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SEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT
O F
THE CANADIAN CLUB
OF WINNIPEG.
WINNIPEG ORGANIZED 1904.
SEASON OF 1910-11.
OFFICERS
CANADIAN CLUB, WINNIPEG
1910-1911
President 1st Vice-President 2nd Vice-President Literary Secretary Hon. Secretary Hon. Treasurer
ISAAC PITBLADO, K.C. A. A. GILROY.
MAJOR A. C. MACDONELL, D.S.O. ROBERT FLETCHER, B.A. R. H. SMITH. R. A. RUMSEY. t C. W. ROWLEY.
Executive Committee.
GEO. H. GREIG F. H. STEWART THEO. A. HUNT
F. H. SCHOFIELD, B.A. S. L. BARROWCLOUGH GEORGE FISHER DR. J. S. GRAY REV. C. W. GORDON, D.D.
tR. A. RUMSEY, on resigning, was succeeded by C. W. ROWLEY.
W. SANFORD EVANS
President, 1911-1912
Honorary Members of the Canadian Club of Winnipeg
WILLIAM HENRY DRUMMOND (DECEASED) His EXCELLENCY EARL GREY, G.C.M.G.
GENERAL WILLIAM BOOTH FIELD MARSHAL EARL ROBERTS, V.C.
LORD MILNER, G.C.B.
LORD STRATHCONA, G.C.M.G.
SIR ERNEST SHACKLETON, K.C.V.O.
LIEUT. GENERAL SIR ROBERT BADEN POWELL, K.C.B., F.R.G.S.
PRESIDENTS
OF
THE CANADIAN CLUB OF WINNIPEG Since organization.
Organized 1904
1904-5
1905-6
1906-7
1907-8
1908-9
1909-10 .
1910-11
. J. S. EWART, K.C. . J. A. M. ATKINS, K. C.
G. R. CROWE
SIR WILLIAM WHITE
J. B. MITCHELL . REV. C. W. GORDON, D,D.
ISAAC PITBLADO. K.C.
MINUTES OF ANNUAL MEETING
Minutes of the 8th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Club,
of Winnipeg, held on Thursday, November 23rd, 1911,
Isaac Pitblado, K.C., President, in the Chair.
The Eighth Annual meeting of the Canadian Club of Winnipeg was held in Manitoba Hall on Thursday, Novem- ber 23rd, at one o'clock. The President, Isaac Pitblado, K.C., in the chair.
The minutes of last annual meeting were read and con- firmed.
The annual report of the Executive Committee for year 1910-1911 was then submitted as follows :
Winnipeg, Nov. 15, 1911. To the Members
Canadian Club, Winnipeg.
Gentlemen :
Your Executive Committee beg to submit herewith the seventh annual report of the Canadian Club of Winnipeg, giving a brief review of the work of the Club during the year ended October 31st, 1911.
As in the past, the main feature of the Club activities has been the noon-day luncheon held from time to time whenever a suitable speaker could be secured to address the members. During the year just closed some thirteen speakers have been guests of the Club, and in every case the address given was most interesting and instructive, and the continued interest of the members has been indi- cated by the attendance at the several luncheons.
A complete list of the addresses delivered before the Club during the past year is as follows:
Nov. 4th, 1910 Annual Meeting, Dr. James Robertson, C. M.G. (Ottawa, Ont.). " Conservation" and "Industrial Training and Technical Edu- cation."
Jan. 16th, 1911 Joseph Fels (Philadelphia, U.S.A.). "The Problem of Poverty."
CANADIAN CLUB OF WINNIPEG.
Mar. 3rd, 1911 J. Ellis Barker (London, England). " Im- perial Federation and Tariff Reform."
April 6th, 1911 Rt. Hon. Sir Joseph G. Ward, K.C.M.G. (Premier of New Zealand). "Imperial Unity."
April 6th, 1911 J. A. Macdonald (Toronto, Ont.). "Canada and the Empire."
April llth, 1911 Sir .Robert A. Falconer (Toronto, Ont.). "Development of Thought Power by Men of Action."
June 2nd, 1911 Wm. Maxwell (Edinburgh, Scotland). "International Co-operation."
July 6th, 1911 Rev. John Clifford, D.D. (London, Eng- land). "The Social Evolution in Eng- land."
Aug. 21st, 1911 Jacob Gould Schurman (President Cor- nell University, Ithaca, N.Y.). "The Eng- lish Speaking Race and its Future Rela- tions."
Aug. 25th, 1911 Rev. Clarence MacKinnon, D.D. (Princ- ipal Presbyterian College, Halifax, N.S.). "Germany and the World's Peace."
Sept. 5th, 1911 Lord Desborough (President Chambers of Commerce, London, England). "Com- merce and Athletics as Factors in Im- perial Unity."
Oct. 5th, 1911 Sir Andrew Fraser, K.C.S.L (formerly Lt.- Governor of Bengal, India), London, Eng- land. "British Rule in India."
Oct. 17th, 1911 F. C. Wade, K.C. (Vancouver, B.C.). "Canada's Duty to Mark the Grave of Wolfe."
One of the notable events of the year was the meeting at Winnipeg on July 18th and 19th, 1911, of the Third Annual Conference of the Association of Canadian Clubs, when men and women from all parts of the Dominion, prominent in Canadian Club work, were in attendance to
MINUTES OF ANNUAL MEETING.
consider matters concerning the welfare of the Canadian Club movement. Great interest was manifested in the vari- ous matters brought before the Conference, and your Club is indebted to Messrs. J. A. M. Aikins, K.C., M.P., Professor W. F. Osborne, A. J. Andrews, K.C., J. W. Dafoe, Dr. J. Halpenny, J. B. Mitchell, John Appleton and others who so ably represented the Club during the Conference and took an active part in the discussions on the many important subjects brought before the meetings.
At the close of the Conference, the delegates were guests of the Club at a banquet held in the " Royal Alex- andra." Courtesies were also extended the delegates by the City of Winnipeg, The Canadian Industrial Exhibition Association, The Winnipeg Electric Railway Company, Mr. and Mrs. Theo Hunt and others, and the Club is greatly indebted for the assistance thus given in entertaining the visiting delegates while in the city. A printed copy of the proceedings of the Conference was sent to each member of the Club.
As in former years, advantage was taken of "Empire Day" to impress the boys and girls attending the public schools of the greatness of the Empire to which they belong and to inspire them with a sense of their obligation as coming men and women, to prepare themselves that they in turn may play worthily their part and help to solve the problems of the Empire and uphold its greatness. Through the action of your Executive, it was arranged that mem- bers of the Club speak at the various schools on that day on topics in keeping with the occasion. The Executive take this opportunity of thanking those who so kindly assisted in the celebration of Empire Day by addressing the school children. Miss E. L. Jones, President of the Winnipeg Women's Canadian Club, who gave interesting addresses at both the Albert School and the school in the Detention Home, laid your Executive under special obligation.
Occasion was taken on the closing day of school in June to present to each pupil a Canadian flag button accom- panied with a card suitably inscribed with patriotic greet- ings. In presenting these souvenirs, the teachers drew at- tention to the great benefits that had resulted from Con- federation and the reasons why all Canadians should loyally celebrate "Dominion Day."
CANADIAN CLUB OF WINNIPEG.
Scholarships were again given by the Club, as in prev- ious years, in connection with the University and Teachers examinations, to encourage the study of Canadian History. The Committee is advised that the action of the Club in giving these scholarships from year to year has greatly stimulated interest in the study of Canadian History and it is recommended that such scholarships be continued. The scholarships for 1911 were won by
University Examination 1st — Earl P. Scarlett
2nd — Miss E. Pozier
Teachers' Examination 1st — Miss Edith H. Truesdale
2nd— Miss C. D. Lavack
In passing it is interesting to note that one of these scholarships was won by a girl from Roumania who had only recently arrived in Canada.
The duty of Canadians to mark the grave of Major General James Wolfe was impressed upon the members of the Club in a stirring address delivered by Mr. F. C. Wade, of Vancouver. This matter was first brought to the atten- tion of the Canadian Club in 1906 by Mr. Wade, but no action was taken owing to the fact that the public interest at that time was centred on the Ter-Centenary Celebration at Quebec. Recently Mr. Wade has addressed a number of the Canadian Clubs, and as a result strong committees have been organized at Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton and a considerable sum subscribed in aid of the proposal. On the recommendation of your Executive, the Club approved of a grant of $500 from the Club funds in aid of this worthy and patriotic object, and an influential Citizens' Committee, with His Honor. Lt.-Governor D. C. Cameron as chairman, was appointed to secure additional funds, and in a few days some $4000 was subscribed. From the enthusiastic manner in which this matter has been taken up it is confidently expected that the grave of the great soldier, through whose victory on the Plains of Abraham Canada became part of the British Empire, will be marked by a monument in keeping with the importance of Canada and erected entirely from funds contributed by Canadians.
As next year will be the centennial of the arrival of the Lord Selkirk Settlers, one of the most important events
MINUTES OF ANNUAL MEETING.
in the history of Western Canada, your Executive feel that some action should be taken by the club to commemorate this occasion, and have no doubt that the new Executive will give the matter early attention. A Citizens' Commit- tee has already been organized to consider the most suitable manner of marking this outstanding event in our historjr, and Messrs. Isaac Pitblado and George Fisher were ap- pointed members of such committee, as representing the Canadian Club. Arrangements are also under way to have an address delivered before the club at an early date on the life of Lord Selkirk with special reference to the Red River Settlement.
Your Committee think it fitting to record in this report the gratification felt by the members of the Club for the honor so worthily bestowed by His Majesty upon one of our Past Presidents, Sir William Whyte, whose cordial sup- port and assistance from the very beginning have done much to promote the usefulness of this organization. The mem- bers of the Club in common with all classes of the com- munity recognize the great part Sir William has played in the development of the West, as well as the fine personal qualities that have won him regard as a man, and the President on behalf of the Club, joined with the rest of the community in extending their heartiest congratulations.
Through the efforts of the Asosciation of Canadian Clubs an arrangement has been made whereby a member of any Canadian Club while visiting another city in which a Canadian Club exists shall during such visit be privileged to attend any luncheon or function given by such club dur- ing his visit, upon presentation of the membership certificate of the home club and payment of the usual fee charged resi- dent members for such gathering. Arrangements have also been completed so that in the event of a member removing to another city, he may transfer his membership to the Canadian Club of his new place of residence without any formality other than the presentation of his membership certificate to the Honorary Secretary of the club to which he desires to be transferred. Should occasion arise, we trust that our members will take advantage of the facilities thus afforded.
Your club also co-operated with the other Canadian Clubs throughout Canada in extending loyal greetings to
10 CANADIAN CLUB OF WINNIPEG.
their Gracious Majesties on the occasion of their Coronation, and hearty congratulations were tendered to King George V. on his birthday.
Considerable feeling was aroused by the ostentatious display of foreign flags in connection with a circus parade through the streets of Winnipeg on Dominion Day of last year. To prevent a recurrence of this, the club brought the matter to the attention of the City Council, with the result that a by-law was passed prohibiting such parades on Na- tional or other holidays, and providing that on occasions when such parades are permitted, proper respect shall be shown to the Canadian flag.
The total number of members at the close of the year, exclusive of the seven honorary members, stands at 1163, AVinnipeg thus has the honor of being the second largest Canadian Club. During the year/ the club has lost through death some of its most prominent members as follows: J. S. Aikins (a charter member), G. D. Minty, J. E. Schwit- zer, W. J. Stafford, Charles James and A. J. Tuckwell.
The Club is under a debt of gratitude to the public press of this city for the wide publicity and prominence given to the proceedings of the Club, and more especially for the very full reports of the addresses given before the club. The success which has attended the club since its inception has in a large measure been due to the cordial support of the Press, and the Executive Committee wish to give expression of their deep appreciation for the services so rendered.
Respectfully submitted,
ISAAC PITBLADO, President, R. H. SMITH, Hon. Secretary.
The report was adopted on motion of Mr. G. H. Greig, seconded by Mr. J. H. Ashdown.
The Hon. Treasurer, Mr. C. W. Rowley, submitted the following statement of the receipts and disbursements for the year:
FINANCIAL STATEMENT. 11
FINANCIAL STATEMENT
For Year ending 31st October, 1911.
Receipts.
Balance Oct. 31, 1910 $1,174.46
Memberships 2,330.00
Luncheons 1,232.00
Interest on Deposit 39.42
$4,775.88
Disbursements.
Auto and Cab Hire $ 83.00
Banquet to visiting Delegates 228.50
Dominion Day Buttons and Flags 162.50
Flowers 16.75
Luncheons ! 1,386.50
Music at Luncheons 32.00
Postage 239.00
Printing and Stationery 682.29
Prizes for Essays 100.00
Subscription to membership of Associated Can- adian Clubs 25.00
Stenographer 120.00
Telegrams 136.32
Verbatim Reports 58.50
Sundry 83.40
Cash in Bank 1,422.12
Savings Dept $1,400.72
Current A|c 21.40
$4,775.88 C. W. ROWLEY, Hon. Treasurer.
We have examined the Books and Vouchers of the Canadian Club of Winnipeg for year ending 31st October, 1911, and hereby certify the above to be a true and correct statement of the Receipts and Disbursements for that period.
II. C. THOMPSON,)
R. H. MAINER, / Auditors.
Winnipeg, November 3rd, 1911.
12 CANADIAN CLUB OF WINNIPEG.
On motion of R. H. Shanks, seconded by A. N. Mc- Pherson, the report of the treasurer was adopted.
Due notice having been given to the members of cer- tain amendments proposed to be made to the constitution of the Club, such amendments were unanimously adopted on motion of "W. Sanford Evans and F. W. Drewry. The constitution of the Club, as amended, was ordered to be printed and a copy of the same, together with the annual report for 1910-11, to be mailed to each member of the Club.
E. Loftus, Chairman of Committee appointed to nominate officers for the year 1911-1912, submitted the fol- lowing report:
President, W. Sanford Evans; First Vice-President, H. M. Belcher ; Second Vice-President, Lt. -Colonel R. M. Thom- son; Literary Correspondent, D. C. Coleman; Honorary Secretary, R. H. Smith; Honorary Treasurer, C. W. Rowley.
Executive Committee : Theo. A. Hunt, Professor "W. J. Black, John A. Hart, F. H. Schofield, Max Steinkopf, Isaac Pitblado, K.C., Dr. Fred A. Young, J. H. Curie.
On motion of Mr. Loftus, seconded by Dr. J. Halpenny, the report was unanimously adopted, and after the Presi- dent had cast a ballot, the officers so nominated were de- clared duly elected.
The meeting then adjourned.
Extension of Club Privileges to Visiting Members Transfer of Membership in Case of Change of Residence
The attention of the members of the Club is directed to the following resolutions, which have been adopted by practically every Canadian Club:
11 A member of any Club in affiliation with the Associa- tion of Canadian Clubs, while visiting any other place in which there exists a Canadian Club, also affiliated with the Association, shall, during such visit, be privileged to attend any meetings or luncheons of such Club, upon presentation of the membership certificate of his home Club, and pay- ment of the same admission fee as is charged for such meeting or luncheon to resident members. This privilege
MINUTES OF ANNUAL MEETING. 13
shall not entitle the visiting member to participate in any matter of Club business which may be brought before any such meeting at which he is present."
"Any member of a Canadian Club, in the event of change of residence, on presentation of his membership certificate to the Honorary Secretary, shall be admitted as a member of the Canadian Club of the place to which he has removed, upon payment of the regular membership fee required by such Club. In the event of the Club to which he applies for membership under this regulation, having a waiting list, his name shall be placed on such list in the usual manner, and he shall, in due course, be accepted as a member of such Club."
A hope is expressed that members of the Canadian Club of Winnipeg who may be visiting other cities in which Canadian Clubs are organized, will avail themselves of the facilities thus afforded.
In the event of any member of the Club leaving to reside permanently at some other city, such member can arrange for the transfer of his Canadian Club membership upon application to the Honorary Secretary. For the in- formation of the members, a list of the cities in which Can- adian Clubs are organized is given below.
Ontario Woodstock Quebec
Hamilton Barrie Quebec
Toronto Berlin Montreal
London Belleville Hull
SSS ' »«"««««•
Brockville Orillia Parrsboro'
Peterborough St. Thomas Kentville
Collingwood Sarma Amherst
Perth Chatham
Port Arthur Niagara Falls Truro
Brantford Alberta
St. Catharines Camrose
Ottawa New Brunswick Calgary
Kenora Daysland
Fort William Edmonton
Huntsville Moncton Lethbridge
Bowmanville Fredericton Athabasca Landing
14 CANADIAN CLUB OF WINNIPEG.
Manitoba British Columbia Saskatchewan
Yorkton
Port, la Prairie Vancouver Regina
Winnipeg Victoria Moose Jaw
Brandon Prince Rupert Saskatoon
Nelson Weyburn
Women's Canadian Clubs.
Fort, William, Ont. Ottawa, 0. Toronto, Ont. St. John, N.B. Berlin, Ont. Halifax, N.S. London, Ont. Montreal, Que. North Bay, Ont. Quebec, Que. Winnipeg, Man. Calgary, Alta. Vancouver, B.C. Victoria, B.C.
Addresses of the Year 1910-1911.
Following the usual custom, a brief outline of each address delivered before the Club during the past year is given in this report. Verbatim reports of all addresses delivered before the Club may be perused upon applica- tion to the Honorary Secretary.
"It is up to you, the Canadian Clubs of Canada, to keep the national ideals high; let me beseech you to watch jealously the influences which help to mould the character of your children."
"Remember, gentlemen, that it rests largely with the Canadian Clubs of the Dominion whether Canada shall achieve her splendid destiny and become the controlling factor of the greatest and most beneficent Empire the world has ever seen." - Extract from address delivered before the Canadian Club of Ottawa on September 27th, 1911 by the Right Hon. Earl Grey, G.C.M.G.
ADDRESSES OF THE YEAR. 15
CONSERVATION AND INDUSTRIAL TRAINING AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION.
November 4, 1910.
Dr. James W. Robertson, C.M.S., Chairman of the Royal
Commission on Industrial Training and
Technical Education.
Dr. Robertson described the purpose, the organization and the achievements of the Commission of Conservation, and the Royal Commission on Industrial Training and Technical Education, which he regarded as inseparably associated in the work of furthering the highest possible development of the national heritage. He said:
"The one Commission has to do chiefly with the con- servation of our possessions, the other with the conservation and development of our powers. It is necessary that native talent should be trained into ability - - into industrial efficiency — to ensure worthy progress and prosperity. We have immense natural resources in Canada — vast, varied and valuable beyond calculation. Our knowledge of them is inaccurate, incomplete and altogether badly arranged in our heads. Who knows with any sort of fullness of under- standing what the natural resources of Canada are? We have a great landed estate. Just as a young man coming into property by inheritance says when he walks out in the morning: "This is my estate/' so Canada, a youth among the nations, well-born, well bred and looking to be well educated, surveys her natural resources. I wonder whether her children will be a match, a fit match, for the matchless quality of her heritage, considered only as a material asset."
Dr. Robertson then proceeded to divide the Dominion into four great areas, and to enumerate the attractions, the resources and the advantages of each. Continuing, he said:
"The Commission of Conservation is seeking to let us know what our resources are and how we can make the best use of them. And the Commission on Industrial Train- ing and Technical Education is seeking to shed light on how our people shall be fit to manage our national estate and match this matchless inheritance that has come to us. The motive towards definite organized action came to us
16 CANADIAN CLUB OF WINNIPEG.
from our neighbors and friends — the United States. In 1908 President Roosevelt had called a conference of the Governors of all the sovereign States of the Union at Wash- ington, to consider what steps might be taken to conserve the natural resources of their nation. There was a great gathering — in my opinion, one of the greatest gatherings in history. That was a good thing that Theodore Roosevelt did and the man behind him was Gifford Pinchot, of whom I suppose you have seen not a little in the newspapers. Gifford Pinchot is a man of a fine texture, with all the strength of fibre that belongs to those who willingly spend time and strength and money that children may have a better chance when we are long dead and forgotten. The reciprocal action with the United States and its citizens is good for us. I am glad to be grateful to Washington. I like to have all kinds of good relations with my neighbors —and also with my dog. I like to have all kinds of good- will as far as my goodwill can go round the earth. We folks who live on this Continent together can gain a great deal from one another. We can have reciprocity in good- wills; and real goodwills are growing up more abundantly in the States towards Canada and in Canada towards the States. All that is good for us and does not compromise us in any respect as to our commercial and other indepen- dencies. The boundary line does not mean that we shouldn't get good ideas and good men across as often and as freely as we can.
Early in the following year we had the pleasure of an address at Ottawa from Gifford Pinchot, at that time Chief Forester to the United States. He brought to Ottawa a message from Washington inviting the Government of Can- ada to appoint representatives to a continental conference to consider the conservation of the natural resources of North America. The invitation was accepted, and Hon. Sydney Fisher, M.P., Hon. Clifford Sifton, M.P., and Dr. Henri S. Beland, M.P., were the men who were sent to represent Canada. The conference drew up a declaration of principles. Soon thereafter the Parliament of Canada passed a special Act providing for the formation of a permanent commission — the first of its kind created by any Government. The Commission was duly constituted and held its first convention at Ottawa in January, 1910. Twelve Cabinet Ministers, three Federal and nine Provincial, serve
ADDRESSES OF THE YEAR. 17
on the Commission ex officio, and twenty other me*n. Its business is to enquire, to consider and make recommenda- tions as to how the people can conserve forests, minerals, fisheries, waterpowers and waterways, lands and public health. It is also its duty to make such inventories, collect and disseminate such information and conduct such investi- gations as seem conducive to the accomplishment of that end. Some things can be conserved by legislation, and in some matters the Commission may consider what legislation and what administration will best prevent waste, loss and unprofitable destruction or consumption. The Commission itself is not an executive or administrative body with power to deal with the natural resources themselves. The author- ity of its recommendations rests upon and rises from their merits. It has no legal power to say ''Thou Shalt" or "Thou Shalt not." Its findings will carry weight from their intrinsic worth.
At its first meeting in 1910, the Commission formed Committees for the particular consideration of the several large questions with which it has to deal. The seven Committees are : Fisheries, Game and Fur-bearing animals ; Forests; Lands; Minerals; Press and Co-operative Organ- izations; Public Health; and Waters and Waterpowers. I serve as Chairman of the Committee on Lands. Let me tell you of two questions that came out in our investiga- tions. Of one hundred farms surveyed in Manitoba, every farmer reported that wild oats were bad and in many cases getting worse. There is a how-d'ye-do for you — wild oats in the land where grain growing is the staple occupation of the people. The weed is not so bad further West, but it is widening its invasion that way. Let the wild oats get possession and the farmers — and with them most of the other folks — might as well say good-bye. In some localities the weeds have actually taken possession, and the people have moved away. I have heard of one locality, about six miles square, from which the people have gone — the weeds pushed them off. You say "Summer Fallow." Yes, but that means expense and labor; and unless due precaution is taken, you destroy and consume the fibre in the soil — the decaying roots of grasses, clovers and other plants. In some Western areas, when the spring comes, and the surface is dry, the wind blows away both soil and seed. It is necessary to conserve the presence of these roots all through the soil,
18 CANADIAN CLUB OF WINNIPEG.
otherwise there is danger of western places being smothered into oblivion, like Nineveh. This is no figure of speech. Hundreds of square miles are already in a condition of drift. We must conserve the land by intelligent methods.
Just a word as to who the folks are that these Com- missions are striving to help. A great stream of foreign blood flows into our citizenship and makes our problems more complex. It does not behove any of us to be expanding our chests and lifting our chins at the fellow who comes to us from the other countries. I came across some Finns the other day. Do you know the Finns? They surpass the Scotch in the low percentage of illiteracy in their own land. It is worth having that stream of blood to enrich ours. We Canadians have inherited a fine quality of life, not the blood that runs through the mulik of Russia or the ryot of India, not that kind of life. Take an illustration. You know the character of a crab apple. And you know the quality of a Mclntosh Red from the Experimental Farm. Each is attractive in its way. Did you ever take a fine, full-grown, red crab apple, take a bite and chew what you had in your mouth? It was not very satisfying. And have you tried the same experience with a Mclntosh Red from the Experimental Farm? When you have taken such a bite you want more of the same sort of thing ; you want.more. The difference was not in the color of the skin, or in the glisten put on by the cloth of the maid. It was not the superficial polish that made the difference. The quality of sap that ran up and down the old tree made the difference in the fruit, which in one case was satisfying and in the other distasteful. How was the sap altered? By cultivation; by grafting in all that was good out of the past of cultivation into some fine tree, of the Lord's making in partnership with a man. A fruit grower finds some "sport" or mutant or seedling in which human labor had allied itself with the wisdom and mystery and power of the Almighty in the production of a new strain of fruit. Then he grafted that into the wild tree and cultivated and pruned and sprayed ; and you had a cultured fruit, satisfying because of the sap of life and of the conditions under which it was grown.
In the quality of life we folks are not crabs. There are crabs of humanity still on the face of the earth; but we are not of the crabs. A thousand years of cultivation
ADDRESSES OF THE YEAR. 19
a thousand years of struggle for liberty and intelligence and opportunity and justice pure and undefiled, for the children and the grown children — that has made the dif- ference in the sap of life. More is expected of fellows of our kind of sap, a heap more. It is expressed by the French "Noblesse Oblige." We have got to live up to the inheritance of this quality of life.
The Royal Commission on Industrial Training and Technical Education is composed of seven members. It is not our business to advocate or advance theories or to propagate policies, but to enquire into what the people now have, what they think they need and how they think these needs can be met. Then we shall go abroad and see how other folks in other lands have met their needs ; the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Switzerland, and Denmark. We shall learn how they give their young people a chance to be fitted for the jobs close by their homes, and to create other occupations by their ability. We will learn as much as we can, as much as diligent con- scientious men qualified for this task are able to learn; and then, putting it all together, report to the Minister of Labor the result of our investigations, together with any opinion we may see fit to express thereon, and such recom- mendations as it may seem expedient to the Commission to make. The Report, when published, will be at the dis- posal of the Provinces and available for general distribution. The people and the authorities will determine how the in- formation we have been able to gather may be used to ad- vance the interests of Canada by means of industrial train- ing and technical education."
Dr. Robertson concluded with an impressive plea for the pro- vision of the most efficient facilities for the education of the future generations, so that they might be suitably armed for the warfare against ignorance, vice and poverty.
"Deeper than speech our love, stronger than life our tether. ' ' — Kipling.
20 CANADIAN CLUB OF WINNIPEG.
THE PROBLEM OF POVERTY. SINGLE TAX AND THE NATURALIZATION OF LAND.
January 16th, 1911.
Mr. Joseph Fels, the well-known advocate of Single Tax and the Nationalization of Land
Mr. Fels expressed the opinion that Canada should avoid the mistakes of older countries and instead of devising means to deal with poverty, should guard against the sys- tems which produce it. He advised the citizens of Winnipeg to follow the example of Vancouver, and adopt the system of Single Tax, which he considered necessary judging from the amount of vacant land in the City. Monopoly in land and in the means of distribution should be avoided as a curse, and government should be kept responsive to public opinion by the introduction of the initiative, the referendum and the recall.
Sing us a song of Empire! First, let us praise the home Stirred by the northern breezes, Ringed by the tossing foam: — Here is the joy of living, Here are the mine and mart, Forest and furrow giving Strength to a Nation's heart, And sons and daughters waiting The call to play their part.
-The CQun/e$$ of Jersey.
ADDRESSES OF THE YEAR. 21
IMPERIAL FEDERATION AND TARIFF REFORM.
March 3rd, 1911. Mr. J. Ellis Barker, the English Publicist.
The first instinct and the first duty in individuals and states is self-preservation. The British Empire in Canada requires an adequate defence for the preservation of its property, its civilization, and its traditions. You gentle- men in Canada must not believe that you can safely neglect your defences. The argument of those who oppose adequate military preparations is, that no enemy threatens Canada. "The United States," you say, "will not attack us; Japan "is Great Britain's ally; and we need not be afraid of any "of the European nations."
I think that argument is fallacious. Military defence should not be based upon the problematical character of one's opponents, but should be based on the value of one's own property. I have travelled all over the world; and, wherever I have been, I have invariably found that jewel- lers' stores are provided with stronger shutters than butchers' shops.
The speaker described the great natural wealth of Canada held by a meagre population, and dwelt on the temptation it presented to other countries. Continuing, he said:
A great statesmen may arise in Germany, and recreate the ancient German Empire, which embraces modern Germany, Austria-Hungary, Switzerland, Holland, Belgium, and Denmark — a country comprising one hundred and fifty millions of people. Such an enormous state could no doubt easily overcome Great Britain, if Great Britain had to fight single-handed. Or a great statesman might arise in one of the European countries, and say, "We are fools; "we maintain these colossal armaments, threatening one "another, and we are ready to fight one another for no- ' * thing. We are being starved out of land. Let us combine, "and take the land we need in North America, and preserve "thereby our nationality and our future." In the far East, Japan has been fighting, and will continue to fight, for sufficient land for her people. China is awakening; and
22 CANADIAN CLUB OF WINNIPEG.
when China has become a great nation, she might conceiv- ably also look toward North America for expansion. Lastly, perhaps fifty years hence, the East and the West may com- bine. Military Europe and Military Asia may agree to settle on the shores of the North American continent, and drive the Anglo-Saxon nations into the hills in the centre.
The British Empire is a military Empire. It is a descendant of that long line of empires which began with Phoenicia. It has the same characteristics as all the ancient sea empires. It is most vulnerable from the sea; and the individual parts can assist one another only if communica- tions between them can be kept open. The British Empire requires for defence not only a powerful fleet, but an all powerful fleet. To great continental empires, such as Ger- many and the United States, a powerful fleet is a luxury. With Great Britain, it is a necessity. We cannot trust to always having a Nelson on the side of Great Britain. In 1650 the Dutch were the richest nation in the world. They rode the sea. They possessed all the most valuable colonies throughout the world. New York was then called New Amsterdam. But the Dutch neglected their fleet. They based their security on their alliance with all the European great powers, and on the jealousy existing between them. So Holland had an alliance with France and England; and France and England had been fighting one another for centuries. Yet France and England combined to despoil Holland ; and she lost to them her power, her colonies and her wealth. The world might have become Dutch instead of Anglo-Saxon, had the Dutch preserved their fleet.
Now this civilization may entirely disappear within a century. Holland may become a part of the German Empire; and in a century the Dutch language may be as extinct as the Egyptian language is now.
Mr. Barker then argued that the federation of the Empire was desirable not only for military but for economic reasons. He contended that Great Britain and other portions of the Empire could absorb all the natural products which Canada has, and will have, to export; and that in return Canada, could purchase within the Empire everything necessary to satisfy the wants of her people. Providence had meant the British Empire to be self-supporting and self-sufficing. Tariff Reform was a necessary corollary of Im- perial Conference. As a result of Free Trade, Great Britain was becoming unable to maintain the foremost position amongst the
ADDRESSES OF THE YEAR. 23
nations of the world. She was living off her capital, and in wealth was inferior to the United States and Germany. Agriculture had declined, the population had been drafted into cities lowering wages and living conditions, industries had been destroyed, and the Mother Country was being drained of some of the best elements through emigration overseas. In conclusion, he said:
Tariff Reform is indispensable for Imperial federation. In the first place, because tariff reform will provide a fund for maintaining the British fleet for some time to come. But, even with tariff reform, Great Britain cannot single- handed maintain her fleet against allcomers. The Bri- tish Empire must finance the British fleet, and the British fleet must become an imperial fleet. I hope to see the day when imperial administration and an imperial parliament will govern the empire, and provide a truly imperial fleet from an imperial exchequer.
If you look around, you will find that there are many composite empires. The United States is a conglomeration of independent states, and their cohesion has been created by that powerful something — a common open market. If Pennsylvania or Illinois wished to secede, they would not do so, because they could not lead an independent existence if the frontiers of the neighboring states were closed to them. Germany is a composite empire, consisting of 26 individual states, of which two or three are republics and several are kingdoms. These states had been fighting one another up to 1866. In that year, Prussians killed Bavar- ians, and Hanoverians killed Prussians. But there is now no fear that the German Empire will go to pieces, because none of the individual states could afford to lose the great common market of the German Empire.
Some of the opponents of imperial federation sneer at the policy of imperial preference. Gentlemen, my idea ot free trade within the Empire is that free trade within the Empire may be created almost immediately.
Do not mistake me. I am not in favor of leaving your industries unprotected. Protection and free trade may be combined. Let me given you an instance. You may require, let us say, a protection of $1.00 per pair on boots, to pre- serve your industry; and you may accept $1.00 per pair from Great Britain and the other dominions of the Empire; but by demanding $2.00 per pair from foreign nations, you
24 CANADIAN CLUB OF WINNIPEG.
will succeed in keeping out foreign competition. In this way, you will obtain protection of yourselves, and free trade within the Empire.
Gentlemen, I would ask you to support tariff reform, because it seems to me that tariff reform is indispensable for knitting the empire together. It is indispensable for securing the continued safety of the empire and of your- selves. It is indispensable for restoring the industries ol' Great Britain, and for restoring the national physique of your people. At present the people on the other side are poor and unemployed, and they are forced by unemploy- ment and poverty to emigrate every year by the hundred thousand. I am in favor of tariff reform because I have a heart for the suffering of the masses. I am a citizen, not only of Great Britain, but of the British Empire ; and, as a citizen of the British Empire, I am a citizen of Canada.
I speak to you as a Canadian. While I am on Canadian soil my policy is "Canada for the Canadians"; and as a Canadian I must for Canada's own sake do my utmost to promote the federation of the empire, and to promote tariff reform. As a Canadian who has the greatness of Canada at heart, I wish to leave this magnificent heritage unimpaired to future generations; and I hope that you will support me in my endeavors to work for imperial feder- ation and tariff reform.
;This is our country, strong, and broad and grand. God guard thee Canada, our native land."
— fean Blewetf.
ADDRESSES OF THE YEAR. 25
IMPERIAL UNITY.
April 6th, 1911.
Rt. Hon. Sir Joseph G. Ward, K.C.M.G., Prime Minister of New Zealand.
The thought passing through my mind for the moment is, in what direction the two overseas dominions — the one that I have the honor to represent, New Zealand, and this greatest child of the Empire, Canada — can mutually advance each other's interests. 1 can offer the earnest of New Zealand's desire in this object, in some of our legislation of the past eight years. This legislation has had for its great main purpose closer commercial unity between the two countries. New Zealand in 1903 established a pre- ferential tariff in favor of Canada and the rest of the British Empire, and we have on two subsequent occasions since, in 1907 and 1908, substantially increased that prefer- ence. This has been done, as perhaps you are aware, by means of a surtax on the imports from foreign countries. At present 193 out of a total of 486 items on the New Zea- land tariff have preference by means of this surtax in favor of Canada and the rest of the British Empire ; and, as the outcome of the preferential tariff established, there has been a steady decrease in the importations from foreign countries to New Zealand, of the articles subject to this surtax, and more than a corresponding increase in the im- portation of these articles from Canada and other British sources. I am glad to say that Canada has shared more than proportionately in this increase. To give you some idea in concrete of what this preferential tariff means, I may say that we are foregoing upwards of two million five hundred thousand dollars per annum in the shape of cus- toms duties, in order to show preference to goods from British sources, including Canada — that is to say, we sacri- ficed 12.56 per cent, of our customs revenue on these items, in order to favor goods made in British countries. I am personally, and I am sure you all are, very proud of this. A sacrifice is the best test of friendship whether it be social or commercial. Last year, nearly twenty-five million dol- lars' worth of imports into New Zealand had the advantage of this preferential treatment — British, including Canadian.
26 CANADIAN CLUB OF WINNIPEG.
I have referred to the fact that I was in Winnipeg in 1895. At that time I crossed over to Ottawa for the special purpose of endeavoring to arrange a reciprocity treaty between Canada and New Zealand, and also for the purpose of establishing a mail and passenger steamer ser- vice from Vancouver to New Zealand and thence to Austra- lia. I remained in Ottawa two or three days, and completed both the reciprocal treaty and an agreement for Canada and New Zealand to support a line of steamers, the one really being ancillary to the other. Unfortunately, circum- stances arose which prevented the final ratification of these arrangements. I am glad, however, to say that the gov- ernments of these two countries, Canada and New Zealand, have recently agreed to further one of these objects, namely, the establishment of a fast and regular steamship, mail and passenger communication, the ships to be furnished with cold storage accommodation for perishable cargo, and the service to commence running in July next. I predict that its results will be of mutual benefit to both countries, even better than our best expectations, and will amply justify the closer commercial union at which the service aims. I do not propose to deal, upon the present occasion, with the advantages which in my opinion would arise to both Canada and New Zealand from an extended commercial reciprocity, excepting to say on behalf of New Zealand that I favor the bringing about of such an object, in the interests of both Dominions.
Apart from any mutuality New Zealand recognizes the advantages of a closer connection with this great progress- ive country; and to that closer connection I, so long as I am the leader of the government of my country, will steadily work.
May I be allowed to say a word or two in connection with the wider and all-important question of Imperial Unity. No one recognizes more than I do the all-importance of pre- serving inviolate that complete local autonomy which our race has always demanded for the development of its in- dividual enterprise and its national ideals. At the same time, however, you will recognize as clearly as I that both these great purposes demand one other indispensable con- dition, and that is Empire defence. We build both these glorious privileges upon the integrity of our Empire and
ADDRESSES OF THE YEAR. 27
that protection and liberty which you and I and other Bri- tish people enjoy under the old flag of our Empire.
I have, along with other responsible ministers of the Crown, watched the signs of recent times, and have been increasingly impressed with the necessity of Empire Union for Empire Protection against foreign domination and ag- gression. In my opinion this question transcends all other questions; as the integrity, and indeed the inviolability, of our Empire is the essential condition of that growth and development of both the individual and national greatness which stimulates the British people the world over, not the least this great strong young rising nation of the West. Statements of this kind serve but little purpose, if they have not their counterpart in a strong and systematic action. We cannot meet a foe by an enunciation of our national ideals. In the trade of war it is its armaments and men, and not principles, which come out transcendent. I have felt and said that the time has arrived for a better and more systematic understanding between Great Britain and her overseas dominions, for the purpose of Empire defence. The Prime Ministers of these dominions have al- ready met in London on several occasions in previous years. It is universally recognized that these conferences of prime ministers are in the highest degree desirable and serve a great imperial purpose. Their main purpose, it is admitted, is Imperial defence, but no meeting of prime ministers for this object can be far advanced until method, system and machinery have been devised to make effective and to carry out the agreements at which these conferences arrive. It therefore seems clear to me that either these conferences must resolve themselves largely into academic debating clubs, or they must be provided with suitable machinery to give definiteness and effect to x the conclusions arrived at for the purpose of obtaining and promoting the safety of the Empire. I am the last man in public life to permit, or even suggest, any invasion of our local self-government. On the contrary, I am strongly in favor of an increased autonomy, and have always advocated, on these grounds, Home Rule, not only to Ireland, but to England, Scotland and Wales. Some recent critics of mine appear to have rashly assumed that I suggested some central Imperial control of the affairs of the overseas dominions. I have never done anything of the kind. It is directly opposed
28 CANADIAN CLUB OF WINNIPEG.
to the main principle of my policy ; and I should resent, on behalf of New Zealand, any such control, as much as any other public man throughout the Empire. But this is an entirely different matter from intelligent Empire co-opera- tion for the great purposes of Imperial safety. Already each of the self-governing overseas dominions has volun- tarily undertaken increased burdens for Empire defence. Each has expressed a ready willingness to make still fur- ther sacrifices in this direction, if the need arises. That being so, it is surely wise that these independent and en- tirely separate portions of the Empire should, instead of each following a policy of defence which may result in useless overlapping and unnecessary expense, cordially join by means of collective representation, in devising a more effective scheme of Empire defence and of determining freely the proportional burdens which each must bear to carry out, not a burden imposed from without, but a burden willingly accepted from within, for the sake of our Empire's safety and honor. I have now crossed and recrossed this great Dominion several times in different years, and everywhere throughout this vast territory, I see the promise of the great and rapid rise to a nationhood which must make the Motherland proud of this strong, free, young and glorious country.
For lo ! the kingdoms wax and wane, They spring to power and pass again
And ripen to decay; But Britain, sound in hand and heart, Is worthy still to play her part
To-day as yesterday.
Not till her age-long task is o'er To Thee, 0 God, may she restore
The sceptre and the crown. Nor then shall die; but live anew In those fair daughter lands which drew Their life from hers, and shall renew
In them her old renown.
ADDRESSES OF THE YEAR. 29
CANADA AND THE EMPIRE.
April 6th, 1911. Rev. Dr. J. A. Macdonald, Editor of the Toronto Globe.
The speaker, who followed Sir Joseph Ward, warmly endorsed his remarks as to the strength of the ties between the Mother Country and the Dominions, and agreed with him as to the in- violability of the principle of local autonomy. The recognition and acceptance of that principle had preserved the British Empire, as an organization without parallel in the history of the world. Continuing, he said:
And our relations have to do with more than the Em- pire. We cannot live in isolation. The absolutely unique thing, in fact, in the position of Canada is this : That while increasingly loyal to Britain, she stands on this continent holding the north half of it, with her next neighbor a sister British nation, the most powerful and influential republic in the world. And our business is not only to help hold the Empire together. Our business, also, is to stand as a bond between Britain and the daughter nation of the American republic, holding both in a troth that no political exigency can break. No man can accuse me of disloyalty when I say that there is no greater service this Dominion can render to the Empire than hold the English-speaking world together, shoulder to shoulder, for the best interests for which Britain for a thousand years before the American republic was born, stood almost alone. Canada can do nothing for the Empire at this moment of nobler significance or more world-wide benefit than celebrate the century of peace between two sister British nations by making a treaty that will be of very great advantage to all the people.
Dr. Macdonald declared that Canada could not live in isolation. The United States had tried it, but had been forced to assume the burdens of Empire, and now for the first time was beginning to appreciate the work that Britain had done amongst subject peo- ples. The idea entertained by some that the United States desired to absorb Canada, forcibly or peacably, was without solid founda- tion. The American people desired Canada to work out her destiny in her own way, and by means of her own institutions and system of government. The remainder of his speech is given verbatim:
I remember a statement in Collier's "History makes "the young man to be old without wrinkles, and, before
30 CANADIAN CLUB OF WINNIPEG.
"gray hairs, gives him the experience of age, without its "infirmities/' If history does that for the young man, how much more should history do that for the young nation? Infirmities and gray hairs will come to us, as they have come to other nations; but it has been our great privilege to learn from history that government means gov- ernment of the people, by the people and for the people; and unless we can demonstrate here that the common man will have a chance, then the damnation of Canada will be heavier than that of any of the nations of the past. If we are to preserve Canada, we should guard the doorway of her citizenship. I do not mean guard the door against people who are poor, for most of you men who are here are sons of men who, when they came from Britain, had very little to the good. But guard it against the alien races. If we are to safeguard our democracy, we must safeguard it at the very entrance of the doors of citizenship. If every man who becomes a citizen of Canada is to have the right to vote, then the nation as such should stand against a too great incoming of men who have neither the incentive nor the intelligence to vote in the interests of the country. We should guard sacredly the institutions of public gov- ernment. All the interests, from the school up, should be guarded, equipped and manned. We should conserve the net wealth of the country for all the people of the country. We should make life on the farm more attractive than it was when some of you men were boys on the farm. There must be good roads, good schools, all the advantages of civilization ; because men cannot live by bread alone, if you are to make the country strong. We must be strong elsewhere than in the centres of population.
We must play our part in the politics of the world in such a way that neither navy nor militia should be re- quired in the days to come. Every dron of my blood has come from men of war, but when I went back to Scotland, and saw the representatives from the Isle of Skye and the Mull, the home of the mighty men of old, fifty of them there, Lochiel in the chair, and I the only man in the crowd who stood six feet high, I asked myself the reason. Why was it? It was because the pick of the stock is taken from the yeomanry to fight in useless wars, and only the weaker ones left behind. If we kill off the breeders, we ruin the
ADDRESSES OF THE YEAR. 31
nation. You cannot breed the Clydesdale from the cayuse. So let us, if we can, avoid war.
But we must learn more than that. We must learn to stand, as our ancestors stood, shoulder to shoulder, facing our duty, doing our part, and doing it well. If this country will only learn to do this, she will find that she stands as a power among other nations, teaching them to care for right and truth ; and that she is not only herself shoulders together, but stands shoulder to shoulder with all other nations of kindred spirit and purpose - - that not only English-speaking nations, but other nations as well — will stand together for the right of the common man which is the purpose of our government.
Land of our Birth, we pledge to thee Our love and toil in the years to be, When we are grown and take our place, As men and women with our race.
Land of our Birth, our Faith, our Pride,
For whose dear sake our fathers died,
0 Motherland, we pledge to thee,
Head, heart and hand through the years to be !
— Kipling
32 CANADIAN CLUB OF WINNIPEG.
DEVELOPMENT OF THOUGHT POWER BY MEN OF ACTION.
May llth, 1911.
Sir Robert A. Falconer, President of the University of Toronto.
After reviewing the material advances made in the West, and alluding facetiously to the spirit of exaggerated optimism, Dr. Falconer pointed out that these advances were due to the pre- ponderance of men of initiative and vigor, and that the optimism was to a large extent justified by the continued presence of these men in the flesh. Anglo-Saxons respect the men of action; they are not contented with words. Words ha.ve to be translated into action, and have to be the expression of character. This is al- together admirable; and one of the fundamentals of education is that the child should be taught to translate into action the pre- cepts which are from day to da,y instilled in school life. This virtue belongs to Canadians at large. Energy is keyed up to a high plane so that we accomplish what would not otherwise be possible. The man whose activities are at his service every day is able to do things which other men cannot do, and this is why in ordinary life the busy man is called on to do more than his share of public duty. We all look forward to the time when the rush of life will be slackened, and we shall have calm and large leisure, but this is an illusion. We must find our diversion in change of energy. It is the combination of buoyancy of climate, amptitude of the spaces, the moral force that optimism and hope bring, and this having at tension all our latent powers — it is this combination which accounts for the incredible results of the new world. Continuing, Dr. Falconer said:
What do we observe as a concomitant of that? One is this: that without proper consideration we are doing things at once. Take this city as an example of probably all our Canadian cities that are growing fast. The city is stretching out in all directions. How much of that is due to foresight and to planning? How much of it is perfectly fortuitous? How much of the future of this city is mort- gaged by the present, shall I say unconsidered — hardly unconsidered because that would have a meaning I don't intend to convey — by the present almost thoughtless push- ing out in any direction. The new settler comes and he plants down his home wherever he can find space. There is no time to consider sanitary arrangements or the future arrangements of the city. And we have in Toronto, for instance, busy down-town streets which are almost lanes,
ADDRESSES OF THE YEAR. 33
because there has not been a chance to lay our great central thoroughfare through which traffic should be directed. Up- town we have beautiful residences, but the city is becoming more and more congested down-town and all around. Per- haps of all our Canadian cities this one is being drawn in with greatest rapidity and usually without very much con- sideration.
Then any people who have anything to do with the structure and the stamp of buildings, as many of you here have to do with them, must over and over again have had borne in upon them that the amount of careless work which is of necessity put upon buildings is almost startling. You wonder that things don't turn out worse than they do. You wonder there are not more accidents than there are, simply because things have to be built. And they are built with a haste that comes home to us all. Railways have to be constructed, terminals put up, elevators erected, business blocks established and houses have to be built. These things are necessities.. They have, however, in them ele- ments of danger, as I have said, against which we should guard. You reply, "Yes, but we never know how we are "to develop. That is one reason why we go ahead. The "future has its own secrets. " Perfectly true. You also say, "Things cannot be done economically, or they would never "be done." I heard one leading financier say the day before yesterday, "You must take risks." Probably there is a good deal of truth in that. Now the demand is for railway extensions, for local habitations, now for some place in which to carry on the various forms of life.
That is unquestionably so. That is an excuse and a legitimate excuse, but I come to the third danger and that is this: That there is a good-natured optimism which puts reliance upon the magnificent resources of our country and tells us that we can in this country make social and economic ventures, and that even if we do make blunders, the resources are so vast that we can retrieve these blunders. That has in it an element of truth, perhaps a large element of truth, but there is so much danger in it that I believe we should be on our guard when we try to justify the things we do by this appeal to our unlimited resources, whether of manhood or nature. Cities cannot be rebuilt. Social customs when once established are the most difficult
34 CANADIAN CLUB OF WINNIPEG.
things in the world to overturn. The land when wasted can never be returned, and forests when ruthlessly cut down will take generations for their restoration, and by that time the whole skin of the land may have been worn off by the forces of nature. Certain great blunders can never be retrieved, and these are things that we should bear in mind in the midst of our haste.
And that brings me to this further point: Perhaps the most insidious danger of this life of action of ours is lest we should grow into that temper of haste and restlessness which is impatient of contemplation and reflection. That, gentlemen, is the centre theme upon which I wish to speak to you : that the very rushing nature of our life may destroy in us the power to think. AVe will before long have come to the stage when we will have overcome the wilderness. We will before long have come to the stage when we can study more, know and think, but it will be a lamentable thing, if, when we reach that stage, it is impossible for us to use it.
The speaker instanced the financier who has been engaged in business in his life, and who finally goes to the seaside for rest, and who spends the hours marching up and down in a fever of restlessness. This spirit descends on all of us, even those who in youth were fond of reading and reflection. Looking back into history our first impression would be to sa,y that it has been men of action who have made history, but after all it has been the emperors in the realms of thought, the men who out of reflection have produced ideas. Even in the industrial life of our country, it is the thinker in the office who directs the machine, and it is the crop of our thinkers which will in the long run determine the character of our country and public life. Dr. Falconer concluded as follows:
Government, as the days go by, is becoming ever more complex. Social problems are arising that are becoming far more complex than the social problems of a generation ago. Democracy is coming to the front and is making demands on us that democracy never made before. Our international relations are what they never were before, delicate, widespread, intricate, requiring the most profound and careful thought. And the world being brought together into one by communication as never before is the cause that nations are rubbing shoulder to shoulder as they never rub- bed shoulder to shoulder before. In the contact arising from new nations men are required who know these nations, who know the meaning of their life, and who, by their
ADDRESSES OF THE YEAR. 35
infinite tact, moral power and mental ability, are able to show us something at least of the way in which the solu- tion should go.
These problems of our newer life, social, democratic and international, and racial if I may say so, are not going to be solved by the bluff good nature of the ordinary man, who can laugh over difficulties. They are going to be solved as in the past by the thinkers who sit still and in the midst of action reflect, and who out of that reflection bring the ideas which are always the solution of moral, political or social issues. Now by that I don't mean to say that ideas are generated only in academic circles, far from it. Ideas are generated wherever there are thinking men, and think- ers are not found only within academic walls. But I do say that it is necessary for us as a young people to conserve those agencies which are productive and stimulative of ideas. It is our bounden duty, as men of action, to see that the sources from which ideas germinate are kept healthful, our schools, colleges, universities, churches, our press, that these, which in their mass are really the matrices in which ideas are engendered, should be kept pure and wholesome. We should cultivate them and put our mind upon them and in many ways ungrudgingly contribute to their upkeep. These are the sources from which our new manhood will spring.
We are looking to the West more and more for the thought so sorely needed in our countrv. You will appear in the councils of the nation in the future far more than ever in the past, and everyone rejoices in that. Your virile life in this central and further West, your energy, your power, these things are needed at Ottawa., and you will send these things to Ottawa in an increasing stream. And that addition will be welcomed by every true Canadian.
But, Mr. Chairman, let me remind you that the men at Ottawa who will carry weight in the long run will not be the men of action and force, action the mere output of large good nature and pushing, forceful power. These are not the men who are going to win at Ottawa. If you are going to have your power at Ottawa it will be not merely by reason of the energy which you bring, but by reason of your contribution of ideas to the common stock. That
36 CANADIAN CLUB OF WINNIPEG.
will be where your power will lie. The sources of repre- sentation are changing, but, gentlemen, the multitude of the West will not necessarily overcome the East by mere multitude. It may be that some of the smaller provinces, if they can only retain their belief in ideas and can only retain their meditative life, will retain also dominance in the councils of the nation. Because it will be men of thoughtful power, who can by ability and moral character solve the difficulties, who will lead. It will not be the mul- titude who vote who will lead.
We say that government, democratic government, is government for the people by the people. This is a catchy expression, though it has a great deal of truth in it. Demo- cratic government is government by the people who vote in the way a few thinkers make the people vote. It is government by the one man who has ideas; it isn't govern- ment of the country by the multitude. It is a government by the intelligent few who make the people do their bidding. They appeal to the multitude and show them the way. The throng, which has no time to think or doesn't take time to think, is unable to see its way. The leader goes ahead and says this and this, because he has had time and fore- sight.
Your contribution to the future of this country will not depend upon the votes, but upon the quality of the men you send; upon the insight, foresight, upon the moral character that will appeal. That will be your strength. And, therefore, let me, as I sit down again, say this: I hope for the sake of the Dominion as a whole that, while we all rejoice in our action, we will all recognize as a none the less bounden duty that we should practice in the midst of our activity those reflective virtues which alone lead our manhood to achieve its highest development.
Let Canada our watchword be, While lesser names we know no more, One nation, spread from sea to sea, And fused by love, from shore to shore; From sea to sea, from strand to strand, Spreads our Canadian Fatherland,— Mqchar,
ADDRESSES of THE YEAR. 37
INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATION.
June 2nd, 1911.
William Maxwell, Edinburgh, President of the International Co-operative Alliance of Europe.
Mr. Maxwell said that the leaders of the Co-operative movement now speak of their trade and their capital in terms of millions sterling. He traced this wonderful development from the initiation of the movement in 1769 by fourteen poor weavers of Fenwick Village, who were at the time on the verge of starvation. After quoting statistics to show the enormous membership of the Co- operative society, comprising one-fourth of the families of Great Britain, and the volume of business transacted yearly, he said:
"Now, this wonderful and world- wide organization is indebted to the humble retail societies for its success. I will take the St. Cuthbert's society in Edinburgh as an example of the growth and popularity of the movement. Edinburgh is a residential city, largely given over to educa- tion. It has a population of a little over 300,000. Here, the St. Cuthbert's society that I speak of started about fifty years ago. It has now a membership of about 42,000 people, in a community of a little over 300,000. Any person above 21 years of age can become a member, and the law allows every member to hold shares to the extent of two hundred pounds. The dividends are paid in cash to those who desire it. The dividend is about 22 per cent, of the value of the purchase. Thus, if a member's purchases were eighty pounds a year in value, in twenty years his profits would amount to over three hundred and forty-six pounds sterling.
Perhaps the best means of bringing home to you the truth of the value of this great combine to the working classes especially, is to give you an example of ten men who have been consistent purchasers. The total sum placed to the credit of these ten men in twenty years was £3,531 13s. 3d.
Besides the monetary advantage of the Co-operative societies, their value socially and educationally has been immense. Lectures, as I have stated, form a branch of the work undertaken. Musical taste is cultivated and soci- ability among the members established by means of public concerts in the winter time, in all of the busy centres.
38 CANADIAN CLUB OF WINNIPEG.
Women's classes, where every kind of women's work is studied, is a feature of one of the societies. In others, there is a fund from which advances are made to members for the purchase of their homes. Any member that has paid 20 per cent of the value of his house can borrow the remain- ing 80 per cent, arranging his payments half-yearly, so that the half-yearly profits of his purchases in the Co-operative society meet the instalments of the loan; and in this way, in a few years the house becomes his own without his put- ting his hand in his pocket and paying out a single penny for it. Thus, to counteract the method by which some men drink themselves out of house and home, we, in the co- operative societies, have a method whereby a man may eat himself into house and home.
The question may not unnaturally be asked: What has this co-operative movement done morally for the workers of Great Britain? Well, we will take the question of in- temperance. It is an accepted presumption by those who have studied this question that, as a general rule, men do not drink because they love the liquor, but simply because they would thus escape the miseries with which they are surrounded. The co-operative movement builds them up financially, gives them new heart and hope, lines with silver (actually) the cloud that has hung over the family for so long. Co-operation, too, has done much for the cause of labor; for it has carried the co-operative idea out among its employees, who receive the same amount of profit per pound of wages as they would if they were giving cash to the society instead of work. From the highest salaried employee to the humblest message boy, the principle is carried out: he receives a share of the profits the same as if he were the purchaser.
The change that has come over men in all countries where co-operation is practised is very striking. Every country in Europe was represented at our International Alliance Congress. We had one man who came all the way from Tokio, in Japan; one from India, to represent the co-operators there.
There are no less than thirteen wholesale societies in Europe. The retail societies of the various countries have imitated those of Great Britain, and have built up whole-
ADDRESSES OF THE YEAR. 39
sale societies. The whole International Co-operative Alli- ance is like one brotherhood. The shadow of disaster has no sooner to fall over any part of Europe than contributions are rushed from co-operators in all countries to relieve thj distress of their fellows. When the Seine overflowed, large donations were sent to the Mayor of Paris. The co-operators of Paris overwhelmed us with their expressions of gratitude.
From a national, economic point of view, co-operation is of the greatest value. Co-operation is making for kindlier relationship between man and man. It has encouraged well doing in every department of life. The co-operative movement stands for the greatest possible good to the greatest possible number. The leaders of co-operation now speak of their numbers in millions sterling and of their capital in millions sterling ; and this whole great change has come about since the middle of the 18th century, as I have traced it. It has succeeded, it has achieved for the mass of the workers, of the poor people of the world, that object toward which the charities of misdirected philan- thropy have miserably failed.
11 Shall we not all be one race
Shaping and welding the nation? Is not our Country too broad
For the schisms that rend petty lands? Yea, we shall join in our might
And keep sacred our firm Federation, Shoulder to shoulder arrayed
Hearts open to hearts, hands to hands."
— Barry Straton
40 CANADIAN CLUB OF WINNIPEG.
THE SOCIAL EVOLUTION IN ENGLAND.
July 6th, 1911.
Rev. Dr. John Clifford, London England, the English Nonconformist Divine.
Dr. Clifford said that his subject was to be "Social Evolution in England." Some people in the old country would be inclined to describe the changes of the past few years as "Social Revolu- tion." This was an age of great changes in the scientific world, but it was not of those he desired to speak. Kant had said that we ought never to treat men as a means, but always as an end. If we examine the history of the past century, with this thought in- mind, we will find that it naturally arranges itself in three periods, from 1800 to 1830, from 1830 to 18618, and from 1868 to the end of the century. The first period was one of sorrow and misery and of antagonism1 to the government on the part of the people.
The next period was coincident with the passage of the first great Reform Bill. It was the period when Thomas Carlyle and John Ruskin pleaded for further advances along the path of reform, but they pleaded in vain. The Government of the day did nothing but investigate.
The third period was ushered in by the first fruits of the investigation and enquiry and agitation of the previous- period. It was the Poster Education Bill. In 1885 the reformers were in the topmost heights of 'hope, imagining that the unrest at that time presaged great advances, but unfortunately their hopes were dashed by the electoral triumph of the reactionaries.
In 1906 they had to give way before the progressives. The embodiment of the progressive movement of the present is Lloyd- George, whose career during the last three or four years 'had been crowned by magnificent achievements.
Continuing, the speaker said:
"Lloyd-George is not only to be regarded as belonging to the whole Liberal party. He is dominant also in the Labor party.
Social evolution in England has now such a purchase that it is impossible for it to slip back. I know many of the leaders personally, and have met them in their homes. They are men of the greatest sagacity, the keenest insight, widest sympathy, and splendid combativeness. The Labor party, which has now attained a strength greater than in
ADDRESSES OF THE YEAR. 41
previous years, is one of the expressions of the fresh, strong stream of social evolution.
The State, instead of being the foe of the people, must be its friend. The State must come down by the side of the weak man. It must stand by his side until he has got back his strength, and is able to stand staunchly and erect. The power of the State as a whole must be used in the interest and for the benefit of all classes of the community. Civiliza- tion is only perfectly developed when it becomes a great organization for conserving the resources and protecting the interests of the race. It is impossible for any one of us to do his work completely unless he takes into consideration the relations he holds to the world.
This is the thing that lies at the root of the great social evolution in England — this spirit of neighborliness, of kin- ship, that is gradually possessing the race. I know it. I preached this fifty years ago, and I have preached it many times since then. I have not preached it alone. Others have caught the same inspiration. You have one in your gather- ing today who has written upon this theme, basing his ob- servations to some extent upon the teachings of a friend of mine. The book he has written is typical of the work that has been going on for many years.
The Lloyd-George budget of 1911 is doing more than the budget of 1909. The last gave pensions to pilgrims wounded and stricken on their journey through life, making them happy at last under their own roof-tree — hundreds of them, thousands of them. What it means, it is not pos- sible for me to say — nor what it has meant to those who have worked into the night so as to get a little more money in the week, that they might help the mother or the old father at home.
Then what is to be accomplished by the budget of 1911 ? Might I just indicate again that this is a work under the inspiration and statesmanship of Lloyd-George, and with the co-operation of great workers in the Board of Trade and in the Local Government Board. Many brains have contri- buted to this work, whilst the reactionaries were scoring Lloyd-George. It has had an army of workers, so that it might be ready for this year.
42 CANADIAN CLUB OF WINNIPEG.
This budget is giving assurance to the employed against the day of their invalidism. This is the thing long prayed for by the workman — labor without any such perils to his future and to the future of his home as those to which he is now exposed. Besides that, there is great provision made for the unemployed. Eugenics, too, have a part and place in this legislation. In fact, the more you look into this measure the more you will be inspired to say that the social evolution for which we have been toiling for many years has now reached a stage of sure and abiding success.
If you leave the gloom of London and you seek a glowing land
Where all except the flag is strange and new, There's a bronzed and stalwart fellow who will grip you by the hand,
And greet you with a welcome warm and true ; For He's your younger brother, the one you sent away,
Because there wasn't room for him at home; And now he's quite contented, and he's glad he didn't stay,
And he's building Britain's greatness o'er the foam.
— Robert. W. Service.
ADDRESSES OF THE YEAR. 43
THE ENGLISH SPEAKING RACE AND ITS FUTURE RELATIONS.
August 21st, 1911.
Dr. Jacob Gould Schurman, Ithadt, N.Y., President of Cornell University.
After describing the great future unquestionably in store for Canada, Dr. Schurman gave reasons why, in his opinion, the Governments of Canada and the United States must stand together in their general policy. The main reason was that the impact of the Orient, as represented by China and Japan, would be felt more in the New World than it would be in Europe. Furthermore, the two peoples were united by the tenderer and perhaps stronger ties of neighborhood and kinship and common moral, political and intellectual ideals. They had a common ancestry and a common interest in a thousand years of British history.
For neighbors and kinsmen, intercourse was a primal necessity. Socially, the intercourse between Canada and the United States was on an ideal basis, but commercially bar- riers had been erected by tariffs, which Dr. Schurman be- lieved had been built up by cunning, greed and petty poli- tics. Protection was only justified when a country had in- fant industries to stimulate, but happily the countries were now in such a position that free trade between them could do injury to neither. By a great and memorable act of constructive statesmanship, President Taft with the endorse- ment of the American people, irrespective of party, had of- fered to Canada a measure of Reciprocity.
Dr. Schurman indignantly denied certain statements to the effect that the American people in supporting Reci- procity were actuated by a desire to annex Canada. The trouble was that Americans as a rule did not take sufficient interest in the affairs of Canada. The few who did recog- nized that Canada's future was the subject of concern only to her own people. As to the effect of Reciprocity on Im- perial relations the speaker was not in a good position to speak, but he would be inclined to accept the view of the Hon. Joseph Martin, who considered that trade agreements had nothing to do with sentimental ties.
44 CANADIAN CLUB OF WINNIPEG.
Dr. Schurman concluded: "Here again I think I can speak for the American people. Not only has a trade agree- ment between Canada and the United States nothing to do with the political relations of Canada to Great Britain, but, in the condition of sentiment towards Great Britain which now prevails in the United States, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to secure the enactment of a measure which would in any way be prejudicial to the interests or sub- versive of the aims of Great Britain. I need scarcely say that this feeling and sentiment have not always obtained in the United States. On the contrary, the animosities kindled by the war of Independence had scarcely subsided before they were again fanned into hot flames by the attitude of the ruling classes of Great Britain in the great Civil War, and especially by the Government's neglect to prevent the escape of the notorious Alabama. But with the lapse of half a century these angry feelings have died out and the transference in Great Britain of political power from the aristocracy to the masses of the people has developed in the two great democracies on opposite sides of the Atlantic a new consciousness of kinship and of identical aims and aspirations.
The moral support given by Great Britain to the United States in the war with Spain marks the beginning of a new epoch. And few things have afforded more satisfaction to intelligent and patriotic Americans than this rapid emer- gence of feelings of cordial friendship and affectionate re- gard for Great Britain. At the same time, there has deve- loped amongst us a consciousness of the similarity of the aims and harmony of the policies of both nations as great world powers. And along with these previous developments of fraternal feelings and common purposes there is dawning, if I am not mistaken, a consciousness of the moral unity of the English-speaking race, in which all members — not only Great Britain and the United States, but also Canada and the other self-governing dominions — shall have their place and function as champions of peace, industry, self- government, the well-being of the masses of the people, and the protection of the type of civilization for which in varying phases they all stand in all the quarters of the globe.
Gentlemen, it is my deliberate opinion that Canada holds the key to this situation. The next step towards the moral
ADDRESSES OF THE YEAR. 45
union of the English-speaking nations lies in increasing the social intercourse and enlarging the trade relations between Canada and the United States. Social and commercial in- tercourse is the instrumentality Providence has used in the long course of history for civilizing and humanizing savages and barbarous tribes. It continues to be the best instru- mentality for engendering sentiments of friendship and brotherhood among civilized nations. I favor any and every measure which, without invading the inviolability of na- tional life, multiplies the chords of sentiment and strength- ens the bonds of interest by which Canada and the United States are drawn more closely together. And at the same time, and with equal sincerity, I should like, if it is not regarded as presumptuous, to express my cordial good wishes for the continual prosperity of the Canadian people and the Canadian nation, and to record my convictions that a future is in store for them so ample, so opulent, so splendid that no man to-day can either describe or imagine it."
"Canadian loyalty is a firm attachment to that British constitution and those British laws, adapted or enacted by ourselves, which best secure life, liberty and prosperity, and which prompt us to Christian and patriotic deeds by link- ing us with all that is grand and noble in the traditions of our national history. "--Ryerson.
46 CANADIAN CLUB OF WINNIPEG.
GERMANY AND THE WORLD'S PEACE
August 25th, 1911.
Rev. Clarence Mackinnon, D.D., Principal of Presbyterian College, Halifax, N.S.
Dr. MacKinnon said that we desired to give expression to a deep anxiety which ha.d extended from Great Britain across the seas to Canada, the burden of which was that the world's peace might 'be disturbed in our time, and that the stability of the British Empire was endangered.
By quotations from recent speeches of Lloyd-George, once an anti-imperialist and a pro-German, he showed tha.t the general belief was that the menace to peace was the policy of Germany. This belief was justified by the imperative need of Germany for expan- sion, in order to secure markets. Such expansion was blocked by the world-wide possessions of Britain. Further, the German people had become possessed with imperial ambitions, sedulously encour- aged and stimulated by the governing classes.
Germany had reached the conclusion that she could only challenge Britain's supremacy by building a great navy. When during the Boer war Germany showed her teeth, Britain's answer was the famous flying squadron. Germany retracted, but the Kaiser then said, amidst enthusiastic applause, "This is the last "time that a proud people shall suffer such humiliation. Hence- forth the destiny of Germany lies on the sea."
The danger to Britain lay in* the genius for organization, the discipline a.nd the determination of the German race. They had none of the weaknesses of races which had previously endeavored to wrest the sceptre from the hands of Britain. The tradition of German foreign policy was still that of Bismark — cynical, un- scrupulous and ruthless. Dr. MacKinnon concluded his address, with the following words:
For years Germany has not fought, but has simply rat- tled the sabre in the scabbard. In the year 1905, when Delcasse and the French cabinet opposed the schemes of Germany with regard to Morocco, Germany said: — "Re- move that man from the cabinet, or within forty-eight hours our army will be across the frontier," and Delcasse was removed. Again in 1908, when Austria added to her terri- tory Herzegovina and Bosnia, a large proportion of whose population is Slav, and the Slav looks to Russia as the de- fender of his race, what happened? Russia was moving to the support of the Slav when Germany sent a telegram to Russia, saying — "Within forty-eight hours desist or our
ADDRESSES OF THE YEAR. 47
armies will be across the Russian frontier." Mobilization began, but Russia desisted from her support of the Slav. Treitschke, the national historian of Germany, said: — "We have settled our accounts with Austria, France and Russia, The last settlement will be with England, and it will prob- ably be the lengthiest and probably the most difficult. "
"So you see there is really great cause of anxiety in the German situation and in the German ambition to the British Empire. Now, we said that the first defect in the policy of Napoleon was his impatience. Germany has avoided that. The other defect in the policy of Napoleon was his inability to overcome the British Navy. In 1804, Napoleon had his camp fires lighted on the Zuider Sea to the mouth of the sea. An army of invasion was ready to cross the Channel and Napoleon said: — 'Give me six hours' mastery of the English Channel and I command the world.' Over in England the people rose with hearts of steel. Five hundred and twenty-five thousand soldiers lay down every night with marching orders. Farmers and English yeomen coming home from market bought yards and yards of bunt- ing to string up to the steeples on the first news of the French arrival. For thirty weeks an armed escort stood at the Bank of England to have the money removed to the crypt of Worcester Cathedral, where men stood ready to receive it. In Edinburgh everything was ready to light a beacon on Edinburgh castle to inform Scotland that the French had come.
"But the splendid, heroic pride of England overcame the attacks. Nelson destroyed the Spanish fleets at Trafal- gar and England was saved. The German theory to-day is this, not to enter into a war until you have more guns, more men, more armament, more support behind you than the adversary. Germany will not fight now. She will back down. She backed down the other day and she will b;ick down every day until that fleet is bigger. Nevertheless, the building of a fleet with the one possible object in view must be a menace to the peace of the world.
"Now, gentlemen, would it make much difference if this world were Germanic or Anglo-Saxon? There is a distinction in the ideals of the two nations. This policy which I have just been expounding explains how Germany
48 CANADIAN CLUB OF WINNIPEG.
moves from central authority and how she concentrates everything in a supreme authority. The great virtue be- comes obedience. Anglo-Saxon institutions have this spirit ; they give self-government to the different nations or Domin- ions under their sway. The British policy is to trust man- kind, not to police but to have confidence in mankind. The splendid races in the British Empire, the splendid prosperity of Canada to-day are due to this Anglo-Saxon spirit of gov- ernment. It would be a disaster to the progress of civiliza- tion and to the development of the world if the Germanic theory were to supplement that of the Anglo-Saxon.
" There may be defects in the British character and there may be here and there a blot on the British escutcheon, for after all to err is human. But where in all the history of the world is there a race that has stood for principle, for ideals and for liberty that has shown such confidence in man, aye, and trust in God, as the great British Empire to which we belong. And I believe, Mr. Chairman and gentle- men, that it will justify any sacrifice and any effort on our part that we should maintain the ideals and the power of the British Crown.
"Now, in closing, there will be three things that I want just to mention. What can we do to avert so great a catastrophe, were such a catastrophe to approach us in coming times? It seems to me that there are three things that we must do. After all world peace rests upon the principles of justice. We must, to some extent, recognize the expansion of the British Empire and try to make some just and natural agreement for it. On the other hand, we are to remember that wars are oftentimes sprung upon the world by the spirit of panic and through the headlines of our press and through inflamatory speeches. We must take care that de don't lose our heads and precipitate ourselves into a situation that must be disastrous for the world. If we are going to rely upon mere diplomacy to avert such a catastrophe, we are relying upon a broken reed. And al- though Lord Beresford said the other day that diplomacy can avert a war, we must remember that we are dealing with the Bismarkian policy, and that the famous statement of Bismark was this: 'That diplomacy is never a match for the sword.'
ADDRESSES OF THE YEAR. 49
"In our diplomacy we should seek to secure the peace of the world. If we seek to give justice to mankind, if we seek to concede rights that are natural to people seeking after them at the same time, we support that diplomacy with the whole spirit and strength and soul of the Empire. In a very few years these prairies will be filled. This country will be strong and populous and full of wealth. Against an Anglo-Saxon-Canadian association, or union or federation Germany would be absolutely helpless. At this moment Britain has to bear the brunt alone. From the earl- iest years she had, with magnificent heroism and self-sacri- fice, been standing around the old flag that protects us all. And I feel that the hour must come when we must bear some part of that burden. And any sacrifices we make I believe will bring to ourselves ample justification and ample reward.'
She stands, a thousand-wintered tree,
By countless storms imperiled; Her broad roots coil beneath the sea,
Her branches sweep the world; Her seeds, by careless winds conveyed,
Clothe the remotest strand With forests from her scatterings made, New nations fostered in her shade,
And linking land with land.
0 ye by wandering tempest sown
'Neath every alien star, Forget not whence the breath was blown
That waffced you afar! For ye are still her ancient seed
On younger soil let fall- Children of Britain's island-breed, To whom the mother in her need
Perchance may one day call.
— William Watson.
50 CANADIAN CLUB OF WINNIPEG.
COMMERCE AND ATHLETICS AS FACTORS IN IMPERIAL UNITY.
September 5th, 1911.
Lord Desborough, President of Chambers of Commerce, London, England.
(Lord Desborough commented humorously on newspaper state- ments as to the objects of his visit, and as to his connections in the Old Country. Describing the work of the London Chamber of Commerce, he s.aid:
"It corresponds, as your Chairman has told you, to your boards of trade. It is naturally, being in the geographical centre of the Empire, a somewhat important body. Forty- five trade sections of the different trades of the Empire are represented. We have also, and I have no doubt that this side of it will be developed by other boards of trade in the near future, in this and other portions of the Dominion, a commercial educational grant. We have established ex- aminations all over the country in which we give certificates to those candidates who come forward and submit to the examination. To begin with, 200 of these candidates came up to us, but this year we will examine something like 12,000, which is a very large increase. We are doing a very good work. These examinations are to show knowledge of business matters, French, German, Spanish and other sub- jects useful to those who wish to climb the ladder of com- merce. They are also found very useful by the employer.
"The London Chamber of Commerce keeps a list, I think there are 5,000 at present on our list, of those who wish to become clerks in big establishments. And the em- ployer who wishes to get a clerk only has to apply to our Chamber of Commerce. He says — 'I want to get the ser- vices of someone well up in Spanish or shorthand/ and we are able to supply him. We have done a great deal of good in forwarding the commercial interests of young men in the old country, and it is a matter which is being very carefully looked after and one which I think is of very large importance. Only last year, to show you the activity of the London Chamber of Commerce, we established a branch office in Uganda. Each of these offices is in com-
ADDRESSES OF THE YEAR. 51
munication with the committee devoted to the service of that particular branch in the Old Country. They are able to put their wants, wishes and desires before the govern- ment of the day and have thus been able to get a good deal. In railway and postal facilities and various other matters the London Chamber of Commerce has been able to exercise a great deal of influence and influence of a most useful kind."
Lord Desborough pointed out that 1912 would see several most important conferences at the heart of the Empire; the Imperial Conference, the Convention of the Board of Trade of the Empire, and a conference of delegates of the various parliamentary bodies of the Empire. It was hoped that all these meetings would be productive of great permanent benefit to the Empire, and that Canada would assume at all the position to which her present importance and her prospects entitled her.
The speaker then turned to the realm of sport, and suggested an Imperial team for the Olympic games to be held in Stockholm.
After referring to the progress of the country in the twenty- three years which had elapsed since his last visit, he concluded:
"When I was down South I heard the most flattering things said about the wider point of view which character- izes not only the newspapers, but the public men north of the line and which divides us from the United States. This writer is an American writer, and he put it down to the fact that this wider point of view was common in Canada, both in the press and in the leading men from the fact that they belonged to a great Empire, that big as their country was, it was not confined to that, but was widened by other countries in the south, by the great Empire of India, by the Continent of Australia and by all the colonies scattered throughout the world. And the feeling that they are mem- bers of that large family made them take what I may, per- haps, call a less parochial view of great matters before them for decision than otherwise would have been the case."
That ye may talk together, brother to brother's face."
— Kipling.
52 CANADIAN CLUB OF WINNIPEG.
BRITISH RULE IN INDIA.
October 5th, 1911.
Sir Andrew Fraser, K.C.S.L, late Governor-General of Bengal, India.
Sir Andrew described the organization of the British Admin- istration of India, and referring more particularly to the executive department, dwelt on the interest, charm and responsibility of the life of the official who has to represent the British Raj to millions of natives.
There have been many slanders circulated as to British rule, but a little knowledge of actual conditions would soon dissipate- any false impressions. On certain aspects of the problem which had to be faced, the speaker said: »
"It is a thoroughly Oriental idea, that the Government must do the work. That is one of the great principles of British administration that we must never forget. We must remember that nothing will be done unless the government either does it or moves in the doing of it. We have been teaching the people local self-government for some time ; but it is hard to make it take root, for it is purely art imported product and not indigenous to India at all. But there is one thing in regard to government that is indigenous to the people : and this is the most beautiful thing that you can see. It is a wholly eastern idea that sense grows with, years. Each village has a council of five, which it considers the most sensible people in the village; and these people almost seem to have an intuitive knowledge as to who should be in a position of power and authority. Sometimes a young man gets into this council of five, but it is very rare. These five are the leaders of the village, and are recognized as the people who are to judge in village disputes. But beyond this instinctive idea of government, the easterner knows almost nothing. He knows something of the government officer, but recognizes that he has no responsibility outside of the village area in which he lives.
"I remember talking about local self-government to the most influential Maharajah in Bengal. I asked him why he did not go in for local self-government, and stand as a candidate for his District. "Me stand as a candidate," he said, "I am not responsible if things go wrong. You will.
ADDRESSES OF THE YEAR. 53
be responsible if things go wrong. You know perfectly well that you cannot afford to let things go wrong, so there is no need for me to trouble myself about government affairs" — and he did not trouble. He just abstained, and left me to put things right.
There is another thing that one has got to remember in regard to the administration of India, and that is, that there is no Indian nation. That is the thing to get into your heads clearly and definitely. There is in India — a country about the extent of Europe, less Russia — not one nation, but many nations and many peoples, differing from each other just as perfectly as the nations of Europe differ — differing, in short, in everything that constitutes a differ- ence among nations, religion, language, traditions, history, interests and ambitions. There is one thing only that holds India together, and that is British rule.
I remember upon one occasion presiding at a confer- ence which was called to discuss an important question of administration. I had at this conference representatives of all grades of Bengalese. I remember that one of the dele- gates made use of this expression, ''the national view"; and a friend of mine, a native, very loyal to his own state, too, said instantly, "What are you talking about a national view for? You know there is no Indian nation. You know that if British rule were removed, the people would be at each other's throat in a moment." It was emphatically true.
Let me mention one more thing, and that is this : That one-third of the area of India and one-fourth of its popula- tion are governed by native chiefs who are entirely supreme within their own districts, but are under feudal allegiance to the British Crown. These chiefs are called upon to ad- minister their states with a reasonable amount of justice and intelligence. They have residents at their courts, bound to keep themselves informed about the procedure of the chiefs, and to report to the Government whether the chiefs are dealing justly and righteously by their people. The British government guarantees these native chiefs protec- tion against rebellion among their own people and encroach- ment on the part of their neighbors. We know that these native chiefs are loyal. We know that they understand their dependence on the British government.
54 CANADIAN CLUB OF WINNIPEG.
The educated community of which one hears so much is a very small community in India. The census returns for ten years show the following figures for illiterates in Bengal: The illiterates in Bengal ten years ago were 11.86 per cent for the males, or nearly twelve out of every hundred, and 5.77 for the females. Perhaps six per cent of the people of Bengal can sign their names. The edu- cated community is but a small fragment of this 6 per cent ; and despite all the government has done, in the cause of education, that is where the educated community stands at the present moment.
Then, we have got to remember caste, which keeps its position year after year. There are one-quarter of the Hindus of India in the outcast class. I wish you could see something of caste in India. I had a Brahmin clerk at one of my courts. Looking around at him once during the progress of the court, I saw him wriggling in his seat, and struggling to squeeze himself into the smallest possible space to avoid touching one of lower caste who was standing by. If any paper was tendered, I had to hold out my own hand for it. This is one of the strange things about this strange people — they do not think any the less of the British officer who holds caste distinction as nothing.
Take up the White Man's burden,
And reap his old reward — The blame of those ye better,
The hate of those ye guard — The cry of hosts ye humor
(Ah, slowly!) towards the light — "Why brought ye us from bondage,
Our loved Egyptian night?"
Take up the White Man's burden —
Ye dare not stoop to less — Nor call too loud on Freedom
To cloak your weariness, By all ye will or whisper,
By all ye leave or do, The silent, sullen peoples
Shall weigh your God and you. — Kipling.
ADDRESSES OF THE YEAR. 55
CANADA'S DUTY TO MARK THE GRAVE OF WOLFE.
October 17th, 1911. F. C. Wade, K. C., of Vancouver, B. C.
Mr. Wade said: —
"The twenty-first of this month will be the anniversary of Trafalgar. We have commemorated the victories of Nel- son, but Wolfe has been almost completely ignored. It is true, that if Napoleon had not been checked, the face of the Empire would have been changed; it is true that Nelson helped to save the Empire. But if it had not been for Wolfe, there would have been no Empire to save.
"I would say that the reason why Nelson has been so honored and Wolfe so ignored, is probably that Nelson fought in sight of London and in the immediate eye of England, and Wolfe across the seas. They say that the victory of Quebec was an episode of the Seven Years' War — at least, they used to say that. But with the lapse of history, the telescope has become reversed. The victory at Quebec was greater, more far-reaching, in Empire results than any other event or battle of the Seven Years' War. As a matter of fact, glorious as the victory of the Plains of Abraham was, it came after a long series of defeats, in which the British for ten years were the sufferers."
Continuing, Mr. Wade described the deplorable state of Britain's affairs at the time William Pitt assumed control, and framed and inspired the great policy, the execution of which was com- mitted to the hands of Wolfe. The exploits of that great soldier were lovingly recounted, the familiar story of the battle of the Plains of Abraham was retold in simple but impressive language, and the members of the club were urged to associate themselves with a suitable memorial to be placed at Greenwich in honor of our national hero.
And on that day no nobler stained the sod, Than his, who for his country laid life down;
Who for a mighty Empire battled there,
And strove from rival's brow to wrest the laurel crown.
— Duncan Anderson.
56 CANADIAN CLUB OF WINNIPEG.
Constitution of the Canadian Club of Winnipeg.
1. This Club shall be called the Canadian Club of Winnipeg.
2. It is the purpose of the Club to foster patriotism by encouraging the study of the institutions, history, arts, liter- ature and resources of Canada, and of other parts of the Empire, and by endeavoring to unite Canadians in such work for the welfare and progress of the Dominion as may be desirable and expedient.
3. (a) There -shall be two classes of members^active and honorary.
(b) Any man, at least eighteen years of age, who is a British subject by birth or naturalization, and who is in sympathy with the objects of the Club, shall be eligible for membership.
(c) Honorary membership may be conferred on such per- sons as in the opinion of the Club may be 'entitled to such distinction.
4. Application for membership, endorsed by two members of the Club in good standing, must be made on printed form provided, and forwarded to the Secretary, together with the annual membership fee. From time to time the secretary shall furnish each member of the Club with a list of those applying for membership, with names of proposer and seconder, and should any member object to any application therein submitted, such member shall notify the Executive Committee, giving his reasons for so objecting, ajid such objections shall be taken into consideration when applications are being dealt with by the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall at the next meeting approve of the applications for membership so submitted to which no sufficient objection has been made.
5. (a) Honorary members shall be exempt from the pay- ment of fees, but shall neither vote nor hold office.
(b) Active members shall pay in 'advance an annual fee of two dollars.
(c) No one shall be a member in good standing until he shall have paid the annual fee, such fee being due and payable on or before the day of the annual meeting in each year. All members whose fees are two months in 'arrears, shall be noti- fied by the Secretary, >and if the same are not paid within thirty days thereafter, their names shall be struck from the member- ship roll.
(d) Only members in good standing shall be eligible for office, or have the right to vote at any meeting of the Club.
6. (a) The officers of the Club shall consist of a President, 1st Vice-president, 2nd Vice-president, Literary Correspondent, Treasurer, Secretary, and seven others holding no specific office. These officers, together with the last retiring President, shall constitute the Executive Committee.
CONSTITUTION. 57
(b) The officers shall be elected at the annual meeting of the Club, which shall be held on the date to be selected by the Executive Committee between the first and fifteenth of November, both dates inclusive, and the officers so elected s-hall hold office until the next annual meeting or until their successors are elected.
(c) Nomination shall be made by a Nominating Committee, composed of the President and the five immediate past Presi- dents, and. of five members to be appointed by resolution at a meeting of the Club to be held at least one week previous to the annual meeting, a majority of such Committee shall form a quorum. Their report shall be received at the annual meet- ing and either adopted in its entirety or after amendment on motion and ballot.
(d) In case of demission of office, whether by death, resig- nation or otherwise, the vacancy thereby caused shall be filled by the Executive Committee. The person so elected shall hold office until the next annual meeting.
7. (a) Subject to special action by the Club, the conduct of its affairs shall be vested in the Executive Committee.
(b) The Executive Committee shall meet at the call of the President, and five members sihall constitute a quorum.
(c) Where the President is unable or refuses to call a meet- ing, three members of the Executive may do so by giving the others at least twenty-four hours notice in writing.
8. The duties of the officers shall be as follows: —
(a) The President shall preside at all meetings of the Club.
(b) He shall, on request of any member of the Club, in- form the meeting what action the Executive has taken upon any matter referred to it or being dealt with by the Executive.
(c) He shall at the annual meeting of the Club, report or cause a report to be made, detailing the action of the Club or its Executive during his term of office.
(d) He shall receive and cause to be read all motions and take the sense of the meeting upon any question put to the Club, preserve order and direct the proceedings of all meetings.
(e) There shall be no appeal from the ruling the chair unless requested by at least five members, and when an appeal from the chair is taken, the same shall be put to the meeting in the following manner: "Shall the chair be sustained?" and there shall be no debate upon the ruling of the chair. A two- thirds vote of the members present shall be required to over-rule a decision of the chair.
(f) In the absence of the President, the senior Vice-Presi- dent shall preside and perform the duties of the President and have his privileges.
(g) In the absence of the President and Vice-presidents, a Chairman for the meeting shall be chosen by the open vote of those present.
58 CANADIAN CLUB OF WINNIPEG.
(h) The Literary-Correspondent shall have charge of all the correspondence of a literary character, and shall edit any literary matter issued by the Club, and in a general way pro- mote and guard the interests of the Club in the daily and periodical press.
(i) The Secretary shall receive all dues payable by members to the Club, and shall issue receipts for same, and shall trans' mit all moneys collected by him to the Treasurer, who shall pay all accounts authorized by the Executive.
(j) The Secretary shall take minutes at all meetings of the Club, as well as those of the Executive Committee. He shall issue notices of meetings and perform those duties usually ap- pertaining to the office.
(k) The Treasurer is hereby authorized to open an account in any chartered bank and to issue cheques thereon in payment of any liabilities of the Club, which have been approved by the Executive.
9. (a) The ordinary meetings of the Club shall be held as the Committee from time to time shall decide, and if no member objects, business may be transacted at such meetings except such business as is prescribed by this constitution to take place at the annual meeting. Special meetings may be held at any time or place on the call of the President or of the Executive Committee, or of any ten members signing a requisition request- ing that a special meeting be called, and the President and Secretary shall, upon receiving such requisition, forthwith call a meeting of the Club specifying the nature of the business to be considered.
(b) No notice of ordinary meetings shall be necessary, but due notice in writing of all annual and special meetings shall be sent to each member of the Club.
(c) Ten members in good standing, present at any meeting of the Club, shall constitute a quorum.
10. Two Auditors shall be elected by open vote at the meeting provided for in Clause 6 (c), and shall embody their report in the Treasurer's annual statement.
11. This constitution may be amended at the annual meet- ing or at a special meeting called for that purpose by a two- thirds vote of the members present, after one week's notice of such amendment.
W. S. CARTER, M.A., LL.D.
Fredericton, N.B. President Association of Canadian Clubs, 1911-1912
OFFICERS
ASSOCIATION OF CANADIAN CLUBS, 1911-1912
Hon. President .. CHAS. R. McCULLOUGH, Hamilton, Ont. President . . . . W. S. CARTER, M.A., LL.D., Fredericton, N.B. Vice-President MRS. C. S. DOUGLAS, Vancouver, B.C.
Provincial Vice-Presidents
NOVA SCOTIA NEW BRUNSWICK QUEBEC ONTARIO MANITOBA SASKATCHEWAN ALBERTA BRITISH COLUMBIA
D. MACGILLIVRAY, Halifax
H. A. PORTER, St. John
GEORGE LYMAN, Montreal
GERALD H. BROWN, Ottawa
R. H. SMITH, Winnipeg
CHAS. HODGKINS, Regina
R. B. BENNETT, K.C., M.P., Calgary
D. VON CRAMER, Vancouver
Honorary Secretary-Treasurer
AMOS O'BLENES, M.A., Moncton, N.B.
DE MONTFORT PR WINNIPEG
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