She could sympathise with Belgium, whose rights were so ruthlessly downtrodden, and feel no incongruity in sending her sons to die upholding them. Above all she was touched by the spectacle of Britain nobly struggling for peace, only at last to be dragged into a war that is not hers, with everything to lose and nothing to gain. Fifty or even twenty-five years ago Canada would have taken a passive interest and pursued her peaceful way. To-day she throws her soul into the conflict, because she is a different nation.

But we must go deeper than the new national, imperial, and world-consciousness to find what is after all the mainspring of Canada's action. Indignation at the bleeding of Belgium, an insistence that the treaties of nations shall be scrupulously regarded, sympathy with the British struggle for democracy, a determination that might must not rule, the romantic desire for participation in world-enterprises-while all of these are determining factors, none of these alone, nor even all of them combined, is sufficient to account for Canada's sacrifice. The United States on the whole feels these emotions just as keenly as Canada does, yet she remains neutral. There is a more fundamental cause which ought to be the most obvious, yet is the most apt to be overlooked, namelya devotion to British interests which results from Canada's long unbroken connexion with the Mother-Country.

Canadians have felt for years that they depend for their national existence on Great Britain. For generations, whether right or wrong, there has been a widespread feeling in Canada that the various provinces would long ago have been absorbed as states in the American federation, were it not for their attachment to Great Britain. The feeling doubtless originated in the attack upon Canada during the American Revolution and in the attempted annexation in 1812-14, and has been fostered by the settlement of the various boundary disputes, in each of which Canada felt the United States took the lion's share. So late as 1903, intense resentment was felt throughout Canada on the occasion of the settlement of the Alaskan boundary dispute, the sting of which has, however, been largely forgotten in view of the long-standing friendship between the two peoples. This feeling of her own weakness, and the real or supposed

danger of being overshadowed and finally absorbed by her great neighbour, drove Canada all the more closely to Great Britain. S. E. Moffett concludes his book, 'The Americanization of Canada,' with the words: 'The English-speaking Canadians protest that they will never become Americans—they are already Americans without knowing it.' While this may be true of such external things as dress and customs in general, it must not be applied to Canadian patriotism. In national sentiment Canadians are British to the core, and view with alarm anything which seems to encroach upon the ties which bind them to Great Britain.

This became apparent on two important occasions. In the discussions about Confederation the proposed union of the provinces was presented as the only alternative to union with the States. The words of G. E. Cartier are typical: The matter resolves itself into this; either we must obtain British North American Confederation or be absorbed in an American Confederation.'* The Canadian people chose the former. Fifty years later, they thought the same issue was presented again, only in a different garb-the reciprocity compact with the United States. Here again they showed a decided preference for Britain. The national election of 1911 was fought out on this one issue; and a more heated election perhaps never took place in Canada. There can be no doubt that what tipped the scale so decidedly against reciprocity was the fact that Canadian national pride was touched, and they feared a severance of their British relations. Among various utterances by the American press and American public men, the most fatal was that of Speaker Champ Clark:

'I am in favor of the reciprocity treaty because I hope to see the day when the American flag will float over every square foot of the British North American possessions clear to the North Pole.'

Canadians will readily grant that many worse things might befall them, but the fact remains that this is decidedly what they do not want. Their historical connexions, their sympathies, their ideals are British, not

* Parliamentary Debates on Confederation,' p. 55.

American. The result was that a storm was raised on the Canadian side of the border. Among several reasons against reciprocity issued by the Canadian National League is Article 8: Because the agreement, as proposed, would weaken the ties which bind Canada to the Empire. ... At a non-party mass-meeting held in Massey Hall, Toronto, March 9, 1911, presided over by Sir William Mortimer Clark, the chairman said: 'We are at the parting of the ways. We must either choose the way to Washington or the way to the great Empire beyond the sea.' The opinion of the majority of Canadians was briefly expressed in these sentences. In the election, life-long party affiliations were broken; and many men, setting their patriotism above their financial interests, cast their vote, as they believed, for the Empire. The net result was a political landslide in which the Liberal party, which advocated reciprocity, was defeated by an overwhelming majority. Thousands of Liberals helped to block the road to Washington.'

Let the people of Great Britain have no misgivings ; our centre of gravity lies within the Empire. However strong the feeling of friendship with any other nation may become, that deeper love which grips the heart is reserved for only one-our Mother. For this, other

nations must not blame us, for Great Britain has been immeasurably more to us than all others combined. On the other hand, the message of the reciprocity campaign is not that Canadians had any ill-will toward the United States. But it did show conclusively, that, if in time of peace the Canadian people could become so alarmed over a commercial treaty with a kindred people with whom they enjoyed an unbroken friendship of a hundred years, simply because in the dim future it might sever their British relations, then henceforth the imperial tie was so strong that any danger threatening the Empire would call the Dominion to the support of Britain. The reciprocity campaign of 1911 was a forerunner of Canada's action in 1914.

The direct result, therefore, of the close attachment to Great Britain, ever since the days of Wolfe's victory at Quebec, and of Canada's dependence on the

* Reciprocity Pamphlets, 1911.

Mother-Country for protection during the formative period of her national life, has been to produce in Canada a British loyalty which can scarcely be excelled in the United Kingdom itself. A recent statement by one not himself a Canadian is significant :

Every one who has known Canada must have been struck with the fact that Canadians are almost more British than the British themselves. The Canadian love for the British Empire has for years burned like a slow fire, making little heat and smoke to be sure, but only awaiting the draft of war to cause it to blaze into a fusing flame.'

There are in Canada, of course, different groups with varying patriotic sentiments. There is a small Annexation group, whose voice is no longer heeded, and which is destined to an early death. Those who emphasise the weakness of the bond between Great Britain and Canada make capital out of the utterances of this group, which in reality does not express Canadian opinion at all. There is also a growing Nationalist group, especially strong among the French-Canadians. The watchword of this group is the development of Canada along Canadian lines. What needs emphasising in this connexion is that one may be a Nationalist and yet be intensely loyal to Great Britain and the Empire. There is, thirdly, a considerable body of new-comers not yet fully Canadianised; but we have faith that they will make good loyal Canadian citizens, as millions of immigrants have been Americanised across the border. Finally, there is the main body of the population, which is British-Canadian through and through. Contrary to a wide-spread opinion that this group is composed almost exclusively of English-speaking Canadians, it is a fact that it contains a large number of French-Canadians. Too many writers forget that they too can appreciate and respond to the privileges granted them under British rule. The words of the Hon. Rodolphe Lemieux, himself a French-Canadian, ought to refute all insinuations that they are not loyal Britishers:

'You ask me why I am a British subject and why I wish to remain one. I reply that I honor the flag that honors

* Julian Street in Collier's Magazine,' Jan. 16, 1915.

its obligations; that I prize most those institutions that secure me most strongly in my rights and liberties; that I am proud to be a sharer in the great work of advancing peace and progress throughout the world, for which the British Empire stands. Gratitude for what has been done for them [i.e. for the French-Canadians] in the past, contentment in the liberties which they to-day enjoy, pride in the future greatness of England and her Dominions scattered throughout the whole of the globe-this, and much more, warms the hearts of French-Canadians to the Motherland and makes of them loyal subjects, second to none under the British crown.'

On the whole, therefore, there is in Canada to-day, and has been for years, a filial love for the MotherCountry, an admiration of all things British, a glory in the Empire, and a devoted loyalty, all of which are being embodied in Canada's present contributions to the war. This devotion to the British cause may not always be apparent on the surface. Only those who know the inner Canadian spirit can truly appreciate it. To the German it is almost incomprehensible. The American, or the Englishman even, who merely tours Canada for a year, can have little conception of it. We Canadians are often misjudged by both Americans and Englishmen, for the simple reason that the visitor may see only externals and base his judgments upon them, while he fails to study the more essential thing-the spirit which lies more deeply hidden.† Canadians, however, are willing to be misunderstood occasionally, so long as they themselves are sure of their own inner spirit; and this spirit, which they will persistently maintain, in spite of statements to the contrary from the outside, is one of consecrated devotion to the British cause.

Great Britain has handed over to us full control of our own internal affairs, even the disposition of our military forces-a thing Germany certainly would not have done. She has allowed us to develop our own institutions according to our natural inclinations, without forcing upon us the English stamp. To the German

* Canadian Annual Review for 1912,' p. 44.

A conspicuous example is J. F. Fraser, Canada as it is.' A more appropriate title would be, 'Canada as it is not.'