The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-04-21
II is A NATION APART.
France on the st. Lawrence viii Not
AssimiInte With the English.

Assimiinte With the English.
From the Pail Mall Gazette.
There is IN the banks of the st. Law
renee Il nationality whose isolation he
comes more complete, and whose num-
bers become surprisingly greater, as
the years pass IN.
Talk as we may about the genius of
the English in conquering and assimi-
lating races Of greater variety, and of
our success in Canada especially. the
fact remains that never were the
French of lower Canada more nation
alstic" in character and aspiration
than at the present time. There has
been no fusion of French and English;
and the possibility of there being one
seems as far removed as ever. The
sentimental connection with old
France, broken off by the revolution
has been renewed after fashion; and
the imperialstic longings Of English
Canada are regarded with indifference.
if, indeed, they are not treated with
open scOrn, The tri-color flutters not
infrequently from the nagstaifs of
Quebec: and the strains of the Mar
seillaise" are as often heard as those
Of the English national anthem. 1t
cannot ne Sdlu llltt llt llldSo VI NiC
Ieurle of lower Canada are disloyal;
tkey are merely Indifferent To any SEN
tin ents of loyalty to the English crown.
They certainly DO not favor annexation,
for the Catholic hierarchy know full
well that if Quebec were merged into
the American republic their exclusive
rights and privileges would not be
worth a years purchase. Echoes OK
loyal speeches from the lips of French
Canadians have been heard more than
once in England. But the speech of a
public man in Canada could not be 9TH
erWise; the English speaking popula-
ton would not have it. If Sir Wlltrld
| Laurier, of whose genuine loyalty there
can be no doubt, were To give utter
Gnce to any other sentiments. all ms
popularity ana all the strength of his
party would not save him from an in
stant snutting out.
The isolation of the French speaking
| population had it's origin in the terms
! of the Quebec act of l714, which auth
| oriZed the Catholic priests to collect
| tithes, and enforce the collection, II
| necessary, by process of law. The pow
| er of this lever in the hands or an
| UltramOntane church may be imagined.
! In Quebec the affairs of church ana
| state are practically one. Priests dl-
rect their tiocks how to vote, ana ca
| joling and threatening are part OF their
! mode of direction. Bishops forbid the
! reading of any journal that raises its
voice in criticism. OF social intercourse
| between English and French, there is
very little; for it is the churchs policy
to prevent it. Intermarriages are of
rarest occurrence. Children of French
| and English parents are educated
apart. in separate schools; and thus
! perpetuate the distinction. The power
| of the French priest over the inhabit-
ants, as a political and educational
oracle, cannot be understood by those
who have not witnessed it's exercise
| The educational system is wholly on q
religious basis, or, practically speak
ing, q natiOnalistic basis, the Centra
| board consisting Of thirty-five mem
bers, including the bishops, and the
local boards of the inferior clergy
| PrOtestants in Quebec are like flies or
the wheel, as far as their influence OF
the provincial policy is concerned, This
is easily understood when the figures
| of some of the electoral districts are
glanced at. For instance, in Belle
chasse there are 1864 Catholics anC
four Protestants; in Kamourska tn,
proportion is 20,45l to three; in LIsle
it is 1881 to two.
In addition to valuable privileges I,
the Catholic clergy, the Quebec ac
established the French law re prop
erty and civil rights which still pre-
walls. 1t countenanced the seignOria
system OF feudal tenure which sur
vived until some forty years ago, as {
! framework upon which rested the al
| most medieval civilization Of tn,
| French Canadian Catholic--a civiliza
ton that is as much opposed to ours az
are the poles to each other. 1t guar
anteed the continuance of the Frencl
! language; and, as result, that tOngu,
| alone is heard in school, court and mar
ket; and very rarely nowadays is al
English speech delivered in the legis
lature. Yet, small as they are i'm mum
bers, the English speaking people ar,
prOportionately far more wealthy, pros
porous and enterprising than tn,
French. The bulk of these latter arr
of the peasant class, ignorant, slow
clnging to old prejudices. Many o
the race ii is true, display a peculiar
aptitude for political life They arr
especially brilliant as orators, advo
Gates and journalists. Although in pol
itics they have frequently been mixe(
up in scandals, yet many of them hav,
been foremost in Canadian politica
life, as the names Of LafOntaine, Letel
lier, Cartier and Chapleau testify, Si
Wilfrid Laurier, that whole-souled
generous spirit, has been generally re
garded i'm England as a representative
a. L., ty.,,
flying the successful fusion Of Englisl
and French i'm the Dominion. Such al
idea Is a mistaken one. Sir Wilfri,
! Laurier Is one among ten thousand
and would be i'm the same position to
L. A