Throughout the eight days which we officially spent within the confines
of the Dominion, cordial appreciation of our presence was constantly
in evidence. Twelve years had passed since a gathering of the
association had been held among our hospitable co-laborers north of the
international boundary; I think we all were convinced that in so long
delaying our second visit, we of "the states" had been the losers. No
doubt there will hereafter be a greater frequency of Canadian meetings.
The western delegation was the first to experience the sincere
and unaffected warmth of Canada's greeting. Ontario's capital and
metropolis was reached by the Chicago special at noon of Tuesday, June
25. The Toronto committee of arrangements was composed not only of
librarians, but representatives of the provincial government, prominent
educators, and professional and business men and women. Their program
of entertainment had included a morning automobile ride through the
many parks and charming residence quarters of the city; but the ride
was abandoned, for the hour at which the guests were tardily delivered
to them by the railway managers spelled luncheon, a British institution
that brooks no delay.
The scene of the spread was the attractive refectory of Victoria
College, one of the considerable group of educational institutions
comprising Toronto University. The customary welcome was voiced by Sir
James Whitney, premier of the province, the Hon. R. A. Pyne, provincial
minister of education, and Dr. George H. Locke, chief librarian of the
Toronto public library. Each of these local speakers expressed the hope
that the Association might at some early date honor Toronto with one of
its annual conferences. Dr. Andrews of John Crerar gracefully responded
for the visitors.
Luncheon over, the spacious and well-equipped buildings of the
university were visited and admired, and in due time afternoon tea was
charmingly served on the smooth-shaven lawn of one of the delightful
quads. Dinner followed not long after, in the beautiful new public
library building, so admirably administered by Dr. Locke, to whose
kindly activity we owed a large share of the day's greetings; and here
the guests tarried and rested amid familiar surroundings until the
departure of their train for Ottawa, close upon ten o'clock.
Arriving at Ottawa towards noon of Wednesday, the westerners soon
were commingling with their fellows from other parts of the Union and
Canada, forgetful of geographical sections and national boundary lines.
Before nightfall, all of us realized that we simply were members of
a household of co-workers gathered under the family roof-tree of the
citizens of Ottawa and the members of the government of the great
Dominion. A peculiarity of Canada's hospitality, as we experienced
it, was that the government itself, both in Toronto and in Ottawa,
was quite as active and as informally cordial in arranging for our
entertainment, as were individual or associated bodies of its citizens.
Fortunately our week included both Sunday and Dominion Day. The morning
of the former was largely devoted to visits to the many large and
sumptuous churches. Especially favored were those who witnessed the
fine ante-pilgrimage parade of those French Catholic societies that
have for their name-giver St. Jean Baptiste, the patron saint of all
French Canadians. The afternoon was spent in driving or trolleying to
the numerous parks and several interesting suburbs, and in taking the
many walks wherein the stately panoramic view of three commingling
rivers (Ottawa, Rideau, and Chaudière) caused us all to envy the lot of
those who dwell with this array of mountains and waterfalls at their
very doors.
The patriotic exercises of Dominion Day (July 1) reminded us strongly
of the historical origin of modern Canada, which owes a large share of
her prosperity to the grit and enterprise of the Loyalist pioneers.
Driven forth from the American colonies because they failed to
sympathize with the movement whose culmination we observe with such
enthusiasm, three days later each July, they carried to the wilds of
the north those same sturdy Anglo-Saxon qualities of mind and heart and
brawn that have erected and maintained the American Union. That Canada
had at last become a powerful, self-conscious, and justly-proud nation,
only sentimentally linked with the parent isle and her sister dominions
over seas, was a fact borne home to the visitors, with a forcefulness
novel to many of them. It is not likely that any American librarian
present at the Russell Theatre during Dominion Day, will again
flippantly discuss the possibility of our annexation of Canada--the day
for that sort of talk has passed, and happily for both sides of the
border.
Of course Sir Wilfrid Laurier, no longer premier, but now "leader
of His Majesty's Opposition" in Canada, was the chief attraction in
the day's program. Foremost of French Canadians, one of the most
accomplished of orators, and in every way a world character, Sir
Wilfrid's appearance attracted a crowded house; and his graceful
speech and charming manner, so characteristic of his race, deserved
such recognition. But some other features of the program were no less
entertaining in their way--the vigorous, thoughtful, but strictly
practical views of Dr. Robertson, as he graphically described Canada's
almost boundless resources, and with large vision outlined his plans
for their conservation; and the equally clear and insistent, yet
delicately humorous, protest of Professor Macnaughton, against such
materialistic tendencies of modern education as had been expressed
by his friend and predecessor. The day was admirably closed by
President Vincent of Minnesota, whose marshalling of the possibilities
of librarianship in the furnishing of mental pictures for the
entertainment and instruction of humanity, resembled the falls of
Chaudière in sparkle and velocity.
Not content with representation on the program and in honorary seats on
the platform, the government of the Dominion took a considerable hand
in the social activities of the week. Among the attractions of Ottawa
is the central experimental farm of Canada, with its broad, well-kept
acres, in which the astronomical observatory is in close touch with
the silos, and pastures and barns are attractive features of the
landscape gardening, and up-to-date poultry-runs are charmingly mingled
with evidences of floral and horticultural experimentation. In this
interesting environment, a garden party was given under the auspices
of the minister of agriculture, the Hon. Martin Burrell, ably seconded
by Mr. John F. Watson of the farm staff. There were tents and lawn
chairs, a very British-looking band, military-like policemen as ushers,
brilliantly-green foliage, and the socially élite of Ottawa acted
as cicerones to the varied activities of farm and observatory. Thus
the librarians (who had autoed to the scene, through miles of drives
along the park-like banks of the Rideau Canal) were made paradoxically
to feel not only at home, but quite as though the scene of their
entertainment were four thousand miles eastward, in the motherland
itself. Another governmental activity, especially attractive to the
young folk of the conference (there are, however, no old librarians),
was an informal ball in the parliament building itself. Because of
these things, the bibliographical fraternity from the states almost
unanimously came to the conclusion that thenceforth they would, in all
courtesy, forget all about the recent unpleasantness over reciprocity,
and be stout supporters of the present Dominion government. A division
on the question, at the close of the conference would, I fancy, have
revealed few members of the A. L. A. in the opposition lobby.
The representatives of our own government were not to be outdone in
these matters. Consul-General and Mrs. J. G. Foster were informally
"at home" on Sunday afternoon. Scores of American librarians,
especially those concerned officially in the association's affairs,
were much pleased for a short hour to be entertained as guests on what
constructively is American soil.
But while official "functions" necessarily stood out with prominence,
there was ever on the tapis a succession of unofficial attentions to
the visiting throng. Dr. Robertson was the life of the enterprising
local committee. Around this body clustered several effective agencies
of welcome and entertainment--his worship the mayor (every Canadian
mayor is "his worship," but this title of genuine respect would be a
serious misfit in some of our cities south of the boundary), the public
library board, the local Canadian Club, and the Woman's Canadian Club,
all were actively and omnipresently enlisted in our behalf. And wonder
of wonders! our little identification button meant free trolley rides
within the corporation limits--a much-appreciated premium for wearing
the badge. In short, every door was open to us; at every turn, right
glad we were made to feel that we had come to Ottawa.
Curiously enough to those of us who think of the A. L. A. in the
oft-quoted classification of the hotel agency, as an institution
"mostly women," the Ottawa newspapers appeared never to recover from
their astonishment in this regard. The preponderating numbers of
"lady librarians" was the cause for daily editorial comment. But it
was noticeable that the head-lines persistently referred to the event
as "Library men in council"--painful evidence of the fact that the
prevalent American evil of head-line inaccuracy has at last spread to
the northland.
The practice of holding state, library school, and library staff
dinners in the course of the conference, is increasing. These
gatherings form an interesting and welcome feature of our social
activities during conference week. At Ottawa they were more numerous
and noticeable than heretofore, and gave rise to much good-natured
rivalry as to enthusiasm, numbers, and table decorations. It is evident
that the library schools are gathering traditions with age; and their
alumni associations are growing in pardonable self-consciousness. A new
feature was the exchange of rival "yells." One director was heard to
express her intention of offering prizes in the next school year, for
appropriate class songs and collegiate battle-cries, that her school
might not be outdone in this respect by the vociferous young women of
Pratt and Wisconsin. One heard more or less at Ottawa, of "the girls
of our class," "dear old Pratt," "the way we do it at Albany," the
"traditions of Wisconsin" (five years old!), and the like. It is thus
that the profession is looking up.
Socially, the Canadian conference was eminently successful, both at
Toronto and Ottawa. This feature was, in its way, quite as good as
the literary program itself, and that is saying much. As for Madame
President, she sweetly and dignifiedly looked and acted her part,
socially as well as behind the gavel, and the Dominion folk fairly
worshipped her. I fancy, when all is said, that that perhaps is a good
share of the secret of our undoubted success in Canada.