La conversion controversée de Charles Chiniquy, prêtre catholique devenu protestant by Richard Lougheed (review)

566 The Canadian Historical Review Nevertheless, around this military post there developed a community of Natives, Metis, fur traders, and civil servants. The fort's moment ofglory came in July 1812, when its commander, Captain Charles Roberts, led a mixed force of regulars, Indians, and civilians against Fort Mackinac. He had received word of the American declaration of war and knew that Mackinac's commander, Lieutenant Porter Hanks, was still uninformed. The result was a bloodless victory, the first in this war and one with wide-ranging ramifications. Afterwards, Fort St Joseph was abandoned and, in 1814, was burned by the Americans. The British last used the site for an official purpose in the summer of1829. The ruins slumbered undisturbed until 1922, when an apparent threat to cut timber there aroused local interest. The story is told in a somewhat scattered fashion in a prologue and six chapters. The authors begin with the geology of the region, its earliest inhabitants, and the resources available for their sustenance. The book includes a great deal of European history (with emphasis on monarchs and wars) and diplomacy involving the United States. The authors provide abundant detail on the causes of the War of 1812 and quote extensively the anti-American opinions in 1807 ofthe Montreal Gazette. What the book needed was an editor, to keep it focused. The final chapter is a fascinating account ofthe campaign to preserve and investigate the fort's ruins and to interest governments to help promote tourism. Perhaps the central figure in this effort was Glyn Smith, an island resident and local historian. His motives and aims are discussed , but the story ofhow the old fort will be treated is not yet finished. As an up-to-date study, whether viewed as a historical account or a guidebook, this work is valuable. It could have been much more effec- .tive, however, with clearer maps, less peripheral material, and careful editing to eliminate numerous minor errors. WESLEY B. TURNER Brock University La conversion controversee de Charles Chiniquy, pretre catholique devenu protestant. RICHARD LOUGHEED. Quebec: Les Editions la Clairiere 1999. Pp. 322. $23.95 Cette biographie de Chiniquy difiere aplusieurs egards des nombreux ouvrages consacres ace pretre catholique, celebre predicateur de la temperance , devenu protestant apres avoir ete excommunie par son eveque. Elle poursuit deux objectifs bien distincts. Sur le plan historique, elle vise areveler le «Veritable Chiniquy» en se degageant des interpretations traditionnelles qui, tantot, glorifient le personnage, tantot, le diabolisent. Book Reviews 567 Sur le plan religieux, elle vise, dans une perspective recumenique, a favoriser le dialogue entre catholiques et protestants. 11 en resulte une biographie beaucoup plus sympathique a Chiniquy que ne l'etait celle de Marcel Trudel contre laquelle Lougheed s'inscrit en faux a plusieurs reprises. Au lieu d'en faire un homme dont les actions furent guidees par l'orgueil, caracterisees par le scandale et fondees sur le mensonge, l'ouvrage presente le celebre predicateur de fai;:on positive, elogieuse meme, en evitant cependant les charges anticlericales et anticatholiques qui caracterisent nombre des ecrits protestants relatifs au personnage. Sous la plume de Lougheed, Chiniquy apparait comme un homme pieux, avant tout soucieux de servir son Dieu, courageux, perspicace et talentueux, malgre ses exagerations et son penchant evident pour la polemique. Ce portrait du celebre predicateur decoule de l'exploitation d'un large eventail de sources catholiques et protestantes au nombre desquelles figurent plusieurs documents inedits conserves par la famille de Chiniquy . Pour voir clair parmi les recits differents et parfois contradictoires d'un meme evenement, !'auteur, professeur a la Faculte de theologie evangelique de Montreal, a use d'une methodologie d'emblee favorable a son sujet d'etude. En effet, Lougheed a lu tousles temoignages et les a evalues «en accordant le benefice du doute a la version personnelle de Chiniquy, jusqu'a preuve convaincante du contraire». Sans completement ecarter l'hypothese du mensonge et de la manipulation, un tel procede tend a tout le mains a minimiser la possibilite que Chiniquy ait cherche, dans ses ecrits, a toumer les faits a son avantage, de fai;:on a se donner le beau role. Le livre se divise en cinq parties. Les deux premieres, plus...