCESTRY, TO ABANDON THESE PRECIOUS, TIME-HONORED FORMER BELIEFS, THAT HAD ROOTS MANY GENERATIONS DEEP. WHAT IRVING DID, SOMEWHAT LIKE THE LATER ARCHDEACON GOWAN GILLMOR, WAS TO EXPOSE THESE TIRED OLD TALES TO NEW PUBLIC SCRUTINY, TO SEE HOW A MODERN AUDIENCE WOULD REACT TO AN ANTIQUATED STORY. AS IRVING SOLD MANY BOOKS BECAUSE OF HIS PASSION TO PRESERVE FOLK HISTORY, THE ARCHDEACON EQUALLY HELD MANY LOCAL AUDIENCES SPELLBOUND, WITH STORIES ABOUT NATURAL ENCHANTMENTS HE HAD FOUND ON HIS TOWN TO VILLAGE HIKES….AND THE REMARKABLE STORIES HE HAD HEARD TRAVELLING HOUSE TO HOUSE, IN HIS FRIENDLY BID TO EXTEND PRAYER TO THOSE IN NEED.
WORKING AT THE HERALD-GAZETTE OFFICE, ONE DAY, I LOOKED UP FROM MY TYPEWRITER, TO SEE CANADIAN WRITER, SYLVIA DUVERNET STANDING AT THE CORNER OF MY DESK, WITH A COPY OF HER WELL KNOWN BOOK, ON THE MUSKOKA ASSEMBLY; A WRITER'S SUMMER COLONY BACK IN THE 1920'S AND 30'S, ON LAKE ROSSEAU'S TOBIN'S ISLAND. THE ASSEMBLY BROUGHT IN MANY OF THIS COUNTRY'S BEST KNOWN WRITERS, INCLUDING POETS AND NOVELISTS, AND MANY PHILOSOPHERS, WITH A KEEN FOCUS ON MODERN RELIGION. SYLVIA, THE MOTHER OF MY COLLEAGUE AND WRITING PARTNER, TIM DUVERNET, A MUSKOKA SUN PHOTOGRAPHER AT THE TIME, WAS AN EXPERT ON THE MUSKOKA ASSEMBLY, AND I HAD BEEN WORKING ON A FEATURE STORY ABOUT THE WRITER'S RETREAT, FOR ONE OF OUR PUBLICATIONS. SHE BROUGHT ME A COPY OF HER BOOK, WHICH I STILL HAVE, AND PROVIDED SOME INSIGHTS ABOUT THE SIGNIFICANCE TO MUSKOKA, OF ALL THESE WRITER-KIND BEING INSPIRED BY OUR ENCHANTED LAKELAND. I ASKED HER WHY SHE FELT MUSKOKA WAS SO ATTRACTIVE TO WRITERS, ARTISTS AND MUSICIANS IN PARTICULAR. WITHOUT EVEN MOMENTARY PAUSE, TO CONTEMPLATE MY QUESTION, OR WHAT COULD BE CONSIDERED EVEN A SLIGHT DELAY, IN A BUSY NEWSROOM FULL OF STRANGE GOINGS-ON, AND AS IF SHE KNEW IT WAS GOING TO BE A QUESTION I WOULD ASK, SHE ANSWERED; "TED, AS YOU SHOULD KNOW, MUSKOKA IS A VERY SPIRITUAL PLACE ON EARTH." SHE ALSO EXPLAINED, THAT IT WAS MY MISSION TO FIND OUT WHY."YOU'RE A WRITER," SHE SAID. "YOU'LL FIND THIS OUT ON YOUR OWN QUEST; IT'S SOMETHING YOU HAVE TO DISCOVER YOURSELF, BY GETTING OUT THERE, AND BEING PART OF THE MUSKOKA EXPERIENCE." THAT WAS IN THE VERY EARLY 1980'S. I'VE FOLLOWED HER ADVICE EVER-SINCE, AND I DO BELIEVE HER ASSESSMENT WAS CORRECT. MUSKOKA IS A VERY SPIRITUAL PLACE IN ITS ALLURE…..AND I DO BELIEVE MANY HAVE FOUND THE SAME…..LIKE GOWAN GILLMOR, TRAVELLING THE MUSKOKA PATHWAYS FROM WELL BEFORE THE TURN OF THE 1900'S, OVER THE FOUR SEASONS…..FARMSTEAD TO SHANTY, LUMBER CAMP TO COMMUNITY HALL.
TOMORROW, I WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE YOU TO WASHINGTON IRVING'S "STORM SHIP."
OUR FAMILY FRIEND, SYLVIA DUVERNET, RECENTLY PASSED AWAY. SHE WAS PASSIONATE ABOUT HER TIME SPENT IN MUSKOKA, AND WAS A PROLIFIC PROMOTER OF THE ENCHANTMENTS OF THIS BEAUTIFUL REGION ON EARTH. I WILL NEVER FORGET THE ADVICE SHE GAVE ME. I HAVE BEEN ON THE ODYSSEY OF DISCOVERY, SINCE SHE POINTED THE WAY. OUR DEEPEST SYMPATHY TO THE DUVERNET FAMILY OF TORONTO AND PORT CARLING. SYLVIA WILL LONG BE REVERED AMONGST WRITERS IN MUSKOKA.
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