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Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clich6, il est film6 d partir de Tangle sup^rieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images ndcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la m^thode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 ni^t'j PwospFR Bender, M. D. 3l4BovisroN STWEEr, B0S19N. MASS. THE FRENCH CANADIANS IN NEW ENGLAND BY PROSPER BENDER UNlVER5:rY OF VJCT. Vicforia, 6. C. ruiNiiii iiv r()lli:i; \ I-oiPER, Sfi ;ir.(l 92 I'ciK-inl St., liii.'-hiN, Mass. THE FRENCH CANADIANS IN NEW ENGLAND. By Prosper JhiuUr. HE fame of New En/;- land has penetrated to even the remotest wilds of the Province of (Que- bec. Tradition and fic- tion have contributed their resources to sur- round it with unlaiiing interest. Every French Canadian hears from childhood glowing accounts of La Noiivelk Ani^Uferre; and many an hour is enlivened by fascinating tales of life amid its busy bustling scenes. Excited by the pictures of New England stir, enterprise, and greatness, drawn by mul- titudes of compatriots and relatives set- tled in the farm districts or busy towns of the northeastern states, the youths resolve to leave the parental roof at the earliest opportunity and seek their for- tune in this Republic. The great num- bers coming yearly to this country, despite the difference of race, creed, and speech, and the difficulties of distance, show the vast change in populai feeling that a score or two of years have brought about, and prove the gradual disappear- ance of enmities and popular prejudices too long a discredit and a danger to people engaged in the worthy and benefi- cent work of founding homes, for the deserving and the needy, and building up in a new world empires based on justice to all men. No invasion of Canada from New England is feared by even the chronic alaimist; not even the most warlike or ambitious of our military youths dreams of forcible annexation. Nor are aggres- sive colonization projects entertained with a view to its absorption. The tide of national feeling on each side cf the boundary is turned into different, more honorable, and fruitful channels ; each side striving after nobler objects than to vex or destroy the other. The French Canadians pour into the traditional ene- my's country, not for war or spoil, but to fin ' homes in thriving cities and to aid in the cultivation of fertile fields. The descentlants of the old combatants now mingle in peace, to work amicably to- gether for the promotion of American civilization. \ quieter immigration movement, on a scale so extensive as that of the French Canadians to the United States, has never been witnessed. The majority of our citizens have as yet no iilea of its extent and results. It is chiefiy within the last generation that this " new na- tion," as it may be styled, has noiselessly overs])read these northeastern states. Although French Canadians could be found in the lumbering districts of the West and the hiore important manufac- turing centres of New England prior to the Civil War, no decided inflow has been noticed, and certainly none of a kind to deserve the name of a wholesome systematic immigration. The late Civil War was the first great inviting agency to this race, some of whose representatives assert that 35,000 of their fellow-country- men fought for the North. To-day, this new poi)ulation throughout the United States numbers considerably over 800,- 000. In New lingland and New York, there are more than 500,000 ; in Massa- chusetts alone the figures reach 1 20,000. This is an astounding aggregate for the brief period of their immigration and the extent of the sources of supply. This result far exceeds, proportionately, that to the credit of either Ireland or Germany. .According to Le ^iiiile Fran- cais i/ts F.tafi Unis (1891). they own real estate to the amount of $105,328,- 500; and 10,696 of the race are doing business for themselves. As we have already 5>een, this people, chiefly agricul- tural, backward in education and primitive in habit, numbered but 65,000 at the time of the Cession of Canada to F^ngland — 1759-60; while at the present time there are 1,700,000 of them, not includ- ing the outflow to adjoining provinces and the United States. 570 THE FRENCH CANADIANS IN NEW ENGLAND. Where ran a ])arallcl to such astonish- ing increase !)e found? An able New luiglaml statistician has stated that before the end of the first ([iiarter of the next century the I'Vench C'anaibans in the northeastern states would outnumber the native American jjopulation. With such extraordinary Jirogress achieved under so many disadvantages, the above prediction seems far from improbable. \\'hy, we have in them already more than twelve times the total English contpiest in Can- ada, with thousands coming yearly from Quebec to join them. The social phi- losopher and .American patriot ran find abundant food for sjjeculation in the fact that against the Yankee family of one or two children and often none, the French Canadian will count his flock of a dozen to a dozen and a half. .And the .Anglo- Sa.\on will doubtless continue to " go West" to a large extent, while the French Canadian will probably maintain and in- crease the movement to the southeast. .\ccortling to the census of 18S5, the ]iopulation of Massachusetts is 1,942,141 — native 1,415,274, and foreign born 5261X67. 'l"he ])cr centage of foreign born is 27 1-3. There are sixty-eight cities and towns in the state in which is found an excess of persons having a foreign jjarentage. So we shall have history repeating itself! We shall see the Normans overrunning and taking possession of another ICngland, but by tiie worthy and lieneficent arts of peace, — and the indu-try and energy which have enabled this peojjle, from insignificant l)eginnings, nnder most unfavorable and discouraging circumstances, to build up one vigorous state in North America within a century and then undertake the rapid formation of another. The thought- ful observer of each race as well as the patriot and philanthrojiist will await the results of this peaceful rivalry with the greatest interest. In considering the progress of these people in this country, it must be re- membered that it is chierly the poorest and least instructed (most of them with no command of the F^nglish language), who coni'e hither — generally those^for whom the small and well-worn parental farm could make no provision, and the laborers from town and country. vSome years ago the Fren(-h Canadians usually came with the intention of returning to the native jiirish when they hail earned enough to cancel the mortgages *on the farm, or to enable them to start in some small business. Many did carry out such a programme, which accorded with the " repatriation " schemes of the Roman Catholic clergy antl sympathetic politi- cians ; but most of these subsecpiently returneil to the Republic, allured by wages unattainable at home, and by other influences. Now a different system pre- vails : most of them regard this country as their jjermanent abode. They soon become usefifl as farm or factory hands, easily adajjtable to all work, making quiet, industrious citizens. In all the manufacturing towns of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, etc., French- C'anadians may be found working as mill- hands, mechanics, and lumbermen, lend- ing their best services to promote the industries of the country. They usually cluster in bodies of a few hundred to ten or twelve thousanil, for mutual help and sym|xithy a:i the newcomers often do not understand l-jiglish. The acquisition of the lOnglish language, however, often leads to material dispersions. They fo'm Cana- dian parishes- with churches, with priests of their own nationcility. Many by en- ergy, intelligence, and probity have risen to positions of trust, emolument, and honor. Several of these peo])le have en- tered the New I'.ngland legislatures : two, the Massachusetts ; four, the Maine ; two, the Connecticut ; two, the New Hamp- shire ; and two, the New York. Many are found among municipal councillors, alder- men, etc., of the several states. They sup- port in New England and New York nine newspapers, and have established 287 societies, with a total membership of 43,051. This is a most creditable ex- hibit in so brief a period, evincing much capacity for union and political manage- ment. These immigrants manifest judicious interest in their present and future wel- fare, by holding general conventions every fourth year and state conventions every second year, to which each society THE FRENCH CANADIANS IN NEW E Mi LAND. 571 and parish, where they are tolerably numerous, sends three delegates. (Ques- tions affecting the condition of their race are here tliscussed, especially education, political and domestic economy, natu- ralization, the best method of preserving their native tongue, and so forth. The last general convention was held at Nashua, New Hampshire, in June, 1889, when one thousand one hundred dele- gates from all parts of the Union re- sponded, and thirty thousanil people participated in the jiroceedings. There is nothing secret about these meetings ; the discussions, however, are always car- ried on in French. It is chiefly of late years that we notice the significant movement of these people in favor of naturalization. They have not, like the Irish or Germans, shown haste in this matter, one reason being their nearness to their native land, in which the French language is so mtu:ii spoken and their religion so widely pro- fessed. Another reason, perhaps, is the absence of exciting or material objects. They have forty-five naturalization clubs, with many more in course of formation, in which lectures are given on the jirivi- leges and duties of citizenship. It is be- lieved that within ten years there will be few if any of them who are not natu- ralized, all being at present fully alive to the importance of this step. They are not, as a rule, admirers of Republican in- stitutions, the bulk of them preferring a monarchical system, but we live in a progressive age, and one fatal to old ])re- judices. Many formerly attached to hoary traditions and hollow sentiment now take very practical views of life and its duties, regarding with respect and loyalty the flag and the constitution under which they live so hai)pily and so comfortably. The French Canadian in this Republic readily adopts the views and habits of the people about him, while retaining some of his original tastes, such as the love of dress and display. This conversion of the foreign element into the material of good American citizenship evidences the wonderful moulding and assimilating in- fluence of American society and institu- tions. A remarkable fact is that the French Canadians in the United States marry .\mericans far more frequently than tiu'ir fellow-citizens of recent iiritish oriu'Hi. I heir lively habits and cheerful spin's h,L;iUt'n their toil, dispelling the gloom of dis'ontent and care from all around. This cheery disposition blossoms out in varied games and pastimes. I'he court records of the different states show a considerably smaller pro- portion of arrests among the French Canadian for every kinil of offence than other nationalities can boast. While fond of diversions, as already stated, they study to keep within the bounds of law and order. There is abundant evidence of their industrious, cpiiet, ami orderly habits in the report on "The Canadian French in New England" (Thirteenth .Annual Report of the Massachusetts Bureau of Statistics of Labor, by Carroll I). Wright). Witnesses of good standing, lay ami cleri- cal, testified on this and kindred subjects in a way sufficiently to exjilain the eager- ness of New i'lngland emjiloyers to en- gage a large amount of help from among them. In Canada the French Canadian work- ing classes do not sufticiently realize the great importance of eilucation, but in the United States they soon feel the neces- sity of self-improvement. They quickly learn the fact that their class may by merit rise high in the social scale. Stimulated by this hope, they become steady newspaper readers, members of political, literary, and musical societies, and also particijwte in studies and dis- cussions of state and national aftiirs, the belter to discharge the duties of citizen- ship. They send their children to the public schools, while preferring the paro- chial in which both French and English are taught, thus exhibiting a i)roper and a creditable estimate of the value of edu- cation. Many of the French Canadian leaders in the United States believe that unless their countrymen ])reserve their national language, they will become so assimilated to the .\mericans as to be absorbed in the great prejionderant mass. This result they would deprecate. They would pre- fer to set up a sort of autonomous system, or maintain a distinct nationality within a nation, as in the Dominion. I shall 572 THE FRENCH CANADIANS IN NEW ENGLAND. not attempt to argue at present whether this would be wise or the reverse ; but confess I have my (loul)ts as to its practi- cability, at any rate to anything like the extent witnessed across the northern boundary. Those who came here when adults prefer to speak French among themselves, but their children born in this country s])eak but little French, to the great regret of the seniors who retain their old national i)ride. Some have foolishly allowed the book-keepers and mill-hands who could not pronounce their names in French to anglicize them : (Ireenwood, for Itoisvcrt ; Shortsleeves, for Courtemanche ; Winner, for Gagne ; Mil- ler, for Meunier ; White, for LeBlanc, ''ic. Many who have resided in the Repui)lic for some years have an accent as marked as that of the regular down-easter. In politics the majority a-re Republi- cans, though a good many are Demo- crats. 'I'hey are naturally conservative. They favor order, discountenance radi- cal views or experiments, and oppose strikes and secret societies. They also strenuously oppose divorce. Unlike their kindred of the mother country they are not eager for change for its own sake. While cherishing the virtues of their race, they have cultivated the good qualities of the .Anglo-Saxon. In this way they have banished suspicion, won respect and con- fidence, and paved the way to amicable co-operation with alien races in the labors and sacrifices of citizenship. There are at present living in Boston and its immediate neighborhood 10,338 French Canadians. The majority may be found among the skilled artisans, clerks and salesmen of stores, not a few also having risen to positions of trust, usefulness and honor, including the pro- fessions. They are not wholly engrossed by material pursuits. They have built a church in the heart of the city, have formed a Saint Jean Haptiste Society, and a Canadian Institute with a fair library, and are about to found a college for the higher education of their children, as well as their instruction in the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church. .\ naturalization club is now in existence, the membership of which is already large. Boston has great attractions for French Canadians, and those livrJig in adjoining cities or states frecjuently visit the city. .And no wonder, for a world in miniature is here before them. New York alone, on the Atlantic seaboard, offers such a similar variety of opportunities, such a bewildering array of attractions. 'I'he anti(|uarian may revel in relics of art, hoary with age, in memorials of the past long preceding our most ancient records. The scholar, politician, nrtist, and man of scieme can, from Boston's illimitable resources, supply each his own needs, however diverse and exacting ; and the mere lover of wealth and i)hysical great- ness obtains that stimulus and means of usefulness which he often ilesircs for objects not always personal, or valueless to his neighbors. Nature has done much for the region, and art has imjjroved these advantages. Every available spot of the coast line, every strip of beach and shore along the harbor, unused by commerce, is turned to happiest account by horticultural skill, and the result, with its delights of flower and fragrance capti- vates the most indifferent sense. Such sul)urbs, with such glorious ocean views and health-giving breezes, might justify the pride of any city. In its business section the great offices and marts are all within easy reach of each other. Many of the private residences are magnificent, and the public buildings are ample and elegant. Some of the avenues are among the finest in the world, and the hotels are noted, among cosmopolitans, as of the choicest order. It is no small honor to be the capital of New H^ngland with all the old-time honors and revolutionary glory ; it will be no less distinction for it to be the capital of New France, with all its glorious fame and splendid future. The prosperity of the French Canadian immigrants, their influence and social standing were strikingly manifested at the imposing banquet given last Novem- ber, in the Hotel Vendome, Boston, to the Hon. Wilfred laurier, the popular Liberal Chief in the Dominion Parlia- ment. On this occasion, French Cana- dians, numbering six hundred, met at the festive board to honor their distinguished countryman. Governor Russell, and other prominent dignitaries of the state and city TUE I'RRNCH CASAPIANS IN NFAV ENGLAND. 573 were present and made al)le s|»ee( lies, highly complimentary to the guest and the hosts of the evening. The following day, the Boston llcralil referring to the banquet said, editorially: "The iliiincr (jiveii on Tuesday eveniiiR to IIdii. Wilfreil l.aurier, the leailer of the l.ihernl party in tlie (nnailinii I'nrlinineiit, was note- worthy, lint only as a token of esteem to r> man who is likely in the future to have it in his power to materially inlluenee the eouimereial ]iolicy and prosperity of the United States, l)Ut was also a siKiiilieant deiiionstration of the stren^jtli, iiitelli- jI'jiKe, and stante could be taken on the (|uestioii, an immense majority would favor a reciprocity treaty with < 'anada, and that, too, of an exhaustively lil)eral character." There are two places in Boston, the classic Common and its backgrotmd, the Public Carden, where one is almost sure to see French Canadians for they are lovers of natural beauty. I often take a walk of an evening in these places and seldom without hearing the French tongue spoken, and the well-knc.vn accents of my countrymen. I have occasionally taken an adjoining seat just to hear thein talk f)f the old homestead by the .St. Lawrence and the old folks they have left behind. I'hey are sontetimes, no doubt, attracted to the Common by its historical associations. I'he Common was the muster-ground for troo|)s in colonia, and revolutionary times. .Am- herst assembled thereon the troojjs with which he started for the compiest of Canada. Its lovely stretch of about fifty acres of greensward, with magnificent vistas of sun and shade in every direction, its historical monuments, beautiful malls and stately trees, prove a source of tin- ending delight. On the fourth of July, unusual activity ])revails there : enter- prising hucksters erect peanut and po])- corn stands, candy booths, lemonade fotnitains. Punch and Judy shows, with perfect liberty to i)ly their trade as they ])lease. All the country round about l)ours its rural flood of ])eoi)le into this lovely sjKJt on this day, and it is for " the jieople," a ]il.ice where each man may feel liis individual proprietorshij) and rejoice in such goodly heritage. The Public Oarden adjoining the Com- mon also offers to the French-Canadians resitling in Boston or adjacent cities much attraction. They behold there the ha])- l)iest features of modern floriculture, with felicitous rural touches to heighten the efl"ect of art. In the earliest spring days, gorgeous tulips are massed in s])lend()r all over the garden, to nod their gay greeting to the crowds that flock hither in search < f the natural beauty that is denied them about the city homes. In between the tall, bare stems of the tulijjs, the ground will be covered with a solid bed of exquisite forget-me-nots, or the dee])er richness of i)ansies, or again, a beil of the " wee, modest crimson-tipped flower" that Burns would have been sur- prised to see lifting its shy head in the miilst of a great city. Huge vases of all blossoms stand not only in the midst of the lawns, but directly in the wide paths, so that the Oarden seems brimming with color and overflowing with fragrance. .And these delights are constant through- out the season, for as fltst as the reign of one plant is ended it is replaced by those just entering upon their own day of brief but certain glory, so that bloom is perennial. .')74 THE I-REXCH C. I. V.I /)/.!. VS /X AW//' J-MiL.lXD. ■|"lu' delicate jireciKTy of slirul)s, witli lliat of the tall hiishfs, is fiiuly (jiitlined against the sombre lustre of the |>iiri>le beech. In the midst are statues commemoratue and mythological. Iherc arc fountams, also, amid this fragrance and loveliness, and they are most beautiful of all when the white electric light silvers them like moonlight. .\ miniature lake is in the heart of the (larden, where the children can row with safety or lloat about in the pretty "swan-boats" i)ro|)elled by the boatmen, velocii)ede fashion. .\nd the whole wide stretch of field and flood is one gleaming expans'j <)f IxMuty. Placed, as it is, not at some far terminus, where the masses must traverse miles to reach it, but in the very heart of the citv, this and the t'onmion adjacent, constitute a ])leasure-ground fit for the people, and truly "a thing of beauty and a joy for- ever." 'I'he singularly early period of the men- tal developu^eut ot children in the city of lioston may be witnessed in any stroll of a bright summer morning through the I'ublic ('arden, while the children are playing there in charge of the nurses. .\ friend of mine, passing through the llowcry mazes of this charming place one nujrn- ing, saw a boy five years old, merry as a lark and romping round his nurse. Sud- denly he left her side and, running towanl a great vase filled with pansies and hya- cinths in fill! bloom, he reached uj) and took one of the pansies. My friend, a lover of flowers, who regards it as Vandal- ism in any unapi>recialive indivicluiil to rudely approach them, walked qui; kly over to remonstrate with the tlaring child, whose back was now turned toward her. Clreat was her astonishment, however, to find him intently examining the flower witn a magnifying glass. .Asking him what he was doing, he answered without deign- ing to look up, that he had had some discussion with his governess about the structure of this flower and he had just found out that she was wrong. I have met French Canadians in the most unexpected resorts. One warm summer afternoon I boarded one of the steamers inlying between ISoston and Nan- tasket Heach. The peaceful charm of island and coast contrasted with the war- like aspects of the torts and the sea be- neath us covered with the white, gleaming sails of the yachts flitting to and iro, and the stately jjrocessioii of vessels swittly gliding in anil out of the harbor. I was surveying shore and se.i anil dream- ing of a thousand things, past and present, when suddenly there broke on my reverie the sound of music. ,\ la 1 not more than nine years old was |)laying on a concer- ti.ia the mournfiil air, in diihiiiitin l-.r- itin/ /I'in lie .iv'Y foxfis. .At any time this melody would attract me, but tl j youth- fill minstrel infiised into it such a tone of melancholy as to greatly move me. A convrrsiition with him later on, disclosed the fact that he was from Montreal, and had left home, hoping to pick uj) enough money to supi)ort his invalid mother who had remainetl behind. He adde