north america-1-第24节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


idea　would　be　that　the　two　Canadas　should　form　two　States　of　such　a　confederation；　and　the　other　provinces　a　third　State。　　But　this　slight　participation　in　power　would　hardly　suit　the　views　of　New　Brunswick　and　Nova　Scotia。　　In　speaking　of　such　a　federal　government　as　this；　I　shall　of　course　be　understood　as　meaning　a　confederation　acting　in　connection　with　a　British　governor；　and　dependent　upon　Great　Britain　as　far　as　the　different　colonies　are　now　dependent。　I　cannot　but　think　that　such　a　confederation　might　be　formed　with　great　advantage　to　all　the　colonies　and　to　Great　Britain。　　At　present　the　Canadas　are　in　effect　almost　more　distant　from　Nova　Scotia　and　New　Brunswick　than　they　are　from　England。　　The　intercourse　between　them　is　very　slightso　slight　that　it　may　almost　be　said　that　there　is　no　intercourse。　　A　few　men　of　science　or　of　political　importance　may　from　time　to　time　make　their　way　from　one　colony　into　the　other；　but　even　this　is　not　common。　Beyond　that　they　seldom　see　each　other。　　Though　New　Brunswick　borders　both　with　Lower　Canada　and　with　Nova　Scotia；　thus　making　one　whole　of　the　three　colonies；　there　is　neither　railroad　nor　stage　conveyance　running　from　one　to　the　other。　　And　yet　their　interests　should　be　similar。　　From　geographical　position　their　modes　of　life　must　be　alike；　and　a　close　conjunction　between　them　is　essentially　necessary　to　give　British　North　America　any　political　importance　in　the　world。　　There　can　be　no　such　conjunction；　no　amalgamation　of　interests；　until　a　railway　shall　have　been　made　joining　the　Canada　Grand　Trunk　Line　with　the　two　outlying　colonies。　　Upper　Canada　can　feed　all　England　with　wheat；　and　could　do　so　without　any　aid　of　railway　through　the　States；　if　a　railway　were　made　from　Quebec　to　Halifax。　　But　then　comes　the　question　of　the　cost。　　The　Canada　Grand　Trunk　is　at　the　present　moment　at　the　lowest　ebb　of　commercial　misfortune；　and　with　such　a　fact　patent　to　the　world；　what　company　will　come　forward　with　funds　for　making　four　or　five　hundred　miles　of　railway；　through　a　district　of　which　one…half　is　not　yet　prepared　for　population？　　It　would　be；　I　imagine；　out　of　the　question　that　such　a　speculation　should　for　many　years　give　any　fair　commercial　interest　on　the　money　to　be　expended。　　But　nevertheless　to　the　coloniesthat　is；　to　the　enormous　regions　of　British　North　Americasuch　a　railroad　would　be　invaluable。　　Under　such　circumstances　it　is　for　the　Home　Government　and　the　colonies　between　them　to　see　how　such　a　measure　may　be　carried　out。　　As　a　national　expenditure；　to　be　defrayed　in　the　course　of　years　by　the　territories　interested；　the　sum　of　money　required　would　be　very　small。　But　how　would　this　affect　England？　　And　how　would　England　be　affected　by　a　union　of　the　British　North　American　colonies　under　one　federal　government？　　Before　this　question　can　be　answered；　he　who　prepares　to　answer　it　must　consider　what　interest　England　has　in　her　colonies；　and　for　what　purpose　she　holds　them。　　Does　she　hold　them　for　profit；　or　for　glory；　or　for　power；　or　does　she　hold　them　in　order　that　she　may　carry　out　the　duty　which　has　devolved　upon　her　of　extending　civilization；　freedom；　and　well…being　through　the　new　uprising　nations　of　the　world？　　Does　she　hold　them；　in　fact；　for　her　own　benefit；　or　does　she　hold　them　for　theirs？　　I　know　nothing　of　the　ethics　of　the　Colonial　Office；　and　not　much　perhaps　of　those　of　the　House　of　Commons；　but　looking　at　what　Great　Britain　has　hitherto　done　in　the　way　of　colonization；　I　cannot　but　think　that　the　national　ambition　looks　to　the　welfare　of　the　colonists；　and　not　to　home　aggrandizement。　　That　the　two　may　run　together　is　most　probable。　　Indeed；　there　can　be　no　glory　to　a　people　so　great　or　so　readily　recognized　by　mankind　at　large　as　that　of　spreading　civilization　from　east　to　west　and　from　north　to　south。　　But　the　one　object　should　be　the　prosperity　of　the　colonists；　and　not　profit；　nor　glory；　nor　even　power；　to　the　parent　country。　There　is　no　virtue　of　which　more　has　been　said　and　sung　than　patriotism；　and　none　which；　when　pure　and　true；　has　led　to　finer　results。　　Dulce　et　decorum　est　pro　patria　mori。　　To　live　for　one's　country　also　is　a　very　beautiful　and　proper　thing。　　But　if　we　examine　closely　much　patriotism；　that　is　so　called；　we　shall　find　it　going　hand　in　hand　with　a　good　deal　that　is　selfish；　and　with　not　a　little　that　is　devilish。　　It　was　some　fine　fury　of　patriotic　feeling　which　enabled　the　national　poet　to　put　into　the　mouth　of　every　Englishman　that　horrible　prayer　with　regard　to　our　enemies　which　we　sing　when　we　wish　to　do　honor　to　our　sovereign。　　It　did　not　seem　to　him　that　it　might　be　well　to　pray　that　their　hearts　should　be　softened；　and　our　own　hearts　softened　also。　　National　success　was　all　that　a　patriotic　poet　could　desire；　and　therefore　in　our　national　hymn　have　we　gone　on　imploring　the　Lord　to　arise　and　scatter　our　enemies；　to　confound　their　politics；　whether　they　be　good　or　ill；　and　to　expose　their　knavish　trickssuch　knavish　tricks　being　taken　for　granted。　　And　then；　with　a　steady　confidence；　we　used　to　declare　how　certain　we　were　that　we　should　achieve　all　that　was　desirable；　not　exactly　by　trusting　to　our　prayer　to　heaven；　but　by　relying　almost　exclusively　on　George　the　Third　or　George　the　Fourth。　　Now　I　have　always　thought　that　that　was　rather　a　poor　patriotism。　　Luckily　for　us；　our　national　conduct　has　not　squared　itself　with　our　national　anthem。　　Any　patriotism　must　be　poor　which　desires　glory；　or　even　profit；　for　a　few　at　the　expense　of　the　many；　even　though　the　few　be　brothers　and　the　many　aliens。　　As　a　rule；　patriotism　is　a　virtue　only　because　man's　aptitude　for　good　is　so　finite　that　he　cannot　see　and　comprehend　a　wider　humanity。　　He　can　hardly　bring　himself　to　understand　that　salvation　should　be　extended　to　Jew　and　Gentile　alike。　　The　word　philanthropy　has　become　odious；　and　I　would　fain　not　use　it；　but　the　thing　itself　is　as　much　higher　than　patriotism　as　heaven　is　above　the　earth。　A　wish　that　British　North　America　should　ever　be　severed　from　England；　or　that　the　Australian　colonies　should　ever　be　so　severed；　will　by　many　Englishmen　be　deemed　unpatriotic。　　But　I　think　that　such　severance　is　to　be　wished　if　it　be　the　case　that　the　colonies　standing　alone　would　become　more　prosperous　than　they　are　under　British　rule。　　We　have　before　us　an　example　in　the　United　States　of　the　prosperity　which　has　attended　such　a　rupture　of　old　ties。　　I　will　not　now　contest　the　point　with　those　who　say　that　the　present　moment　of　an　American　civil　war　is　ill　chosen　for　vaunting　that　prosperity。　　There　stand　the　cities　which　the　people　have　built；　and　their　power　is　attested　by　the　world…wide　importance　of　their　present　contest。　　And　if　the　States　have　so　risen　since　they　left　their　parent's　apron…string；　why　should　not　British　North　America　rise　as　high？　　That　the　time　has　as　yet　come　for　such　rising　I　do　not　think；　but　that　it　will　soon　come　I　do　most　heartily　hope。　　The　making　of　the　railway　of　which　I　have　spoken；　and　the　amalgamation　of　the　provinces　would　greatly　tend　to　such　an　event。　　If　therefore；　England　desires　to　keep　these　colonies　in　a　state　of　dependency；　if　it　be　more　essential　to　her　to　maintain　her　own　power　with　regard　to　them　than　to　increase　their　influence；　if　her　main　object　be　to　keep　the　colonies　and　not　to　improve　the　colonies；　then　I　should　say　that　an　amalgamation　of　the　Canadas　with　Nova　Scotia　and　New　Brunswick　should　not　be　regarded　with　favor　by　statesmen　in　Downing　Street。　　But　if；　as　I　would　fain　hope；　and　do　partly　believe；　such　ideas　of　national　power　as　these　are　now　out　of　vogue　with　British　statesmen；　then　I　think　that　such　an　amalgamation　should　receive　all　the　support　which　Downing　Street　can　give　it。　The　United　States　severed　themselves　from　Great　Britain　with　a　great　struggle；　and　after　heart…burnings　and　bloodshed。　　Whether　Great　Britain　will　ever　allow　any　colony　of　hers　to　depart　from　out　of　her　nest；　to　secede　and　start　for　herself；　without　any　struggle　or　heart…burnings；　with　all　furtherance　for　such　purpose　which　an　old　and　powerful　country　can　give　to　a　new　nationality　then　first　taking　its　own　place　in　the　world's　arena；　is　a　problem　yet　to　be　solved。　　There　is；　I　think；　no　more　beautiful　sight　than　that　of　a　mother；　still　in　all　the　glory　of　womanhood；　preparing　the　wedding　trousseau　for　her　daughter。　　The　child　hitherto　has　been　obedient　and　submissive。　　She　has　been　one　of　a　household　in　which　she　has　held　no　command。　　She　has　sat　at　table　as　a　child；　fitting　herself　in　all　things　to　the　behests　of　others。　　But　the　day　of　her　power　and　her　glory；　and　also　of　her　cares　and　solicitude；　is　at　hand。　She　is　to　go　forth；　and　do　as　she　best　may　in　the　world　under　that　teaching　which　her　old　home　has　given　her。　　The　hour　of　separation　has　come；　and　the　mother；　smiling　through　her　tears；　sends　her　forth　decked　with　a　bounteous　hand；　and　furnished　with　full　stores；　so　that　all　may　be　well　with　her　as　she　enters　on　her　new　duties。　So　is　it　that　England　should　send　forth　her　daughters。　　They　should　not　escape　from　her　arms　with　shrill　screams　and　bleeding　wounds；　with　ill…omened　words　which　live　so　long；　though　the　speakers　of　them　lie　cold　in　their　graves。　But　this　sending　forth　of　a　child…nation　to　take　its　own　polit