Francis Parkman 219 



art; and in this instance the art consists in so 

 handling the relations of cause and effect as to 

 make them speak for themselves. These pages 

 are alive with political philosophy, and teem with 

 object lessons of extraordinary value. It would be 

 hard to point to any book where History more 

 fully discharges her high function of gathering- 

 friendly lessons of caution from the errors of the 

 past. 



Of all the societies that have been composed of 

 European men, probably none was ever so despot 

 ically organized as New France, unless it may have 

 been the later Byzantine Empire, which it resem 

 bled in the minuteness of elaborate supervision over 

 all the pettiest details of life. In Canada the pro 

 tective, paternal, socialistic, or nationalistic theory 

 of government it is the same old cloven hoof, 

 under whatever specious name you introduce it 

 was more fully carried into operation than in any 

 other community known to history except ancient 

 Peru. No room was left for individual initiative 

 or enterprise. All undertakings were nationalized. 

 Government looked after every man s interests in 

 this world and the next : baptized and schooled 

 him ; married him and paid the bride s dowry ; gave 

 him a bounty with every child that was born to 

 him ; stocked his cupboard with garden seeds and 



