national grit, national government, national ideals.

These are strong statements! Let us see if facts substantiate them!

Canada's natural increase of population is only one-fourth her incoming
tide of colonists. In a word, put her natural increase at eighty to
one hundred thousand a year, and it is nearer eighty than one hundred
thousand. Her immigration exceeds four hundred thousand. If that
immigration were all British and all American there would be no
problem; for though there are differences in government, both people
have the same national ideal--utter freedom of opportunity for each man
to work out the best in him. It is an even wager that the average
Canadian coming to the United States is unaware of any difference in
his freedom, and the average American coming to Canada is unaware of
any difference in his freedom. Both people have fought and bled for
freedom and treasure it as the most sacred thing in life.

But this is not so of thirty-three per cent. of Canada's immigrants who
do not speak English, much less understand the institutions of freedom
to which they have come. If they had been worthy of freedom, or
capable of making right use of it, they would have fought for it in the
land from which they came, or died fighting for it--as Scotchmen and
Irishmen and Englishmen and Americans have fought and bled for freedom
wherever they have lived. A people unused to freedom suddenly plunged
in freedom need not surprise us if they run amuck.


II

"This is mos' won'erful country," writes Tony to his brother in Italy.