ute--the fountain of all--the gentleman has not seen the
Institute?" inquired he, looking to the two Frenchmen.

"I believe not," Zotique said. "Have you seen it, sir?"

"Not that I know of."

"Monsieur, you must see the Institute."

"What is this Institute?"

"The _enfant perdu_ of Liberalism, the mainspring of Dormilliere, the
hope of French America!"

CHAPTER XXIV.

THE INSTITUTE.

"The battle for the sway,
Of liberty,
Fraternity,
And light of the new day"

--MARY MORGAN.

"About eighteen hundred and fifty," explained the Honorable, "L'Institut
Canadien was our national thinking Society, and the spark of an
awakening of great promise."

"Under the French regime, our people received no education. They knew
the forests, the rapids, the science of trapping beaver, and when to
expect the Iroquois, and sow grain. The English, conquest came next and
cut us off from the new birth, of modern France, and the Church, our
only institution, was very willing to ignore that stimulation of ideas.
We lived on; we read little; we labored much.--But, monsieur," said
l'Honorable, with his quiet dignity, "we were of the race of Descartes."

"We slept. At last the awakening! Our griefs and our grievances forced
the Rebellion; they brought our thoughts together and made us reason in
common; we demanded a new Canada, relieved of bureaucracy, of political
disabilty, of seignioral oppression, some said even of abuses of the
Church--a Canada of the People, in which every citizen should stand up
equal and free."

"The first result demanded--and obtained--was responsible government.
Among others came preparations for the abolition of feudal tenure,
making a vassal population freeholders!"

"The next cry was Education! The French-Canadians were delighted with
the opening world of knowledge and ideas, and there is no race which
ever rose with greater enthusiasm to pursue progress and science. A few
young men of Montreal were banded into a Society for mutual advancement,
to hold debates at which all races were to be free to contribute
opinions, to open a library of useful books, and to seek truth without
any conditions. That was the Institut Canadien!"

"These noble young enthusiasts soon attracted chosen spirits, a precious
essence of the race. They sprang into fame;--fourteen were returned to
Parliament in one year. They called all the world freely to their
discussions, and created eclat b