"SEASONS OF THE LILAC," PART EIGHT - LOOKING WAY UP, INTO THE NIGHT SKY
THE CONFLUENCE OF RELIGIOUS FAITH, THE REALITIES OF SCIENCE, AND THE TIME TO READ A GOOD BOOK
NOTE: ON THE ELECTION FRONT IN GRAVENHURST! I CAN'T RESIST MAKING COMMENT, ABOUT THE ALL-CANDIDATES' MEETING, AT THE GRAVENHURST OPERA HOUSE, TONIGHT (MONDAY NIGHT). IT WAS ORGANIZED BY THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, WITH CO-OPERATION OF THE LOCAL MEDIA, TO RUN THE EVENT FOR ALL CANDIDATES DEBATE (NOT REALLY) OF THE UPCOMING OCTOBER MUNICIPAL ELECTION. AT FIVE THIS EVENING, (EVENT WAS SUPPOSED TO BEGIN AT 7 PM), THERE WAS NO NOTICE OF THE ALL-CANDIDATES MEETING POSTED ON THE OPERA HOUSE'S ILLUMINATED SIGN. AT LEAST ON OUR SIDE, OF THE STREET, WHICH IS THE BULK OF THE BIA AREA, IT WAS VACANT. THUS, NOTHING WAS GOING ON AT THE OPERA HOUSE. I DON'T KNOW WHETHER THE OPERA HOUSE DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH LETTERS, OR THE CHAMBER DIDN'T ASK THE OPERA HOUSE TO HIGHLIGHT THE EVENT, OR A FEW FOLKS DIDN'T GIVE A CRAP EITHER WAY. I'D LIKE TO KNOW WHAT THE CANDIDATES FELT LIKE, WHEN THEY ARRIVED AT THE OPERA HOUSE, READY FOR A SCRAP (NOT REALLY), AND DISCOVERED THEY WEREN'T IMPORTANT ENOUGH TO BE HIGHLIGHTED ON THE SIGN. THE SPIRIT AWARDS UPCOMING, ARE APPARENTLY OF A HIGHER PRIORITY. IF THERE IS ANYTHING ABOUT THIS TOWN THAT DRIVES ME CRAZY, IT'S STUFF LIKE THIS; INSTEAD OF FOLLOW THROUGH, WE GET HALF THE JOB COMPLETE. BUT, THE MILLION DOLLAR QUESTIONS, IS WHETHER A SINGLE COUNCIL HOPEFUL EVEN NOTICED THE BLANK SPOT WHERE THEIR EVENT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE PROMOTED. DISAPPOINTED? HOW MANY OF THEM SPOKE UP AT THE MEETING, AND COMPLAINED ABOUT THE FACT IT WASN'T ON THE SIGN. ALL THE BIG TALKERS? YOU'D THINK ONE WOULD HAVE HIT THE MICROPHONE WITH A BIT OF PROTEST. LOOK AT THE PROTESTS FOR A SHRED OF DEMOCRACY IN HONG KONG. EVEN THE QUESTIONS IN OUR TOWN, WERE VETTED FOR THE MEETING, SO AS NOT TO HAVE ANY SURPRISES CROP UP. DEMOCRACY WAS PRETTY CLOSE TO BEING MUZZLED. I CAN'T DEAL WITH THIS MANIPULATION, OF WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A NO HOLDS BARRED DEBATE. I DIDN'T GO. I'VE GIVEN UP ON GRAVENHURST POLITICS.
ON THE DAY MY GRANDMOTHER, BLANCHE JACKSON, DIED, AFTER A LONG PERIOD OF ILLNESS, MERLE ASSURED ME, FEELING SOMEWHAT LOST BY THE FAILURE OF GOD TO KEEP THE OLD GIRL ALIVE, THAT HER MOTHER HAD GONE TO A BETTER, KINDER, LESS PHYSICAL PLACE. I KNEW HER BODY STAYED ON EARTH, BECAUSE I SAW PICTURES OF THE GRAVE, IN TORONTO'S PARK LAWN CEMETERY. HEAVEN WAS FOR THE VAPOR, KNOWN AS THE SPIRIT, SHE EXPLAINED, ONCE AGAIN, LOOKING UPWARDS (AT THE CEILING). FOR AWHILE, I THOUGHT HEAVEN MUST HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH CEILING TILES. I HAD HEARD THIS BEFORE ABOUT SPIRITS BEING INVISIBLE. MY IMMEDIATE FAMILY DIDN'T GO TO CHURCH, UNLESS FOR A FUNERAL, AND AS GOD IS MY WITNESS, I NEVER SAW A BIBLE IN OUR APARTMENT. YOU'VE PROBABLY HEARD A LINE LIKE THIS BEFORE, BUT, WELL, IN OUR HOUSE, THE ONLY TIME WE EVER HEARD MY FATHER ED, CALL OUT THE NAME "JESUS CHRIST," WAS WHEN THE TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS BEAT MONTREAL ON HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA. WHENEVER ANYBODY IN OUR FAMILY, AND NETWORK OF FRIENDS, IDENTIFIED HEAVEN, (AND YOU CAN PROBABLY RELATE), CLEARLY, WITHOUT HESITATION, THEY WOULD EITHER LOOK UP TO THE SKY, OR GESTURE IN SOME OTHER WAY, THAT SALVATION WAS UP NOT DOWN. THAT MY PET TURTLE FOR EXAMPLE, WAS NOW IN GOD'S DOMAIN; AND BY DEFINITION, HEAVEN WAS SKYWARD; HELL WAS SOMEWHERE BELOW. IT DIDN'T MAKE ME QUESTION, WHY THE DEAD WERE BURIED BELOW. WOULDN'T THIS PUT THEM CLOSER TO SATAN? WHETHER IT WAS IN SHIRLEY TEMPLE MOVIES, OR IN THE TELEVISION SHOW, "HIGHWAY TO HEAVEN," WITH MICHAEL LANDON, THE SKY, THE CLOUDS, THE UNIVERSE, WAS CONSIDERED "HEAVEN." I HAD TO WORK A LOT OF STUFF OUT FOLKS, SO BEAR WITH ME!
WHEN WE TRY TO VISUALIZE THE CANADIAN HOMESTEAD, IN THE MID TO LATE 1800'S, WE HAVE A PRETTY GOOD IDEA WHERE THE IRON COOKSTOVE WOULD BE SITUATED, IN THE SIMPLE LOG DWELLING. IT'S TO BE EXPECTED THERE WOULD BE A BUTTER CHURN, OF SIMPLE CONSTRUCTION, A COUPLE OF PINE ROCKERS, A NUMBER OF PLAIN PINE WATERFALL-SEAT KITCHEN CHAIRS, A HARVEST TABLE, POTS HANGING DOWN FROM HOOKS ON THE WALLS, AND SEVERAL PINE CUPBOARDS. MAYBE AN ICON HUNG ON THE WALL, ABOVE THE BEDSTEADS, A PICTURE OF JESUS, AND A FEW PRINTS BROUGHT FROM THE OLD COUNTRY, TO MAKE THE NEW DWELLING, LOOK A LITTLE LIKE THE ONE THEY HAD JUST DEPARTED.
WE CAN SMELL THE WOODSMOKE, AND EASILY IMAGINE THE SOOT-COVERED PINE TIMBERS OF THE WALLS, AND CEILING. THERE'S THE SCENT OF AN "EVERYTHING" STEW, SIMMERING ON THE STOVE, CANDLE WAX FROM AN EARLIER CHORE, AND IMAGINE BURNING FUEL FROM SEVERAL OIL LAMPS; ONE ON THE TOP OF A TALL DRESSER, AND THE OTHER IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TABLE. THERE ARE TWO SHELVES FOR BOOKS, AND THE BIGGEST IS THE FAMILY BIBLE; AND BESIDE ARE TWO SMALL HYMN BOOKS. AMONGST THE BOOKS, IS ANOTHER TO HELP THE EMIGRANT, UNDERSTAND WHAT THE NEW COUNTRY IS ALL ABOUT. IN MUSKOKA, A SETTLER MIGHT HAVE ACQUIRED THOMAS MCMURRAY'S GUIDEBOOK, CIRCA 1871, ENTITLED "MUSKOKA AND PARRY SOUND." IT MIGHT BE THE CASE, THAT THE HOMESTEADERS HAD ACQUIRED AN EARLIER "SETTLERS GUIDE," PRODUCED IN GREATER VOLUME IN THE LATER 1850'S, OR THE WIDE RELEASE OF THE AMERICAN TEXT, "THE FARMER'S EVERYDAY BOOK," FROM THE EARLIER PART OF THAT DECADE. WHAT'S SEEMS OUT OF PLACE, AND PROBABLY WOULD NEVER BE IMAGINED, AS BEING PART OF THAT BOOK COLLECTION, IS THE FIRST EDITION COPY OF SIR DAVID BREWSTER'S BOOK, "MORE WORLDS THAN ONE - THE CREED OF THE PHILOSOPHER - AND THE HOPE OF THE CHRISTIAN," ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN 1854, IN LONDON, ENGLAND, BY JOHN MURRAY. IT'S A CELESTIAL EXAMINATION, WITH EMPHASIS, ON EARLIER PREDICTIONS, THAT THERE WAS LIFE (OR SPIRIT-KIND) ON OTHER PLANETS. IT JUST DOESN'T FIT IN, WITH WHAT WE HAVE BEEN TAUGHT ABOUT THE PIONEER PERIOD, IN OUR HIGH SCHOOL HISTORY CLASSES. SO IT BEGS THE QUESTION, DID THE HOMESTEADING FAMILY, THAT OWNED THIS BOOK, LOOK UP INTO THE TWINKLING NIGHT SKY, IN MUSKOKA FOR EXAMPLE, CIRCA 1859, AND WONDER WHETHER THEY MIGHT ONE DAY BE VISITED BY THE GOOD FOLKS FROM THOSE OTHER PLANETS, VISIBLE IN THE NIGHT SKY. OR WERE THEY THE LANDING PLACES, FOR THE ALL THE DEARLY DEPARTED SPIRITS, GOING HEAVENWARD? I WONDERED THE SAME THING AS A KID. AT SOME POINT WE MIGHT NEED TO MAKE USE OF ANOTHER PLANET, TO TAKE CARE OF ALL THE HUMAN SPIRITS, SET LOOSE BY THE DEATH OF MILLIONS OF MORTALS. AREN'T WE EVENTUALLY GOING TO RUN OUT OF SPACE HERE ON EARTH. I WAS A KID ALRIGHT, WITH PARENTS THAT BELIEVED I SHOULD BE SEEN, BUT NOT HEARD, ESPECIALLY WHEN THERE WAS A HOCKEY, BASEBALL OR FOOTBALL GAME ON TELEVISION. (AND I DON'T MEAN MOONSHINE WHEN I USE THE WORD "SPIRITS") I CAN IMAGINE THE PERPLEXITY OF FINDING EXPLANATIONS, FOR ALL OF THIS, WHILE LIVING ON AN ISOLATED HOMESTEAD, BEING EXHAUSTED FROM BACK-BREAKING WORK, MOST OF THE TIME, IN ORDER TO SURVIVE, AND GOING BETWEEN TWO BOOKS, THE BIBLE AND MR. BREWSTER'S TOME ABOUT OUTER SPACE, TO FIND OUT WHAT THE UNIVERSE IS REALLY ALL ABOUT. (YOU CAN ARCHIVE BACK TO YESTERDAY'S BLOG, IF YOU MISSED THE INTRODUCTION TO BREWSTER'S BOOK). BREWSTER'S BOOK, BY THE WAY, WAS SO PROFOUND FOR ITS TIME, IT HAS JUMPED THE GENERATIONS, AND IS CURRENTLY IN MULTIPLE REPRINTS. THERE'S SOME PRETTY INTERESTING EXPLANATIONS ABOUT LIFE ON OTHER PLANETS, BUT IF YOU'RE THINKING EXTRA TERRESTRIALS, MAYBE NOT SO MUCH.
"BEFORE CHRISTIANITY SHED ITS LIGHT UPON THE WORLD, THE PHILOSOPHER WHO HAD NO OTHER GUIDE, BUT REASON, LOOKED BEYOND THE GRAVE, FOR A RESTING PLACE FROM HIS LABOURS, AS WELL AS FOR A SOLUTION OF THE MYSTERIES WHICH PERPLEXED HIM," WRITES DAVID BREWSTER, IN HIS OPENING CHAPTER, HEADED, "RELIGIOUS ASPECT OF THE QUESTION.'
"MINDS, TOO, OF AN INFERIOR ORDER, DESTINED FOR IMMORTALITY, AND CONSCIOUS OF THEIR DESTINATION, INSTINCTIVELY PRIED INTO THE FUTURE, CHERISHING VISIONS OF ANOTHER WORLD, WITH ALL THE FERVOR OF DOMESTIC AFFECTION, AND WITH ALL THE CURIOSITY WHICH THE STUDY OF NATURE INSPIRES. INTERESTING AS HAS BEEN THE PAST HISTORY OF OUR RACE, - THE FUTURE, MORE EXCITING STILL, MINGLES ITSELF WITH EVERY THOUGHT AND SENTIMENT, AND CASTS ITS BEAMS OF HOPE, OR ITS SHADOWS OF FEAR, OVER THE STAGE BOTH, OF ACTIVE AND CONTEMPLATIVE LIFE. IN YOUTH WE SCARCELY DESCRY IT IN THE DISTANCE. TO THE STRIPLING AND THE MAN, IT APPEARS AND DISAPPEARS LIKE A VARIABLE STAR, SHOWING IN PAINFUL SUCCESSION ITS SPOTS OF LIGHT AND SHADE. IN AGE IT LOOKS GIGANTIC TO THE EYE, FULL OF CHASTENED HOPE AND GLORIOUS ANTICIPATION; AND AT THE HOUR OF TRANSITION, WHEN THE OUTWARD EYE IS DIM, THE IMAGE OF THE FUTURE IS THE LAST PICTURE WHICH IS EFFACED FROM THE RETINA OF THE MIND."
I CAN'T HELP GETTING MIRED-DOWN BY THE CONTRADICTION, OF ON ONE HAND, THE ALMOST PRIMITIVE MUCKING AROUND OF THE POOR HOMESTEADER, TRYING TO CULTIVATE A PARCEL OF LAND, DOTTED WITH BROKEN TREE ROOTS AND ROCK, AND APPLYING HONEST FAITH, TO GET THROUGH A LONG DAY'S LABOUR, TO ATTAIN EVEN A POOR HARVEST AT THE END OF THE GROWING SEASON. BEING SUPERSTITIOUS, AND BELIEVING SOME OF THE CULTURAL FOLKLORE FROM THEIR COUNTRY OF ORIGIN, IT IS EXPECTED, BY MOST WHO PAID ATTENTION TO THOSE HISTORY LESSON, THAT THE PIONEER'S CHOICE OF EVENING READING, CAME FROM THE FAMILY BIBLE. THIS WELL WORN COPY OF BREWSTER'S TEXT, INDICATES A CONSIDERABLE RESPECT FOR WHAT IS PRINTED INSIDE. I JUST HAVE A HARD TIME, THINKING ABOUT THESE SAME HOMESTEAD FOLK, STANDING OUT ON A HILLSIDE, WATCHING THE NORTHERN LIGHTS, WITH GREAT INTEREST, AND AT THE SAME TIME, SPECULATING WHAT MYSTERIES MIGHT BE REVEALED FROM DEEP IN THE UNIVERSE, BECKONING THEIR IMAGINATIONS TO STAR TRAVEL. WHAT IF THEY HAD WITNESSED AN UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECT, WHICH WE DO KNOW, DID OCCUR, DURING THIS PERIOD OF HISTORY IN NORTH AMERICA, JUST NOT BEING NAMED AS "FLYING SAUCERS." THERE WERE DOCUMENTED REPORTS, IN THIS COUNTRY, OF STRANGE OBJECTS AND VISIONS IN THE SKY, WITHOUT BEING ASSESSED AS EXTRA TERESTIAL EVENTS. COMETS, METEORS, AND SHOOTING STARS. THE PIONEERS KNEW ABOUT THESE BLAZING LIGHTS ACROSS THE SKY, AND OF COURSE, THE MOON MADE OUT OF CHEESE. FOLKLORE AND CHILDREN'S TALES DID ENTER INTO THE ASSESSMENT OF THE UNIVERSE, AT THIS TIME IN THE INTERMINGLING OF SCIENTIFIC REALITIES, AND DOG EARRED STORIES FROM ANTIQUITY, ABOUT THE MYSTERIES OF TIME AND SPACE. BREWSTER ADDRESSED THE ISSUE OF CONFLUENCE BETWEEN SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY IN REGARDS TO ASTRONOMY, AND RELIGIOUS BELIEF.
"BUT HOWEVER UNIVERSAL HAS BEEN THE ANTICIPATION OF THE FUTURE, AND HOWEVER POWERFUL ITS INFLUENCES, REASON DID NOT VENTURE TO GIVE A FORM AND LOCALITY TO ITS CONCEPTIONS; AND THE IMAGINATION, EVEN WITH ITS LOOSEST REINS, FAILED IN THE ATTEMPT. BEFORE THE BIRTH OF ASTRONOMY, INDEED, WHEN OUR KNOWLEDGE OF SPACE TERMINATED WITH THE OCEAN, OR THE MOUNTAIN RANGE THAT BOUNDED OUR VIEW, THE PHILOSOPHER PLACED HIS ELYSIUM IN THE SKY; AND EVEN WHEN REVELATION HAD UNVEILED THE HOUSE OF MANY MANSIONS, CHRISTIAN SAGE DESCRIED HIS FUTURE HOME, IN THE NEW HEAVENS, AND IN THE NEW EARTH OF HIS CREED. THUS VAGUELY ABANDONED FORTH, - THUS SEEN AS THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY, THE FUTURE EVEN OF THE CHRISTIAN, THOUGH, A REALITY TO HIS FAITH, WAS BUT A DREAM TO HIS REASON. IN VAIN DID HE INQUIRE WHAT THIS FUTURE WAS TO BE IN ITS PHYSICAL RELATIONS, - IN WHAT REGION OF SPACE WAS IT TO BE SPENT, - WHAT DUTIES AND PURSUITS WERE TO OCCUPY IT, - AND WHAT INTELLECTUAL AND SPIRITUAL GIFTS WERE TO BE HIS PORTION. BUT WHEN SCIENCE TAUGHT HIM THE PAST HISTORY OF OUR EARTH, ITS FORM, AND SIZE AND MOTIONS, - WHEN ASTRONOMY SURVEYED THE SOLAR SYSTEM, AND MEASURED ITS PLANETS, AND PRONOUNCED THE EARTH TO BE BUT A TINY SPHERE, AND TO HAVE NOT PLACE OF DISTINCTION AMONG ITS GIANT COMPEERS, AND WHEN THE TELESCOPE ESTABLISHED NEW SYSTEMS OF WORLDS FAR BEYOND THE BOUNDARIES OF OUR OWN, THE FUTURE OF THE SAGE CLAIMED A PLACE THROUGHOUT THE UNIVERSE, AND INSPIRED HIM WITH AN INTEREST IN WORLDS, AND SYSTEMS OF WORLDS, - IN SPACE, WITHOUT LIMITS, AS WELL AS IN LIFE WITHOUT END. ON EAGLES' WINGS HE SOARED IN IMAGINATION TO THE ZENITH, AND SPED HIS WAY TO THE HORIZON OF SPACE, WITHOUT REACHING ITS EVER-RETIRING BOURNE; AND IN THE INFINITY OF WORLDS, AND AMID THE INFINITY OF LIFE, WHICH HIS REASON SUGGESTED, HE DESCRIED THE HOME AND THE COMPANIONS OF THE FUTURE."
IS THERE SOME LIFE FORMS OUT THERE, JUST LIKE US?
"That these views are in accordance with the demonstrated truths of astronomy, and deducible from them by analogies which guide us in the ordinary business of life, it will be the object of this essay to shew (show). But before entering upon the astronomical and geological details, which will thus demand our attention, some preliminary observations are necessary to prepare our minds, for the unfettered discussion of a subject which ignorance and bigotry still surround with many prejudices," writes David Brewster.
"In advocating a plurality of worlds, we are fortunately in a more favoured position, that the geologist, whose researches into the ancient history of the earth, stood in apparent opposition to the declaration of Scripture. Neither in the Old nor New Testament, is there a single expression incompatible with the great truth, that there are other worlds than our own, which are the seats of life, and intelligence. Many passages of Scripture, on the contrary, are favourable to the doctrine, and there are some, we think, which are inexplicable, without admitting it to be true. The beautiful text, for example, in which the Psalmist expresses his surprise that the Being who fashioned the heavens, and ordained the moon and stars, should be mindful of so insignificant a being as man, is, we think, a positive argument for a plurality of worlds. We cannot concur in the idea, of Dr. Chalmers, that a person wholly ignorant of the science of astronomy, and consequently, to whom all the stars and planets appear but specks of light in the sky, not more important than the ignis fatuus, upon a marshy field, could express the surprise and deep emotion of the Hebrew poet. Inspiration, no doubt, revealed to him the magnitude, the distances, and the final cause of the glorious spheres which fixed his admiration; and, when impressed with these truths, two portions of creation were presented to his mind in the strongest contrast; - Man in his comparative insignificance, and the Heavens, - the Moon, and the Stars, in their absolute grandeur. He whom God made a little lower than angels, who He crowned with glory and with honour, and for whose redemption, He sent His only Son to suffer, and to die, could not, in the Psalmist's estimation, be an object of insignificance, and measured, therefore, by his high estimate of man, his idea of the heavens, the moon, and the stars must have been of the most transcendent kind."
The author points out, "Man, made after God's image, was a nobler creation than twinkling sparks in the sky, or than the larger and more useful lamp of the moon. The Psalmist must, therefore, have written under the impression either, that the planets and stars were worlds without life, or worlds inhabited by rational and immortal beings. If he regarded them as unoccupied, we cannot see any reason for surprise that God, should be mindful of His noblest work, because innumberable masses of matter existed in the universe, performing, for no intelligible purpose, their solitary rounds. If they were thus made for the benefit and contemplation of man, unseen by any mortal eye but his, then should the Psalmist have expressed his wonder, not at the littleness, but at the greatness of the being, for whose use such magnificent worlds had been called into existence. But if the poet viewed these worlds, as he doubtless did, as teeming with life physical and intellectual, as globes which may have required long periods of time for their preparation, exhibiting new forms of being, new powers of mind, new conditions in the past, and new glories in the future, we can then understand, why he marvelled as the care of God for creatures so comparatively insignificant as man."
He contends, "We must consequently find, for the race of Adam, if not for races that may have preceded him, a material home upon which they may reside, or from which they may travel by means unknown to us, to other localities in the universe. At the present hour, (1854) the inhabitants of the earth are nearly a thousand millions; and by whatever process we may compute the numbers that have existed before the present generation, and estimate those that are yet to inherit the earth, we shall obtain a population which the habitable parts of our globe could not possibly accommodate. If there is not room then on our earth, for the millions of millions, of beings, who have lived and died upon its surface, and who may yet live and die during the period fixed for its occupation by man, we can scarcely doubt that their future abode, must be on some of the primary or secondary planets of the Solar System, whose inhabitants have ceased to exist, like those on earth, or upon planets in our own, or in other systems which have been in a state of preparation, as our earth was, for the advent of intellectual life.
"The connexion thus indicated between the destinies of the human family, and the material system to which we belong, arising from the limited extent of the earth's habitable surface, and its unlimited population, is a strong corroboration of the views which we have deduced from Scripture. In the world of instinct the superabundance of life, is controlled by the law of mutual destruction, which reigns in the earth, the ocean and the air; but the swarm of human life, increasing in an incalcuable ration, both in the Old and the New World, has never been perceptibly reduced by the scythe of famine, of pestilence, or of war; and when we consider the length of time during which this acummulation may proceed, we cannot justly challenge the correctness of the conclusion, that this earth is not to be the future residence of the numerous family which it has been destined to rear."
In tomorrow's blog, we will examine a few other thoughts, as expressed by the good Mr. Brewster, from the chapter, under the heading, "The Future of the Universe."
Imagine by hearthside, after a pause to look out the window, and the blackness of night, and the few twinkling stars visible from that angle of the rocking chair, the following words of advice from the author; to set us in the right direction, in heart and philosophy. "We must instruct our youth, and even age itself, in the geology and physical geography of the Earth, that they may learn the structure and use of its brother planets; and we must fix in their memories, and associate with their affections, the great truths in the planetary and sidereal universe, on which the doctrine of more worlds than one must necessarily rest. Thus familiar with the more magnificent works of creation - thus seeing them through the heart, as well as through the eye, the young will look to the future with a keener glance, and with brighter hopes; the weary and the heavy laden, 'Lifting their tearful eye unto the stars,' will rejoice in the vision of their place to rest; - the philosopher will scan with a new sense the lofty spheres in which he is to study; - and the Christian will recognize, in the worlds of stars, the gorgeous Temples in which he is to offer his sacrifice of praise."
THE MUSKOKA EXPERIMENT CIRCA 1861 - THE COMMISSION REPORT
I have frequently referenced the Ontario Agricultural Commission report of 1881, when I write about the homesteaders and the free land grants; most recently in the stories about Granny Bowers journal, and then the Icelandic settlement, in Hekkla, in North Cardwell, in the District of Muskoka. The report confirms in my opinion, that the fact a majority of settlers survived on the frontier, and created moderately successful homesteads, and commenced somewhat prosperous businesses, meant that the government's hunch had been correct. The poorly outfitted settlers would take just about any land, and at least clear the timber and roads, helping the cause of settlement down the road. What it also meant for them, was that there was more boglands, rocks and densely forested areas further north, and if the Muskoka grant program worked, so would a similar free land offer, in even more adverse northern districts. The settlers, however, didn't know they were part of a government strategy, to settle the country sea to sea. They (government land agents) knew some would perish trying to homestead, and there is no evidence they were particularly concerned about this negative side of the story.
"Coupled with the suggestion that the attention of the Government should be directed to this matter, with the view of affording facilities for the class of settlers, or occupiers of the land, indicated the Commissioners desire at the same time respectfully, to urge the preservation of the more valuable hardwood timber of our still remaining Crown lands, should be the subject of special and particular attention. In the District of Muskoka and Parry Sound large quantities of such timber exist, and every day brings nearer the time when, either from its possession or destruction, its real value will be recognized.
"The water communication existing, supplemented by colonization roads already constructed, and still more by the projected railway through the length and very heart of the district, will afford means for marketing its products or shipping them to market at many convenient points, and of rendering the hardwood accessible with little difficulty. Nor can the Commissioners overlook the fact, that, if the lands of the Muskoka and Parry Sound District can be made available for the purpose already as above proposed, a key may be found to the solution of the question, what is to be done with regions still more remote and to all appearance unfitted for settlement in the ordinary sense, but still within the boundaries of Ontario. The subject is too large to be touched upon further here, but it is one well worthy of the attention of all who have the future of this Province most dearly at heart."
There is more concern about the welfare of the valuable hardwood stand, than interest in the settlers' living standard and welfare generally. The settlers they habitually abused with misinformation, when government land agents attempted, with great fanfare and promotion, to attract immigrants to the free land grants. They, without shame, suggest that crappy land is abundant in Northern Ontario, at least in the interest of farming, but because of the Muskoka and Parry Sound improvements, obviously there were more brave and desparate souls to occupy the environs, to help make the province prosperous, and the mission to settle the north and west......a resounding success, despite the casualties. To meet the government's objective, lives would have to be sacrificed.....and lives were most definitely lost due to the hardships these largely ill-prepared immigrants faced. As I've asked before, what was the "acceptable loss," to get the unsettled lands "occupied." Was it okay to lose a hundred souls each year? A thousand? Did they care, accept for the reason of statistics and economics, if 5,000 had perished? The deal was, how did the province fare in all this? Seeing as the general public wasn't going to get a copy of this commission's report, they could allude to anything they wanted.......and apparently, hardwood was more important than human life. As an historian, it makes me cringe to think how much suffering was directly proportional to government deceit, and overall misrepresentation of homestead possibilities in the Muskoka wilds. Who was held to account for the falsehoods....the fraud? The final line of the summation, is the one that knocks me over, and reminds me of so many other government interests......"The subject is too large to be touched upon further here, but it is one well worthy of the attention of all who have the future of this Province most nearly at heart." Geez, I'd enjoy the retrospective of meeting with the folks who were at this commission meeting.
So in today's monetary terms, what was the homesteaders' pain and suffering worth? How about a class-action lawsuit, on behalf of family members today, who possess records of just how much hardship was endured, based in large part, on the lies of those they trusted. Government representatives. Just to meet quota, they told the stories, these poor souls wanted to hear......of the promised land. Many didn't survive the voyage across the Atlantic, succumbing to illnesses, passed from contaminated passengers on the crossing. Steerage in many cases, was pretty much a hell on water. Then to arrive here, with next to nothing, and find out that there was even less to be pleased about, due to the shortage of provisions, the expense of life-sustaining materials, transportation, and temporary shelter. For the government to admit this was a trial, and some good came from it, well......what can an old historian say, than never trust the government to give you the straight goods, without crossed fingers........hoping you'll just take their word and disappear into the rank and file of citizenry.
"While the older settled portions of the Province naturally demanded the largest share of attention from the Agricultural Commission, it was obviously proper that some of the newer and outlying sections should not be altogether overlooked. Having regard to the circumstances generally under which the electoral district of Muskoka-Parry Sound had been settled, it was thought most expedient that some members of the Commission should make a personal visit to that district, and thus obtain, not only from oral testimony, but also by personal observation, a much larger amount of information than could be had by summoning a limited number of the settlers to give evidence at Toronto," notes the report.
"The lumbering industry is carried on to a considerable extent, several townships having been placed under license from 1871 up to the present time. A large proportion of the settlers have been, as may be supposed, persons without means or with very little means indeed. The Commissioners remark upon this fact, and point out that the general effect of the Free Grant policy has necessarily been to people Muskoka to a very great extent in the way least likely, early, to show large results. The country is densely wooded; consequently, every foot of cultivable ground has had to be cleared with the axe; and, but for the lumbering industry, already referred to, not a few of the settlers would have found subsistence impossible. Having regard in fact, to the nature of the country, and the class to which the majority of the settlers belong, the progress made has been not only satisfactory but even, in some respects, surprising. The district is traversed by bands of Laurentian rock, and the cultivable area is thereby considerably broken up." Which means a thin soil on top of rock.
The report was published in 1881. The homesteaders needed their help and guidance in the 1860's. It took decades to decide to investigate the situation in Muskoka and Parry Sound, and even then, it wasn't much more than cursory, like a barber giving a basic trim. By the 1880's, much of the carnage to the pioneers had already been experienced, and the graves long grown-over, by time there was any attention to their plight.
Just so you know, I am the only historian in this region, to my knowledge, to place a huge weight on this report, to explain why homesteaders to this region, suffered so greatly. And our family was amongst those first settlers, in the Ufford, Three Mile Lake area of the present Township of Muskoka Lakes, who came to Canada, because of the free land grants' promotion of a better life in a new land. They survived and prospered, the result of back-breaking labor and fierce determination to succeed. Many of their neighbors didn't fare quite so well. A substantial number simply succumbed to a lifestyle they were not accustomed, and definitely not prepared.
So what's my point. Well, as we all enjoy the exceptional and abundant recreations of Muskoka in this new century, and occasionally complain about taxes, inconveniences, things and options we don't have here.....like they have in the city......maybe a little reflection on the way it was......might be insightfully refreshing; and validate the hard work and sacrifice those folks made for us, so that we could enjoy the modern version of a wild frontier, they found so painfully discouraging in pioneer Canada. Should you be out for a countryside hike, and come upon, all of a sudden, a rectangular depression in the ground, the size of a coffin, well, offer a little thanks to the pioneer who gave up his life to make a better one for his or her family.......and ultimately the survivors of those rigors.....us!
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