MONDAY. NOVEMBER

| chette lived for many years. |

Senator Raoul Dandurand, Govternment Leader in the Senate, who was a friend and associate of Fre- | chette, recalled some amusing anecdotes of their early relations and described the reverence in which Frechette's name was held by the literary elite of France.

The story of Frechette's life, from his birth in Levis, Quebec, in 1839 to his death here in Montreal in 1908, his struggles, the different moods which characterized his work, his successes and failures, were related by Paul Le Duc.

Maxime Raymond, M.P. for Beauharnois-Chateauguay, who was the first speaker at the ceremony, congratulated the members of the Canadian Alliances for Women's Vote in Quebec on their initiative in sponsoring the demonstration to mark the centenary of the poet's birth.

It was a tribute to th vomen of | Quebec, said Mr. Rayriond, that in ispite of the fact that the whole world was disturbed by the war which was in progress in Europe land when the women here were on Ithe verge of winning a long and hard struggle for the franchise, that they should be the ones who remembered and honored the memory of ‘Canada's greatest patriot, poet and man of letters.” |

idurand, Gov-

nate, who Le Se sde

15 held by the

1ce. | ette’s life, from Quebec, in 839 in Montreal in

the different

racterized his # and failures,

e Duc.

AN for pra

ir initiative in emonstration to ry of the poets

o th. vJomen )

Se ymond, that in that the whole

greatest patriot, letters”

Mr, Le Due said tnat Frechette was the first French-Canadian writer who really understood ihe atmosphere, color and meaning of the struggle which was going oï: in early French Canada, and who possessed the rare ability of being able to put his feelings on paper with a facility of expression which has never been approached.

The speaker recalled some of Frechette's earlier works, his failure when he attempted. to. enter politics, his self-imposed exile in Chicago because he believed that | the people here did not understand | him, and his return to Montreal where he finally found happitess with his family and a select gréup of friends. Sa

In addition to his poetic wôrks, Frechette was a talented sCülptor and painter and devoted: many hours of relaxation with these arts in his Sherbrooke street home during the latter years of his life.

Mr. Le Duc said that Frechette had been honored by the French Academy but that here in Quebec, his native land, there was no monument to perpetuate his memory.

He suggested that a fitting place to erect a monument to the great French-Canadian would be in front of the new University of Montreal on Mount Royal, where it would | serve as an inspiration to future.

generations. |

Miss Idola Saint-Jean presided at, the meeting, |