Part 35

Sir George was much interested in agriculture and the breeding of fine stock. Huntlywood, his magnificent country place at Beaconsfield, was one of the finest country estates on the continent. He took great pride in its well kept condition, his private golf links affording an opportunity for indulgence in a recreation that he was fond of. He kept only the finest live stock that he could procure. His first Southdown sheep were bred from stock he secured from King Edward. In live-stock breeding Sir George aimed to maintain the same high standard of excellence that characterized everything he did. His stock nearly always won first prize at the big stock shows in Canada and the United States, where he met in competition the most noted breeders of his day. Sir George also maintained a beautiful country house, Gads Hill, at Cacouna, now the summer home of Lady Drummond. He took a most deep and helpful interest in all those things which promote the aesthetic and moral nature of the individual and which act as broadening and uplifting influences in the lives of all. He was the owner of one of the finest galleries of paintings on the American continent and was for some time president of the Art Association of Montreal. It is said of him that he “derived greater pleasure in pinning a badge to the breast of a member of the Victorian Order of Nurses and wishing a hearty God-speed to that devoted agent of good than in talking in millions around the directors’ table of the Bank of Montreal.” He was a knight commander of the Order of St. Michael and St. George and his character and his ability made his presence an honor in any gathering.

High encomiums were passed upon him by various members of the senate when he was called from this life on the 2d of February, 1910. One of the local papers said: “Flags flying at half-mast from many of the chief public and commercial buildings of the city yesterday testified at once to the extent of the interests with which Sir George A. Drummond was in his life connected, and to the respect in which he was held for his character, his ability and his public services.” The council of the Board of Trade, of which he had been president, said he was “long regarded as Montreal’s most eminent citizen and one of the oldest and most distinguished members of this board.” Senator Lougheed said that he “doubted if any other name had been more closely linked with the industrial life of Canada during the early part of the present generation than that of Sir George Drummond. Not only has he been associated with the material development of Canada, but he was equally a supporter of the arts and sciences and the great sociological questions of this progressive age. In 1903 he was the recipient of very distinguished honors at the hands of his sovereign on account of the eminent public services which he had rendered Canada. His name should long be revered in Montreal, where it was identified with the great commercial, educational and philanthropic institutions.” Senator Dandurand said of Sir George: “He was esteemed in Montreal as a liberal-minded man who did his utmost to maintain good understanding between the races in that city, always showing an earnest desire to promote harmony. He was a benefactor of all institutions that needed private help and will be missed by the community at large, as he was whole-souled, kind-hearted and one who played a most important role in all the affairs of the city.”

L. JOSEPH THEOPHILE DECARY.

L. Joseph Theophile Decary, an architect of pronounced ability and prominently known as a water color artist, was born at St. Jerome, Quebec, September 21, 1882, a son of Jean Baptiste and Marie Theolinde (Lauzon) Decary, natives of Lachine and St. Jerome respectively. When the north was open for settlement in 1876 the father went to St. Jerome to establish business as a jeweler and has there since resided. He is of the eighth generation in direct descent from Jean Decarys, who came to Canada with Maisonneuve in 1642. The name has since been variously spelled Decary, Decaire and Descarries.

L. Joseph Theophile Decary, whose name introduces this record, pursued a commercial course in St. Jerome, leaving the school there in 1900. He afterward spent a year in a pharmaceutical establishment and a year as a telegraph operator at St. Jerome Junction on the Canadian Pacific and Canadian Northern of Quebec Railroads. When nineteen years of age he left home, without funds, to go to Boston, hoping there to find the opportunity which would enable him to develop his latent talents in drawing. From an early age he had displayed considerable ability in that direction and believed that his line of life should be determined thereby. After reaching Boston he secured a situation in an architect’s office which brought him a salary of two dollars per week. He learned quickly and won the confidence and assistance of Guy Lowell, architect, who sent him to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston in October, 1903. There he followed a special course in architecture until 1905, and he now holds a degree from the association of architects of the Province of Quebec Architects’ Association. Following his return to Canada he opened an office in Montreal, where he has since practiced his profession, his ability gaining him a large clientage. He made the architectural design and plans for the Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales of Montreal for Messrs. Gauthier and Daoust. His talent has been further developed in the field of fine arts as shown in his exhibitions in water colors at the season exhibit of the Art Association of Montreal in 1910. He is a member of the National Gallery of Ottawa.

On the 23d of April, 1906, at Point St. Charles, Montreal, Mr. Decary was united in marriage to Hattie G. Blanchard, a daughter of Captain J. B. Blanchard and widow of John Weatherburn. In his political views Mr. Decary is a liberal and is without political ambition or aspiration. He finds pleasant association with men of similar professional talents in the Technology Club of Lower Canada and interest and recreation through his membership in the St. John Yacht Club, of which he was vice commodore in the year 1913.

ALEXANDER DRUMMOND STEWART, M. D.

Dr. Alexander Drummond Stewart, a successful physician and since 1903 connected with the department of the interior of the port of Montreal, is a native of Toronto, Ontario, and acquired his preliminary education in the public schools of that city. He studied medicine in McGill University, graduating with the degree of M. D. in 1888. Since that time he has been continuously in practice.

Dr. Stewart opened his first office in Richmond, Quebec province, and he continued there until 1898, building up a large and representative clientage and in addition to its conduct serving in an able way as medical officer for the Grand Trunk Railway at that point. From Richmond he came to Montreal and in this city is now a successful practitioner. Besides conducting his extensive private practice he is medical officer of the department of the interior of the port of Montreal, an office to which he was elected in 1903.

Dr. Stewart married Miss Emma Christie of Lachute, Argenteuil county, Quebec, and they have become the parents of a daughter, Bessie. Dr. Stewart is a member of St. Paul’s Presbyterian church. He belongs to the Outremont Golf Club and the University Club. Along professional lines he is connected with the Montreal Medico-Chirurgical Society, and he keeps in touch with the most advanced medical thought, remaining always a close and earnest student.

JOHN MITCHELL.

John Mitchell, deceased, who was for thirty years a produce merchant of Montreal, was born at Dufftown, Scotland, in 1830, and his life record covered the intervening years to the 23d of November, 1904. His is a history of intense and well directed activity along the line in which he engaged. Educated in Scotland, he came to Quebec when sixteen years of age, having a brother, Robert, in this province. He made his entrance into business life as an employe of a Mr. Symes, a merchant; but after a short time he left the city of Quebec for Montreal at the solicitation of his uncle, Alexander Simpson, who was manager of the Bank of Montreal. Mr. Mitchell embarked in business in connection with others as a wholesale dealer in molasses, sugar and grain in the West Indies, but the business failed and for a short time thereafter Mr. Mitchell was a resident of Chicago, Illinois. Later he went to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but soon returned to Montreal and here engaged in the produce business in which he continued for thirty years, or until his death. He lived a quiet life, being modest and unassuming in manner, and his uprightness and his honorable qualities won him the admiration and respect of all.

Mr. Mitchell was married to Margaret Turner of Keith, Scotland, and they became the parents of two children: John Alexander, living near Edmonton, Canada; and Alice Margaret, who is a member of the editorial staff of the Montreal Weekly Star. In 1871 Mr. Mitchell was again married in the cathedral of Montreal to Miss Elizabeth Scott, a daughter of Dr. Alexander Scott, who came from Keith, Scotland, and practiced in Montreal, but died when his daughter, Mrs. Mitchell, was but five years of age. In later years Mrs. Scott lived with her daughter until her death. The children of Mr. Mitchell’s second marriage were four in number, of whom two are living: Walter Scott, a resident of Sorrento, Notch Hill, British Columbia; and Charles Stewart, who is with the Ogilvie Flour Mills Company of Montreal.

The family attend the First Presbyterian church, of which Mr. Mitchell was a devout member. He was also one of the founders of the St. James Club and one of the original members of the Thistle Curling Club. While quiet and unassuming in manner, the circle of his friends was almost coextensive with the circle of his acquaintances, a fact indicative of an honorable and well spent life.

BARUCH BLOOMFIELD.

In the history of Judaism on the American continent the name of few deserve equal prominence with that of Baruch Bloomfield, scholar, educator and philanthropist, actuated at all times by the highest spirit of humanitarianism and moral force. He was born in Russia. He had liberal educational advantages for his time and throughout his life was a close and discriminating student. Crossing the Atlantic to the new world, he settled first in New York, where he engaged in teaching for about ten years. He was one of the greatest Hebrew and Talmudic scholars of his time. About 1870 he removed from New York to Montreal, which city remained his place of residence throughout the rest of his life. His family is one of the oldest Jewish families in Montreal, having been represented here for close to a century. For a quarter of a century prior to his demise he was a representative in Montreal of the German Jews in Jerusalem and was a prominent member of the McGill College Avenue synagogue to which he rendered great services at various times. A part of his life work was the collection of funds which he forwarded to the Holy Land, and to the cause he was himself a most generous contributor.

Mr. Bloomfield was united in marriage to Miss Dora Albert and they became the parents of five sons, four of whom still survive, Abraham, David, Harry and Samuel, together with the mother. In 1901 the family were called upon to mourn the loss of a daughter and sister, Jessie, whose death was an irreparable blow to the household. It was while still grieving over the loss of this daughter that Mr. Bloomfield went to New Orleans, called there by the sudden illness of his son, Moses, who was traveling through the south for a Canadian firm. He was a young man of twenty-five years and was looked upon in the community as a model young man of sterling character, of the highest honor and integrity, and of ideal purity in life. The father hastened to his bedside and every possible thing was done to restore him to health, but a few days after the father’s arrival Moses Bloomfield passed away. This death following so closely upon the death of the daughter was more than Mr. Bloomfield could bear. He died almost literally of a broken heart, passing away in New Orleans on the 31st of December, 1901, aged fifty-six years. The sudden demise of father and son has been greatly deplored by the entire Jewish community and especially by the Shaar (Hashomayim) congregation to which they belonged. A beautiful memorial service was held at the McGill College Avenue synagogue. The remains of father and son were interred in a cemetery in New Orleans, but at the memorial service in Montreal hundreds of their friends gathered to pay the last tribute of respect and to thus honor their memory. In his address Rabbi Bernard M. Kaplan said: “We have assembled in this House of God from all parts of the city to mourn a great and grievous loss which we have sustained by the untimely demise of two most virtuous, most pious and most respected members of the community, a father and son who under the most pathetic circumstances found their graves in a strange land. The son, while yet in the freshness and bloom of life, expired in the embrace of a loving father who had traversed almost a continent to gaze once more upon the innocent and serene countenance of his child.” Rabbi Kaplan said that some would mourn more deeply the loss of the young man--his associates and friends who were closely connected with him--while to others the death of the father, which had come as a more telling blow, yet by all the death of each would be felt, for each was a man largely ideal in his home relations and in his relations to his friends and to his congregation. Mr. Bloomfield was a most devoted and loving father as well as a most kind, considerate and affectionate husband. “He not only loved his wife, but true to the teachings of the Talmud, of which he was a great student, he honored and respected her. His family life was an inspiration to every lover of ideal home life. His modest home was a veritable sanctuary whose atmosphere was permeated by serene peace, true purity, and sincere piety. And, again, every one who appreciates gentleness of manner and gentleness of disposition, purity of life and purity of thought, faith in God and faith in humanity, devotion to religion and devotion to every other duty, sincerity of speech and sincerity of action, must lament the loss which the community sustains by the death of Baruch Bloomfield, for he embodied all these qualities and many more. He loved peace and pursued it. He loved Hebrew learning and devoted his life to it. He loved Judaism and made great sacrifices for it. He loved charity and gave it. I approached him myself several times on matters of charity. Not only did he contribute a great deal more that I thought his means allowed him, but what is more, he gave his share with all his heart and soul--so much so that he reminded me of the proverbial romantic Hebrew charity which meant not only the giving of money but also the giving, so to speak, of the very heart with it.

“For a period of twenty-five years Baruch Bloomfield, from time to time collected and forwarded considerable funds to the Holy Land. It was the supreme passion of his life to step some day on the Holy Land. His wish like that of Moses has not, however, been realized. He died on this side of the Jordan. But, friends, there was no need for Baruch Bloomfield to go to Palestine in order to be on holy land. I say in all sincerity, that the ground where so pure and so pious a man as Baruch Bloomfield stood, studied or prayed, was holy. It was sanctified by the holiness of an ideal Jewish life. Yea, the very ground wherein his body, the shrine of so beautiful a soul is deposited is positively holy. Baruch Bloomfield was an ish kaddish, a holy man in the traditional sense of the term. A truly holy man sanctifies his surroundings.”

SIR THOMAS GEORGE RODDICK, M. D., LL. D., F. R. C. S.

Sir Thomas George Roddick, M. D., LL. D., F. R. C. S., was born at Harbour Grace, Newfoundland, July 31, 1846, a son of the late John Irving Roddick and Emma Jane Martin. His father was a native of Dumfriesshire, Scotland, and was for many years principal of the government school at Harbour Grace. After pursuing his preliminary education with his father, and, later, in the Truro Model and Normal Schools of Nova Scotia, Sir Thomas entered McGill University in 1864 in preparation for the practice of medicine, which he intended to make his life’s work. He graduated M. D., C. M., in 1868, and was the Holmes Gold Medallist and final prizeman of his year. Immediately following his graduation he was appointed assistant house surgeon and afterwards house surgeon of the Montreal General Hospital, which position he held for six years. Later, he received an appointment as attending surgeon to that institution and in 1874 entered upon private practice. From 1872 to 1874 he was lecturer on hygiene in McGill University and was demonstrator of anatomy during 1874 and 1875. In the latter year he was made professor of clinical surgery, which position he held for fifteen years, when he became professor of surgery, occupying that chair until 1907. He was dean of the medical faculty of McGill from 1901 till 1908.

In 1896 Sir Thomas was elected president of the British Medical Association, being the first colonial physician ever honored by election to that office, which he held from 1896 to 1898. He presided at the Montreal meeting and was subsequently elected vice president for life of that, the largest and most important medical body in the world.

He is president of the Montreal branch of the Victorian Order of Nurses; president of the Alexandra Hospital for Contagious Diseases; vice president of the Royal Edward Institute; consulting surgeon to the Royal Victoria Hospital and Montreal General Hospital. He was a member of the royal tuberculosis commission recently appointed by the Quebec government; is a past president of the Medico-Chirurgical Society of Montreal, and of the Canadian Medical Association, of which latter body he was recently appointed honorary president. When the Newfoundland Society of Montreal was organized a few years ago he was appointed honorary president. In 1898 Edinburgh University recognized his services to medicine by conferring upon him the honorary degree of LL. D.; in 1903 Queen’s University honored him in a like manner; in 1899 he was elected an honorary F. R. C. S., London. After resigning the deanship of the medical faculty of McGill in 1908, he was appointed a governor of McGill University. He was one of the first surgeons on this continent to employ Lister’s methods in the treatment of wounds.

Sir Thomas’ connection with the militia of Canada dates as far back as 1868, when he joined the Grand Trunk Artillery as assistant surgeon, and was under orders for the second Fenian raid in 1870. He subsequently commanded the University Company of the Prince of Wales Rifles and was appointed surgeon to that regiment in 1885. During the Northwest rebellion in the same year he organized the hospital and ambulance service for the expeditionary force and was in charge of the medical service in the field, holding the rank of deputy surgeon general of militia, was mentioned in despatches and recommended for the C. M. G. For his services on this occasion, and for the Fenian raid, he holds the service medals, and also the long-service medal. He attained the rank of lieutenant colonel in 1900 and is now on the retired list of officers.

Sir Thomas is a conservative in politics and represented St. Antoine division over two parliaments, sitting in the house of commons from 1896 until 1904. His chief reason for entering politics was to exploit a scheme which he had long advocated, viz., that of Dominion medical registration, for which a federal act was necessary. The “Roddick Bill” so-called, passed parliament in 1902, was amended and became operative in 1911. Thus was established a one-portal system for entrance to the practice of medicine throughout the Dominion of Canada. A Dominion medical council was at once organized, of which Sir Thomas was elected first president.

Sir Thomas was married in 1880 to Miss Marion McKinnon, a daughter of the late William McKinnon of Pointe Claire, P. Q. Her death occurred in 1890, and he afterwards wedded in September, 1906, Miss Amy Redpath, daughter of the late J. J. Redpath of Montreal. His religious faith is that of the Presbyterian church.

He is a member of the Hunt Club, the University Club and the Mount Royal Club. His residence is at 705 Sherbrooke Street, West.

Patriotism, courage and generosity have always characterized him, and, notwithstanding the demands ever made upon him in his professional life, he has always found time to take an active part in all movements having to do with the social and moral welfare of his adopted city.

FERDINAND GUSTAVE LEDUC.