40 



ill luakii'.!,' use of these simple eleiiicnts to iiiniiitaiii ;ui endurable ami 

 cheerful life, form for the ,t,'oof;rai>her one of tiie most interestinj^ and 

 Siitisfactory demonstrations in ocolof^y. The Eslcimos live ui)on the edge 

 of things, where the struggle for existence is so nicely balanced that it 

 is easily upset. The interference of the white man and the introduction 

 of the utensils and habits of civilization, instead of improving their con- 

 dition, is likely to lead to their ultimate extinction. The destruction of 

 the seal and the introduction of coal stoves, baths and bacteria are sulli- 

 cient to bring irretrievable disaster. 



In the "l)arren gri^unds" of tlie arctic tundra the basis of subsistence 

 shifts from sea to land, and the presence of lichens, grass, shrubs, thi' 

 caribou and the muskox, brings new elements without materially compli- 

 cating the problem. On the whole the barren laud breeds a race of men 

 Inferior to those of the ice-covered sea. 



In the great Canadian coniferous forest, the caribou plays the leading 

 part, furnishing food, clothing, shelter and utensils, nuich as the seal does 

 on the ice cap. Native human life is hardly less simple and severe than 

 in the barren grounds. In the forest the snow shoe and the birch bark 

 canoe have evolved as monuments of human skill, comparable to nature's 

 handiwork in the double overcoat of the muskox and the concave spread- 

 ing h(X)fs of the caribou. Europeans began 250 years ago to reap the 

 harvest of furs. Trading iK>sts and transportation lines were estal)lishel 

 all over the ]irovince. and every square mile of it has been the scene of 

 the labors of the loiu'ly trapper, greatly to the iK'cnniary adv.-mtage of th ' 

 Hudson P.ay ("omiiany. .and to the luxury of European society, but with 

 little gain in goods or morals to the Indian and (he half-breed. Tiie re- 

 sources of the province in ]ieltiy have been so successfully conservtnl that 

 the supply, except in the case ot some species, such as the l)eaver. is 

 scarcely diminished. The fur trade has bred men of iron who have spent 

 llieir sti'englh in getting nioi-e furs. .\n occasional exceiition, like Lord 

 Strathcona, heljts to ennoble the inglorious herd. 



The lumberman has cul into tlH> southern fringe of the forest an(' 

 may be expected to extend his oixrations as f.ist as the demand for timber 

 justifies the construction of new railroads. \l a few points (he lure of 

 gfild has led to the irrnplion of civilization in isolated chuidcs. The 

 plienoinenon of a city like l»;iwson oi' Fairbanks, with loi-il railroads, 

 electric lights, telegraphs, newspapers, iMilice and dog sle(lg(> mail service. 



