^^^V!a, IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) ^ /. (/. s? ■^ olet College, the " Papi- neau " and " L'Exil6," of Frechette, and two or three comedies of a very superior order by Marchand. IV. Novelists. After the poets naturally come the novelists. Here again the field is wide and it has been well cultivated. As was to be expected, the historical romance predominates, that being one one of the most efiicient means of popular instruction and entertainment m a sphere that is so particularly rich as are the annals of New France. Every variety oi picturesque material is at hand. There is the era of discovery and settlement-Cartier, Champlain, Maisonneuve ; that of heroic resistance to the Iroquois through a hundred LITERATURE OP FRENCH CANADA. 86 years of warfaro - Bollard and Vercheres ; that of daring advonturo in the pathless wilds— Joliet and Lanallo ; that of apostleship and martyrdom— Breboouf, Lallemant and Jogues; that of diplomacy and admin intration-Talon, the great disciple of Colbert ; that of military glory— Tracy and the lion-heart Frontenac- ; that of debauchery and corruption —Bigot and Penan ; that of downfall and doom— Montcalm and Levis. Candians ought to be"proud of su(;h a history, and it in no wonder that their roman*;er8 should take plea- sure in describing its varied scenes. The venerable DeGaspe may be said to have led the van in this department with " Les Auciens Cauadiens," a work of absorbing mterest, in spite of its occasional ditfuseness. lie was followed by Marmette, who has published three or four historical novels of more than ordinary merit, " L'lutendant Bigot" being particularly worthy of mention. " Une de Perdue, Deux do Trouv^es " by DeBoucherville deals in its second part, with the events of 183t, and gives a graphic picture of the battle of St'. Denis. The destruction of L'Acadie, " Home of the happy," and the banishment of its faithful inhabitants form the subject of Bourassa's " Jacques et Marie," a work which I have always regarded as altogether superior in its class, notwithstanding frequent traces of hurried composition. It contains pages of admirable coloring, and such richness of style as to induce reg-ret that this gifted man should have had his mind diverted to other branches of art. In other and lighter forms of romance I have two or three names to signalize. Chau- veau^s " Charles Gu6rin " is a sweet picture of habitant life, which has retained its charm of freshness, although dating back some thirty years. Another masterpiece that is destined to live is the "Jean Eivard " of the late aerin-Lajoie, a description of pioneer life in the Eastern Townships or Bois Francs, of renewed interest in our time when the tide of French colonization is rolling to the fertile plains between the Ottawa and the foot of the Laurentian Mountains. I may mention, too, a series of short domestic stories by Charles Leclere, a young writer full of promise, who was cut off in his prime. Essayists and Chroniqueurs. A fa write species of composition, drawn from the practice of old France, is the Chro- nique. 7his is a slight form of the essay in which topics of current interest are touched off in a: i airy, jaunty style. Many of our writers have distinguished themselves therein ; this beiig specially true of Casgrain, Routhier, Legendre and Montpetit. Routhier has produced much of late in other departments, and, if he continues, will establish a most enviable reputation. Both Montpetit and Legendre wield a graceful pen that writes the French language to perfection. But the prince of chroniqueurs is Fabre, a true Parisian in temperament, possessed of that subtle electrical esprit, which is suposed to impregnate the atmosphere of the boulevards. Here is a man who has not done justice to himself, inasmuch as he does not produce half enough. Buies, belonging to the same school, is another writer of exceptionally brilliant talent, now caustic in satire, then rollicking in humour, and at times tenderly pathetic. In a somewhat different vein, because rather inclined to melancholy, is Faucher de St. Maurice, unquestionably one of the chief glories of French-Canadian literature. Faucher is a careful, conscientious writer, and every work of his is worth attentive perucal. His sketches of travel— and he has travelled much— 86 JOHN LKSPEHANCE ON 'niK aro full of ciitoriainmont, whilf his volume of skctrhcs cuiilU'd " A La Tkiuianto " has somo ravi«hing bits. M. Faiuhor t'lijoys tho distinction of having btnai cloctcd an hono- rary niombor La Societe des gem ik lellres fie France. Among essayists of a moro serious cast, the lead is taken by Oscar Dunn, whoso " Dix Anneos do Journalismo" contain a number of important studies on moral and philosophical subjt'cts, written in a fine judicial spirit and the purest Im-cikjIi. This purism is iurther maniu-sted in the " Glossaire l'>anco-Cana.- dien," a little book in which the author catalogues and aci-ounts for terms that are exclu- sively l<>ench-Canadian. The world of Canadian literature lately sutfered a great loss by the death of Larue, one of the most dashing and captivating writers of Quebec, and it is to be regretted that Dr. Tache has not continued to put forth such legends, sketches and studies as rendered his earlier career so brilliant. A number of the best essayists may be found among the clergy, such as Messrs. Desaulniers, Raymond, Desmazures and Lacasso. I shall not trespass on your time by enumerating the large class of miscellaneous writers, but content myself with naming the well-written dissertations of Simeon Lesage on agri- cultural matters, the useful volume of Tnwl de Cazes on the resources of the Province and Dominion, the admirable work of Urnest Gagnon, on the " Chants Topulaires du Canada," the memoirs of Mcilleur and Chativeau on the progress of education in French Canada, and the descriptive studies of LeMoine, eclipsed, as they are, however, by his numerous works in English. VL Journalists. It is well known that in France journalism is a training sc^hool of literature, through which most of the cief writers have passed at some epoch of their career. It is the same in Canada. Our French countrymen are certainly not very general readers, yet the number of their newspapers is greater than is usually supposed, while in some branches of higher journalism they are somewhat ahead of ourselves. There are four French dailies in Montreal, four in Quebec, which is quite up to the Toronto scale. There are three papers in Three Eivers, two in St. Hyacinthe, two in St. Johns, on the Richelieu, and one in every little town of the Province. Furthermore, they have one monthly literary review, which is more than we can boast of, one illustrated weekly, three or four literary weeklies, and such popular periodicals as the Soirees Canadiennes where authors deposit their fugitive pieces. It will be allowed that this is not at all a bad showing. What detracts°considerably from the character of many of these journals in their intensely per- sonal style of polemics, but that appears to be in the habits of the people and they seem to enjoy it. On the other hand, it must be said that some of the writers on the French press rank among the best in the country. DeCe.ies wields a vigorous pen and is master of a broad style. He has many of the qualities of Veuillot. TroVencher is possessed of a grim humour and is a powerful writer withal. Dansereau left a profound trace during his career in journalism. Then there are Trudel, Bienvenu, Gelinas, Beaugraud, Demers and Ti-emblay in Montreal ; Tarte, Desjardins, Tardivel, Langelier, Levasseur, Bouchard, Huot and one or two others in Quebec. The French population may be set down, in round numbers, at a million. Of this number, taking the usual average of ten per cent., not more than 100,000 can be said to LITE HAT URR OP FRENCH CANADA. 87 bo edu<-ated, and of tho luttor-a.cordiug lo another eHtimate-only a fourth, or -,, (»00 form ^vhat is called the reading public. In view of the«e ligures. the literary vitality of our French writers i« a very noticeable fact, and deserves all tho attention that wo have endeavored to give it. VII. Wants. In this necessarily rapid review, and going over so many names, I have naturally chosen the best, and, as naturally, my opinion is cast in the mould of praise. It does not follow, however, that I am insensible to certain deli.-iencies of French-Canadian edu.-ation and literature. Of course I have no time even to tou.h upon these, but I may say gene- rally that, if the present harvest is destined to be continued, a through cultivation ol the soil will be nec-essary. A strong classical education will have to be insisted upon. A smattering of Latin and an utter ignorance of Greek, together with a mere e emen ary knowledge of the exact sciences, are not conducive to the evolution of solid intellectuality. Literature is a flower. There are single llowers and double flower The former are the offshoots of nature; the latter are the creation of science allied to a'sthetie tastes I naturally have no mission to touch on the vexed question of the Laval University, but I am safe not to b.' gainsaid when I aihrm that one real micersitas, in the good old scho- lastic sense, is quite ample for the needs of a million people. The other colleges should bo merely affiliations, not rivals, and they should ground their pupils throughly in the humanities. The intermediate or grammar schools should be much stronger than they are, supplying a need for that large class which circumstances debar from an university curriculum. I am happy to know that these views are -oncurred in by the best educa- tors in the rroviuce, and that a combined effort is being made by +he Catholic Board of Public Instruction to bring about this consummation. If such should prove the case to the extent that I anticipate, the future of the literature of Fremh Canada will be brighter than is its present, and what is now a promising child may grow into a benign and exuberant giant. VIII. Sources of Literary Inspiration. The field, indeed, has been only partially cultivated. The primeval wood is just beginning to be cleared. The possibilities are immense and the sources of inspiration extraordinary. I havf already alluded to the background of history— of daring, devotion and heroism such as f 'W countries can boast of. Then there is our grand, oxix magnificent nature— the unpruned forests, the surging mountains, the roaring floods, the thunderous cataracts and the sublime sweep of billowy prairies rolling to the setting sun. The St. Lawrence has been and will be an unfailing source of inspiration to Canadians. There is no nobler river— girdling one-half of a continent. Kising in the great lakes, tumbling in foam- at Niagara, murmuring around the cradles of the Thousand Islands, bearing the fleets of the world from the old Tointe a Callieres at Montreal, throbbing with conscious pride at the base of Cape Diamond, it preserves its wonderful identity amid infinite variety, till it dashes into the sea at the breakwa' -r of Auticosti. 88 .1. LKHI'KHANCK : LITKJfATUUK OF FIJKNCII CANADA. Thero is anothor minn of iiiH])irat'.on in tho domestic and social lif<» of lh(* p«'opl('. Tho ArtA/Vaw/ is a type in hiniNolf. Tht( Friuu^h villago is likf »'^lhing clHt' on this continent. If yon take the mule chracter, you have a range from t.. amreiir des hois and the rafts- man, io the village notary and the omnipotently beneficent (^r^. If you take the female model, you have tho incipient maiden, with the whitt; veil of the first communion flowing from ht^r blond hair, to the joyous factory girl decked out as a Dolly Varden, and tho rustic Evangeline homeward from church returning with God's benediction upon ht^. The climate of French Canada is hard ; the winters are long, but thero is literary inspiration even there, indeed, winter must and does enter largely into tho framework of French-Canadian romance and song. We may take this picture as including all tho elements. A hunter is out in pursuit of the wily moose; he tramps over miles of untrod- den snow, from the first streak of dawn till the last gleam of sunlight lingers in tho western sky. The beast is weary ; he is weary. But tlu* weaker yields to the stronger — la raimn diipliisfurt est toujoiirs la ineilleure — and the broad antlers are bowed in the submis- sion of deuth. Dragging his trophy behind him, in a last effort of exhausted natxire, tho hunter turns his face homeward. The way is long and the snow is deep, but the faint heort buoys itself in th(! hope of a reward from wife and children. A turn in the road, and from afar the .:,v|iuire8 of yellow light beam from the well-known window panes. The slender bridge is crossed, the pathway to the familiar threshold is traversed, the wel- come door is opened and — all is over. Here is my Canadian picture — a hard day's work in the cold, cold world and, at night, rest in the arms of love, beside the warm fireside of Home.