Lögberg-Heimskringla - 01.06.1967, Síða 18

18
LÖGBERG-HEIMSKRINGLA, FIMMTUDAGINN 1. JÚNI 1967
and the materials removed when operations on the site
are completed.
Shortly we were invited to another building, where
we were shown a large and detailed sculptured map of
the power dam and its surroundings, as well as a film
of the project, accompanied by extensive explanatory
commentary.
Two rivers, the Manicouagan and Aux Outardes are
being harnessed. Tributaries to the St. Lawrence, these
rivers have their source in a large lake just north of the
location of the dam. Seven power stations will be located
on these rivers, four on the Manicouagan, three on Aux
Outardes. Manic 5 is the farthest north and the largest,
and will not be completed before 1972. On completion
this power development will be capable of producing
5,503,200 kilowatts of electric power.
In early afternoon we were invited to see this titan
project, which will rise to a height of 900 feet, stretch
to a length of 4,310 feet, and will form a 5,000-billion
cubic foot water reservoir, covering 800 squares miles.
My energy depleted by the early hour of rising and
brisk activity of the moming, I thought my bird’s eye
view of the site might perhaps suffice.
A narrative by Halldor Laxness of his visit to Russia
in 1932 came to mind. His Moscow hosts sent him with
a group Russia’s friends to the Ukraine, to acquaint
them with the industrial development of the nation. The
guests and their guides were provided with an exclusive
railway car, which was hooked up to various trains, and
thus they meandered around the plains for days in-
specting iron works and a variety of factories. But La-
ness balked at the mouth of the coal mines. The others
obeyed, but he vowed that seven wild horses wouldn’t
drag him down into a coal mine!
As I reflected on this and other humerous incidents
related in the Laxness travalogue, I had unconsciously
lagged behind the group and now quietly retraced my
steps to the dormitory, tumbled into bed, drew a cover-
let over my head and instantly fell asleep.
Entertained at dinner that evening in a temporary
building in the northern wilds of Quebec, we walked
into the sophisticated atmosphere of a big city hotel. In
the mellow glow of damask and candlelight, we dined
on oysters on the half shell, served with the finest of
red wines. At the end of the formal speeches, the guests
heartily applauded the artistic chef.
Later that evening the guests were royally enter-
tained at the beautiful home of the chief of Manic 5,
Mr. Rene Levasseur.
On the morning of Oct. 19 we left this focal point of
Quebec’s great ambition to make the most of its tre-
mendous water power. We circled Manic 5 once again
just to pour our private benedictions over the venture
then took off in a south-easterly direction toward
Rimouski. After an hour’s flight over the primeval
forest, human habitation slowly emerged — small vil-
lages in the valleys, with their prominent church
steeples. And then the St. Lawrence was back on the
scene — that mighty artery and ornament of Quebec,
here broad and deep. We landed in a field on its
southern bank.
RIMOUSKI
Here was Rimouski, the main town on the Gaspe
Peninsula, which stretches 115 miles east into the At-
Jantic and is 70 to 90 miles wide. Though settlement
here dates back to the 17th century, industrial and eco-
nomic progress has been slower than elsewhere in the
province. Unproductive soil and a diminishing yield of
fish in the river are blamed for this, and these are the
main means of employment in the community. We were
told in Montreal that the federal government’s ARDA
would come to the aid of the inhabitants with agri-
cultural planning along the lines of modern techno-
logy, as well as development of new industries.
A reception committee met us at the airport and
escorted us to the attractive new city hall, where we
were greeted by Mayor Maurice Tessier and his council.
After signing the guest book, we were their guests at a
tasty luncheon in the attractive Hotel de Ville, and
after the formal addresses, we returned to City Hall to
hear a young journalist outline proposed improvements
in the community.
Electric power construction, he said, was so constant
a subject of discussion that the currents were beginning
to stream out of a man’s ears, but electricity alone was
not the cure for all ills. The main source of power was
within the people. They must form their own com-
mittees inside their communities and with the guidance
and aid of experts, plan and develop modern industries
to become their sources of employment. The wooded
Gaspe Peninsula with its lakes and rivers, rich in fish,
has great potential as a summer tourist resort, he said.
With new techniques the native forests, mines and soil
could be made to yield better livelihoods than they had
in the past.
We were shown slides of the Gaspe Peninsula. It is a
place of great natural beauty.
As evening approached we bid farewell to the hos-
pitable people of Rimouski and flew toward the city of
Quebec,
QUEBEC CITY
We flew into Quebec at dusk of a rainy Oct. 19. Here
we were to be guests in the homes of journalists for two
nights. But I had reached a stage of weariness which I
felt disqualified me as entertaining company, so I grate-
fully declined the invitation after consulting with our
guide, Mr. Daigle. I stayed instead at Hotel Frontenac.
A reception committee awaited us at the airport and
drove us to the Saint-Jean Baptiste Society clubhouse
in the city, where we were warmly welcomed by the
president and other members of the Society, plied with
cocktails and dined at a beautifully appointed table. No-
one can equal the French in the art of preparing food,
serving it and conjuring up around it an atmosphere of
grace and glamor.
These were gracious and loveable people, but I suf-
fered some shock when one of the most charming
women in the group turned to a guest fluent in two or
three languages beside English and declared: “You
will, of course, be learning French.” This admonition
delivered, she turned on her heel and walked away.
This reminded me that Saint-Jean Baptiste is con-
sidered one of the most nativistic of French Canadian
societies. Yet, I do not believe that its members were
among those who recently bombed the statue of Wolfe,
the British general who conquered the French forces on
the Plains of Abraham in 1759. And it seems unlikely
tc me that people of the intellectual calibre these friends
of ours appeared to be would seek to isolate themselves
in a single province of their country nor that they
would seriously contemplate separation from the rest of
Canada.
On the other hand, I was aware that the Saint-Jean
Baptiste Society is less than enthusiastic about the Cen-
tennial celebration of the Federation of Canadian pro-
vinces, and they truthfully declare that Canada is much
older than 100 years. The first settlement of French
immigrants in this country was established by Samuel
de Champlain in the year 1608 — nearly 360 years ago
— in the very locale where we were being entertained.
But establishment of the federation of the provinces and
, the signing of the constitution was the most meaning-
ful step toward the destiny of nationhood. Without
confederation, Quebec would almost certainly have met
with the fate of Louisiana; without the railroad which
linked the western prairies and Pacific coast settle-
ments to the old East; without entry of the western
provinces into Confederation, the Canadian nation might
have lost its independence and identity.
There is, therefore, reason to hail this historic year
with pride and joy. And most French Canadians join
their compatriots in a justified feeling of triumph. That
is made abundantly plain by the zest and strength they
have invested in Expo 67, and other Centennial cele-
bration under way in Quebec.
I would have enjoyed amiable discussions along these
lines with our friendly hosts, but time was limited. The
gracious couple, Dr. and Mrs. Gagne, who had invited
me to spend the two nights at their home, along with
an editor from Toronto, drove me to my hotel, where I
was joined by my friend, Ruth Gordon, editor of The
Canadian Scene.
As the rain continued the following morning, we had
little opportunity to explore this old and historic city,
but the view from the hotel, set high on a cliff, is
magnificent. I saw enough to stir me so deeply that I
shall not be satisfied until I can revisit Quebec City,
enjoy its picturesque beauty to the full and absorb its
historic atmosphere.
After a noon meal we were shown the Quebec house
of parliament. It is the most elaborate building of its
kind in the country, and I will not attempt to describe
it. The doors and benches of black mahogany, richly
carved; the British and French coats of arms; the great
silver snuff box sent to the members of the House by
Queen Victoria; the gold-encrusted sceptre, also from
England, the elegant throne set under a crown, and all
the pictures of leaders in government and religion, as
well as those depicting historic events.
That evening we were honored with a dinner in the
company of Quebec’s Premier Daniel Johnson. Of French
and Irish origin, Mr. Johnson is an attractive man, and
an entertaining speaker, humorous and fluent.
Many harbored misgivings on his ascent to power,
fearing that he would lead Quebec farther along the
road of separation from the rest of Canada. Among
other things, he had published a book titled Equality
or Independence. These fears have not materialized.
Perhaps responsibility has extended his horizon. Re-
sponsibility which may have gained weight by his ac-
quaintance with other premiers of Canadian provinces.
At any rate, we heard nothing disquieting from him that
evening. He even took note of those other ethnic groups
to whom we belong, as people also sharing a right to
existence. This has been rare since the inception of the
B-B Commission, which takes little note of any but
the so-called two founding races.
One opinion he expressed struck me oddly: He said
that when French Canadians crossed the border of
Quebec, they did not find it easy to feel at home, and
that they should not be handicapped economically, be-
cause they are educated in French.
In these matters as in all others, people must face
reality. In that regard, more recent immigrants to
Canada set an example. The dominant language of the
North American continent is English — taking in all of
the United States and all of Canada except Quebec.
For this reason pioneers from various European coun-
tries made an issue of seeing that their children quickly
acquired the language that was universally spoken and
understood on the new continent. The minority ethnic
groups in Canada love the tongues of their forebears
no less than do French Canadians, and many attempt
to retain it as a cultural luxury. But they took a
practical view of their children’s future. They had to
learn the dominant tongue of their new environment
with all possible speed.
French Canadians are only at home in Quebec? Did
they not inherit the land from Radisson, Groseilliers,
Jolliet and Marquette from La Salle and La Verendrye,
those dauntless ancestors of French Canada who, in the
the 17th and 18th centuries, explored their country all
the way west to the Rockies and south in the Mississippi
Valley, to the Gulf of Mexico. It might prove whole-
some for French Canadians who are of a negative turn
of mind to explore their country anew and mingle with
that part of the Canadian nation which occupies the
West.
I was born in Manitoba, of parents who cherished
the Icelandic language, history and literature, so I was
taught the ancestral tongue in infancy, but I was also
impressed with the utter importance of becoming fluent
in the language of my environment and conversant
with its literature.
Wherever I have travelled in Canada I have felt as
an integral part of my surroundings — as though the
entire country were mine. I regret having been denied
the opportunity to leam French, but I still had a feeling
of wellbeing in Quebec. The province possesses a wealth
of natural beauty, and is peopled with friendly, edu-
cated and polished human beings. I take t'his part of
Canada to myself with the same degree of possessive
pride as the prairies and the west coast — it’s my
country, the whole fabulous expanse of it, from coast
to coast.
I cannot imagine any French Canadian asking so
little as to be satisfied with isolation within one pro-
vince. The whole country is theirs to share with other
Canadians. All that pride in achievement and progress
is theirs to claim — all that color and variety of land-
scape and culture — all the enrichment of inheritance
flowing from the cultural arteries of an entire world —
the lifegiving bloodstreams from old civilizations into
a vibrant new nation with unique qualities of its own.
After dinner with Premier Johnson, 15 talented young
girls entertained with song and dancing. Dressed in
blue, the dainty, elfin beauty of the young artists com-
pletely captivated the guests.
This ended a memorable evening. Mr. Charles E.
Dojack, president of Canada Ethnic Press Federation,
thanked the premier and the charming young ladies on
behalf of the editors.
LAVAL UNIVERSITY
Friday morning, October 21, we were invited to
visit Canada’s oldest university, Laval. It descends from
religious seminary founded 300 years ago by Mon-
seigneur de Laval, first bishop of the Quebec settle-
ment. To secure the future of the college, the bishop
made it heir to all his property, including real estate
and monetary assets. In 1851 another bishop of Quebec
decided to establish a university in connection with the
school of theology. The following year, December 8,
1852, Queen Victoria granted a royal charter sanctioning
the founding of a university. This first French uni-
versity on the continent was named after Bishop Laval.
It started with only four departments — theology,
law, medicine and arts, and a booklet of information
handed to us states that for various reasons, French
Canadians prefer education preparing them for such
professions as medicine and law. It was not until 1935
and the years immediately succeeding that, depart-
ments of philosophy, science, sociology, agriculture,
engineering, science, commerce and home economics
were added.
About 7,000 students attend the university, and of
1200 teachers 700 teach full time. Only 17 percent of
the student body are girls, and this struck me as meagre
female representation in higher education. Instruction
is solely in French, and about 1000 students from other
Canadian provinces and from the U.S.A. enrolled at the
University last year with the intention of learning the
language.
After the end of World War II the university out-
grew its location in the old section of Quebec. A public
appeal for funds had yielded 10 million dollars by 1948,
enabling the board of governors to purchase more than
a square mile of land on the Ste. — Foy heights on the
outskirts of the city. Many large structures of the latest
style of architecture have been erected on the new site.
We were shown the campus with its wonderful view
of the beautiful Laurentian mountain to the north.
Despite avowed preference for the professions of law
and medicine, attendance to the engineering department
increases steadily, and last year attendance in engineer-
ir.g exceeded that in every other department of the