The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1883-08-30
French Canadian Peasants.

generally rather small, but sturdy, mus
cular, well.knit. They are dull looking,
but their rather heavy faces are not ami
NAL and coarse. Even the young women
are very seldom pretty. but they are all
wholesome, modest and unaffected. AS
they advance in life they become stout,
and reach old age with comfortable and
rlacid expression. The beauty of the
race seems to be confined to the children,
who are bright, robust and cherubio.
Thus the people are externally unprel os-
sessipg, but the more I study them, the
more like them for the quiet courtesy
and perfect simplicity of their manners
and their hospitality and unfailing kind
ness.
Several types of Canadians were there,
each standing as page of the country's
history. There was the original Cana.
dian, tine peasant of Normandy and Brit
tainy, Just as he was when he landed on
the shores of the st. Lawrence over 200
years ago: he has kept his material and
mental traits with such extraordinary
fidelity that Canadian travelling now
in those parts of France seems t.. be
meeting his own people. He is "a
small, muscular man OF dark complex
lOu, Will OldCh ClCS, ipuhu iASohy
rather impervious, and an honest face,
rather heavy with inertia. He sums up
the early days Of Canada, when endur-
ance and courage of no ordinary stamp
was required to meet the want, the wars,
and the hardships of their struggle. And
his phenomenal conservatism was not q
whit too strong to preserve bis nation
atty after the conquest Of Canada by
race having entirely opposite tendencies.
There also was the Canadian with Indian
blood; he is by no means feeble ele-
ment in the population, IN either num-
bers or influence. He is often we'll
marked with Indian features-bish
cheeks, small black eyes, and slight
beard. The most characteristic speci-
mems are called "petits brules," like
burned stumps, black, gnarly and angu-
lar. But now and then you meet large,
fine looking half breeds, with swarthy
complexion warmed with Saxon blood.
There we're no women of low character
sent to Canada in the early days. as there
we're to New Orleans and the Antilles;
the few women who came sufficed to
marry only small portion of the colo
nists, 20 that many of the gallant
Frenchmen, and later some Of the Scotch
and English, engaged in the fur trade,
married souaws, and founded legitimate
families of half breeds. Thus Indian
blood became regular portion OF the
national body; and the national policy OF
alliance and religious union with the
savages helped the assimilation OF Indian
traits as we'll rs Of Indian blood. There
was also the Saxon who had become .
Gaul. There are Wrights, Blackburns,
McPhersons, with blue eyes and red hair,
who cannot speak q word of English
aud there are Irish tongues rolling on
their brogue in French. Some Of these
strangers to the national body are de-
scendants Of those English soldiers who
married Canadians and settled here after
the conquest. Others are orphans that
were taken from some emigrant ships
wrecked in the St. Lawrence. But these
stragglers from the conquering race are
now conquered, made good French Cath
olics, by force Of their environment, and
they are lost as distinctive elements, ab.
sorbed in the remarkable homogeneous
nationality OF the French Canadian peo-
pie. The finest type of Canadian peasant
is now rare. He il q descendant Of the
pioneer mobiles Of France. After the con-
ouest (l763) some of these noble fAmi-
lies we're too poor to follow their peers
back 10 France; they became farmers;
their facilities for education were very
limited, and their descendants soon sank
70 the level OF the pessantry about them.
They are commanding figures, with fea-
tures Of marked character, and With
much OF the pose and dignity of courtisr:.
Some Of them, still preserving the trsdi-
tions Of their sires, receive You With