APPENDIX A LXIII 
without in any way adding to the intellectual assets of humanity,— 
may indeed be an intellectual parasite, supporting its mentality on 
the literary and artistic creations, on the philosophic analyses 
and generalizations, on the scientific discoveries of other 
peoples. It is needless to say that such a relation to the out- 
side world cannot be satisfactory to a self-respecting people, though 
it almost always holds of the people of a new country. It becomes 
necessary therefore to consider to what extent Canada has added 
and in what way she may add to the literary, artistic and scientific 
assets of mankind. This concerns the writing of poems, dramas, 
novels, histories or essays of merit; the composition of operas or 
_ oratorios; the painting of pictures, carving of sculptures, raising of 
atchitectural monuments; great inventions; and the prosecution 
of scientific research with its infinite variety and vast importance. 
I believe all will agree with me that the more the general intelligence 
of the people is increased by those influences to which the previous 
part of this address had reference, the more likely are Canadians to 
distinguish themselves in literary and artistic creation and in scientific 
research. 
It is not possible for me to cover so large a field as is included 
in this second part of my subject, and I content myself with an at- 
tempt at a presentation of certain of its phases. 
CANADIAN LITERATURE 
While the spread of interest in and knowledge of literature is 
to be classed amongst those influences which promote the general 
intelligence of our people, achievement in Canadian literature is so 
much added to the world’s stock of intellectual accomplishment, 
and ranks with discoveries in science, important works of art and 
note-worthy mechanical inventions. A nation’s literature is the ex- 
pression of its superior minds in writing; and without such expression 
a people can scarcely make claim to distinction. When we are re- 
viewing a people’s title to consideration we almost always first recall 
its remarkable writers,—Corneille, Racine, Moliére, Bossuet, Pascal, 
or Spencer, Shakespeare, Milton, Gibbon, Macaulay, Who is there 
that has not read with emotion Macaulay's surpassingly eloquent 
tribute to the literary glories of Athens. It may be said that in 
. Canada at present we are engaged in something more important 
than the wooing of the Muses: we are opening up and putting in order 
a vast territory; the man who builds a railway (with the assistance 
of the tax-payers of course) is more important than he who writes a 
remarkable poem, or is the author of an epoch-making history. Or 
it may be said we have at our command the great literatures of France 
