The Forest and Life 5 



food. Later, it furnished the material for 'the house in 

 which he lived, the carriage in which he rode, the bridges 

 with which he spanned the rivers and the ships in which 

 he sailed the seven seas. The sun at noonday filtered 

 through the leaves of the trees which sheltered his dwelling. 

 The winds which blew over his fields were tempered by the 

 adjoining wood lot, and the water in the springs was con- 

 served for his use by the woods on the hillsides. 



When North America was discovered, its whole eastern 

 coast presented an unbroken forest which extended west- 

 ward past the Great Lakes. The work of the early settlers 

 was a continual struggle against this forest. The cultiva- 

 tion of the land was slow and difficult because the trees 

 had first to be cleared away. Communication between the 

 scattered settlements was hindered because the way was 

 often blocked by fallen trunks. 



Two generations spent their lives in toil before the 

 eastern provinces of Canada were reclaimed. The struggle 

 was so severe and long that it left an indelible impress on 

 the people. Much of the sturdy independence of Canadians 

 is the result. Men who had contended single-handed 

 against all the forces of nature did not submit lightly to 

 restrictions of any kind, much less to oppression. The free 

 and vigorous life of the forest found expression in political 

 and religious freedom. 



The economic life of the people was also affected. Where 

 each family was forced to rely almost entirely upon the 

 efforts of its own members for food, clothing and shelter, 

 there must be saving. It was not merely a virtue but a 



