Z120B 
 
IBiiiiiiiili 
 
 Canadian Nationalism 
 
 JOHN BOYD 
 
 MONTREAL- 1911 
 
^0^ <^\ T©'^^-'^^^ 
 
 Canadian Nationalism 
 

 O Canada I Terre de nos aieiix ! ' ' 
 
 ROUTHIKR. 
 
 824 
 
FOREWORD: 
 
 On the evening of Saturday, January 28, 1911, a banquet was 
 held at the Windsor Hotel, Montreal, to commemorate the first 
 anniversary of the founding of " Le Devoir " newspaper. Mr. J. A, 
 Vaillancourt, president of La Publicite, publishers of " Le 
 Devoir," occupied the chair, and there were present nearly 500 
 guests, including a large number of citizens prominent in Canada's 
 political, professional, financial and commercial life. Speeches were 
 made by Messrs. Henri Bourassa, leader of the Nationalist move- 
 ment and director of " Le Devoir;" F. D. Monk, M.P. ; J. M. Tellier, 
 leader of the Conservative party in Quebec; Hon. Jean Prevost, 
 M.L.A. ; Armand Lavergne, M.L.A., G. M. Ducharme, L. P. Des- 
 longchamps, manager of " Le Devoir;" Omer Heroux, editor in 
 chief and others. In response to the toast of " Nos Confreres," 
 Mr. John Boyd delivered a speech in English which is here printed 
 in full at the request of a number of friends. 
 
CANADIAN NATIONALISM. 
 
 (A speech delivered at " Le Devoir " dinner, Windsor Hotel, 
 Montreal, Saturday evening, January 28, 1911, by John Boyd.) 
 
 Mr. Chairman, My Friends:— 
 
 I am a Canadian — Je suis un Canadien — let that, an echo from 
 the strains of Judge Routhier's noble patriotic song " O Canada " 
 to which we' have just listened and which should be an inspiration 
 to all Canadians, be the keynote of the few remarks that I shall 
 make this evening. 
 
 Allow me first, Mr. Chairman, to thank those who organized 
 this gathering for their kindness in inviting me to be their guest 
 and for the honor of responding to the toast of *' Nos Confreres. "As 
 a newspaper man, proud of my profession and connected for many 
 years with the press of the Dominion, I am one of yourselves. We 
 have all, as neswpaper men, watched with interest the progress of 
 your paper and we congratulate you upon the high position it has 
 achieved within such a brief time and wish you the greatest possible 
 success in the future. Personally I rejoice, as I shall always 
 rejoice, to be present at a gathering of my French Canadian con- 
 freres because from them all I have received the most unbounded 
 kindness and my small efforts to promote a better understanding 
 between English speaking and French speaking Canadians, the 
 most sympathetic appreciation for which I would take this op- 
 portunity of thanking them all from the bottom of my heart. 
 That is one of the reasons why I am pleased to be here to-night. 
 But there are other reasons. In the first place I am glad to be here 
 because I was told that I should not be here. The narrowness 
 and prejudice of some otherwise very estimable people, Mr. Chair- 
 man, is inconceivable. And here it will be necessary to make some 
 personal references ; but if I make such references to-night, you will, 
 I hope, understand that it is not in any spirit of egotism but simply 
 because they are necessary as illustrative of my remarks. 
 
6 CANADIAN NATIONALISM. 
 
 Some time ago, Mr. Chairman, I received a letter from my 
 friend Mr. Newton MacTavish, editor of the leading periodical 
 published in the Dominion — the Canadian Magazine of Toronto — 
 asking me to write an article on the Nationalist movement, its 
 aims and objects. In keeping with the high character and absolute 
 independence of that great magazine I was supposed, of course, to 
 make a perfectly fair and impartial presentation of the subject. 
 
 Well, sir, I undertook to write the article. My first step was 
 to go to your distinguished chief, Mr. Bourassa, and to frankly ask 
 him what was to be understood by the Nationalist movement, what 
 were its aims and objects, what were his personal views on the 
 situation. Mr. Bourassa as frankly gave me a statement setting 
 forth the aims of the movement and giving his personal views. 
 With that and with the illuminating pamphlet of Mr. Olivar Asselin 
 as a basis I wrote the article which was published in the same 
 number of the magazine that contained a eulogy of the Minister 
 of Marine and a presentation of the Government's naval policy, 
 so that both sides of the question were presented to the Canadian 
 public at the same time. But, would you believe it, sir, that 
 because I had endeavored to be perfectly fair, to present in an 
 impartial and unbiased way the aims of the Nationalist movement 
 as expounded by its leader and prominent representatives, there 
 were some people who upbraided me with presenting in a favorable 
 light what they declared was a dangerous movement, menacing 
 to the peace of the country and our free institutions. It was some 
 of the same people, well meaning and sincere no doubt, but essen- 
 tially narrow in their views, who when I told them that I had been 
 invited to attend your dinner expressed surprise that I should 
 have accepted an invitation to attend a gathering of such people 
 as Nationalists, in fact frankly told me that I should not be here. 
 Well, gentlemen, I am here and what I shall, with your indulgence, 
 say here to-night briefly but frankly, I shall be ready to repeat 
 before any gathering, French speaking or English speaking, any 
 where. More especially shall I be glad to go before any gathering 
 of English speaking Canadians to defend my French Canadian 
 fellow countrymen against the false and slanderous charges made 
 against them in certain quarters. Nobody could be prouder of 
 
CANADIAN NATIONALISM. 7 
 
 his race and language or more jealous of his rights than I am but 
 I believe in justice; what shall here be said shall not be flattery but 
 the simple truth. 
 
 Let there be no misunderstanding as to my position. Permit 
 me to say at the very outset that personally I am proud to be a 
 humble member of that great political party which I believe has 
 done more than any other party for the upbuilding and aggrandize- 
 ment of the Dominion ; of that party under whose administration 
 were inaugurated and carried to successful completion those great 
 public works which have enabled us to achieve the position 
 we hold to-day; of that party under whose auspices and with whose 
 encouragement was begun and successfully completed that great 
 national highway which connected the scattered provinces of the 
 Dominion with a bond of steel from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and 
 the Company operating which, despite the predictions of those 
 who declared that it would never pay the axle grease for its wheels, 
 has, thanks to the faith in the future greatness of the Dominion 
 possessed by such men as Lord Strathcona, Lord Mount Stephen, 
 Sir William Van Home and its present distinguished head Sir 
 Thomas Shaughnessy become one of the greatest corporations in 
 the world, paying ten per cent, per annum to its shareholders and 
 doing so much for the advancement and progress of the Dominion. 
 I am proud to be a humble member of that party which inaugurated 
 that policy — the National policy — which has been and still is the 
 backbone of our industrial life and of our commercial greatness 
 and prosperity. Yes, sir, I am proud to be a humble member of 
 that party which, led at Ottawa by Robert Laird Borden and 
 numbering amongst its leaders in the provinces J. M. Tellier, James 
 Pliny Whitney, John D. Hazen, Richard McBride, R. P. Roblin, 
 F. W. Haultain and C. E. Tanner can also proudly claim as its own 
 such statesmen as John A. Macdonald, George Etienne Cartier, 
 Charles Tupper, Leonard Tilley, Adolphe Chapleau, De Boucher- 
 ville, L. O. Taillon and he who is with us to-night, a man, who 
 though some may differ with him on certain questions all must 
 respect for having the courage of his convictions and his high 
 personal honor — Frederic Debartzch Monk. Further, gentlemen, 
 I believe that it is because the Conservative party had the direction 
 
8 CANADIAN NATIONALISM. 
 
 of public affairs in this country for so many years and directed 
 them on truly national lines that to-day Canada holds the proud 
 position that it does. 
 
 But, sir, whilst I am proud to be a member of the Conservative 
 party, whist I am loyal to its traditions and true to its principles, 
 whilst I hope for its success, I am not so narrow as to believe that 
 any one party possesses a monopoly of patriotism, of honor and 
 of honesty. No, sir, on the contrary, I believe that there are patriotic 
 and honest men in all parties, who desire the greatness and prosper- 
 ity of their country and who are striving in different ways, accord- 
 ing to their lights, to advance its welfare. I know that there are 
 honest and patriotic men in the Conservative party, I believe that 
 there are honest and patriotic men in the Liberal party. I am 
 convinced that there are honest and patriotic men amongst the 
 Nationalists, and even though we may not be able to agree with all 
 their views, surely we can hear what they have to say with a fair 
 and open mind ; and if we cannot endorse all the principles they 
 enunciate we can at least endorse those that we think are true 
 and sound and agree to differ with them on the others. I believe, 
 gentlemen, that you are honest and patriotic Canadians and that 
 you desire the welfare of our beloved country even though we 
 may take a different view of certain questions. As I have said 
 elsewhere, fairness, respect for the views of others, even when we 
 are not able to agree with them, not narrowness, illiberality and 
 misrepresentation, are essential. Let us respect the feelings of 
 everybody and let the views of all be heard. 
 
 Well, in that spirit, let us candidly ask what is this nationalism 
 which some people profess to dread so much and which some 
 sincerely regard as a menace to the couiitry and to its free insti- 
 tutions. 
 
 Let me be perfectly frank. If nationalism meant a campaign 
 for the dominance of any race or creed to the detriment of other 
 races or creeds in the Dominion ; if nationalism meant an appeal 
 to racial, religious or sectional prejudice of any kind ; if nationalism 
 meant exclusive privileges for any section; if nationalism meant 
 the inculcation and support of any narrow or illiberal ideas then I 
 
CANADIAN NATIONALISM. 9 
 
 do not believe that such nationalism could be countenanced, nay, 
 more, I do not believe that any party with such a platform and 
 proceeding on such lines could ever hope to become an important 
 factor in the political life of this free Dominion. Such nationalism 
 would indeed be a menace to our free institutions and a cause of 
 alarm to all men of good will desiring the welfare of all parts of 
 our Dominion. But if nationalism means, as its distinguished 
 leader has declared, the search for a common ground for all Cana- 
 dians, the development of all Canadian forces, mental, moral and 
 material ; if nationalism means the union of all Canadians, whether 
 French speaking or English speaking, for the upbuilding of our 
 common country and the development of its vast resources; if 
 nationalism means the fullest freedom for all races and for all 
 creeds and respect for the guaranteed rights of all minorities; if 
 nationalism means the honest administration of public affairs and 
 the punishment of betrayers of the public trust ; if nationalism 
 means that we should jealously guard the autonomy won for us 
 by the struggles of our forefathers; if nationalism means pride in 
 the name Canadian, the greatness of our country and the glorious 
 destiny that awaits it; if nationalism, I say, means all these, then, 
 sir, I fail to see how the declaration, the support or the triumph 
 of such principles can cause alarm to any patriotic Canadian or be 
 a menace to our free institutions. Such principles may indeed be 
 a menace to the grafters, to betrayers of the public trust, to 
 men who have fattened at the expense of the people, but how can 
 they be a menace to our liberties? 
 
 The naval question involving as it does the whole question 
 of our relations to the Mother Country, and other portions of the 
 empire, is a grave question, as to the proper solution of which 
 there is room for difference of opinion. But of one thing, with 
 thousands of other Canadians, I am convinced, that the policy of 
 the present government, which was not submitted as it should 
 have been for the judgment of the people, is no solution ; that, at 
 the most, it is another opportunist move, satisfactory neither to 
 those who favor or to those who oppose something being done for 
 naval defence, and serving only to make us the laughing stock of 
 the Mother Country and the other portions of the empire. 
 
10 CANADIAN NATIONALISM. 
 
 Let me add, gentlemen, that it is essential, nay, that it is 
 imperative, if you do not wish to be misunderstood, that your real 
 aims and objects should be made perfectly clear not only in the 
 province of Quebec but in every portion of the Dominion. For 
 there are those ready, in order to serve their own selfish interests, 
 to make of the sacred symbol of our liberties a party ensign. The 
 campaign, as you know, has already begun. A large portion of 
 the English popula,tion, whose knowledge of the French Canadians 
 is confined to what they read in certain newspapers, has been 
 taught to distrust your movement. You are charged with being anti- 
 British and disloyal, with aiming to dismember the Dominion, to 
 overthrow British institutiohs and to make Canada exclusively 
 French Canadian and Roman Catholic, with being fomenters of 
 discord and disunion. Mr. Bourassa has exposed the character 
 of the campaign, and repudiated the charges; it is for you all to 
 show that those charges are false. 
 
 Canadian nationalism, sir, as I believe Mr. Bourassa under- 
 stands it and as I understand it — the nationalism that must appeal 
 to every patriotic Canadian — does not mean the segregation of any 
 particular race or of the adherents of any particular creed but the 
 union of all Canadians, whether English speaking or French speak- 
 ing, whether Protestant or Roman Catholic, for the upbuilding 
 and advancement of our common country. The pioneers of this 
 country, the founders of our commerce and of our industry, our 
 great bankers capitalists and merchants, our great railway men, 
 our captains of industry as well as our statesmen, the workers in 
 every field, producers, cultivators and builders, whose united efforts 
 have made Canada what it is to-day, have all been nationalists 
 in the truest sense of the term. Let us see that the results of their 
 labors shall not be jeopardized, that nothing shall be done to 
 imperil the great heritage that we as Canadians possess. Let our 
 path ever be towards national greatness and righteousness; let our 
 firm determination ever be to uphold our national autonomy and 
 our status as a free people. 
 
 With that as the cardinal principle let those desirous of serving 
 their country, let us for a few minutes turn our attention to some of 
 the real dangers that confront us and threaten our domestic peace 
 
CANADIAN NATIONALISM. 11 
 
 and happiness. And if it should be asked by some by what right 
 I presume to speak on these matters I would answer by the right of 
 every Canadian who loves his country, the right of every elector of 
 the Dominion, the right of everyone who has a stake in the country 
 and who is interested in its political, industrial, financial, commercial 
 or agricultural welfare. Time will permit me to refer but very briefly 
 to some of the chief dangers. The first is from without and strikes 
 at our very birthright. A century and a half ago my forefathers and 
 your forefathers, the gallant sons of Britain and of France, met 
 in deadly conflict on the Plains of Abraham. The fates of war 
 decided that one side should be the victors but Providence ordained, 
 and I believe ordained for our mutual benefit and advantage, that 
 the descendants of both victors and vanquished should live side 
 by side in this country and work out its destiny. We have so lived 
 together, we have increased and prospered, and whilst we have our 
 differences as all families have, thanks to the efforts of enlightened 
 and tolerant men amongst the two races we have become a great 
 people with a country of which we all have reason to be proud. 
 But what do we see to-day ? We see a foreign element, to a large 
 extent the scum of Europe, pouring into our country by the thou- 
 sands, lowering the wage value of our working classes and sowing 
 on the free soil of this country the seeds of crime and disease, of 
 irreligion and of the destructive doctrines of revolutionary Europe. 
 If this continues it is only a question of time when we, English 
 speaking and French speaking Canadians, will be at the mercy of 
 the foreign element and when we will have in this country such 
 conditions as now exist in the United States and which threaten 
 that country with revolution and anarchy. Is it not time, sir, 
 that instead of quarreling amongst ourselves and wasting our 
 energies on minor differences we should unite our forces and stand 
 shoulder to shoulder to guard that birthright for which our fore- 
 fathers fought and died ? We shall welcome all people of good will 
 to our broad Dominion but they must understand that freedom 
 is not license and that they must conform to our free institutions 
 and our national ideals. 
 
 The enormous influx of Americans into the Canadian west pro- 
 mises to create new difficulties for us. Is the Canadian West, as 
 
12 CANADIAN NATIONALISM. 
 
 Goldwin Smith declared, to be American? Is Canada destined to 
 become in time part of the American Union? We all as patriotic 
 Canadians, I am sure, sincerely hope not. Conditions in Canada, 
 our ideals and our institutions, are far superior to those of the 
 Republic; and patriotic Canadians, whether English speaking or 
 French speaking, will prefer that our Dominion should continue 
 to work out its own destiny until it is in a position to assume its 
 full status in the great sisterhood of nations, linked in the closest 
 amity with all other portions of that great empire of which we 
 form a part. Such an eventuality appeals far more strongly to 
 Canadians than any idea of union with the United States by which 
 we should lose our identity as a people. The fostering of a truly 
 national spirit in all parts of the Dominion, as has been advocated 
 by Mr. Bourassa, will be the surest safeguard against any danger 
 of annexation. The many Canadian clubs that have been formed 
 throughout the Dominion are doing a splendid work in fostering 
 a national spirit, and are worthy of the widest recognition and 
 support. 
 
 There is another danger, Mr. Chairman, of a most insidious 
 character. It is that cancer of graft which has assumed such a 
 .malignant form in this country within recent years and is eating 
 into the very vitals of the body politic. It has always been the 
 pride and boast of British public life that men were in it to serve 
 the state, but in this country, with that deadly spirit of cynicism 
 and opportunism which has prevailed in recent years, many men 
 seem to be in public life for what there is in it for themselves. As 
 a result we have witnessed the disgraceful exploitation of the public 
 domain for the benefit of party heelers ; we have seen men springing 
 from poverty into opulence ; we have witnessed the betrayal of 
 the people's interests and been shocked by scandal after scandal. 
 If such conditions are not checked, if the cancer is not cut out at the 
 very root, it will be fatal to our institutions ; and I marvel at those 
 who profess to be so alarmed over nationalism being so seemingly 
 indifferent to this deadly danger that menaces us. But despite 
 much public indifference, despite the strength of the evil, 
 I believe that the heart of the people is still sound and that when 
 the time comes they will rise in their indignation, as they have 
 
CANADIAN NATIONALISM. 13 
 
 risen before, and punish the wrongdoers, and their abettors as they 
 deserve to be punished. The handwriting is on the wall, the signs 
 of the times all point to an awakening of the public conscience. 
 Why is it, Mr. Chairman, that whenever Mr. Bourassa appears in 
 public he is acclaimed by the enthusiastic plaudits of thousands 
 of his compatriots? It is not alone the power of his oratory, in- 
 comparable as that is; it is not alone the charm of his personality. 
 There is a deeper reason for it. It is, sir, because the people know 
 that he is an honest man, that he places principles above self- 
 interest ; and that whilst, if he had been so minded, he might have 
 enjoyed the sweets of office and even have had a fat bank account 
 to his credit, he has remained poor, he has been true to his principles, 
 he is sincere in his convictions and faithful to the people's interests. 
 Why is it, sir, that Mr. Monk is held in such high esteem even by 
 those who do not agree with him on all questions? It is, sir, 
 because he is known to be honest, because he has the courage of 
 his convictions, because he has shown that he is prepared to face 
 contumely, misrepresentation, and even defeat, rather than to 
 swerve one iota from what he believes to be right. Such conduct, 
 so rare to-day amongst our public men, must evoke the respect of 
 all. Yes, Mr. Bourassa; yes, Mr. Monk, continue the great work 
 that you have begun, rally your countrymen to high ideals of 
 patriotism, honor and honesty; and whilst men may differ with 
 you on some questions they shall all respect you and history shall 
 do you justice, writing your names in letters of gold on the honor 
 roll of our beloved country. 
 
 The third and last danger to which I would refer is that spirit 
 of intolerance, the racial and other prejudices which excite bad 
 blood between the different elements in this country. Happily 
 that evil has shown signs of diminishing with our growth as a 
 people but it still breaks out at times. Some of the misunderstand- 
 ing is due to fanaticism, much of it, I believe, is simply the result 
 of ignorance. There are fanatics on both sides. There are people 
 in Quebec who have no use for " Les Anglais " and by whose utter- 
 ances many English-speaking Canadians very wrongly and unjustly 
 judge all French Canadians. There are people in the English pro- 
 vinces who think that this country would be much better if there 
 
14 CANADIAN NATIONALISM. 
 
 were no French Canadians in it at all. But, thank God, sir, the 
 future of this country does not depend upon such narrow-minded 
 people but upon the broad, tolerant and enlightened people of both 
 races. 
 
 Providence, as I have said, gentlemen, ordained that we 
 English-speaking Canadians and you French-speaking Canadians 
 should live side bv side in this country and work out together its 
 destiny. We can only do so as brethren and friends, not as foes 
 and antagonists. It becomes the duty, therefore, of every patriotic 
 Canadian who desires the welfare of his country to combat this 
 spirit of intolerance whenever it manifests itself. Why, sir, it was 
 only recently that I read the report of a speech delivered in the 
 city of Toronto where the speaker was reported to have declared 
 that the real object of the French-Canadians was the dismember- 
 ment of the Dominion and that they were disloyal to Britain. 
 Born, sir, in the city of Montreal, living here all my life, coming 
 into frequent contact with the leaders of French-Canadian life and 
 thought as well as with the masses of the people, numbering amongst 
 my best and dearest friends French-Canadians, I would repel that 
 statement with all the emphasis at my command. The French- 
 Canadians disloyal! ! Have those who make such a charge for- 
 gotten the lessons of history? Do they not remember that only 
 a few years after the cession, when the French-Canadians were still 
 smarting from defeat, the emissaries of the American Congress, 
 who were sent to try and induce them to rise against the British 
 Crown and to throw in their lot with the rebel colonies, were 
 spurned and their insidious proposals rejected with scorn ; that the 
 clergy and seigneurs were proof against the disloyal overtures 
 made to them; that in fact, as Garneau truly remarks, it was to 
 the Roman Catholic clergy and seigneurs of Quebec at this juncture 
 that Great Britain was indebted for the conservation of the de- 
 pendency now her greatest possession. The French-Canadians 
 disloyal! ! Do they who make such a charge, sir, forget that 
 glorious page of our country's history which tells how one hundred 
 years ago the American horde under Hampton, sweeping down 
 on our country and confidently expecting to capture it, was met, 
 defeated and driven from our soil by a handful of Canadians ten 
 
 V 
 
CANADIAN NATIONALISM. .15 
 
 times their inferior in strength. And who were those who on the 
 battlefield of Chateauguay saved Canada for the British Crown 
 and the British Empire ? Who were the heroes of that momentous 
 day? Who were De Salaberry, the Duchesnays, Longtin, Lamothe, 
 Debartzch, L^vesque, L'Ecuyer,Guy.Bruyere, Schiller and Huneau? 
 French-Canadians every man of them! Nor shall we forget the 
 meed of praise due to Macdonnell and his brave Scots, to the 
 gallant Daly, to Ferguson and others who stood shoulder to shoulder 
 with the French-Canadians and shared in the honors of that glorious 
 day. The loyalty of the French-Canadians needs no vindication 
 to those who have read history aright but it seems that there are 
 some people still ignorant of the record. 
 
 Anti-British! ! Who, sir, that has read British history or 
 studied the careers of its great men, heroes, statesmen and reformers, 
 martyrs for civil and religious liberty, the foes of special privilege 
 and champions of freedom, can fail, whether he be of British, 
 French or any other blood, to admire that great empire and to 
 love that flag which is the symbol of justice and liberty! But 
 whilst the French-Canadians have shown their loyalty to the 
 British flag and if circumstances arose would show it again, do 
 not let us be so narrow as to forget, I would say to my English- 
 speaking fellow-countrymen, that blood is thicker than water ; and 
 whilst we are proud, as we have a right to be, of our British descent, 
 in the veins of the French-Canadians flows the blood of those 
 gallant sons of France who won this country for civilization and 
 Christianity; and if they failed to hold in regard the land from 
 which their forefatheis came, that great land of France, which has 
 done so much for human progress and thought and whose artistic 
 and intellectual triumphs are the admiration of the whole civilized 
 world; if they failed to cherish the language learned as children 
 from their mother's lips or to be true to the faith of their fathers, 
 they would be recreants and cowards unworthy of our respect. 
 But whilst we are proud of our British descent, as we have a right 
 to be, whilst you are proud of your French descent, as you have a 
 right to be, the interests of our own country must always be of 
 paramount importance and have the first consideration from all 
 of us. 
 
16 CANADIAN NATIONALISM. 
 
 Nor should English-speaking Canadians forget that not alone 
 in statesmanship, in finance and in industry, but also in art and 
 in literature which constitute the soul and genius of a people, has 
 great work been done by French Canadians. The names of Gar- 
 neau, Cremazie, Frechette, Chauveau, De Gaspe, Gerin-Lajoie, Cas- 
 grain, Nelligan, Routhier, Lavallee, Philippe Hebert, Albani, Suzor 
 C6te, Laliberte, Bourassa, Chapman, Lozeau, Beauchemin, LeMay, 
 Suite, David, Chapais, Poisson, Dionne, Gagnon, LeMoine, Roy 
 and many others reflect honor not only on the province of Quebec, 
 but on the whole Dominion, and their works are a priceless heri- 
 tage. All honor also to those ardent and patriotic young French 
 Canadians who to-day, in the face of much apathy and discourage- 
 ment, are devoting their genius and efforts to the achievement of 
 high ideals in art and literature. 
 
 Again, Mr. Chairman, I recently read an article in which the 
 writer, a man of education, instructor in Canadian constitutional 
 history in one of our leading educational establishments, declared 
 that whilst the Nationalists have discarded some of the anti- 
 clerical and radical principles of the Parti Rouge they are one with 
 both the Patriotes and the Rouges in presenting an irreconcilable 
 front to British connection and in dreaming of a French-Canadian 
 nation on the banks of the St. Lawrence. Where is the responsible 
 French-Canadian public man who would uphold such a pretension? 
 Where is anything of the kind to be found in any of the utterances 
 of Mr. Bourassa? I do not need your assurances that it is not so but 
 it is regrettable that such statements should be given circulation 
 by men who, no doubt, are sincere but who do not understand the 
 French-Canadians. It simply serves to show the misunderstanding 
 that exists and which we should all strive as patriotic Canadians 
 to remove. 
 
 Such, sir, are some of the real dangers that menace us as a 
 people. And has the time not come when it behoves all patriotic 
 Canadians, whether they be Conservatives, Liberals or Nationalists, 
 to unite to combat these dangers and to bring about a better state 
 of affairs in this country, when sinking our minor differences it 
 should be, to paraphrase a well known line, that 
 
 " None are for a party but all are for the state." 
 
CANADIAN NATIONALISM. 17 
 
 And now, gentlemen, I shall close. Events are moving 
 swiftly in these days and the next few years promise to witness 
 momentous developments in our political life. Let us meet them 
 with dignity and manliness as free people, jealous of our rights 
 and conscious of our responsibilities so that when the time comes 
 for us to quit the scene we may all be able, though we may have 
 made some mistakes, to say, as the great Papineau was able to say, 
 at the close of his career: " I at least have loved my country, I 
 have loved her wisely, I have loved her madly." In the palmy 
 days of Rome the proudest boast of every Roman was " Civis 
 Roman us sum." So let it be with us. Let our watchword be the 
 noble device of our own beloved city " Concordia Salus." Let 
 our proudest boast be, not that we are English-Canadians, French- 
 Canadians, Scotch or Irish Canadians, but that we are all 
 Canadians, proud of our great Dominion and confident of its 
 glorious future: 
 
 Let others in their emblems see 
 The signs of pomp and glory, 
 The Maple Leaf our emblem be — 
 
 Canadians All \ 
 
 The past is theirs, the future ours 
 
 And great shall be its story, 
 Most puissant be this people's powers 
 Canadians All ! 
 
 The future calls to greater fame 
 
 To our fair land redounding. 
 One land for brethren one in name — 
 Canadians All ! 
 
CANADIANS ALL 
 
 Upon each day of all our days. 
 
 What message shall we hear? 
 What rallying cry our voices raise? 
 Canadians All! 
 
 In distant days did heroes bold 
 
 The sure foundations rear, 
 Who were those mighty ones of old? 
 Canadians All! 
 
 The pioneer who blazed the way. 
 
 The priest who taught the savage. 
 The warriors brave, in proud array, 
 
 Canadians AH! 
 
 And when the cause of valiant France 
 
 Succumbed to warfare's ravage 
 Her sons arose with dauntless glance, 
 Canadians All! 
 
 Sprung from the soil, proud of their past 
 
 And of its glorious pages, 
 They've always been from first to last, 
 Canadians All! 
 
 The Englishmen brought their virile power. 
 
 The heirs of mighty ages, 
 To our fair country gave the dower, 
 Canadians All! 
 
 And Scots have written large the name 
 
 Upon our country's annals. 
 How great their work, how high their fame, 
 Canadians All! 
 
 And Irishmen, whose fiery zeal 
 
 Hath broken through all trammels. 
 Whose genius hath affixed its seal, 
 
 Canadians All! 
 
 And men of every race and clime 
 
 Shall be heirs to our future. 
 Shall too become in course of time, 
 
 Canadians All! 
 
 And one and all, joined hand in hand. 
 
 Shall guard the mighty structure, 
 Shall make the future far more grand, 
 Canadians All! 
 
 Let others in their emblems see 
 The signs of pomp and glory, 
 The Maple Leaf our emblem be — 
 
 Canadians All! 
 
 The past is theirs, the future ours 
 
 And great shall be its story. 
 Most puissant be this people's powers 
 Canadians All! 
 
 Who says the time is past to talk 
 
 Of Canada for Canadians? 
 Shall we our future greatness balk? 
 
 Canadians All! 
 
 Nay, far from that, but rather say. 
 
 As one our voices sounding, — 
 •' We hail the name upon each day, 
 
 Canadians All! " 
 
 The future calls to greater fame 
 To our fair land redounding, 
 One land for brethren, one in name — 
 Canadians All! 
 
 JOHN BOYD.