Friday 27 November 2015

Incidentally Archived: Newspaper Ads

If you're not already jaded from an inundation of Black Friday advertisements, you may enjoy our first installment of "Incidentally Archived."

These are newspaper ads that happened to fall on the same page as an important news article or within a notable edition. The ads were therefore archived along with the relevant story. 

Our favourite is a 1912 ad for Chiclets chewing gum:

The Toronto World, 17 July 1912

Chiclets are not made of horse-mint or swamp-mint.
A beneficial sedative for the nerves of Indoor People, they can also be used for covering one's modesty.


Other categories include...modern conveniences:

Canadian Illustrated News, 16 Feb. 1878

Canadian Illustrated News, 16 Feb. 1878

The Toronto World, 21 May 1911

...cereal products

The Catholic Record, 17 July 1912

Luscious, feathery cornflakes

Extension, July 1911

Extension, July 1911

The Globe, 17 July 1912

Canadian Illustrated News, 16 Feb. 1878

...clothing

The Irish Canadian, 13 June 1877

The Irish Canadian, 13 June 1877

The Catholic Record, 17 July 1912

The Evening Telegram, 12 May 1911

The March of Modern Ingenuity

Catholic Register and Canadian Extension, 18 May 1911

...travel

The Mail and Empire, 17 July 1912

The Globe, 17 July 1912

Did you know that mosquitoes are unknown in the Muskoka Lakes?

...home remedies

The Toronto World, 21 May 1911

Canadian Illustrated News, 16 Feb. 1878

The least convincing before and after?

Extension, July 1911

This is the age of drugless healing.
Beware of dangerous imitations.

Canadian Illustrated News, 16 Feb. 1878

The Globe, 17 July 1912

You are feeling old, and you begin to look it.

...and pest control.

Catholic Register and Canadian Extension, 25 July 1912

All that indescribable nastiness.


Friday 20 November 2015

Year of Consecrated Life: The Congregation of St. Basil

Fr. Joseph Lapierre, CSB,
first Superior General.
This month we are highlighting The Congregation of St. Basil, one of the first religious orders to come to Toronto. Their origin can be traced back to the end of the 18th century in France, where political turmoil made being a Catholic priest and teacher dangerous; however a priest named Fr. Joseph Lapierre secretly operated a school in the small mountain village of St-Symphorien-de-Mahun.

A few years later when it was safe, Fr. Lapierre, with the help of a few other priests, began operating a school in the nearby town of Annonay. On November 21, 1822, 10 priest-teachers formed an association to ensure the continuation of education in the Annonay area and for life in common.

Collège du Sacré-Coeur, Annonay
1867 
One of their former students was named Bishop of Toronto: Armand-Francois-Marie de Charbonnel. The Bishop knew that he would need help establishing schools and staffing parishes in his new See. He approached his former teachers for help, and in 1850 he arrived in Toronto with Patrick Molony, who was a native of Ireland.

Molony described his arrival in Toronto with Bishop Charbonnel thus:

"We went up the magnificent St. Lawrence as far as Kingston, which is a bishopric. From there we continued our journey over Lake Ontario for one beautiful night in the clear moonlight, and at 7 o'clock on the morning of September 21, I caught sight of Toronto. Monseigneur gathered around him on the bridge of the ship and there we recited in choir the Litany of the Saints and the Salve Regina. It was known in the city that we were due to arrive, and consequently our fine people, poor children of Erin, made much ado. They gave us no time to disembark but crowded about us, pressing close to see and throwing themselves down before the Bishop. The quays, and all the streets were blocked with people. We were conducted in procession to the Cathedral. The Bishop of Montreal and several priests from that city were with us. We were received like true apostles. The following day Monseigneur took solemn possession of his See. He officiated at Vespers preaching in English to a congregation of 3,000 persons, Catholics and Protestants." 

Captain Elmsley
Fr. Molony was soon joined by four other Basilians, and they established what eventually became St. Michael's College. By 1856, with the support of John Elmsley, the college moved to its present location on Clover Hill (near the intersection of the present day Bay and Wellesley Streets). St. Basil's Parish was also established. The school operated as a high school, a college and a minor seminary. In 1950 the high school moved to its current location at Bathurst and St. Clair Streets. The Basilians went on to staff other city high schools such as Michael Power, and parishes such as Holy Rosary.

As the Basilian Congregation in Toronto grew, members spread to the Windsor area, into Michigan and New York State, and eventually down to Texas, Mexico and Colombia. They have administered and staffed many high schools, colleges and parishes across North and South America while maintaining a small presence in Annonay. Five Basilians have been bishops, including Vancouver's current Archbishop Miller, London's current Bishop Fabbro, Toronto's Archbishop O'Connor, Bishop Ramirez of Las Cruces, New Mexico, and George Bernard Cardinal Flahiff, who was Archbishop of Winnipeg. 

The Basilian Fathers have been integral to the Archdiocese of Toronto since their arrival. Their influence can be seen in the thousands who have been educated at their schools. They continue to teach, but are also beginning to run workshops for Catholic teachers to ensure that the philosophy behind their motto, "Teach Me Goodness, Discipline and Knowledge," spreads even further.  

An unidentified 19th Century Basilian
An unidentified 19th Century Basilian


"A few of the '28 '29 Novices"
Basilian Novitiate, near Bathurst and St. Clair Streets
Novices circa 1930
Basilians on Strawberry Island (Lake Simcoe), 1936. The Basilians used the island as a vacation and retreat centre from the mid-1920s until the mid-2000s. They played hosts to Pope John Paul II when he was in the area for World Youth Day in 2002.  
The newly built shrine on the Island.
August, 1936
Cardinal McGuigan tours Strawberry Island with Father McCorkell
1936
Sports have always been an important part of Basilian Education. The St. Michael's Majors hockey team won the Memorial Cup four times. One of their players, David Bauer (left), went on to become ordained as a Basilian. As a priest, he coached Canada's Olympic hockey team in the 1960s, and was awarded an honorary Olympic medal for sportsmanship. He was inducted into the Order of Canada in  1967 and into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1989. 
Sports were also an important part of student recreation.
St. Michael's College, 1946-1947.

All images courtesy of the General Archives of the Basilian Fathers.

Tuesday 10 November 2015

Record of the Week: Housing our Veterans

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.

The war increased Canadian farm and factory production to unprecedented levels.  By 1942 Canada was supplying its allies with billions of dollars' worth of goods. Toronto received a large influx of people working in munitions plants and other factories incidental to the war. At the same time, there was a shortage of manpower and building materials necessary to supply these workers with new dwellings.

In April 1944, the Mayor of Toronto, Robert Saunders appealed to all Toronto churches for their urgent assistance to ease the housing crisis: 
"If every church in the city, some 400 in number, could be the means of each providing at least one dwelling unit, 400 families could be housed and the citizens who so accommodate such a family would be playing an important part in the war effort and at the same time be recompensed for this effort in the form of rental." (ARCAT SW HC08.03b)
 Soldiers' wives and children were also affected by lack of affordable, available housing. On 16 June 1944, The Evening Telegram published a letter in response to a Housing Registry report that had appeared in the newspaper:
"Of the 2,157 applications for accommodations received, about 1,700 are from wives of men serving overseas...The men who went out to fight our battles left the welfare of their families in our care...Soldiers are only as good as their morale, and what solider can feel contented  with this situation confronting his family?"
When the Allies declared victory in 1945, returning military service personnel were faced with similar overcrowded living conditions. The Citizens Rehabilitation Committee of Toronto, with the support of Archbishop McGuigan, launched a parish campaign to make unused residential space available to over 4,000 veterans and their families:

Second World War series, SW HC08.04b


December 7, 1945
In Toronto there is a very great shortage of housing accommodation. Men are back and more are daily returning from overseas service to find that here in the city from which they enlisted there is no housing accommodations for themselves and their families...
We are approaching the holy season of Christmas and it is not nice to think that  many who spent one to five Christmases away from all the comforts and pleasure of Christmas, are, because of the housing shortage, being forced with their families to live in basements, attics, tourist cabins and shacks. One hesitates to think of what thoughts these men may have in regard to those of us who have lived in the peace and comfort of our own homes. 
What a wonderful Christmas gift it would be if we could help these men to live for a few months in decent surroundings.
Second World War series, SW HC08.04b

The Church in Canada contributed to the war effort through chaplaincy services, assisting with relief efforts abroad and mitigating humanitarian crises at home. 

See how you can continue to honour, support and remember our veterans.

Friday 6 November 2015

Record of the Week: Insulin is Discovered at the University of Toronto

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month.

Diabetes has been known to exist since ancient times; the first recorded mention of a disorder with its characteristics was in 1552 BC. Today's diabetics are able to live with the disease, but that wasn't always the case. Until the 20th century, diabetes was a death sentence. Life could be prolonged for a few years through diet and exercise, but ultimately nothing could be done.

In 1920, Dr. Frederick Banting, who lived in London, Ontario at the time, became interested in the relationship between the pancreas and diabetes. He brought his ideas to Professor John Macleod at the University of Toronto. Over the next few years, he worked with Charles Best and Dr. James Collip, which led to the discovery and refinement of insulin. The first human patient to be treated was a 14 year old boy, who received insulin at the beginning of 1922, and by October 1923 insulin was made widely available. Banting and Macleod were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology in 1923 for their miraculous treatment, which for the first time allowed diabetics to live a normal life.

News of the discovery spread quickly. In October 1922, before the widespread availability of insulin, Archbishop McNeil received a letter from Cardinal Dougherty, Archbishop of Philadelphia. He appealed to Archbishop McNeil to use his influence to persuade Banting to send a supply of insulin for his auxiliary bishop, Rev. M.J. Crane, who was quite ill:

MN AD57.001

"The newspapers of Philadelphia have lately informed the public that Dr. Banting, of the University of Toronto, has discovered a treatment for diabetes, the medicine to be used in the treatment being called "insulin." 


"It is stated that, for some months to come, a sufficient quantity of this medicine for the public at large will not be available.



"No doubt, however, a sufficient amount for an individual treatment could be secured if the proper influence were brought to bear upon Dr. Banting.



"Rt. Rev. Bishop M.J. Crane, Auxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia, is suffering from diabetes, and both he and I would consider it a great favor if Your Grace, by your influence, could prevail upon Dr. Banting to send to Bishop Crane a sufficient quantity of "insulin" for the treatment and cure of his case."

October 19th, 1922

Our counterparts in Philadelphia were generous enough to send us Archbishop McNeil's reply:

"The news of this diabetes cure was broadcasted too soon, and one result is that Dr. Banting gets letters at the rate of about 1000 per week. Dr. Loudon saw him about the Bishop's case ... It seems the medicine does all that is claimed for it. The difficulty is to get enough of it. I beg that the diagnosis of the Bishop's present condition be sent to my address. Dr. Banting will make time for it."


24 October 1922

From the Papers of Cardinal Dennis Joseph Dougherty, 80.4136. Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center.

Cardinal Dougherty's Reply:

MN AD57.002

"You will notice, from Dr. Webster's letter, that the Bishop has a severe case of diabetes which is apt to result fatally in the near future, unless something be done for him.

I appreciate very highly what Your Grace has already done; and if possible I shall be still more grateful if Your Grace prevail upon Dr. Banting to send the medicine at the earliest convenience.

October 30th, 1922

The story has an uplifting ending. Our Philadelphian counterparts also sent us Bishop Crane's update to Cardinal Dougherty:


My Dear Cardinal,

I am comfortably located here - have a private room with running water - expect a room with a bath in a few days - I am very fortunate in having Dr. Banting himself for my physician.They have only thirteen patients in the Diabetic clinic. Four of these whom I met are from the States. I met a young man here from Toronto who came about six weeks ago and he learned when admitted that they had over six hundred afflictions from Toronto alone. At present they are only able to make sufficient extract to treat thirteen. I am now on observation. They give you a certain amount of food, some of which contains sugar to see what percentage goes into the blood. I got my first record today - 270 milligrams. The test I had in the early part of August was 400. The percentage of sugar in the urine was less than 2 per cent. In August I had 6 per cent. This I consider very encouraging. It spells improvement. I called on Archbishop McNeil on Wed[nesday] but he was out of town. I have not been out of the hospital since. He is treating my feet which were very sore and he advised me to keep off them for a few days. Everybody is most kind and courteous. Thanking you again my dear friend for helping me to get this good treatment and praying God to spare you for many years. 

I am yours gratefully, +MJ Crane 

November 18, 1922

From the Papers of Cardinal Dennis Joseph Dougherty, 80.4136. Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center.

Because of the intercession of Cardinal Dougherty and Archbishop McNeil, Bishop Crane was among the first patients to receive the landmark treatment. It has been almost 100 years and insulin, which was discovered here in our city, has saved the lives of millions of people around the world.