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35-663: Weir published several individual poems in magazines and collections in books. His lyrics for the English version of "O Canada" eclipsed many others' lyrical attempts and songs to quickly become the most popular patriotic song in Canada for the past century. Weir was born in Hamilton , Canada West , the son of William Park Weir and Helen Craig Smith, who had emigrated from Scotland to Canada in 1852. Weir moved to Montreal, Quebec with his family as an infant, where his father became

70-577: A Surveyor of Customs in the Port of Montreal . His brother, William Alexander Weir , was born there and would later become a Cabinet Minister in the Legislative Assembly of Quebec . His sister, the temperance activist, Elizabeth Weir McLachlan , was married to Robert Wallace McLachlan , the Canadian numismatist . Weir studied at McGill Normal School, Montreal, and at the age of 19,

105-405: A concept was - for most of human history - "so remote from the real experience of most human beings". Anarchists oppose patriotism. This was exemplified by Emma Goldman , who stated: Indeed, conceit, arrogance, and egotism are the essentials of patriotism. Let me illustrate. Patriotism assumes that our globe is divided into little spots, each one surrounded by an iron gate. Those who have had

140-501: A condemnation of patriotism. One of the many arguments is based on the Confucian value of empathy: "I am as convinced as Mencius that any man would rush without hesitation to rescue a child who was about to fall into a well... A human being moved by such selfless love and charity does not pause to think whether the child is a family member or a close relative. When he rescues the child from danger, he does not even ask himself whether

175-730: A grandi dans l'espoir. Il est né d'une race fière” which roughly translates to “ The Canadian grew up with hope. He was born of a proud race” and “Parmi les races étrangères, Notre guide est la loi” roughly meaning “Among foreign races, Our guide is the law” Weir amended the lyrics slightly in 1913, 1914 and 1916, ultimately producing the following version: O Canada! Our home and native land. True patriot love in all thy sons command. With glowing hearts we see thee rise, The True North strong and free! And stand on guard, O Canada! We stand on guard for thee. O Canada, glorious and free. We stand on guard, we stand on guard for thee! O Canada! We stand on guard for thee! One final change

210-705: A judge for the Exchequer Court of Canada in 1926. In 1923, he was honoured as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada . In 1908, Weir wrote English lyrics for " O Canada " while at his summer home, Cedarhurst, in time to honour the 300th anniversary of the founding of Quebec City . The French version had originally been commissioned in 1880 by the Lieutenant Governor of Quebec , Théodore Robitaille with lyrics by Sir Adolphe Basile Routhier and music composed by Calixa Lavallée in time for

245-640: A movement to provide children's playgrounds in Montreal. Robert himself was known to be Vice-President of the Parks & Playgrounds association, in 1922. The family divided their time between Montreal and a summer home named Cedarhurst, in Cedarville, a picturesque hamlet on the east shore of Lac Memphrémagog in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. From 1881, Weir practised law in Montreal and took

280-1091: A moving performance of Weir's original text - features heartwarming scenes & breath-taking views of Canada's landscape and its filial people, striking a resonant, unifying chord with modern Canadians. Weir's well considered doctrine for his fellow Canadians is reflected in the final verse, referencing the Better Day of Christ's return and an eternal "rich reward" awaiting Canadians who keep the faith and finish their race. The lyrics are: O Canada! Our home and native land, True patriot love in all thy sons command. With glowing hearts, we see thee rise, The True North strong and free. From far and wide, O Canada, We stand on guard for thee. O Canada! Where pines and maples grow. Great prairies spread and lordly rivers flow. How dear to us thy broad domain, From East to Western sea. Thou land of hope for all who toil, Thou True North, strong and free! O Canada! Beneath thy shining skies May stalwart sons and gentle maidens rise, To keep thee steadfast through

315-521: A particular interest in municipal questions and had several of his studies published. In 1892, he ran unsuccessfully as a Liberal for the Montreal No. 4 riding of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec . In 1898, he was one of several eminent advocates appointed to revise the charter of the City of Montreal. It is believed that, in particular, he wrote many of the sections relating to expropriations and

350-425: Is changing, as digital information, reaches even remotest parts of Canada: O Canada! Our home, our native land. True patriot love thou dost in us command. We see thee rising fair, dear land, The True North strong and free; And stand on guard, O Canada, We stand on guard for thee. O Canada! O Canada! O Canada, we stand on guard for thee! O Canada, we stand on guard for thee! The complete form of

385-419: Is no direct evidence to contradict the widely held belief that Johnson's famous remark was a criticism of patriotism itself. Many patriotic people take pride in sharing a distinct, common culture, believing it to be central to their national identity and unity. Many are devoted to the preservation of their traditional culture and encourage cultural assimilation by people from other cultures. However, some of

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420-408: Is of its nature defensive, both militarily and culturally. Nationalism, on the other hand, is inseparable from the desire for power. The abiding purpose of every nationalist is to secure more power and more prestige, not for himself but for the nation or other unit in which he has chosen to sink his own individuality. Voltaire stated that "It is lamentable, that to be a good patriot one must become

455-530: Is usually directed at the nation-state and more often than not coincides with " Euroscepticism ". Several surveys have tried to measure patriotism, such as the Correlates of War project which found some correlation between war propensity and patriotism. The results from different studies are time-dependent. For example, according to the project, patriotism in Germany before World War I ranked at or near

490-610: The Congrès national des Canadiens-Français which was to be held on St. Jean Baptiste Day of that year. The popularity of the song grew quickly in Quebec and was played frequently at special events in the province. English versions began to appear almost immediately. The first evidence of official use of any version of "O Canada" in Anglophone Canada was 1901, when school children sang it for that year's tour of Canada by

525-518: The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall , later King George V and Queen Mary ). By the time Weir wrote his version in 1908, there were more than a hundred English quasi-translations of the French original (whose lyrics have never changed). But it was Weir's version that became the most popular one. The tune was already popular across the country, and with Weir's popular lyrics "O Canada" swiftly joined "God Save

560-515: The World Values Survey polls for national values and beliefs. The survey includes the question "Are you proud to be [insert nationality]?"; the answers to which range from 1 (not proud) to 4 (very proud). They then use the average answer given to create comparisons between not only nations but also high and low income citizens. In 2022, U.S. adults who said they were "extremely proud" to be an American hit an all-time low, according to

595-491: The 15th century. The French word's compatriote and patriote originated directly from Late Latin patriota "fellow-countryman" in the 6th century. From Greek patriotes "fellow countryman", from patrios "of one's fathers", patris "fatherland". The term patriot was "applied to barbarians who were perceived to be either uncivilized or primitive and who had only a common Patris or fatherland." The original European meaning of patriots applied to anyone who

630-711: The King" as co-national anthem by custom, though neither of them had been statutorily declared national anthems. At the time of confederation in 1867, many Anglophones advocated for " The Maple Leaf Forever " to be their national anthem. But while it was often used alongside "God Save the King" at official functions in Anglophone areas of the country, no French version was ever produced making it impossible for that song to ever become Canada's national anthem. Other alternatives faced similar problems. Many Canadians know only part of Weir's original 1908 lyrics, though this increasingly

665-545: The child is his own or belongs to another." Patriotism is used to dehumanize others whom we would naturally have empathy for. He argues, "[P]atriotism is a discriminating and arbitrary sentiment confined to those who belong to a single nation-state or live together within common national borders", a sentiment cultivated and used by militarists in their drive for war. Marxists have taken various stances regarding patriotism. On one hand, Karl Marx famously stated that "The working men have no country" and that "the supremacy of

700-509: The difference between patriotism and faith is difficult to discern and relies largely on the attitude of the one doing the labeling. Christopher Heath Wellman , professor of philosophy at Washington University in St. Louis , says a popular view of the "patriotist" position is robust obligations to compatriots and only minimal samaritan responsibilities to foreigners. Wellman calls this position "patriotist" rather than "nationalist" to single out

735-484: The enemy of the rest of mankind." Arthur Schopenhauer wrote that "The cheapest sort of pride is national pride; for if a man is proud of his own nation, it argues that he has no qualities of his own of which a person can be proud." Kōtoku Shūsui , a famous Japanese anarchist of the late 19th/early 20th century, devoted a large section of his widely read Imperialism, Monster of the Twentieth Century to

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770-470: The famous statement, "Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel". James Boswell , who reported this comment in his Life of Johnson , does not provide context for the quote, and it has therefore been argued that Johnson was in fact attacking a false use of "patriotism" by contemporaries such as John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute (the patriot-minister) and his supporters; Johnson spoke elsewhere in favor of what he considered "true" patriotism. However, there

805-558: The fortune of being born on some particular spot, consider themselves better, nobler, grander, and more intelligent than the living beings inhabiting any other spot. It is, therefore, the duty of everyone living in that chosen spot to fight, kill, and die in an attempt to impose his superiority upon all the others. In the European Union , thinkers such as Jürgen Habermas have advocated a " Euro-patriotism ", but patriotism in Europe

840-428: The language of one's homeland, and its ethnic, cultural, political, or historical aspects. It may encompass a set of concepts closely related to nationalism , mostly civic nationalism and sometimes cultural nationalism . An excess of patriotism is called chauvinism ; another related term is jingoism . The English word "patriot" derived from "compatriot", in the 1590s, from Middle French patriote in

875-399: The members of territorial, political units rather than cultural groups. George Orwell , in his influential essay Notes on Nationalism , distinguished patriotism from the related concept of nationalism : By 'patriotism' I mean devotion to a particular place and a particular way of life, which one believes to be the best in the world but has no wish to force upon other people. Patriotism

910-514: The more civic forms of patriotism tend to de-emphasize ethnic culture in favor of a shared political culture . Patriotism may be strengthened by adherence to a national religion (a civil religion or even a theocracy ). This is the opposite of the separation of church and state demanded by the Enlightenment thinkers who saw patriotism and faith as similar and opposed forces. Michael Billig and Jean Bethke Elshtain both argued that

945-479: The power of the city to pass by-laws. On May 6, 1899, he was appointed Recorder for Montreal. During this time as a recorder, he also taught liturgics and jurisprudence in the Congregational College of Canada, which was affiliated with McGill University. Weir later served as a municipal court judge and was considered an expert on the historical aspects of municipal law. He was later appointed

980-497: The proletariat will cause [national differences] to vanish still faster." The same view is promoted by present-day Trotskyists such as Alan Woods , who is "in favor of tearing down all frontiers and creating a socialist world commonwealth." On the other hand, Marxist-Leninists and Maoists are usually in favor of socialist patriotism based on the theory of socialism in one country . Against primordial arguments in favour of national patriotism, Eric Hobsbawm wrote that such

1015-408: The song, including Judge Weir's verses two through four, has increasingly recovered to reflection and modern usage among Canadians, as a hymnal spiritual expression of their appeal to God the "Ruler Supreme" of Canada's ongoing future, as Weir intended. A recent Youtube file entitled, "Song - Canadian national anthem "O Canada" - All four verses!" - which now approaches two and one half million views of

1050-561: The top . According to a study by the Identity Foundation, 60% of Germans were proud of their country in 2009. According to Statista , the figure was as high as 83%. In a 2020 Pew Research Center survey, 53% of participants surveyed in Germany said they were proud of their country, the highest figure among the nations surveyed ( France (45 %), United Kingdom (41 %), United States (39 %)). Since 1981 ,

1085-539: The years From East to Western sea, Our own beloved native land, Our True North, strong and free! Ruler Supreme, Who hearest humble pray’r, Hold our dominion within Thy loving care. Help us to find, O God, in Thee A lasting, rich reward, As waiting for the Better Day, We ever stand on guard. The original French lyrics, written by Sir Adolphe-Basile Routhier in 1880 include lines like “ Le Canadien

Robert Stanley Weir - Misplaced Pages Continue

1120-461: Was a fellow countryman regardless of the socio-economic status. The notions of civic virtue and group dedication can be found in cultures globally throughout history. For Enlightenment thinkers of 18th-century Europe, loyalty to the state was chiefly considered in contrast to loyalty to the Church . It was argued that clerics should not be allowed to teach in public schools since their patrie

1155-598: Was appointed principal of Sherbrooke Street School, one of the newest and largest Montreal public schools at the time. He continued his studies at McGill University earning his Bachelor of Civil Law in 1880 and a Doctor of Civil Law in 1897. In 1882, he married Margaret (Gertie) Alexander Douglas, daughter of wealthy Montreal businessman Alexander Douglas. They had six children, two sons, Douglas (the eldest), and Albert (Ronald) Weir, (1901 - 1944), and four daughters, Beatrice, Winnifred, Marjorie and Dorothy Douglas Weir. Marjorie Douglas Weir would become known for her role in

1190-403: Was heaven, so they could not inspire a love of the homeland in their students. One of the most influential proponents of this notion of patriotism was Jean-Jacques Rousseau . Enlightenment thinkers also criticized what they saw as the excess of patriotism. In 1774, Samuel Johnson published The Patriot , a critique of what he viewed as false patriotism. On the evening of 7 April 1775, he made

1225-440: Was made to the penultimate line after Weir died - and is preserved in a recording made by tenor Edward Johnson in 1928: O Canada, glorious and free, We stand on guard, we stand on guard for thee! O Canada! We stand on guard for thee! Patriotism Patriotism is the feeling of love, devotion, and a sense of attachment to a country or state. This attachment can be a combination of different feelings for things such as

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