Gzowski played a conspicuous part. He cast in his lot with his
compatriots from the beginning; was present at the expulsion of
Constantine from Warsaw, in November, 1830, and was actively engaged in
numerous important conflicts that ensued. He was wounded, and several
times narrowly escaped capture. We have no means of closely following
him through the hazardous exploits of that dark and sanguinary period.
Persons who are familiar with the history of Polish insurrections will
be at no loss to conjecture the "hair-breadth 'scapes, and moving
accidents by flood and field," which he encountered in that desperate
struggle for a nation's freedom. After the battle of Boremel, General
Dwernicki's division, to which he was attached, retreated into Austrian
territory, where the troops laid down their arms and became prisoners.
The rank and file were permitted to depart whithersoever they would, but
the officers, to the number of about six hundred, were placed in
durance, and quartered in several fortified stations. There they
languished for several months, when, by an arrangement entered into
between the governments of Russia and Austria, they were shipped off as
exiles to the United States.
When Mr. Gzowski, with his fellow-exiles, landed at New York in the
summer of 1833, he had no knowledge whatever of the English language.
When the pilot came on board at Sandy Hook, and saluted the captain of
the vessel, he heard that language spoken for the first time. Like most
members of the Polish and Russian aristocracy, he was an accomplished
linguist, and was familiar with many of the continental languages; but
it was a part of the Russian policy in those days to exclude English
books from the public schools, and to prevent by every conceivable means
the spread of English ideas among the people. During his course of study
at the military college at Kremenetz, one of the Professors had
exhibited an English book to him as a sort of outlandish curiosity. He
now found himself in a strange land, without means, without any friends
except his fellow-exiles--who were as helpless in that respect as
himself--and without any prospect of obtaining employment. He possessed
qualifications, however, which, as the event proved, were of more value
than mere worldly wealth. He had been a diligent student, and had
acquired what must have been, for a youth of twenty years, a thorough
knowledge of engineering. He was, as has been remarked, a good linguist,
and had not merely a grammatical, but a practical knowledge of the
French, German and Italian languages. Better than all these, he was
endowed with an iron constitution, which even the rigours of an Austrian
prison had not been able to injure, and a strength of will which would
not admit the possibility of failure. Some idea of his resolution may be
formed from the fact that, when he found that his want of knowledge of
English prevented him from following the engineering profession with
advantage, he determined to study law as a means of acquiring a mastery
of the English tongue. After subsisting for some months in New York by
giving lessons in French and German, he betook himself to Pittsfield,
Massachusetts, where he entered the office of the late Mr. Parker L.
Hall, an eminent lawyer of that town, and a gentleman of high social
position. The facility displayed by the natives of Poland and Russia in
acquiring a knowledge of foreign languages is well known, but the
achievements of Mr. Gzowski at this time seem almost phenomenal. It must
be borne in mind that while he was studying law in a tongue which was
foreign to him, he was compelled to support himself by outside
employment. He obtained his livelihood by teaching modern languages,
drawing, and fencing, in two of the local academies. He worked early and
late, and was at first obliged to study the commentaries of Blackstone
and Kent through the medium of a dictionary. In nothing did he appear
to greater advantage than in his invariable readiness to adapt his
mind, without useless repining, to the circumstances in which he found
himself. His indomitable industry, natural ability, and fine social
qualities, combined with his misfortunes to make him a marked man in
Pittsfield society. He gained many warm friends, but was always wise
enough to remember that his success in life must mainly depend upon his
own exertions. In the month of February, 1837, when he had been studying
his profession about three years, he passed a successful examination,
and was only prevented from being admitted to practice by his not having
become a naturalized citizen of the United States. A knowledge of the
legal profession, however, was with him merely a means to an end. He had
no intention of permanently devoting himself to legal practice, and had
always contemplated returning to his profession of an engineer. He had
by this time acquired a competent knowledge of the English language, and
had begun to look about him for some suitable field for his exertions.
The development of the coal regions of Pennsylvania was attracting a
good deal of attention at this time, and it occurred to him that he
might not improbably find employment there. A visit to that State tended
to confirm his views, and in November Term, 1837, having submitted the
necessary proofs, and taken the oath of allegiance, he was duly admitted
as a citizen of the United States, before the Prothonotary of the Court
of Common Pleas, in Beaver County, Pennsylvania. He had brought with him
from Pittsfield numerous letters of introduction to persons of high
social position and influence, all bearing testimony to his
unimpeachable character and wide attainments. The only obstacle to his
admission to practice having been removed, he was enrolled as an
advocate at the Bar of the Supreme Court, and for a short time acted as
an advocate in Pennsylvania. This, however, was not the line of action
for which he considered himself best qualified, nor did the prospect
held out to him satisfy his ambition. He soon obtained employment as an
engineer in connection with the great canals and public works, and
abandoned the law as a profession. He became interested in several
contracts, which were faithfully and skilfully carried out; and wherever
he went he won the reputation of a delightful companion and a thoroughly
honourable man.
Early in 1841 the project of widening and deepening the Welland Canal
began to be discussed with some vehemence in Upper Canada. With a view
to securing a contract, Mr. Gzowski came over from Erie, Pennsylvania
(where he then resided), to Toronto, and for the first time was brought
into contact with some of the leading public men of Canada. The
Government was then administered by Sir Charles Bagot, a gentleman whose
infirm state of health did not prevent him from taking a warm interest
in the public improvements of the country. Sir Charles formed a high
opinion of Mr. Gzowski's talents, and sanctioned his appointment to an
office in connection with the Department of Public Works. This
appointment having been accepted by Mr. Gzowski, he bade adieu to his
many friends in the United States, and took up his abode in Upper
Canada.
During the next six years Mr. Gzowski's life was entirely occupied by
his duties in connection with the Department of Public Works. It is
manifestly out of the question to give even an epitome of the numberless
important enterprises conducted by him during this, the busiest period
of his active life. His reports of the works in connection with
harbours, bridges and highways alone occupy a considerable portion of a
large folio volume. It will be sufficient to say that every important
provincial improvement came under his supervision, and that nearly
every county in Upper Canada bears upon its surface the impress of his
great industry and engineering skill. In 1846 he obtained naturalization
and became a British subject. Soon after the accession to power of the
Baldwin-Lafontaine Government, in 1848, his services in an official
capacity were brought to a close, and he began to enter upon large
engineering enterprises on his own account. Towards the end of the year
1848 he published a report on the mines of the Upper Canada Mining
Company on Lake Huron. But his mind was occupied by more important
schemes. The railway era set in. The Railroad Guarantee Act, authorizing
Government grants to private companies undertaking the construction of
railways, having been passed in 1849, the public began to hear of
various railway projects of greater or lesser importance. The first
great enterprise of this sort with which Mr. Gzowski connected himself
was the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad Company, from Montreal to
Island Pond, which has since been amalgamated with the Grand Trunk. Mr.
Gzowski was appointed Chief Engineer of this undertaking, made a survey
of the greater portion of the line, and superintended the actual
construction. When the line became merged in the Grand Trunk he resigned
his position of Chief Engineer, and received the most gratifying written
testimonials from the Board of Directors as to his able administration
of the important duties which had fallen to his share. Having formed a
partnership with the present Sir Alexander T. Galt, the late Hon. Luther
H. Holton, and the Hon. D. L. Macpherson, Mr. Gzowski for some years
devoted himself entirely to the work of railway construction. On the
24th of March, 1853, the firm of Gzowski & Co. obtained the contract for
the construction of the line from Toronto westward to Sarnia. This great
work was prosecuted to a successful conclusion, and was attended with
most gratifying pecuniary results to the contractors. The firm was then
dissolved, and has since consisted of Messrs. Gzowski and Macpherson
only, who continued to carry on large operations in the way of railway
construction. Among other railway works constructed by the firm were the
line from Port Huron to Detroit, in the State of Michigan, and the line
from London to St. Mary's, in this Province. In connection with their
own enterprises, and for the purpose of supplying railway companies with
iron rails and materials used in the construction of railways, Messrs.
Gzowski & Macpherson in 1857 established the Toronto Rolling Mills,
which were carried on successfully for about twelve years. Steel rails
having largely superseded the use of iron ones, the necessity for
maintaining the establishment ceased to exist, and the works were closed
up in 1869.
The excitement produced on two continents in 1861 by the Trent affair,
and the threatened rupture of amicable relations between Great Britain
and the United States, led Mr. Gzowski to reflect seriously on the
defenceless condition of Canada. In the event of hostilities between the
two nations, this country would of course be the first point of attack;
and, in the absence of any efficient means of defence, it would
manifestly be impossible to maintain a frontier extending over thousands
of miles. It occurred to Mr. Gzowski that the establishment of a large
arsenal in Canadian territory, where every description of armament and
ammunition might be manufactured or repaired, would be a very wise
precaution. He counted the cost, prepared elaborate plans, and even
fixed upon what he believed to be the most appropriate site. Full of
this scheme, he proceeded to England, where he submitted it to the War
Secretary and other prominent members of the Imperial Government. Its
liberality created much surprise among all to whom it was broached, for
Mr. Gzowski proposed to provide capital for the construction and
equipment of the entire establishment, subject to certain very
reasonable stipulations. The project was taken into careful
consideration by the Government, and for some time it seemed not
unlikely to be carried out. It was finally concluded, however, that for
certain diplomatic reasons, it would be undesirable to proceed with it;
but full justice was done to Mr. Gzowski's unbounded liberality and
public spirit, and he was assured that the Government were not
insensible to the munificence of his proposal. From this time forward he
began to interest himself in military matters. He took a very active
part in developing the Rifle Association of the Province of Ontario, and
erelong became its President. He subsequently became President of the
Dominion Rifle Association, and was instrumental in sending the first
team of representative Canadian riflemen from this Province to England
in 1870, to take part in the annual military operations at Wimbledon. A
team has ever since been sent over annually by the Dominion, and Mr.
Gzowski has generally made a point of accompanying them himself. In
November, 1872, as a mark of appreciation of his services in connection
with the development of the Rifle Association, he was appointed
Lieutenant-Colonel of the Central Division of Toronto Volunteers; and in
May, 1873, became a Lieutenant-Colonel on the staff. His last and
highest promotion came to him in May, 1879, when he was appointed
Aide-de-Camp to Her Majesty Queen Victoria.
For many years past Colonel Gzowski has been the possessor of large
means, acquired by his own industry and talents, and sufficient to
enable him to indulge in a dignified repose for the remainder of his
life. He is, however, possessed of a stirring nervousness of temperament
which impels him to action, and has never ceased to engage in
engineering projects of greater or less magnitude. This sketch would be
very incomplete without some reference to an enterprise which is
entitled to rank among the grandest public works of the Dominion; viz.,
the International Bridge over the Niagara River at Buffalo. The charters
for the construction of this great enterprise were granted by the
Legislature of Canada and the State of New York as far back as the year
1857, but were permitted to lie dormant owing to the difficulty of
obtaining the funds necessary to carrying out so gigantic a project. The
capital was at last raised in England in 1870, and the contract was let
to Colonel Gzowski and his partner, the Hon. D. L. Macpherson, who
forthwith began the work of construction. The engineering difficulties
to be encountered were very great, and at certain seasons of the year
the work had to be totally suspended. The bridge was finally completed
and opened for the passage of trains on the 3rd of November, 1873, and
the entire cost of construction was about $1,500,000. It stands as a
perpetual memorial of the great skill and enterprise of the contractors.
After its completion Colonel Gzowski wrote and published a full account
of the enterprise from its inception, accompanied by elaborate plans and
illustrations. Sir Charles Hartley, in a work published in England in
1875, bears testimony to the fact that "the chief credit in overcoming
the extraordinary difficulties which beset the building of the piers of
this bridge is due to Colonel Gzowski, upon whom all the practical
operations devolved." A still higher testimony comes from Mr. Thomas
Elliott Harrison, President of the (British) Institute of Civil
Engineers, who, in an annual address read before the Institute on his
election to the Presidency in the session of 1873-4, referred to the
International Bridge as one of the most gigantic engineering works on
the American continent, and made a special reference to the difficulties
met with in subaqueous foundations, as described in Colonel Gzowski's
volume.
Colonel Gzowski's career in Canada has been one of extraordinary
success, but any one who has watched its progress will admit that his
success has been chiefly due to his high personal qualifications. In
politics he has acted with the Conservative Party, but he is known for
the moderation of his views, and has never identified himself with any
of the purely party factions of the time. Though frequently importuned
to enter public life he has hitherto refrained from doing so, preferring
to confine his attention to professional and financial enterprises. He
has a luxurious home in Toronto, where he occasionally dispenses a
sumptuous hospitality, and where he appears perhaps to greater advantage
than elsewhere. He has entertained most of the Governors-General of his
time, all of whom have been numbered among his personal friends. Of late
years much of his leisure has been passed in England, where several of
his children reside, and where he has many warm friends. He has been
honoured with special marks of the royal favour, and might doubtless, if
so disposed, aspire to high dignities. Her Majesty has not a more loyal
subject than Colonel Gzowski, and should occasion arise he would, we
doubt not, buckle on his sword in defence of British and Canadian rights
no less readily than he embarked his all, half a century ago, on behalf
of the nation to which he belongs by right of birth.
On the 29th of October, 1839, he married Miss Maria Beebe, daughter of
an eminent American physician. This lady, by whom he has had five sons
and three daughters, still survives.
THEODORE HARDING RAND, A.M., D.C.L.
Dr. Rand, who has long been one of the foremost educationists in the
Maritime Provinces, was born at the seaport town of Cornwallis, situated
on an arm of the Basin of Minas, King's County, Nova Scotia, in the year
1835. His life has been passed in educational pursuits, and affords but
few incidents for biographical purposes. His boyhood and early youth
were spent in attending the common schools, whence he passed to the
Horton Collegiate Academy. After spending some time as a student at the
last-named seat of learning he became a teacher there. He also entered
the University of Acadia College, where he graduated in the honours
course in 1860. During the same year he was appointed to the Chair of
English and Classics in the Provincial Normal School at Truro, where he
distinguished himself by his enthusiastic devotion to his work, and by
his intelligence, aptitude and zeal in developing the best methods of
instruction. In 1863 he received his Master's degree from the University
of Acadia College. His Doctor's degree is honorary, and was conferred
upon him by the same institution in 1874.
Upon the passing of the Educational Act of 1864, the subject of this
sketch was selected by the Government of the day for the position of
Provincial Superintendent of Education. Upon him accordingly devolved
the task of putting the new law into operation. The Act of 1864 was one
of the most important measures, bearing on the moral and material
interests of the Province, that was ever introduced there. "It struck at
the very root of most of the evils which tend to depress the
intellectual energies and moral status of the people. It introduced the
genial light of knowledge into the dark recesses of ignorance, opened
the minds of thousands of little ones--the fathers and mothers of coming
generations--to a perception of the true and the beautiful, and placed
Nova Scotia in the front rank of countries renowned for common school
educational advantages."[9] Previous to the time when it came into
operation the school system of the Province was pitiably inefficient.
Its inefficiency was startlingly demonstrated by the census of 1861,
from which it appeared that more than one-fourth of the entire
population of the Province were unable to read. Of 83,000 children
between the ages of five and fifteen, there were 36,000 who were unable
to read. A large majority of the children in the Province did not attend
school, and did not receive any educational training whatever. Teachers
were poorly paid and inefficient. The schoolhouses were frequently
unhealthy, and were almost always uncomfortable and unsightly. To
Dr.--now Sir Charles--Tupper, belongs in great measure the credit of
having brought about a more satisfactory state of things. It was by his
Ministry that the Educational Act of 1864 was passed, and he
himself, though well aware that he seriously risked his popularity by
promoting it--for it introduced direct taxation--repeatedly declared
that even if it should cost him place and power he would regard its
introduction as the crowning act of his public life. After some
negotiation between himself and Messrs. Archibald and Annand, the
leading members of the Opposition, it was agreed that party differences
should for the nonce be laid aside, and that the Education Act should
become law.
[Illustration: THEODORE H. RAND, signed as Theodore H. Rand]
Such was the state of affairs at the time when Mr. Rand was appointed to
the office of Superintendent of Education. For some time his task was no
light one, for the law was unpopular among the masses, who abhorred the
idea of direct taxation. He applied himself to his duties with great
energy, and travelled the Province from end to end, disputing, arguing,
and finally convincing. He found, however, that some clauses of the Act
were impracticable, and others unnecessary. He prepared a measure which
formed the basis of the amended Act of 1865. His energy and vigour
carried all before them, and he soon had the satisfaction of seeing
opposition disappear. A _Journal of Education_ was established, a new
and uniform series of school books was introduced, and commodious
schoolhouses were erected. A system of examination and of grading was
introduced by Mr. Rand, and his plan was so well thought of that its
main features have been adopted in other Provinces of the Dominion.
He continued to fill the position of Superintendent of Education in Nova
Scotia during five and a half busy years. In 1870 he was removed from
office "apparently for political reasons, and under circumstances which
created a great deal of dissatisfaction at the time amongst the friends
of education in the Province." After his retirement he proceeded to
Great Britain, chiefly with a view to acquiring additional knowledge on
educational matters, and to familiarizing himself by observation with
the practical working of the English school system. During his absence
he visited many important schools in England, Scotland and Ireland, and
had conferences with some of the leading educationists of the realm.
In 1871 the New Brunswick Legislature passed an Act, to come into
operation on the 1st of January, 1872, introducing the Free School
system into that Province. The provisions of this Act were very similar
to those of the Nova Scotia measure, and Mr. Rand's success in
introducing the system into the adjoining Province had been such that it
was deemed desirable to secure his services in New Brunswick. In
September, 1871, three months before the Act came into force, he was
offered the position of Chief Superintendent of Education for New
Brunswick by the Government of the day. He accepted, and entered upon
his duties with his accustomed energy. He has ever since filled the
position, and persons who are entitled to speak with authority aver that
he has done for education in New Brunswick all, and more than all, that
he had previously accomplished for education in Nova Scotia. He now
enjoys the distinction of having brought into operation in two Provinces
an enduring and efficient system of public education.
He is President of the Educational Institute of New Brunswick, and a
member of the Senate of the Provincial University. The Baptist
Convention of the Maritime Provinces (of which, in 1875-6, he was
President) elected him in 1877 one of the Governors of the University of
Acadia College. His time is entirely devoted to his educational duties,
and he has reason for self-gratulation at the satisfactory results which
have attended his efforts in the two Provinces which have been the scene
of his labours.
THE HON. MATTHEW CROOKS CAMERON.