and hear in it those expressions of devotion to Her Majesty the Queen,
which indicate the feelings which rise so truly in the hearts of every
man, woman, and child in Canada, and which not only prove the natural
impulses of all who enjoy the birthright of British citizens, but
demonstrate the convictions of a people who, by the knowledge they have
acquired of the political institutions of the world, cling with a
tenacity and firmness never to be shaken, to the constitution which
their fathers moulded, and under which they experience now the
blessings of freedom and the tranquillity of order, beneath the sceptre
of a Gracious Ruler, whose Throne is revered as the symbol of
constitutional authority, and whose person is honoured as the
representative of benignity and virtue. The attachment which binds the
provinces of British North America to the British flag has never been
more strikingly shown than during the past year; and we know that the
readiness displayed to share the dangers and to partake of the triumphs
of the Mother Country is no fleeting incident, but a sure sign that the
people of this Empire are determined to show that they value, as a
common heritage, the strength of union, and that the honour of the
Sovereign will be upheld with equal loyalty by her subjects in every
part of the globe. We have now traversed, in coming here, some parts of
the important Provinces of the Dominion. In all places we have
visited--and I regret it was not in our power, at this season of the
year, to visit more--we have met with the same kindness and the same
hearty cordiality. I can assure you we are deeply sensible of all that is
conveyed in such a reception; and it has been, and will be, a pleasant
duty to convey to the Sovereign a just description of the manner in
which you have received her representative and her daughter. It is with
a peculiar feeling of pride in the grandeur of this Dominion that I
accept, on the part of the Queen, the welcome given to us at Ottawa, the
capital of the greatest of the colonies of the Crown. It is here
that we shall take up our abode among you, and the cordiality of your
words makes me feel that which I have known since we landed: that it is
to no foreign country that we come, but that we have only crossed the
sea to find ourselves among our own people, and to be greeted by
friends on coming to a home. In entering the house which you have
assigned to the Governor-General, I shall personally regret the absence
of the distinguished nobleman whom I have the honour to call my friend,
and whose departure must have raised among you the sad feelings
inseparable from the parting with one whose career here was one long
triumph in the affection of the people. A thousand memories throughout
the length and breadth of the land speak of Lord Dufferin. It needs
with you no titular memorials, such as the names of streets and bridges,
to commemorate the name of him who not only adorned all he touched, but,
by his eloquence and his wisdom, proved of what incalculable advantage
to the State it was to have in the representative of the Sovereign, one
in whose nature judiciousness and impartiality, kindness, grace, and
excellence were so blended that his advice was a boon equally to be
desired by all, his approbation a prize to be coveted, and the words
that came from his silver tongue, which always charmed and never hurt,
treasures to be cherished. I am confident that the land he served so
well knew how to value his presence, and that you will always look upon
his departure with a regret proportionate to the pleasure Ottawa
experienced from his sojourn among you. I am confident that we shall
find with you a generous and kindly desire to judge well of our effort
to fulfil your expectations, and air though you speak of the recent
growth of your city, and contrast it with places which have become
famous in the world, I need not remind you that there is a special
interest and significance in casting in our lot with those whose
fortune it is not to inherit history but to make it. I accept your
expression of confidence, and promise that I shall do my best to
deserve it.
The following is a report of the speech delivered by His Excellency the
Governor-General, after distributing the prizes at the school
entertainment in the Opera House, on Friday last, December 23, 1878.
His Excellency said:--
Ladies and Gentlemen, and my young friends, the pupils of the Public
Schools,--Let me express to you the pleasure I feel in being with you
to-night, in being able to wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy
New Year, and in having an opportunity of giving to the successful
candidates for honours the prizes which they have so well won in the
competitions which have taken place. I congratulate them upon their
laurels, and I wish, after handing to them the proof of their success,
to say to them how fortunate I consider them to be, in that their lot
has been cast in a land where education is so much prized, and where,
both in the Public Schools and in the Separate Schools, it is so well
known how to give effect to the value set by all the community upon the
thorough and universal training of the youth of the country. I have
heard men who have come from England and from Scotland say, on learning
of the manner in which schools are sown broadcast in Ontario, and on
understanding the system of education adopted here, and the nature of
the tuition given, "I wish that I in my time had had only the tenth
part of the schooling which is given to the boys and girls in Canada."
Let me tell you what lately brought home to my mind, in the most
striking way, the consideration and care the Canadians bestow upon
their schools. At the great Paris Exhibition this year, where the
things in which each nation took an especial pride were paraded before
the eyes of the world, the space allotted to Canada was largely
occupied with the books, the atlases, and the furniture of all kinds
used here in the schools, while no other country seemed to have thought
of exhibiting anything of the kind. It was remarked how wise it was of
this young country to show these things, for it told the world that she
does not only invite to her fair and untilled lands the self-reliant
and honest among the crowded populations of Europe, but it told how
well the sons of the emigrant, as well as of the resident, were cared
for, and educated in the Provinces of the Dominion. I am afraid that
with many of the books shown at Paris, our young friends are much
better acquainted than many of us, their elders, can now pretend to be;
and I am sure that many of the clever young Canadians whom you see
before you, could give us, whose learning has become rusty, many a bit
of knowledge which might still stand us in good stead. The exhibition
at Paris from your schools filled up what some said was a blank, namely,
the absence of any of the fruits of your wonderful harvests, and of any
machinery from Canada. It was said, I remember, that the fruit could
not be carried, but perhaps it was owing to a wish not to wound the
susceptibilities of the Old World that none of the beautiful products
of your orchards were there, and because you did not wish that any of
your modest-looking but unapproachable _pommes grises,_ or
blushing and splendid Pippin apples, should appear in the character of
apples of discord. It may have been owing to the same wish not to
excite unduly and unnecessarily the envy of others, that no machinery
was exhibited from Canada, and that while other nations were making the
great building resound and vibrate to the whirr of wheels driven by
steam; you did not, even by so much as a picture, remind the Parisians
of your wealth in water power as well as in steam, and there was
nothing to show the citizen of London or of Paris, who supposes the
Thames or the Seine to be the greatest streams on earth, why he should
be ashamed of himself if he could but look upon the Ottawa or the St.
Lawrence. But the school display made up for any blank, and under the
shadow of the magnificent Canadian lumber trophy which adorned the
palace, reaching to the roof, and which demonstrated the wealth of your
forests, were the implements you use for the cultivation of your
greatest treasure--the ready brains and quick intelligence of your
youth. I am glad to meet some of those to-night for whom all that
preparation is made; and first, I would say to those who have not this
year been among the prize winners, that I shall hope to see some of
their names in the opposite category another year. "Better luck next
time" is a good saying, but "Never say die" is perhaps a better. Try
again, and yet again, and you will succeed. Many a man begins, and has
begun in all times of the world, at the first rung of the ladder, who
finds himself, if he will only give his own gifts their due, at the top
at the end I do not know that I need recommend to you that most
delightful book of history, "The Tales of a Grandfather," written by
Sir Walter Scott. He describes, as few can, the despair of the Scottish
king, who lay, tired to death, and pondering whether he should or
should not try again the apparently hopeless task to deliver his
country from her strong and terrible enemies; and how a spider,
spinning her web in the rafters over his head, was seen by him to fail
again and again, and yet again, until eight times she had endeavoured
to fix a thread, and eight times she had found the space too great to
span; and how he said within himself "If she try again and fail, I too
shall deem my task hopeless;" but the ninth time the attempt was made
and did not fail, and I need not pursue the story further, or tell you
how Scotsmen look back, through more than five centuries, on the
resolve then taken by Bruce with feelings of gratitude and pride which
can never fade and die. But there are other cases of men who had become
famous for their ability to do that which at first seemed impossible.
Let me mention one (to come down to our own times) because his name is
widely known and honoured as one of the greatest financiers of our day.
I allude to Mr. Gladstone, who, as you know, was the last Prime
Minister in Great Britain and was acknowledged by both parties in the
State to be one of the best Finance Ministers who ever presided over the
National Exchequer. When Mr. Gladstone was a young man, and was
about to go to the university (as several of you are about now to leave
school for college), he told his father that there was one branch of
learning in which he must not expect his son to distinguish himself,
and that was in mathematics, as he had no turn for figures. He went to
the university, and he came out as what is called a "double first,"
that is, he proved himself to have become as superior to others in
mathematics as in the classical studies, and took first honours in both.
I; need not tell you here, in this free and happy country, that it is
quite unnecessary for any one to have any artificial advantage in
getting to the head of a profession. Industry will find a way, here
perhaps more easily than in the old country, though there it is open to
all to rise to the highest places. I will only cite one other instance
of remarkable success, because it is within my knowledge. It is the
case of a man who was one of the greatest shipbuilders on the Clyde,
and who built, among many other vessels, the splendid war-ship, the
_Black Prince,_ which was lately at Halifax, under command of one
of the Queen's sons, the Duke of Edinburgh. The builder of that vessel
died lately, one of the wealthiest and most successful of Glasgow's
great shipbuilders, and had furnished more fine vessels to the
mercantile and war marine of Great Britain than perhaps any one in his
time, for he lived to a good old age. His fortune was made by his own
strong hand, good head and honest heart. His name was Robert Napier,
and I cannot wish you a better career than his, or that you should seek
your fortune with greater uprightness and courage. I heartily wish
continued success to you who have received prizes this evening. Allow
me to hint to you that you must not relax your exertions. If I may use
the metaphor, you have learned to swim, but many a stroke is necessary
before you can hope to reach your goal Determine what your goal shall
be, and strike out straight for it. You have a variety of pursuits in
this country. Determine to be of use to the land which has given you
birth. Determine to be a credit to it. Remember that you are Canadians,
and remember what this means. It means that you belong to a people who
are loyal to their Queen, whom they reverence as one of the most
perfect of women, and as their Sovereign; and who see in her the just
ruler under whose impartial sway the various races, creeds, and
nationalities of this great Empire are bound together in happiness and
unity. But to be loyal means even more than this. It means that you are
true to your duties to your fellow-countrymen, and that you will work
with and for all, for the common weal in brotherhood and tolerance. It
means, finally, that you will be true to your self-respect, that you
will do nothing unworthy of the love of your God, who made you in His
image, and set you in this fair land I believe that you will each and
all of you be loyal and true Canadians, that you will devote your
energies throughout your lives for the good of your native province,
and for the welfare of this wide Dominion, and I feel in speaking to
you that I address those whose children will assuredly be the fathers
of a mighty nation.
During a visit to Kingston in 1879, the degree of Doctor of Laws of
Queen's College was conferred upon the Governor-General, and an address
was presented by the Trustees. His Excellency, in acknowledging the
honour conferred, said:--
Mr. Chancellor, Principal Grant and Gentlemen,--Believe me I am deeply
sensible of the honour you have conferred upon me by conferring on me
the degree of Doctor of Laws at this time and in this place. I say at
this time, because it is a time in which we have been sent here to
represent her Majesty; and at this place, because here I see
represented every section, creed, and class of the great community of
Canada. I accept the honour, if you will allow me to do so, not because
I myself am worthy of it, for I feel deeply my own unworthiness, but as
a recognition of the position which has been conferred upon me by the
grace of the Sovereign. (Cheers.) I am glad that it has taken place
here, because it has just been pointed out to me we are in front of
that building in which formerly met the Parliament of Canada, and which,
good building as it is, when compared with the great and handsome
Parliament buildings now at Ottawa, gives a just impression of the
progress and advancement made in a short while in this great country.
The only personal claim I have to represent her Majesty in this country,
is that I have had some experience in that great law-making assembly in
Great Britain, her House of Commons. But here I occupy a position
unknown in the constitution of foreign countries, as a political doctor,
because whatever prescriptions I give must be such that they can hardly
be visible to or appreciated by the public. (Laughter.) They must be
written in invisible ink--(laughter)--and I can only give a
prescription at all when I meet with other physicians in consultation;
and any remedy given must be given, not by myself, although it may be
administered by any others of those whom I meet in consultation. (Great
laughter.) This is a peculiar position, and one which is totally
incomprehensible to many foreign doctors. (Loud laughter.) But I am
glad to see by your presence and by the kindness of your reception
to-day, and by the manner in which you are working out your political
destinies, that you know the value and importance of such a position.
(Applause.) I thank you for the kindliness of your reception, and I
assure Mr. Chancellor and Principal, that I shall always look back with
pride and pleasure to the day on which I received this academical
distinction at the hands of the authorities of Queen's College. (Loud
cheering.)
In acknowledging the address he said:--
TO THE TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF QUEEN'S COLLEGE:--Gentlemen,--I am
much rejoiced at learning from you of the large number of students at
present attending the Queen's College, and hail this as a proof that
the high tone of the instruction here imparted, and the excellence of
all matters connected with the organisation and management of this seat
of learning, have challenged the attention and won the entire
confidence and approbation of the people of this part of the Province.
I don't know whether a general holiday is the best occasion on which to
enter an abode of learning. But you will agree with me that it is not
only learning which makes a man wise, but that his heart and his
affections have also something to do in the promotion of wisdom. To-day
your preparation for the future, in the matter of labour in gathering
knowledge, is laid aside in order that you may let the heart speak and
show gratitude for the blessings you now enjoy, and that your fathers
have bequeathed to you in the liberty enjoyed under our gracious Queen,
the best interpreter of the best constitution ever perfected by any
nation. (Cheers.) We thank you in her name for the welcome accorded to
us, and we identify ourselves with you in the satisfaction you must
experience in the ceremonial of to-day, for in the achievement of the
task of raising so large a sum of money, the inhabitants of Kingston
show that they wish their children to follow the loyal, prudent
footsteps of those who are proud of the name of this city, and are
resolved that the next generation shall receive their instruction from
no foreign hands, but at home. (Cheers.) Just as Kingston in former
days knew how to defend herself and keep her own, so will you on the
field of learning ensure that no ground gained by the genius, the
labour and the science of former days be lost, but that, strong in the
conquests of the past, your students may be free to undertake fresh
work, and that each man for himself may advance on new paths of
progress. (Loud cheers.)
Ladies and Gentlemen,--Now that the first stone of the new college has
been laid, let me congratulate you who have met here on this auspicious
day. My observations will not take much time, and shall be brief,
because, with the best voice I can command, I fear it is perfectly
impossible for me to make my utterances reach over so large an area and
be audible to so great an audience as that I have the honour of seeing
before me to-day. Indeed, if it were probable that some of those young
men who are here as students would, in after life, have the honour of
addressing so great a multitude of their fellow-countrymen, I should
certainly advise the authorities of the college to erect a chair for
teaching the art of elocution--(applause)--so that the volume of the
voice might be increased to reach much further than I am afraid is
possible for me to-day. But let me join with you in wishing continued
success to the Queen's College University at Kingston--(applause)--to
associate myself with you in the hope that this new building will long
stand as a monument to the generosity of the townspeople of this
generation--(applause)--and to the talent of the architect who has
designed so handsome and imposing a structure. (Cheers.) I shall not
inflict upon you many observations upon the subject of education, for I
know no ears to which such observations would sound more trite than
those of the people of Ontario, who have shown by the ample and
magnificent provision which they have made for education in this
province, how all-important they consider it is, that this growing
population, extending as it is so rapidly, and being recruited from
almost all quarters of the world, should receive a thorough and
well-grounded training, and be well instructed in all learning and
knowledge. (Applause.) I trust that this college may be a home of happy
memories to all who shall receive their education here and who will go
forth to spread its renown far and wide. (Loud cheers.) This place is
already comparatively old, and I must consider this town of Kingston,
which has already made its mark in the history of this country, as
fortunate in possessing a university--for certainly by the possession of
such an institution, one of those wants is supplied which is rather too
apt to be visible in a new and enterprising country. (Applause.) Where
many are rather apt to suppose that sufficient is done by a school
education for the practical and rougher life, which is the lot of many
here, I am sure that all present value the higher training to be alone
obtained in a university. (Applause.) It would be superfluous to dwell
upon the value of the completion and of the elaboration of education
imparted by such an institution, for large as Canada is, the world is even
larger--(applause)--and by such a higher training avenues are opened
throughout every profession in England and her great dependencies, for
there is no office in this vast Empire which is not open to Canadian
talent. (Loud applause.) It is on this ground that I believe we can
confidently appeal to the generosity of the wealthy, that generosity
which is the mainspring of every institution in a free country.
(Cheers.) It was in 1836 that it was said by those who founded the
college, that "a deep and wide foundation had been laid, a foundation
capable of extension," and I rejoice that now in the lifetime of the
generation which has succeeded to that in which those words were spoken,
there is so fair a promise of the completion of the work, and that
those aspirations will be realised. (Applause) And now let me mention
one other bond of union between the students of this college and myself,
and another cause of sympathy, for with your honoured and learned
Principal I have this bond of fellowship, that we were both friends--
and I may almost say pupils--of a great preacher and a very beloved man,
not the least of whose merits in your eyes will be that it was owing to
his persuasion that your late Principal undertook the charge of this
college. (Loud cheers.) And I believe it was also owing to his
initiative that your present Principal undertook a charge in Canada, an
action which ultimately led up to his present position where he is
honoured and revered by you all. I allude to the late Rev. Norman
Macleod. (Loud cheers.) And, gentlemen, I have one other cause for
feeling a fellowship with you, and that is, that I had the advantage
for sometime of being a student at a Scottish university, and in very
much I trace points of resemblance between the system of your
university and that which obtained at home, and especially in this that,
although founded by a Scotchman, this institution of Queen's College is
one absolutely free and open to every denomination. (Applause.) Indeed
this institution is in its features so much like the great universities
at home, the great University of Edinburgh, for example, to whose
proportions I hope you will in course of time attain, that I almost
expect to see some gentleman make a proposal which will fill the only
serious want I detect in your organisation, and that is, that there is
no provision here for a Celtic chair for the teaching of the Gaelic
language. I am sure that in this opinion all our Irish friends will
join, for what is a Highlander but an Irishman? (Laughter and applause.)
What is he but a banished Irishman?--(renewed laughter)--speaking a
language which I am sure would be pronounced by the ancient Four
Masters to be a mutilated form of the old Irish language. (Great
laughter and cheers.) And now that I have mentioned Scottish students,
I am sure you will not think that I am making any invidious comparison
when I allude to the noble example I have seen set by them in the
determination and energy with which I have known them prosecute their
studies. (Hear, hear.) I have known at St. Andrew's men go up to the
university so little able to afford the necessary money for their stay
there, that they have apprenticed themselves to resident tradesmen in
the town, and have risen at I do not know what hour of night or morning,
and have gone through the whole of the manual labour necessary for their
temporary profession--(loud applause)--and after this exhausting
labour have attended throughout the day at their classes in the
university and have managed there to take a high place with their
fellow-students. (Loud applause.) I am sure you will not think I
mention this because I imagine that anybody is not capable of the same
effort, for although wealth is much more evenly divided here than it is
in Scotland, I believe you are here animated by the same spirit.
(Cheers.) I remember mentioning the example of the Scottish students to
a famous and learned professor of Cambridge, the late Professor Whewell,
of Trinity, and he thought that an invidious comparison was intended,
for he sharply replied to me, "Well, there is nothing to prevent you
working here." (Great laughter.) This is not the way in which you will
take my little story. I am sure there is not only nothing to prevent
you working here, but that there is everything to make you do so, and I
am confident the students here will take advantage of their
opportunities, and do their best to make the name of a Canadian an
honoured designation throughout the world. (Loud and long-continued
applause.)
At the Royal Military College, Kingston, the Governor-General attended
the distribution of prizes, and, at the close, his Excellency rose and
delivered the following speech:--