where, with subtle cunning,
men have bridled Neptune, the Lord of Waters, and have made his trident
into one of fire.

These courtly and free-handed fellows have hailed from Toronto.
Beautiful Toronto! The city of work and play. I like well its stately
homes and its women with honey-throated voices. And, here where I
write at Edmonton under the aurora, these men of the Southern Provinces
have assembled with our lads of the North and West who are
leather-fleshed and hard-sinewed, but withal, comely. This is Edmonton
on the Saskatchewan, which the bow-bearers call by another name,
meaning the great river of the plains. This is the stranger-thronged
city of the North; the city that has merited a cheer. It is here our
glorious Lady of Alberta has placed her throne whereunto all her sons
come up that they may pay her tribute of honour.

To this place come the farmer-folk from the wheatlands of the queenly
Peace, and the priests and trappers from the Athabasca, which the
bow-bearers call by another name, meaning the great river of the woods.
And hither come the traders and road builders from the pass between the
cleft mountains where, of old, dwelt Jasper of the yellow head; these,
and the horse-taming men from young Calgary. We who love games and the
glory of them, stand at salute.

These are the men from Winnipeg, the Mother City of the North. Honour
upon honour be to her!

Right pleasant is it to present the likely-looking lads of Regina and
of the deep soiled plains of Saskatchewan. On the plains, the
straight-blowing wind is scented from the grassed headlands dappled
with flowers. On the plains, dwell strong, glad men in the joy of
their youth. On the plains there lives some common mother of the
common weal, who is the ancestress of our kings to be.

These others whom I have held back until now that your attention might
not falter, are the dauntless, high-adventuring men who crossed the
mountains to where the land lieth soft to the sea. These are the men
of the new appointed city of Prince Rupert; the men of the fortunate,
fair-built city of Victoria, and those of sure-seated Vancouver. May
they build strongly and well. It is seemly that the forefront of our
royal House of Canada should be of far-shining splendour.

We have high delight in this Province of British Columbia; in its
unshorn hills that are furrowed with rifts of roses, in its
fair-watered fruitlands, and in the rice and silk ships that