Columbia, Or
The Future of Canada
In spite of the many years
passed since 1928, Columbia, or The
Future of Canada (1928) contains
observations which are still
relevant to Canada today. Here are a
few snippets, with some of my own
comments.
(1) “Steadily, more and more, the
Canadian (male) approximates to
friend Babbitt of Zenith City. The
American of Hawthorne, Emerson,
Whitman (...) has little appeal for
him: he has assimilated much that is
second rate in modern America.” (p.
46)
Godwin is surprised that so many
Canadians choose to look, think, and
act like Americans i.e. Canadians
are so Americanized already that it
doesn't matter much if Canada does
join the U.S.A. Typically, Godwin
takes for granted a well-read
reader, hence no mention of Sinclair
Lewis, the famous author of Babbitt.
(2) “French Canada, being Latin and
logical, saw clearly that there
could be no quid pro quo for her
sacrifice should the day dawn to
find the grey silhouettes of
American gun boats in the St.
Lawrence.” (p. 49)
i.e. Why should Quebec fight against
the Germans? If America were to
invade Quebec, Britain would not
come to her rescue.
(3) (on real estate swindlers) “We
have seen, on a blue-print, the city
of Pittsburg, British Columbia,
complete with residential,
industrial and business quarters,
town hall, public library, law
courts, and the rest. We have sought
out Pittsburg, and found, browsing
in mild contentment, its single
inhabitant, a friendly Holstein cow,
sole occupant of an otherwise empty
meadow.” (p. 65)
(4) “What help could Great Britain
give the Dominion, if over-populated
and highly-industrialized Japan,
drunk with an imperial dream,
launched her great navy against the
Pacific Coast? The answer is: none.
Where, in such an event, could
Canada seek military and naval
salvation? Obviously, from the
United States Pacific Fleet.” (p.
77)
This one seems prophetic when one
thinks of what would happen thirteen
years later with Pearl Harbour,
Singapore, Midway, etc.
The overall effect of this book is
to put the reader in an intriguing
time-warp consisting of past,
present and future: we look back to
Godwin in 1928 and there he is
projecting what Canada will be like
in 2000 or so. Futuristic thinking
seems to be one of the subtle
benefits of studying history.
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