The secret of heroism : a memoir of Henry Albert Harper

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THE SECRET
OF HEROISM

A Memoir of
Henry Albert Harper

By
W. L. MACKENZIE KING

New York Chicago Toronto

Fleming H. Reve// Company

London and Edinburgh

Copyright, 1906, by
FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY

JUL /.

cr

310

New York: 158 Fifth Avenue
Chicago: 80 Wabash Avenue
Toronto: 27 Richmond Street, W.
London: 21 Paternoster Square
Edinburgh: 100 Princes Street

So
flftotber

O STRONG soul, by what shore
Tarriest thou now ? For that force,
Surely, has not been left vain !
Somewhere, surely, afar,
In the sounding labour-house vast
Of being, is practiced that strength,
Zealous, beneficent, firm !

—Matthew Arnold, "Rugby Chapel."

CONTENTS

To THE READER 9

THE SECRET OF HEROISM . . . . 21

THE INFLUENCE OF HOME .... 24

COLLEGE AND AFTER .... 34

THE DAY'S WORK ..... 46

NATURE 55

BOOKS 65

THE LOVE OF OTHERS .... 78
SOCIAL AND POLITICAL IDEALS . . .105

THE PURPOSE OF LIFE . . . . 135

A LAST WORD 150

TO THE READER

THE erection by the Canadian public
of a monument in the capital of the
Dominion ; its unveiling by the rep-
resentative of the Crown ; its acceptance, on
behalf of the government, by the Prime
Minister of Canada ; a gathering of thou-
sands to do honour to the occasion, — and
this, to commemorate the heroism oi one
not yet eight and twenty years of age, — is a
national tribute which may well cause us to
pause and silently revere a people who in
their hearts cherish so strong a love for the
heroic, and build for their children such
sacred traditions.

It is now four years since Henry Albert
Harper, in an endeavour to save the life of
Miss Bessie Blair, a girl of rare and beauti-
ful character, was drowned with her in the
Ottawa River. On an afternoon in Decem-
ber, 1901, he had joined, by chance, a party
9

io THE SECRET OF HEROISM

of three, of which Miss Blair was a member.
They were skating on the river, a little be-
fore twilight, when Miss Blair and a gentle-
man who accompanied her, came suddenly
upon a wide space of open water near the
mouth of the Gatineau. Before there was
time to avoid it, they had skated into the
opening, and were at the mercy of the cur-
rent. Harper, who was following at a short
distance with a friend of Miss Blair, witnessed
the accident and went at once to their assist-
ance. Having sent the young lady with
whom he was skating to the shore for help,
he himself lay prone upon the ice, close to
the edge, and extending his walking stick,
endeavoured to put it within reach of those
in the water. Finding the distance too great,
and hearing Miss Blair assuring her com-
panion that she could swim alone, for each
to make a single attempt lest they should go
down together, and seeing also that he was
striving in vain to save her, Harper regained
his feet, pulled off his coat and gauntlets, and
prepared to risk his life in an endeavour to

TO THE READER n

effect a rescue. In answer to entreaties not
to make the venture, that it meant certain
death, he exclaimed, " What else can I do ! "
and plunged boldly into the icy current in
the direction of Miss Blair. They perished
together ; their bodies were found on the
following morning, the one not far from the
other. Miss Blair's companion had a mirac-
ulous escape, otherwise no one would have
known of the brave deed which has given
Harper an enviable fame, and of the no less
splendid courage of Miss Blair. She, as well
as Harper, was prepared to give her life for
another.

At a largely attended public meeting, held
in the city hall of Ottawa a day or two after
the occurrence, and which was presided over
by the mayor, resolutions were passed invit-
ing the public to join in the erection of a
monument to commemorate Harper's hero-
ism. It was decided that the monument
should be of bronze or stone, to be erected in
the open air, and to take the form of a figure^
symbolical of heroism and nobility of char-

12 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

acter, such as might be suggested by the
figure of " Sir Galahad," in the famous paint-
ing of that name by the late George Frederick
Watts, R. A. The choice of a sculptor was
to be determined by a public competition,
unrestricted in any way.

The character of Harper's act was sufficient
in itself to suggest " Sir Galahad " as a sub-
ject suitable for a memorial of this kind, but
the choice had, in fact, a more intimate asso-
ciation with Harper himself. Hanging on
the wall above the desk in his study, and
immediately before him whenever he sat
down to work, was a carbon reproduction of
Watts' painting. He had placed it there
himself, and often, in speaking of it to others,
had remarked, " There is my ideal knight ! "

In the design and model submitted to the
memorial committee by Mr. Ernest Wise
Keyser, the best expression appeared to be
given to the ideal which it was hoped might
be embodied in the monument to be erected.
Mr. Keyser is a young American sculptor, a
citizen of Baltimore, Maryland, who had his

TO THE READER 13

studio in Paris at the time. Subsequent to
the making of the award it was learned that
he had been born on the same day of the same
year on which Harper was born. He was
commissioned to execute the work. A beau-
tiful bronze "Sir Galahad," mounted on a
massive granite base, deep carved in which
are Sir Galahad's words in the Holy Grail,
" If I lose myself
I save my self y "

the whole standing within the shadow of the
stately pile which crowns Parliament Hill,
marks the successful completion of the sculp-
tor's task.

The monument was unveiled by His Ex-
cellency Earl Grey, Governor-General of
Canada on the afternoon of Saturday, i8th
November, 1905. A fitting impressiveness
marked the unveiling ceremonies. Notwith-
standing that so long a time had elapsed
since the deed it commemorated, and that
the approach of winter was already evident
in the cold air and in the presence of snow
upon the ground, three thousand or more of

I4 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

the citizens of Ottawa assembled in the open
to do honour to the occasion. Mr. P. D.
Ross, the chairman of the memorial com-
mittee, presided, and the Right Honourable
Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the Prime Minister of
Canada, accepted the monument on behalf
of the government. The writer had the
honour, on behalf of the memorial com-
mittee, of presenting the monument to Sir
Wilfrid. The eloquent tributes paid to the
memory of Harper by the chairman of the
committee, and by the distinguished repre-
sentatives of the king and of the people at the
unveiling, were regarded by those who heard
them as a memorial not less splendid than
the monument which occasioned the refer-
ence. The chairman, Mr. Ross, gave ex-
pression, in the following words, to the feel-
ings which had prompted the public in the
erection of the monument :

"Harper lost his life. But in that sacrifice he
left to the rest of us a great lesson and a great
inspiration. Ever£jfellqw_ Canadiaji of Henry
Harper was honoured by his death, and every

TO THE READER 15

man of the English-speaking race from which he
sprang. It was an assurance that in this country
there is present the old manly virtue, the true
steel of our forefathers. And, far more than that,
it was one argument more that our human nature
has in it inspiration and strength from a higher
than earthly source.

" Had such a thing gone uncommemorated by
us, his fellow citizens, it would have been a dis-
grace to us. The absence of this memorial, or
of some memorial, would have marked our blind-
ness, our meanness. Harper did not need this
monument. We did^ Such heroic fire as his
commemorates itself. But we fellow Canadians
of Henry Harper needed to show by practical
action that we could see and reverence the no-
bility of soul which sent him knowingly to his
grim death."

The Right Honourable Sir Wilfrid Laurier,
in accepting the monument on behalf of the
government, spoke as follows :

" Let me say, sir, in accepting this monument,
commemorating, as it does, an heroic death, that
the government of Canada looks upon its accept-
ance as an honour, and will consider it a labour

16 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

of love to care for it. I enter heartily into the
spirit which conceived the idea of this splendid
testimonial to a glorious deed. Harper's act of
heroism will ever be an example and a lesson to
us all. The stranger to our city will pause as he
passes this monument and wonder what deed
called forth its erection. He will be told of the
noble act of self-sacrifice-— of a life given in an ef-
fort to save another. The citizens of Ottawa will
ever be proud to honour the memory of Harper,
and to look, as the government shall look, upon
this memorial as a national monument in every
sense of the word."

His Excellency the governor-general, said :

" I would like to extend my congratulations on
the notable addition of this monument to the in-
terest, embellishment and idealism of this Federal
city. Although I never knew Harper, I have
learned enough about him to believe that I shall
seldom pass this monument without being re-
minded of the example which he has bequeathed
as a precious legacy. His character and ability
were such as would have enabled him, had he
lived, to win in the wide and honourable service
of the Crown that distinction which is within the

TO THE READER 17

reach of all whose greatest delight is to spend
themselves, their fortunes and their lives in the
service of their fellow countrymen and their King.
He is gone, but who shall say that Canada and
the world are not richer by his death ? His char-
acter and his example live. I congratulate the
sculptor on the skill with which this statue of Sir
Galahad indicates those qualities of energy, fear-
lessness and service of which young Harper was
the incarnation ; and I hope this statue may be
only the first of a set of noble companions which,
in the course of time, will make this street the
Via Sacra of the capital.

" A few years ago I stood at the grave side of
another young civil servant of the Crown in the
Matoppos of Rhodesia, who, as he was carried to
his last resting place mortally wounded, said:
' Well, it is a grand thing to die for the expansion
of the Empire ' — that Empire which, in his mind, as
in that of Harper, was synonymous with the cause
of righteousness. Harper and Hervey, had they
known each other, would have been bosom friends;
they both believed in their idea. If they had
lived they both wouloT have done great things.
They have both died, and how would they have
died better ? — for their ideas will not die ; no,

i8 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

neither in the Matoppos, nor on the banks of the
Ottawa, nor in any other portion of the British
empire, so long as we are loyal to their traditions
and follow their example."

The regimental band of the Governor-Gen-
eral's Footguards, which had volunteered its
services, played "The ^ajo^JLeaf " as the
King's representative unveiled the monument ;
at the same moment the sun came out from
behind a cloud. The ceremonies were con-
cluded with the national anthem.

It was the writer's privilege to have been
Harper's oldest and most intimate friend. It
has seemed to him that he would be un-
worthy of a friendship such as existed between
them, were he unwilling to share with others
some of the beauty of soul which he knew sd
well, and of which Harper's heroic deed was
but an expression. For personal reasons, he
has, up to the present, hesitated to disclose
aught that has been in his keeping. The
generous appreciation by the public of a
single act appears to him now to warrant a
larger confidence. He has ventured, there-

THE SIR GALAHAD MONUMENT AT OTTAWA

erected by the public to commemorate the
Heroism of Henry Albert Harper.

TO THE READER 19

fore, to allow those who will, to look in at the
windows of the soul, and see, in its sacred
chambers, the secret which was an abiding
presence in a life whose heroism has already
received from the nation a recognition so
splendid and impressive.

To those into whose hands this little vol-
ume may come, the writer begs they forget
not that it is but a collection of fragments
gathered, after he had gone, from along the
path on which he trod. It is not Harper's
life, it is not even a worthy tribute to his
character. What it may contain of thoughts
and expressions of his own will be acceptable
as " broken light upon the depth of the un-
spoken " ; for the rest it will be well, if, as
a labour of love, it has done no injustice to
the memory of a friend.

W. L. M. K.

Ottawa, January, 1906.

THE SECRET OF HEROISM

THE quality of a man's love will de-
termine the nature of his deeds; oc- a-, A
casion may present the opportunity,
but character alone will record the experience.
To a life given over to the pursuit of the
beautiful and true, the immortal hour only
comes when conduct at last rises to the level
of aim, and the ideal finds its fulfillment in \ fa ,
the realm of the actual. " Greater love hath \ •
no man than this, that a man lay down his
life for his friends."

Few lives have been nxpre jearnest or con-
stant in the pursuit of an ultimate perfec-
tion than was Henry Albert Harper's ; few
have sought more conscientiously than he
to live out existence under the guidance of
lofty aspirations, and in the light of pure
ideals. There was nothing exceptional, save
the opportunity, in the chivalrous act which

21

22 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

cost him his life. It was a sublime expres-
sion of the hidden beauty of his real character
and soul. Day by day he had been seeking
for years to gain that freedom which is the
reward of obedience to the highest laws of
life, and little by little he had been fashioning
a character unfettered and untrammelled by
human weaknesses and prejudices, and strong
in the noblest qualities of heart and mind.
Galahad cried, " If I lose myself, I save my-
self! " In the same spirit, and with the same
insight into truth, Harper sought to keep
unbroken the vision of immortality which
was his, to be faithful to an ideal of duty,
which, by a seeming loss, he has made in-
carnate for all time.

By what path the heroic was attained in
Harper's life may be traced from the pages
of a diary, in which at intervals he recorded
his thoughts, and from the words he has left
in letters to his friends. Fragmentary as
these are, an attempt has been made in the
following pages to weave from them the story
of his inner life, in the belief that its beauty

THE SECRET OF HEROISM 23

will bring courage and inspiration to many,
and in the knowledge that there is something
of inestimable worth in a recorded experience
which reveals the endeavour of a human soul
to know and attain the highest, and to realize
its divine capacities amid the complexities of
every-day life.

THE INFLUENCE OF HOME

HARPER was born in the village of
Cookstown, Ontario, on December
9, 1873, but most of his childhood
was spent at Barrie, one of the most pictur-
esque and beautifully situated of Canadian
inland towns. The vine-clad lattice alone
obstructed the beautiful view from the front
veranda of his father's house across the waters
of Kempenfeldt Bay, and it was to this home
and its associations that he was wont to at-
tribute all that was best in his _nature and
dearest in his affections. It was there that
the great joys and the great sorrows of his
short life had centred. It was over this Barrie
home that the skies were the brightest to
him ; and it was there, too, that for a time
the clouds had appeared to return after the
rain.

There are few pages anywhere which, in
24

THE INFLUENCE OF HOME 25

simpler or more tender words, disclose a
heart's love and sorrow, a life's greatest in-
spiration and its greatest grief, than those
which commence Harper's diary after it
had remained closed for nearly three years.
They constitute an expression of feeling so
personal, a record so sacredly tender, that
their publication can be justified only on
the ground that they are among the few
passages he has left which reveal the influ-
ence of his home upon his life, an influence
which, as the words themselves show, was
the strongest and the sweetest he had known.
Just a year before his death, Harper writes : jZc.c. I '9

" For nearly three years this book has travelled
around with me unopened — three years in which
I seem to have lived a lifetime. They have been

filled with satisfaction enough in some ways, and

xniu- 1-^-*^***
with pain enough, too. Seven months ago, when

^KfVO^ I * ' '

the world seemed empty, I was inclined to throw
myself upon these pages, but my feelings were
too much my own, even for that, for, since Uast
wrotejhere, I have gazed into the darkest^depths.
"Though 'out in the world' in a measure,

26 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

since I left home for college, the little home JTOiip
in Barrie remained the centre of my world. The
chief reward of success wasjhe jwell done ' from
the kindest father and most loving mother who
ever lived. They have gone. After a week's
illness father died on April 6, 1900. Mother
joined him on April i2th. During thirty-six
years of married life «they had been loyal and
true to each other, and to their duty before God
and man. For their children they sacrificed
personal comfort and social pleasures. Loving
sympathy always went out to meet us in joy or
in pain. They passed away together into the
hereafter with unflinching eye, and with a noble-
ness and truth of heart which won them the re-
spect of all good men and women who knew them
in life.

" I did not reach home until the morning of
father's death, and when I saw that dear beloved
face it wore the calmness and pallor of death.
That room in which he lay is hallowed. To the
last, they say, his carelessness of self was evident.
A frank, straightforward man ; his life open as a
book; his heart kind, with the true love of a
Christian. He was not particularly demonstra-
tive, but we all knew the breadth and depth of

THE INFLUENCE OF HOME 27

his affection and his sympathy. At the end, con-
scious of it, he gazed before him towards the face
of God, as one ready to appear before the judg-
ment seat. A healthy, honest, wholesome man,
he was to me father, brother and friend.

" And my mother. How often has her cling-
ing kiss muttered a prayer as I left home, and
impressed a welcome as I returned. An heroic
character, enriched by the depth of a mother's
love, was hers. When I reached home on that
cold, gray day in early spring, she lay there sorely
stricken with the dread pneumonia which had
taken my father, but patient, tender, unselfish as
ever. To my broken attempt at encouragement,
she replied : * Yes, I must try and live for you
children. ' But, as life ebbed and she saw that it
was not to be, that noble heart, ever resigned to
the will of God, accepted the inevitable. It
seemed that to join him who had gone was her
dearest wish j without him life, as she lay there
suffering, must have seemed cold, empty, cheer-
less. But even this she seemed prepared to bear,
so that she might keep a home open for her chil-
dren, and endeavour to help them from falling
from the path of duty. Then came the day when
she was told that hope of recovery was gone. ' I

28 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

knew it,' she said. Calling us around her, in a
voice greatly weakened, she uttered her heart's
wish in a simple sentence — ' I want you all to be
good, so that you may meet us There.' I am
naturally rather disposed to be cold, I fear, but in
that moment the depth of that mother's love
came to me as never before, and the sublimity of
her faith burst upon me. From that day dates
a new epoch in my life.

-1 £ ,

"To the last her thoughts were of us. Faith-
fully, unobtrusively, but unswervingly, she had
throughout life worked and lived that we might
know truth, and not stray from what she was wont
to call 'the straight and narrow path.'

" At four o'clock in the morning the end came.
How cold the dawn of that morning ! Without a
struggle her soul went to its God. How delicate
the thread which binds us to eternity ! But a
short time before she was there and knew all that
was happening ; that she was going ; and, that
we must fight the battle of life, with the snares
and temptations with which we are beset by our
human passions and weaknesses. Not a doubt
seemed to enter into'tEafmind, which had held
steadfastly to the eternal truth throughout a noble,
fearless life. She had run her race, she had kept

THE INFLUENCE OF HOME 29

the faith. The sturdy integrity, inherited from
her father, and a gentle, loving kindness, which
probably came from the mother who died when
she was yet a child, combined to make a character
which by its sweetness, beauty and nobility, has
woven itself into my life. Pray God that I may
never be unworthy of her memory."

And unworthy of so holy a memory Harper
never was. While spared to him, the love
and affection of his father and mother were
his greatest inspiration, and his great reward ;
taken from him, the remembrance of their
example, and^beHef, in thejr_con^iuedL£fc.
istence, constituted an abiding presence, help-
ing him ever to nobler conduct and aim.

Yet, how irreparable this loss was, words
cannot tell. Harper could never bring him-
self to speak of it without the deepest emo-
tion. What seemed hardest to him was that
his father and mother should have been taken
just when he had hoped to be able to make
them fully conscious of his gratitude.

In a letter written some months after, he
says:

30 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

" Great as is my pride in the noble lives of my
beloved parents, and confident as I am that they
will enjoy their reward unto all eternity, I find it
impossible to get away from the sense of the emp-
tiness of the world without them. Their lives
were devoted to their children, and their children
were devoted to them. A kinder father, and a
more loving mother, never lived. To them we
looked for congratulation upon any success which
fell to our lot and for sympathy if our sky were
dark. They never failed us. And at the mo-
ment when we were all comfortably settled in our
professions, and there was the prospect of a long
peaceful life before them, they were taken away.
Herein lies the chief bitterness of it all. But we
have the lesson of their lives, and fond memories
which we can ever cherish."

Some time later, in acknowledging hospital-
ity shown him during a brief visit in Toronto,
he wrote on his return to Ottawa :

" As I lay in my berth last night, looking out
at the beautiful, silent, star sprinkled sky, a feel-
ing settled upon me that the curtain had just
fallen upon one of the happiest days of my life.
The warmth of your welcome, and the kindly

THE INFLUENCE OF HOME 31

thoughtfulness of your every word and action,
were appreciated by me the more, because I have
learned what it is, both to have, and to be with-
out, that most happy and most sacred of human
associations, a home."

There is less of intensity of grief, but
hardly less of tenderness and delicacy of feel-
ing, in his words of sympathy with a friend,
which, containing an expression of his own
belief, also reveal the continued influence of
his home and its associations on his daily
actions, even after these associations had
vastly changed. In a letter written only a
few months before his death, during a short
visit to Barrie, the last which he spent amid
the scenes of his youth, he says :

"And furthermore, I know that you under-
stand that when sorrow crosses your path, your
sorrow is mine just as is your happiness. I know
the wrenching of the heart-strings which comes
when one who is close is taken away, and I feel
deeply with you. I can only repeat to you the
message which you sent to me when all that I
held dearest on earth seemed to have passed out

32 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

of it. There is no death. Life is eternal and
makes towards perfection. When those whom we
love pass, we are the more linked to that greater,
larger, deeper spiritual life which is within us and
about us, but which passes our human compre-
hension. The very air in which I write is filled
with a thousand associations which bring me into
the closest sympathy with those who have passed
through the Valley of the Shadow. Were you
here to-night, I might make myself intelligible in
a way which I cannot hope to in a letter. As I
have been sitting here looking out over the bay
with which I am so familiar, my boyhood and my
youth have passed before me, and these, as well
as the hopes and aspirations of early manhood,
are so closely associated with the devoted lives
which guarded and nourished all that was good in
me, that I could not recognize myself, were I
not convinced of their continued existence and
their living interest in all that I cherish that is
worthy. This afternoon I stood before the grate
where, with you, I spent an hour which stands
out as a milestone in my life, and to-night I thank
God that we have been enabled to accomplish
something of what we then contemplated, and
that we have before us opportunity of usefulness

THE INFLUENCE OF HOME 33

beyond what we could have imagined as we stood
there upon the threshold of life. The very at-
mosphere of this dear old place is sacred to me
through the associations which float through my
mind as I breathe it. My visit here has been like
a pause in a quiet and familiar eddy in the stream
of life, and I feel that it has done me good. It
has strengthened me in my resolutions, and has
enabled me to see more clearly."

It is rarely, if ever, that men, especially
young men, stop to estimate the influences
which are the most potent in their lives, and
it is rarer still, in seeking this estimate, that
they become conscious, with any true degree
of proportion, of the extent to which home,
as compared with other influences, has con-
tributed to the result. It was not so with
Harper. He honoured his father and his
mother, and he was wont to attribute to what
he inherited by birth, by training, and by ex-
ample from them, all that made for what was
worthiest and best in his life.

COLLEGE AND AFTER

COLLEGES and universities afford the
opportunity for the attainment of a
measure of self-knowledge, self-reli-
ance and self-development, which in the
home is often apt to come too slowly, and,
learned at first hand with the world, is bought
frequently at the price of an experience which
dwarfs, if it does not altogether destroy, some
of the finer fruits of those essential qualities
of manhood. It is not what is gained in
knowledge of books, but in knowledge of

»

self, of limitations and powers and capacities ;
in what is acquired of habits of self-discipline
and application, of methods of thought and

i research, that a college or university renders
its truest service to its students ; as it is by
the love of truth and learning which it instils,

L rather than by the honours and degrees
which it confers, that a university puts its
34

COLLEGE AND AFTER 35

stamp upon the graduates it sends out into
the world.

It may be that for many men four years of
undergraduate life are not sufficient to make
a college impress deep, or, to appearances,
lasting; but if in any measure it is real, that
influence must tell, not only on the years im-
mediately succeeding, but through the whole
of life. The first fruits jof ajcollege education
jre mqr^lik^

of mind towards the problems ojjife,_as these
present themselves when academic halls are
vacated, than in any immediate accomplish-
ment. A consciousness of capacity without
opportunity may be, and is too often, the first
inheritance of many a man, whose intellect
has been stimulated and whose zeal has been
intensified by association with his fellows in
the numerous relationships which under-
graduate life affords, but who^finds in the
world a less ordered

arrangement Probably for most men, the
years immediately following the attainment
of their academic or professional degrees are

36 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

the most critical, if not also the most painful,
years of their lives.

To this phase of post-graduate experience
Harper's life was no exception, though un-
dergraduate days were enjoyed by him to
the full. In the summer of 1891, at the age
of seventeen, he matriculated at the Univer-
sity of Toronto, from the Barrie Collegiate
Institute, and he graduated from the univer-
sity in June, 1895. He was, during the last
three years of his undergraduate course, an
honour student in the department of Political
Science, and the class lists show that in the
work of this department, especially in the
subjects of political economy and political
philosophy^ be held a high place. His con-
temporaries at the university will always re-
member him as a man who entered in a whole-
hearted way into what may be spoken of as
the larger life of the university. He was a
prominent member of the Literary and Scien-
tific Society, and of his class society, and was
always certain to be found an active partici-
pant in those events or movements of general

COLLEGE AND AFTER 37

interest with which undergraduate life at a
large university abounds. While he was
fond of books and might have been termed,
at least during the latter half of each year, a
conscientious student, it is doubtful if he did
not get quite as much as, or more, out of as-
sociation with his fellows, and from sharing in
the spontaneous life of the college, than he
did from the lecture room. A characteristic
which distinguished him was a readiness to
carry on with enthusiasm whatever he under-
took, and this, combined with a nature in-
tensely loyal to cause or friend, made him a
strong man among men, and one whose sup-
port was sought because it could be_cqunted
upon. On the whole his disposition was
social rather than individual, and his interests
were diversified rather than particular. He
was saved from the possible inimical effects
of such a nature by an earnestness of pur-
pose whicji k^ responsibil-

ities, while there can be little doubt that from
it, in the broadening of his sympathies and in
the understanding of men and their ways, he

38 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

gained much which was of infinite service to
him in after years.

Measured by the standard of growth al-
ready hinted at, Harper may be said to have
left the university with a consciousness that
he was fitted by talent and inclination for
work in some branch of the so-called higher
professions, that it was in connection with the
general, rather than the more exclusive, in-
terests of society that his energies would find
their freest play, and that not by theories, but
by men, he could hope to be permanently at-
tracted. He had already learned that he was
capable of serious and sustained effort, and
likely to find in work a satisfactionjof his best
desires ; and he must have known that in his
nature were possibilities of the npblest_ex-
V*° pressions of disinterested action. It was nat-
ural, therefore, that having made no definite
choice of a future profession at the time of
graduation, and having engaged temporarily
in agency work which was not to his liking,
and towards which from the start he had not
entertained any serious intentions, he should

COLLEGE AND AFTER 39

have found much that tried his patience se-
verely, and at times caused him to experience
periods of the most genuine depression.
Fruitless attempts to obtain a start in jour-
nalism added for a while to his discourage-
ments, so that the year and a half which fol-
lowed graduation, though characterized by
anything other than neglect or indifference,
and, as a matter of fact, made the occasion of
an opportunity for increased reading and the
preparation of a thesis which secured him a
Master's degree from the university, was
nevertheless, so far as he could see at the
time, to be remembered as of adversity rather
than as of advance. In reality it was a testj
ing time, and it served to pro ve_ the ..man.

In the pages of the journal which Harper
commenced shortly after graduation, it is
possible to discern the attitude of mind which
he had towards the problem of life, as he
thus encountered it upon the threshold. Re-
vealing as they do the qualities of inherent
worth in him who wrote them, these pages
are deserving of more than passing reference.

40 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

Two characteristics they clearly disclose, a
fearless integrity of heart and mind, and a dis-
position to philosophize, underlying each of
which is a constant purpose of self-improve-
ment, and a more than accepted belief in a
definite moral order, and the ultimate triumph
of right. Unsconsciously he summed up the
whole in the first paragraph he wrote :

"I am writing this record of my thoughts and
actions in order that I may be better able to un-
derstand myself; to improve in that wherein I
find myself wanting, and that some day I may be
able to look back and find a rule of development
or perhaps of life, with its assistance. I shall en-
deavour to be at least honest with myself, and
hope that the use of this book may help me
occasionally, to sever myself mentally from the
associations of the world and retire within my-
self. My hope is that some day I may be able to
become acquainted with my own individuality,
and discover what is the first essential and object
of my existence.

"I have not as yet settled upon a course in
life. Several weapon^ lie before me which might
be of use in the conflict with the world, and with

COLLEGE AND AFTER 41

all of which I feel that I might soon familiarize ,
myself. Which will enable me to achieve the
greatest success ? And by what standard shall I
measure that success so as to discover whether it
is real and after all worth striving for ? Shall it
be law, the ministry, a business career, or journal-
ism, or what ? At one time I lean in one direc-
tion, and again in another. The result is an un-

IIL r """"T)

settled frame of mind which cannot be healthy,
and which compels me to be constantly before
the bar of my own judgment. I find that the old
idea of ' individual aptitude ' means less than I
formerly believed. One finds many specialized
avocations before one, and it is a question of fash-
ioning one's self to suit one of them. Whether it
be that the chosen profession does not employ
all one's faculties, or requires more than one pos-
sesses, a certain amount of dissatisfaction is, I
think, bound to result. It is necessary that a
man be a philosopher, as well as a lawyer,
or a carpenter, as the case may be, if he is to be
happy. I flatter myself that I have a fair educa-
tion (although I regret that I have not drawn from
it as much as I might and should have), and some
slight knowledge of men and their ways, but my
choice is limited to those callings which do not

42 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

require a considerable initial capital. At the
moment my leanings are towards journalism as
most likely to give me self-satisfaction, and to aid
me in the study of mankind — man."

And again,

"As to myself, during the past week or two,
the spiritL_of ..unrest, to which I have referred as
characteristic of my mind, has been intensified in
proportion as I have withdrawn myself more and
more from the insurance business. One thought
is ever staring me in the face. It is the question
which has been before me for so long. What are
you going to_do? I shall certainly have to < make
a break ' before long, since the state of affairs is
preying upon my mind and upon my ambition
and self-esteem. To-night we have some friends
coming in, a minister from the country and his
wife. They will probably ask me what am I
going to do ? I am sick of that question."

And on the first of January, 1897,

"For over three months I have not made a
single entry in this book, and this for the reason
that I have had little that is hopeful or pleasant

COLLEGE AND AFTER 43

to write about. I have been in constant dread of
the effect upon my mind of the forced inactivity
to which I am subject, for the uncongenial work!
at which I have been plodding away has been of
little use as an intellectual training. At times, i
encouraged by the appreciation which I have
been able to give to some of the sublime thoughts
of master-minds, or by the words of such friends

as , I have been quite hopeful as to my

future usefulness, but on both my thoughts and
my humours, I can see the fatal traces of repeated
disappointments. Of course the life that I have •
been living has not been without its advantages.
Some of many too hastily conceived ideas have
been swept away, and withal, sympathies have
been aroused within me which might never have
come to me under other circumstances. Further-
more, the fact that the time when I must enter the
struggle for existence on my own behalf has been
postponed, has led me to think less and less of
the mean dishonest methods which are so general
ally adopted by some of our so-called successful!
men and used as a means of reaching their petty 1
successes. The fact that these opinions had been
forced upon me, may, it is true, prevent me from
ever being what the world considers a successful

44 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

j man, but if the moral stamina is within me I hope
they will enable me to realize the high ideal of

^my existence.

" But now as to the thoughts which the New
Year brings with it. Last night as I listened to
the tolling of the midnight bell at the Church of
England, as it rang out the old year and rang in
the new, the future was none too encouraging to
me. It was with a feeling of bitterness that I
took out a note-book and wrote the words, ' Jan-
uary i, 1897, and still on the market.' But as I
sit now and gaze into the future, I think I was a
little unfair. I have been filling a position of use-
fulness to a degree. I do not think I have lost
in moral force, while I think I have gained in
knowledge and love of my fellow men ; while the
fact that I have been compelled to drop some
ideas which I have held has proven to me both
that my tendency is towards an honest desire for
truth, and that I have still much to learn. I look
forward to the coming year with hope, although I
have still much of the bitter feeling which has
been preying upon me all year, causing me many
wakeful nights and forcing me to call out at times
when the feeling was intensified, that, with Burke,
mine was a case of * Nit or in adversum*

"One thing more. Although for years my
mind has had a decidedly sceptical tone in

COLLEGE AND AFTER 45

matters of religion, I feel that in the past year I
have come more into sympathy with the work of
our religious bodies. This is no doubt largely
due to a sympathy with the ends which they have
in view, but probably, also, in great measure to
my growing beliefjn God, although my idea of
the Deity is more correctly expressed in the words
of Matthew Arnold than in some of the accepted
creeds. For all these things I feel grateful, and
my greatest hope as I sat in the church during the
first moments of the New Year was — my greatest
hope as I write these words is, that I may have
the inclination and the power to cut off from my
life those things which tend to make it less beau-
tiful, less good, and less useful, and that, if living
when the bells toll in the New Year of 1898, I
may be able to recognize in myself a better, a
stronger and a purer man."

Though it has been left to others to trace
through the pages of his diary the rule of de-
velopment and of life therein disclosed, it
will hardly be said that the first hope ex-
pressed was denied, and that Harper did not
realize, even in the brief day he was allowed,
"the first essential and object of his ex-
istence."

THE DAY'S WORK

FOR some time before opportunity came
to engage in journalism, Harper had
quite made up his mind that this was
the profession which he could follow with
most satisfaction to himself, and greatest
good to others, and he sought every means
to secure a connection with a newspaper in
one of the cities. " It would seem," he writes,
after some months of searching, " that news-
paper work is like most other things — it is
difficult to get a start at. My experience is
that it is exceptionally so. I have accepted
the disappointment philosophically, and I am
trying to make a good use of my time until
an opening presents itself, and I am keeping
my eyes open for one." At last, in February
of 1897, a temporary vacancy on the staff of
the London Advertiser afforded an opening,
and though he had promise of employment
46

THE DAY'S WORK 47

for not more than a few weeks, and knew for
a certainty that it could not extend beyond a
month or two at the most, he gladly seized
the opportunity. There was a chance, at
least, to test the field and to prove himself.
He accordingly left Barrie for London to be-
gin as a reporter on the Advertiser, and from
that time, for the remainder of his life, there
were to be found no moments of " forced in-
activity," or " comparative idleness," but the
whole was one unbroken stretch of the most
tireless putting forth of energy, the most con-
tinuous and sustained activity and zeal.

The weeks on the Advertiser were followed
by a few months on the London News. In
October, 1897, an opening came on the
Toronto Mail and Empire, and Harper joined
the staff of that journal. In London, his
duties had been those of a general reporter ;
in Toronto, they were at first the same, though
with larger opportunities. His abilities, how-
ever, caused him soon to be singled out for
the larger and more special assignments, and
in this way he was brought into active touch

48 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

with two important branches of public affairs.
As city hall reporter he had to do for a time
with municipal politics and administration,
and, as reporter of the proceedings of the
Legislative Assembly of Ontario, he was
brought into similar relationship with pro-
vincial affairs. An appointment on the staff
of the Montreal Herald in February, 1899,
gave him the opportunity of still wider ex-
perience and further advancement. He was
part of the time the city editor of that daily,
and part of the time its representative and
correspondent at Ottawa. Both positions
afforded him opportunity of a closer intimacy
with the public affairs of the Dominion, and as,
throughout his entire connection with the
Herald, he was a contributor to its editorial
columns, he had commenced to help at least
to shape and direct public opinion in matters
of national concern.

After the establishment of the Department
of Labour by the Dominion government in
the summer of 1900, Harper, in November of
that year, severed his connection with the

THE DAY'S WORK 49

Herald to accept the position of associate
editor of the Labour Gazette. The depart-
ment had just been created as a new depart-
ment of the government, with the Gazette as
its official journal. Its policy had still to be
shaped ; its usefulness to be proved. It was
in part the strong bond of friendship existing
between Harper and his friend, the deputy
minister of the department, in part the op-
portunity of cooperation in a work under-
taken primarily on behalf of the industrial
classes of Canada, and which he believed
might be made of the greatest service to the
country as a whole, that caused him to ter-
minate his then promising career in outside
journalism, and to share with his friend the
fortunes of the civil service in a work to
which they were both prepared to devote their
lives. In addition to being engaged on the
Gazette, Harper actively cooperated in the
management and administration of the affairs
of the department, and acted as the deputy
minister of the department when the latter
was absent on official duties elsewhere. He

50 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

was acting as deputy minister of labour at
the time of his death.

During the entire period he was engaged
in journalism, Harper had not, with the ex-
ception of a brief vacation of one or two
weeks, which he devoted in part to work of
another kind, a single break of any apprecia-
ble duration in the round of continuous work.
The time for vacation, with the exception
mentioned, came, in every instance, just as a
new affiliation was formed, and new duties,
instead of a temporary respite from old ones,
were taken on. It is doubtful, indeed, if so
continuous a strain could have been so suc-
cessfully borne, had it not been for the period
of reflection which preceded it, the joy which
he found in his work, and the purpose which
he had at heart.

"I start," he wrote, on February 20, a few
days before his departure from Barrie to London,
" under favourable auspices, and I intend to
make my time tell for good so far as it is in my
power. Perhaps after all it has been best for me,
this year of comparative idleness. It has at least

THE DAY'S WORK 51

enabled me to form certain sober views of life,
which might not have come until too late, had I
been carried from the first on the crest of for-
tune's wave."

And upon his arrival at London :

"On this, the evening before my first serious
association with my chosen profession, let me
register the resolution which I promised in a let-
ter to dear old — last Sunday. I hope and

trust that I may hereafter be able to subdue what-
ever weakness there is in my character, and there
is much. I am starting here under favourable
auspices. May I not betray the trust, and may
I leave this community better for my influence
during my sojourn in it ! "

After little more than a month's experience
he wrote again as follows :

" I have had no cause to regret my choice of a
profession. I begin to feel the tremendous power ^
wielded by the press in formulating public opin- I
ion, and am in a position to build up, by reflec- J
tion upon what it is, a conception of what a
newspaper should be, all of which I trust will

52 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

enable me, when the time comes, to do my share
in furthering the highest interests of the State and
mankind in general. I have come to see where
the dangers which surround the young newspaper
man lie, and am endeavouring to keep myself free
from their influence."

Leaving London in October, '97, he meas-
ured his success and services in a few brief
words :

"My time here has not been lost, and, while I
have fallen far short of what I might have done,
still I think that I leave the city rather better
than worse for my visit."

Measuring development by the opportunity
which anniversaries afford, he had, after a
year's experience, reason to feel that progress
had been made, while at the same time he
was fully conscious of what remained to be
done.

' ' When I look at myself now and what I was
on March i, 1897, when I went to London to
serve my apprenticeship at daily newspaper

THE DAY'S WORK 53

work, I can scarcely recognize the same indi-
vidual. Carelessness, thoughtlessness and love
of pleasure, I see all along the line ; but I feel
that I have gained more than I have lost, and
I have learned that the only road to success is

I have done

much that I should not have done, I have omitted
much, very much, that I ought to have done. I
see it and shall try and do better."

A year later, the same earnest spirit, re-
alizing its limitations, its responsibilities and
its opportunities, is revealed in a letter written
from the press gallery of the House of Com-
mons at Ottawa. It refers to his newly
formed connection with the Herald, and is a
true and characteristic self-estimate and con-
fession.

"Regarding the change — it is one of great
moment to me. Here at the very centre of the
life of the Dominion, I see all about me means
of acquiring the knowledge and exerting the in-
fluence which should make my life a useful one,
and that, I assure you again, is my chief aim. I
am still a student, of course, and I am made

54 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

conscious of the fact from the character of the
men with whom I am associated, for they are all
men of years, experience and force of character.
I appreciate the fact that I am still in tutelage,
and the training here I regard simply as prepara-
tory to something else — what that something else
may be remains to be seen.

' 'My own rule, latterly, has been to follow
the course which promises to be best in the long
run, for, while not neglecting the present, men of
our years must remember that life is real, and
that we must arm ourselves for the struggle on
the hither side of thirty."

Harper was, at the time, twenty-five years
of age.

NATURE

" A • AHAT in companionship with and
close study of Nature, who * neither
hastens nor rests' but unquestion-
ingly conforms to the order laid down by
the Creator, there lies a potent means of en-
richment of character, and an important
medium of culture, I am thoroughly con-
vinced." From these words of Harper's
diary we are enabled to gather with what
degree of insight, and to what purpose, he
sought the woods and the fields, and the
freedom of " God's out of doors " whenever
opportunity permitted. From his early boy-
hood, few enjoyments brought him the same
measure of delight as the afternoon excur-
sions or camping expeditions which took him
with other boys, or with his father, across the
bay at Barrie, to explore the creeks and un-
frequented spots away from the haunts of
55

56 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

men. When after graduation his temporary
employment led him for a time into the bleak
and rugged parts of Northern Ontario, he
found an enjoyment and source of instruc-
tion in this first hand contact with primitive
conditions, which, to his feelings, was the one
compensation in the pursuit of an otherwise
uncongenial task. If a friend were visiting
him at his home in the summer time he was
not at rest till they were off together with
horse or stick into the country, or out with
canoe or boat on the waters of the bay; and
if it were winter it was still to be out in the
open, either on skates or in a sleigh, or for
one of those long tramps through the snow
so invigorating and health-giving at that
season of the year. When his work per-
mitted a choice being made between the
country and the city, he chose the former
as a place of residence, though early ris-
ing and much journeying were necessitated
thereby.

The summer of 1901 was spent in this way
at Kingsmere in the province of Quebec, a

NATURE 57

more beautiful spot than which there is not
to be found along the whole range of the
Laurentian hills. It is a distance by road of
twelve miles from the capital, eight of which
can be covered by rail. Harper's real sense
of freedom began when, after a day's work
in town, that eight miles of travelling was at
an end, and the chance came for a four mile
walk across fields, through the woods and
along the country roads, or for a ride upon
his wheel or by stage. Then came the even-
ings with their glorious sunsets, and the
walks and talks in the twilight, and then
night with its unbroken panoply of star-lit
sky.

It is, perhaps, impossible to convey, save
to those who have known the experience, any
conception of what a constant association of
this kind with Nature really means. It proves,
to use Harper's own words, "how beauty,
grandeur, sublimity and purity in God's
world, find a ready response in the human
heart unfettered." Yet it is this perception of
God, this communion of soul between the

58 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

creature and the Creator as He is revealed in
Nature, that is the conscious or unconscious
secret of all the refreshment and joy which
comes from a contact of this kind. Some
natures are more susceptible to this kind of
revelation than others. Harper's nature was
one that could share and did share it to the
full.

A few paragraphs from his diary may serve
to show how real was the "response" of
which he spoke between the world of nature
and his own heart, and how sweetly sensitive
to even the most delicate of impressions, his
soul became when under this favouring in-
fluence.

Having climbed one Sunday morning to
the top of the mountain at Kingsmere, to
find after a hard week's work that rest which
is the truest reward of toil, he gave himself
up for a little to recording some of the enjoy-
ments of the place and the hour. He writes :

" Here I am having church all by myself in
this majestically beautiful spot. It was a hot

NATURE 59

climb, for it is a sweltering morning, but I am
amply repaid. I had a five minutes' conversation
with a red squirrel on the way up the mountain.
He was a little nervous at first, but became reas-
sured, climbed down the tree trunk until he was
ten feet from me, and looked me in the face
steadily as I prattled away to him. The little
fellow felt like myself, he could not imagine vi-
cious intentions in such a place. A delightful
breeze is making music in the tree-tops, a bird
with a clear yet sympathetic note, I can't describe
the note, and I don't know the name of the bird,
is leading in a medley of wood sounds infinitely
refreshing after a hard week's work.

" The thought of the past week has caused me
to look up for a moment to take another glance at
the capital, which stands out clearly in the bright
sunshine, though the lines of the buildings are
softened by a blue white summer haze, sufficiently

marked to give the effect of distance. If men

\ "\

could only get to a mountain occasionally and

^ v
look down upon the world in which they live and

move and have their being, there would be less
dilettantism, less worship of forms, institutions,
baubles and lath and plaster. The foot-hills, >
when last I saw them from here, were rich in the

60 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

full colour of maturity. To-day they are strong
in the deep refreshing green of youth. They are
happy. Everything about me is happy, and I
thank God for it all."

Recording the events of a day on a short
trip taken in the spring of the year to the
city of Quebec and points of interest in that
vicinity, he writes :

.

This day was easily the best of our trip. In
a few minutes we were away from civilization,
and started our climb, with the assistance of two
locomotives, up the mountains. At every turn
some new beauty burst upon us. First, it was a
cloud capped range of hills, then a quaint white-
washed village, then a laughing mountain stream,
then a tree-encircled, hill-girt lake, then a rush-
ing river, then a quiet wood, then a deep shadowy
valley, then a burst of sun on the new-leafed
trees, until one felt one's self getting away forever
— - from the pettiness of the world. Shortly after
midday we swung across the bridge at Grand'
Mere, and had a capital view of the falls which
have been turned to practical use by the Lauren-
tide Pulp Company, and, about three o'clock, ar-

NATURE 61

rived at Shawenegan Falls, our objective point.
We lunched at the Cascade Inn, a picturesque
summer hotel on a hilltop, and, guided by a staff
of engineers, visited the works of the Shawenegan
Falls Power Company which I found extremely
interesting. All this was as nothing, however,
compared with the marvellous scene which burst
upon us when we turned a spur of the hill and
came out at the foot of the roaring, raging cata-
ract. Down a steep, narrow, boulder-strewn
gorge, rushed the mighty river, struggling, tum-
bling, roaring, throwing itself into the air, and
shooting forward in huge mountains of surging
foam or clouds of sunlit spray. I could feel my
breast heave in sympathy with the great struggle
that was going forward, and my whole being
kindle with the beauty and power of it all. No-
where have I seen anything that can rival that
magnificent spectacle. My nature seemed
touched to its depths, and I found myself in im-
mediate sympathy with the Indians who saw in
these prodigious efforts of Nature, in the presence
of which man's littleness is so apparent, the .mani-
festations of the work of the Great Spirit. As
we wound our way through the mountains one had
a feeling that, once stripped of its forest wealth,

62 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

this district would be a lonely wilderness so far as
x practical utility was concerned. As I gazed into
the raging torrent, I felt that it was worth a whole
province of desolation to have that grand, sub-
lime, soul purging sight. After gazing long and
earnestly into the mighty maelstrom, I raised my
eyes to the tree clad mountains around, rich in
the fresh foliage of spring, and furrowed with
deep shadowy glens. I felt that the world was
indeed grand, beautiful, that no man could stand
where I stood without feeling that he had a soul.
"And as our train wound its way homeward
towards a sublimely beautiful sunset, behind the
glorious tumbled-together hills, the scene of love-
liness was set in my mind and in my heart in deep
rich tints of crimson and gold. That day was
one of the happiest in my life. I cannot attempt
to describe what I saw in words. All I can do is
to record something of the impression. It was
soul stirring."

Later in the year Harper visited the Mari-
time Provinces with members of the Canadian
Press Association on their annual excursion.
His account of the trip contains much that is
full of interest, and something in the way of

NATURE 63

recorded observation which might surprise
those who had had the same opportunities, or
had visited simultaneously these places and
participated in the same events. Two brief
paragraphs may suffice to further illus-
trate how he was wont to be influenced by
scenes of great natural beauty, and in what
regard, relative to other things, he was ac-
customed to hold them. Speaking of the
Montmorency Falls he says :

i
" At the Montmorency Falls we spent a very

happy hour. We decided to scramble up the
cliff side, instead of taking the steps. At the top
we had a splendid view of the falls which im-
pressed me differently from any I had seen. The
volume of the river is not great, but it descends
from a giddy height, throwing out a great cloud
of white spray, peaceful and beautiful. To me
the message it conveyed was of chastity andl
purity, like a beautiful, faithful woman, who had \
gone through the world to a white age, unspotted
and unstained. The great semicircular basin be-
neath seemed wrought by Nature to give full
effect to the beautiful work of the Creator."

64 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

And referring to the evening of the same
day, after returning to Quebec, he says :

" After dinner and I gave up a trip to

a summer theatre for a stroll on the terrace before
the Chateau Frontenac. It was a night not soon
to be forgotten. The moon's rays, softened by a
faint film of the most delicate of clouds, fell,
quietly about us, and, from the dancing waves
far below, came the signal bells of steamers and
the distant calls of boatmen. I can recall few
nights to rival it. The world seemed more kind,
and my own work in it more clear and possible,
as we sat there and gazed into the quiet night,
which wore an ethereal, fairy-land air about it,
pure and inspiring. Most of our fellows were off
' seeing ' the city, but none of them could have
had half the pleasure that was ours. Few things
in the world could have been more beautiful than
that night out there on the terrace, under the
frowning guns of the hard war citadel, and above
the moon-bathed waters of the grand old St. Law-
rence. I felt my heart throb as I thought that
this noble river was the gateway to Canada, the
land which gave me birth, and which I am learn-
ing to love more and more dearly as years
roll by."

BOOKS

IN books, as in nature, Harper found
companionship and instruction, and the
selection was as carefully made, and the
appreciation of the beautiful and true as
keen and delicate, in the one case as in the
other. It was a distinguishing mark of his
reading that he chose, for the most part, only
such works as were likely to be productive
of intellectual or moral growth ; he read little,
however, for the sake of mere entertainment,
and he was less inclined to seek recreation
with a book than in other ways.

At the university his reading was, for the
most part, of the books prescribed by the
college curriculum, with supplementary read-
ing along the lines it suggested, and some
slight addition of current fiction and standard
works in poetry and prose. For a time, after
entering upon journalism, he gave himself up
so entirely to its demands that he may be
65

66 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

said to have dropped books altogether, and
to have substituted for their reading a careful
perusal of the daily press, and an occasional
survey of current magazines and other peri-
odicals. The habit thus formed remained
constantly with him, and made him a care-
ful observer of events, and well informed on
the main issues and questions of the day.
Though he had the mind of a student and a
scholar, his habits, as has already been hinted,
were not of the kind which students are pop-
ularly supposed to have. His temperament
was versatile,' his nature active, he was im-
patient of too detailed or continuous research,
and was more interested in living men and
current affairs than in documentary records
of any kind. Yet he was by no means blind
to the fact, which unfortunately many public
men are, that to be of real service to any
cause, a man's intellectual as well as his
physical powers must be stimulated and
strengthened by sustenance of the proper
sort, and that, except through inborn genius
of the rarest kind, a man cannot be saved

BOOKS 67

from intellectual sterility, unless, to more
than a limited degree, he familiarizes himself
with the best thought of the strongest minds.
The books with which Harper sought to
become most familiar were the works of
writers whose intellectual preeminence was
undoubted, and whose main concern, though /

they viewed it from many and frequently dif-
ferent standpoints, was the problem of exist- 1>
ence, the meaning and the ^duties of life. Of
this class, Carlyle, Matthew Arnold, Emerson,
Tejnnyjson, and, among present day writers,
Hamilton Wright Mabie, were the ones to
whose works his spare hours were chiefly de-
voted during his last years. It would be
difficult to know from which of these authors
he gained the most ; that he was strongly
influenced by all is beyond question, though
this influence was one rather of clearer defini-
tion and understanding of his own beliefs and
convictions, than of conversion to other and
different views. Of what, as a teacher, litera-
ture contributed, something may be gleaned
from the pages containing his views on pres-

68 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

ent day problems and matters of religion.
In the present chapter it is of the companion-
able enjoyment derived from this source,
consciously sought and cultivated as a means
to the enrichment of life, that it is desired to
give a sympathetic appreciation.

The winter of 1900-01 was made excep-
tionally profitable through the opportunities
of reading which many of its evenings and
Sundays afforded. Harper and his friend
had lodgings in common, and his diary is
full of mention of the evenings they spent to-
gether in company with books, from which
each in turn read aloud to the other, and
which were laid aside only that a deeper
searching of the heart might follow, accom-
panied by pledges of mutual loyalty and re-
solve, long after the embers had burned out
upon the hearth, and all things were in the
sacred keeping of the night. Did not the
personal references which these accounts con-
tain preclude their publication, opportunity
might be given of looking in upon the best
that this world has to offer, the soul com-

BOOKS 69

munion of friend with friend. One or two
passages relating to evenings not dissimilar,
though spent with less intimate friends, will
suggest, to those who read them, with what
profit an evening might have been shared
with him by those who knew and appreciated
his genuine self aright, and what measure of
inspiration in turn was accorded to him by
the conversation and views of others, and by
the writings of master minds.

Of the chance happening in of a friend, he
writes :

"I had finished reading Matthew Arnold's
criticism of Gray when L - came in and spent
the evening with me. I read Gray's Elegy, The
Bard and some other extracts, in order to make
good Matthew Arnold's judgment. Then we
talked of men of genius and their lives, and
L - spoke of their unhappiness and want of
appreciation. I took the ground that this unhap-
piness was often more apparent than real j that
the greatest happines^ jp

souljajdsjactiqri which must come with the beau-
tiful expression of a great truth; that no great
work came by chance, but rather that the thought

70 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

was first real and vital to the artist ; that however
much, humanly, he might feel the want of appre-
ciation and physical satisfaction, his pleasure
must be ecstatic at finding an expression for his
best self, his inner life.

" « These demand not that the things without them
Yield them love, amusement, sympathy?

" Just as theirs is the great happiness, so theirs
is the great sorrow, for sorrow to be expressed in
such form must first be appreciated, felt.

" From this we drifted to Kipling and imperial-
ism, my contribution being that Kipling was a
great imperialist, that of those who were urging
forward the British empire, he was one of the
most enlightened, one of the most clear seeing ;
that his anxiety for the empire's future was as
much cosmopolitan as British, having faith in
the Anglo-Saxon ideal. In support of this latter
contention I cited the White Man's Burden,
which I think was primarily designed for the
American people.

" Then to the woes of Ireland and her future.
I expressed disgust with the methods of such men

as , who are trying to fan the flame of

hatred to England, a flame justly enough started
by the long years of oppression,(but which must

BOOKS 71

be smothered if Ireland is to progress, for I
can see only one way for her healthy develop-
ment,— as part of the British empire, jhe great
civilizing and evangelizing^power of the world.

" I read some of Moore's poems to illustrate
my views of the beauty and richness of the Irish
nature, and its possibilities when fairly treated.
We closed our evening by reading a passage from
Great Books as Life Teachers , in the chapter
on Ruskiris Seven Lamps of Architecture, to
show that true liberty consists in obedience to
law — true law. * Nature loves paradoxes, and
this is her chiefest paradox — he who stoops to
wear the yoke of law becomes the child of lib-
erty, while he who will be free from God's law,
wears a ball and chain through all his years.
Philosophy reaches its highest fruition in Christ's
principle, " Love is the fulfillment of the law." ' " *>

Of an evening spent with friends, he says

"To-night we spent a pleasant evening, en-
joying music and reading. Mrs. J , whose

whole life seems to be poetry and music com-
bined, rendered several brilliant selections on the
piano, conveying to me a conception of beautiful
thoughts playing about the crests of moonlit

72 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

waves, after which R and I read several

of Matthew Arnold's poems. I have grown to
like Matthew Arnold more and more. His phi-
losophy, the pursuit of perfection, of sweetness
and light, and the sweeping away of viciousness,
has always influenced me strongly since I first
read Culture and Anarchy some years ago. But
I find in him more and more the noble high
minded man as I proceed. I read The Buried
Life and Rugby Chapel among other things.
The latter has always been a favourite of mine,
pointing, as it does, a noble useful view of human
duty, as in the lines —

" ' But thou would' st not alone
Be saved, my father ! alone
Conquer and come to thy goalt
Leaving the rest in the wild'

" The Buried Life seems to me one of the most
beautiful, hopeful and inspiring poems I have
ever read — the thought that man's life and de-
,/\ velopment goes on, and that his real life is real-
ized despite the spoiling of himself which he does
continuously in the meaningless follies of his daily
round.

"'Fate . . .

Bade through the deep recesses of our breast
The unregarded river of our life
Pursue with indiscernible Jlow its way ;

BOOKS 73

And that we should not see
The buried stream, and seem to be
Eddying at large in blind uncertainty ',
Though driving on with it eternally?

"And then how —

«« ... often, in the world's most crowded streets,
But often, in the din of strife,
There rises an unspeakable desire
After the knowledge of our buried life?

" The room where we sat before a grate fire
seemed filled with the thought of the noble man
who penned the poem, and the evening was a
most enjoyable one."

Harper's was a nature quick to respond
to the beautiful and true wherever found,
whether in prose or verse, in music or paint-
ing, or in the actions of daily life. He was,
moreover, intensely sympathetic, and what
he read or saw always impressed, and some-
times affected, him deeply. He would often
rise from the reading of a beautiful poem, or
the story of some heroic human effort, with
eyes rilled and voice completely overcome,
and then, as a means of gaining^ relief and at
the same time of giving^ ^xpressipiijto his
feelings, would pen in a single sentence or

74 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

two the thought that was most in his mind at
the time.

Such little entries as the following are a
characteristic feature of his diary, and reveal
his sympathetic appreciation of what he read,
and of the subject treated :

" To-night I read the sad story of Keats' life.
How sad it is to see so promising a man pass so
soon ! How admirably he declared a great truth
when he said,

" < "Beauty is truth, truth beauty,' — that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.1 "

" To-night I read over again Lanier's A Ballad
of Trees and the Master, which, I think, most
beautiful. The poem appealed to me strongly as
illustrating the subduing calm of the woods. Be-
fore going to bed I read Ward's biography of

f Lanier, a story of the heroic struggle of a soul

L steeped in music and high purpose."

"In the afternoon I read Matthew Arnold's
Essay on Shelley, whose life was a strange mix-
ture of genius and weakness. But for his poetry
his weakness would have made him detestable.
But for his weakness his poetical genius might
have made him one of the most beautiful of all
our authors. As he is, he is one of those strange

BOOKS 75

paradoxes who give rise to speculation as to the
necessary qualities of genius. Much can be for-
given in one who has created the ode, To a Sky-
lark and The Sensitive Plant."

"Matthew Arnold seems to me above all a
critic, clear, impartial, appreciative, kindly,
bravely severe, when this is necessary to do jus-
tice. In what he says in these Essays on Criti-
cism, one feels how sad it is that noble work is
marred by a something wanting ; half results be-
cause of the want of something, — 'many are
called, few chosen.' "

" Next, of the features of the fortnight, was the
completion of The Idylls of the King, from which
I have drawn much healthy inspiration. We read
Pelleas and Ettarre, The Last Tournament,
Guinevere and The Passing of Arthur. At the
close I was struck by the wonderful way in which
the truth of the words, —

" « // is the little rift within the lute.

That by and by will make the music mute,
And ever widening slowly silence all,'' —

was unfolded. Even that beautifully conceived
court, with its noble King, its high ideals and its
battle-tried knights, went to utter ruin through
the example of one sin. Another thing which

76 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

struck me was that Tennyson, like others, shows
that the deadliest enemy is the Judas. The most
cherished knight and beloved Queen poisoned the
court by betraying friend and husband. But
Tennyson holds out the beautiful hope of the
thief upon the cross. Lancelot was allowed to
die a holy man ; and Guinevere, by true repent-
ance and goodly works, was able to purge her
soul so as to be prepared for the reunion here-
after. The gentle teaching of the poem is that
we must be swayed by high resolves and noble
motives.

« ' We needs mzist love the highest when we see it,
Not Lancelot, nor another.'1

"My admiration for the poem increased to-
wards the close. The delicate portrayal of char-
acter, and of utter pain and remorse in Guine-
vere, and the beautiful imagery of The Passing
of Arthur are sublime —

" « From the great deep to the great deep he goes' "

"To-day R and I read several chapters

of Past and Present. Grand, bluff, sturdy old
Carlyle is becoming a reality to me. In his chap-
ters leading up to the selection of Samson as Ab-
bot of St. Edmundsbury, he throws much light
upon a really important view of public policy,
how necessary it is to select the best as Governor,

i

BOOKS 77

and how that best is to be recognized and se-
lected. Carlyle I find to be healthy, wholesome
and full of moral fibre." ***

"Even to the outcry against the fleeting nature
of our impressions of beauty, and, for a time, sat-
isfying, comes an answer in the story of Shelley's
Sensitive Plant. The author concludes the beau-
tiful yet sad story by saying :

" ' / dare not guess ; but in this life
Of error, ignorance, and strife.
Where nothing is, but all things seem,
And we the shadows of the dream,

" ' // is a modest creed, and yet
Pleasant if one considers it,
To own that death itself must be,
Like all the rest, a mockery.

" ' That garden sweet, that lady fair,
And all sweet shapes and odours there,
In truth have never past away :
JTis we, 'tis ours, are changed ; not they.

" < For love, and beauty, and delight,

There is no death nor change : their might
Exceeds our organs, which endure
No light, being themselves obscure?

" If this be so, can we not increase and make
more lasting our knowledge of these things by
mastering ourselves and giving scope to the spir-
itual side of us?"

THE LOVE OF OTHERS

IN love for others human nature manifests
its highest expression. It is the quality
of soul by which, in his relations with his
fellows, a man's capacity for service is de-
termined ; it is the fount at which all the finer
springs of action are fed. Generosity, mercy,
pity, friendship, devotion, sacrifice, flow from
this one source, which conscious effort may
help to replenish, but which conscious or un-
conscious borrowing can never exhaust.

In his love for others lay the absorbing
passion of Harper's life. It was a love which
begot him the strongest and most enduring
of friendships, and it was a love which car-
ried his influence, and the sweet purpose of
his life, away out beyond the circles of those
with whom he was in daily association to
where the tide of affection is wont to ebb,
or, apparently, wastes itself in the reefs and
shallows which abound. Man, woman, or
78

THE LOVE OF OTHERS 79

child, he felt their kinship to the race ; their
lives were related to his life ; misfortune only
heightened his sympathy, and failure his
compassion. Day after day gave new ex-
pression to the wealth of generous purpose
in that great human heart of his. It dictated
the fields into which he directed his activities ;
it inspired his impulses, and was the sustain-
ing power in his work.

Nor was this, with Harper, a blind love, an
unreasoned passion. On the contrary, what-
ever its origin, it derived its strength from a'
carefully thought out philosophy of life, a
philosophy based on a belief in a divine order
and purpose in the universe, and in the
sanctity of individual lives. He had faith in
both God and man, and he held that the will
of the one could only be fulfilled as it was
realized in the life of the other. This belief
explains his efforts on behalf of individuals,
it interprets the views he held on such ques-
tions as those of social and political reform.

He lovedjncie^be^useoithe belief he Jrad v
in their natures. "After all," he writes, "it

8o THE SECRET OF HEROISM

is not the external appearance of a man, nor
what he says or does, that ought to excite
our admiration or distrust, but that inner
personality, the individuality, the soul, which
is ' the all and in all,' and of which appear-
ances are but imperfect representations and
expressions." He was not a man given to
professions, or to the public performance of
good deeds ; in fact, the being seen of men
caused him to hesitate in the doing of much
which a less sensitive nature would have al-
lowed. He did not shrink, however, from
manifesting a personal interest in lives which
' seemed to demand it of him, or from reveal-
ing his purpose to those whom he knew
could appreciate it aright.

One incident, among two or three which
he has recorded, but one of a great many
known only to those with whom the occasion
was shared, is sufficient to illustrate how
practical expression was given to this belief.
It occurred within a short time after he had
left the university, and before he had entered
upon his journalistic career.

THE LOVE OF OTHERS 81

" I was returning home one night after a social
evening, when I saw a young man in the hands
of a policeman. He was what some people would
have called a 'bad boy,' kept rather doubtful
company, and was under arrest for having raised
a disturbance during a drunken row. Well, I
managed to get the boy, who was about eighteen
years of age, out of the cells on bail, and, in
company with a fellow who had been ' painting
the town ' with him, I undertook to take him
home. I contrived, after some time, to get rid
ofjiis 'pal,' and, as soon as the boy was sober
enough, I undertook to find out whether he had
a conscience.

"After walking about the streets with him for
a couple of hours in the beautiful moonlight, by
the aid of a power which was certainly not my
own, I discovered that he had; and the boy
opened up his heart to me. I showed him the
uselessness and folly of the life into which he was
rapidly drifting, and, in a voice convulsed with
sobs, he told me that what I said was true. My
own eyes moistened as he confessed what a fool he
was. He concluded by promising me in a voice
and with a pressure of the hand which meant
truth, that he would never touch a drop of liquor

82 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

again. From the frank manner in which he
meets my eyes when I now see him occasionally,
I believe that he has thoroughly relformed. That
night, as I went home, I knew that one prayer had
not been in vain."

For society as a whole, as for its individual
members, his aim was a constant betterment.

" There are so few men who couple the capac-
ity for appreciating the troubles of struggling hu-
manity with an earnest desire to remove them,
that I can see in such a life a tremendous power
for good, and, after all, is not that the highest
ideal a man can hold before him ? "

In this sentence, penned in reference to
another, he wrote of himself more truly
than he knew. His journals are full of
passages which disclose his "capacity to
appreciate," and his " earnest desire to re-
nove," the obstacles which thwart the up-
ward and onward progress of men engaged
in the competitive rivalries of the world, and
in the struggle for daily bread. Whether it
was pursuing an uncongenial task in the

THE LOVE OF OTHERS 83

wilds of Muskoka, or immersed in the cares
and unrest of journalism, or busied in re-
search for material from which to construct
an article for the Labour Gazette, a human
interest in the life and the lot of the mass of
men was ever before him, and a purpose to
understand and improve that lot his aim.

"During the course of my stay here," he
writes of Muskoka, in the winter of 1895, "I
have had some chance to notice the type of
inhabitants of this inhospitable district. First
and foremost come the lumbermen, not the
miners who live in the town, but the stout fellows
in smock and jersey, with their pants shoved into
stockings, which are in turn encased in stout rub-
bers. Overcoats are scarce, they don't seem to
be needed. Altogether, though these fellows lead
a hard life, and are often coarse and dissipated,
they have opinions of their own, and must be
reckoned with by the rulers of the country.

" Next comes the Muskoka farmer living in his
shanty, for that is pretty much the rule, although
there is, of course, an occasional farmhouse of
more pretentious appearance, and drawing a bare
livelihood by his constant toil with antiquated

84 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

implements ; most of the hay (the chief product,
since it requires little care,) being cut by the
scythe on patches of land cleared by years of
toil, and in most cases thickly strewn with rocks,
the only satisfaction that they have in their pov-
erty being that they are independent.

"It is difficult to conceive of culture and re-
finement under such circumstances. It may be
well, however, to have one part of our popula-
tion comparatively free from the two danger-
ous influences of our time, riches and luxury on
the one hand, and, on the other, embittered and
ignorant combinations actuated by selfish inter-
ests and swayed too largely by demagogues.

"My sojourn here, though not pleasant and
not profitable from a business point of view, has
opened an extensive field of thought. Of my
companions the most interesting was the lumber-
man whose wife was sick, and who as a result was
leaving the woods. I was quite interested by his
ideas of human life, although they were not given
in a scientific way. He was evidently a man of
energy ; one who took life seriously and who had
his share of troubles. It was pathetic to hear the
way he spoke of how his wife's family usually
died at about twenty-four years of age, how his

THE LOVE OF OTHERS 85

wife was now at that age and was sick. In fact,
there are worse places than the lumber woods for
the study of man."

In the spring of 1898 he was rejoiced at
having the opportunity of conducting a more
or less extended inquiry into the conditions
of working men in the several trades.

"The Mail" he writes, "intends, during the
coming summer, to publish a series of articles
concerning the conditions, social, moral and eco-
nomic, governing each of the various trades, the
facts to be gathered by personal observation and
enquiry from journeymen, apprentices, employers
and employees. The work is to be a feature of
each day's paper, and, mirabile dictu, the entire
charge of the matter, design and detail, has been
handed over to me. I need not say that I am
pleased. I have at once an opportunity of
examining into the industrial and sociological
conditions of the city and province, and possibly
of doing good to my fellow men as the result of
these observations. Incidentally, also, I have an
opportunity of strengthening myself in my own
profession, although that is a thing that one can
do in journalism no matter what line of work one

86 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

is pursuing. Roughly described, the aim of the
series of sketches is to indicate to the parent what
qualifications are required for, and what returns
are to be expected from, the several vocations, in
order that he may the better decide what to do
with his boy or girl. I appreciate the responsi-
bility which the work places upon me, and pray
that I may be able to meet it."

The articles which were written by Harper,
then twenty-four years of age, and which ap-
peared under the caption " What to do with
your boy or girl," were continued in the
Mail from day to day for several months,
and attracted very considerable attention at
the time. They disclose a remarkable ability
to get at facts, and the strongest sympathy
with the end in view, and constitute a not un-
important contribution to the scanty literature
which has thus far appeared, having to do
with industrial and labour conditions in the
Dominion.

The human interest which made even the
dry language of statutes to glow with ani-
mation for him, is abundantly apparent from

THE LOVE OF OTHERS 87

the following passages in reference to some
of his work in the department of labour :

" I spent most of the day in the Library of Par-
liament, reading up the provincial acts concern-
ing mining. The thing which impressed me, as I
read, was the uninviting nature of the task of the
miner, cut off from the light of day, hewing away
in the bowels of the earth, exposed to the danger
of cave-ins, explosions, and a living entombment,
as the result of carelessness on the part of his em-
ployers, or his associates, or the will of nature.
How can such men, if they are crowded down
almost to the margin of subsistence, develop a
roseate view of life ! Ever facing almost terroriz-
ing conditions, they must become brave, sturdy, 1
self-reliant and earnest enough, but how can they
fail to be out of sympathy with the shams, hy-
pocrisies and dilettantisms of modern society ! "

And again :

"At the office, I have been much interested in
working upon the article on the Fisheries of
Canada, inasmuch as it has shown to me a sturdy
class of men toiling under conditions of hardship

88 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

and danger for what is comparatively a small re-
turn. Doubtless the isolation of the fishing vil-
lages, the system of part proprietorship, and the
passion for a sea-faring life, account for the rela-
tive immobility of the population.

" I am becoming more and more convinced
daily of the fact that this country is going through
a transition stage which must influence it to the

^ bottom. The use of machinery, the weakening
of the artisan by removing the rewards of skill,
the work and wages of girls, the prevalence of
piece work and its results, the effects of pauper
and convict labour, and a thousand other prob-
lems are brought daily before my notice in terms
of flesh and blood.

"It is important to know and understand all
sorts and conditions of men if society as a whole

- is to be led towards what is better. Certainly
the ' better class of people ' need leading as well
as the others, for with them the opportunity
offered by leisure is too often wasted in dilettant-

"^ ism and folly."

To " society," in the highly specialized
meaning of that word, a reference may not
be out of place. In its ambitions, its man-

THE LOVE OF OTHERS 89

dates, Harger ^w_b^^t^Ml^£h^madQ for
the development of true manhood or woman-
hood, while he saw much which aimed di-
rectly at the destruction of both. There was
never any one who enjoyed more the pleas-
ure of good company, whose temperament,
frank, hearty and mirthful, and whose man-
ner, courteous and sincere, made him a more
welcome guest wherever he went. It was no
affectation, therefore, which caused Harper
to feel as he did ; it was his belief in the true
purpose of life. What to some, and to him-
self, was a pastime, he saw, to others, was be-
coming an end ; instead of developing, it was
robbing, natures of their finer sensibilities.
Many of its conventions were wholly artificial,
some of its relationships altogether false.
The following short sentences are sufficient
to reveal this view :

" Social engagements may, I think, be a healthy
relaxation, if kept in their place, and if one does
not forget to keep hold of one's self, and remem-
bers the force of example. With many people
here in Ottawa, I fear the social round is becom-

90 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

ing an end in itself, and therefore a danger to
themselves and others.

' ' I am coming to the conclusion that if a man
is to wield any influence worth while in this
world, he has to cut this folly out of his life. The
past fortnight has shown me how impossible it is
for a man to do what the social world expects of
him, and do justice to himself."

Commenting on a wedding notice which
appeared in a local paper, he writes :

"So spoke the society editor this morning.
The important thing, really, was the happy union
for life of two loving hearts. Apparently what
the public is supposed to be interested in, is the
gown of white something or other. It may be
salutary, as a means of developing an sesthetic
taste generally, to have space in our public prints
for such trifles. For my own part, I often think
the world would be better and saner if the society
editor had never been born."

And of the "better part," in a personal let-
ver to a friend :

" If you will pardon me for making the remark,
I was very pleased to see the lively interest your

THE LOVE OF OTHERS 91

sisters take in the great work of improving the
condition of the masses. It is one which is bound
to widen their sympathies, and remove any possi-
bility of their becoming enthralled by the chains of
hollow conventionality, which, more than anything
else, prevents the development of true woman-
hood, under the conditions of our modern society. "

How, according to his view, true woman-
hood might be developed, may be gathered
from a letter written by Harper to one of
his sisters a short time before his death. It
is one of many home letters which might be
quoted, but it may be taken by itself as char-
acteristic. In speaking of his love for others,
its reproduction here may not be out of place :

"Ottawa, Oct. 4th,
" MY DEAR L - :

" I am not writing to give you news, for there
is little to give. I have been having a quiet
happy little evening all by myself, and I thought
I could not do better than let jou into the secret
of my happiness. I think I have told you before
that I am an admirer of the high-mindedness of
Matthew_ Arnold, ' the apostle of sweetness and

92 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

light.' Latterly, I have been taking a great deal
of true pleasure from his poems, and one of the
best of them, The Buried J^ife, I have just fin-
ished reading, not for the first time, for they
stand many readings; and I am sure you would
find it hopeful and inspiring. I wish you would
read Matthew Arnold's works, particularly some
of the poems, such as Rugby Chapel, Dover
Beach, Self Dependence and The Buried Life ;
the last, most of all. There is a good deal of the
stoicaJ^Greek about Matthew Arnold, but his is a
beautiful, noble, pure mind whose example makes
the pursuit of perfection meaningful, and beau-
tiful to contemplate. There is much in his
philosophy with which you doubtless will not
agree, but there is a richness, beauty and purity,
which you will find most inspiring.

" And this brings me still to another question.

Why should not you and E turn this winter

to profit by spending a part of every day reading
aloud to each other, choosing, preferably, such
works as The Idylls of the King, Matthew Ar-
nold's poems, or other writings of the great mas-
ters in literature which take one away from the
sordidness of life, and tend to develop the best
that is in one. This, with an adulteration of fie-

THE LOVE OF OTHERS 93

tion, would make the winter very profitable as

well as very enjoyable to you both. When E "j

can find time, he could read with you, and direct
your reading course. My dear L , I am be-
coming more and more convinced every day that
the most important duty we ijhayje.is Jhejnpulding |
of our character; for it is in the strength and I
richness of our character that we obtain the title
to self-respect, and are able to influence others.
It is by bringing ourselves into closer contact
with the highest thought that we are going to be
enabled to obtain high-mindedness and purity
ourselves. There is a world of truth in the state-
ment, 'Blessed are the pure in heart, for they
shall see God,' and these things of which I speak
are some of the ways of attaining that purity of
heart which makes life richer, deeper and hap-
pier.

" Longfellow, in his prose romance, Hyperion,
has something of what I have in mind, when he
says:

" * It is the part of an indiscreet and trouble-
some ambition to care too much about fame,
about what the world says of us ; to be always
looking into the faces of others for approval ; to
be always anxious for the effect of what we do

94 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

and say ; to be always shouting to hear the echo
of our own voices. If you look about you, you
will see men who are wearing life

ish anxiety of fame, and the last we shall ever
hear of them will be the funeral bell which tolls
them to their early graves ! Unhappy men and
unsuccessful ! because their purpose is, not to ac-
complish well their task, but to clutch the "fan-
tasy and trick of fame"; and they go to their
graves with purposes unaccomplished, and wishes
unfulfilled. Better for them, and for the world in
their example, had they known how to wait !
Believe me, the talent of success is nothing more
than doing what you can do well ; and doing well
^whatever you do, — without a thought of fame.
If it comes at all, it will come because it is de-
served, not because it is sought ajter. And,
moreover, there will be no misgivings, no disap-
pointment, no hasty, feverish, exhausting excite-
ment. '

" This is rather a heavy quotation for a letter,
but I wished you to catch the thought, you will
find it in the chapter in Hyperion on Literary
Fame. You will see the truth of it, if you allow
your mind to dwell upon it for a moment. Long-
fellow has no thought of discouraging ambition.

THE LOVE OF OTHERS 95

Far from it. He simply wants to emphasize the
folly of hoping for fame which is undeserved, and,
as he points out, the way to deserve it is by doing
well what is to be done. But as you are not fame
hunting, it is not the fame part of it that I wish
to dwell upon here, so much as the parallel
thought, that it is the inner life, the inner strength -
which comes from resolute effort and familiarity
with the best thought, which tells, and which
makes for true happiness.

" I have often told you that your worst danger
is your tendency to worry, a tendency which is
based, I know, upon the depth of the interest
which you take in those who are dear to you.
What you must do is to prevent that tendency
from casting a shadow over your life. I have a

picture of you — a copy which W enlarged

from the little sunbeam of you, with a big white
hat, you remember, — in a gold frame over my
desk. It is much admired, and I am proud to
introduce it as my sister. As I look at it, I can
see my dear little sister, bright, happy and de-
voted, and now I don't want to think of her with
any unnecessary cares. Now do be good, and

you and E try and make the winter profitable

to both of you. Take walks, get exercise in the

96 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

open air, be cheerful, read, and generally try and
make life happier by the means which you have
at hand. I am neither scolding nor lecturing,
and I have said nothing which you do not already
know, but somehow to-night, you have been run-
ning in my mind, and I wanted to tell you what
I thought and wished, so that, in due course of
time, you will look back to the winter of 1901 as
one of the happiest chapters in your life. I am
sorry that, when we were in Barrie, the shadow
of memories and the pressure of many things
must have made me seem selfish and not kind
enough to my sisters, but I need not tell you,

L , that your happiness is dear to me.

"And now I must close. So good-night, my
dear little sister.

" With much love,

" Ever your affectionate brother,

"BERT."

Just how characteristic this letter is of the
interest taken by Harper in the welfare and
happiness of those to whom he was united
by the closest of ties, will be apparent from
another letter, written many months previ-
ous, to a brother in New York, after return-

THE LOVE OF OTHERS 97

ing from a short visit to that city. It reveals
the same earnest endeavour of a life to im- |
part its own secret to the lives of others, and j.
to establish a standard of happiness which
could bring no deceptions. Its practical cqrri-
mon sense. will make it no less commendable
as an evidence of the truest affection.
He writes :

" Ottawa, Dec. 30, igoo.
11 MY DEAR WILL :

"Since returning to Ottawa there has been
little happening that would be of interest to you.
I have been busy enough, and have managed to
control a tendency, fostered by the invitations of
a number of kind people here, and my own dis-
position, to be drawn into the social whirl. Itjs
weak, andnife is earnest, so I have decided to do
with as little of it as possible. No man who de-
sires to make progress in this world, can hope to
do so if he squanders his evenings. There are
two ways in which a man may equip himself so \
that he may be in the van of progress : — first, by <
strengthening his own mind through a study of
what is and has been in the minds of great men
of thought, — this, one can do from books ; — sec-

98 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

ondly, by pursuing positive original work along
the special line to which he has devoted himself.
These things I am attempting to do. The diffi-
culty lies in selection. What we have to do is to
get away from the semblances, and get at the reali-
ties of life.

" Of Carlyle's Hero Worship, I have already
spoken to you. It is healthy and sturdy. I am now
reading Carlyle's Past and Present, and do not
know anything in literature more wholesome or
worth reading. Do not neglect to read it. Men of
the stamp of Carlyle, Emerson and Matthew Arnold
go to the root of questions, and their books will
do you one hundred times as much good as all
the novels which are going the rounds. Every
man owes it to himself to supply his mind with
the best material available, and, although Carlyle
may seem a little heavy in parts, where one may
not have become familiar with the subject matter
he refers to, you will find the influence of his
sturdy personality upon your own views of life.

" With regard to the second point, — work along
one's own special line, — I am plodding along at
work in the field of economics, and hope to be
able to get out a book in the more or less near
future. You know best what will be profitable

THE LOVE OF OTHERS 99

for you. What I would suggest is, that you lose
no opportunity of familiarizing yourself with the
best writings on architecture; that you devote
time and thought to studying architectural models
of buildings as they are, and otherwise ; and, that
you take every opportunity to attend lectures or
discussions where architectural subjects are being
considered. In this way you will find your inter-
est in your work, and in life generally, as well as
your usefulness to your employers, increasing at a
surprising rate. I know how hard it is for a man
living in a great, interesting place like New York,
to do deliberate, consecutive work, and to keep
control of himself and his time, but he must do
this, if hejs going to get along. Life is real and
earnest^ and a man who is going to hold up his
end in dull times, and in the autumn of life, must
take every opportunity to equip himself, and to
save his dollars. A man need not be mean, he
can go to things worth going to, he can dress
decently, and hold up his end generally; but
there are lots of things upon which money is often
spent, which are absolute folly. Money is hard to
make, and a man cannot justify himself in throw-
ing it away.

" I hope you will pardon all this which may

ioo THE SECRET OF HEROISM

appear like a lecture. It is not, I can assure you,
dear old Will. It is simply a few conclusions
which I have come to, and which I believe to be
absolutely true. If they are, why should we not
follow them ? I want us both to live fruitful and
useful lives, and it is by such conscious, deliber-
ate work as I have referred to, that we both can
do it. Let us cut asunder what of empty, un-
profitable conviviality, and the like, may have
grown into our lives, and let us live so that when
we are old men, — if we are spared, — we may
look back upon our lives without regret, and feel
that we have been worthy of the best that is in
us, and of the trust which our dear parents placed
in us.

" My visit to New York was thoroughly profit-
able ; it has given me much food for thought, and
has enabled me to see some things more clearly
than ever before. I cannot tell you of all the
impressions New York brought, and has left upon
me. I have never quite managed to shake off
the attitude of mind of a student, and I find my-
self constantly weaving my experiences in New
York into my philosophy of life. The two events
which seem to stand out most clearly are the visit
to the Art Museum, and the concert at the Metro-

THE LOVE OF OTHERS 101

politan. That was a glorious day, for it showed
how men in the rush and flurry of business life
have at hand the means of soul purifying and re-
freshment in art and music, two great agencies
which bring men's minds back from semblances
to truth. Will you ever forget the music we
heard ? The singing of Rossini's Stabat Mater
was to me like wandering through a sea of dreams,
beautiful yet sad. Greatest of all, I thought,
was Nordica's Inflammatus y a soul-stirring song,
splendidly set off by the orchestra and chorus,
and which stirred the vast audience to its depths.
It was the great victory of the evening. How
strong must be the satisfaction of the possession
of so magnificent a voice, both in the capacity to
interpret such beautiful music, and in the ability
to thrUljmd purge the human soul. For is it not
the case that great music ever does this ? I know
little of the technique of music, but for years I
have felt its influence upon me for good.

" Every hour of my visit was profitable, and I
need not say that it would have been a blind,
stupid ramble without your assistance. I know
what it meant in sacrifice of time and hard-earned
money to you. I would have liked to have con-
trolled your generosity. However, I know the

102 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

spirit which moved you, and I am deeply grateful
to you.

"And now, my dear brother Will, I trust that
this New Year which ushers in a new century,
will bring to you true happiness, and the accom-
plishment of your most worthy ambitions.
"Your affectionate brother,

"BERT."

It is not surprising to find in a remote cor-
ner of the diary of a man whose feelings were
so genuine, and sympathies so sincere, such
mention as the following, of an evening spent
with "The Woodcutters," a society he had
helped to organize the year after he left the
university, and the purposes of which will be
sufficiently clear from the reference :

"We went to old Thomas Mahoney's where
we worked hard from about 8:30 to 11:00 p. M.,
sawing and splitting wood. The family con-
sisted of Mrs. Mahoney, an old woman of about
sixty or sixty-five, and her daughter. The
daughter, who is half-witted, goes out washing
and scrubbing, while the old lady has to saw
and split all the wood necessary to keep their
hovel warm, it being situated in an exposed place

THE LOVE OF OTHERS 103

on the edge of the common. The interior does
not betoken wealth, but the old woman and her
daughter seem to be not unhappy, this probably
because of their having come from the Emerald
Isle. I shall try and follow up the acquaintance "j
with a view to discovering to what causes their 1
poverty is due. This institution is a good one,
for besides the hard work, it affords undoubtedly
a good way of helping the deserving^poor, and
gives one a splendid chance for economic study."

Nor is the following entry less surprising,
written, as it was, in part justification of him-
self, lest_he_diouMjia^,erredin having aided
finjmcjajjyj_^

boy who came to him for assistance, but into
whose circumstances he had not, at the time,
had opportunity of making a personal in-
quiry. A file of correspondence with the
Charity Organizations officer, and the super-
intendent of The Institute for the Deaf and
Dumb, reveals the care with which he subse-
quently satisfied his conscience in this par-
ticular case of one who belonged to "the
dependent and neglected poor."

104 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

"Whatever may be held regarding the unwis-
dom of a paternal system with regard to society
generally, — and while my own best judgment in
clines me to be individualistic, — I have a strong
sympathy with those who are robbed of the use
of their senses, to whom so much of the beauty
of God's world is as a sealed book. I felt this
strongly as I dictated the letters which he could
not hear. The bright intelligence on his face as
he learned my intention, and indicated his ap-
proval of some of my suggestions, was beautiful
to see. I trust that he will not prove a disap-
pointment, and that I shall not be deceived."

Harper had the faith which led him at
times to cast his bread upon the waters.
Had he been asked why he did so, he would
have replied, because he loved to. If ques-
tioned further, he would, with Tennyson,
have said :

"That nothing walks with aimless feet;
That not one life shall be destroy 'd,
Or cast as rubbish to the void,
When God hath made the pile complete."

SOCIAL AND POLITICAL
IDEALS

FEW men of his years have thought as
deeply as Harper did, or had clearer
perceptions, concerning conditions and
forces which make for happiness and progress
in social life, and the development of national
greatness. Had he been spared he would
have been an earnest and practical reformer ;
silent as his voice is now, the words he once
uttered are not without their value to our
day and generation. He was a true patriot
in sentiment and aspiration.

Harper loved his country and its people,
and in all that he undertook, which was of a
public nature, he was animated by an enthu-
siasm for the common good. Of the self-im-
posed tasks he had undertaken in addition to
his regular duties at the department of labour,
and in each of which he had made some prog-
ress, were treatises on " Labour Legislation in
105

I06THE SECRET OF HEROISM

Canada," and the " Outlines of an Industrial
History of the Dominion," Among his con-
tributions to publications other than the La-
bour Gazette, was a short essay on Colleges
and Citizenship in a Christmas number of
the Acta Victoriana of Victoria College, one
or two articles in The Commonwealth on Can-
adds Attitude Towards Labour, and an un-
completed monograph, intended for publica-
tion, on The Study of Political Economy in the
High Schools. He was president of the Ot-
tawa Social Science Club, secretary-treasurer
of the Ottawa section of the University of
Toronto Alumni Association, and an active
member of the Ottawa Literary and Scientific
Society. He was at the same time promoting
the organization of a University Club, a plan
of which he had carefully prepared, and the
object of which was to bring the university
men of the city into closer touch with each
other, and make their influence more widely
felt in the civic and social life of the com-
munity.

The background of all Harper's thinking

SOCIAL AND POLITICAL IDEALS 107

on social and political problems was coloured
by his belief in a moral order ; in the fore-
front was ever the.indLYidualplQclaiming this
order, and seeking to realize it in his own
life. Institutions of whatever kind, whether
national or religious, were to him of human
creation. Their usefulness was in proportion
to the degree to which they helped to give
expression to the unseen purpose in the uni-
verse. Nature and man^ alone, were divine.
It followed logically from this that man's ,
work among his fellows in the world was to
discover the moral order, reveal and main-
tain it, so far as within him the power lay.
Harmony with this order meant happiness,
want of harmony, whether by the individual
or the state, unhappiness. In this view, the
individual is vastly superior to any institution
he and his fellows may construct, superior as
an end, and as a means to an end. If a set]
of conditions exist which are counter to the \
moral order, or obstruct its fulfillment in the
lives of men, these conditions should be
changed, the individual should not be sacri-

io8THE SECRET OF HEROISM

freed to them. On the other hand, change
may be, and ought to be accomplished more
t by men than by institutions, and can only be
1 accomplished in the degree to which beliefs be-
I pome active, potent factors in individual lives.
It is true that human knowledge is limited,
and that the purpose of God is infinite,
and so there may rightly be among men dif-
ferences of opinion as to what, under any
circumstances, are the ends to be sought, and
the best means to attain those ends ; and hu-
mility may well characterize all expressions
of belief relative thereto ; but, to the extent
of knowledge gained, the ground underfoot
is firm, and humility will not excuse the want
of assertion, where right reason is set at
naught by wrongful conduct. Moreover, there
is much on which men can be agreed, broken
arcs visible to all, though the perfect round is
seen by none. There are right and wrong,
truth and falsehood, honesty and dishonesty,
love and hate, purity and vice, honour and
dishonour, and the difference between them
is as apparent and real as the difference

SOCIAL AND POLITICAL IDEALS 109

'twixt day and night, albeit, now and again, a
twilight of uncertainty may render doubtful
the confines of separation. Harper's ex-
clusive insistence was only upon what in this
way was acceptable to all ; and knowing that
it was acceptable, he was sure the appeal
would find a response in those to whom it
was addressed. Whatever men might be in <"*
seeking privately their own selfish ends, their
belief in a moral order was apparent once,
action became collective,;, the public had a
conscience to which it was generally true,
though men at times might seem to betray ^

their better selves ; and public opinion might
be expected to guard for society as a whole
a right for which individuals sometimes lost
respect. How great, therefore, was the re-
sponsibility upon those^ho. had the Capacity,
or^ opportunity, to see that public opinion was
rightly formed and directed, and that, in so-
cial and political affairs, truth and right
should be made to prevail !

This insistence upon the recognition of
responsibility in those favoured by educa-

no THE SECRET OF HEROISM

tional training or opportunity, is well brought
out in a paragraph or two in the short essay
on Colleges and Citizenship. Referring to a
quotation from Sir Alfred Milner's life of
Arnold Toynbee, in which " the estrangement
of the men of thought from the leaders of the
people " is referred to as having constituted,
in Toynbee's mind, the great danger of the
democratic upheaval of the time, Harper
writes :

" People in Canada to-day are doubtless not so
L anxious about democratic upheaval. Fortunately
the aggravated conditions of an old world me-
tropolis have not yet been developed. The task
is easier ; the duty none the less imperative. It
is more possible to secure the confidence of men
who are not embittered by the pangs of slumdom.
But because conditions here are not as distressing
as they have been and are elsewhere, it is surely
no less desirable, with a view to promoting indus-
trial peace and healthy national development,
1 that the men who have opportunity and capacity
for the serious study of social and economic prob-
lems, should not allow themselves to become
fenced off by a wall of indifference of their own

SOCIAL AND POLITICAL IDEALS in

ild j
ial /

creation from those to whom the mass of the
people look for direction, inspiration and sugges-
tion. It is reasonable to expect that he who
claims to be engaged in the pursuit of truth should
not give countenance to what makes for social
disorder and national decay.

" Men are as much open to reason, as liable to
accept truth, when they have been convinced of
it, as when Arnold Toynbee studied, lectured and
wrote. They are as prone to prefer what is gen-
uine to what is pretense and dissimulation.
Surely a peculiar obligation to see that men think
rightly and act sanely, devolves upon those whose
vantage ground should enable them to distinguish
what is genuine. Sir Alfred Milner, having in
mind the earnest friend of his undergraduate
days, said six years ago to the members of Toyn-
bee Hall : < I do not go so far as to say that
what Oxford thinks to-day England will do to-
morrow, but certainly any new movement of
thought at the universities in these days rapidly
finds its echo in the press and in public opinion.'
Indeed, is there not fair ground for the belief
that much of the virtue which has marked the
conduct of Great Britain's High Commissioner
at Cape Town, throughout the South Afri

ii2 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

is due to association with the high-minded stu-
dent, who, in the congenial atmosphere of Ox-
ford, did not forget that he was a citizen ? "
It was his belief in the importance of men
recognizing their duties as citizens, and be-
ing able to discharge these duties with in-
telligence and for the common good, which
led Harper to prepare a scheme for the teach-
ing of Political Economy in the high schools.
The merits of this plan he had summarized
as follows :

" Such a study would tend to remedy the great
evil of democratic institutions, the susceptibility
of the masses to the influence of demagogues,
and their liability to misconstrue the relations of
cause and effect because of ignorance. It would
tend to promote mental development, especially
in the direction of individual thought. It would
tend to raise the standard of such studies in the
universities, and this in time would react upon
the high schools in the way of more competent
teachers, and, in the end, create great possibili-
ties for the prosecution of research in this all im-
portant branch of knowledge in our country. It
would tend to remedy social evils by giving the

SOCIAL AND POLITICAL IDEALS 113

philanthropist and the public generally, some-
thing like an accurate idea of the true state of so-
ciety. It would react beneficially upon the gov-
ernment, which, with a more critical observation,
would be more careful in its actions."

He modestly concludes,

"I simply put forward a proposal which, I
think, if carried out, would tend to modify the
evils fostered by ignorance. I have to a great ex-
tent taken it as an axiom that whatever tends to
disseminate knowledge, to advance truth, and to
develop the intellect, cannot be wrong, and should
be accepted by all liberal minded men ; and this,
I think, would be the result of the study of Po-
litical Economy in our high schools. ' '

From the notes he had made, and from
what is contained in the body of the article,
it would appear that he had in mind a course
on Civic Ethics, quite as much as on the Ele-
ments of Economics, and that he would have
liked, if possible, to have had a beginning
made in the public schools.

Scattered throughout his diary are such
observations as the following :

n4 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

"I am becoming more and more convinced
that the true rulers of the nation are outside of
our parliaments and our law courts, and that the
safety of society lies in informing those who form
public opinion."

" I feel more and more the necessity of em-
phasizing the importance of the scientific study
of economic and political problems in a country
in which every man has the franchise, and is sup-
posed to be in a position to express an intelligent
opinion upon public questions, and particularly
at a time when labour and kindred problems are
prominent in the public mind."

"A man who truly loves his country should
be disposed to do his utmost to see it rightly
governed."

"The poor downtrodden have more to hope
for from men who, having a specialized training
in the operation of social forces, apply themselves
to the proper remedy, than from all the windy,
ultra-radical demagogues. ' '

SOCIAL AND POLITICAL IDEALS 115

"It is the alienation — partly, no doubt, due to
indolence — of the men of thought from those
from whom the mass of the people habitually re-
ceive their inspiration, which accounts for much
of the crass ignorance and purposeless passion of
the people and their demagogues."

"For myself, I have long deplored the foolish
worship of this or that set of political machinery
by apparently well intentioned men. In Matthew
Arnold's Culture and Anarchy, there is a solu-
tion for much of our distressing bluster_arid_blun-
der. With confidence in the possibilities of man
and a resolute endeavour to strive towards per-
fection, to allow our best consciousness to play
about our stock notions and our painful condi-
tions of society, we should be able to see the real
value of things, and ultimately to approach more
nearly to right and truth. If our well-intentioned,
but perhaps ' over-Hebraized ' ultra-socialists and
ultra-individualists would have perfection more
prominently in mind than the pet panacea they
have ever before them, and would allow their best
consciousness to play about their notions of so-
ciety and its evils, there would be less of vicious-
ness and ignorance in their propaganda."

i

n6THE SECRET OF HEROISM

" The fallacy of political panaceas ! And the
vital importance of improving the individual
morally, and encouraging him to elevate his
ideals ! What a splendid thing it would be if
every labour agitator, every demagogue, every
member of parliament, every professor, teacher
and minister, and, in fact, every one who exerts
an influence upon the public mind, could realize
and act upon the truth which came to Alton
Locke after his life of bitter trial : * My only
ground was now the bare realities of life and
duty. The problem of society— self-sacrifice, the
one solution.' "

"We are too apt to regard social phenomena
as if they are entities in themselves, instead of in-
cidents in the development of society, a fact
which a man who is amidst the strife of existing
social and economic conditions should not lose
sight of."

"I am continually impressed with the wisdom
of keeping a mind open to suggestion and im-
pressions from the men one meets in the ordinary
course of life, in fine, the importance of keeping
an open mind. If one can accomplish this, even

SOCIAL AND POLITICAL IDEALS 117

the din of ' the world's most crowded streets ' be-
comes interesting and instructive, even beautiful,
because of the opportunities of seeing truth and
discovering the remedy for evils."

"Justice and truth must prevail over tyranny
and ignorance."

The true mind is revealed in its unconscious
moments, and it is, therefore, from passages
like these, casually expressed, and constantly
recurring in much that he wrote, which was
of a private nature, that his real views and
beliefs are to be gathered. One or two other
passages in a similar vein will disclose these
views more fully.

During Christmas week of 1900 he visited
New York for the first time. Of the many
impressions made upon his mind, the con-
trasts of wealth and poverty, and all that they
implied, were to him more real than aught
else.

"What was particularly irritating to me," he
writes in his journal, after returning from this trip,

Ii8 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

" was the constant evidence of the gower of money
rule in that throbbing metropolis. The story is
written, even on the store signs on Broadway, that
this, the greatest commercial city in America, is
practically owned by monied persons, whose tastes
and ambitions strike one as being essentially low,

- mean and vulgar. I felt strongly a growing pride
in British institutions and British character com-

^ pared with what I saw about me. The ground
taken by Mr. Mulock, on behalf of labour, came
strongly before me. I felt that selfishness must
be reckoned with in the solution of social problems.
What is to be hoped is that strong men may fee-
brought to see that right legislation is good poli-

r*tics, that they may thus be persuaded to lend
their aid to those who hope to avoid the growth
in Canada of a corrupt system by which the
power is in the hands of the octopus who owns
the money bags, and who fattens on the blood of.
the people whom he crowds under him. There is
luxury and magnificence on Fifth Avenue, but I
envied not the proud possessors of those costly
mansions. I want naught but what my own
ability and effort will bring me. I believe in
making one's surroundings as beautiful as may
be, but I feel that there is much waste and vulgar

SOCIAL AND POLITICAL IDEALS 119

display in the way in which wealthy New York
arrays herself. Her luxury is ponderous and"
heavy and dull, when one remembers that much
of it rests on the necks of the hundreds of thou-
sands of toilers who gasp for breath in the narrow
streets, from whom are withheld God's free gifts,
the sunlight and the pure air."

Elsewhere, he writes after a walk through
the city streets :

" On the way home I turned over in my mind ^
the question as to how wealthy men come to be
so much appreciated in spite of the fact that it is
only the lovable in man which is truly loved— by
right-minded men at all events, and I am satis-
fled that, consciously or unconsciously, men come
to compromise with their own sense of justice in
their estimate of men, until a habit of thought
and regard is fixed. What goes forward is some-
thing like this : we do not love the man with"!
the big house, but we would love to be the man \
with the big house. And since the man with the
big house often has it in his power to get a bigger
house than we have, we come to appreciate him.
Many men do this until it comes to be usual to
appreciate the man with the big house, and he i

120 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

comes to be a large figure in the eyes of the
world, however little we may love him and his
methods. . This is particularly the case in a young
nation like the United States which has, as yet,
scarcely come to realize the really valuable things,
an appreciation of which comes from genuine
culture.

"Again, whilst there is no great sin per se in
being rich, I can see the truth in the old scriptural
saying, ' It is easier for a camel to go through the
eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into
the kingdom of God.' When it is so hard for an
earnest student to keep his mind rivetted upon the
eternal realities of life, through which character
building and true happiness come, how much
harder must it be for the man whose circum-
stances make the existing order, if not sufficient,
yet comfortable, who has his vanity flattered by
the things which he has been pursuing, and who
has a vast web of houses and other possessions to
shut him off from even an occasional view of the
i realities. These facts, of course, only hold in
their general application and tendencies. There
have been, doubtless, splendid rich men. When
these reach that state when, of their own free will,
and of deliberate choice, they are prepared to go,

SOCIAL AND POLITICAL IDEALS 121

sell all that they have, and give to the poor, then
they have reached an attitude of mind and heart
which enables them to distinguish between sem-
blances and realities, to deliberately select the
latter, and so realize the greatest happiness, the
Kingdom of Heaven."

His fine spirit is no less clearly revealed in
the views which he held of the duties of the
department of labour, and of the ideals he
believed should govern and direct Jts_work. v
The following extracts from letters to the one
with whom he was associated, may serve to
show with what purpose and to what end he
had given himself to the work. The letters
were written during the summer of 1901,
while he was in charge of the department :

" As I lay in a hammock last night at Kings-
mere, and gazed into the deep blue moonlit vault
df heaven, and ran over in my mind the progress
already made by the department, and taxed my
imagination to see its future, the one formidable
obstacle which I saw ever before us was the diffi-
culty of keeping firm to one's convictions in the
face of growing clamours for things which one

122 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

cannot approve,(yet which are uttered by people
whom one cannot ignore. Nevertheless, I am
- convinced that all will be well in the end. We
will have the good will of the decent, fair-minded
people, and that is all one should be much con-
cerned about, after one has satisfied one's own
sense of right and justice. I feel a deep sense of
the gravity of our position, and I am determined
that you shall command my best effort in your en-
deavours to make the work of the department ef-
fective, and to defeat unworthy attacks. I do not
think that I am lacking either in faith in human
nature or in the ultimate triumph of right, but I
am coming to realize more, day by day, that it is
a great man's work which we are called upon to
perform. I have every confidence in our ability
to weather the storms which we will undoubtedly
be called upon to meet, and you can be assured
'that you will find me ready to do my share. It
behooves us both to steadfastly keep before us
those things which are true, and, if we do, Na-
J;ure, as Carlyle says, will be on our side.

" The work on the Labour Gazette allows op-
portunity for a careful and searching analysis of
the industrial and social life of the Dominion.
Already I can see the practical usefulness of the

SOCIAL AND POLITICAL IDEALS 123

work. In addition to the obvious recognition of
the claims of labour involved in the creation of
the department, we have it in our power to pub^
lish information which should lead to a better
understanding all round, as well as to further
such movements as arbitration and conciliation
which tend to promote indujiirial £eace.

" With the added responsibility there has come
to me an increasing sense of the usefulness of the
work which we are doing. I Jbelieye we can do
much towards determining the direction of social
progress. With a knowledge of fact, an absence
ofsectarian prejudice, some understanding of the
progress of human institutions, and of the motives
which influence men, we should, if we can keep
control of ourselves, and maintain high ideals as
inspiration for the development of the best that is
in us, be able to render a lasting service to this
country."

In this connection his views as to the rela-
tion^ of the State and Labour, and of labour
problems generally, may not be without in-
terest.

"I think," he writes, "we should discourage
anything that tends to prevent Canadian workers

124 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

from being good citizens, and enough means and
leisure to avoid the brutalizing tendency of sup-
pressed bitterness and poverty, is necessary to
^ that end. I am inclined to believe that healthy,
rational development will be best furthered by
^restraining those influences which tend to lower
; the level of citizenship, and the material well-being
' of the mass of the workers in a country in which,
as in Canada, the workers are an important ele-
ment in the governing of the nation. Society
must insist upon rules of fairness governing our
industrial system, and upon frowning down the
'mean man.' Let each individual have to him-
self the reward of his energy, and of his legitimate
effort, bu£ let him work in accordance witr^rules
of fair play, and frown down, and banish, if need
be, the 'mean man.'

" There are those who have held that man has
but one right, the right to live, if he can. Mod-
ern British democracy does not stop there. That
same sense of self-respect which prevents us con-
sidering as tolerable a society which allows men
and women, who are unable to provide for them-
selves, to lie down on the street and die, forces
us to insist that there shall be some rules for the
regulation of industrial life, more particularly

SOCIAL AND POLITICAL IDEALS 125

where the parties .m.-an. industrial contest are-of
unequal strength. Most modern societies are
prepared to admit that industry should be so con-
ducted that men who are willing to work shall be
allowed to work under as wholesome conditions
as are reasonably possible, and that they shall be
allowed such a return for their labour and so
much leisure, as is necessary to ^health. For, to
put it on no higher ground, no society, however
hard hearted, can afford for long, when the rem-
edy lies in its own hands, to countenance condi-
tions which create in the hearts of reasonable
men, that bitterness which tends to provoke social
upheavals and revolutions.

"Where the governing power is dependent
upon the governed, no abstract theory of indi-
vidual liberty or what not, will long prevent the
State from taking cognizance of apparent and
remediable injustice. Doctrinaire political phi-
losophers, painters of Utopias, peddlars of polit-
ical panaceas, still have their own little nostrums
for society, but the law has been built up, as has
seemed right or expedient to the law makers of
the time, as a series of arbitrary rules based upon
experience, and defining the terms upon which
people may best live in each other's society.

126 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

"The attitude taken by those who have fash-
ioned British policy in industrial matters, recog-
nizing the /principle that upon individual ability
and individual energy rests national progress,^
allows to the individual the enjoyment of the
fruits of his industry. But it insists that in the
getting of it he must be governed by rules of fair
play. [_The rule which underlies the various
labour laws seems to be ' leave well enough alone,
but get after the mean man.' "|A parent has a
right to chastise his child, but that does not mean
that he has a right to beat his child whenever he
feels inclined, or allow him to be so worked as to
start him in life a crippled, deformed, little crea-
ture. LThe Factories Acts, perhaps the best known
department of labour legislation, both in England
and in Canada, have been created to correct
abuses, which would not have arisen but for the
practices of hard-hearted employers, j In order to
thwart the mean man, who will consider neither
the comfort nor the well-being of his employees,
certain rules have been laid down, declaring how
establishments, where abuses are likely to arise,
shall be conducted.

" The generally accepted rule nowadays is, that
good done is sufficient justification of an act, in

SOCIAL AND POLITICAL IDEALS 127

the absence of evidence that equal or greater
evil will follow. Take as an illustration the in-
spection of apples and pears, which does not fall
within the scope of what is normally considered
labour legislation. It was found that, left to
themselves, some men who sold apples were so
short-sighted as to fill the centre of the apple bar-
rels with inferior fruit, straw, old boots, clothes,
and other material which cost less than the hand-
picked fruit of the Canadian orchards, and which
could not be seen when covered up with rosy,
sweet smelling Northern Spies. But the appetite
of the British consumer does not extend to the
contents of the refuse cart, and Canadian fruit
growers as a whole suffered. Because some men
are prepared to carry their meanness to the extent
of counterfeiting, and of impairing the reputation
o£ their countrymen, the Canadian parliament
felt called upon, in the interest of common de-
cency and the good of the apple trade, to require
an inspection, which, while it will defeat the mean
man, will involve the regulation of every honest
Canadian shipper who is content to take his
chances on the principle, ' caveat cmptor*

" Here, then, is an illustration which may be ^
applied. Let every man stand upon his own feet,

128 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

says the parliament at Westminster. Let every
man choose and pursue his own aim in life, and
have for himself the reward of his efforts. ;But •'
where an abuse develops to such an extent that it
becomes a menace to public safety, or an invasion
of the rights of others, we are prepared to so leg-
islate as to defeat the offender, whilst restricting
individual enterprise to the least possible extent."

And of the application of the same princi-
ple of fair play to industrial disputes, he
writes :

"Partly because society feels that it cannot af-
ford to see the machinery of production tied up
and inactive, partly because of the effect upon
consumers of increased inconvenience and in-
creased prices as the result of that suspension, but
largely, I think, because society demands that the
men who work shall have fair treatment, because
the great heart of society, stripped of its shams,
its semblances, its dilettantisms, its hypocrisies
and its follies, demands that justice and fair play
shall rule between man and man, that they who
are willing to work with, their hands shall have a
fair return for their work, and shall be allowed
to work under fair conditions, it has come to pass

SOCIAL AND POLITICAL IDEALS 129

that, in British countries, there is an answer to the
demand of labour for some kind of arbitrament
other than the strong handj when the parties to
an industrial dispute fail to agree. In New Zea-
land the answer has come in compulsory arbitra-
tion, which, at bottom, means, practically, the
fixing of wages by the State. In Great Britain
and Canada individualism will not go so far.
Public opinion, for the time being at least, is sat-
isfied with the creation of machinery for the opera-
tion of voluntary conciliation. We hope that
public opinion will, in most cases and in the long
run, strike a true note. Under modern condi-
tions, as Carlyle says, ' Democracy virtually ex-
tant will insist upon becoming palpably extant.'

"Inasmuch as many industrial disputes have
their origin in misunderstaridings^ and in senti- .
mental alienationsjrom the arbitrary disposition of
one party or the other, the Acts in Great Britain
and Canada, providing as they do for the appoint-
ment of an unbksed mediator to bring the parties
together, are calculated to sweep away all unes-
sential entanglements, and make the way clear
for a settlement by means of amicable compromise
without taking away from' either of the parties
the privilege, to which each claims a right, of using

130 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

its strength to further its own legitimate individual
ends. The existence of the machinery makes it
difficult for either party in a serious dispute to re-
fuse to employ it ; the prestige of the government
behind the conciliator enables him to deal freely
with each party, and to throw the full light of day
upon the real condition of affairs. This done,
the full strength of the system of voluntary con-
ciliation comes into play. Public opinion will
force a settlement which approximates to justice
and fairness. The mean party, whether it be the
employer or the labour organization, must inevi-
tably give way to the extent of its meanness, and
at the same time, the right of the individual to
realize for himself the fullest fruits of his legiti-
mate effort, at once the stimulus of the capitalist,
and raison d'etre of the trade union, is preserved.
The system, it is true, acknowledges, at once, the
imperfection of trade union machinery, and the
selfishness, even to the extent of meanness, of
employers ; it goes further than the grasping and
heartless employer would allow ; it falls short of
what many unionists, especially among the social-
ists in the organizations, would demand ; tmt it
adequately represents the general attitude of the
British public in matters of labour legislation

SOCIAL AND POLITICAL IDEALS 131

generally, preserves the reward of individual ef-
fort to the individual who makes the effort/but
makes it impossible for the^mean, man. to profit by
his meanness. Meanwhile, with the option, in
case of disputes, of the arbitrament of public
opinion, an employer is apt to give greater con-
sideration to a proposal for the creation of a per-
manent conciliation board, representative of him-
self and his employees, to determine questions
which may arise within his establishment.

"Such a bringing together of the two classes
jnjhejroducing scheme for the consideration. of
their mutual interests, as well as their mutual dif-
ferences, is calculated to promote a harmony
which should make for the great aim of all, .the
promotion of industrial peace. Granted the ex-
istence of a fair rate of wages and fair conditions
of work, the existence of conditions, which can,
with little difficulty, merge into a modified form of
industrial association <of partnership, ?md there is
the vindication of the truth, that there is no neces-
sary warfare between the parties to production."

Lastly, of Democracy; its problems were
to him mainly industrial ; a well_ in-
formed public opinion was the one hope, a

132 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

recognition of the duties of citizenship, the
one necessity of the times. In obedience to
a moral order lay the secret of happiness, for
the heart of a people like the heart of man,
was governed by truth.

" If we are to have faith in democracy, we must
believe that the people, when informed, will choose
what is right in preference to what is base. If
we can judge of the disposition of the press and
the expressed opinions of prominent men who
give thought to the matter, Canada has deliber-
ately set her face towards the promotion of indus-
trial peace, the stamping out of the mean man.
Canadians seem disposed to declare witty Carlyle,
that * cash payment is not the sole nexus of man
with man. Deep, far deeper than supply and
demand are laws, obligations as sacred as man's
life itself. He that will not learn them, perpetual
mutiny, contention, hatred, isolation, execration,
will wait on his footsteps, till all men discern
that the thing which he attains, however golden
it look or be, is not success, but the want of

" Working men axe not asking for favours. In
their federations less and less is heard of technical

SOCIAL AND POLITICAL IDEALS 133

differences, and more of a desire to secure the
good will of the general public by means of a
cool, deliberate presentation of views upon public
questions primarily affecting them. It is impossi-
ble not to accept the general views of Mr. Henry
Compton, that as working men acquire their full
rights, their leaders will turn to the noble task of
impressing upon them the duties of citizenship.
Outside of parliaments and law courts, the destiny
of the nation's workers and employers is being
shaped by the consciousness of right in the minds >
of the mass of the people."

" I have confidence that public opinion will, in
most cases and in the long run, strike a true note.
I have faith in the saying, * the people may make
mistakes, but the people never lie.' Show the^j
people what it all means, and the people will do ]
what is right. They are learning the insufficiency J
ofpohtical catch wordsi They know that no po-
litical pill, call it by ever so attractive a word, is
a cure for all ills."

" Whatever course we may pursue we must not '
forget that it is but a means to an end. Ma-
chinery is good, so long as we remember that it

i34 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

is machinery. No system will, even for a short
time, avoid industrial evils unless the people have
respect for what is right and true and just. The
present system has its omissions and its weak-
nesses, but it keeps in mind some of the principles
of public policy, which experience has shown to
be sturdy, sane and wholesome. I think it is a
stride in the right direction. If men will but be
true to themselves, a new era is dawning upon
us ; an era, which, if it will not be free of pain,
hardship and suffering for many, will, while pre-
serving a premium as a reward for the energetic,
a punishment for the mean, leave the final judg-
ment in industrial questions with public opinion,
which, when informed, is ready to choose what
is right in preference to what is base. The ulti-
mate solution of industrial problems, now as never
before, lies with the people at large, and all will .
be well if citizens will but discharge the duties of
'^ their citizenship."

THE PURPOSE OF LIFE

" T" TRUST I may do my duty before God
and man and realize the best that is in
me." These words are among the last
in Harper's diary. Five years before, re-
ferring to repeated disappointments and re-
verses he had written : "I hope they will
enable me to realize the high ideal of my
existence." The same lofty purpose was
expressed in the opening paragraph of his
diary, already quoted. It reads :

" I am writing this record of my thoughts
and actions in order that I may be better able
to understand myself; to improve in that
wherein I find myself wanting, and that
some day I may be able to look back and
find a rule of development or perhaps of life,
with its assistance. I shall endeavour to be
at least honest with myself, and hope that
the use of this book may help me occa-
sionally, to sever myself mentally from the

136 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

associations of the world and retire within
myself. My hope is that some day I may be
able to become acquainted with my own in-
dividuality, and discover what is the first es-
sential and object of my existence."

If love for others was the ruling passion,
the realization of a high ideal was the con-

i^stant purpose of Harper's life. He deliber-
ately, at an early age, looked in upon his life ;
regarded it as a trust given him by the Cre-
ator to mould and fashion at his will ; saw that
it had capacities which he believed to be in-
finite and divine ; and sought, by reflection
and action, to unfold its meaning and to
work out its end. " There is a dreamy under-
current in my whole make-up, which I have
never been able to understand, but which
sometimes seems to me to be more real than

"my waking life." Already the infinite mys-
tery had become a great reality to him. His
search was not in vain. Before its close,

" He saw life clearly,
And he saw it whole"

Man found himself in a world surrounded

THE PURPOSE OF LIFE 137

by mortals like himself; two^ theories were
possible, either all was chance, or there was
design. If chance, there could be no ultimate
meajMngjof things, no relation between the
parts, either between the universe and man,
or man and his fellows ; truth and right there
might be, by arrangement, but they could
not be absolute ; duty might exist, but under
what law? 'No, the world, man, — these
clearly were to be accounted for in some
more rational way. The only alternative was
design. The finite mind, seeking to interpret
the Infinite, had invented a language, whereby, /
through the medium of words, it sought to
give expression to its thoughts. A creator
and an infinite purpose were essential to de-
sign ; the creator, the finite mind conceived of
as God, the infinite purpose, His will. To
know God and to do His will became then
the chief end of man.

From a consciousness of the mystery of his
own being and of the universe about him,
the earliest perception of the infinite nature
of each and of their relation, came to Harper

i38THE SECRET OF HEROISM

in the discovery of what he was wont to call
"the rule of law." In Nature he found it
first. In Nature there was no chance, all was
cause and effect ; there was constant change,
kut no final destruction. "Immortal growth
was the prophecy which Nature made for
man." What the eye of the senses discov-
ered in the physical world, the eye of the
soul discerned to be true of the inner life.
Character was not the child of Destiny, the
shadow of Circumstance, it was the one
immortal creation of which man was capable.
" What a man sows, that shall he also reap."
In character was the harvest of all that a
man ever thought, or willed, or did.

r And herein lay the greatness of life. An
order in the universe, a capacity in man to
discover and interpret ; Truth, the order ; the
path, Right ; Reason, lighted by the lamp of
Conscience, might lead man to the abode of

.God.

Without some satisfying of reason, Harper
maintained there could be no true inspiration
of soul ; for a belief to be vital, it was neces-

THE PURPOSE OF LIFE 139

sary that its significance should be grasped,
and its meaning comprehended. It was^sec-
ondary, therefore, what a ^ man believed, so_
long as he had a reason^ for the faith that was
mjhiin, and was prepared to follow where an
honest search might lead. In the end, the
meaning of life would be clear. It was not
against criticism or the critical spirit that he
was prone to object, but against such divorced
from an honest and sincere purpose. Honest
criticism he believed was essential to clearer
vision, and, reverently pursued, strengthened
belief.

It was die intellectual honesty, gf Matthew
Arnold which attracted Harper so strongly,
and gave the writings of that author so great
an influence over his life. What he has
written, in reference to his reading of Litera-
ture and Dogma, is not without interest as
showing the effect which this book had upon
him, and as disclosing his own views in the
matter of criticism and belief.

"To-day," he writes, "I spent a good
ing taking a look into Literature and Dogma,

i4oTHE SECRET OF HEROISM

which, so far as I have read, is in entire accord
with Matthew Arnold's clear, critical method of
examination. I was anxious to get at his main
thesis, and read several chapters, as well as the
conclusion, and think that as a result my own
views regarding Christianity have been rather
strengthened. A quibble always annoys me, but
Matthew Arnold's criticism is of a different sort.
For my own part, I am convinced that the critical
spirit is not indicative of meanness, but rather of
balance and honesty of mind, and is calculated
to create, not blind prejudice, but wholesome con-
( yiction. This is particularly the case where the
critic has, as in the case of Matthew Arnold,
imaginative power properly controlled, and a
deep appreciation of love and beauty. ' '

And some days later :

" To-night I read several chapters of Matthew
Arnold's Literature and Dogma, which, with
what I have already read of the work, cleared my
mind as to the main purpose of the author, the
placing of our conception of the value of the
Bible and of Christianity on a more stable and
permanent basis. I feel confident that this will
be the effect upon my own mind, for I thoroughly

THE PURPOSE OF LIFE 141

hold that a belief to be vital must be jre.al to him
who professes it. Indeed, the profession to others
of what one believes, however important, is almost /
inevitably vague, or, at least, liable to be misun-
derstood. What is really important is for us to *")
believe what we ourselves find believable and true r
before the bar of our inmost conscience. I find 4
myself reaching out with eagerness to the thought,
which seems an old one to me, that God is in-
timately associated with conscience ; that conduct
is important, but that rules of conduct ^insti-
tutionalized are apt to be external and wanting
in vital force ; and that it was the emphasizing
of the importance of the personal, inward con-
dition, which was the xpal strenfifo andjasting
service of the new dispensation.

" I find my views clearing as time goes on.
Latterly two thoughts have bfien, perhaps, more
prominent than any others: ^he importance of
constant choice in the matter of selection and re-
jection, and a"~Tespect for the conception of the
many sidedness of truth, which conception brings
with it a toleration for the views^of^others^par-
ticularly in the matter of religion. For given
that religion is an inward personal matter, and
that men are constituted so differently, their con-

142 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

/ ceptions of the truth, itself single and indissoluble,
if you will, must vary widely. Under such con-
ditions the necessity of keeping in view the highest
standard of life, as illustrated by Christ, becomes
of the very greatest importance."

In the character of Christ, Harper found
the answer to the question, what is the pur-
< pose of life ? That life appealed to him from
every side. It was the manliest of lives.
Conscious of its greatness, it could forbear to
use its creative powers for selfish ends. It
could be governed by a principle, where a
multitude could not attract. Bigotry, pas-
sion and prejudice only added force to its
invectives ; ridicule and calumny, dignity to
its assertion of right. In the presence of the
strong, it could champion the cause of the
weak ; the rich it could make to tremble at
their neglect of the claims of the poor. In the
midst of opposition, it could stand alone ; sur-
rounded by temptation, it could remain pure.

It was the manliest of lives. Chivalrous in
its defense of woman, tender in its love for
little children, loyal in its allegiance to friends.

THE PURPOSE OF LIFE 143

Uncompromising it was in its demands for
truth, unsparing in its rebuke of evil, relent-
less, almost violent, in its denunciations of
hypocrisy. ^ Yet nowhere was such sym-
pathy to be found; nowhere, greater com-
passion ; nowhere, forgiveness more sincere.

It was the manliest of lives, but it was
also the simplest and the best. In vain one
searched for an account of material posses-
sions ; in vain one looked for an assertion of
worldly place _or power ; but it was recorded
that its cradle was a manger, its crown, a
wreath of thorns. The mountains, the woods,
the sea, the flowers, the stars, were so sought
by, and so ministered to that life, as to be
almost a part of it. Simple fisher-folk of
Galilee, devoted but humble women in the
town of Bethany, shared its companionship,
the sorrowful and outcast, its love.

And withal, it__Jiad a mission, higher,
greater than the world had ever known.
Clearly it saw into the mystery of the uni-
verse, deeply it divined the meaning of the
human soul. In words, as simple, as beauti-

144 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

ful, as the flower, or the name which sug-
gested the thought, it related the universe, ta
man, and man to God. " Consider the lilies
how they grow ! " — all that Nature had to
teach was there, selection and rejection, cause
and effect, the unfailing operation of law, life
v and death. " Our Father," — obedience, love,
trust, forgiveness, the brotherhood of man,
man's sonship under God.

Was it a matter of wonder then, that such
a nature as Harper's should be captivated by
such a life? Having founded his belief on
reason, in the following after the perfect life
of Christ, reason was soon outrun Jby ...that,
which brought conviction of itself. Having
learned something of the secret and the
method of that life, Harper came soon to
believe the words :

" Ego sum via, verifas, vita.
Sine via non itur, sine veritate non
Cognoscitur, sine vita non vivitur"

They came to be the controlling power in his
life.

Harper sought the realization of his belief

THE PURPOSE OF LIFE 145

in conduct His impurity, his weakness, he
contrasted with the strength and beauty of
the life of Christ, and daily sought with an
earnest devotion to yield the allegiance due
to the higher ideal. Without many profes-
sions, he strove silently for the attainment of
a character which would make him, among
men, not unworthy of the ideal which he cher-
ished in his heart.

The following passages may help to make
good the truth of these words :

Prevents foiiy- ft "

is the main hope of a delirious world. It is the
means of informing common sense. An ideal
truly cherished is never lost, save to give place to
a higher ideal. Ar^ ideal is not smashed by ex-
perience of frailty ; but is rather thrown into
greater relief. Ideals are dissipated only by the
clearer view which comes with a widening hori-
zon. Disappointment in persons will not make an
idealist a cynic, unless he has no heart.

"Unfortunately, all men are apt to reach out
for the immediate thing which looms large before
them. Some are worse than others. And it is *"'

146 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

only by trying to see things in perspective, by the
application of cojnmon sense .enlightened _by ideal-
ism, that we can hope to be among the wiser. A
constant regard for perfection, the constant cher-
ishing of an intelligent idealism, will, I think,
help a man ' in the midst of the crowd to keep
with perfect sweetness the independence of soli-
tude,'— Emerson's measure of a great man."

"On the place of churches in national and
social life, I take the ground that the important
thing for a man is his religion, what he actually
believes regarding his relation to the universe,
rather than his church affiliation. The first is in-
dividual and real, the latter more or less artificial
and a matter of expediency, a means of assisting
him in making easier the spread of the views
which he holds ; in fine, an institution, with an
object doubtless, but none the less an institution,
machinery. ' '

" This has been a good day, in that life and
human duty have been very real to me in it. In

the afternoon H , L and I walked out

Bank Street to the canal, and, on the way back, I
turned the conversation to the question of man's
duty to himself and to others, taking the position
that a man owed it to himself to make the most
of himself, and that, if he ever earnestly started

THE PURPOSE OF LIFE 147

in on the task, he would find himself moved to see
that his influence upon others was in the same
direction, namely, towards perfection ; that i£
men were q^

rule of law in this sense, they must inevitably re-
cast their entire views of life to their own advan-
tage and that of society ; and that if the church,
instead of saying do this, because this and that
authority says it is right to do it, would appeal to
a man's appreciation of what manhood means in
this sense, there would be more Christlikeness
among so-called professors of Christianity."

"This, my birthday, has commenced most
happily. As I lay last night on the couch in our
comfortable little room, allowing my thoughts to
run on into the future, and resolving to make this
new year of my life one marked by real and sub-
stantial progress, came to me about mid-
night with a birthday present, which, it seems to
me, could not be more in keeping with my pres-
ent state of mind and resolutions. The present
consisted of two splendid engravings of Hoff-
man's Christ, the Child, and Christ, and the
Rich Young Man. More and more, as time goes
on, I am coming to realize that the virtues upon
which the hopes of the world are based are to be
found in that rich beautiful life of the Master.

148 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

Humility, self-sacrifice and love, all that appeals
to the noblest instincts of our nature, are to be !
found in the character of that perfect Man, who ;
was * despised and afflicted, yet opened not His .
mouth.'

"Trammelled by a liberal share of human
weakness, an unfortunate combination of high am-
bition and a tendency to frivolity, I can only
hope to come to realize gradually all that that life
represents. When one considers the wide-spread
influence which even a comparatively obscure
personality yields in this world, the awful re-
sponsibility which is attached to every act of voli-
,• tion, to every word and deed, is forced upon one.
These and other weaknesses I must control, and
my character I must seek to strengthen in order
that my life shall not be useless, in order that I
may realize dear mother's last wish, that we may
meet ' There. ' I must try, with the help of God, to
more and more conform thought and act to the
model of the perfect life of Christ, a life that if
men and States would imitate, there would be an
end to viciousness and of man's inhumanity to
man. To be brought face to face, daily, with
Hoffman's beautiful representation should make
strong resolutions stronger and more possible of
realization.

"It is a beautiful day, the first really cold day

THE PURPOSE OF LIFE 149

of the winter. Rarely do I remember a clearer
air, a brighter sun. To me, it is as if God smiles
His approval on my resolutions. Pray God, I
may be able to live them out in practice. ' '

" I wrote to F to-night, and my heart

went out strangely to him as I wrote. The
thought which I wished most to convey to him,
was the importance of combining nobility of mind
with true humility in the sense in which Christ
used the words; the truth in the simple but
meaningful words of the beatitude, ' Blessed are
the pure in heart for they shall see God ' ; and
the necessity, with a view to the healthy upbuild-
ing of a strong character, to ' Be just and fear
not. ' The more I am brought into contact with
the views of the world, the more I see the wealth
of meaning in some of the scriptural sayings. If,
as I trust, this expansion in the meaning of things
goes on, life should be filled with more and more
real happiness, especially if I am able to so mas-^
ter myself as to regulate my life in accord with
the truth revealed to me."

" To-night I feel that what the world wants is
more of forbearance, less of viciousness, more of
sweetness and light, more of the spirit of Jesus
Christ."

A LAST: WORD

THE love, the truth and the beauty of
Harper's nature have nowhere found
better expression than in his last let-
ters to his closest friend. His heart is revealed
there, as, only in such a relationship, it is
possible for hearts to reveal themselves. In
the sanctuary of Friendship, everything is
holy ; there abideth the love that " thinketh
no evil," the confidence that is never be-
trayed ; at its threshold, semblances disap-
pear; having entered beneath its portals,
there is no longer anything to con-
ceal.

The one to whom they were written was
in British Columbia when these letters were
received by him. He had been sent by the
government to reconcile, if possible, the con-
flicting claims of labour and capital, which
150

A LAST WORD 151

at the time had assumed the proportions of a
strike in one of the mining towns of that
province. In his absence, the department of
labour had come in for some criticism at the
instance of the Canadian Manufacturers' As-
sociation. Harper was anxious lest this
should be a matter of concern to his friend,
and hastened to reassure him. The letters are
a true expression of himself. They reveal
his standards, his belief in truth, his appre-
ciation of beauty, his conception of duty, his
trust in an overruling Providence, his deep
concern for humanity, and his love for his
friend. All these, in him, were as inseparable
from each other as each was inseparable from
his life.

He writes:

" Ottawa, Nov. 10, 1901.
" MY DEAR REX :

"I have been flying westward with you all
week, weighing in my mind the chances of the
success of your mission. It may be weak, this
proneness to speculate upon the outcome of an
issue in the future, but where one's feelings are so

152 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

nearly concerned, one cannot but do it. Each
time my thoughts have turned to the subject of
your mission to the coast, my conclusion has been
the same — you must succeed. To-day — the first
breathing spell which I have had since you left —
as I walked home in the bright sunlight and the
brisk air, the conclusion has become conviction.^
I do not attempt to disguise the difficulties which
confront you. Indeed, perhaps, I rather magnify
them. Two camps of organized self-interest con-
front each other. Misunderstanding, bitterness
and passion have much sway in each. But your
strength lies in the fact that what you seek is fair-
ness, truth and justice, as well as the promotion
of industrial peace and the country's welfare.
' Speak to his heart, ' says Emerson, ' and the man
becomes suddenly virtuous.' My dear Rex, I
assure you it is not the prejudice of a friendship,
which makes me miss you more than I care to
confess, that tells me that it is not the strong arm
of a commission, nor yet the power of public
opinion, that is your strongest weapon in this
important crisis ; but the commanding influence
of a high-minded manhood moved by noble im-
pulses, and unalloyed by selfish motive. Success
must crown your efforts.

A LAST WORD 153

"This week has been an instructive one in
many ways. You have doubtless noticed the con-
clusion of the Canadian Manufacturers' Associa-
tion with regard to the Labour Gazette and the
department's work generally. The decision,
though not unexpected, is an evidence of how
much must be done, before men, whose business
principles are but a reflection of their personal in-
terests as they conceive them, can be brought to
see that right reason will not be satisfied by any
industrial scheme which leaves out of account
consideration for the well-being of the great mass

of the people. Mr. , in a conversation

which I had with him on Friday, assured me that
we ought not to worry over the verdict of the
Manufacturers' Association. ' For,' as he put it,
' a department which stands for the recognition
of the rights of working men cannot expect to be •
popular with selfish employers.' Speaking of the ••
comparison made between the Canadian and
United States Departments, I urged upon him the
importance of the publication of a monthly Ga-
zette as a means of making effective a policy
which depends for its sanction upon public opin-
ion. He agreed with me, and added, * They talk
of a quarterly publication, doubtless they would

154 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

be better satisfied still if there were no publication
at all.'

"Mr. 's opinion was not necessary to

reassure me in the matter of the Manufacturers'
Association's criticism. The judgment which is
really important is that of one's own conscience.
Mine tells me that, however imperfect our work
may have been, however much there may be room
for improvement, what we have done has not been
inconsiderable, especially when the difficulties
under which we have laboured are considered. I
am confident that the broad lines of policy which
we have followed are right, and that our work, as
our knowledge of existing conditions increases,
will be of more and more value to the working
men of Canada and to the country generally.

" I miss you very much in the office, but still
more out of it. Indeed when you are away I
realize how much we are together. However,
Rex, I need not assure you that I am constantly
with you in thought. Your life has grown into
mine to such an extent that your hopes and aspi-
rations are mine as well. Take care of yourself,
my dear Rex, and whatever may be the outcome
of your mission, I know that you will have done
your duty. When you are in the mountains

A LAST WORD 155

think of one whose soul is also profoundly stirred
by the message which great, glorious, beautiful
Nature has for man.

" With much love,

"Ever yours affectionately,

"BERT."

" Ottawa, Nov. 13, 1901.
" MY DEAR REX :

" You must not take my official notes daily
as a measure of my interest in your affairs here,
your progress yonder, or your thoughtfulness in
writing me such refreshing letters as those which
you have written en route. And let me thank
you for these letters, Rex. They take me with
you as you go through that wiMly jjrand country,

the very thought of which, ..makes the heart of a

— ._ g— •*•

true Canadian bound with pride. The dating of
your last, ' in the country of the foot-hills,' makes
me think how eagerly you must be looking for-
ward, as you wrote, to the prospect of the moun-
tains. Perhaps you were fortunate enough to see
them in the stern glory of a winter sunset. These
things, like great pictures and noble thoughts,
leave a permanent impress upon one's life, and I
rejoice that the path of duty has led you through
so much that is beautiful and sublime.

156 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

"But hold, I am probably several chapters be-
hind your present thought and work, for by now
you will be wrapped up in the affairs of a mining
town, interested in its mushroom growth, its
throbbing, ill-digested life, and in the main object
of your mission, the strike.

" Perhaps it is this very mission of yours which
has set my mind so strongly of late upon the
question of man's duty. This afternoon, Harry,
Laschinger and I took a long walk in the frosty
air, — for winter has gripped Ottawa hard, ice
covers the ground, ponds are frozen and the sky
is stern and gray, and I found myself driven to
turn conversation along this line. Is it because
the church has so far drifted from truth that it
succeeds so little in making the life of Christ a
reality among men ? I thoroughly hold that once
convince a man of a truth, and that truth, even
despite him, will become an active potent factor
in his life. How are men to be convinced ? The
church says do this, because authority says it is
right so to do. But men do not do it. Why ?
Because men do not come to vital conclusions
upon the strength of authority, especially when
they have their own opinions regarding the chan-
nels through which the authority filters. Is it not

A LAST WORD 157

time that a different line should be followed ?

TjiiLHEiB tcL5?£ r^tj^ic*?se i* *s "Sht tO-dO
right ; because it is consonant with the law of

their natures ; because only by so doing will they
realize themselves. And here we come to the
great beauty, justice and potency of the appeal to
the rule of law. Show a man that it is only by \
putting forth his best efforts towards what his best I
consciousness tells him to be right that he will *y
make any progress satisfactory to his own nature, (
or in harmony with the eternal realities, and the I
shackles of petty ambitions fall from him. He I
becomes stronger and stronger. And in propor-
tion as his own true strength increases, so will the
appreciation of nature's laws and the character of
Christ develop manly humility and a sense of
duty to the world without him, a sense that his
life is part of the lives of many others, as many
as come within the almostunlimited sphere of his
influence, and that he owes it to himself, as much
as he owes it to them, that that influence shall
alsjo tend in the direction of perfection, the sweep-
ing away of bitterness, passion, prejudice and
viciousness in whatever form. Once bring home
to a man the sense of personal duty in terms of
inflexible and yet infinitely just law — law which,

158 THE SECRET OF HEROISM

properly followed, makes for progress, if dis-
obeyed, for confusion, — and you. have put him on
his_feet with his face to his true goal in life.
Herein, it seems to me, lies a reconciliation of
the two injunctions : ' Bear ye one another's
burdens,' and 'bear your own burden.' Do the
latter, and you will find yourself doing the former,
which is a good thing to do.

"All of this is simple, Rex, even rudimentary,
but to-night it has a strong hold upon me, and, as
I have not you here to talk to, I am laying it
before your sympathetic eye, that is if you have
' patience for it. Out there where the country is
) just finding itself, where standards are few and
hastily put together, men are apt to emphasize
the importance of the immediate thing, j Here in
the East men try to get away from the truth by
demanding ' of all the thousand nothings of the
hour, their stupefying power.' ] Both sides of the
continent have perplexities and heartaches for the
well-wisher of mankind. But, however distressing
may be the rash radicalism of British Columbia,
I doubt if its position is not relatively better than
that of the indifferent East. For where there is
manly_ force and rude contact with nature — in
Carlyle's sense — there is apt to be more of a re-

A LAST WORD 159

suit where an appeal is made, as it must be in
both cases, to the manliness of men, the true-
heartedness of true hearts. The main difference,
it seems to me, lies in this, that British Columbia
requires the curb, and the East the spur. Both
need light. And the man who would give it to
them must have their confidence, so much have
men come to associate the truth and its exponent.
Confidence requires trust and faith; and these,
to be lasting, must be based upon strength and
honesty in the individual who would be the guide.
Hence it behooves every man who would be of
lasting service to his country to see that he, too,
is clean.

" But I see I am going far afield again. I miss
you, Rex, very much. The meaning of an indi-
vidual is sometimes emphasized when the indi-
vidual is absent from the associations which are
eloquent of his individuality. The Canadian
Manufacturers' Association to the contrary not-
withstanding, your work is neither superficial nor
ephemeral. It is of the very essence of a force
which is calculated to prove a strong lever in
regulating the labour movement, and indeed other
movements as well, in Canada. It is my happi-
ness to be associated with you in that work. I

i6oTHE SECRET OF HEROISM

think I comprehend its nature and its importance,
immediate and even prospective, and I trust I
may prove true to its demands and purpose.

"But I must get down to my night's work,
Rex. The house is singularly quiet, without any
movement in the adjoining room, but that does
not excuse the sacrifice of opportunity.

" With best wishes and much love,

" Affectionately yours,

"BERT."

And nothing, not even the loss of life it
self, did excuse, with Harper, " the sacrifice
of opportunity."

" In the common round
Of life's slow action, stumbling on the brink
Of sudden opportunity, he chose
The only noble, godlike, splendid way,
And made his exit, as earth's great have gone,
By that vast doorway looking out on death."

Harper was drowned on the sixth of De-
cember. Three days later, on the twenty-
eighth anniversary of the day of his birth,
they buried him on the crest of a hill over-

ALASTWORD 161

looking the village in which he was born.
Thus does Destiny, linking the cradle with
the grave, leave us to wonder over the mys-
teries which she delights to weave.

0

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