"Westward the course of empire takes its way" is as true 

 today as it was in the eighteenth century when this watch- 

 word was first given to the world. Today, civiHzation stands 

 on the edge of the wilderness; towns grow on the borders of 

 the wild, the call of which is still heard. The charm of the 

 wilderness will linger long, but it must be lost at last. The 

 rush of empire will change the face of nature. There must 

 be gain in it since it is destiny. W The base of existence is 

 bread and butter, and this reconciles us to the loss of solitary 

 lakes, to the passing of the continuous woods with the charm 

 of their remoteness and happy loneliness. Swarming popu- 

 lation gets a chance to live. Farms are developed out 

 of deer pastures, cities are built by the reedy lake, 

 and all the machinery of our complex life gets into 

 motion, ffi In the last three quarters of a century, 

 Canada has advanced from the reaping hook 

 and cradle to the modern harvesting machine 

 -from a wilderness to a great empire. 



