A Pilgrimage and Death

Pilgrimages can become dangerous, and even lead to death. A pilgrim encounters many perils on the path and life is fragile. My Grandfather, Henri Miege, did not set out to Canada on a pilgrimage. Accounts lead us to believe that he saw the opportunity as an escape from the discomfort he felt toward a love affair that his mother was engaged in.  He had been trained as an Architect and started to gather notice in Europe for his work.  His work centered around a belief that everyday objects should be beautiful. Henri was sponsored by an Uncle that had moved to the Montreal area some years previously. I had never heard of this Uncle until I came across some old immigration papers of my grandfather's where the Uncle was listed as the sponsoring relative. I asked my Aunt for some information about this relative and discovered that even at the end of her life she was reluctant to speak of him. He had been disowned by his family due to a crime that he had committed that out of respect to my Aunt I will not elaborate on. My Aunt remembered this Uncle coming over to visit the family. He would bring such strong smelling cheese that they were not allowed inside the house. My Grandfather must have decided to grant his Uncle amnesty with his family given that he was his only relative in Canada.

My Grandfather and his Uncle would enjoy their strong smelling cheese outside. 

Henri was active working to establish the arts in Montreal, primarily through pottery and some textile and painting. This became his pilgrimage, with art as his shrine. Despite a very meager income as an artist, and later as a night shift employee at Shawingan Chemicals, he put aside money every month in order to purchase a small studio on Melville Island. His eventual goal was to create a Technical Institute of the Arts. He had demonstrated a love for teaching by offering a number of short courses, primarily in textile art. 

Henri made his last payment on the studio on Melville island in May of 1931.  The total cost of the building was $40.00 which he paid in $5.00 installments.  A year later Henri became very ill with scarlet fever and died, leaving behind three children under the age of 6. 

The receipt for last payment for the studio on Melville Island, with the hope to one day become the Technical Institute of the Arts. 

The family believe that Henri became ill as he was pushing himself too hard in his efforts to grow his art career and support his young family.  Henri was underemployed as a chemical operator given his training in Architecture. My Aunt always believed it was Henri's intention to return to Switzerland. I am not sure that this was his plan as he was firmly grounded in trying to launch his dreams in Quebec. Life was obviously very difficult for him in Canada yet he did not return to Geneva where he had started to establish a reputation both as an Artist and an Architect.  

A pilgrimage entails remaining faithful to your path despite the dangers and the difficulties.  Henri certainly stayed the course, creating pottery in his new studio, using the ovens at night at the Shawinigan Chemicals to fire his pieces. 

  

Henri Miege with his young daughter, Michele.  Shawingan Falls, Quebec. 

I know his daughter felt that her father was snatched away from his life at a painfully early age, and did not have the opportunity to full develop his artistic abilities. I take comfort in the courage of his journey,  to not allow the dream to be lost in the face of hardship as demonstrated by his use of the ovens at work to fire his pottery.  

The following poem by Wendell Berry captures this spirit;

The Real Work

It may be that when we no longer know what to do

we have come to our real work,

and that when we no longer know which way to go

we have come to our real journey.

The mind that is not baffled is not employed.

The impeded stream is the one that sings.