Otherwise the Canadians are as human as the rest of us to evade or deny a plain issue.  The duty of developing their country is always present, but when it comes to taking thought, better thought, for her defence, they refuge behind loose words and childish anticipations of miracles—­quite in the best Imperial manner.  All admit that Canada is wealthy; few that she is weak; still fewer that, unsupported, she would very soon cease to exist as a nation.  The anxious inquirer is told that she does her duty towards England by developing her resources; that wages are so high a paid army is out of the question; that she is really maturing splendid defence schemes, but must not be hurried or dictated to; that a little wise diplomacy is all that will ever be needed in this so civilised era; that when the evil day comes something will happen (it certainly will), the whole concluding, very often, with a fervent essay on the immorality of war, all about as much to the point as carrying a dove through the streets to allay pestilence.

The question before Canada is not what she thinks or pays, but what an enemy may think it necessary to make her pay.  If she continues wealthy and remains weak she will surely be attacked under one pretext or another.  Then she will go under, and her spirit will return to the dust with her flag as it slides down the halliards.

‘That is absurd,’ is always the quick answer.  ’In her own interests England could never permit it.  What you speak of presupposes the fall of England.’

Not necessarily.  Nothing worse than a stumble by the way; but when England stumbles the Empire shakes.  Canada’s weakness is lack of men.  England’s weakness is an excess of voters who propose to live at the expense of the State.  These loudly resent that any money should be diverted from themselves; and since money is spent on fleets and armies to protect the Empire while it is consolidating, they argue that if the Empire ceased to exist armaments would cease too, and the money so saved could be spent on their creature comforts.  They pride themselves on being an avowed and organised enemy of the Empire which, as others see it, waits only to give them health, prosperity, and power beyond anything their votes could win them in England.  But their leaders need their votes in England, as they need their outcries and discomforts to help them in their municipal and Parliamentary careers.  No engineer lowers steam in his own boilers.

So they are told little except evil of the great heritage outside, and are kept compounded in cities under promise of free rations and amusements.  If the Empire were threatened they would not, in their own interests, urge England to spend men and money on it.  Consequently it might be well if the nations within the Empire were strong enough to endure a little battering unaided at the first outset—­till such time, that is, as England were permitted to move to their help.

For this end an influx of good men is needed more urgently every year during which peace holds—­men loyal, clean, and experienced in citizenship, with women not ignorant of sacrifice.