A Legacy Left For The Country

 Some final shots from around the Abbey Ruins.

It was time to head back.

Near the main house, some more items Mackenzie King acquired from various locations, and might have incorporated into follys, but which lay here on their own.

This is the garage at Moorside, today serving in multiple capacities.

I headed for the parking lot. Mackenzie King left political life in 1948 to retire to The Farm, a house here at the estate which is closed to the public. His successor, Louis St. Laurent, would follow him as prime minister.

King's remarks about the highest joy in life is found in some kind of public service speaks volumes. "Instead of the state being indebted to the one who gives of his time and means to the country's affairs and the betterment of human conditions, the obligation is the other way round." Very wise indeed.

He was the dominant voice in Canadian politics for the first half of the 20th century. He developed Canada's place in the world and kept the country united. He led the country through a good part of the Depression and the calamity of the Second World War. And he left his estate to the people of Canada as thanks for the opportunities of public service. There are many who could learn from that.

Retirement was not long; he died two years after leaving political office behind.

Gatineau Park is one of his other legacies- the creation of a federal park, administered by the National Capital Commission, preserving a beautiful region.

And he made Ottawa itself very much looking like a national capital ought to look.

One last look at the estate, looking into the woods beside the parking lot. I will return to the autumn series after the theme day, and back over on the Ottawa side of the Ottawa River.

The Supreme Court

 One day earlier this month I stopped by the Supreme Court of Canada to photograph around the grounds.

A statue of Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent is placed here, looking east towards Parliament Hill. It is a deliberate placement- had he not gone into politics, this brilliant lawyer might have ended up a member of the Court.

The building is in the Art Deco style, lying to the west of the Parliamentary precinct.

Two statues out front are allegorical in nature, by Walter Allward.

I noticed a groundhog.

Out back, views of the Ottawa River.

The Highest Joy In Life

 On my way back, I photographed the garage, a detached portion of the main house at Moorside. The first floor was open for children's activities.

The main house as seen from the east.

And one more look at that big meadow.

It was time to go.

William Lyon Mackenzie King spent the better part of half a century in service to the country, becoming hugely influential in its direction and establishing many of the institutions we see today. He was one of the giants of the twentieth century, and when he decided it was time to step down, it was one of his colleagues, Louis St. Laurent, a man he brought into politics, who succeeded him.

He would retire here to the estate, dying two years later. He willed the estate to the people of the country he loved so much, noting in his will that he felt that "the highest joy in life is to be found in some form of public service. Instead of the state being indebted to the one who gives of his time and means to the country's affairs and to the betterment of human conditions, the obligation is the other way around."

Again, that is the sort of mindset more politicians should follow.

The path beckoned me on.

Aside from his enormous contributions to the country as a whole, his accomplishments locally included the establishment of Gatineau Park and the idea of Ottawa as a capital undergoing urban planning to really look the part of a capital.

One last shot- the woods and the low walls of stone so typical of the estate.

The Supreme Court

 A few days back, I decided to pay a visit to the Supreme Court of Canada. My last visit inside was, I believe, before Covid.

The Court is an Art Deco masterpiece, its current headquarters started in 1939 and opened in 1946.

On its grounds is this statue. Louis St. Laurent was a lawyer who went into politics late into his middle age- had he not, he had all the makings of a Supreme Court Justice, so his presence is fitting here. He succeeded William Lyon Mackenzie King as leader of the Liberal Party, and Prime Minister of Canada.

Flanking the main entrance are two larger than life statues by the artist Walter Allward, whose masterpiece was the Vimy Memorial in France. This one is Truth. Its counterpart we'll look closer at before we end this series.

Guided tours are offered hourly, in English and in French, especially this time of year when court is not in session. While waiting, I photographed a series of displays.

Ernest Cormier was the architect, based out of Montreal, designing the current headquarters of the Court, as well as its emblem. 

The Court itself is in its 150th year, with its local roots nearby on Parliament Hill before its current headquarters was opened. Queen Elizabeth dedicated the cornerstone in the presence of her husband King George VI and the prime minister, Mackenzie King.

There are nine justices today, hearing appeals and references from the government. Of the cases submitted to the Court, perhaps a tenth of them actually get a hearing.

Allward's two statues Truth and Justice were originally meant for a memorial to King Edward VII that was never made, and the statues were forgotten, rediscovered half a century later, and installed outside the building.

Next year, the Court will move across the street while the building undergoes renewal work for a number of years. One of the key points- and the most time consuming- is measures to protect against earthquakes.

Here we have a scale model of the building.