Evening star., 1942-09-20
first OF tUo articles.

first OF t,Do articles
BY BISHOP FRANCIS c. KELLEY
QUEBEC, Sept. 19.-In Canada
the English are not really English
and the French not really French
Both are first Canadians. English
speaking Canadians are not in love
with Englishmen from England and
French-speaking Canadians do not
regret that their ancestors saw the
French go back home after Wolfe
had defeated Montcalm. They still
prefer to love the French of France
with an ocean between.
The reason is that the 10000
French who chose to remain in
Canada under British rule after the
conquest had been Canadians long
enough to want to stay Canadians
Their 100000 descendants are still
of the same mind.
On their side, English speaking
Canadians hate to be called colo
malls" and in England the word is
used too often To both races
Canada is A nation and the empire
connection bargain between
equals. But when the empire is at
war, the English Canadians change
not by loving England more, but
by putting the empires interests
first for the duration.
Difference in Thinking.
The union jack now flies every
where in Canada instead of her own
OF Hn III
change of attitude is now very
marked in English speaking Cana
dians. But the French-speaking re-
main just as they were at the be-
ginning and apparently as they ever
will be.
Then there is a fundamental diff
ference between the thinking of
the two peoples: The French think
as a body, the English as individ-
uals. 1t is not easy to swing solid
body out of its fundamental think
ing, but by influence easy enough
to swing individuals who really
want to be swung while war is on.
The English-Canadians want to be
swung while this particular war
Is on.
The French have philosophy of
life. The English have sentiment.
A philosopher who believes in his
principles and knows how to reason
from them is as stubborn as the
mule who has neither principles nor
reason. But the French have both.
They know the past and repeat
their motto, "je me souviens" II
remember). They live the past with
acceptation of the benefits of the
present. They look ahead with a
foot rocking the cradle of future
not too different from the past and
the present, but safe. French Can
ada is not merely the name of a
race. In reality it is the name of
way of life. That is the most i'm
portant thing about it. One must
know that to understand.
Vote Against Draft.
French Canada voted against
conscription for military service
overseas and English-speaking Cam
ada is angry about it. But English
Canada forgets that it, too, would
have voted the same way after the
World War No one, not even the
clergy. who admittedly made French
Canada, could change people who
hold to d way of life rather than
to a strain of blood The vote of
French Canada against conscrip-
ton was. for one thing, vote
against politicians who had sworn
by all that was good and holy to
them-their interests-that there
never, never, never would be con-
scription for anything but the de-
tense of Canada. The French-Ca-
nadians believed them and are now
full of resentment. They voted al
most as body. There may soon
be new political party in Canada,
which for a time at least will be
careful about making promises to
Quebec.
The conscription trouble. how
ever, goes deeper. That frightened
me because it invited me to plunge
into history and philosophy. In self
protection I first went out to talk
things over with clergy, statesmen
and farmers-church, state, people
1t seemed the most worth while and
labor saving thing to do, and so it
turned out to be.
1t is not surprising to meet
bachelor of arts running a farm in
Quebec. There are more than 80
classical colleges in the province and
three well-organized universities,
two of the latter French.
Must for Professions.
College is must" matter for
the professions in Quebec. That is
why its Legislature is one of the
most dignif1ed in the empire, But
there are always some college grad
yates who prefer rural to profess
sional life. 1t is good to meet them
II, by speaking French or even do
ing them the compliment OF try
ing to speak 1t, one gets them to
talk like this:
''Ecoutez. mon ami. What we
want is fair play. equality between
the two great races in Canada. Par
eXemple: I have 10 children, six
boys and four girls. Three of the
boys are now ready to volunteer.
But suppose they are conscripted
at the same time AS the one boy
of English family. it's three to one
against us. That is not equality
1t is not fair plavi"
But the English have to pay
three times more taxes" I said
Correct" he answered promptly
But we both pay in proportion to
our wealth. The point is that the