The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-12-05
MONTREAL.


 And this is Montreal! Imagine a beautifully dressed woman in down-at- the heel slippers, or a city of noble buildings primitive roadways; im- agine city with cathedrals built on the plan of St. Peters at Rome and Notra Dame at Paris-with wooden sidewalks. Electric cars whiz over corded roads, the broughams and motor cars jolt un- evenly along the tree-fringed avenues. Montreal is the worst paved city in the world. considering its pretentions; con- sidering, too, that here we have the New York of Canada; the London of the West.
 Perhaps the former title better suits this mother of cities. French American she is essentially. Forget the fact that orchestras play God Save the King at the end of performances; that the pop ulation's loyalty to the throne is un- questionable-forget these, and there will be no single thing to remind you that you are on British soil. The stamp of America is on the town, and one third of the people, and Holy Rome looks down from a dozen emulating spires and turrets with benign eye up- on the faithful majority.
 American in commerce, American in habit-we drink ice water for breakfast and in driving keep to the right-Amer- ican in speech, in thought, and-except for the reverence it has for the throne and person-in sentiment, it promises, if 1t be the microcosm of composite Dominion. to render che students path by no means one of roses.
 For here in Montreal you have every evidenceIof dominant Roman Cathol- icism, religious dictatorship, a power WWhich, scornful CT dissemblance and fearless of criticism, might we'll stand behind a government Of people indi-. eating it's requirements and urging its demands, strong within the unassailable battlements of its sanctity.
 For good or for i'll the power of the priesthood stands as a very real and tangible factor in the future of the col ony. For good one cannot but think, since the traditions of Canada are made glorious by the memory of her brave priests deeds, and since foremost among her pioneers went these pale-faced, dark eyed priests, carrying with that fear lessness which is equally shared by fanatic and fatalist the clements of Christianity to the wigwams of the Iro- guois And since Montreal owes it's very existence to the attempt made a century ago to form veritable kingdom of God on American soil, the manifes- tations of this ideal cannot fail to be gratifying to those who believe-as some do-that the progress of coun- try is naturally coincident with the prosperity of the Roman church.
 have spoken of Montreal as being the New York of Canada, and it does seem, from it's very position that not only will it be to Canada what New York is to the States--a indeed, it aI- ready is-but in the course of time, re- membering the enormous resources of Canada, 1t will be equal in wealth, pop- ulation and importance. Like New York, practically an iisland town, 1t has greater opportunities for expansion, and if 1t has the disadvantage Of being closed to river traffic for certain months in the year, owing to it's frozen waters, it is far nearer to free sea- board-free in the purely climatic sense --than is that other great lake town, Chicago.
 The French-Canadian of Montreal cares little enough for the future, lives very much for to-day. See him, clean shaven, sharp-featured, somewhat sal- low. and wearing his hair in a sleek, rigidly trimmed bunch at the back of his head. Slightly below the medium height, yet man of some brawn; 1.-the and alert in his movements, volubles and buoyant in his speech, remarkably expressive in his gesticula tions-a Frenchman who can ride, shoot. swim, or row-that Is the French Canadian. He is much more of an athlete than his brothers across the channel. He is less emotional. coolers headed, and has such a fund of common sense as to al- most dena ationalize him. Essentially he is a Frenchman, and yet
 Perhaps 1t is that he has absorbed something oe the qualities of his Eng fish neighbor: perhaps it's is only that he is French end nat Parisian-we sometimes confuse the types. At any rate, he is an excellent companion, this Frenchman When he gets over the natural suspicion with which all conti- mental races regard the Englishman he will become expansive London Mail.
 !