New-York tribune., 1908-07-31
THE QUEBEC FESTIVAL
It's National Signifcance-A Tn
umph of Tact.
BY j. Castell Hopkins.

been triumph OF tact-the tribute given by
success to clever manipulation of conflict
ing conditions. To have turned proposed demon
stration in honor Of the French discovery. set
tIernent and occupation of Canada into COM
bined celebration of that and the conquest OK
French Canada by the British; to have brought
French sailors and ships. dramatic incidents Of the
past and the present entente eordale between
France and Britain into full blaze Of Canadian
publicity side by side with an overwhelming evil
dence of British naval strength and such striking
picture of power the Indon1ftabe- resting under
the shadow of the rock of Quebec; to have evoked
mimic presentation of the glories of the Court OF
Henry " only equal exceed 1t by the stately
ceremonial surrounding a visit of the heir to the
throne of Edward VII; have created condition
in which the Vice-President of the United States
could with dignity TO himself and credit to his ma
ton share in compliments the people who had
helped in the making of Canada and had aided his
own Republic in obtaining its liberty. while at the
same time he paying honor to the British en-
pire Of to-day all this involved skill and statecraft
and stands in great part the credit of Earl Grey
the Governor General of Canada.
EPOCH IN ITS HISTORY.
AS TO the internal affairs of Canada, the event
stamps epoch in its history The tercentenary
has not in itself caused any immediate change; 1t
simply marks conditions which have gradually
grown up it will also aid in their extension For
the moment there is question of race or rehsfous
strife in Canada. 1t may be that this peace is not
permanent though all the indications point 10
growing solidarity between the two millions OF
French-Canadians and the four millions Of Eng
lisil-Canadians. a of French Canada has been
for ten years Prime Minister without any serious
opposition because of race religion from the rest
of Canada. but rather with pride in the minds Of
many opposed him politically that French
Canadian should represent with such personal dig
nifty and grace the interests of the Dominion.
The elections Of 1900 and 1904 came and went with
no racial issues except those connected with the
South African war, and they were only the in
evitahe sparks arising from event which evoked
aggressive loyalty in part Of the people side
by side with sort Of passive loyalty in the other
New elections impending. and there Is no
shadow Of racalism upon the horizon while at
our gates is the living picture of French and Eng
lish Canadians celebrating the colonization OF
Canada by the one and its conquest by the other!
Orangemen in this present year march in peace at
buckingham. Quebec and French Catholics cele-
brate Baptiste's day with religious process
sions in what is practically a suburb Of winnipeg
AS TO the future who say? Bright as the pros
poets are, there may be temporary ecipses and an
English-Canadian Prime Minister, dealing with en-
pire problems. will have to face difficulties now
hidden from sight
During the American Revolution the best that
can he said of the French Canadians is that they
resisted the Establishments of Washington and La
favette and remained passive-rnainly because Of
the Quebec act and its guarantee Of their language
laws and religion. In the War OF 1872 they nat
uraIIy and ga iantly fought for their hearths and
they were misled by eloquent demasogues into be
iieving that the failure grant full and speedy
self-governnent to people bred in the customs and
ideals Of the France of Louis XIV was tyranny
and taught that the aversion of the dominant conf
r1erciaI and financial classes of Montreal and que
bec C.,tv-vho were also Englsh-to placing them
selves under the absolute control of an immense
French and agricultural majority was mere racial
hatred
The political struggles of the next thirty years
ToTra
travail Of a people in the period of growth from
separate colonies having distinctive laws, customs
language and ideals into the condition or provinces
under the same Crown. Then came thirty years of
federal union and many faint strings Of ma
tioral spirit which the last decade has received
a marvellous impetus. Whether the next thirty
wears will see further development into a wide I'M
perial life or into of pure nattonaltsm is upon
the knees of the gods but it is this touch OF doubt
which makes such demonstrations as that at Que-
bee So interesting and important
THE IMPERIAL ELEMENT.
The significance Of the occasion in this connec-
tfon is indeed twofod. The first and spectacular
feature * the imperial element The presence OF
+he Prince Of Wales and the glittering ceremonial
of his state visit; the visible British power in
5ioated IN the great men -of-w-ar gathered in the
harbor; the presence of many notabilties repre-
senting SO many parts of the empire. as well as
France and the United States: the exceeding popu-
Iarf+v Of Lord Roberts and his ensuing receptions
a. Ot+au-a Montreal Toronto. Hamilton and Winni
neg. the Increasing familiarity Of Canadians with
other leading men of the empire. such the Duke
Of Norfolk and General Pole-Carew. from Great
BRITAIN. Sir J H de ViIers, Chief Justice Of Cape
COLONY from South Africa: the Earl Of Dudley.
Governor General Of Australia the Hon J. s Pitts
Minister of Newfoundland and many more; the
unnecessary but attractive. evidences Of British
and Fnglish-Canadian strength shown in the com
bined naval and military dsplay-an these have
something of imperial unity in their local setIhs
o- Z, their wider influence.
From the more strictly national STANDPOINT me
occasion is marked by the obvious faternlzins or
French and English and the burytng OF traditional
batchets in the combined honor Of Chanlplain ana
AsontcaIm and Wolfe At the same time there is
French celebration within a celebration; a deifca-
tfon Of Chanplain and the Cross. to the exclusion
Of other issues: an appeal to the French national
is+" spirit rather than TO the national AS 'he
r~eeg5ent of the Catholic Association OF Young
t1rencb- anadians said the other day: Let us
never separate our national from our religious IN
terests France is the country appealing 70 our
t,a-+- tho France If the Gospel. of ST. Louis. of
Cbarplain. Montcam and Laval" This spirit is
held In check however, by very real apprecla-
ZION of the benefits Britain has conferred upon the
French Canadian people and Church, IN the guar
anee of their language and religion ana OF the vast
differences between the France of to-day and the
Eoa NJ three centuries ago. To the rest of
canada and the world 1t is overshadowed by the
british spirit of the demonstration To the other
proxinces the occasion is a revival OF history d
STIRRING OF tradition and sentiment training IN the
elements of patriotism along lines OF na'oha prue'
Great was the country by the real men IN this
,ic+,,rad mast. great has been its development ana
greater still its opportunities in the future ma
t,onaI spirit of some kind has been stirring in the
air of Canada for the last few years; the beating
Of IFS wings is now almost audible.
coNeREssMEN PowERs's FUNERAL.
o NJ n