The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-06-28
THE CANADIAN INFANT.
Written for the Indianapolis journal.


or unconfessed, in those knee-high and waist
high little beings the children of the human race
No creature soaks in more local atmosphere and
tradition than a child. He is the product of his
surroundings, and is full of the peculiar sap of
that spot of earth which bears him.
In Montreal, the first type of the Canadian in
FAINT dinned himself into my ears. He had trip
ped and fallen on the pavement, and the whole
front of his countenance was open, expressing
pain and rage. 1t was no consolation to him
that Mt. Royal rose in near perspective, covered
with woods and rocks, a noble globe of wild
greenness in the midst of the old city He could
see through his tears the statue
of his queen standing in the square,
but he only shut his eyes tight to
cry harder What are old cities, billy, crooked
streets and buildings as solid as the foundations
of the earth, to boy in petticoats who has
stubbed his toe, especially if he can remember
no other sightsl
He was an English Canadian, with apoplectic
red face and bigness of limb. Sympathy would
have been wasted on the lusty strength of roar
which this child could raise But his opposite
the little French Canadian, is a much more
abundant type. He trots along by the side of
a stumpy, square mother who is everlastingly
going to pray in Notre Dame Cathedral, or Notre
Dame de Bonsecours, or at the various shrines
in our Lady of Lourdes. He makes his obesance
to the high altar, enters a pew and kneels and
o crosses himself, while She older in religion
squeaks on heavy feet from the altar of St
Joseph to the shrine of st. JEAN from kissing
the base of that pedestal on which the Virgin
stands amidst offerings of artificial roses, to do
hng her duty towards the high aspiring altar
itself, where candles burn and a priest IN black
e1,1 &c ltnrn al
tidying up the front and falling upon his knees
The blue vaults above the French boy are full
of gilt stars Though the huge interior is dim,
a pleasant breeze comes through the opened
double sashes of many windows He
would feast mis- eyes gliding, blue and scarlet,
odd-toned paintings, the statues of saints, and
many carved founts for holy water, if they were
anything new to him. But however wretched
his own home may be, the cathedral has been
his place of resort until his eyes are used to all
its glories. Most of the means which his father
and mother scrape together, and which ought to
be spent on him outwardly and inwardly, are
poured upon the shrine of his religion, to support
its priests and keep up its magnifcence. When
he grows up he will do just as they do and keep
with zest the innumerable saints days that,
with a small bundle of common days go to make
up his year He will be one of the most devout
creatures the continent, makingyou ashamed
of your reticent worship as you see him
PROSTATE himself and pray with fixed eye.
There are in the United States no such devotees
as keep these cathedrals peopled from morning
till night. and crowd them, galleries and aisles,
on all high days. But be not too much abashed
by the holiness of little Baptisto, OF that short
mite of man into which he shall grow He is
really not too good to live, and will,
in time, fight as much, get as drunk, and
commit as many general sins as he convent
emily can, and vibrate all his life
betwixt dirt and poverty, and the cathedrals
grandeur. just now, after having crossed him
self, and staring DULY at the great altar, he is
watching three nuns kneeling in row across the
aisle, their white noses just appearing beyond
their black wells, every nose expressing sanctity.
The next Canadian infant who commands at
tention is little blue-eyed, curly girl, brought
into the Grand Trunk train by youthful parents,
who have but two of that group of from twelve
to fifteen children which forms the average
Canadian family. She stammers prettily, and
points out of the window, asking over and over,
in the dialect of her region, "Oui e-co-layP
Canadian French flows necessarily through the
train. You hear scarcely word in English, ex-
cept that in broken replies to questions asked by
yourself Wonderful the vocal gymnastics
of the brakeman at countless stations Brake
men at home, who mutilate names and chew up
common, plain sounds would be abashed by the
superior gen us of this fellow. St Madeline he
calls Sab Matya; St Hyacinthe, SAINT Jessay;
and Brittania Mills becomes lucidly and musical
ly PIT Diamen. Yea, what could the traveller de-
sire more than that South Durham should be
translated to him as Saus Darne, and Acton as
Iton bur? Along the Grand Trunk railway are rib
bon-like farms, fenced of into strips no wider
than twice the width of country road You
wonder if the curly little girl comes from of
those farm-houses which form almost continu-
Gus village along the route farm houses includ-
ing the home, the stable and cow-shelter under
one roof-a roof up curving at the caves with
sort of Chinese quirk; the ancient Norman
French roof The houses are built of rock, ce
mented into huge, thick walls And no less sol
idly are the customs of their inmates grounded
The windows are double the sashes swing on
hinges to open from the center, and no prettier
OF more wholesome window ever devised
n Al. L. Ill
high to smoke dreamily in the June air, and on
festal days Jean and Rosaiie in their best gor-
geous raiment dance past 1t with entire uncon-
Germ.
This pretty child-an exception to her stock
for the French Canadian is smart and homely
is pleasant thing to watch as she torns and
twists herself about an object of still greater in
terest. This is the baby in her mothers arms,
pinned up like tight bolster in quilted white
muslin, which is ruffed at the ends. Neither
sight nor smell of daylight does that baby get
except through its husk 1t must feel like
dryad, got by mistake into tight-fitting white
ash sapling. Only by squirms and inarticulate
murmers can it make its presence known to trav
cling public, and though you may want to know
the name age and prominent characteristics of
the youthful bolster because there is freema-
sonry of interest on such subjects among women,
you can not for some time make yourself solidly
sure that it is not sweet little pig or woolly
dog
But suppose the pass sign has been given be-
tween the mother and yourself, you are after
wards told by those who know-from much ex-
perience in Canadian French-that the following
conversation would probably have taken place:
Yourself interested -'Nice child. What is
its nameln
French Mother (smilingl -''Thin-thin-thin
with nasal snort.
Yourself anxious to read the riddle of the
languaget-"Exc me, but what is it97
French Mother (anxious to be understood y
'"Thin-thin-thin with tremendous nasal
mort.
Yourself (grasping your note book)-''Would
you spell it or write it DOWN.
French Mother shaking her head and turning
The bolster on her lapl-"No SPELL no ecrit."
The French Canadian has nip of his own
which he gives to all written language. for that