of this
constitutes our present revenue. If any great public works are
being carried out, and more money is required, the municipalities
are appealed to, and public meetings are held. All the great
cities then vie with each other in presenting the Government with
large sums. How the poor over-burdened tax-payer of 1883 would
have rejoiced in all this!

Another great blessing to us is that war has ceased all the world
over. It became, at last, too destructive to be indulged in at all.
During the last great European war in 1932, while three emperors,
two kings and several princes were parleying together, a monster
oxyhydrogen shell exploded near them and created fearful havoc.
All the royal personages were blown to atoms, as were also many of
their attendants. Their armies hardly had a chance of getting near
each other, so fearful was the execution of the shells. Since then
the world has been free from war, and, but for gathering clouds in
Asia, would seem likely to remain so. Anyhow, we in Canada, have
not the shadow of a standing army, nor a single keel to represent
a navy. We are too well occupied to wish to be aggressive, and no
power except the United States could ever attack us, and even if
Americans coveted our possessions they are not likely to resort to
such an old-fashioned expedient as warfare to gain them. They could
only annex us by so improving their constitution, as to make it
plainly very much superior to ours. If they ever do this (and as
yet there are no signs of it) there might be some chance of a
union. At present the chances are all the other way. The only
sort of union that is quite likely to come about is the joining
by the Americans of the United Empire, or Confederation of all
English-speaking nations, with which we have been connected for
some years. The seat of the Imperial Government has hitherto been
London, but British influence has made such strides in the East
that there is every probability of another city being chosen
for the capital, and of the seat of Government being made more
central. Should one of the now restored ancient cities of
the East become the metropolis of this glorious Imperial
Confederation, the United States would certainly come into
the Confederation, as great numbers of Americans have already
migrated to the Orient.

A word on the changes which have come over the East will not be
inappropriate, lest we should be tempted to boast too much of the
progress of Canada.