The mines of the east shore picked
up. There was a boom in whaling. World conditions in trade improved.
By the time that the Dominion had awakened to the value of Newfoundland
no party in Newfoundland would have dared to mention confederation, and
that is the status to-day. One can hardly imagine this status
continuing long. The present war, or the lessons of the present war,
may awaken both sides to the advantages of union. Sooner or later, for
her own sake solely, Canada must have Newfoundland; and it is up to
Canada to offer terms to win the most ancient of British colonies in
America. British settlement in Newfoundland dates a century prior to
settlement in Acadia and Virginia. Devon men came to fish before the
British government had set up any proprietary claim.

II

And now eliminate the details of Canada's status among the nations and
consider only the salient undisputed facts:

Her population has come to her along four main lines of motive; seeking
to realize religious ideals; seeking to realize political ideals;
seeking the free adventurous life of the hunter; seeking--in modern
day--freehold of land. One main current runs through all these
motives--religious freedom, political freedom, outdoor vocations in
freedom, and freehold of land. This is a good flavor for the
ingredients of nationality.

Conditioning these movements of population have been Canada's climate,
her backwoods and prairie and frontier hardship--challenging the
weakling, strengthening the strong. No country affords more
opportunity to the fit man and none is crueler to the unfit than
Canada. I like this fact that Canada is hard at first. It is the
flaming sword guarding the Paradise of effort from the vices of inert
softened races. Diamonds are hard. Charcoals are soft, though both
are the very same thing.

Canada affords the shortest safest route to the Orient.

Canada has natural resources of mine, forest, fishery, land to supply
an empire of a hundred million; to supply Europe, if need arose.

She must some day become one of the umpires of fate on the Pacific.

She yearly interweaves tighter commercial bonds with the United States,
yet refuses to come under American government. It may be predicted
both these conditions will remain permanent.

Panama will quicken her west coast to a second Japan.

Yearly the West will exert greater political power, and the East less;
for the preponderance of immigration settles