IN REGINA
Within the last twenty years Regina, the capital of Saskatchewan, has
grown from a colony of wooden huts to a town of over 26,000 inhabitants.
Government House and the Parliament Buildings are finely built of stone,
but most of the houses are of wood, there being no quarries on the
prairie. One not infrequently meets one of these wooden houses moving
along the streets--a fascinating accomplishment. When you wish to live
in another part of the town you simply have your house lifted on to
wooden blocks and skids, and it is then moved bodily with a windlass
turned by horses or machinery. One day I went house-hunting quite
literally, chasing my elusive quarry from street to street with a
camera.
We stayed in Regina for eight weeks, giving lectures and holding
demonstration classes. We were invited to visit parents and teachers,
which we were very glad to do, as by this means we became acquainted
with most interesting people, and saw how life is lived in this part of
the world.
There are four Anglican churches in Regina, St. Paul's having a splendid
parish hall. But Anglicanism only comes fourth in numbers and wealth
here, as it does in Western Canada as a whole. The Presbyterians are the
most numerous, and have a fine church with a conspicuous tower.
Methodism is also very strong. The Roman Catholics have built a
beautiful cathedral on the highest part of the town, with two fine
spires which form a landmark for miles around. Underneath the cathedral
is a large parish hall with rooms for various purposes, and this economy
of space allows room for two tennis-courts in the cathedral grounds.
A large piece of ground has been acquired for the site of the Anglican
cathedral, but this has not yet been begun, because it was thought
better, whilst funds were low, to build the theological college and the
girls' school first. Aylmer Bosanquet gave L1,000 to start this
school,[2] a project in which she took great interest. It is under the
management of the Anglican sisters of St. John the Divine. It supplies a
long-felt want, being the only Anglican Church boarding school in this
part of the West. It has now taken over St. Chad's College, which was
originally built for divinity students, but as their numbers were
greatly depleted by the War, St. Cuthbert's Hostel is now large enough
for their needs. Unfortunately, in many cases the children's schooling
depends upon the crops. Only comparatively well-to-do parents are able
to send their children regularly. Before they have made their way, or
when the crops fail, they have to depend upon the public schools. To
help such parents several bursaries have been given, but others are
needed.
After my week-end at Kenaston I settled down to work in Regina until the
trails were ready. My vicar made arrangements for me to lodge with a
charming family--a Mr. and Mrs. W. and their two daughters. They had
come out from England about twenty years before, and the girls were
thorough Canadians and very delightful creatures. Mrs. W. made me feel
like one of the family, and mothered me in countless ways. She taught me
how to use the Canadian washing-machine, a thing not unlike a churn. You
wash the clothes simply by turning a handle--so many times for white
things and so many times for coloured. She also showed me how to iron my
blouses, and, above all, helped me to buy the equipment for the caravan.
Her advice here was invaluable, as she not only knew the best "stores"
and what a thing ought to cost, but she also interpreted Canadian
terminology, such as "coal oil" for paraffin, "wood alcohol" for
methylated spirits, and "gasolene" for petrol.
Mr. W. was equally helpful, and I soon came to regard him as an
encyclopedia of useful information, especially with regard to practical
business matters. Having lived on the prairie, he also gave me many
valuable tips about prairie life.
The girls were members of the choir, and one was a Sunday School
teacher, and by meeting their friends and going about with them I gained
an insight into the life of young Canada. Pretty faces, very smart
clothes, instant friendliness, swiftness in uptake, a keen interest in
work and play, and a worthy ambition are some of the characteristics of
these young people. The "movies" and ice-cream play a large part in
their lives. The girls usually marry very young and have a large circle
of admirers from whom to choose. Winifred Ticehurst sketched them as
follows in one of her letters: "Choir girls, mortar boards and tassels,
most chic; surplices and cassocks, curls each side of mortar
boards . . . white Eton collars like little boys."
One of the social activities which interested me very much was the
Canadian Girls in Training, organised by the Council on Girls' Work.
They gave a banquet while I was in Regina, and one of the W. girls asked
me to go as her "mother," it being the custom for each of them to invite
a parent or some older person. I was much struck by the excellent
speeches made by the girls. They explained the object of the
organisation, and gracefully thanked all those who had helped towards
its success.
Another very interesting social gathering which I attended was a
reception given by the Daughters of the Empire in the Parliament
Buildings. I had received introductions to all the members of this
association living in any of the towns where I was likely to go. The
President thought that it would be interesting for us to meet the
members who were coming in from all parts of Saskatchewan, and who might
help us on the caravan tour. We were also introduced to Premier Martin,
who was then Minister of Education for Saskatchewan. He gave a most
interesting address on the rural schools, and after hearing about our
project promised to give us introductions to the day school teachers in
the places we hoped to visit.
Further official encouragement resulted from an introduction to the
Lieutenant-Governor, Sir Richard Lake. He welcomed me as a compatriot,
as he had been educated at Heversham Grammar School, in Westmorland. We
had an interesting talk on prairie trails and motoring, and the need for
religious education in the day schools. He was strongly in favour of
this, and expressed regret for the continual opposition to it.
The Daughters of the Empire sent the editor of a Regina newspaper to
interview me. She questioned me on what I had done during the War, the
reason for our coming out, and the places we intended to visit. The
result was an embarrassingly flattering article in the local paper,
which was copied by the _Saskatchewan Star_. A few weeks later the
following notice appeared in another paper: "Bachelors, beware! Two
women are going in a caravan on the prairie. This is Leap Year!"
In Regina I met some very nice girls who had come out under the
Fellowship of the Maple Leaf.[3] They had come to teach in the prairie
schools, and a good many were now in training at the Normal School. I
gave a tea-party for them, and they told me a good deal about their
work, and in return showed great interest in our caravan scheme. Those
of them who were going out to the prairie that summer said that they
hoped we would visit them. I was very glad of this opportunity of
explaining our hopes and aims to these teachers, for I knew it had been
suggested that they should help with religious education, either by
starting Sunday Schools or by giving instruction after school hours
during the week. I foresaw that our great difficulty would be to make
our work permanent in districts where there were no clergy, and I
realised the enormous value of the help of these trained women. They
would already have some knowledge of teaching methods, and some
acquaintance with the Bible and Church doctrine. It would be a simple
matter to show them how to apply psychological methods to religious
education, and, helped with lesson courses and pictures, they could
easily carry on any Sunday Schools we might be able to start in their
neighbourhood.
We did not talk shop all the time; the "green Englishwomen" were put
through a severe catechism on Canadian as it is spoken. But the W.
family having instructed me carefully, I came off better than might have
been expected.
I saw a good deal of the deaconess in charge of the Maple Leafs. She
found them comfortable lodgings, and befriended them in every possible
way. She asked us to look up any of them whom we came across in the
out-of-the-way prairie schools. Her only way of visiting was by train,
and some of these schools were far from any "track." She was very kind
to us and helped us in many ways.
Whilst I was in Regina I had to plan out the organisation of the caravan
tour. I was given the names of a large number of places to visit and the
routes we were to follow, but no names of the clergy in the different
"districts" (parishes). I had no idea how far apart these places were,
or how long it would take to get from place to place in the caravan. I
therefore got a map and worked out the mileage between the places. On
the earth trails outside Regina I had often seen motor-cars stuck in
mud-holes, and I had noticed the deep ruts of these unmetalled roads, so
I concluded that we could not make more than ten miles an hour at most
in the caravan. On these two calculations I based the mileage we might
hope to cover.
When at last I obtained the names of the clergy on my proposed route, I
found that there were large areas in which there were no Anglican
clergymen at all. I then wrote to the clergy, and, lacking these, the
leading laity when I could find their names. In some cases this was
impossible until I neared their district. In these letters I made the
following suggestions. We should like to come and stay a week in their
locality, living and sleeping in the caravan and doing our own cooking
(I wished to make it clear that we should not be burdensome), but we
should be glad to receive invitations and hospitality at times in order
to get to know the people. Where there was a Sunday School in existence,
we proposed to superintend the school and teach, while the teachers
watched. Where there was no Sunday School, we should like to have the
children gathered together to form one. In this case we hoped that
prospective teachers would come to be shown how to teach, that they
might carry on the school when we had started it, helped by the books
and pictures which we proposed to leave them. We also requested the
trustees to allow us to give Scripture lessons in the day schools in the
half-hour allotted for that purpose, and also expressed our great desire
to meet the parents, that we might discuss with them the problems of
religious education.
I received most kind replies to these letters. The writers offered us a
hearty welcome, and said how pleased they would be to have people coming
out to them, for, as a rule, they had little help in these matters,
beyond an invitation to a summer school just when the harvest was in
full swing.
I should add here what I had been most careful to explain--namely, that
we were given diocesan authority for our work by Archdeacon Dobie, D.D.,
who was acting as Commissary for the Bishop owing to the latter's
breakdown through overwork, and by Archdeacon Burgett, the Chairman of
the Sunday School Diocesan Association, who was also Diocesan
Missioner.
[Footnote 2: The Qu'Appelle Diocesan Boarding School for Girls.]
[Footnote 3: See Appendix I.]