"We have not yet learned to be proud of our own. We hesitate to strike our own distinctive note of nationhood. We are too timid to confess a style. We are afraid to breathe a name lest we should be laughed at. Our models are all foreign models. We blush at our homespun. Again we have to contend with the inrush of another literature which is fast acquiring the national flavour and impress the literature of the United States. This is a veritable flood which overwhelms us. It seems almost grotesquely ineffectual to attempt to strike up our own feeble note amid the clamour of resonant voices, sure and confident and strong and characteristic. native literature is only possible when a common sense dominates the whole people of the commonwealth. Unhappily, this is far from being our experience.' A So write Mr. John Cameron and Professor Goldwin Smith. The subject is one that is open for discussion and thought. Cana United States literature is English literature, but it is not British. dian literature is English literature, but it is not British; neither is it United Statesian. You may juggle with these words as much as you wish, and always be correct from some standpoint. The man who is truly Canadian will produce Canadian literature if he lives and thinks in Canada. His characters, his colouring, his history, his estimate of freedom and equality, his narrowness, his breadth, his phrases-all these will be Canadian. There may be much about his work that is not Canadian, but the native will be exhibited somewhere. "The English grammar is the same in Canada as in Great Britain and the United States; but grammar is not the vital feature which decides whether a book is British or United Statesian or Canadian, nor is language-in its broadest sense-for I might write a Canadian story in German. national flavour and impress," as the learned Professor puts it, is what decides. Parker's "Pierre and His People," Kingsford's "History of Canada, Mair's "Tecumseh," Kirby's "Chien D'Or," Miss Wood's "" Untempered Wind," Barr's "In the Midst of Alarms -these are Canadian literature, and yet they are English liter ature. With this preface, I flatly deny Mr. Cameron's statement that " Strictly speaking there is no such thing as Canadian literature." The denial is, perhaps, unnecessary; but, to an enthusiast, the unnecessary is often pleasant. Whoever is responsible for the formation of an Inter-collegiate Football League is deserving of much credit. Rugby is a hard game, and if the players are inclined to maim one another there is plenty of opportunity. In past seasons, under the auspices of the various Unions, there was much roughness, and the game was suffering in public estimation. The Inter-collegiate League has given a new tone to the college teams, and has permitted the people in Toronto, Montreal and Kingston to witness games without having their nerves seriously impaired. Further than this, it has brought the students of Canada's three leading universities into closer contact, and much more friendly relations. This will be productive of much good to the students themselves and, as they are the future leading citizens of our country, to Canadian unity. Brutality in sport is something to be shunned and decried. It is harmful to the players of any game, and its effect on the public is not beneficial. Every man, every woman is interested in sport. The man or the woman who is not lacks breadth and culture. If the sport, therefore, is essentially degrading, the people will be degraded. If the sport be elevating, the people will be elevated. By comparing the sports of the British and Spanish nations, one finds a key to much that is characteristic of each. I believe that the character of the average Canadian boy is more affected by his sports than by his studies in the public school or in the Sunday school. In his games he learns to be fair or unfair, to be a man or a scoundrel. John A. Cooper. THE BATTLE OF THE STRONG, by Gilbert Parker, author of "Pierre and His People," etc. Illustrated. Cloth, 432 pp. Toronto: The Copp, Clark Co. TEKLA: A Romance of Love and War, by Robert Barr, author of "In the Midst of Alarms," etc. Cloth, $1.25; 437 pp. Toronto: George N. Morang. BLACK ROCK: A tale of the Selkirks, by Ralph Connor, author of "Beyond the Marshes." Cloth, $1.00; 327 pp., gilt top. Toronto: The Westminster Co. HYPNOTIZED? or The Experiment of Sir Hugh Galbraith, by Julian Durham. Cloth, 300 pp., gilt top, $1.25; paper, 75 cents. Toronto: The Ontario Publishing Co. THE FOREST OF BOURG-MARIE, by S. Frances Harrison (Seranus), author of "Pine, Rose and Fleur-de-lis," etc. Cloth, $1.25; Toronto: George N. Morang; London (Eng.), Edward Arnold. PATHFINDING ON PLAIN AND PRAIRIE: Stirring scenes of life in the Canadian North-West, by John McDougall, author of "Forest, Lake and Prairie," and other books. With illustrations by J. E. Laughlin. Toronto: William Briggs. LOVE, by J. W. Longley, D.C. L., Attorney-General of Nova Scotia. Cloth, 160 pp., gilt top. Toronto: The Copp, Clark Co. UPPER CANADA SKETCHES, by Thomas Conant, with coloured illustrations, portraits and map. Cloth, 242 pp., gilt top. Toronto: William Briggs. STEAM NAVIGATION and its Relation to the Commerce of Canada and the United States, by James Croil (of Montreal). With numerous illustrations and portraits. Cloth, 381 pp. Toronto: William Briggs. CANADA: AN ENCYCLOPÆDIA. VOLUME IV. Edited by J. Castell Hopkins. Toronto: The Linscott Publishing Co. THE TENTH ISLAND, being some account of Newfoundland, its people, its politics, its problems and its peculiarities, by Beckles Willson. With an introduction by Sir William Whiteway, K.C.M.G. Cloth, $1.00; 208 pp. London: Grant Richards. The number of newly-published books by Canadians is a mark of our growing Canadian literature and of the increasing interest taken by Canadians in the literary work of their fellows. Gilbert Parker's new book is undoubtedly his best piece of work, although in no sense Canadian. He has written so much about Canada that we can forgive him for going to the Island of Jersey for his colouring in "The Battle of the Strong." The people of that Island are very similar to the French-Canadians. They speak the French language, and possess the characteristics of Frenchmen; yet, since the time of William the Con queror, they have been English or British. Guida Landresse, the principal figure in the narrative, is a peasant woman of princely descent, who develops through adversity a wonderful strength of character. The daft Dormy Jamais, the sprightly Carterette, ambitious Admiral Philip, and the other men of the world, vary sufficiently to make each one a distinct study in character, and to give to the picture variety, spice and living interest. Robert Barr has also eschewed Canadian scenes in his latest novel. "Tekla," a Romance of Love and War, is a Rhine story of the Crusade period. An Emperor in disguise, a beautiful princess, two plotting archbishops, Black Henrich with his famous castle which endured a two years' seige, a faithful henchman, and an expert longbow-man from England-these are the characters in this jolly story of love and adventure. The book is much like one of Anthony Hope's in that something is always happening, and incident follows incident with startling frequency. One day during the past summer I met both Barr and Parker. Barr was lounging in the corridor of a Canadian hostelry, smoking a cigarette and reading a daily newspaper with a big, wooden binder on its back. He got up when he saw me approaching, invited me to occupy one of the big leather seats, and at once began to tell tales and stories without ceremony. I laughed heartily a dozen times before my half-hour was up and I was forced to hurry. That same afternoon I was invited to take tea with Mr. Parker in the "Red Parlour" of a more pretentious hotel. I sat up straight in a red-tapestry chair, asked some questions, answered a few, ate a macaroon and drank tea poured from a silver tea-pot. Here my laugh was a dignified smile. Such are the two men; such are their novels. Mr. Parker creates literature; Mr. Barr tells stories. Mr. Parker is an aristocrat; Robert Barr is a jolly comrade. When you are with Mr. Parker you feel that you would like to go abroad to finish your education; when you meet Barr you want to take him with you on a fishing trip, with a good cook and a well filled hamper. The one seeks to improve the world; the other to brighten it. I read every page in both these new books. Mr. Parker's impressed me; Mr. Barr's delighted. But I should apologize for attempting to compare them, for, at least, one of them thinks the other is not in his class. Two "first" novels by Canadians are to hand. "Black Rock," by Ralph Connor, is a collection of connected tales of a western mining and lumbering town, written by a man with a soul which has felt the storm and stress of the life-drama. Ralph Connor is a man writing for men, and doing it with a grace and a strength which are admirable. "Hypnotized!" by Julian Durham, is entirely different. It is not Canadian in scene and character. It is English, and more-it is cosmopolitan. She pits a young girl from the country against an aristocrat, who is also a dabbler in science. Sir Hugh Galbraith desires to know whether he can transplant a beautiful maid from the Farm to the Town, and make her a reigning belle. This is the experiment he conceives, he tries and he ends. His Unconscious Hypnotic" power plays its part--a sad part. The book is clever, interesting and thought-producing. Mrs. S. Frances Harrison (Seranus) went, when she was fifteen years old, to live among the forests and Rivers of Lower Canada. She imbibed the feeling of Quebec; she learned to understand the habitant. That is why she has been able to produce such an important novel as "The Forest of Bourg-Marie." The literary style, which is visible in all her pages, came later, as the result of years of literary work, during which her signature of "Seranus was to be seen in the Detroit Free Press, in the Week, and in various other magazines and newspapers. These were years of apprenticeship such as many writers go through. But not all of them are able to put their experience to such good account as Mrs. Harrison. She has, of late, written several short stories which have built up a certain fame for her in England. And now "The Forest of Bourg-Marie" is a distinct revelation of power and mastery of material. There is originality enough in it to give it a separate existence among novels, and we think it will take its place as a welcome contribution to Canadian literature. "Path-finding on Plain and Prairie," by John McDougall, a missionary who spent many years among the Indians in the West, is a bright volume. The habits, customs and life of the Indians, and the dwellers on the plains, as they were before the advent of the railroad, are graphically and clearly described. What they wore, what they ate, what they did and what they thought, are set forth in interesting detail. "Love is the title of a little volume by the Hon. J. W. Longley, the versatile Attorney-General of Nova Scotia. It is the protest of a thoughtful man against the materialism of the age, against the selfishness of men which causes them in their pursuit of wealth to disregard everything that is highest and noblest. "The great impelling force which, generation by generation, century by century, and cycle by cycle, is lifting humanity up to the true ideal of life, is this love." Upper Canada Sketches," by Thomas Conant, is a most artistic book, with coloured plates and other illustrations. It contains an admirable collection of "old settlers' stories, and the legends and traditions of the past," although essentially a family history. The original English Conant came over with William the Conqueror, and in the seventeenth century one of his descendants was the first ruler of Massachusetts. During the Revolutionary War a Roger Conant passed from Massachusetts to New York State and thence to Upper Canada, took up land near the present town of Oshawa, where the author now lives, and became a fur trader. The volume is most entertaining and is a valuable sidelight on the early settler life of English Canada. An interesting and informing book is "Steam Navigation" by James Croil, of Montreal. The modern ocean leviathan is a wonderful creation, but one which has not been made in a day. It is the work of a century-a hundred years of experiment, and trial, and improvement—a hundred years of thought on the part of many men. The history of all this human endeavour is wondrous, and only a master craftsman could possess the love and sympathy necessary to the extensive compilation and research of which these pages are evidence. "They necessarily contain much in common with other writings on this subject, but they are projected from a different standpoint and embrace a wider field, supplying information not easily obtained respecting the far-reaching waterways of Canada, her magnificent ship-canals, and the vast steam commerce of the Great Lakes." Mr. Croil's book exhibits what too many Canadian books lack-patience and thoroughness. Volume IV of "Canada: an Encyclopædia" opens with the History of Presbyterianism in Canada. The Rev. Dr. Robert Torrance gives the origin of the various sects that are now united in the " Presbyterian Church in Canada” —a body which last year collected from its people $2,250,600, and whose aggregate income since 1867 has been upwards of $37,000,000. Dr. Gregg follows with a more detailed history. Dr. Robertson writes the history of the missions. Dr. Grant works over an old article on "Presbyterianism in the North-West." Professor Campbell deals with the Quebec missions and the Huguenots, and Dr. Cochrane outlines the doctrines and policy. Each of the writers, except good old Professor Campbell, is honoured by having his portrait published in the section. The second section of the work deals with the Moravians, the reformed Episcopals, the Salvation Army, the Free Methodists, the Lutherans, the Jews, numerous other sects and miscellaneous religious history. These two sections occupy 164 pages of the volume. The third section deals with "The Universities and High Educational System of Canada." Each of the universities has been generously treated with the exception of Queen's, to which Miss Machar's weak article does not do justice. The statistics on pages 324 and 325, relating to higher educational institutions, are very valuable indeed. Section IV is devoted to art, music and sculpture, and contains the best collection of material on these subjects to be found in any Canadian work. It is to be hoped that our citizens will consider them seriously and that the effect will be to engender a broader sympathy with those who are endeavouring to build up Canadian art. Up to the present, Canadians have not taken native art very seriously. Among the contributors to this section are: J. W. L. Forster, Robert Harris, R. H. Gagen, W. A. Sherwood, F. H. Torrington, Mrs. Harrison and Hamilton McCarthy. Perhaps the brightest section in the volume is the fifth, The Military Section. Col. Walker Powell describes our militia system, Lt.-Col. Denison and Lt.-Col. Scoble the Fenian Raids, R. G. MacBeth the North-West Rebellion, Capt. Dixon Military Education, and Lt.-Col. Mason the Rebellion of 1885. In this section the editor's notes are copious and valuable. The whole volume maintains the standard set in the first, and in some ways shows improvement in style and arrangement. Bekles Willson's book on Newfoundland is not new to the great world which recognizes the genius of Mr. Willson, the distinguished young Canadian who ornaments the staff of the London (Eng.) Daily Mail, but the book is new to these columns. Perhaps it is as well that a notice has been delayed a year, as we know more of Mr. Willson (note the two l's) than we did before, he having during this year had quite a few columns of Canadian newspaper space devoted to his goings and comings. He is now engaged on a history of the Hudson's Bay Co. Mr. Willson in this book seems to be sorry for Newfoundland, whose sisters, he maintains, have flaunted her and "have heaped calumny and cod-fish upon her headlands." I do not know what he means, but I deny it just the same-so far as Canada is concerned. He calls Newfoundland the tenth island, because it comes tenth in size. He states this, and then goes on to its romantic history and its present position-socially, constitutionally and financially. possesses a sublime confidence in himself which shines all through his work and which results in clever remarks of which the following is a good example : "Politics run high in Newfoundland, and they run all the time in St. John's." Nevertheless the book is full of information, and not nearly as dry as most historical books written by Canadians. He CANADIAN EDITIONS-FOREIGN AUTHOR. The Castle Inn, by Stanley J. Weyman. With six full-page illustrations by Walter Appleton Clark. Cloth, $1.25; paper, 75 cents. Toronto: The Copp, Clark Co. etc. The Red Axe, by S. R. Crockett, author of "The Gray Man," "Lochinvar,” With 26 illustrations by Frank Richards. Price, paper, 75 cents; cloth, $1.50. Toronto: The Copp, Clark Co. The Splendid Spur, by T. Quiller Couch. Illustrated by Arthur M. Boos. Paper, 50 cents; cloth, $1.25; 317 PP. Toronto: George J. McLeod. The Romance of a Midshipman, by W. Clark Russell. Paper, 50 cents; cloth, $1.25. Toronto: George J. McLeod. Physical Education, by W. G. Anderson, M.D. Paper, 15 cents. Toronto: The Harold A. Wilson Co. Cyrano de Bergerac, by Edmond Rostand. Translated from the French by Gertrude Hall. Cloth, 75 cents; Toronto: George N. Morang. |