The Intellectual Development of the Canadian People: An Historical ReviewBourinot, John George
History
The Intellectual Development of the Canadian People: An Historical Review
Bourinot, John George
Canada -- Intellectual life; Canadian literature -- History and criticism
giving the latest and fullest intelligence of prices in all places with
which Canada has commercial transactions. Nearly one column of the
smallest type is necessary to announce the arrivals and departures of
the steam-tugs, propellers, schooners and other craft which make up the
large inland fleet of the Western Province. We find reports of
proceedings in the Courts in Toronto and elsewhere, besides many items
of local interest. Five columns are made up of editorials and editorial
briefs, the latter an interesting feature of modern journalism. The
'leader' is a column in length, and is a sarcastic commentary on the
'fallacious hopes' of the Opposition; the next article is an answer to
one in the London _Economist_, devoted to the vexed question of
protective duties in the Colonies; another refers to modern 'literary
criticism,' one of the strangest literary products of this busy age of
intellectual development. In all we have thirty-six columns of reading
matter, remarkable for literary execution and careful editing, as well
as for the moderate tone of its political criticism. It will be seen
that there is only one advertisement of books in the columns of this
issue, but the reason is that it is the custom only to advertise new
works on Saturday, when the paper generally contains twelve pages, or
eighty-four columns. On the whole, the issue of a very prominent
Canadian paper illustrates not only the material development of Ontario
in its commercial and advertising columns, but also the mental progress
of the people, who demand so large an amount of reading matter at the
cost of so much money and mental labour.
As the country increases in wealth and population, the Press must become
undoubtedly still more a profession to which men of the highest ability
and learning will attach themselves permanently, instead of being too
often attracted, as heretofore, by the greater pecuniary rewards offered
by other pursuits in life. Horace Greeley, Dana, Curtis, Whitelaw Reid
and Bryant are among the many illustrious examples that the neighbouring
States afford of men to whom journalism has been a profession, valued
not simply for the temporary influence and popularity it gives, but as a
great and powerful organ of public education on all the live questions
of the day. The journals whose conductors are known to be above the
allurements of political favour, even while they consistently sustain
the general policy of a party, are those which most obviously become the
true exponents of a sound public opinion, and the successful competitor
for public favour in this, as in all other countries enjoying a popular
system of government.
CHAPTER IV.
NATIVE LITERATURE.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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