550 Our North Land. 



among them lie along the lines of latitude ? Men spread from east 

 to west, and from east to west the political lines, which mean- the 

 lines of diversity, extend. The central spaces are, and will be yet 

 more, the great centres of population. Can it be imagined that the 

 vast central hives of men will allow the eastern or western sea- 

 board people to come between them with separate empire, and shut 

 them out in any degree from full and free intercourse with the 

 markets of the world beyond them ? Along the lines of longitude 

 no such tendencies of division exist. The markets of the North 

 Pole are not as yet productive, and with South America commerce 

 is comparatively small. The safest conclusion, if conclusions are to 

 be drawn at all, is that what has hitherto been, will, in the nature 

 of things, continue — that whatever separations exist will be marked 

 by zones of latitude. For other evidence we must search in vain. 



Oar county councils, the municipal corporations, the local pro- 

 vincial chambers, the central Dominion Parliament, and last, not 

 least, a perfectly unfettered press, are all free channels for the 

 expressions of the feelings of our citizens. Why is it that in each 

 and all of these reflectors of the thoughts of men we see nothing 

 but determination to keep and develop the precious heritage we 

 have in our own constitution, so capable of any development which 

 the people may desire ; let us hear Canadians if we wish to speak 

 for them. These public bodies and the public press are the mouth- 

 pieces of the people's mind. Let us not say for them what they 

 never say for themselves. It is no intentional misrepresentation, I 

 believe, which has produced these curious examples of the fact that 

 individual prepossessions may distort public proofs. It reminds me 

 of an interpretation once said to have been given by a bad interpre- 

 ter of a speech delivered by a savage warrior, who in a very digni- 

 fied and extremely lengthy discourse expressed the contentment of 

 his tribe with the order and with the good which had been been 

 introduced amongst them by the law of the white man. His speech 

 was long enough fully to impress with its meaning and its truth all 

 who took pains to listen to him, and who could understand his lan- 

 guage, but the interpreter had unfortunately different ideas of his 

 own, and was displeased with his own individual treatment, and 



