Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1879-07-25

To the Editor OF The Free l're-- and Times.
In recent Sensible and otherwise good
editorial under the caption, AN Exuber-
ant Bishop, commenting on Bishop Ravens
proposal for the annexation Of Canada, you
characteriZe that country as ignorant and
priest ridden" Most of my life-nearlV
forty years been spent in the Dominion
of Canada, and | know whereof affirm,
when say that your sweeping characteriZa-
ton of that noble country is very unjust. and
calculated to misinfOrm and mislead. The
impression which it conveys, however, |
find to be quite prevalent this side
the line, even among people who,
in respect OF most matters, pass
AS more than ordinarily well-informed.
The truth is that only to a very small section
of the whole Dominion-part Of the Province
of Quebec-can your words. Ignorant and
priest ridden" be applied, with any kind or
degree or correctness; and even in this
limited section there are, in localities, better
schools. and higher order of intelligence
and culture, with more religious freedom
and liberation, than obtain in some portions
of New England. The cities of Ottawa,
Montreal and Quebec, and the towns Of
Stanstead, Richmond and Sherbrooke, not
to mention numberless delightful villages
are all in this section; and the towns and
cities named would take rank among the
finest in the States in the matters of bust
ness, education, religion, as represented
by all denominations and attention to the
fine arts. Montreal with its hundred and
eight thousand inhabitants, its immense
shipping and railroad interests, its diversi-
fiedmanutactures and industries. its many fine
Streets drives, walks, parks, views, private
residences and public buildings is the seat of
one of the oldest and best colleges on the
North American continent and has mu-
scum of Natural History, and public schools,
libraries, and galleries Of paintings and
statuary, that even Bostonian might be
induced to admire And the same with
slight notifications might be said respecting
Quebee and Ottawa Turning to the Mari
time Provinces, lhpir inhabitants are famous
for industry and intelligence and sturlli-
ness and strength of moral and
religious character, Ignorance and
priestly power dominate n,,where. West
ward, from a line running south from
Ottawa City to the st Lawrence the power
of the priesthood diminishes continuously,
uniil in central and western Ontario il is
scarcely dlsreiHlble, amid all the other grand
and enabling influences by Nhish it IS over
shaduwod influences resulting from dense
mixed Protestant population, composed
chiefly of English. Scotch, Irish, German
and American elements. The common school
system IF Ontario is very SUPERIOR and
every togn has ITS efficient grammeF graded,
or normal school. And all through, from the
little child of the common school to the uni
yersity graduate, the utmost thoroughness in
scholarship il insisted Hnon, and none
but perfectly competent instructors
are employed, and that ut good,
living salaries. Kingston, Belleville, Co
bourg, Ashawa, Whitley, Toronto, Hamilton,
Woodstock and London are all seats of liter
AIRY, scientific and theological institutions of
learning aud TurOatG, ih- l,t0yinrlai cap
ital, city of nearly sixty thousand inhabit-
ants, for many years my home the centre of
six railroads and OF vast business interests
has as fine university as can he found any
wheIe in the !NdftipFn slatel, and publ
libraries and picture and statuary galleries.
And all over the country, from rural dis
trict to densely populated city, the utmost
religious liberty obtains, and the general in
tellsotual and moral status of society is com
mendably high. There is certainly more re-
spect for parents and seniors, and greater
reverence for civil and religious authority
than have yet found this side the line, dur
ing twelve years residence in different parts
Away in the extreme west of the British
American possessions, are Columbia and Van
coUver's Island, distinguished substantially,
by the better features Of Ontario, Quebec and
the Atlantic provinces ; and midway between
lies the new province of Manitoba, fast fill
ing up with intelligent, thrifty settlers, and
distiped soon to become one of the most i'm
portant factors in the Dominion Confedera-
ton.
Much more might be said regarding the
agricultural and mining, commercial and
manufacturing, railroad, canal and steam
boat enterprises of the Dominion, as indicat-
ing the general thrift and intelligence of the
inhabitants and showing indirectly their free
dom from priestly domination. But
enough has been said to show that Canada,
instead of being little strip of land, two or
three hundred miles long by forty or fifty
wide. peopled chiefly by French, Indians and
half breeds, as many seem to imagine, is a
country of magnificent geographical proper
lions, and to whose inhabitants as awhole, or
even in very small part unless with many
important limitations, it would not be at all
fair to apply the words, Ignorant and priest