The sun., 1919-07-27
Canada's War Achievement

IRON the day the World War broke
l. IN August, 1914, until hostilities
d ended in November, 1918, the people Of
the Dominion of Canada made place for
themselves among the Allies that for hero
ism, sacrifice Of self, resourcefulness and
sheer ability to "carry on" will never be
forgotten. Most Of US have given our adj
miration to Canada for what her gallant
sons did on the battlefelds Of Belgium
and France, for that is the one Of her eff
forts we heard most about. But while the
Canadian troops were fighting abroad Ca
nadians at home were doing things quite
as important toward the general success
of the allied cause growing huge crops,
making munitions, ordering their finan-
cial and economic affairs to suit the dras-
tic changes brought about by the war and
making of themselves a more united peo-
pie, politically and socially, than ever.
Just what our neighbors to the north
of us did to work out all this enormous
and highly successful effort is recounted
by j. Castell Hopkins in Canada at War.
In its field (of telling what one nation did
as its whole war effort) it is the first work
to be published since hostiEties ceased. 1t
Is remarkably comprehensive and is writ
ten in a sxyle that is a pleasure to read.
In addition to this, Mr.. Hopkins writes Of
controversial matters, such as differences
in politics, the attitude of the people Of
Quebec Province toward consumption, and
the merits and defects OF military and
Governmental leaders, with fair minded
ness seldom met with. In fact, his chap
ter on The French Canadians and the Var
is a model Of presenting a controversial
question that all writers on war and mil
itary politics would do well to study.
Mr. Hopkins begins with chapter de-
voted to conditions In Canada on the eve
Of the war, in which he shows that the
population of the Dominion held much the
same opinions as most Americans did at
that time, namely: That war was not a
likelihood; that if it came it would be
short; that a war in Europe was not much
of an affair. of North Americans, after all.
He holds tho opinion that our American
pacifst and materialist ideas had seeped
into Canada with small profit to those in
fected. Later on, he shows that conscrip-
ton had to come to the provinces of the
Dominion, as it did to US, out Of the very
reasons of indifference which paciism and
materialism breed. Nothing better illus
trates the speed with which Canada be-
gan its war effort than the fact that as
early as September %, 1914, forty-nine
days after war was declared, the first con-
tingent of Canadian troops sailed down
the st. Lawrence to the sea, $4,000 men
in all, at an initial expenditure of $20,-
100000.
TO Canada's purely military efforts and
achievements Mr. Hopkins devotes six
chapters. The first of these are entitled
On the Way to Wdr-Raising an Army;
Canadians in England devoted to the
training periods) /; Canadians at the Front
Ia chapter for each year from 1915 to
1917 inclusive) (; and The Year of Victory
--191S. He then gives a chapter to NJ
nitions Of Var; another to Var Eco
monies and Conditions ~ Canada; War
Gifts and Patriotic Work Of the People;
Union Government and the War Elec-
tiors, and The End-Canada, British
Nation There is also List Of members Of
the Canadian Expeditionary Force, who
won the Victoria Cross, diary Of the
war, sketches of Amiens, Arras, Cambria,
Valenciennes and Mons and Canadian
Epic of One Hundred Days, written by