"great lone land"; and when the hypocrite repents he has a drastic wash ready to efface the stain. "I actilly larned French in a voyage to Calcutta," he says, "and German on my way home." He knows a little Gaelic, too, which he learned on a new and agreeable system that, unfortunately, would never do in the Public Schools. Granting that the typical Jack-of-all-trades in his time was the inquisitive and acquisitive Yankee, yet Sam Slick beats the record of his shifty countrymen. He has been everywhere where a lively reminiscence can be located and is endowed with any art or attainment that comes in handy "to point a moral or adorn a tale," to snub a snob or help a friend. He understands every phase of human nature, and is impossibly familiar with every social stratum. Artemus Ward was not without warrant in terming Haliburton the founder of the American school of humor, for most of its phases, from the affected simplicity of Mark Twain to the malapropism of Mrs. Partington, are illustrated in his works. About fifteen years before the publication of Uncle Tom's Cabin, Topsy's famous phrase was anticipated in the first series of The Clockmaker (C. 12), where a country girl, being asked where she was brought up, answered: "Why, I guess I wasn't brought up at all, I growed up.” Not only phrases but anecdotes and tales have been borrowed from Haliburton by modern humorists. One might even argue, spitefully, that he furnished the model for "Peck's Bad Boy," for there is in The Letter Bag an epistle from a youth who plays a series of tricks almost as nefarious as those of Peck's monstrosity. Haliburton pointed the shafts of his sarcasm usually at types and classes, seldom at individuals. He saw an unoccupied field for a satirist at home and he proceeded to occupy it. "The absurd importance attached in this country to trifles," observes one of his characters, "the grandiloquent language of rural politicians, the flimsy veil of patriotism under which selfishness strives to hide present many objects for ridicule and satire." He used dialogue copiously as a means to make his writings popular. "Why is it," asked Sam Slick, "If you read a book to a man you set him to sleep? Just because the language ain't common. Why is it if you talk to him he will sit ... up all night with you? Just because it's talk, the language of natur'." And written chat, he evidently thought, was the most effective medium next to oral chat for holding the attention of all classes. Haliburton had a great gift for aphorism and quaint conceits, and was never at a loss for an apt or grotesque simile. It is not unlikely that he might have taken rank among the very greatest literary names of the century if he had been a little less genial and self-indulgent, or if he had had higher educational advantages and a more stimulating literary environment at the outset of his career. As it was, Haliburton generally wrote forcibly, and often smoothly and classically, while in detached passages he could be terse and even brilliant. But the attractions of his style are not sustained, and he is sometimes a little slip-shod or diffuse. He is accordingly more to be admired as a humorist than as a stylist, and still more, perhaps, as a thorough student and an acute judge of human nature. He intuitively recognized the tendencies of the age; he observed the currents of public opinion, and gauged their volume and their force with approximate correctness. His literary faults include discursiveness, repetition, inconsistency in his characters, lack of thoroughness in his researches, a few somewhat indelicate jests. But these faults bear but a small ratio to the merits of this great Canadian writer-to his exuberant humor, his acute observation, his sound judgment, his wide horizon, and the general beneficence of his aims. And if some too industrious hands-some other hands than mine-shall at any future time undertake to unfold his venial frailties in more detail, true Canadian sons of the Empire will not forget that he believed in guarding forever the imperial birthright whose grandeur he was great enough to understand. * A literary society was organised in 1884 in connection with King's College, Windsor, N. S., and named the Haliburton Club. It has published two volumes: the first, a pamphlet by the present writer, entitled Haliburton: The Man and the Writer"; the second, "Haliburton: A Centenary Chaplet." The latter is illustrated and contains, with four other papers, a complete bibliography compiled by J. P. Anderson of the British Museum, giving a list of magazine articles referring to the author and of English and foreign editions of his works. CHAPTER XIV. HON. JOSEPH HOW E. The Late Principal Grant's Estimate of Joseph Howe-Howe's Love for Nova Scotia and Her People and His Far-Reaching Influence-Sabine's Account of the Enthusiasm for "Jo Howe "-His Father a United Empire Loyalist of Boston-A God-Fearing Man-Joe Howe's Tribute to His Father's Memory-The Birthplace of the Great Reformer-A Child of Nature-His Education-Learns the Printing Trade-A Poet of Considerable Power— Purchases the "Nova Scotian "-Attacks the Abuses of His Time-Howe's Far-Reaching Influence as a Journalist-The Nova Scotia "Family Compact "-Mr. George E. Fenety's Description of the Council-Howe's Familiarity with the Whole Province-His MarriageA Serious Illness-His Celebrated Trial for Libel-Elected to the Assembly-Begins the Great Battle for Responsible Government-The Stubborn Attitude of the Council-Howe Moves a Series of Twelve Reform Resolutions-His Brilliant Eight Hour Speech in the Assembly-Joe Howe in a Duel-The Council, Enraged at Resolutions, Refuses to Pass Supply Bill-Howe Appeals to the Secretary for the Colonies-Sir Colin Campbell Opposed to Responsible Government-Lord Falkland Replaces Him-Howe Makes an Enemy of Lord Falkland-Howe's Life Among the Farmers of Musquodoboit-His 1.fluence Upon the Material Prosperity of Nova Scotia-His Attitude Towards Confederation His Great Detroit Speech-Takes Office Under Sir John Macdonald-Appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia-His Death. TH HE late Principal Grant in his powerful sketch of the character and career of the Hon. Joseph IIowe, which appeared in The Canadian Monthly nearly twenty-eight years ago, calls that great reformer" Nova Scotia incarnate." At first this may seem but a half truth, for during many long years Howe was bitterly opposed in his reforms by a large and influential section of the people of the Atlantic Province of the Dominion. But these people were, for the most part, alien to the soil. They were not Nova Scotians, but native born Englishmen or United Empire Loyalists who formed a species of "Family Compact" in the land where they had pitched their tents, and who despised the natives of the Province, looking upon them as only fit to be hewers of wood and drawers of water to the dominant class. Joseph Howe, or "Joe Howe," as he was more familiarly called, was truly representative of the masses of Nova Scotia. They lovea nim and ne them; and the ocean washed shores, the tide-tortured rivers, the barren places, and the fruitful valleys of his native land were dearer to him than any other places on earth. No other Canadian-not even Sir John Macdonald or Sir Wilfrid Laurier -has had such enthusiastic worship from his followers. Through his paper and in parliament he talked to them "about politics, and trade and agriculture;" he made them "laugh a good deal" and "think a good deal more" even while they were laughing. He formed them; his thoughts were their thoughts, and the freedom they ultimately possessed was brought about by him and they reverenced him as at once their friend and the shaper of their ideals. Sabine in his Loyalists of the American Revolution admirably shows the enthusiasm there was, in the forties, throughout the length and breadth of Nova Scotia for the man who had done by pen and tongue what Mackenzie and Papineau failed to do by force of arms in Upper and Lower Canada. "It was 'Jo Howe' by day and by night," writes Sabine. "The Yankee peddler drove good bargains in 'Jo Howe' clocks. In the coal mine, in the plaster-quarry, in the ship-yard, in the forest, on board the fishing pogy, the jigger and the pinkey, it was still 'Jo Howe.' Ships and babies were named 'Jo Howe.' The loafers of the shops and taverns swore great oaths about 'Jo Howe.' The young men and maidens flirted and courted in 'Jo Howe' badges, and played and sang 'Jo Howe' glees. It was 'Jo Howe' everywhere." Joseph Howe was of United Empire Loyalist stock,-Puritan stock at that. At the time of the American Revolution, his father, John Howe, was employed as a printer in Boston. He worked for a Mrs. Draper who was publishing the Boston News-Letter when the flames of revolution broke out. Mrs. Draper seems to have been a loyal Britisher, and when the British troops evacuated the city, in 1776, she moved her printing plant to Halifax and there established the Nova Scotia Gazette. She took with her John Howe, who, for some four or five years, managed her business. In 1781 he branched out for himself and issued the first numbers of the Halifax Journal. a man of force and integrity and rapidly won the confidence of the leaders in his adopted Province and was appointed Postmaster of the Province. John Howe was a God-fearing man who assembled his children about him for worship morning and night, and who on the Sabbath went forth with his Bible under his arm to minister to his little flock of Sandemanians in an 66 upper room." He was much beloved by his family, and set them an example of generosity to the poor and sympathy with the erring. His purse was ever open to those in need, and he regularly visited the prisons to help the fallen; and frequently when prisoners were set free they found a resting place at his home until they could secure employment. To the end of his days he remained the same generous, God-fearing, true-hearted Christian, and in his charitable work, in his declining years, received assistance from his son Joseph. His children held their father's memory in reverence and much of the beauty and goodness of Joe Howe's character was due to the fact that he looked up to his austere and kindly father and ever found delight in his society. The following stanza written to his half-sister, Jane and Joe Howe was no mean poet-well shows what a dutiful and loving son he was: "Oh, how we loved him, love him now, Our noble father! By his side My mother, who my faults would chide; With cares domestic on her brow, More wayward, and of sterner mood, But ever provident and good; Hating all shams, and looking through His father was the predominating influence in his life. He had been to him an instructor, a play-fellow, a daily companion, to use the words of his illustrious son who could say of him: "He was too good for this world; but the remembrance of his cheerfulness, his childlike simplicity and truly Christian character is never absent from my mind." From his father, who was to the end a Loyalist and a Tory, Joe Howe inherited not a little of his Toryism and a great deal of his love of the Empire. It is true that during the course of his life Howe seemed the opposite of a Tory, but ever under the surface was that love for established institutions, for monarchical form of |