Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1901-09-27
SPIRIT OF THE PRESS
FACTS AND OPINIONS GATHERED
FROM CONTEMPORARIES.
WHERE 1Ae CANADIANS GO.

credited of late, the acceleration of its
pace has been so very recent as to pro-
duce little effect on the returns. For the
ten years from 1891 to 1901 the increase
in population has been less than for any
other decennial period in half a century
But in one respect the general ex-
pectation has been verified. The centre
of population of Canada has been rapidly
drifting to the westward. In 1891 only
$40, Gl6 people out of 4, S23,S75, or az per
cent of the whole, lived west of Ontario
In 1901 the Western provinces contain
656, AGA inhabitants, or 1913 per cent of
the 5,33S, 1888 people now living in the
Dominion. And while the population of
the Western region has been increasing
by 81 per cent, that of the older pro-
vinces has increased as a whole by only
4.6 per cent. The greatest of them,
Ontario, has grown by only per cent,
and one of them, Prince Edward Island,
has actually declined.
The fact that Quebec has gained less
than per cent in population in ten years
is sufficient proof that the exodus of
Canadians to the United States con-
tinues. The French Canadians of Que
bee are the most prolific race in the
world. If the tales told of their extra
ordinary families are true there must be
at the very least half a million more of
them than there were ten years ago.
Yet there are only 1872 ,439 more people
in Quebec now than there were then,
and that includes all the gains from
foreign immigration. Where are the rest ?
They are not in the neighboring Can
adian provinces, for their population
is almost stationary. They must have
crossed the border.
There are two great attractive forces
acting on the population of Canada
One is vacant land; the other is metro
poitan life. There is plenty of vacant
land in Canada. and hence the Western
provinces of the Dominion are growing
rapidly, although not so fast as the
states on the American side of the line.
But the tremendous pull of the great
cities is all toward the United States.
The metropolis of Canada has only a
trifle over quarter of million inhabit-
ants, and would rank only sixteenth
among American cities. 1t has fewer
inhabitants than Detroit or Milwaukee,
not to speak of Pittsburg, Buffalo or
Cleveland.
Naturally the ambitious young Cam
adian, hungry for metropolitan oppor-
tunites, goes to New York, or Phila-
delphia, or Chicago, or Boston. The
drift in this direction is as inevitable as
that of bright Scotchmen to London.
And so Canada loses every year her best
brains and her most vigorous energy.
1t Is hard to see how this tendency can
be overcome as long as the present
political relations of the two countries
continue. The great cities will naturally
be in the great country. Centres of
population that have free trade with
100000 people will exceed those that
have to depend on the trade of five
millions and half Buffalo, Detroit,
Minneapolis, St. Paul and Seattle will
continue to be the local magnets along
the border, and New York, Philadelphia,
Chicago and Boston will continue to cast
their spell over the whole Dominion.
Thus, whether Canada be annexed or
not, the United States will inevitably
keep on anneXing a good part of the
Canadians. Ard there are no better
Americans anywhere Saturday Evening
Post.
THE PITCAIRN ISLANDERS.
The English colonial office has re-
Gently received report from one of its
naval commanders of a visit paid to
Pitcairn island, where the defendants of
the mutineers of the government ship
Bounty are still residing. These people
are entirely Isolated from the world,
with the exception that they live suf-
fciently near one of the great ocean
routes to induce the captains of vessels
wishing fresh meat or fruit to make a
DETECTION from their course, sight the
island, land on it with one of the ships
boats, and get their needed supplies. The
island has no good harbOr or roadstead,
hence in stormy weather it is practically
unapproachable. According to the Of
fetal report, the islanders are under the
government of one of their number, who
appears to be man of ability and deter
mination, and are in a contented, though
hardly progressive state. The entire
community numbers about l50 members,
with a somewhat disproportionate num-
Der of females. There are no diseases
on the island, and absolutely no medical
means Of treating them if they were.
The local authorities when offered medi-
cal supplies said that they neither needed
nor cared for them. There appears to be
an abundance of fruit and vegetables,
and sufficient supply of goats to fur
nish the comparatively little animal food
required in tropical region. The sys-
tenn of control is evidently socalistlc.
From a. IN. until p. m. all of the male
grown population are engaged in public
works of various kinds. After ? p. m.
they are at liberty to do what they care
to for themselves, or to enjoy their leis-
ure. They are all devOut members of
the Seventh Day Adventists faith, and
the American missionaries of this relig-
ious organization are endeavoring to do
what they can to build up some slight