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In this narrative, we have often referred to the
large-hearted, almost princely, hospitality of Lord Strathcona. His wealth
was for him a source of pleasure because he was able to gratify this
spirit of entertainment. And he did it on a lavish scale. He had homes in
London, Glencoe and Colonsay (in Scotland), Hertfordshire, Essex (in
England), Nova Scotia, Winnipeg and Montreal (in Canada). It was his
delight to welcome visitors to these homes and many a time the most
exalted persons were domiciled beneath his roof.
There was one great function which took place every
year in London. This was the "Lord Strathcona Reception" which was given
in honor of all Canadians who chanced to be in London at the time. It was
the privilege of the writer to attend the last of these, which was held on
the evening of July 2nd, 1913. It was held in Queen's Hall and was
certainly an occasion to make a Canadian feel a thrill of pride. It is
estimated that twenty-three hundred guests assembled in the large theatre,
among whom were the representatives of royalty, in the persons of the Duke
of Connaught and Princess Patricia, the nobility, in the persons of the
Earl of Aberdeen and Earl Grey, and men and women eminent in every walk of
life—statesmen, soldiers, writers and others famous in their professional
callings.
The whole scene was exceedingly beautiful. The great
hall with its brilliant illumination, its fine decorations, its profusion
of beautiful plants and flowers, its orchestra discoursing the sweetest
music, and crowded with the elite of London's social life and hundreds of
visitors from over the seas, all arrayed in their best, flashing with
jewels and adorned with knightly orders, presented a spectacle of light
and color and animation, which was not only charming but wonderfully
impressive. No pains had been spared to make it a great function. Nothing
had been omitted that would lend dignity and splendor to the occasion. It
was "Canadian Night" and many a traveller from the Dominion renewed his
acquaintance with others who lived in some other part of that far spread
country and felt thankful to the man who had given him this opportunity.
And it was this which made the occasion so
important. It was not only the meeting place of Canadians, but the
significance of all this lay in the fact that this function was given by
the Canadian High Commissioner. It was an advertisement of the greatness
of the young Dominion and a concrete evidence of her wonderful progress.
It was, further, a witness to the pride with which Lord Strathcona
regarded his adopted country and his anxiety to keep her to the front and
make her conspicuous in the eyes of the world, lie had spent his life
there. There he had gained his wealth and there he had achieved his fame.
To him it had been more than a "land of promise." It had been a land of
large and generous fulfilment, he had landed on those distant shores a
poor and comparatively friendless lad. For over seventy years he had lived
through the most critical and stormy periods of Canadian development. For
thirty years he was a denizen of the wilderness, far away from
civilization, living the rough and trying life of the fur-trader. He had
taken an important part in laying the foundations of the future greatness
of the Confederation. He had been a leading factor in great railway
enterprises, he had helped to solve the difficult problems arising out of
religious and racial prejudice. He had thrown himself with heart and soul
into every movement that would aid in her development. He knew it from the
Atlantic to the Pacific. He was acquainted with its enormous resources in
forest, mine and fertile land. He had a glowing faith in its future, and
saw the time when the Dominion would vie with the Motherland in population
and wealth and character. To him it was a matter of pride and delight to
sound her praises and make her possibilities known to the whole world. To
this end he used his high official position and it was in the furtherance
of this purpose that he allied himself with every effort to bring her
before the public eye. By public addresses, by large donations, by
cultivating the friendship of the great leaders in the spheres of
polities, literature and society, by such a display of wealth as would
commend his position and by lavish entertainments and great receptions, he
sought to impress the people of the old land with the greatness of the
country which he represented. That was the meaning of the striking
function of last July when he gave the hand of welcome to between two and
three thousand guests. It was all a means to an end and that end was the
exaltation of Canada.
It was a notable occasion and a notable gathering
and the central figure in that splendid function was the grand old man
himself, he stood in his place to welcome his guests with a warm handshake
and a word of greeting. To the Canadians who were there, he was an object
of special interest, he was their representative. This gorgeous function
was in honor of their country. The host of the evening was a great
Canadian, a worthy product of the young Dominion. No wonder his
fellow-countrymen regarded him with pride. Ninety-three years of age! It
seemed incredible. As we looked on his stately figure, his face strong and
masterful, the eyes, beneath shaggy brows, bright with intelligence, the
whole man full of vitality, it was hard to think that he had far outlived
the appointed time. His manner was kind and gracious and delightfully
simple. As we turned away to give place to others and to mingle with the
throng we carried in our minds the impression of a stalwart and honorable
representative of our country, one of whom we had never need to be
ashamed, and in whose hands the welfare of Canada was safe. Had we known
how near the end was, how soon he would pass away and leave behind an
empty place, hard to fill—we would have regarded him with even greater
interest. But there was no sign of failing powers. He seemed hale and
hearty as ever. We had not the faintest idea that he was giving his last
reception. It is a pleasure to reveal the picture of the old man, full of
years and of honors, surrounded by his friends, enjoying the fruits of a
life of labor, the object of respect and good will of all classes of the
people. his position seemed ideal. The years of strife and controversy and
bitterness had been left far behind. The possessor of great wealth, the
occupant of a high office, the trusted counsellor of governments, wielding
an enormous influence, honored through the whole extent of the Empire, the
closing period of his life was a fitting climax to a career which from the
beginning had moved steadily forward and upward. It is safe to say that,
considering his origin and experience, he was in a class by himself. There
were none like him. He was not and did not claim to be a perfect man. The
hostile critic could find much which might serve as a basis for attack. He
was not, in the technical sense of the term, either a moral or social
"reformer." There was very little of the demagogne or the radical in his
composition. He was by temperament a conservative, he bowed to the
established order and had no sympathy with those who were anxious to bring
about changes. Ile was not so much theoretical as practical. He took the
world as he found it, his methods of finance were the methods of his time.
He did not create them but used them. He was the product to some extent of
the system into which he was born and in which he had been trained. His
genius lay not in the construction of machinery but in making use of the
machinery existing. That was where he excelled. Naked he came into the
world, without money, without influence, without social patronage, with no
advantage whatever save the qualities resident in himself. As such,
bare-handed he came into the world and when the time came for him to leave
it he had conquered it. He had gained for himself what comes to others
through inheritance, or by some lucky stroke of fate. And his achievement
was due, not to any spectacular or extraordinary abilities, but to that
practical sagacity by which he was impelled instead of criticizing systems
to lay hold of them and make them serve his purpose.
We may, quite properly, question if any man in a
single lifetime should be able to become a multi-millionaire. That is a
question which undoubtedly will have to he faced. But no man can be held
responsible for the system which has grown through centuries and has
become established and accepted. There are many things which will probably
he changed—social distinctions, titles, house of Lords, etc. Men of the
stamp of Lord Strathcona will never change them. And his pre-eminence and
success are due to the fact that he had no desire to change them. He found
them established, and by his native shrewdness and executive ability and
practical wisdom laid hold of them and made them his creatures. His high
position, his title of "Lord Strathcona," his commanding influence and his
great wealth were simply the result of a man of genius manipulating the
forces that lay ready to his hand. Had he been born into another system
the same qualities would have won for him an equally great though perhaps
a different result. We need have no scruple in subscribing to the general
belief that he was "Canada's Grand Old Man." |
