New-York tribune., 1909-09-12
London. August q

.hsa T. ought 70 be kept for the great men: for
ne rea. builders and creators, for Give. for
sho5es ana their like. There IS another class,
E.newkA1 more numerous, but not much, who
Keep together the great imperial patrimony
ukiA others have handed down 10 them They
night perhaps be called wardens Of Empire: Of
sAonn Sir Wtltrid Lsurier may stand FOR sn
ezznple
~ memories % Sir vIlt-fd Laurier 20 back
70 those years when the Alaska bounda-v dis
put6 between Canada and the United States an
pgosched its crisis Lord Minto was then Gov
srnor General OF Canada, AIr. Mckinley was
P-eEide-t of the United States: Mr.. Hay was
ere American Secretary q State. There vas
s-rorg feeling On both SIDES. 7 appeared later
thsf il vas stronger in Canada than in the
Tinted States. but in both countries there was
hoI blood. and II both the controversy turned IN
ps-t upon god. We were carrying OF under =
-aodus vtve2di z state Of things which tended
70 t-snoUIllzs the minds of men. But the
zodus vivendi di6 not cover the whole Of the
Alaskan territory then in dispute. and there was
s-a1ety both = Washington and Ottawa
I went 70 OTTAWA en- visit; spent week -
Government House. snd there first came to
know Sir Wll:-.G Lsur.er. who had been Prime
Minister q -ae Do-o.Elcn since 1886. FIRST i'm
pEessions sre bezt, and I set down my first in
pressions, though they do NOT much differ from
ne last a,d though IN one way. they were
wholly deceptive and misleading
For Sly Wlfrla came 50 softly mo ne draw
ing roon al Government House that ycu would
never have thought hin q leader Of men He
rad sonsth1ng OF The eccIesisstic about him
snd something e the diplomatst The first
perhaps suggested 1tself because he was
Roman Catholic. and 70 thar faith al nv Purt-
-e- pYstldices were alien As think Il ever. I
know q no 1act IN ths current history CT the
Brush Empire more significant than the fact
thzt re greatest dominion Of this great British
s25 Protestant Power should have been gov
e--es cor thirteen -ssrs by Z Roman Catholic
Sc z FTsnchnnz1 That Is Catholicism in its
rrosseEt -a-se. End ro- in TIE sense Of mere
Iovs-ry 70 Pope and 70 particular Church
Taking -.e population Of Canada as something
ever s-z millions to-day. nearly ore-half
&c Roman CsIhu-1-s The other half are in
l.soEbls P-otesJsals Eow are they 70 live TO
gs-Ae- p en-ty2 Bur they 90 and one Of the
rsEso.s OF this a-i-y Is Sir WitrId Laurier
z y were leader of men in The military sense
y as Chatham was leader, one OF TWO things
vculd have happened. Quebec and Ontario
voul5 have cuzrreIled. O. S-r Wlfrid would
rave ceased 70 b Prime Minister Booted
an sp1rred ana IN the saddIe-not so is
Canada 10 ls ruled, nor are the conAicring in
tsFests snd sentiments Of the eastern and west
81 se-U5-s C -!-e great Dominion 50 10 be hay
n0n.zel. E-r tie smooth su5tleJy Of the priest
s,6 Lae susv.rv O. the diploraattsJ are means Of
eanslatio-. Thus. imagine. has Sir WifEid
Er-ke5
Th-s does he present hiulsel9 to the company
q; eov@--neEr House Re glides into the room.
Ee Is no- hurnbLe-far from Il. but his is per
hsps r1s p-l5e which apes humility. Sweetness
s1tsrs win him; and light. II I may once more
uE-6 these rather overworked substsnCives
which hzve come 5ewn % Us from Swift He
.ess EgL- - The room as re enters. and the
faces q these ~ho are already in II His com
Hglss delight n everybody. and nov We know
v.-zr e before Us
rs manner Is he receives and returns the
E-ss-ngs - hts friends Is dtstiratIy French
After I'll tne guests have arrived and The Gov
s-.c- Genera and Lady 1rinto have entered the
-1o-- 81 TL-1r.ds homage 70 the representative !
q. TIE sovereign s-L to LADY 2-i2to has even
no7e of Partisan elegance Nobody would mis- /
zks A-n t7- a. Eng-shusa by birth or race (
FL e English rcl.tlca-lv and officially. none
-ore Loya- u he King of England and Eng !
sr1 E=vs=E --s- he b-t personally h IS I
r-e-c,--z--=-- however. than the average /
F-s.c-----. and n larger frame The head IS /
vel SCI lhe forehead bread and high, q soft /
lFst = -as ewes I'll something is SAID which 1
se-s then burning the mouth <rrr ard the /
71o!s tac= n CONTOUR and n expression quite as
rzc1 tas- ~ -as -an q thought as action I
here a-= -ct many men e ~hom another man /
ses ts v--5 charm. hut Sir WLlf-l5 Is one, and /
F--e- -z= e oS HIN -cc-e freely still
Ee talked easily and well He speaks English /
sat E-eaea --ra equal 6uenc--- with fnish also. !
- IS ae~=- r. .oss tor an iiIoustic = hrase- {
tet II English IS nor quite the English heard I
'-osy r London ny is his French Partisan /
ne Canadians have. IN addition 70 many ether /
z1os. m pz--iotls1l q language Qusbec has /
's or- French. rhe French q ths eighteenth /
'srt1rv ~ % Tourz--e to-dav- and Toronto 1
o7r E-g-sl- also nov and then sltghriy /
sfc-s--- -s- IN Toronto dVells and has long
-E=r --e -~sr q living writer's OF living Eng
sA near 1Er Goldwln Smith the fires Of
As i-te- so-usl vcur. stil. ~ eighty three IN
.-sacael a-d 5v another paradox the English +
s---or q r-s hssr polircal history os The Unired
ast5s Cs1s6z does not Ike his Canadian
'sFs a1- --sv remain his views Just as he. for
rs Canadian residence. remains English
@AaE- p IS par q Sir WLf-iGs diplomacy
III ne przc--sss borh these varieties of French
'-- Lng-sa speech He takes liberties with
.aa language. IS e nan VINO is master Of both
e2t,-e6 ro snd in each his soft tones are
nersgss!ve
ching seemed ro coroe suaiss 70 him The
--7- topics y Ottawa have not quite the same
.--ss Is = London. bur % the people of Ottawa
= s-7 15t less e1Er3szllg. Even scandal was
-AEAoVE n those dava and gossip foated
-l elc sometimes politics came q The top.
'a-y wl-l anywhere when they are NOT TOO
e1c even when rnev gre cttaws was
'-f@ Wa .ts Afty thousand people and
---1s=r ,-sde The capital Of slr Wtfrid's
Soc Parliament aas sitting IN that finely
.''a Parliament House crcWning the cliff On
hs- GFq ~