Page:Brock centenary 2nd ed. 1913.djvu/102

BROCK CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION dared to come to Canada with the avowed purpose of forcibly taking possession of our country.

In the judgment of the committee that arranged for the celebration of the glorious deeds of our early history, it is most Important that Canadian children should be trained to revere the memories of the great and true men and women of one hun- dred years ago, and to rejoice because of the vic- tories won by them for freedom and for Imperial unity.

There are men who have written to the news- papers objecting to the course we adopted. They seem to think it Improper to let our children know- that our country was ever in danger, and that it was saved by the unselfish devotion and the brave deeds of our ancestors. However, in spite of their protests, based on weak and unpatriotic sentiment, we intend to teach young Canadians to remember the patriotism and valour of the founders and defenders of Canada, and to train them to become worthy successors to the men and women who made such sacrifices for them.

We have no wish to> till the hearts of the pupils in our schools with animosity towards the great nation whose fertile fields and happy homes we beyond the great river that separates it from our own fair land. We wish to develop in our children a spirit that will lead them to say to the people across our borderland not "Hands off Canada." but "Hands together to achieve for God and for humanity the highest and broadest and truest Ideals that have been revealed to the Anglo-Saxon race."

We do not wish to make our children quarrel- some or offensive, but we do wish them to he patriotic Canadians, full of loyalty to their flag, their Empire, and their King. We wish them to understand what their predecessors did in order that they may have faith in themselves and in their country; and we intend that they shall learn the