The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1880-09-22
For the Central Presbyterian.
Letter from Canada.
CLAUDE, ONTARIO, Sept. 9th, 80.

CLAUDE ONTARIO, sept 9th, 81.
NesSrS. EditorS,-I sit down now to
fulfil my promise of further information
In regard to our Church's schemes. Re-
serving the Foreign Missions and the Col
leges for another occasion, | shall speak
only OF what is in reality a second Home
Mission enterprise, although conducted
by separate Board-the work of French
Evangelization.
For upwards Of half century, efforts
have been made to penetrate with gospel
light, the dense mass of French Roman
ism in the Province of Quebec. The
Baptist mission Of La Grande Signe was
established in 1884, and continues to do
a small, but not unimportant work. The
Methodists and Episcopalians have each
few laborers in the field An unde-
nomlnational Society, supported largely
by Presbyterlans, was formed in 1889
and after an honorable course of fftv-one
years, has now ceased to exist its schools
passing into the hands of our Church.
The colportage work of this Society has
been very valuable. 1t has proved a
leaven of preparation for the laborers of
the various Churches. Its attempt to
form and control congregations shared
the fate of all similar attempts In ended
in failure. With heterogeneous com
mittee as the central power, the congre-
cations were either reduced to servi1ity,
or became discontinued under the re-
straints put upon them by those from
whom they received large share of their
support, and sought connections with one
Church or another. Most of these came
to us. The Society, some years ago, re-
solved to confne itself to colportage and
educational work The interest taken by
Presbyterians in their French Roman
Catholic brethren, led to the initiation of
mission work under the auspices of the
several Churches, which became one in
the grand union of 1875 With the
union, there was brought about CONSOLE
dation of the work, which was placed
under Board, with its headquarters at
Montreal, city at once largely French
and Poplsh, the commercial centre of the
dominion, and the stronghold of our
Church in the Province Of Quebec. With
what success the enterprise has been pros
ecuted will be seen from some facts which
now proceed to lay before your readers
These facts can be rendered ineligible
only by some statements as to the history
and present condition of French Roman
ism in Canada.
The Province Of Quebec, which stretch
es east and north from Ottawa and Mon
treal, to Maine and the Gulf of st. Law
renee, presents the largest homogeneous
Roman Catholic population north of Mex
leo. Its capital, the picturesque and his
toric city Of Quebec, has $4,000 Roman
Catholics, as against 1000 Protestants,
whilst Rome claims ni11e-tenths of the
total population of l 100000. For more
than 200 years, priest and bishop have
held almost undisputed sway, and as
Principal McVicar, the Convener Of the
Board Of French Evangelization, writes
in a recent number of the Cathohc Pres
6yteJ7a1a, so far as regards resources in
the form Of money of swarming ecclesias
tics, fully equipped institutions of all
kinds, and legal enactments, Popery is
more strongly established in this province
than in France and Italy" By early
grants Of land, which have since increased
enormously in value, the various religious
orders have been made very wealthy
while the State provides ample machinery
for the collection Of the ordinary revenue
Of the Church, which is by law estab-
lished. There is no escape, on the part
OF the luckless man, who has been born
within the Church, from the tithes Zone
twenty-sixth Of the cereals), or from what
ever assessment for Church purposes the
cure may choose to levy save by a writ
ten abjuration Of his faith handed in to
the parish priest. The writer is person
ally aware Of several farmers in GER