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diff --git a/old/60039-0.txt b/old/60039-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 8c68db7..0000000 --- a/old/60039-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,3534 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's The Secret of Heroism, by William Lyon Mackenzie King - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Secret of Heroism - A Memoir of Henry Albert Harper - -Author: William Lyon Mackenzie King - -Release Date: August 1, 2019 [EBook #60039] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SECRET OF HEROISM *** - - - - -Produced by David T. Jones, Al Haines, Ron Tolkien & the -online Distributed Proofreaders Canada team at -http://www.pgdpcanada.net - - - - - - - - - - -[Illustration: Henry A. Harper] - - - - - _THE SECRET - OF HEROISM_ - - _A Memoir of - Henry Albert Harper_ - - _By - W. L. MACKENZIE KING_ - - - _New York Chicago Toronto - Fleming H. Revell Company - London and Edinburgh_ - - - - - Copyright, 1906, by - FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY - - _SECOND EDITION_ - - New York: 158 Fifth Avenue - Chicago: 80 Wabash Avenue - Toronto: 27 Richmond Street, W. - London: 21 Paternoster Square - Edinburgh: 100 Princes Street - - - - - To - My Mother - - - - - O strong soul, by what shore - Tarriest thou now? For that force, - Surely, has not been left vain! - Somewhere, surely, afar, - In the sounding labour-house vast - Of being, is practiced that strength, - Zealous, beneficent, firm! - --_Matthew Arnold, "Rugby Chapel."_ - - - - - CONTENTS - - - TO THE READER 9 - - THE SECRET OF HEROISM 21 - - THE INFLUENCE OF HOME 24 - - COLLEGE AND AFTER 34 - - THE DAY'S WORK 46 - - NATURE 55 - - BOOKS 65 - - THE LOVE OF OTHERS 78 - - SOCIAL AND POLITICAL IDEALS 105 - - THE PURPOSE OF LIFE 135 - - A LAST WORD 150 - - - - - _TO THE READER_ - - -The erection by the Canadian public of a monument in the capital of -the Dominion; its unveiling by the representative of the Crown; its -acceptance, on behalf of the government, by the Prime Minister of -Canada; a gathering of thousands to do honour to the occasion,--and -this, to commemorate the heroism of one not yet eight and twenty years -of age,--is a national tribute which may well cause us to pause and -silently revere a people who in their hearts cherish so strong a love -for the heroic, and build for their children such sacred traditions. - -It is now four years since Henry Albert Harper, in an endeavour to save -the life of Miss Bessie Blair, a girl of rare and beautiful character, -was drowned with her in the Ottawa River. On an afternoon in December, -1901, he had joined, by chance, a party of three, of which Miss Blair -was a member. They were skating on the river, a little before twilight, -when Miss Blair and a gentleman who accompanied her, came suddenly -upon a wide space of open water near the mouth of the Gatineau. Before -there was time to avoid it, they had skated into the opening, and were -at the mercy of the current. Harper, who was following at a short -distance with a friend of Miss Blair, witnessed the accident and went -at once to their assistance. Having sent the young lady with whom he -was skating to the shore for help, he himself lay prone upon the ice, -close to the edge, and extending his walking stick, endeavoured to -put it within reach of those in the water. Finding the distance too -great, and hearing Miss Blair assuring her companion that she could -swim alone, for each to make a single attempt lest they should go -down together, and seeing also that he was striving in vain to save -her, Harper regained his feet, pulled off his coat and gauntlets, and -prepared to risk his life in an endeavour to effect a rescue. In -answer to entreaties not to make the venture, that it meant certain -death, he exclaimed, "What else can I do!" and plunged boldly into the -icy current in the direction of Miss Blair. They perished together; -their bodies were found on the following morning, the one not far from -the other. Miss Blair's companion had a miraculous escape, otherwise -no one would have known of the brave deed which has given Harper an -enviable fame, and of the no less splendid courage of Miss Blair. She, -as well as Harper, was prepared to give her life for another. - -At a largely attended public meeting, held in the city hall of Ottawa -a day or two after the occurrence, and which was presided over by the -mayor, resolutions were passed inviting the public to join in the -erection of a monument to commemorate Harper's heroism. It was decided -that the monument should be of bronze or stone, to be erected in the -open air, and to take the form of a figure symbolical of heroism and -nobility of character, such as might be suggested by the figure of -"Sir Galahad," in the famous painting of that name by the late George -Frederick Watts, R. A. The choice of a sculptor was to be determined by -a public competition, unrestricted in any way. - -The character of Harper's act was sufficient in itself to suggest "Sir -Galahad" as a subject suitable for a memorial of this kind, but the -choice had, in fact, a more intimate association with Harper himself. -Hanging on the wall above the desk in his study, and immediately before -him whenever he sat down to work, was a carbon reproduction of Watts' -painting. He had placed it there himself, and often, in speaking of it -to others, had remarked, "There is my ideal knight!" - -In the design and model submitted to the memorial committee by -Mr. Ernest Wise Keyser, the best expression appeared to be given -to the ideal which it was hoped might be embodied in the monument -to be erected. Mr. Keyser is a young American sculptor, a citizen -of Baltimore, Maryland, who had his studio in Paris at the time. -Subsequent to the making of the award it was learned that he had been -born on the same day of the same year on which Harper was born. He was -commissioned to execute the work. A beautiful bronze "Sir Galahad," -mounted on a massive granite base, deep carved in which are Sir -Galahad's words in the _Holy Grail_, - - "_If I lose myself_ - _I save myself_," - -the whole standing within the shadow of the stately pile which crowns -Parliament Hill, marks the successful completion of the sculptor's task. - -The monument was unveiled by His Excellency Earl Grey, Governor-General -of Canada on the afternoon of Saturday, 18th November, 1905. A fitting -impressiveness marked the unveiling ceremonies. Notwithstanding that -so long a time had elapsed since the deed it commemorated, and that -the approach of winter was already evident in the cold air and in -the presence of snow upon the ground, three thousand or more of the -citizens of Ottawa assembled in the open to do honour to the occasion. -Mr. P. D. Ross, the chairman of the memorial committee, presided, and -the Right Honourable Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the Prime Minister of Canada, -accepted the monument on behalf of the government. The writer had the -honour, on behalf of the memorial committee, of presenting the monument -to Sir Wilfrid. The eloquent tributes paid to the memory of Harper by -the chairman of the committee, and by the distinguished representatives -of the king and of the people at the unveiling, were regarded by those -who heard them as a memorial not less splendid than the monument which -occasioned the reference. The chairman, Mr. Ross, gave expression, in -the following words, to the feelings which had prompted the public in -the erection of the monument: - - "Harper lost his life. But in that sacrifice he left to the - rest of us a great lesson and a great inspiration. Every fellow - Canadian of Henry Harper was honoured by his death, and every - man of the English-speaking race from which he sprang. It was an - assurance that in this country there is present the old manly - virtue, the true steel of our forefathers. And, far more than - that, it was one argument more that our human nature has in it - inspiration and strength from a higher than earthly source. - - "Had such a thing gone uncommemorated by us, his fellow citizens, - it would have been a disgrace to us. The absence of this - memorial, or of some memorial, would have marked our blindness, - our meanness. Harper did not need this monument. We did. Such - heroic fire as his commemorates itself. But we fellow Canadians - of Henry Harper needed to show by practical action that we could - see and reverence the nobility of soul which sent him knowingly - to his grim death." - -The Right Honourable Sir Wilfrid Laurier, in accepting the monument on -behalf of the government, spoke as follows: - - "Let me say, sir, in accepting this monument, commemorating, - as it does, an heroic death, that the government of Canada - looks upon its acceptance as an honour, and will consider it - a labour of love to care for it. I enter heartily into the - spirit which conceived the idea of this splendid testimonial to - a glorious deed. Harper's act of heroism will ever be an example - and a lesson to us all. The stranger to our city will pause as - he passes this monument and wonder what deed called forth its - erection. He will be told of the noble act of self-sacrifice--of - a life given in an effort to save another. The citizens of Ottawa - will ever be proud to honour the memory of Harper, and to look, - as the government shall look, upon this memorial as a national - monument in every sense of the word." - -His Excellency the governor-general, said: - - "I would like to extend my congratulations on the notable - addition of this monument to the interest, embellishment and - idealism of this Federal city. Although I never knew Harper, I - have learned enough about him to believe that I shall seldom pass - this monument without being reminded of the example which he - has bequeathed as a precious legacy. His character and ability - were such as would have enabled him, had he lived, to win in the - wide and honourable service of the Crown that distinction which - is within the reach of all whose greatest delight is to spend - themselves, their fortunes and their lives in the service of - their fellow countrymen and their King. He is gone, but who shall - say that Canada and the world are not richer by his death? His - character and his example live. I congratulate the sculptor on - the skill with which this statue of Sir Galahad indicates those - qualities of energy, fearlessness and service of which young - Harper was the incarnation; and I hope this statue may be only - the first of a set of noble companions which, in the course of - time, will make this street the _Via Sacra_ of the capital. - - "A few years ago I stood at the grave side of another young civil - servant of the Crown in the Matoppos of Rhodesia, who, as he was - carried to his last resting place mortally wounded, said: 'Well, - it is a grand thing to die for the expansion of the Empire'--that - Empire which, in his mind, as in that of Harper, was synonymous - with the cause of righteousness. Harper and Hervey, had they - known each other, would have been bosom friends; they both - believed in their idea. If they had lived they both would have - done great things. They have both died, and how would they have - died better?--for their ideas will not die; no, neither in - the Matoppos, nor on the banks of the Ottawa, nor in any other - portion of the British empire, so long as we are loyal to their - traditions and follow their example." - -The regimental band of the Governor-General's Footguards, which had -volunteered its services, played "The Maple Leaf" as the King's -representative unveiled the monument; at the same moment the sun -came out from behind a cloud. The ceremonies were concluded with the -national anthem. - -[Illustration: THE SIR GALAHAD MONUMENT AT OTTAWA _erected by the -public to commemorate the Heroism of Henry Albert Harper_.] - -It was the writer's privilege to have been Harper's oldest and most -intimate friend. It has seemed to him that he would be unworthy of a -friendship such as existed between them, were he unwilling to share -with others some of the beauty of soul which he knew so well, and of -which Harper's heroic deed was but an expression. For personal reasons, -he has, up to the present, hesitated to disclose aught that has been in -his keeping. The generous appreciation by the public of a single act -appears to him now to warrant a larger confidence. He has ventured, -therefore, to allow those who will, to look in at the windows of the -soul, and see, in its sacred chambers, the secret which was an abiding -presence in a life whose heroism has already received from the nation a -recognition so splendid and impressive. - -To those into whose hands this little volume may come, the writer begs -they forget not that it is but a collection of fragments gathered, -after he had gone, from along the path on which he trod. It is not -Harper's life, it is not even a worthy tribute to his character. -What it may contain of thoughts and expressions of his own will be -acceptable as "broken light upon the depth of the unspoken"; for the -rest it will be well, if, as a labour of love, it has done no injustice -to the memory of a friend. - - W. L. M. K. - - _Ottawa, January, 1906._ - - - - - _THE SECRET OF HEROISM_ - - -The quality of a man's love will determine the nature of his deeds; -occasion may present the opportunity, but character alone will record -the experience. To a life given over to the pursuit of the beautiful -and true, the immortal hour only comes when conduct at last rises to -the level of aim, and the ideal finds its fulfilment in the realm of -the actual. "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down -his life for his friends." - -Few lives have been more earnest or constant in the pursuit of an -ultimate perfection than was Henry Albert Harper's; few have sought -more conscientiously than he to live out existence under the guidance -of lofty aspirations, and in the light of pure ideals. There was -nothing exceptional, save the opportunity, in the chivalrous act which -cost him his life. It was a sublime expression of the hidden beauty of -his real character and soul. Day by day he had been seeking for years -to gain that freedom which is the reward of obedience to the highest -laws of life, and little by little he had been fashioning a character -unfettered and untrammelled by human weaknesses and prejudices, and -strong in the noblest qualities of heart and mind. Galahad cried, -"_If I lose myself, I save myself!_" In the same spirit, and with the -same insight into truth, Harper sought to keep unbroken the vision of -immortality which was his, to be faithful to an ideal of duty, which, -by a seeming loss, he has made incarnate for all time. - -By what path the heroic was attained in Harper's life may be traced -from the pages of a diary, in which at intervals he recorded his -thoughts, and from the words he has left in letters to his friends. -Fragmentary as these are, an attempt has been made in the following -pages to weave from them the story of his inner life, in the belief -that its beauty will bring courage and inspiration to many, and in the -knowledge that there is something of inestimable worth in a recorded -experience which reveals the endeavour of a human soul to know and -attain the highest, and to realize its divine capacities amid the -complexities of every-day life. - - - - - _THE INFLUENCE OF HOME_ - - -Harper was born in the village of Cookstown, Ontario, on December 9, -1873, but most of his childhood was spent at Barrie, one of the most -picturesque and beautifully situated of Canadian inland towns. The -vine-clad lattice alone obstructed the beautiful view from the front -veranda of his father's house across the waters of Kempenfeldt Bay, and -it was to this home and its associations that he was wont to attribute -all that was best in his nature and dearest in his affections. It was -there that the great joys and the great sorrows of his short life had -centred. It was over this Barrie home that the skies were the brightest -to him; and it was there, too, that for a time the clouds had appeared -to return after the rain. - -There are few pages anywhere which, in simpler or more tender words, -disclose a heart's love and sorrow, a life's greatest inspiration and -its greatest grief, than those which commence Harper's diary after -it had remained closed for nearly three years. They constitute an -expression of feeling so personal, a record so sacredly tender, that -their publication can be justified only on the ground that they are -among the few passages he has left which reveal the influence of his -home upon his life, an influence which, as the words themselves show, -was the strongest and the sweetest he had known. Just a year before his -death, Harper writes: - - "For nearly three years this book has travelled around with me - unopened--three years in which I seem to have lived a lifetime. - They have been filled with satisfaction enough in some ways, and - with pain enough, too. Seven months ago, when the world seemed - empty, I was inclined to throw myself upon these pages, but my - feelings were too much my own, even for that, for, since I last - wrote here, I have gazed into the darkest depths. - - "Though 'out in the world' in a measure, since I left home for - college, the little home group in Barrie remained the centre of - my world. The chief reward of success was the 'well done' from - the kindest father and most loving mother who ever lived. They - have gone. After a week's illness father died on April 6, 1900. - Mother joined him on April 12th. During thirty-six years of - married life they had been loyal and true to each other, and to - their duty before God and man. For their children they sacrificed - personal comfort and social pleasures. Loving sympathy always - went out to meet us in joy or in pain. They passed away together - into the hereafter with unflinching eye, and with a nobleness and - truth of heart which won them the respect of all good men and - women who knew them in life. - - "I did not reach home until the morning of father's death, and - when I saw that dear beloved face it wore the calmness and - pallor of death. That room in which he lay is hallowed. To the - last, they say, his carelessness of self was evident. A frank, - straightforward man; his life open as a book; his heart kind, - with the true love of a Christian. He was not particularly - demonstrative, but we all knew the breadth and depth of his - affection and his sympathy. At the end, conscious of it, he gazed - before him towards the face of God, as one ready to appear before - the judgment seat. A healthy, honest, wholesome man, he was to me - father, brother and friend. - - "And my mother. How often has her clinging kiss muttered a prayer - as I left home, and impressed a welcome as I returned. An heroic - character, enriched by the depth of a mother's love, was hers. - When I reached home on that cold, gray day in early spring, she - lay there sorely stricken with the dread pneumonia which had - taken my father, but patient, tender, unselfish as ever. To my - broken attempt at encouragement, she replied: 'Yes, I must try - and live for you children.' But, as life ebbed and she saw that - it was not to be, that noble heart, ever resigned to the will of - God, accepted the inevitable. It seemed that to join him who had - gone was her dearest wish; without him life, as she lay there - suffering, must have seemed cold, empty, cheerless. But even this - she seemed prepared to bear, so that she might keep a home open - for her children, and endeavour to help them from falling from - the path of duty. Then came the day when she was told that hope - of recovery was gone. 'I knew it,' she said. Calling us around - her, in a voice greatly weakened, she uttered her heart's wish - in a simple sentence--'I want you all to be good, so that you - may meet us There.' I am naturally rather disposed to be cold, I - fear, but in that moment the depth of that mother's love came to - me as never before, and the sublimity of her faith burst upon me. - From that day dates a new epoch in my life. - - "To the last her thoughts were of us. Faithfully, unobtrusively, - but unswervingly, she had throughout life worked and lived that - we might know truth, and not stray from what she was wont to call - 'the straight and narrow path.' - - "At four o'clock in the morning the end came. How cold the dawn - of that morning! Without a struggle her soul went to its God. - How delicate the thread which binds us to eternity! But a short - time before she was there and knew all that was happening; that - she was going; and, that we must fight the battle of life, with - the snares and temptations with which we are beset by our human - passions and weaknesses. Not a doubt seemed to enter into that - mind, which had held steadfastly to the eternal truth throughout - a noble, fearless life. She had run her race, she had kept the - faith. The sturdy integrity, inherited from her father, and a - gentle, loving kindness, which probably came from the mother who - died when she was yet a child, combined to make a character which - by its sweetness, beauty and nobility, has woven itself into my - life. Pray God that I may never be unworthy of her memory." - -And unworthy of so holy a memory Harper never was. While spared to -him, the love and affection of his father and mother were his greatest -inspiration, and his great reward; taken from him, the remembrance of -their example, and a belief in their continued existence, constituted -an abiding presence, helping him ever to nobler conduct and aim. - -Yet, how irreparable this loss was, words cannot tell. Harper could -never bring himself to speak of it without the deepest emotion. What -seemed hardest to him was that his father and mother should have been -taken just when he had hoped to be able to make them fully conscious of -his gratitude. - -In a letter written some months after, he says: - - "Great as is my pride in the noble lives of my beloved parents, - and confident as I am that they will enjoy their reward unto all - eternity, I find it impossible to get away from the sense of the - emptiness of the world without them. Their lives were devoted to - their children, and their children were devoted to them. A kinder - father, and a more loving mother, never lived. To them we looked - for congratulation upon any success which fell to our lot and for - sympathy if our sky were dark. They never failed us. And at the - moment when we were all comfortably settled in our professions, - and there was the prospect of a long peaceful life before them, - they were taken away. Herein lies the chief bitterness of it all. - But we have the lesson of their lives, and fond memories which we - can ever cherish." - -Some time later, in acknowledging hospitality shown him during a brief -visit in Toronto, he wrote on his return to Ottawa: - - "As I lay in my berth last night, looking out at the beautiful, - silent, star sprinkled sky, a feeling settled upon me that the - curtain had just fallen upon one of the happiest days of my life. - The warmth of your welcome, and the kindly thoughtfulness of - your every word and action, were appreciated by me the more, - because I have learned what it is, both to have, and to be - without, that most happy and most sacred of human associations, a - home." - -There is less of intensity of grief, but hardly less of tenderness and -delicacy of feeling, in his words of sympathy with a friend, which, -containing an expression of his own belief, also reveal the continued -influence of his home and its associations on his daily actions, even -after these associations had vastly changed. In a letter written only a -few months before his death, during a short visit to Barrie, the last -which he spent amid the scenes of his youth, he says: - - "And furthermore, I know that you understand that when sorrow - crosses your path, your sorrow is mine just as is your happiness. - I know the wrenching of the heart-strings which comes when one - who is close is taken away, and I feel deeply with you. I can - only repeat to you the message which you sent to me when all that - I held dearest on earth seemed to have passed out of it. There - is no death. Life is eternal and makes towards perfection. When - those whom we love pass, we are the more linked to that greater, - larger, deeper spiritual life which is within us and about us, - but which passes our human comprehension. The very air in which - I write is filled with a thousand associations which bring me - into the closest sympathy with those who have passed through the - Valley of the Shadow. Were you here to-night, I might make myself - intelligible in a way which I cannot hope to in a letter. As I - have been sitting here looking out over the bay with which I am - so familiar, my boyhood and my youth have passed before me, and - these, as well as the hopes and aspirations of early manhood, are - so closely associated with the devoted lives which guarded and - nourished all that was good in me, that I could not recognize - myself, were I not convinced of their continued existence and - their living interest in all that I cherish that is worthy. This - afternoon I stood before the grate where, with you, I spent an - hour which stands out as a milestone in my life, and to-night I - thank God that we have been enabled to accomplish something of - what we then contemplated, and that we have before us opportunity - of usefulness beyond what we could have imagined as we stood - there upon the threshold of life. The very atmosphere of this - dear old place is sacred to me through the associations which - float through my mind as I breathe it. My visit here has been - like a pause in a quiet and familiar eddy in the stream of life, - and I feel that it has done me good. It has strengthened me in my - resolutions, and has enabled me to see more clearly." - -It is rarely, if ever, that men, especially young men, stop to estimate -the influences which are the most potent in their lives, and it is -rarer still, in seeking this estimate, that they become conscious, with -any true degree of proportion, of the extent to which home, as compared -with other influences, has contributed to the result. It was not so -with Harper. He honoured his father and his mother, and he was wont to -attribute to what he inherited by birth, by training, and by example -from them, all that made for what was worthiest and best in his life. - - - - - _COLLEGE AND AFTER_ - - -Colleges and universities afford the opportunity for the attainment -of a measure of self-knowledge, self-reliance and self-development, -which in the home is often apt to come too slowly, and, learned at -first hand with the world, is bought frequently at the price of an -experience which dwarfs, if it does not altogether destroy, some -of the finer fruits of those essential qualities of manhood. It is -not what is gained in knowledge of books, but in knowledge of self, -of limitations and powers and capacities; in what is acquired of -habits of self-discipline and application, of methods of thought and -research, that a college or university renders its truest service to -its students; as it is by the love of truth and learning which it -instils, rather than by the honours and degrees which it confers, that -a university puts its stamp upon the graduates it sends out into the -world. - -It may be that for many men four years of undergraduate life are not -sufficient to make a college impress deep, or, to appearances, lasting; -but if in any measure it is real, that influence must tell, not only -on the years immediately succeeding, but through the whole of life. -The first fruits of a college education are more likely to be revealed -in the attitude of mind towards the problems of life, as these present -themselves when academic halls are vacated, than in any immediate -accomplishment. A consciousness of capacity without opportunity may be, -and is too often, the first inheritance of many a man, whose intellect -has been stimulated and whose zeal has been intensified by association -with his fellows in the numerous relationships which undergraduate life -affords, but who finds in the world a less ordered and less congenial -arrangement. Probably for most men, the years immediately following -the attainment of their academic or professional degrees are the most -critical, if not also the most painful, years of their lives. - -To this phase of post-graduate experience Harper's life was no -exception, though undergraduate days were enjoyed by him to the full. -In the summer of 1891, at the age of seventeen, he matriculated at -the University of Toronto, from the Barrie Collegiate Institute, -and he graduated from the university in June, 1895. He was, during -the last three years of his undergraduate course, an honour student -in the department of Political Science, and the class lists show -that in the work of this department, especially in the subjects of -political economy and political philosophy, he held a high place. His -contemporaries at the university will always remember him as a man who -entered in a whole-hearted way into what may be spoken of as the larger -life of the university. He was a prominent member of the Literary and -Scientific Society, and of his class society, and was always certain to -be found an active participant in those events or movements of general -interest with which undergraduate life at a large university abounds. -While he was fond of books and might have been termed, at least during -the latter half of each year, a conscientious student, it is doubtful -if he did not get quite as much as, or more, out of association with -his fellows, and from sharing in the spontaneous life of the college, -than he did from the lecture room. A characteristic which distinguished -him was a readiness to carry on with enthusiasm whatever he undertook, -and this, combined with a nature intensely loyal to cause or friend, -made him a strong man among men, and one whose support was sought -because it could be counted upon. On the whole his disposition was -social rather than individual, and his interests were diversified -rather than particular. He was saved from the possible inimical effects -of such a nature by an earnestness of purpose which kept him true to -his responsibilities, while there can be little doubt that from it, in -the broadening of his sympathies and in the understanding of men and -their ways, he gained much which was of infinite service to him in -after years. - -Measured by the standard of growth already hinted at, Harper may -be said to have left the university with a consciousness that he -was fitted by talent and inclination for work in some branch of the -so-called higher professions, that it was in connection with the -general, rather than the more exclusive, interests of society that -his energies would find their freest play, and that not by theories, -but by men, he could hope to be permanently attracted. He had already -learned that he was capable of serious and sustained effort, and likely -to find in work a satisfaction of his best desires; and he must have -known that in his nature were possibilities of the noblest expressions -of disinterested action. It was natural, therefore, that having made -no definite choice of a future profession at the time of graduation, -and having engaged temporarily in agency work which was not to his -liking, and towards which from the start he had not entertained any -serious intentions, he should have found much that tried his patience -severely, and at times caused him to experience periods of the most -genuine depression. Fruitless attempts to obtain a start in journalism -added for a while to his discouragements, so that the year and a half -which followed graduation, though characterized by anything other than -neglect or indifference, and, as a matter of fact, made the occasion -of an opportunity for increased reading and the preparation of a -thesis which secured him a Master's degree from the university, was -nevertheless, so far as he could see at the time, to be remembered as -of adversity rather than as of advance. In reality it was a testing -time, and it served to prove the man. - -In the pages of the journal which Harper commenced shortly after -graduation, it is possible to discern the attitude of mind which he -had towards the problem of life, as he thus encountered it upon the -threshold. Revealing as they do the qualities of inherent worth in -him who wrote them, these pages are deserving of more than passing -reference. Two characteristics they clearly disclose, a fearless -integrity of heart and mind, and a disposition to philosophize, -underlying each of which is a constant purpose of self-improvement, and -a more than accepted belief in a definite moral order, and the ultimate -triumph of right. Unconsciously he summed up the whole in the first -paragraph he wrote: - - "I am writing this record of my thoughts and actions in order - that I may be better able to understand myself; to improve in - that wherein I find myself wanting, and that some day I may be - able to look back and find a rule of development or perhaps of - life, with its assistance. I shall endeavour to be at least - honest with myself, and hope that the use of this book may help - me occasionally, to sever myself mentally from the associations - of the world and retire within myself. My hope is that some day I - may be able to become acquainted with my own individuality, and - discover what is the first essential and object of my existence. - - "I have not as yet settled upon a course in life. Several - weapons lie before me which might be of use in the conflict - with the world, and with all of which I feel that I might - soon familiarize myself. Which will enable me to achieve the - greatest success? And by what standard shall I measure that - success so as to discover whether it is real and after all worth - striving for? Shall it be law, the ministry, a business career, - or journalism, or what? At one time I lean in one direction, - and again in another. The result is an unsettled frame of mind - which cannot be healthy, and which compels me to be constantly - before the bar of my own judgment. I find that the old idea - of 'individual aptitude' means less than I formerly believed. - One finds many specialized avocations before one, and it is a - question of fashioning one's self to suit one of them. Whether - it be that the chosen profession does not employ all one's - faculties, or requires more than one possesses, a certain amount - of dissatisfaction is, I think, bound to result. It is necessary - that a man be a philosopher, as well as a lawyer, or a carpenter, - as the case may be, if he is to be happy. I flatter myself that - I have a fair education (although I regret that I have not drawn - from it as much as I might and should have), and some slight - knowledge of men and their ways, but my choice is limited to - those callings which do not require a considerable initial - capital. At the moment my leanings are towards journalism as most - likely to give me self-satisfaction, and to aid me in the study - of mankind--man." - -And again, - - "As to myself, during the past week or two, the spirit of unrest, - to which I have referred as characteristic of my mind, has been - intensified in proportion as I have withdrawn myself more and - more from the insurance business. One thought is ever staring me - in the face. It is the question which has been before me for so - long. What are you going to do? I shall certainly have to 'make a - break' before long, since the state of affairs is preying upon my - mind and upon my ambition and self-esteem. To-night we have some - friends coming in, a minister from the country and his wife. They - will probably ask me what am I going to do? I am sick of that - question." - -And on the first of January, 1897, - - "For over three months I have not made a single entry in this - book, and this for the reason that I have had little that is - hopeful or pleasant to write about. I have been in constant - dread of the effect upon my mind of the forced inactivity to - which I am subject, for the uncongenial work at which I have been - plodding away has been of little use as an intellectual training. - At times, encouraged by the appreciation which I have been able - to give to some of the sublime thoughts of master-minds, or by - the words of such friends as ----, I have been quite hopeful as - to my future usefulness, but on both my thoughts and my humours, - I can see the fatal traces of repeated disappointments. Of - course the life that I have been living has not been without its - advantages. Some of many too hastily conceived ideas have been - swept away, and withal, sympathies have been aroused within me - which might never have come to me under other circumstances. - Furthermore, the fact that the time when I must enter the - struggle for existence on my own behalf has been postponed, has - led me to think less and less of the mean dishonest methods which - are so generally adopted by some of our so-called successful men - and used as a means of reaching their petty successes. The fact - that these opinions had been forced upon me, may, it is true, - prevent me from ever being what the world considers a successful - man, but if the moral stamina is within me I hope they will - enable me to realize the high ideal of my existence. - - "But now as to the thoughts which the New Year brings with it. - Last night as I listened to the tolling of the midnight bell at - the Church of England, as it rang out the old year and rang in - the new, the future was none too encouraging to me. It was with a - feeling of bitterness that I took out a note-book and wrote the - words, 'January 1, 1897, and still on the market.' But as I sit - now and gaze into the future, I think I was a little unfair. I - have been filling a position of usefulness to a degree. I do not - think I have lost in moral force, while I think I have gained in - knowledge and love of my fellow men; while the fact that I have - been compelled to drop some ideas which I have held has proven to - me both that my tendency is towards an honest desire for truth, - and that I have still much to learn. I look forward to the coming - year with hope, although I have still much of the bitter feeling - which has been preying upon me all year, causing me many wakeful - nights and forcing me to call out at times when the feeling was - intensified, that, with Burke, mine was a case of '_Nitor in - adversum_.' - - "One thing more. Although for years my mind has had a decidedly - sceptical tone in matters of religion, I feel that in the - past year I have come more into sympathy with the work of our - religious bodies. This is no doubt largely due to a sympathy - with the ends which they have in view, but probably, also, in - great measure to my growing belief in God, although my idea of - the Deity is more correctly expressed in the words of Matthew - Arnold than in some of the accepted creeds. For all these things - I feel grateful, and my greatest hope as I sat in the church - during the first moments of the New Year was--my greatest hope as - I write these words is, that I may have the inclination and the - power to cut off from my life those things which tend to make it - less beautiful, less good, and less useful, and that, if living - when the bells toll in the New Year of 1898, I may be able to - recognize in myself a better, a stronger and a purer man." - -Though it has been left to others to trace through the pages of his -diary the rule of development and of life therein disclosed, it will -hardly be said that the first hope expressed was denied, and that -Harper did not realize, even in the brief day he was allowed, "the -first essential and object of his existence." - - - - - _THE DAY'S WORK_ - - -For some time before opportunity came to engage in journalism, Harper -had quite made up his mind that this was the profession which he could -follow with most satisfaction to himself, and greatest good to others, -and he sought every means to secure a connection with a newspaper -in one of the cities. "It would seem," he writes, after some months -of searching, "that newspaper work is like most other things--it is -difficult to get a start at. My experience is that it is exceptionally -so. I have accepted the disappointment philosophically, and I am trying -to make a good use of my time until an opening presents itself, and -I am keeping my eyes open for one." At last, in February of 1897, a -temporary vacancy on the staff of the London _Advertiser_ afforded -an opening, and though he had promise of employment for not more -than a few weeks, and knew for a certainty that it could not extend -beyond a month or two at the most, he gladly seized the opportunity. -There was a chance, at least, to test the field and to prove himself. -He accordingly left Barrie for London to begin as a reporter on the -_Advertiser_, and from that time, for the remainder of his life, there -were to be found no moments of "forced inactivity," or "comparative -idleness," but the whole was one unbroken stretch of the most tireless -putting forth of energy, the most continuous and sustained activity and -zeal. - -The weeks on the _Advertiser_ were followed by a few months on the -London _News_. In October, 1897, an opening came on the Toronto _Mail -and Empire_, and Harper joined the staff of that journal. In London, -his duties had been those of a general reporter; in Toronto, they were -at first the same, though with larger opportunities. His abilities, -however, caused him soon to be singled out for the larger and more -special assignments, and in this way he was brought into active touch -with two important branches of public affairs. As city hall reporter he -had to do for a time with municipal politics and administration, and, -as reporter of the proceedings of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, -he was brought into similar relationship with provincial affairs. -An appointment on the staff of the Montreal _Herald_ in February, -1899, gave him the opportunity of still wider experience and further -advancement. He was part of the time the city editor of that daily, and -part of the time its representative and correspondent at Ottawa. Both -positions afforded him opportunity of a closer intimacy with the public -affairs of the Dominion, and as, throughout his entire connection -with the _Herald_, he was a contributor to its editorial columns, he -had commenced to help at least to shape and direct public opinion in -matters of national concern. - -After the establishment of the Department of Labour by the Dominion -government in the summer of 1900, Harper, in November of that year, -severed his connection with the _Herald_ to accept the position of -associate editor of the _Labour Gazette_. The department had just been -created as a new department of the government, with the _Gazette_ as -its official journal. Its policy had still to be shaped; its usefulness -to be proved. It was in part the strong bond of friendship existing -between Harper and his friend, the deputy minister of the department, -in part the opportunity of cooperation in a work undertaken primarily -on behalf of the industrial classes of Canada, and which he believed -might be made of the greatest service to the country as a whole, -that caused him to terminate his then promising career in outside -journalism, and to share with his friend the fortunes of the civil -service in a work to which they were both prepared to devote their -lives. In addition to being engaged on the _Gazette_, Harper actively -cooperated in the management and administration of the affairs of the -department, and acted as the deputy minister of the department when -the latter was absent on official duties elsewhere. He was acting as -deputy minister of labour at the time of his death. - -During the entire period he was engaged in journalism, Harper had not, -with the exception of a brief vacation of one or two weeks, which -he devoted in part to work of another kind, a single break of any -appreciable duration in the round of continuous work. The time for -vacation, with the exception mentioned, came, in every instance, just -as a new affiliation was formed, and new duties, instead of a temporary -respite from old ones, were taken on. It is doubtful, indeed, if so -continuous a strain could have been so successfully borne, had it not -been for the period of reflection which preceded it, the joy which he -found in his work, and the purpose which he had at heart. - - "I start," he wrote, on February 20, a few days before his - departure from Barrie to London, "under favourable auspices, and - I intend to make my time tell for good so far as it is in my - power. Perhaps after all it has been best for me, this year of - comparative idleness. It has at least enabled me to form certain - sober views of life, which might not have come until too late, - had I been carried from the first on the crest of fortune's wave." - -And upon his arrival at London: - - "On this, the evening before my first serious association with - my chosen profession, let me register the resolution which I - promised in a letter to dear old ---- last Sunday. I hope and - trust that I may hereafter be able to subdue whatever weakness - there is in my character, and there is much. I am starting here - under favourable auspices. May I not betray the trust, and may I - leave this community better for my influence during my sojourn in - it!" - -After little more than a month's experience he wrote again as follows: - - "I have had no cause to regret my choice of a profession. I begin - to feel the tremendous power wielded by the press in formulating - public opinion, and am in a position to build up, by reflection - upon what it is, a conception of what a newspaper should be, all - of which I trust will enable me, when the time comes, to do - my share in furthering the highest interests of the State and - mankind in general. I have come to see where the dangers which - surround the young newspaper man lie, and am endeavouring to keep - myself free from their influence." - -Leaving London in October, '97, he measured his success and services in -a few brief words: - - "My time here has not been lost, and, while I have fallen far - short of what I might have done, still I think that I leave the - city rather better than worse for my visit." - -Measuring development by the opportunity which anniversaries afford, he -had, after a year's experience, reason to feel that progress had been -made, while at the same time he was fully conscious of what remained to -be done. - - "When I look at myself now and what I was on March 1, 1897, when - I went to London to serve my apprenticeship at daily newspaper - work, I can scarcely recognize the same individual. Carelessness, - thoughtlessness and love of pleasure, I see all along the line; - but I feel that I have gained more than I have lost, and I have - learned that the only road to success is work, and close, careful - study. I have done much that I should not have done, I have - omitted much, very much, that I ought to have done. I see it and - shall try and do better." - -A year later, the same earnest spirit, realizing its limitations, its -responsibilities and its opportunities, is revealed in a letter written -from the press gallery of the House of Commons at Ottawa. It refers -to his newly formed connection with the _Herald_, and is a true and -characteristic self-estimate and confession. - - "Regarding the change--it is one of great moment to me. Here at - the very centre of the life of the Dominion, I see all about - me means of acquiring the knowledge and exerting the influence - which should make my life a useful one, and that, I assure you - again, is my chief aim. I am still a student, of course, and I am - made conscious of the fact from the character of the men with - whom I am associated, for they are all men of years, experience - and force of character. I appreciate the fact that I am still in - tutelage, and the training here I regard simply as preparatory - to something else--what that something else may be remains to be - seen. - - "My own rule, latterly, has been to follow the course which - promises to be best in the long run, for, while not neglecting - the present, men of our years must remember that life is real, - and that we must arm ourselves for the struggle on the hither - side of thirty." - -Harper was, at the time, twenty-five years of age. - - - - - _NATURE_ - - -"That in companionship with and close study of Nature, who 'neither -hastens nor rests' but unquestioningly conforms to the order laid down -by the Creator, there lies a potent means of enrichment of character, -and an important medium of culture, I am thoroughly convinced." From -these words of Harper's diary we are enabled to gather with what degree -of insight, and to what purpose, he sought the woods and the fields, -and the freedom of "God's out of doors" whenever opportunity permitted. -From his early boyhood, few enjoyments brought him the same measure of -delight as the afternoon excursions or camping expeditions which took -him with other boys, or with his father, across the bay at Barrie, to -explore the creeks and unfrequented spots away from the haunts of men. -When after graduation his temporary employment led him for a time into -the bleak and rugged parts of Northern Ontario, he found an enjoyment -and source of instruction in this first hand contact with primitive -conditions, which, to his feelings, was the one compensation in the -pursuit of an otherwise uncongenial task. If a friend were visiting him -at his home in the summer time he was not at rest till they were off -together with horse or stick into the country, or out with canoe or -boat on the waters of the bay; and if it were winter it was still to be -out in the open, either on skates or in a sleigh, or for one of those -long tramps through the snow so invigorating and health-giving at that -season of the year. When his work permitted a choice being made between -the country and the city, he chose the former as a place of residence, -though early rising and much journeying were necessitated thereby. - -The summer of 1901 was spent in this way at Kingsmere in the province -of Quebec, a more beautiful spot than which there is not to be found -along the whole range of the Laurentian hills. It is a distance by road -of twelve miles from the capital, eight of which can be covered by -rail. Harper's real sense of freedom began when, after a day's work in -town, that eight miles of travelling was at an end, and the chance came -for a four mile walk across fields, through the woods and along the -country roads, or for a ride upon his wheel or by stage. Then came the -evenings with their glorious sunsets, and the walks and talks in the -twilight, and then night with its unbroken panoply of star-lit sky. - -It is, perhaps, impossible to convey, save to those who have known the -experience, any conception of what a constant association of this kind -with Nature really means. It proves, to use Harper's own words, "how -beauty, grandeur, sublimity and purity in God's world, find a ready -response in the human heart unfettered." Yet it is this perception of -God, this communion of soul between the creature and the Creator as He -is revealed in Nature, that is the conscious or unconscious secret of -all the refreshment and joy which comes from a contact of this kind. -Some natures are more susceptible to this kind of revelation than -others. Harper's nature was one that could share and did share it to -the full. - -A few paragraphs from his diary may serve to show how real was the -"response" of which he spoke between the world of nature and his -own heart, and how sweetly sensitive to even the most delicate of -impressions, his soul became when under this favouring influence. - -Having climbed one Sunday morning to the top of the mountain at -Kingsmere, to find after a hard week's work that rest which is the -truest reward of toil, he gave himself up for a little to recording -some of the enjoyments of the place and the hour. He writes: - - "Here I am having church all by myself in this majestically - beautiful spot. It was a hot climb, for it is a sweltering - morning, but I am amply repaid. I had a five minutes' - conversation with a red squirrel on the way up the mountain. He - was a little nervous at first, but became reassured, climbed down - the tree trunk until he was ten feet from me, and looked me in - the face steadily as I prattled away to him. The little fellow - felt like myself, he could not imagine vicious intentions in such - a place. A delightful breeze is making music in the tree-tops, - a bird with a clear yet sympathetic note, I can't describe the - note, and I don't know the name of the bird, is leading in a - medley of wood sounds infinitely refreshing after a hard week's - work. - - "The thought of the past week has caused me to look up for a - moment to take another glance at the capital, which stands out - clearly in the bright sunshine, though the lines of the buildings - are softened by a blue white summer haze, sufficiently marked to - give the effect of distance. If men could only get to a mountain - occasionally and look down upon the world in which they live and - move and have their being, there would be less dilettantism, less - worship of forms, institutions, baubles and lath and plaster. - The foot-hills, when last I saw them from here, were rich in - the full colour of maturity. To-day they are strong in the deep - refreshing green of youth. They are happy. Everything about me is - happy, and I thank God for it all." - -Recording the events of a day on a short trip taken in the spring of -the year to the city of Quebec and points of interest in that vicinity, -he writes: - - "This day was easily the best of our trip. In a few minutes we - were away from civilization, and started our climb, with the - assistance of two locomotives, up the mountains. At every turn - some new beauty burst upon us. First, it was a cloud capped range - of hills, then a quaint whitewashed village, then a laughing - mountain stream, then a tree-encircled, hill-girt lake, then a - rushing river, then a quiet wood, then a deep shadowy valley, - then a burst of sun on the new-leafed trees, until one felt - one's self getting away forever from the pettiness of the world. - Shortly after midday we swung across the bridge at Grand' Mère, - and had a capital view of the falls which have been turned to - practical use by the Laurentide Pulp Company, and, about three - o'clock, arrived at Shawenegan Falls, our objective point. We - lunched at the Cascade Inn, a picturesque summer hotel on a - hilltop, and, guided by a staff of engineers, visited the works - of the Shawenegan Falls Power Company which I found extremely - interesting. All this was as nothing, however, compared with - the marvellous scene which burst upon us when we turned a spur - of the hill and came out at the foot of the roaring, raging - cataract. Down a steep, narrow, boulder-strewn gorge, rushed the - mighty river, struggling, tumbling, roaring, throwing itself - into the air, and shooting forward in huge mountains of surging - foam or clouds of sunlit spray. I could feel my breast heave in - sympathy with the great struggle that was going forward, and my - whole being kindle with the beauty and power of it all. Nowhere - have I seen anything that can rival that magnificent spectacle. - My nature seemed touched to its depths, and I found myself in - immediate sympathy with the Indians who saw in these prodigious - efforts of Nature, in the presence of which man's littleness is - so apparent, the manifestations of the work of the Great Spirit. - As we wound our way through the mountains one had a feeling that, - once stripped of its forest wealth, this district would be a - lonely wilderness so far as practical utility was concerned. As I - gazed into the raging torrent, I felt that it was worth a whole - province of desolation to have that grand, sublime, soul purging - sight. After gazing long and earnestly into the mighty maelstrom, - I raised my eyes to the tree clad mountains around, rich in the - fresh foliage of spring, and furrowed with deep shadowy glens. - I felt that the world was indeed grand, beautiful, that no man - could stand where I stood without feeling that he had a soul. - - "And as our train wound its way homeward towards a sublimely - beautiful sunset, behind the glorious tumbled-together hills, the - scene of loveliness was set in my mind and in my heart in deep - rich tints of crimson and gold. That day was one of the happiest - in my life. I cannot attempt to describe what I saw in words. All - I can do is to record something of the impression. It was soul - stirring." - -Later in the year Harper visited the Maritime Provinces with members of -the Canadian Press Association on their annual excursion. His account -of the trip contains much that is full of interest, and something in -the way of recorded observation which might surprise those who had had -the same opportunities, or had visited simultaneously these places and -participated in the same events. Two brief paragraphs may suffice to -further illustrate how he was wont to be influenced by scenes of great -natural beauty, and in what regard, relative to other things, he was -accustomed to hold them. Speaking of the Montmorency Falls he says: - - "At the Montmorency Falls we spent a very happy hour. We decided - to scramble up the cliff side, instead of taking the steps. At - the top we had a splendid view of the falls which impressed me - differently from any I had seen. The volume of the river is - not great, but it descends from a giddy height, throwing out a - great cloud of white spray, peaceful and beautiful. To me the - message it conveyed was of chastity and purity, like a beautiful, - faithful woman, who had gone through the world to a white age, - unspotted and unstained. The great semicircular basin beneath - seemed wrought by Nature to give full effect to the beautiful - work of the Creator." - -And referring to the evening of the same day, after returning to -Quebec, he says: - - "After dinner ---- and I gave up a trip to a summer theatre for - a stroll on the terrace before the Château Frontenac. It was a - night not soon to be forgotten. The moon's rays, softened by a - faint film of the most delicate of clouds, fell quietly about - us, and, from the dancing waves far below, came the signal bells - of steamers and the distant calls of boatmen. I can recall few - nights to rival it. The world seemed more kind, and my own work - in it more clear and possible, as we sat there and gazed into - the quiet night, which wore an ethereal, fairy-land air about - it, pure and inspiring. Most of our fellows were off 'seeing' - the city, but none of them could have had half the pleasure that - was ours. Few things in the world could have been more beautiful - than that night out there on the terrace, under the frowning guns - of the hard war citadel, and above the moon-bathed waters of the - grand old St. Lawrence. I felt my heart throb as I thought that - this noble river was the gateway to Canada, the land which gave - me birth, and which I am learning to love more and more dearly as - years roll by." - - - - - _BOOKS_ - - -In books, as in nature, Harper found companionship and instruction, -and the selection was as carefully made, and the appreciation of the -beautiful and true as keen and delicate, in the one case as in the -other. It was a distinguishing mark of his reading that he chose, for -the most part, only such works as were likely to be productive of -intellectual or moral growth; he read little, however, for the sake of -mere entertainment, and he was less inclined to seek recreation with a -book than in other ways. - -At the university his reading was, for the most part, of the books -prescribed by the college curriculum, with supplementary reading along -the lines it suggested, and some slight addition of current fiction and -standard works in poetry and prose. For a time, after entering upon -journalism, he gave himself up so entirely to its demands that he may -be said to have dropped books altogether, and to have substituted for -their reading a careful perusal of the daily press, and an occasional -survey of current magazines and other periodicals. The habit thus -formed remained constantly with him, and made him a careful observer of -events, and well informed on the main issues and questions of the day. -Though he had the mind of a student and a scholar, his habits, as has -already been hinted, were not of the kind which students are popularly -supposed to have. His temperament was versatile, his nature active, -he was impatient of too detailed or continuous research, and was more -interested in living men and current affairs than in documentary -records of any kind. Yet he was by no means blind to the fact, which -unfortunately many public men are, that to be of real service to any -cause, a man's intellectual as well as his physical powers must be -stimulated and strengthened by sustenance of the proper sort, and that, -except through inborn genius of the rarest kind, a man cannot be saved -from intellectual sterility, unless, to more than a limited degree, he -familiarizes himself with the best thought of the strongest minds. - -The books with which Harper sought to become most familiar were the -works of writers whose intellectual preeminence was undoubted, and -whose main concern, though they viewed it from many and frequently -different standpoints, was the problem of existence, the meaning and -the duties of life. Of this class, Carlyle, Matthew Arnold, Emerson, -Tennyson, and, among present day writers, Hamilton Wright Mabie, were -the ones to whose works his spare hours were chiefly devoted during -his last years. It would be difficult to know from which of these -authors he gained the most; that he was strongly influenced by all -is beyond question, though this influence was one rather of clearer -definition and understanding of his own beliefs and convictions, than -of conversion to other and different views. Of what, as a teacher, -literature contributed, something may be gleaned from the pages -containing his views on present day problems and matters of religion. -In the present chapter it is of the companionable enjoyment derived -from this source, consciously sought and cultivated as a means to -the enrichment of life, that it is desired to give a sympathetic -appreciation. - -The winter of 1900-01 was made exceptionally profitable through the -opportunities of reading which many of its evenings and Sundays -afforded. Harper and his friend had lodgings in common, and his diary -is full of mention of the evenings they spent together in company with -books, from which each in turn read aloud to the other, and which were -laid aside only that a deeper searching of the heart might follow, -accompanied by pledges of mutual loyalty and resolve, long after the -embers had burned out upon the hearth, and all things were in the -sacred keeping of the night. Did not the personal references which -these accounts contain preclude their publication, opportunity might -be given of looking in upon the best that this world has to offer, the -soul communion of friend with friend. One or two passages relating to -evenings not dissimilar, though spent with less intimate friends, will -suggest, to those who read them, with what profit an evening might have -been shared with him by those who knew and appreciated his genuine self -aright, and what measure of inspiration in turn was accorded to him by -the conversation and views of others, and by the writings of master -minds. - -Of the chance happening in of a friend, he writes: - - "I had finished reading Matthew Arnold's criticism of Gray when - L---- came in and spent the evening with me. I read Gray's - _Elegy_, _The Bard_ and some other extracts, in order to make - good Matthew Arnold's judgment. Then we talked of men of genius - and their lives, and L---- spoke of their unhappiness and want of - appreciation. I took the ground that this unhappiness was often - more apparent than real; that the greatest happiness in sensation - was that of the soul satisfaction which must come with the - beautiful expression of a great truth; that no great work came by - chance, but rather that the thought was first real and vital to - the artist; that however much, humanly, he might feel the want - of appreciation and physical satisfaction, his pleasure must be - ecstatic at finding an expression for his best self, his inner - life. - - "'_These demand not that the things without them_ - _Yield them love, amusement, sympathy._' - - "Just as theirs is the great happiness, so theirs is the great - sorrow, for sorrow to be expressed in such form must first be - appreciated, felt. - - "From this we drifted to Kipling and imperialism, my contribution - being that Kipling was a great imperialist, that of those who - were urging forward the British empire, he was one of the most - enlightened, one of the most clear seeing; that his anxiety - for the empire's future was as much cosmopolitan as British, - having faith in the Anglo-Saxon ideal. In support of this latter - contention I cited the _White Man's Burden_, which I think was - primarily designed for the American people. - - "Then to the woes of Ireland and her future. I expressed disgust - with the methods of such men as ----, who are trying to fan the - flame of hatred to England, a flame justly enough started by the - long years of oppression, but which must be smothered if Ireland - is to progress, for I can see only one way for her healthy - development,--as part of the British empire, the great civilizing - and evangelizing power of the world. - - "I read some of Moore's poems to illustrate my views of the - beauty and richness of the Irish nature, and its possibilities - when fairly treated. We closed our evening by reading a passage - from _Great Books as Life Teachers_, in the chapter on _Ruskin's - Seven Lamps of Architecture_, to show that true liberty consists - in obedience to law--true law. 'Nature loves paradoxes, and - this is her chiefest paradox--he who stoops to wear the yoke - of law becomes the child of liberty, while he who will be free - from God's law, wears a ball and chain through all his years. - Philosophy reaches its highest fruition in Christ's principle, - "Love is the fulfillment of the law."'" - -Of an evening spent with friends, he says: - - "To-night we spent a pleasant evening, enjoying music and - reading. Mrs. J----, whose whole life seems to be poetry and - music combined, rendered several brilliant selections on the - piano, conveying to me a conception of beautiful thoughts playing - about the crests of moonlit waves, after which R---- and I read - several of Matthew Arnold's poems. I have grown to like Matthew - Arnold more and more. His philosophy, the pursuit of perfection, - of sweetness and light, and the sweeping away of viciousness, - has always influenced me strongly since I first read _Culture - and Anarchy_ some years ago. But I find in him more and more the - noble high minded man as I proceed. I read _The Buried Life_ and - _Rugby Chapel_ among other things. The latter has always been a - favourite of mine, pointing, as it does, a noble useful view of - human duty, as in the lines-- - - "'_But thou would'st not alone_ - _Be saved, my father! alone_ - _Conquer and come to thy goal,_ - _Leaving the rest in the wild._' - - "_The Buried Life_ seems to me one of the most beautiful, hopeful - and inspiring poems I have ever read--the thought that man's - life and development goes on, and that his real life is realized - despite the spoiling of himself which he does continuously in the - meaningless follies of his daily round. - - "'_Fate . . ._ - _Bade through the deep recesses of our breast_ - _The unregarded river of our life_ - _Pursue with indiscernible flow its way;_ - _And that we should not see_ - _The buried stream, and seem to be_ - _Eddying at large in blind uncertainty,_ - _Though driving on with it eternally._' - - "And then how-- - - "'_. . . often, in the world's most crowded streets,_ - _But often, in the din of strife,_ - _There rises an unspeakable desire_ - _After the knowledge of our buried life._' - - "The room where we sat before a grate fire seemed filled with the - thought of the noble man who penned the poem, and the evening was - a most enjoyable one." - -Harper's was a nature quick to respond to the beautiful and true -wherever found, whether in prose or verse, in music or painting, or in -the actions of daily life. He was, moreover, intensely sympathetic, -and what he read or saw always impressed, and sometimes affected, him -deeply. He would often rise from the reading of a beautiful poem, or -the story of some heroic human effort, with eyes filled and voice -completely overcome, and then, as a means of gaining relief, and at the -same time of giving expression to his feelings, would pen in a single -sentence or two the thought that was most in his mind at the time. - -Such little entries as the following are a characteristic feature of -his diary, and reveal his sympathetic appreciation of what he read, and -of the subject treated: - - "To-night I read the sad story of Keats' life. How sad it is to - see so promising a man pass so soon! How admirably he declared a - great truth when he said, - - "'_"Beauty is truth, truth beauty,"--that is all_ - _Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know._'" - - * * * * * - - "To-night I read over again Lanier's _A Ballad of Trees and the - Master_, which, I think, most beautiful. The poem appealed to me - strongly as illustrating the subduing calm of the woods. Before - going to bed I read Ward's biography of Lanier, a story of the - heroic struggle of a soul steeped in music and high purpose." - - * * * * * - - "In the afternoon I read Matthew Arnold's Essay on Shelley, - whose life was a strange mixture of genius and weakness. But - for his poetry his weakness would have made him detestable. But - for his weakness his poetical genius might have made him one of - the most beautiful of all our authors. As he is, he is one of - those strange paradoxes who give rise to speculation as to the - necessary qualities of genius. Much can be forgiven in one who - has created the ode, _To a Skylark_ and _The Sensitive Plant_." - - * * * * * - - "Matthew Arnold seems to me above all a critic, clear, impartial, - appreciative, kindly, bravely severe, when this is necessary to - do justice. In what he says in these Essays on Criticism, one - feels how sad it is that noble work is marred by a something - wanting; half results because of the want of something,--'many - are called, few chosen.'" - - * * * * * - - "Next, of the features of the fortnight, was the completion - of _The Idylls of the King_, from which I have drawn much - healthy inspiration. We read _Pelleas and Ettarre_, _The Last - Tournament_, _Guinevere_ and _The Passing of Arthur_. At the - close I was struck by the wonderful way in which the truth of the - words,-- - - "'_It is the little rift within the lute,_ - _That by and by will make the music mute,_ - _And ever widening slowly silence all,_'-- - - was unfolded. Even that beautifully conceived court, with its - noble King, its high ideals and its battle-tried knights, went - to utter ruin through the example of one sin. Another thing - which struck me was that Tennyson, like others, shows that the - deadliest enemy is the Judas. The most cherished knight and - beloved Queen poisoned the court by betraying friend and husband. - But Tennyson holds out the beautiful hope of the thief upon the - cross. Lancelot was allowed to die a holy man; and Guinevere, by - true repentance and goodly works, was able to purge her soul so - as to be prepared for the reunion hereafter. The gentle teaching - of the poem is that we must be swayed by high resolves and noble - motives. - - "'_We needs must love the highest when we see it, - Not Lancelot, nor another._' - - "My admiration for the poem increased towards the close. The - delicate portrayal of character, and of utter pain and remorse in - _Guinevere_, and the beautiful imagery of _The Passing of Arthur_ - are sublime-- - - "'_From the great deep to the great deep he goes._'" - - * * * * * - - "To-day R---- and I read several chapters of _Past and Present_. - Grand, bluff, sturdy old Carlyle is becoming a reality to me. In - his chapters leading up to the selection of Samson as Abbot of - St. Edmundsbury, he throws much light upon a really important - view of public policy, how necessary it is to select the best as - Governor, and how that best is to be recognized and selected. - Carlyle I find to be healthy, wholesome and full of moral fibre." - - * * * * * - - "Even to the outcry against the fleeting nature of our - impressions of beauty, and, for a time, satisfying, comes an - answer in the story of Shelley's _Sensitive Plant_. The author - concludes the beautiful yet sad story by saying: - - _"'I dare not guess; but in this life_ - _Of error, ignorance, and strife,_ - _Where nothing is, but all things seem,_ - _And we the shadows of the dream,_ - - "'_It is a modest creed, and yet_ - _Pleasant if one considers it,_ - _To own that death itself must be,_ - _Like all the rest, a mockery._ - - "'_That garden sweet, that lady fair,_ - _And all sweet shapes and odours there,_ - _In truth have never past away:_ - _'Tis we, 'tis ours, are changed; not they._ - - "'_For love, and beauty, and delight,_ - _There is no death nor change: their might_ - _Exceeds our organs, which endure_ - _No light, being themselves obscure.'_ - - "If this be so, can we not increase and make more lasting our - knowledge of these things by mastering ourselves and giving scope - to the spiritual side of us?" - - - - - _THE LOVE OF OTHERS_ - - -In love for others human nature manifests its highest expression. It -is the quality of soul by which, in his relations with his fellows, -a man's capacity for service is determined; it is the fount at which -all the finer springs of action are fed. Generosity, mercy, pity, -friendship, devotion, sacrifice, flow from this one source, which -conscious effort may help to replenish, but which conscious or -unconscious borrowing can never exhaust. - -In his love for others lay the absorbing passion of Harper's life. -It was a love which begot him the strongest and most enduring of -friendships, and it was a love which carried his influence, and the -sweet purpose of his life, away out beyond the circles of those with -whom he was in daily association to where the tide of affection is -wont to ebb, or, apparently, wastes itself in the reefs and shallows -which abound. Man, woman, or child, he felt their kinship to the race; -their lives were related to his life; misfortune only heightened his -sympathy, and failure his compassion. Day after day gave new expression -to the wealth of generous purpose in that great human heart of his. It -dictated the fields into which he directed his activities; it inspired -his impulses, and was the sustaining power in his work. - -Nor was this, with Harper, a blind love, an unreasoned passion. On the -contrary, whatever its origin, it derived its strength from a carefully -thought out philosophy of life, a philosophy based on a belief in -a divine order and purpose in the universe, and in the sanctity of -individual lives. He had faith in both God and man, and he held that -the will of the one could only be fulfilled as it was realized in -the life of the other. This belief explains his efforts on behalf of -individuals, it interprets the views he held on such questions as those -of social and political reform. - -He loved men because of the belief he had in their natures. "After -all," he writes, "it is not the external appearance of a man, nor what -he says or does, that ought to excite our admiration or distrust, but -that inner personality, the individuality, the soul, which is 'the all -and in all,' and of which appearances are but imperfect representations -and expressions." He was not a man given to professions, or to the -public performance of good deeds; in fact, the being seen of men caused -him to hesitate in the doing of much which a less sensitive nature -would have allowed. He did not shrink, however, from manifesting a -personal interest in lives which seemed to demand it of him, or from -revealing his purpose to those whom he knew could appreciate it aright. - -One incident, among two or three which he has recorded, but one of -a great many known only to those with whom the occasion was shared, -is sufficient to illustrate how practical expression was given to -this belief. It occurred within a short time after he had left the -university, and before he had entered upon his journalistic career. - - "I was returning home one night after a social evening, when I - saw a young man in the hands of a policeman. He was what some - people would have called a 'bad boy,' kept rather doubtful - company, and was under arrest for having raised a disturbance - during a drunken row. Well, I managed to get the boy, who was - about eighteen years of age, out of the cells on bail, and, in - company with a fellow who had been 'painting the town' with him, - I undertook to take him home. I contrived, after some time, to - get rid of his 'pal,' and, as soon as the boy was sober enough, I - undertook to find out whether he had a conscience. - - "After walking about the streets with him for a couple of hours - in the beautiful moonlight, by the aid of a power which was - certainly not my own, I discovered that he had; and the boy - opened up his heart to me. I showed him the uselessness and folly - of the life into which he was rapidly drifting, and, in a voice - convulsed with sobs, he told me that what I said was true. My own - eyes moistened as he confessed what a fool he was. He concluded - by promising me in a voice and with a pressure of the hand which - meant truth, that he would never touch a drop of liquor again. - From the frank manner in which he meets my eyes when I now see - him occasionally, I believe that he has thoroughly reformed. That - night, as I went home, I knew that one prayer had not been in - vain." - -For society as a whole, as for its individual members, his aim was a -constant betterment. - - "There are so few men who couple the capacity for appreciating - the troubles of struggling humanity with an earnest desire to - remove them, that I can see in such a life a tremendous power for - good, and, after all, is not that the highest ideal a man can - hold before him?" - -In this sentence, penned in reference to another, he wrote of himself -more truly than he knew. His journals are full of passages which -disclose his "capacity to appreciate," and his "earnest desire to -remove," the obstacles which thwart the upward and onward progress -of men engaged in the competitive rivalries of the world, and in the -struggle for daily bread. Whether it was pursuing an uncongenial task -in the wilds of Muskoka, or immersed in the cares and unrest of -journalism, or busied in research for material from which to construct -an article for the _Labour Gazette_, a human interest in the life -and the lot of the mass of men was ever before him, and a purpose to -understand and improve that lot his aim. - - "During the course of my stay here," he writes of Muskoka, in - the winter of 1895, "I have had some chance to notice the type - of inhabitants of this inhospitable district. First and foremost - come the lumbermen, not the miners who live in the town, but - the stout fellows in smock and jersey, with their pants shoved - into stockings, which are in turn encased in stout rubbers. - Overcoats are scarce, they don't seem to be needed. Altogether, - though these fellows lead a hard life, and are often coarse and - dissipated, they have opinions of their own, and must be reckoned - with by the rulers of the country. - - "Next comes the Muskoka farmer living in his shanty, for that is - pretty much the rule, although there is, of course, an occasional - farmhouse of more pretentious appearance, and drawing a bare - livelihood by his constant toil with antiquated implements; most - of the hay (the chief product, since it requires little care,) - being cut by the scythe on patches of land cleared by years of - toil, and in most cases thickly strewn with rocks, the only - satisfaction that they have in their poverty being that they are - independent. - - "It is difficult to conceive of culture and refinement under such - circumstances. It may be well, however, to have one part of our - population comparatively free from the two dangerous influences - of our time, riches and luxury on the one hand, and, on the - other, embittered and ignorant combinations actuated by selfish - interests and swayed too largely by demagogues. - - "My sojourn here, though not pleasant and not profitable from a - business point of view, has opened an extensive field of thought. - Of my companions the most interesting was the lumberman whose - wife was sick, and who as a result was leaving the woods. I was - quite interested by his ideas of human life, although they were - not given in a scientific way. He was evidently a man of energy; - one who took life seriously and who had his share of troubles. It - was pathetic to hear the way he spoke of how his wife's family - usually died at about twenty-four years of age, how his wife was - now at that age and was sick. In fact, there are worse places - than the lumber woods for the study of man." - -In the spring of 1898 he was rejoiced at having the opportunity of -conducting a more or less extended inquiry into the conditions of -working men in the several trades. - - "The _Mail_," he writes, "intends, during the coming summer, to - publish a series of articles concerning the conditions, social, - moral and economic, governing each of the various trades, the - facts to be gathered by personal observation and enquiry from - journeymen, apprentices, employers and employees. The work is - to be a feature of each day's paper, and, _mirabile dictu_, the - entire charge of the matter, design and detail, has been handed - over to me. I need not say that I am pleased. I have at once an - opportunity of examining into the industrial and sociological - conditions of the city and province, and possibly of doing - good to my fellow men as the result of these observations. - Incidentally, also, I have an opportunity of strengthening myself - in my own profession, although that is a thing that one can do in - journalism no matter what line of work one is pursuing. Roughly - described, the aim of the series of sketches is to indicate to - the parent what qualifications are required for, and what returns - are to be expected from, the several vocations, in order that - he may the better decide what to do with his boy or girl. I - appreciate the responsibility which the work places upon me, and - pray that I may be able to meet it." - -The articles which were written by Harper, then twenty-four years of -age, and which appeared under the caption "What to do with your boy or -girl," were continued in the _Mail_ from day to day for several months, -and attracted very considerable attention at the time. They disclose -a remarkable ability to get at facts, and the strongest sympathy with -the end in view, and constitute a not unimportant contribution to -the scanty literature which has thus far appeared, having to do with -industrial and labour conditions in the Dominion. - -The human interest which made even the dry language of statutes to glow -with animation for him, is abundantly apparent from the following -passages in reference to some of his work in the department of labour: - - "I spent most of the day in the Library of Parliament, reading up - the provincial acts concerning mining. The thing which impressed - me, as I read, was the uninviting nature of the task of the - miner, cut off from the light of day, hewing away in the bowels - of the earth, exposed to the danger of cave-ins, explosions, - and a living entombment, as the result of carelessness on the - part of his employers, or his associates, or the will of nature. - How can such men, if they are crowded down almost to the margin - of subsistence, develop a roseate view of life! Ever facing - almost terrorizing conditions, they must become brave, sturdy, - self-reliant and earnest enough, but how can they fail to be out - of sympathy with the shams, hypocrisies and dilettantisms of - modern society!" - -And again: - - "At the office, I have been much interested in working upon the - article on the Fisheries of Canada, inasmuch as it has shown to - me a sturdy class of men toiling under conditions of hardship - and danger for what is comparatively a small return. Doubtless - the isolation of the fishing villages, the system of part - proprietorship, and the passion for a sea-faring life, account - for the relative immobility of the population. - - "I am becoming more and more convinced daily of the fact that - this country is going through a transition stage which must - influence it to the bottom. The use of machinery, the weakening - of the artisan by removing the rewards of skill, the work and - wages of girls, the prevalence of piece work and its results, - the effects of pauper and convict labour, and a thousand other - problems are brought daily before my notice in terms of flesh and - blood. - - "It is important to know and understand all sorts and conditions - of men if society as a whole is to be led towards what is better. - Certainly the 'better class of people' need leading as well as - the others, for with them the opportunity offered by leisure is - too often wasted in dilettantism and folly." - -To "society," in the highly specialized meaning of that word, a -reference may not be out of place. In its ambitions, its mandates, -Harper saw but little which made for the development of true manhood or -womanhood, while he saw much which aimed directly at the destruction -of both. There was never any one who enjoyed more the pleasure of good -company, whose temperament, frank, hearty and mirthful, and whose -manner, courteous and sincere, made him a more welcome guest wherever -he went. It was no affectation, therefore, which caused Harper to feel -as he did; it was his belief in the true purpose of life. What to -some, and to himself, was a pastime, he saw, to others, was becoming -an end; instead of developing, it was robbing, natures of their finer -sensibilities. Many of its conventions were wholly artificial, some of -its relationships altogether false. The following short sentences are -sufficient to reveal this view: - - "Social engagements may, I think, be a healthy relaxation, if - kept in their place, and if one does not forget to keep hold of - one's self, and remembers the force of example. With many people - here in Ottawa, I fear the social round is becoming an end in - itself, and therefore a danger to themselves and others. - - "I am coming to the conclusion that if a man is to wield any - influence worth while in this world, he has to cut this folly out - of his life. The past fortnight has shown me how impossible it - is for a man to do what the social world expects of him, and do - justice to himself." - -Commenting on a wedding notice which appeared in a local paper, he -writes: - - "So spoke the society editor this morning. The important thing, - really, was the happy union for life of two loving hearts. - Apparently what the public is supposed to be interested in, is - the gown of white something or other. It may be salutary, as a - means of developing an æsthetic taste generally, to have space - in our public prints for such trifles. For my own part, I often - think the world would be better and saner if the society editor - had never been born." - -And of the "better part," in a personal letter to a friend: - - "If you will pardon me for making the remark, I was very - pleased to see the lively interest your sisters take in the - great work of improving the condition of the masses. It is - one which is bound to widen their sympathies, and remove any - possibility of their becoming enthralled by the chains of hollow - conventionality, which, more than anything else, prevents the - development of true womanhood, under the conditions of our modern - society." - -How, according to his view, true womanhood might be developed, may be -gathered from a letter written by Harper to one of his sisters a short -time before his death. It is one of many home letters which might be -quoted, but it may be taken by itself as characteristic. In speaking of -his love for others, its reproduction here may not be out of place: - - "_Ottawa, Oct. 4th, 1901._ - "MY DEAR L----: - - "I am not writing to give you news, for there is little to give. - I have been having a quiet happy little evening all by myself, - and I thought I could not do better than let you into the secret - of my happiness. I think I have told you before that I am an - admirer of the high-mindedness of Matthew Arnold, 'the apostle - of sweetness and light.' Latterly, I have been taking a great - deal of true pleasure from his poems, and one of the best of - them, _The Buried Life_, I have just finished reading, not for - the first time, for they stand many readings; and I am sure - you would find it hopeful and inspiring. I wish you would read - Matthew Arnold's works, particularly some of the poems, such as - _Rugby Chapel_, _Dover Beach_, _Self Dependence_ and _The Buried - Life_; the last, most of all. There is a good deal of the stoical - Greek about Matthew Arnold, but his is a beautiful, noble, pure - mind whose example makes the pursuit of perfection meaningful, - and beautiful to contemplate. There is much in his philosophy - with which you doubtless will not agree, but there is a richness, - beauty and purity, which you will find most inspiring. - - "And this brings me still to another question. Why should not you - and E---- turn this winter to profit by spending a part of every - day reading aloud to each other, choosing, preferably, such works - as _The Idylls of the King_, Matthew Arnold's poems, or other - writings of the great masters in literature which take one away - from the sordidness of life, and tend to develop the best that is - in one. This, with an adulteration of fiction, would make the - winter very profitable as well as very enjoyable to you both. - When E---- can find time, he could read with you, and direct - your reading course. My dear L----, I am becoming more and more - convinced every day that the most important duty we have is the - moulding of our character; for it is in the strength and richness - of our character that we obtain the title to self-respect, and - are able to influence others. It is by bringing ourselves into - closer contact with the highest thought that we are going to be - enabled to obtain high-mindedness and purity ourselves. There - is a world of truth in the statement, 'Blessed are the pure in - heart, for they shall see God,' and these things of which I speak - are some of the ways of attaining that purity of heart which - makes life richer, deeper and happier. - - "Longfellow, in his prose romance, _Hyperion_, has something of - what I have in mind, when he says: - - "'It is the part of an indiscreet and troublesome ambition to - care too much about fame, about what the world says of us; to - be always looking into the faces of others for approval; to be - always anxious for the effect of what we do and say; to be - always shouting to hear the echo of our own voices. If you look - about you, you will see men who are wearing life away in feverish - anxiety of fame, and the last we shall ever hear of them will be - the funeral bell which tolls them to their early graves! Unhappy - men and unsuccessful! because their purpose is, not to accomplish - well their task, but to clutch the "fantasy and trick of fame"; - and they go to their graves with purposes unaccomplished, and - wishes unfulfilled. Better for them, and for the world in their - example, had they known how to wait! Believe me, the talent of - success is nothing more than doing what you can do well; and - doing well whatever you do,--without a thought of fame. If it - comes at all, it will come because it is deserved, not because it - is sought after. And, moreover, there will be no misgivings, no - disappointment, no hasty, feverish, exhausting excitement.' - - "This is rather a heavy quotation for a letter, but I wished - you to catch the thought, you will find it in the chapter in - _Hyperion_ on _Literary Fame_. You will see the truth of it, if - you allow your mind to dwell upon it for a moment. Longfellow - has no thought of discouraging ambition. Far from it. He - simply wants to emphasize the folly of hoping for fame which is - undeserved, and, as he points out, the way to deserve it is by - doing well what is to be done. But as you are not fame hunting, - it is not the fame part of it that I wish to dwell upon here, - so much as the parallel thought, that it is the inner life, the - inner strength which comes from resolute effort and familiarity - with the best thought, which tells, and which makes for true - happiness. - - "I have often told you that your worst danger is your tendency - to worry, a tendency which is based, I know, upon the depth of - the interest which you take in those who are dear to you. What - you must do is to prevent that tendency from casting a shadow - over your life. I have a picture of you--a copy which W---- - enlarged from the little sunbeam of you, with a big white hat, - you remember,--in a gold frame over my desk. It is much admired, - and I am proud to introduce it as my sister. As I look at it, I - can see my dear little sister, bright, happy and devoted, and - now I don't want to think of her with any unnecessary cares. Now - do be good, and you and E---- try and make the winter profitable - to both of you. Take walks, get exercise in the open air, be - cheerful, read, and generally try and make life happier by - the means which you have at hand. I am neither scolding nor - lecturing, and I have said nothing which you do not already know, - but somehow to-night, you have been running in my mind, and I - wanted to tell you what I thought and wished, so that, in due - course of time, you will look back to the winter of 1901 as one - of the happiest chapters in your life. I am sorry that, when we - were in Barrie, the shadow of memories and the pressure of many - things must have made me seem selfish and not kind enough to my - sisters, but I need not tell you, L----, that your happiness is - dear to me. - - "And now I must close. So good-night, my dear little sister. - - "With much love, - "Ever your affectionate brother, - "BERT." - -Just how characteristic this letter is of the interest taken by Harper -in the welfare and happiness of those to whom he was united by the -closest of ties, will be apparent from another letter, written many -months previous, to a brother in New York, after returning from a -short visit to that city. It reveals the same earnest endeavour of a -life to impart its own secret to the lives of others, and to establish -a standard of happiness which could bring no deceptions. Its practical -common sense will make it no less commendable as an evidence of the -truest affection. - -He writes: - - "_Ottawa, Dec. 30, 1900._ - "MY DEAR WILL: - - "Since returning to Ottawa there has been little happening that - would be of interest to you. I have been busy enough, and have - managed to control a tendency, fostered by the invitations of a - number of kind people here, and my own disposition, to be drawn - into the social whirl. It is weak, and life is earnest, so I - have decided to do with as little of it as possible. No man who - desires to make progress in this world, can hope to do so if he - squanders his evenings. There are two ways in which a man may - equip himself so that he may be in the van of progress:--first, - by strengthening his own mind through a study of what is and has - been in the minds of great men of thought,--this, one can do - from books;--secondly, by pursuing positive original work along - the special line to which he has devoted himself. These things I - am attempting to do. The difficulty lies in selection. What we - have to do is to get away from the semblances, and get at the - realities of life. - - "Of Carlyle's _Hero Worship_, I have already spoken to you. It - is healthy and sturdy. I am now reading Carlyle's _Past and - Present_, and do not know anything in literature more wholesome - or worth reading. Do not neglect to read it. Men of the stamp of - Carlyle, Emerson and Matthew Arnold go to the root of questions, - and their books will do you one hundred times as much good as - all the novels which are going the rounds. Every man owes it to - himself to supply his mind with the best material available, and, - although Carlyle may seem a little heavy in parts, where one may - not have become familiar with the subject matter he refers to, - you will find the influence of his sturdy personality upon your - own views of life. - - "With regard to the second point,--work along one's own special - line,--I am plodding along at work in the field of economics, - and hope to be able to get out a book in the more or less near - future. You know best what will be profitable for you. What I - would suggest is, that you lose no opportunity of familiarizing - yourself with the best writings on architecture; that you devote - time and thought to studying architectural models of buildings - as they are, and otherwise; and, that you take every opportunity - to attend lectures or discussions where architectural subjects - are being considered. In this way you will find your interest in - your work, and in life generally, as well as your usefulness to - your employers, increasing at a surprising rate. I know how hard - it is for a man living in a great, interesting place like New - York, to do deliberate, consecutive work, and to keep control of - himself and his time, but he must do this, if he is going to get - along. Life is real and earnest, and a man who is going to hold - up his end in dull times, and in the autumn of life, must take - every opportunity to equip himself, and to save his dollars. A - man need not be mean, he can go to things worth going to, he can - dress decently, and hold up his end generally; but there are lots - of things upon which money is often spent, which are absolute - folly. Money is hard to make, and a man cannot justify himself in - throwing it away. - - "I hope you will pardon all this which may appear like a - lecture. It is not, I can assure you, dear old Will. It is simply - a few conclusions which I have come to, and which I believe to - be absolutely true. If they are, why should we not follow them? - I want us both to live fruitful and useful lives, and it is by - such conscious, deliberate work as I have referred to, that we - both can do it. Let us cut asunder what of empty, unprofitable - conviviality, and the like, may have grown into our lives, and - let us live so that when we are old men,--if we are spared,--we - may look back upon our lives without regret, and feel that we - have been worthy of the best that is in us, and of the trust - which our dear parents placed in us. - - "My visit to New York was thoroughly profitable; it has given - me much food for thought, and has enabled me to see some things - more clearly than ever before. I cannot tell you of all the - impressions New York brought, and has left upon me. I have never - quite managed to shake off the attitude of mind of a student, and - I find myself constantly weaving my experiences in New York into - my philosophy of life. The two events which seem to stand out - most clearly are the visit to the _Art Museum_, and the concert - at the _Metropolitan_. That was a glorious day, for it showed - how men in the rush and flurry of business life have at hand - the means of soul purifying and refreshment in art and music, - two great agencies which bring men's minds back from semblances - to truth. Will you ever forget the music we heard? The singing - of Rossini's _Stabat Mater_ was to me like wandering through a - sea of dreams, beautiful yet sad. Greatest of all, I thought, - was Nordica's _Inflammatus_, a soul-stirring song, splendidly - set off by the orchestra and chorus, and which stirred the vast - audience to its depths. It was the great victory of the evening. - How strong must be the satisfaction of the possession of so - magnificent a voice, both in the capacity to interpret such - beautiful music, and in the ability to thrill and purge the human - soul. For is it not the case that great music ever does this? I - know little of the _technique_ of music, but for years I have - felt its influence upon me for good. - - "Every hour of my visit was profitable, and I need not say - that it would have been a blind, stupid ramble without your - assistance. I know what it meant in sacrifice of time and - hard-earned money to you. I would have liked to have controlled - your generosity. However, I know the spirit which moved you, and - I am deeply grateful to you. - - "And now, my dear brother Will, I trust that this New Year which - ushers in a new century, will bring to you true happiness, and - the accomplishment of your most worthy ambitions. - - "Your affectionate brother, - "BERT." - -It is not surprising to find in a remote corner of the diary of a man -whose feelings were so genuine, and sympathies so sincere, such mention -as the following, of an evening spent with "The Woodcutters," a society -he had helped to organize the year after he left the university, and -the purposes of which will be sufficiently clear from the reference: - - "We went to old Thomas Mahoney's where we worked hard from about - 8:30 to 11:00 P. M., sawing and splitting wood. The family - consisted of Mrs. Mahoney, an old woman of about sixty or - sixty-five, and her daughter. The daughter, who is half-witted, - goes out washing and scrubbing, while the old lady has to saw - and split all the wood necessary to keep their hovel warm, it - being situated in an exposed place on the edge of the common. - The interior does not betoken wealth, but the old woman and her - daughter seem to be not unhappy, this probably because of their - having come from the Emerald Isle. I shall try and follow up the - acquaintance with a view to discovering to what causes their - poverty is due. This institution is a good one, for besides the - hard work, it affords undoubtedly a good way of helping the - deserving poor, and gives one a splendid chance for economic - study." - -Nor is the following entry less surprising, written, as it was, in -part justification of himself, lest he should have erred in having -aided financially, and in other ways, a deaf-mute boy who came to him -for assistance, but into whose circumstances he had not, at the time, -had opportunity of making a personal inquiry. A file of correspondence -with the Charity Organizations officer, and the superintendent of -_The Institute for the Deaf and Dumb_, reveals the care with which he -subsequently satisfied his conscience in this particular case of one -who belonged to "the dependent and neglected poor." - - "Whatever may be held regarding the unwisdom of a paternal system - with regard to society generally,--and while my own best judgment - inclines me to be individualistic,--I have a strong sympathy with - those who are robbed of the use of their senses, to whom so much - of the beauty of God's world is as a sealed book. I felt this - strongly as I dictated the letters which he could not hear. The - bright intelligence on his face as he learned my intention, and - indicated his approval of some of my suggestions, was beautiful - to see. I trust that he will not prove a disappointment, and that - I shall not be deceived." - -Harper had the faith which led him at times to cast his bread upon the -waters. Had he been asked why he did so, he would have replied, because -he loved to. If questioned further, he would, with Tennyson, have said: - - "That nothing walks with aimless feet; - That not one life shall be destroy'd, - Or cast as rubbish to the void, - When God hath made the pile complete." - - - - - _SOCIAL AND POLITICAL IDEALS_ - - -Few men of his years have thought as deeply as Harper did, or had -clearer perceptions, concerning conditions and forces which make -for happiness and progress in social life, and the development of -national greatness. Had he been spared he would have been an earnest -and practical reformer; silent as his voice is now, the words he once -uttered are not without their value to our day and generation. He was a -true patriot in sentiment and aspiration. - -Harper loved his country and its people, and in all that he undertook, -which was of a public nature, he was animated by an enthusiasm for -the common good. Of the self-imposed tasks he had undertaken in -addition to his regular duties at the department of labour, and in -each of which he had made some progress, were treatises on "Labour -Legislation in Canada," and the "Outlines of an Industrial History of -the Dominion." Among his contributions to publications other than the -_Labour Gazette_, was a short essay on _Colleges and Citizenship_ in -a Christmas number of the _Acta Victoriana_ of Victoria College, one -or two articles in _The Commonwealth_ on _Canada's Attitude Towards -Labour_, and an uncompleted monograph, intended for publication, on -_The Study of Political Economy in the High Schools_. He was president -of the Ottawa Social Science Club, secretary-treasurer of the Ottawa -section of the University of Toronto Alumni Association, and an active -member of the Ottawa Literary and Scientific Society. He was at the -same time promoting the organization of a University Club, a plan of -which he had carefully prepared, and the object of which was to bring -the university men of the city into closer touch with each other, and -make their influence more widely felt in the civic and social life of -the community. - -The background of all Harper's thinking on social and political -problems was coloured by his belief in a moral order; in the forefront -was ever the individual proclaiming this order, and seeking to realize -it in his own life. Institutions of whatever kind, whether national -or religious, were to him of human creation. Their usefulness was in -proportion to the degree to which they helped to give expression to the -unseen purpose in the universe. Nature and man, alone, were divine. It -followed logically from this that man's work among his fellows in the -world was to discover the moral order, reveal and maintain it, so far -as within him the power lay. Harmony with this order meant happiness, -want of harmony, whether by the individual or the state, unhappiness. -In this view, the individual is vastly superior to any institution he -and his fellows may construct, superior as an end, and as a means to an -end. If a set of conditions exist which are counter to the moral order, -or obstruct its fulfillment in the lives of men, these conditions -should be changed, the individual should not be sacrificed to them. -On the other hand, change may be, and ought to be accomplished more by -men than by institutions, and can only be accomplished in the degree to -which beliefs become active, potent factors in individual lives. - -It is true that human knowledge is limited, and that the purpose of -God is infinite, and so there may rightly be among men differences -of opinion as to what, under any circumstances, are the ends to be -sought, and the best means to attain those ends; and humility may well -characterize all expressions of belief relative thereto; but, to the -extent of knowledge gained, the ground underfoot is firm, and humility -will not excuse the want of assertion, where right reason is set at -naught by wrongful conduct. Moreover, there is much on which men can be -agreed, broken arcs visible to all, though the perfect round is seen -by none. There are right and wrong, truth and falsehood, honesty and -dishonesty, love and hate, purity and vice, honour and dishonour, and -the difference between them is as apparent and real as the difference -'twixt day and night, albeit, now and again, a twilight of uncertainty -may render doubtful the confines of separation. Harper's exclusive -insistence was only upon what in this way was acceptable to all; and -knowing that it was acceptable, he was sure the appeal would find a -response in those to whom it was addressed. Whatever men might be in -seeking privately their own selfish ends, their belief in a moral order -was apparent once action became collective; the public had a conscience -to which it was generally true, though men at times might seem to -betray their better selves; and public opinion might be expected to -guard for society as a whole a right for which individuals sometimes -lost respect. How great, therefore, was the responsibility upon those -who had the capacity, or opportunity, to see that public opinion was -rightly formed and directed, and that, in social and political affairs, -truth and right should be made to prevail! - -This insistence upon the recognition of responsibility in those -favoured by educational training or opportunity, is well brought out -in a paragraph or two in the short essay on _Colleges and Citizenship_. -Referring to a quotation from Sir Alfred Milner's life of Arnold -Toynbee, in which "the estrangement of the men of thought from the -leaders of the people" is referred to as having constituted, in -Toynbee's mind, the great danger of the democratic upheaval of the -time, Harper writes: - - "People in Canada to-day are doubtless not so anxious about - democratic upheaval. Fortunately the aggravated conditions of an - old world metropolis have not yet been developed. The task is - easier; the duty none the less imperative. It is more possible to - secure the confidence of men who are not embittered by the pangs - of slumdom. But because conditions here are not as distressing as - they have been and are elsewhere, it is surely no less desirable, - with a view to promoting industrial peace and healthy national - development, that the men who have opportunity and capacity for - the serious study of social and economic problems, should not - allow themselves to become fenced off by a wall of indifference - of their own creation from those to whom the mass of the people - look for direction, inspiration and suggestion. It is reasonable - to expect that he who claims to be engaged in the pursuit of - truth should not give countenance to what makes for social - disorder and national decay. - - "Men are as much open to reason, as liable to accept truth, - when they have been convinced of it, as when Arnold Toynbee - studied, lectured and wrote. They are as prone to prefer what is - genuine to what is pretense and dissimulation. Surely a peculiar - obligation to see that men think rightly and act sanely, devolves - upon those whose vantage ground should enable them to distinguish - what is genuine. Sir Alfred Milner, having in mind the earnest - friend of his undergraduate days, said six years ago to the - members of Toynbee Hall: 'I do not go so far as to say that what - Oxford thinks to-day England will do to-morrow, but certainly any - new movement of thought at the universities in these days rapidly - finds its echo in the press and in public opinion.' Indeed, is - there not fair ground for the belief that much of the virtue - which has marked the conduct of Great Britain's High Commissioner - at Cape Town, throughout the South African crisis is due to - association with the high-minded student, who, in the congenial - atmosphere of Oxford, did not forget that he was a citizen?" - -It was his belief in the importance of men recognizing their duties as -citizens, and being able to discharge these duties with intelligence -and for the common good, which led Harper to prepare a scheme for the -teaching of Political Economy in the high schools. The merits of this -plan he had summarized as follows: - - "Such a study would tend to remedy the great evil of democratic - institutions, the susceptibility of the masses to the influence - of demagogues, and their liability to misconstrue the relations - of cause and effect because of ignorance. It would tend to - promote mental development, especially in the direction of - individual thought. It would tend to raise the standard of such - studies in the universities, and this in time would react upon - the high schools in the way of more competent teachers, and, - in the end, create great possibilities for the prosecution - of research in this all important branch of knowledge in our - country. It would tend to remedy social evils by giving the - philanthropist and the public generally, something like an - accurate idea of the true state of society. It would react - beneficially upon the government, which, with a more critical - observation, would be more careful in its actions." - -He modestly concludes, - - "I simply put forward a proposal which, I think, if carried - out, would tend to modify the evils fostered by ignorance. I - have to a great extent taken it as an axiom that whatever tends - to disseminate knowledge, to advance truth, and to develop the - intellect, cannot be wrong, and should be accepted by all liberal - minded men; and this, I think, would be the result of the study - of Political Economy in our high schools." - -From the notes he had made, and from what is contained in the body of -the article, it would appear that he had in mind a course on _Civic -Ethics_, quite as much as on the _Elements of Economics_, and that he -would have liked, if possible, to have had a beginning made in the -public schools. - -Scattered throughout his diary are such observations as the following: - - "I am becoming more and more convinced that the true rulers of - the nation are outside of our parliaments and our law courts, - and that the safety of society lies in informing those who form - public opinion." - - * * * * * - - "I feel more and more the necessity of emphasizing the importance - of the scientific study of economic and political problems in a - country in which every man has the franchise, and is supposed to - be in a position to express an intelligent opinion upon public - questions, and particularly at a time when labour and kindred - problems are prominent in the public mind." - - * * * * * - - "A man who truly loves his country should be disposed to do his - utmost to see it rightly governed." - - * * * * * - - "The poor downtrodden have more to hope for from men who, having - a specialized training in the operation of social forces, apply - themselves to the proper remedy, than from all the windy, - ultra-radical demagogues." - - "It is the alienation--partly, no doubt, due to indolence--of - the men of thought from those from whom the mass of the people - habitually receive their inspiration, which accounts for much of - the crass ignorance and purposeless passion of the people and - their demagogues." - - * * * * * - - "For myself, I have long deplored the foolish worship of this or - that set of political machinery by apparently well intentioned - men. In Matthew Arnold's _Culture and Anarchy_, there is a - solution for much of our distressing bluster and blunder. With - confidence in the possibilities of man and a resolute endeavour - to strive towards perfection, to allow our best consciousness - to play about our stock notions and our painful conditions of - society, we should be able to see the real value of things, and - ultimately to approach more nearly to right and truth. If our - well-intentioned, but perhaps 'over-Hebraized' ultra-socialists - and ultra-individualists would have perfection more prominently - in mind than the pet panacea they have ever before them, and - would allow their best consciousness to play about their notions - of society and its evils, there would be less of viciousness and - ignorance in their propaganda." - - "The fallacy of political panaceas! And the vital importance of - improving the individual morally, and encouraging him to elevate - his ideals! What a splendid thing it would be if every labour - agitator, every demagogue, every member of parliament, every - professor, teacher and minister, and, in fact, every one who - exerts an influence upon the public mind, could realize and act - upon the truth which came to Alton Locke after his life of bitter - trial: 'My only ground was now the bare realities of life and - duty. The problem of society--self-sacrifice, the one solution.'" - - * * * * * - - "We are too apt to regard social phenomena as if they are - entities in themselves, instead of incidents in the development - of society, a fact which a man who is amidst the strife of - existing social and economic conditions should not lose sight of." - - * * * * * - - "I am continually impressed with the wisdom of keeping a mind - open to suggestion and impressions from the men one meets in - the ordinary course of life, in fine, the importance of keeping - an open mind. If one can accomplish this, even the din of - 'the world's most crowded streets' becomes interesting and - instructive, even beautiful, because of the opportunities of - seeing truth and discovering the remedy for evils." - - * * * * * - - "Justice and truth must prevail over tyranny and ignorance." - - * * * * * - -The true mind is revealed in its unconscious moments, and it is, -therefore, from passages like these, casually expressed, and constantly -recurring in much that he wrote, which was of a private nature, that -his real views and beliefs are to be gathered. One or two other -passages in a similar vein will disclose these views more fully. - -During Christmas week of 1900 he visited New York for the first time. -Of the many impressions made upon his mind, the contrasts of wealth and -poverty, and all that they implied, were to him more real than aught -else. - - "What was particularly irritating to me," he writes in his - journal, after returning from this trip, "was the constant - evidence of the power of money rule in that throbbing metropolis. - The story is written, even on the store signs on Broadway, that - this, the greatest commercial city in America, is practically - owned by monied persons, whose tastes and ambitions strike one as - being essentially low, mean and vulgar. I felt strongly a growing - pride in British institutions and British character compared with - what I saw about me. The ground taken by Mr. Mulock, on behalf - of labour, came strongly before me. I felt that selfishness must - be reckoned with in the solution of social problems. What is to - be hoped is that strong men may be brought to see that right - legislation is good politics, that they may thus be persuaded - to lend their aid to those who hope to avoid the growth in - Canada of a corrupt system by which the power is in the hands - of the octopus who owns the money bags, and who fattens on the - blood of the people whom he crowds under him. There is luxury - and magnificence on Fifth Avenue, but I envied not the proud - possessors of those costly mansions. I want naught but what my - own ability and effort will bring me. I believe in making one's - surroundings as beautiful as may be, but I feel that there is - much waste and vulgar display in the way in which wealthy New - York arrays herself. Her luxury is ponderous and heavy and dull, - when one remembers that much of it rests on the necks of the - hundreds of thousands of toilers who gasp for breath in the - narrow streets, from whom are withheld God's free gifts, the - sunlight and the pure air." - -Elsewhere, he writes after a walk through the city streets: - - "On the way home I turned over in my mind the question as to - how wealthy men come to be so much appreciated in spite of the - fact that it is only the lovable in man which is truly loved--by - right-minded men at all events, and I am satisfied that, - consciously or unconsciously, men come to compromise with their - own sense of justice in their estimate of men, until a habit of - thought and regard is fixed. What goes forward is something like - this: we do not love the man with the big house, but we would - love to be the man with the big house. And since the man with the - big house often has it in his power to get a bigger house than - we have, we come to appreciate him. Many men do this until it - comes to be usual to appreciate the man with the big house, and - he comes to be a large figure in the eyes of the world, however - little we may love him and his methods. This is particularly - the case in a young nation like the United States which has, as - yet, scarcely come to realize the really valuable things, an - appreciation of which comes from genuine culture. - - "Again, whilst there is no great sin _per se_ in being rich, I - can see the truth in the old scriptural saying, 'It is easier for - a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to - enter into the kingdom of God.' When it is so hard for an earnest - student to keep his mind rivetted upon the eternal realities of - life, through which character building and true happiness come, - how much harder must it be for the man whose circumstances make - the existing order, if not sufficient, yet comfortable, who has - his vanity flattered by the things which he has been pursuing, - and who has a vast web of houses and other possessions to shut - him off from even an occasional view of the realities. These - facts, of course, only hold in their general application and - tendencies. There have been, doubtless, splendid rich men. When - these reach that state when, of their own free will, and of - deliberate choice, they are prepared to go, sell all that they - have, and give to the poor, then they have reached an attitude - of mind and heart which enables them to distinguish between - semblances and realities, to deliberately select the latter, and - so realize the greatest happiness, the Kingdom of Heaven." - -His fine spirit is no less clearly revealed in the views which he -held of the duties of the department of labour, and of the ideals he -believed should govern and direct its work. The following extracts from -letters to the one with whom he was associated, may serve to show with -what purpose and to what end he had given himself to the work. The -letters were written during the summer of 1901, while he was in charge -of the department: - - "As I lay in a hammock last night at Kingsmere, and gazed into - the deep blue moonlit vault of heaven, and ran over in my mind - the progress already made by the department, and taxed my - imagination to see its future, the one formidable obstacle which - I saw ever before us was the difficulty of keeping firm to one's - convictions in the face of growing clamours for things which one - cannot approve, yet which are uttered by people whom one cannot - ignore. Nevertheless, I am convinced that all will be well in - the end. We will have the good will of the decent, fair-minded - people, and that is all one should be much concerned about, after - one has satisfied one's own sense of right and justice. I feel a - deep sense of the gravity of our position, and I am determined - that you shall command my best effort in your endeavours to make - the work of the department effective, and to defeat unworthy - attacks. I do not think that I am lacking either in faith in - human nature or in the ultimate triumph of right, but I am coming - to realize more, day by day, that it is a great man's work which - we are called upon to perform. I have every confidence in our - ability to weather the storms which we will undoubtedly be called - upon to meet, and you can be assured that you will find me ready - to do my share. It behooves us both to steadfastly keep before us - those things which are true, and, if we do, Nature, as Carlyle - says, will be on our side. - - "The work on the _Labour Gazette_ allows opportunity for a - careful and searching analysis of the industrial and social life - of the Dominion. Already I can see the practical usefulness of - the work. In addition to the obvious recognition of the claims - of labour involved in the creation of the department, we have it - in our power to publish information which should lead to a better - understanding all round, as well as to further such movements as - arbitration and conciliation which tend to promote industrial - peace. - - "With the added responsibility there has come to me an increasing - sense of the usefulness of the work which we are doing. I - believe we can do much towards determining the direction of - social progress. With a knowledge of fact, an absence of - sectarian prejudice, some understanding of the progress of human - institutions, and of the motives which influence men, we should, - if we can keep control of ourselves, and maintain high ideals as - inspiration for the development of the best that is in us, be - able to render a lasting service to this country." - -In this connection his views as to the relation of the State and -Labour, and of labour problems generally, may not be without interest. - - "I think," he writes, "we should discourage anything that tends - to prevent Canadian workers from being good citizens, and enough - means and leisure to avoid the brutalizing tendency of suppressed - bitterness and poverty, is necessary to that end. I am inclined - to believe that healthy, rational development will be best - furthered by restraining those influences which tend to lower the - level of citizenship, and the material well-being of the mass of - the workers in a country in which, as in Canada, the workers are - an important element in the governing of the nation. Society must - insist upon rules of fairness governing our industrial system, - and upon frowning down the 'mean man.' Let each individual have - to himself the reward of his energy, and of his legitimate - effort, but let him work in accordance with rules of fair play, - and frown down, and banish, if need be, the 'mean man.' - - "There are those who have held that man has but one right, the - right to live, if he can. Modern British democracy does not - stop there. That same sense of self-respect which prevents us - considering as tolerable a society which allows men and women, - who are unable to provide for themselves, to lie down on the - street and die, forces us to insist that there shall be some - rules for the regulation of industrial life, more particularly - where the parties in an industrial contest are of unequal - strength. Most modern societies are prepared to admit that - industry should be so conducted that men who are willing to - work shall be allowed to work under as wholesome conditions as - are reasonably possible, and that they shall be allowed such a - return for their labour and so much leisure, as is necessary to - health. For, to put it on no higher ground, no society, however - hard hearted, can afford for long, when the remedy lies in its - own hands, to countenance conditions which create in the hearts - of reasonable men, that bitterness which tends to provoke social - upheavals and revolutions. - - "Where the governing power is dependent upon the governed, - no abstract theory of individual liberty or what not, will - long prevent the State from taking cognizance of apparent and - remediable injustice. Doctrinaire political philosophers, - painters of Utopias, peddlars of political panaceas, still have - their own little _nostrums_ for society, but the law has been - built up, as has seemed right or expedient to the law makers of - the time, as a series of arbitrary rules based upon experience, - and defining the terms upon which people may best live in each - other's society. - - "The attitude taken by those who have fashioned British policy - in industrial matters, recognizing the principle that upon - individual ability and individual energy rests national progress, - allows to the individual the enjoyment of the fruits of his - industry. But it insists that in the getting of it he must be - governed by rules of fair play. The rule which underlies the - various labour laws seems to be 'leave well enough alone, but - get after the mean man.' A parent has a right to chastise his - child, but that does not mean that he has a right to beat his - child whenever he feels inclined, or allow him to be so worked - as to start him in life a crippled, deformed, little creature. - The Factories Acts, perhaps the best known department of labour - legislation, both in England and in Canada, have been created - to correct abuses, which would not have arisen but for the - practices of hard-hearted employers. In order to thwart the mean - man, who will consider neither the comfort nor the well-being - of his employees, certain rules have been laid down, declaring - how establishments, where abuses are likely to arise, shall be - conducted. - - "The generally accepted rule nowadays is, that good done is - sufficient justification of an act, in the absence of evidence - that equal or greater evil will follow. Take as an illustration - the inspection of apples and pears, which does not fall within - the scope of what is normally considered labour legislation. It - was found that, left to themselves, some men who sold apples were - so short-sighted as to fill the centre of the apple barrels with - inferior fruit, straw, old boots, clothes, and other material - which cost less than the hand-picked fruit of the Canadian - orchards, and which could not be seen when covered up with rosy, - sweet smelling Northern Spies. But the appetite of the British - consumer does not extend to the contents of the refuse cart, and - Canadian fruit growers as a whole suffered. Because some men are - prepared to carry their meanness to the extent of counterfeiting, - and of impairing the reputation of their countrymen, the Canadian - parliament felt called upon, in the interest of common decency - and the good of the apple trade, to require an inspection, which, - while it will defeat the mean man, will involve the regulation of - every honest Canadian shipper who is content to take his chances - on the principle, '_caveat emptor_.' - - "Here, then, is an illustration which may be applied. Let every - man stand upon his own feet, says the parliament at Westminster. - Let every man choose and pursue his own aim in life, and have for - himself the reward of his efforts. But where an abuse develops to - such an extent that it becomes a menace to public safety, or an - invasion of the rights of others, we are prepared to so legislate - as to defeat the offender, whilst restricting individual - enterprise to the least possible extent." - -And of the application of the same principle of fair play to industrial -disputes, he writes: - - "Partly because society feels that it cannot afford to see the - machinery of production tied up and inactive, partly because - of the effect upon consumers of increased inconvenience and - increased prices as the result of that suspension, but largely, I - think, because society demands that the men who work shall have - fair treatment, because the great heart of society, stripped of - its shams, its semblances, its dilettantisms, its hypocrisies - and its follies, demands that justice and fair play shall rule - between man and man, that they who are willing to work with, - their hands shall have a fair return for their work, and shall - be allowed to work under fair conditions, it has come to pass - that, in British countries, there is an answer to the demand - of labour for some kind of arbitrament other than the strong - hand, when the parties to an industrial dispute fail to agree. - In New Zealand the answer has come in compulsory arbitration, - which, at bottom, means, practically, the fixing of wages by the - State. In Great Britain and Canada individualism will not go so - far. Public opinion, for the time being at least, is satisfied - with the creation of machinery for the operation of voluntary - conciliation. We hope that public opinion will, in most cases and - in the long run, strike a true note. Under modern conditions, - as Carlyle says, 'Democracy virtually extant will insist upon - becoming palpably extant.' - - "Inasmuch as many industrial disputes have their origin in - misunderstandings, and in sentimental alienations from the - arbitrary disposition of one party or the other, the Acts - in Great Britain and Canada, providing as they do for the - appointment of an unbiased mediator to bring the parties - together, are calculated to sweep away all unessential - entanglements, and make the way clear for a settlement by means - of amicable compromise without taking away from either of the - parties the privilege, to which each claims a right, of using - its strength to further its own legitimate individual ends. - The existence of the machinery makes it difficult for either - party in a serious dispute to refuse to employ it; the prestige - of the government behind the conciliator enables him to deal - freely with each party, and to throw the full light of day upon - the real condition of affairs. This done, the full strength of - the system of voluntary conciliation comes into play. Public - opinion will force a settlement which approximates to justice - and fairness. The mean party, whether it be the employer or the - labour organization, must inevitably give way to the extent of - its meanness, and at the same time, the right of the individual - to realize for himself the fullest fruits of his legitimate - effort, at once the stimulus of the capitalist, and _raison - d'être_ of the trade union, is preserved. The system, it is - true, acknowledges, at once, the imperfection of trade union - machinery, and the selfishness, even to the extent of meanness, - of employers; it goes further than the grasping and heartless - employer would allow; it falls short of what many unionists, - especially among the socialists in the organizations, would - demand; but it adequately represents the general attitude of - the British public in matters of labour legislation generally, - preserves the reward of individual effort to the individual who - makes the effort, but makes it impossible for the mean man to - profit by his meanness. Meanwhile, with the option, in case of - disputes, of the arbitrament of public opinion, an employer is - apt to give greater consideration to a proposal for the creation - of a permanent conciliation board, representative of himself and - his employees, to determine questions which may arise within his - establishment. - - "Such a bringing together of the two classes in the producing - scheme for the consideration of their mutual interests, as well - as their mutual differences, is calculated to promote a harmony - which should make for the great aim of all, the promotion of - industrial peace. Granted the existence of a fair rate of wages - and fair conditions of work, the existence of conditions, - which can, with little difficulty, merge into a modified form - of industrial association or partnership, and there is the - vindication of the truth, that there is no necessary warfare - between the parties to production." - -Lastly, of Democracy; its problems were to him mainly industrial; a -well informed public opinion was the one hope, a recognition of the -duties of citizenship, the one necessity of the times. In obedience to -a moral order lay the secret of happiness, for the heart of a people -like the heart of man, was governed by truth. - - "If we are to have faith in democracy, we must believe that the - people, when informed, will choose what is right in preference - to what is base. If we can judge of the disposition of the press - and the expressed opinions of prominent men who give thought to - the matter, Canada has deliberately set her face towards the - promotion of industrial peace, the stamping out of the mean man. - Canadians seem disposed to declare with Carlyle, that 'cash - payment is not the sole nexus of man with man. Deep, far deeper - than supply and demand are laws, obligations as sacred as man's - life itself. He that will not learn them, perpetual mutiny, - contention, hatred, isolation, execration, will wait on his - footsteps, till all men discern that the thing which he attains, - however golden it look or be, is not success, but the want of - success.'" - - * * * * * - - "Working men are not asking for favours. In their federations - less and less is heard of technical differences, and more of a - desire to secure the good will of the general public by means of - a cool, deliberate presentation of views upon public questions - primarily affecting them. It is impossible not to accept the - general views of Mr. Henry Compton, that as working men acquire - their full rights, their leaders will turn to the noble task - of impressing upon them the duties of citizenship. Outside of - parliaments and law courts, the destiny of the nation's workers - and employers is being shaped by the consciousness of right in - the minds of the mass of the people." - - * * * * * - - "I have confidence that public opinion will, in most cases and - in the long run, strike a true note. I have faith in the saying, - 'the people may make mistakes, but the people never lie.' Show - the people what it all means, and the people will do what is - right. They are learning the insufficiency of political catch - words. They know that no political pill, call it by ever so - attractive a word, is a cure for all ills." - - * * * * * - - "Whatever course we may pursue we must not forget that it is but - a means to an end. Machinery is good, so long as we remember - that it is machinery. No system will, even for a short time, - avoid industrial evils unless the people have respect for what - is right and true and just. The present system has its omissions - and its weaknesses, but it keeps in mind some of the principles - of public policy, which experience has shown to be sturdy, sane - and wholesome. I think it is a stride in the right direction. If - men will but be true to themselves, a new era is dawning upon - us; an era, which, if it will not be free of pain, hardship and - suffering for many, will, while preserving a premium as a reward - for the energetic, a punishment for the mean, leave the final - judgment in industrial questions with public opinion, which, when - informed, is ready to choose what is right in preference to what - is base. The ultimate solution of industrial problems, now as - never before, lies with the people at large, and all will be well - if citizens will but discharge the duties of their citizenship." - - - - - _THE PURPOSE OF LIFE_ - - -"I trust I may do my duty before God and man and realize the best that -is in me." These words are among the last in Harper's diary. Five -years before, referring to repeated disappointments and reverses he -had written: "I hope they will enable me to realize the high ideal of -my existence." The same lofty purpose was expressed in the opening -paragraph of his diary, already quoted. It reads: - -"I am writing this record of my thoughts and actions in order that I -may be better able to understand myself; to improve in that wherein I -find myself wanting, and that some day I may be able to look back and -find a rule of development or perhaps of life, with its assistance. I -shall endeavour to be at least honest with myself, and hope that the -use of this book may help me occasionally, to sever myself mentally -from the associations of the world and retire within myself. My -hope is that some day I may be able to become acquainted with my own -individuality, and discover what is the first essential and object of -my existence." - -If love for others was the ruling passion, the realization of a high -ideal was the constant purpose of Harper's life. He deliberately, at -an early age, looked in upon his life; regarded it as a trust given -him by the Creator to mould and fashion at his will; saw that it had -capacities which he believed to be infinite and divine; and sought, by -reflection and action, to unfold its meaning and to work out its end. -"There is a dreamy undercurrent in my whole make-up, which I have never -been able to understand, but which sometimes seems to me to be more -real than my waking life." Already the infinite mystery had become a -great reality to him. His search was not in vain. Before its close, - - "_He saw life clearly,_ - _And he saw it whole._" - -Man found himself in a world surrounded by mortals like himself; two -theories were possible, either all was chance, or there was design. -If chance, there could be no ultimate meaning of things, no relation -between the parts, either between the universe and man, or man and his -fellows; truth and right there might be, by arrangement, but they could -not be absolute; duty might exist, but under what law? No, the world, -man,--these clearly were to be accounted for in some more rational way. -The only alternative was design. The finite mind, seeking to interpret -the Infinite, had invented a language, whereby, through the medium of -words, it sought to give expression to its thoughts. A creator and an -infinite purpose were essential to design; the creator, the finite mind -conceived of as God, the infinite purpose, His will. To know God and to -do His will became then the chief end of man. - -From a consciousness of the mystery of his own being and of the -universe about him, the earliest perception of the infinite nature -of each and of their relation, came to Harper in the discovery of -what he was wont to call "the rule of law." In Nature he found it -first. In Nature there was no chance, all was cause and effect; there -was constant change, but no final destruction. "Immortal growth was -the prophecy which Nature made for man." What the eye of the senses -discovered in the physical world, the eye of the soul discerned to be -true of the inner life. Character was not the child of Destiny, the -shadow of Circumstance, it was the one immortal creation of which man -was capable. "What a man sows, that shall he also reap." In character -was the harvest of all that a man ever thought, or willed, or did. - -And herein lay the greatness of life. An order in the universe, a -capacity in man to discover and interpret; Truth, the order; the path, -Right; Reason, lighted by the lamp of Conscience, might lead man to the -abode of God. - -Without some satisfying of reason, Harper maintained there could be no -true inspiration of soul; for a belief to be vital, it was necessary -that its significance should be grasped, and its meaning comprehended. -It was secondary, therefore, _what_ a man believed, so long as he had a -reason for the faith that was in him, and was prepared to follow where -an honest search might lead. In the end, the meaning of life would be -clear. It was not against criticism or the critical spirit that he was -prone to object, but against such divorced from an honest and sincere -purpose. Honest criticism he believed was essential to clearer vision, -and, reverently pursued, strengthened belief. - -It was the intellectual honesty of Matthew Arnold which attracted -Harper so strongly, and gave the writings of that author so great an -influence over his life. What he has written, in reference to his -reading of _Literature and Dogma_, is not without interest as showing -the effect which this book had upon him, and as disclosing his own -views in the matter of criticism and belief. - - "To-day," he writes, "I spent a good morning taking a look into - _Literature and Dogma_, which, so far as I have read, is in - entire accord with Matthew Arnold's clear, critical method of - examination. I was anxious to get at his main thesis, and read - several chapters, as well as the conclusion, and think that as - a result my own views regarding Christianity have been rather - strengthened. A quibble always annoys me, but Matthew Arnold's - criticism is of a different sort. For my own part, I am convinced - that the critical spirit is not indicative of meanness, but - rather of balance and honesty of mind, and is calculated to - create, not blind prejudice, but wholesome conviction. This is - particularly the case where the critic has, as in the case of - Matthew Arnold, imaginative power properly controlled, and a deep - appreciation of love and beauty." - -And some days later: - - "To-night I read several chapters of Matthew Arnold's _Literature - and Dogma_, which, with what I have already read of the work, - cleared my mind as to the main purpose of the author, the placing - of our conception of the value of the Bible and of Christianity - on a more stable and permanent basis. I feel confident that this - will be the effect upon my own mind, for I thoroughly hold - that a belief to be vital must be real to him who professes it. - Indeed, the profession to others of what one believes, however - important, is almost inevitably vague, or, at least, liable to - be misunderstood. What is really important is for us to believe - what we ourselves find believable and true before the bar of our - inmost conscience. I find myself reaching out with eagerness to - the thought, which seems an old one to me, that God is intimately - associated with conscience; that conduct is important, but that - rules of conduct institutionalized are apt to be external and - wanting in vital force; and that it was the emphasizing of the - importance of the personal, inward condition, which was the real - strength and lasting service of the new dispensation. - - "I find my views clearing as time goes on. Latterly two thoughts - have been, perhaps, more prominent than any others: the - importance of constant choice in the matter of selection and - rejection, and a respect for the conception of the many sidedness - of truth, which conception brings with it a toleration for the - views of others, particularly in the matter of religion. For - given that religion is an inward personal matter, and that men - are constituted so differently, their conceptions of the truth, - itself single and indissoluble, if you will, must vary widely. - Under such conditions the necessity of keeping in view the - highest standard of life, as illustrated by Christ, becomes of - the very greatest importance." - -In the character of Christ, Harper found the answer to the question, -what is the purpose of life? That life appealed to him from every -side. It was the manliest of lives. Conscious of its greatness, it -could forbear to use its creative powers for selfish ends. It could be -governed by a principle, where a multitude could not attract. Bigotry, -passion and prejudice only added force to its invectives; ridicule and -calumny, dignity to its assertion of right. In the presence of the -strong, it could champion the cause of the weak; the rich it could make -to tremble at their neglect of the claims of the poor. In the midst of -opposition, it could stand alone; surrounded by temptation, it could -remain pure. - -It was the manliest of lives. Chivalrous in its defense of woman, -tender in its love for little children, loyal in its allegiance to -friends. Uncompromising it was in its demands for truth, unsparing in -its rebuke of evil, relentless, almost violent, in its denunciations of -hypocrisy. Yet nowhere was such sympathy to be found; nowhere, greater -compassion; nowhere, forgiveness more sincere. - -It was the manliest of lives, but it was also the simplest and the -best. In vain one searched for an account of material possessions; in -vain one looked for an assertion of worldly place or power; but it was -recorded that its cradle was a manger, its crown, a wreath of thorns. -The mountains, the woods, the sea, the flowers, the stars, were so -sought by, and so ministered to that life, as to be almost a part of -it. Simple fisher-folk of Galilee, devoted but humble women in the town -of Bethany, shared its companionship, the sorrowful and outcast, its -love. - -And withal, it had a mission, higher, greater than the world had -ever known. Clearly it saw into the mystery of the universe, deeply -it divined the meaning of the human soul. In words, as simple, as -beautiful, as the flower, or the name which suggested the thought, -it related the universe to man, and man to God. "Consider the lilies -how they grow!"--all that Nature had to teach was there, selection -and rejection, cause and effect, the unfailing operation of law, life -and death. "Our Father,"--obedience, love, trust, forgiveness, the -brotherhood of man, man's sonship under God. - -Was it a matter of wonder then, that such a nature as Harper's should -be captivated by such a life? Having founded his belief on reason, in -the following after the perfect life of Christ, reason was soon outrun -by that which brought conviction of itself. Having learned something of -the secret and the method of that life, Harper came soon to believe the -words: - - "_Ego sum via, veritas, vita,_ - _Sine via non itur, sine veritate non_ - _Cognoscitur, sine vita non vivitur._" - -They came to be the controlling power in his life. - -Harper sought the realization of his belief in conduct. His impurity, -his weakness, he contrasted with the strength and beauty of the life -of Christ, and daily sought with an earnest devotion to yield the -allegiance due to the higher ideal. Without many professions, he strove -silently for the attainment of a character which would make him, among -men, not unworthy of the ideal which he cherished in his heart. - -The following passages may help to make good the truth of these words: - - "Idealism is not folly. It prevents folly. It is the main hope - of a delirious world. It is the means of informing common sense. - An ideal truly cherished is never lost, save to give place to a - higher ideal. An ideal is not smashed by experience of frailty; - but is rather thrown into greater relief. Ideals are dissipated - only by the clearer view which comes with a widening horizon. - Disappointment in persons will not make an idealist a cynic, - unless he has no heart. - - "Unfortunately, all men are apt to reach out for the immediate - thing which looms large before them. Some are worse than others. - And it is only by trying to see things in perspective, by the - application of common sense enlightened by idealism, that we can - hope to be among the wiser. A constant regard for perfection, - the constant cherishing of an intelligent idealism, will, I - think, help a man 'in the midst of the crowd to keep with perfect - sweetness the independence of solitude,'--Emerson's measure of a - great man." - - * * * * * - - "On the place of churches in national and social life, I take - the ground that the important thing for a man is his religion, - what he actually believes regarding his relation to the universe, - rather than his church affiliation. The first is individual - and real, the latter more or less artificial and a matter of - expediency, a means of assisting him in making easier the spread - of the views which he holds; in fine, an institution, with an - object doubtless, but none the less an institution, machinery." - - * * * * * - - "This has been a good day, in that life and human duty have been - very real to me in it. In the afternoon H----, L---- and I walked - out Bank Street to the canal, and, on the way back, I turned - the conversation to the question of man's duty to himself and - to others, taking the position that a man owed it to himself to - make the most of himself, and that, if he ever earnestly started - in on the task, he would find himself moved to see that his - influence upon others was in the same direction, namely, towards - perfection; that if men were once taught to see the working of - the rule of law in this sense, they must inevitably recast their - entire views of life to their own advantage and that of society; - and that if the church, instead of saying do this, because this - and that authority says it is right to do it, would appeal to a - man's appreciation of what manhood means in this sense, there - would be more Christlikeness among so-called professors of - Christianity." - - * * * * * - - "This, my birthday, has commenced most happily. As I lay last - night on the couch in our comfortable little room, allowing my - thoughts to run on into the future, and resolving to make this - new year of my life one marked by real and substantial progress, - ---- came to me about midnight with a birthday present, which, it - seems to me, could not be more in keeping with my present state - of mind and resolutions. The present consisted of two splendid - engravings of Hoffman's _Christ, the Child_, and _Christ, and the - Rich Young Man_. More and more, as time goes on, I am coming to - realize that the virtues upon which the hopes of the world are - based are to be found in that rich beautiful life of the Master. - Humility, self-sacrifice and love, all that appeals to the - noblest instincts of our nature, are to be found in the character - of that perfect Man, who was 'despised and afflicted, yet opened - not His mouth.' - - "Trammelled by a liberal share of human weakness, an unfortunate - combination of high ambition and a tendency to frivolity, I - can only hope to come to realize gradually all that that life - represents. When one considers the wide-spread influence which - even a comparatively obscure personality yields in this world, - the awful responsibility which is attached to every act of - volition, to every word and deed, is forced upon one. These and - other weaknesses I must control, and my character I must seek - to strengthen in order that my life shall not be useless, in - order that I may realize dear mother's last wish, that we may - meet 'There.' I must try, with the help of God, to more and - more conform thought and act to the model of the perfect life - of Christ, a life that if men and States would imitate, there - would be an end to viciousness and of man's inhumanity to man. - To be brought face to face, daily, with Hoffman's beautiful - representation should make strong resolutions stronger and more - possible of realization. - - "It is a beautiful day, the first really cold day of the winter. - Rarely do I remember a clearer air, a brighter sun. To me, it is - as if God smiles His approval on my resolutions. Pray God, I may - be able to live them out in practice." - - * * * * * - - "I wrote to F---- to-night, and my heart went out strangely to - him as I wrote. The thought which I wished most to convey to - him, was the importance of combining nobility of mind with true - humility in the sense in which Christ used the words; the truth - in the simple but meaningful words of the beatitude, 'Blessed are - the pure in heart for they shall see God'; and the necessity, - with a view to the healthy upbuilding of a strong character, to - 'Be just and fear not.' The more I am brought into contact with - the views of the world, the more I see the wealth of meaning in - some of the scriptural sayings. If, as I trust, this expansion in - the meaning of things goes on, life should be filled with more - and more real happiness, especially if I am able to so master - myself as to regulate my life in accord with the truth revealed - to me." - - * * * * * - - "To-night I feel that what the world wants is more of - forbearance, less of viciousness, more of sweetness and light, - more of the spirit of Jesus Christ." - - - - - _A LAST WORD_ - - -The love, the truth and the beauty of Harper's nature have nowhere -found better expression than in his last letters to his closest -friend. His heart is revealed there, as, only in such a relationship, -it is possible for hearts to reveal themselves. In the sanctuary of -Friendship, everything is holy; there abideth the love that "thinketh -no evil," the confidence that is never betrayed; at its threshold, -semblances disappear; having entered beneath its portals, there is no -longer anything to conceal. - -The one to whom they were written was in British Columbia when these -letters were received by him. He had been sent by the government to -reconcile, if possible, the conflicting claims of labour and capital, -which at the time had assumed the proportions of a strike in one of -the mining towns of that province. In his absence, the department of -labour had come in for some criticism at the instance of the Canadian -Manufacturers' Association. Harper was anxious lest this should be a -matter of concern to his friend, and hastened to reassure him. The -letters are a true expression of himself. They reveal his standards, -his belief in truth, his appreciation of beauty, his conception of -duty, his trust in an overruling Providence, his deep concern for -humanity, and his love for his friend. All these, in him, were as -inseparable from each other as each was inseparable from his life. - -He writes: - - "_Ottawa, Nov. 10, 1901._ - "MY DEAR REX: - - "I have been flying westward with you all week, weighing in my - mind the chances of the success of your mission. It may be weak, - this proneness to speculate upon the outcome of an issue in - the future, but where one's feelings are so nearly concerned, - one cannot but do it. Each time my thoughts have turned to the - subject of your mission to the coast, my conclusion has been the - same--you must succeed. To-day--the first breathing spell which I - have had since you left--as I walked home in the bright sunlight - and the brisk air, the conclusion has become conviction. I do - not attempt to disguise the difficulties which confront you. - Indeed, perhaps, I rather magnify them. Two camps of organized - self-interest confront each other. Misunderstanding, bitterness - and passion have much sway in each. But your strength lies in the - fact that what you seek is fairness, truth and justice, as well - as the promotion of industrial peace and the country's welfare. - 'Speak to his heart,' says Emerson, 'and the man becomes suddenly - virtuous.' My dear Rex, I assure you it is not the prejudice of a - friendship, which makes me miss you more than I care to confess, - that tells me that it is not the strong arm of a commission, nor - yet the power of public opinion, that is your strongest weapon - in this important crisis; but the commanding influence of a - high-minded manhood moved by noble impulses, and unalloyed by - selfish motive. Success must crown your efforts. - - "This week has been an instructive one in many ways. You have - doubtless noticed the conclusion of the Canadian Manufacturers' - Association with regard to the _Labour Gazette_ and the - department's work generally. The decision, though not unexpected, - is an evidence of how much must be done, before men, whose - business principles are but a reflection of their personal - interests as they conceive them, can be brought to see that right - reason will not be satisfied by any industrial scheme which - leaves out of account consideration for the well-being of the - great mass of the people. Mr. ----, in a conversation which I - had with him on Friday, assured me that we ought not to worry - over the verdict of the Manufacturers' Association. 'For,' as he - put it, 'a department which stands for the recognition of the - rights of working men cannot expect to be popular with selfish - employers.' Speaking of the comparison made between the Canadian - and United States Departments, I urged upon him the importance - of the publication of a monthly Gazette as a means of making - effective a policy which depends for its sanction upon public - opinion. He agreed with me, and added, 'They talk of a quarterly - publication, doubtless they would be better satisfied still if - there were no publication at all.' - - "Mr. ----'s opinion was not necessary to reassure me in the - matter of the Manufacturers' Association's criticism. The - judgment which is really important is that of one's own - conscience. Mine tells me that, however imperfect our work may - have been, however much there may be room for improvement, what - we have done has not been inconsiderable, especially when the - difficulties under which we have laboured are considered. I am - confident that the broad lines of policy which we have followed - are right, and that our work, as our knowledge of existing - conditions increases, will be of more and more value to the - working men of Canada and to the country generally. - - "I miss you very much in the office, but still more out of it. - Indeed when you are away I realize how much we are together. - However, Rex, I need not assure you that I am constantly with - you in thought. Your life has grown into mine to such an extent - that your hopes and aspirations are mine as well. Take care of - yourself, my dear Rex, and whatever may be the outcome of your - mission, I know that you will have done your duty. When you are - in the mountains think of one whose soul is also profoundly - stirred by the message which great, glorious, beautiful Nature - has for man. - - "With much love, - "Ever yours affectionately, - "BERT." - - * * * * * - - "_Ottawa, Nov. 13, 1901._ - - "MY DEAR REX: - - "You must not take my official notes daily as a measure of my - interest in your affairs here, your progress yonder, or your - thoughtfulness in writing me such refreshing letters as those - which you have written _en route_. And let me thank you for these - letters, Rex. They take me with you as you go through that wildly - grand country, the very thought of which makes the heart of a - true Canadian bound with pride. The dating of your last, 'in - the country of the foot-hills,' makes me think how eagerly you - must be looking forward, as you wrote, to the prospect of the - mountains. Perhaps you were fortunate enough to see them in the - stern glory of a winter sunset. These things, like great pictures - and noble thoughts, leave a permanent impress upon one's life, - and I rejoice that the path of duty has led you through so much - that is beautiful and sublime. - - "But hold, I am probably several chapters behind your present - thought and work, for by now you will be wrapped up in the - affairs of a mining town, interested in its mushroom growth, its - throbbing, ill-digested life, and in the main object of your - mission, the strike. - - "Perhaps it is this very mission of yours which has set my - mind so strongly of late upon the question of man's duty. This - afternoon, Harry, Laschinger and I took a long walk in the - frosty air,--for winter has gripped Ottawa hard, ice covers the - ground, ponds are frozen and the sky is stern and gray, and I - found myself driven to turn conversation along this line. Is it - because the church has so far drifted from truth that it succeeds - so little in making the life of Christ a reality among men? I - thoroughly hold that once convince a man of a truth, and that - truth, even despite him, will become an active potent factor - in his life. How are men to be convinced? The church says do - this, because authority says it is right so to do. But men do - not do it. Why? Because men do not come to vital conclusions - upon the strength of authority, especially when they have their - own opinions regarding the channels through which the authority - filters. Is it not time that a different line should be - followed? Tell men to do right because it is right to do right; - because it is consonant with the law of their natures; because - only by so doing will they realize themselves. And here we come - to the great beauty, justice and potency of the appeal to the - rule of law. Show a man that it is only by putting forth his best - efforts towards what his best consciousness tells him to be right - that he will make any progress satisfactory to his own nature, - or in harmony with the eternal realities, and the shackles of - petty ambitions fall from him. He becomes stronger and stronger. - And in proportion as his own true strength increases, so will - the appreciation of nature's laws and the character of Christ - develop manly humility and a sense of duty to the world without - him, a sense that his life is part of the lives of many others, - as many as come within the almost unlimited sphere of his - influence, and that he owes it to himself, as much as he owes it - to them, that that influence shall also tend in the direction of - perfection, the sweeping away of bitterness, passion, prejudice - and viciousness in whatever form. Once bring home to a man the - sense of personal duty in terms of inflexible and yet infinitely - just law--law which, properly followed, makes for progress, if - disobeyed, for confusion,--and you have put him on his feet with - his face to his true goal in life. Herein, it seems to me, lies - a reconciliation of the two injunctions: 'Bear ye one another's - burdens,' and 'bear your own burden.' Do the latter, and you will - find yourself doing the former, which is a good thing to do. - - "All of this is simple, Rex, even rudimentary, but to-night it - has a strong hold upon me, and, as I have not you here to talk - to, I am laying it before your sympathetic eye, that is if you - have patience for it. Out there where the country is just finding - itself, where standards are few and hastily put together, men are - apt to emphasize the importance of the _immediate_ thing. Here in - the East men try to get away from the truth by demanding 'of all - the thousand nothings of the hour, their stupefying power.' Both - sides of the continent have perplexities and heartaches for the - well-wisher of mankind. But, however distressing may be the rash - radicalism of British Columbia, I doubt if its position is not - relatively better than that of the indifferent East. For where - there is manly force and rude contact with nature--in Carlyle's - sense--there is apt to be more of a result where an appeal is - made, as it must be in both cases, to the manliness of men, the - true-heartedness of true hearts. The main difference, it seems to - me, lies in this, that British Columbia requires the curb, and - the East the spur. Both need light. And the man who would give - it to them must have their confidence, so much have men come to - associate the truth and its exponent. Confidence requires trust - and faith; and these, to be lasting, must be based upon strength - and honesty in the individual who would be the guide. Hence it - behooves every man who would be of lasting service to his country - to see that he, too, is clean. - - "But I see I am going far afield again. I miss you, Rex, very - much. The meaning of an individual is sometimes emphasized when - the individual is absent from the associations which are eloquent - of his individuality. The Canadian Manufacturers' Association to - the contrary notwithstanding, your work is neither superficial - nor ephemeral. It is of the very essence of a force which is - calculated to prove a strong lever in regulating the labour - movement, and indeed other movements as well, in Canada. It is - my happiness to be associated with you in that work. I think - I comprehend its nature and its importance, immediate and even - prospective, and I trust I may prove true to its demands and - purpose. - - "But I must get down to my night's work, Rex. The house is - singularly quiet, without any movement in the adjoining room, but - that does not excuse the sacrifice of opportunity. - - "With best wishes and much love, - "Affectionately yours, - "BERT." - -And nothing, not even the loss of life itself, did excuse, with Harper, -"the sacrifice of opportunity." - - "In the common round - Of life's slow action, stumbling on the brink - Of sudden opportunity, he chose - The only noble, godlike, splendid way, - And made his exit, as earth's great have gone, - By that vast doorway looking out on death." - -Harper was drowned on the sixth of December. Three days later, on the -twenty-eighth anniversary of the day of his birth, they buried him on -the crest of a hill overlooking the village in which he was born. Thus -does Destiny, linking the cradle with the grave, leave us to wonder -over the mysteries which she delights to weave. - - - - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Secret of Heroism, by -William Lyon Mackenzie King - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SECRET OF HEROISM *** - -***** This file should be named 60039-0.txt or 60039-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/0/0/3/60039/ - -Produced by David T. Jones, Al Haines, Ron Tolkien & the -online Distributed Proofreaders Canada team at -http://www.pgdpcanada.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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