The Washington herald., 1922-02-19
By SIR PHILIP GIBBS.

ABOARD TRAIN FROM WINNI-
PEG TO EDMONTON. Feb. ls.-For
some days 1 have been in Canada.
and ] am now writing this article
In an observation car of the Ma
tional Railway on the way from
Winnipeg to Edmonton. Although
1 have had the advantage of dis
cussing Canadian problems and
prospects with some Of the leading
men of the West. aid few weeks
ago I was able to get glimpse
of Eastern conditions and thought
In Toronto. l think the scene from
the carriage window tells me more
of what Canada means than any
kind of conversation with states
men or citizens.
For hundreds of miles-for more
than 1000 miles-the railroad
tracks have gone through the great
prairies, stretching away intermin-
ably. 1t seems, to the far horizon,
so fat that there is no sign Of a
hillock, with hardly a billow OF
earth except where the snow has
drifte1, an immense. white. winter
bound. lonely land. Here and there
are small townships and villages
widely scattered; here and there
solitary log hut with few wooden
shanties around. and soFhe snow
covered hay rick1.
struck BY spaciousness.
Little woods, black aboye the
snow. are dotted thickly over the
white wilderness. and black cattle
stand near a cluster OF sheds.
This country is one of the great
gra naries of the world. In a little
while the snow will melt and out OF
this rich far-reachinG North VIII
spring green crops which then in
due time will turn into a golden
glory ready for harvesting.
But what strikes me with kind
of constant wonder is the unpop-
ulated spaciousness OF this Cana
dian world, and the loneliness. the
moral courage. the hard life OF the
individual who has come out here
and built one of those solitary
homesteads and made the land
fruitful. in a great adventure with
life and death. For two years or
more luck has been against him
The Canadian farmer Is waiting
now through this long winter, near
ly ending. with a desperate hope
that the wheel OF fortune will turr
at least a spoke or two. Other
wise. he will be on the edge Of
calamity.
Faces Many Obstacles.
Drought. low prices for his pro-
duce. high prices for labor and ma
chinery. freight charges that swal-
low up his profits. falling markets.
high tariffs against him in the
United States. an embargo against
his aattIe in Great Britain, have
tested the staying power of the
strongest among them. The weak
est have already broken, am told.
Canada. about the size of the
United States. has a population of
100000. During the last ten years
II has shown an increase of 2.o0o,-
900. Yet it could absorb 10000, 900
of new settlers within the next year
or two and not notice them, with
any sense of overcrowding. Look
ing out over these prairies waiting
for manhood and womanhood, with
infinite capacity for the absorption
of life. / think back to England
Win It's l,OUusNOV dHA
to the United States with its TEEN
ing, cities. and to Central Europe
and Russia with so many million
of underfed folk.
No Place for weaklinEs.
This great world of Canada would
find room for vast numbers of fel
lows who cannot find a good jol
| or enough food for their women
| folk. But one glance at this whit,
| landscape in winter time tells M
that Canada is not a country fo
city-bred folk. for the weakling II
soul or body. One winter in one OF
those lonely. snow-bound home
steads would kill of the unfit
drive mad mis- sensitive. crowd-ac
customed mind. Only good stool
of the old pioneer Kind. used to th'
land. hard and patient and brave
could survive in this Canadian
west.
After the war when great mum
bers of returned soldiers wer,
tired of lounging about the citie
and found their pockets empty, tn
government established settle
ment scheme which has now stoo,
| its test. AS far as I can md on
IL has been a success in the cas-,
o, men who have grit and endur
ance. in spite OF bad luck witt
| weather-and in sonte cases ba,
land which did not give them
decent chance. 1t has failed IL
every case where the returned sol
der was not accustomed to tn
harsh life of the soil or to tn
rigor of the Canadian climate.
Would Capitalize Climate.
One of the leaders of CANADIAN
life in Winnipeg said it was no us
| pretending that a Canadian white
is not severe and long. We ha'
far better face the fact and max
the best of II. Let us capitalize
\ our climate and make winters NOR
| endurable by sports and games.
That ieea If capitalizing the eli
| mate was the motive behind tn
| great winter carnival at Winni
peg, which was in full swing tn
! night I arrived. and certainly tn
procession of the queen Of beaut.
| with her immense train of torcl
bearers and battalions of Canad
ian boys and girls in the fame.
dress of redskins and trappers
with snow-shoe and skis. was a proc