The Henson Journals

[123]

Friday, July 16th, 1909.

Winnipeg:–

The telephone brought us an invitation to dine at Government House, which of course we had to decline.

Mr Oldfield called at 10.30; and took me a drive round the city, and into S. Boniface. It is impossible not to notice that the fine stone churches are almost without exception non–Anglican. The Roman Catholic institutions are very prominent. The chief centre of the R. Church is, of course, among the French Canadians in St Boniface.

MrO. gives an unfavourable account of the C. of England. The clergy are relatively inferior both intellectually & spiritually. Why is this? In the States I found the Anglican Church aggressive, hopeful, and apparently advancing. Here it is nothing of the kind. Why?

Last night Canon Jeffries made the statement, giving a Canadian farmer as his authority, that the wolves (i.e. cayotes) would not jump wire netting. A low fence, 3 or 4 feet high, sufficed for the protection of sheep. If this be true, the fact should be made known as widely as possible, for we hear of sheep–growing abandoned by reason of wolves.

[124]

We packed miserably, bade farewell to Aubrey & Lois who had accompanied us to the station, joined Max Dennistoun & Dr Jones there, & so went off to Keewatin on the Lake of the Woods. We reached our destination in 4¼ hours: the latter part of the journey was relieved by a fine series of Lake views. At Keewatin the train ran by the lake–side: here waited to receive us Max Dennistoun's sons James & John, & the boat which quickly brought us to his cottage.

Dr Jones en route told me this story, which he said he had himself received first–hand. When the C.P.R. line was in making, two gangs of men & horses of equal number went to work on adjacent sections, precisely similar in quality. One of them was Sabbatarian, the other was not. At the end of a few weeks the first were somewhat behind–hand; at the end of the summer the position had been altogether reversed. The Sabbatarians had done more work, & came away with cattle in good condition: their neighbours had ruined their cattle & failed to finish their work.

After dinner Dennistoun & I talked politics on the verandah, watching the while the fire–flies, gleaming like electric sparks to & fro.

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