centuries had
elapsed since the heroic Saintongeais first set foot on the soil of
Canada, when, at the close of the nineteenth century, a spectacle was
witnessed in the city of his foundation which proved that the name of
Champlain was graven on the hearts of all Canadians. The ceremonies
attending the inauguration of the splendid monument which now adorns
Quebec, have become a matter of history, and seldom could such a scene
be repeated again. France and England, the two great nations from which
Canadians have descended, each paid homage to the illustrious founder;
nor can we forget the noble tribute which was paid by the latest English
governor, representing Her Majesty Queen Victoria, to the first French
governor, representing His Majesty the King of France and of Navarre.

It is seldom that the deeds of the great men of past ages have been more
fittingly remembered. Champlain, as we have previously remarked,
possessed in an eminent degree all the qualities necessary for a
founder, and his character is therefore exceptional, for over and above
all the heroism he displayed, all his perseverance, his devotion to his
country, we behold the working of a Christian mind, and the desire to
propagate the faith of his fathers.

What would have been the result of the missions without his aid? It was
Champlain who caused the standard of our faith to be planted on the
shores of Canada. It was he who brought the missionaries to the new
settlement, and maintained them at Quebec, at Tadousac, and in the Huron
country. It was Champlain, too, who founded the parochial church of
Quebec, and afterwards endowed it.

Champlain's work rested solely upon a religious foundation, hence his
work has endured. It is true that the founder of Quebec had certain
worldly ambitions: he desired to promote commerce between the French and
the Indians, but surely this is not a matter for which he should be
reproached. Without trade the inhabitants of the settlement could not
exist, and without the development of the settlement, his work of
civilization would necessarily end. He worked for the material
prosperity of the settlement, but not to increase his own fortune. The
development of trade was also essential to Champlain in his capacity of
explorer, and it was only through this means that he could extend the
bounds of his mother country. This was surely the wisdom of a true
patriot. What nobler ambition on earth could any one have than this, to
ex