Conclusion 



hundreds of miles of railways. But, marvellous 

 as is this wonderful transformation, ought we 

 not to realize that it is but the framework 

 of a nation, the real materials of which are 

 men and women, millions yet to come ? Mis- 

 takes there may have been, but, on the whole, 

 surely we may say the foundations of the 

 building have been well laid. 



At present we see a good deal of that type of 

 materialism, akin, it may well be, to virtue, which 

 is apt to characterize the settling up of new lands. 

 Let us be thankful, too, that blended with this 

 there is running a thread of idealism indicating 

 a conception of something better than we are 

 accustomed to in our Old-World civilizations. 

 It is probably nowhere more in evidence than 

 among the men and women scattered over the 

 prairie in farmhouses and lonely shacks, where, 

 combined with wonderful personal heroism and 

 devotion, let us trust it will increase and multiply. 



299 



