A Canadian Manor and Its Seigneurs: The Story of a Hundred Years, 1761-1861Wrong, George McKinnon
History
A Canadian Manor and Its Seigneurs: The Story of a Hundred Years, 1761-1861
Wrong, George McKinnon
La Malbaie (Québec); Nairne family; Nairne, John, -1802
When, from time to time, a missionary priest visited the place he
baptized children of Catholic and Protestant alike, including even the
children of the Protestant family in the manor house. The only religious
services that the people ever shared in were those of the Roman Catholic
Church. Nairne would have wished it otherwise. He held sturdy Protestant
views, and wished to bring in Protestant settlers. On one or more of his
visits to Scotland he made efforts to induce Scots to move to Canada.
But he met with no great success. A Scottish friend, Gilchrist, who had
visited Nairne at Murray Bay, writes, in 1775, to express hope that he
will not encourage French settlers who will rob him, who have
"disingenuous, lying, cheating, detestable dispositions," and are the
"banes of society." He adds, "I am glad you give me reason to believe
you are to carry over some industrious honest people from hence with
you. I am convinced 'twere easy by introducing a few such [to bring
about that] the dupes to the most foolish and absurd religion now in the
world might be warmed out and your quiet as well as interest established
from Point au Pique to the Lake."[7] The Roman Catholic faith had more
vitality than Nairne's correspondent supposed. It was Protestantism that
should in time be "warmed out" of Murray Bay.
To prevent this Nairne did what he could; for a long time he entertained
hopes not only that the Protestants at Murray Bay might be held to their
faith but also that the Roman Catholics would be led into the Protestant
fold. His chief complaint against the Roman Catholic Church was in
regard to education. There was woeful ignorance. Nairne was in command
of the local militia and he found that officers of militia, and even a
neighbouring seigneur, could not read. When Roman Catholic services were
held at Murray Bay, as they were regularly before he died, the tongue
was one that the people did not understand. At the services there was
nothing "but a few lighted candles, in defyance of the sun, and the
priest singing and reading Latin or Greek.... None of us understands a
word." He complains of "the greatest deficiency in preaching sentiments
of morality and virtue." Indeed, very few of the priests could preach or
say anything in public beyond the Latin mass. Nairne tried to secure
better means of educating his people. Probably earlier also, but
certainly in 1791, he was writing to the Anglican Bishop of Quebec to
help him to do something. He lives, he says, in "the most Northerly and,
I believe, the poorest parish on the Continent of America." The people
cannot read and have no literary amusement. Their idle days they spend
in drunkenness and debauchery and he wishes something done for them. Ten
years later Nairne is returning to the charge. There are five Protestant
families in the neighbourhood. They cannot even be baptized except by
the cure. They cannot get any Protestant instruction; so the Protestant
children are reared Roman Catholics.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account