EDEN WITHOUT EVE.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1957, 14 January 1914, Page 8

EDEN WITHOUT EVE.

:.::-..;.:■:..«.,■■ €'■'£!':-... >..'£*: r-~.. . Ll,. :■ '& ■-'•■"' '^Tcffoiijto>-yJDaifjJStaji's')? ]'fW^i : :Caniulaj'?anct 'betweeiititifemjjXatui'gJlitii? 1 'atc'd, : -ip'Xort|B.Qntanp',S\voul(l ,pt';iti=elf be-, * i tw'ceir.tlffi.v.typ , "p'arts\;of^tlioc ,, l)on'iinion 1 ' ■ionsequoiitly':yivhe.ii? ; yotitjiave;;crossed io red!'tpt.iirid. , things differ-! ■ pnt;^The'i : iioticea.b'6'iircl«t<;llsUyon that ■tlitfj next;? train jdcavesiiti] 9.1' 'o'clock^ , ■TIitSE i_s"-ltlip ;AV ostofnl_\r ay'Voi : , saying .7.14. p,m;^i{aiiSVa;jrather. c gpoU''way,wlicn.you |.l)Mbm6i:'.aecu'6tomeU4t'6' : 'it.' r «;Tho.: hours .;ara;?couriteclf ins i hegprtHiiary. ■; wayj up 'to;jmid-(layy|butj 1 p.ni. •', becomes: 13,. '2 and.'so on .to.-mi(l-n)gjitj" .which is ■ 24".0'c10ck,. aftor ■which;the count..;reverts ■to "one.,V.JTimo 'in'tho'.Westi'is. nevertheless uncertain. Jtjvai'iesfwith'.thej.iongitudOj , and when .iiiaking; appointments,;*.you;4havo. .to "lipecify^.time,'Veast. or .west, of .a certain "stilljflnd , '. out ? tho: : difference'fli'bctivcen your"-;own-', and-your .friend's■wateh',; , and fix a time. by.one'of farmer; has. his o.wai"' timcSipSi' 'ii ; '. '/ • ■•....', \.y. -, : , }■■■ ..■■ ?'■< When'you'■'reach Winnipeg you know assuredly..-'you'are in the■ West." ■■ You Tiavo. met' tho big' brother of all tho Prairie towns which will -' afterwards welcome you. , Tho family characteristics arc iine. jyidc streets (Wiiinipeg's main street wide,''and the others are'.-in proportion), vast ■ parks, good lighting; plenty of binks,'picture shows, testaurants,-:. and real estate- offices,' with. ■ sonioS.other. . business sandwiched ,in amongst.themVplenty of space every■'■ivliere for-jLcxpansion.y. Sonietimes. when tramping''over'''the prairio-'-you will light oil "a sign .."Josephine .'Avenue." and at fright angles .to At. a'sign > "Columbine Avenue," and-then'you know that some- , ty<o is an a'nibitious'villagejfandthis land is for salo ,as: townnpts/JriSigii^iS; , , '/•■\ : * f??Tliojmost;'iyp : ical'~thing-in the. West ',is i-'tlidjtalk'.'^-Ut 1 is '' always' in ' tho first person, plural,? and generally* deals with .tho"j>rise "of:': towns and ~ land . values. .Somehowthe"*rest of New Zealand has an idea .that Auckland is obtrusive and .blatant," but' really Auckland is ns shy as seventeen.''compared with a Western Canadian town, and when it comes to' \.?.!bqostjngV'-'-'Auckliiud doesn't know how ;tp/:start.{S; Some of the Western towns 'l'.avo :■■ well-paid':' publicity managers, : whoso duty it. :; is to. seo..tiiat papers in ■jail parts:'c*.tho'.world are supplied with information j about (.'.the -town's roseate present and to captur'o.:.all- jnoro'/'J-or less , distinguished - niid -.till ithem",with enthusiasm.' ■,The':'Town: :i Council usually..supplies tho ■'nucleus''of-the" publicity ■'funcf, striking .a' epecin l. : rate for it, and business men 'subscribo'-. freely. or not thero sis a" publicity .manager every Westerner ■is , :'a.',,l:iie'.';canvasser for his town. He g'ivesV-youithe latest population statistics taken'■'■from the sporting edition of Jthii. evening;, paper,, and; lota of other •figures .besides. He may bore you, but you cannot but-realise.-.that iiiis intense local, patriotism "'(parochialism,'"- if you ■will); is.'Ait'tev-".:'"tlio : : blosscd .;.Prairie, Canada's biggest' nssc-t.-..,'After, all, there 'is soiiio.niom for.'-ialk/-..Seven years is sufiicient for 'the birth and growth of a Prairie .-city ,■-.. replete with all tho latest devices.*i>l."civilisation,--. and .. owning trams, ■tslepiiolies, | -..v."Kter,-' ; 'scwage, an J electric :: ::!ig!itvand. power '■systems.' , . In lOiM^thoro^j: were ::on!\'n 113- persons at Saa'oatoori-jxby-1911 -there were 51,145. Can vor.u--wonder at 'those 113 persons being mrpcrpetual prostration before the shrine i.ofVSar.batoon,'nlid: the rest .bending.the"'kriee with-them? Medicine 'iliit.';--..'coi.itajniii{s. 60'JO; 'people' in 10H, double thr.t. popula-. .-■ - - '■••:-. -;:/'" |5 5i Cuts to' Rsforms'. ■ , ; . ; ;■ fl'.'Westernitowns have a-'di-lightful habit of taking short-cuts to reforms wli:ch "elder^communities''reach much more eir■ci.iitously;V.'fhus,' the people., of Edmon-ton-noticed that when men'had been a month.-.'-in gaol. without'exercise- they camo.outin, Ipw/physieal condition, find -unablo to take"-up hard manual work. Now.Edmonton had no craving for men who could not , work havd;'and so a 420a'crpjl'a'rm , 'just out of town was pnrchasod/'iUid.on; this land prisoners work out■■tlieiWßcnte'nccs, -cvon though their term -is T ;oiily' a days or two.. The ,con■scfjiicnce:. is., they 'return -to 'society in good.physical condition, and often they have."- received experience ■ in farinv. : vvoyliMHs|s s v:,^ ? :f.. v ;. ■-■■■:■' ,

:■*.:'lt.; is io : understand tlio '.social eoii'Ji'tions.'of Western Canada unless. onoi'remembers ■: that thorn is a great disproportion, between.the 60X06. .I',iv,the picture .shows, theitres,, mcet■iings'f.: and ...churches.. of ■ Western towns strikes one —tho excess "W -men in tho audience, and the plionomenon becomes . increasingly reniarkaWc'as one penetrates in tile out-of-the-way ..;".corners ■■ of tho North■.Wcst/.Territories'and British Columbia, ■it'vis-sjvcll toS remember this when one .hears the West of Canada rated for tho .'three..cnrdinal.;:sins of modem times— "immorality, drink, and gambling. There is ahvavfi'.ciangcr in destroying tho.bal.'ance' of. : --Nature,-and-when .it is tho .balance of the. sexes which is upset one ■must expect.altogether abnormal results. 1 ■. At:tho.samp time;there is little ■eovcrb , '..vice , '. in ,tbe,.,:Wos£: it h all ormn .ta'.tho'.lie.sveiss; , ; and '. perhaps if the Becret vice of.'ninrc settled communities 'were taken in tho-reckoning the West of Canada might come out of, the comparison without disadvantage. The West is full of men who arc bachelors, ■ !iot by choice but of necessity; homeless. '!men, some of them loveless, but others .with bi? hearts and a big ache. Whsit•Wer their dtffereii'er-s they have this Jia common, that their lives _ aro esitremelv 'monotonous and laborious. In ■ their periods of relaxation they crave ifor excitement, and the only excitement offering is the saloon and the gambling house." The lumbermen of British ''Columbia , have, in most eases known no home influence sinco they wero callow youths, and have come into contact with no women except '■ waitresses m .hotels. When they leave tho bush it is-to drift-into towns, where they are ■unknown and unwanted except by tho saloon-keepers. -.What happens is precisely what one would expect. Some of the men go to their favourite- saloon, land, handing in a wad of notes to tho proprietor, ask to bi? kept, in drinks till it-is finished.: Others, though doling out their money drink by drink, get tfirowH it almost as auickly. They are big, silent, resourceful men. with protruding jaws,, made larger by much cSiewing and silent contemplation. Lite to them has no prospects, no opportunities, no solace but tho saloon. --'Practically-every Western town has or : has had "a" vice area', a segregated ■ district, a Winnipeg had a-iiotorious section, but has stfladilv set itself to clear it awav, and this will no doubt be done "all , over"the West as.soon-as conditions are sufficiently settled.;,,ln the East tho ' tendency , -towards : Hoaloiisness m giiiu'ding-.'public.morals.V ■ ■: .i . -■;; ; ;-. Lust-for Moncy.v...: ?■■■■■ :-x-'- ...-,.„■!'.;. ' ; . .' ■■'■ ■". ~ .vo.uVare" in" Quebec.? , Province ' nroVwaruW! of tho. materialism of the , . West -of Canada ; when you .Teach -To.i-qntofyou"womembcrS that warning, /biit'iiot" tilt vouyiare west of Winnipeg : lww;.io. impossible! for. «hmnaii V: 'fofmoneytoHhoi'cxchisioii of:-all. other ■'inlerests^cxcnpt' ,, spending■■.'. it.;; .Tho Miiiit-erinlisiii'.'of. the .-"West "■is so stilling ■that' sometimes" ; you: fee! you can ; hanUy breathe even out on" tho prairies, where 'tie--hungry air ftives you a magsrififtent iUwja oi J3ta§ipw buejaJiey, .aaa.uiQ gky..

ami horizon' are further off;" thnii -■■" you" , 'Jifiyo■ ore;-'seen' them before.' "Sot tiiJ r.voii reach Victoria (Vancouver Island), AvithX the '= old-world rostfuluess, will you , .. breathe freely again.: It , , is'easy., to: l.il a mo., the West for its materialism, ■luit. hero again an abnornvil result-fol-lows -fibiiormal causes. I'tillv .!/(! per eent: :: of- those'n-ho settle in Canada go' ;--.to.'.i»ake nKinoy,-.-They--'-: know that the. ■Canadian'climate'is-extreme, that lifo ;in;\ the ■ West is hard and without thecompensations more settled communities ■offer..... T?ro only .'hire is . money," an<f Minder these circumstances'it would he 'foolish to expect the West to bs any■itlijng but materialistic,' As 1 home lifo develops the West will become ■ ■ less materialistic. When tho larsie majority, of men in the West are, or hope, to be, husbands, their passion , for making and talking about money will bo replaced by gentler and more human interests:-;;'-?: ; - ; ; .So ultimately, the wholo. problem : of. {lie West is that of Eden without Eve. ■ Tho. West will lxs refined'only by tho touch of woman, and meantime those brawny, hard-drinking pioneers at whom ihe-East is wont to scoff arc busy, preparing the way. Canadian women do not appear ..over-anx'ous to go and Immunise the West, if their jests about the- hardships of.prairio lifo rtro to be taken seriously, but it is bettor that they should refuse the lot of a farmer's wife in the Wost, knowing what it means, than that they should l accept it •in ignorance, as do many girls from the British Isles. All honour to tho ninny heroic women of Canadian ami British birth who know what 'pioneering f.irm■ing means, and > still elect to go. Onto the need forbrinsing women's influence to bear on the Wost of Canada is rea-.. liaed, tho importance of the work of such an organisation as tho Imperial Home Reunion Association will receive greater recognition. ■ This association was founded at Winnipeg in 1911 witk a fun.'! of 30.000 dollars (£-4000), guaranteed by citizens, to bo loaned and reliancil to men who were, provinsr good citizens, to bring out wives, children, mothers, and other non-earning relatives. Tho association now has branches in many parts of Canada, and many family reunions have-taken liVace that would in the ordinary course, have, been delayed, for a. year or more. Not only is tiro reunion hastened., Init the worker is saved the necessity'of maintaining two homes till ho has saved enough to pay the passages of his family. .... :y ; .