A Yankee in Canada, by Henry D. Thoreau [Review] PDF Free Download
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A Yankee in Canada
By Henry D. Tuoreav. Montreal, Harvest
House, 1961. 126 p. Paper, $1.65; cloth,
$3.50.
Any publication by or about Henry
David Thoreau is an event of impor-
tance. Harvest House is to be congratu-
lated and warmly thanked for bringing
before us, almost a century after it was
first published, this absorbing account
by the wisest of nature writers.
This is called a travel book. Nature is
present from the very first page. Descrip-
tions—of countryside, waterfalls, the St.
Lawrence—are shot out with the force
the scenes must have expelled onto the
author’s fertile mind. But this is more
than a travel book. Man is a part of that
nature, and the commentary of a man of
Thoreau’s stature will have a value as
long as imperfect men exist.
A work of Thoreau demands, of
course, no mere review, certainly nothing
less than an essay, and a long one too.
This periodical, at least in this section,
affords no such scope.
Writers more capable than I have com-
mented on A Yankee in Canada, the
“Canada” being only a small section of
what is today the Province of Quebec.
They have noted, perhaps, that to only
a man of great inner reserves could the
monotonous scenery of “La Prairie” be
exciting, that Thoreau perceived the
“artificial look” of Lombardy poplars and
the almost total absence of trees set out
for shade or ornament; that the writer
was indebted to Kalm for many descrip-
tions or names of plants, and that he had
a unique appreciation for geographic
names in French Canada. Other writers
may have smiled at—or otherwise reacted
to—the lines about rust that, if “not on
the tinned roofs and spires, ... was on the
inhabitants and their institutions”; but
they would still have had to admit that
it took a New Englander to say that
“there is nothing of the kind in New
England to be compared with” the
waterfall of La Puce. Thoreau was impar-
tial. He could write that the people of
Montmorency County “had not advanced
Tue Canabian Fie_tp-NatTuraList Vol. 75
since the settlement of the country”; he
could also say, a few lines previously,
that in 1846 in Canada East the franchise
was held by “a greater proportion than
enjoy a similar privilege in the United
States.”
But in this present edition Thoreau is
speaking to a people some three genera-
tions later. What might be his thoughts
today? Would he wonder if, after almost
a hundred years, the province had made
any advance toward the Confederation
that had been envisaged in 1867? Would
he still seem to marvel at how far the
New Englander’s common sense is re-
moved from the uncommon variety he
beheld? Would he, perhaps, quip that
for some individuals it has been no long
trek from raquetteur to racketeer?
Would he who considered forests “far
grander and more sacred” than churches
be appalled to see, on Mount Royal,
God’s sacred nature uglified by a mon-
strous shrine? Or would he still be critical
of men and women who live under
poverty, chastity and obedience, when
he, a former recluse, would be the first -
to say that there is no single road through
life? I wonder, even, if he would hear an
earnest comment of one who acknow-
ledges his greatness:
A peer in recounting impression,
Thoreau seems to be seldom detached
from academic discipline. I constantly
feel that his caustic is only diluted by a
self-conscious idealistic expression. On
his journey to “Canada” he got to know
no one. He seldom mentions his traveling
companion and not once refers to him
by name. When, in his beautiful essay
on friendship, in “A Week on the Con-
cord,” Thoreau says that “men do not,
after all, Jove their Friends greatly,” he
speaks for himself. If his humanitarianism
were motivated by Christianity it might
become complete, catholic and Catholic.
The Christian’s love is an intimate, per-
sonal, compelling power. It is what peace
is made of.
In his well-written introduction to this
edition, Mr. Maynard Gertler dips into
a thrilling, virile epoch in history. From
1961
it the reader may gain much he had not
known or realized. Although the text
type is easy to read, the total material
book leaves much to be desired. But
nothing physical can mar, or enhance, a
message from Mr. Thoreau.
Rosert A. HAMILton
100 Shrubs of Ontario
By James H. Soper and Marecarer L. Hemm-
BURGER. Toronto, Ontario Department of
Commerce and Development, 1961. 1 vol.
(unpaged).
This is the third stage in a work de-
signed to cover the estimated 150 shrubs
in the province; 25 and 55 species have
been treated in earlier instalments. Mem-
bers of the willow, rose and grape families
are still to be treated. Considering its still
unfinished nature, users of the book will
make allowances for its lack of complete-
ness, the absence of keys and page num-
bers, and the numerous inconsistences in
typography and setup it contains. The
publication is not offered for sale, a
limited number of copies are available
free from the Department.
The descriptions are practical, and par-
ticularly good for checking the charac-
ters of the shrubs encountered in the
field. The full-page drawings (by Leslie
Garay and Ronald With) are accurate
and clearly depicted. The maps of distri-
bution, showing only those locations
where the species are reliably known to
occur, are the result both of painstaking
checking of all available specimens and
records and of extensive exploration on
the part of the authors. As such, the maps
are an outstanding and welcome contri-
bution to phytogeography. While it is
doubtful whether further collecting
would greatly alter the patterns they
expose, it is presumably the authors’ in-
tention to incorporate in their final print-
ing any authentic additions brought to
their attention. A certain obligation
would therefore seem to fall on those
who are fortunate enough to obtain a
copy. Wi.am G. Dore
REVIEWS 261
Birds of Regina
By Marearer Betcuer. Illustration by Fred
W. Lahrman. Regina, Saskatchewan Na-
tural History Society, 1961. 76 p. $1.00
(Spec. Publ. Sask. nat. Hist. Soc. 3)
The geographic scope is a circle 30
miles in diameter with center at the
Saskatchewan Legislative Buildings in
Regina. Twelve introductory pages are
devoted to a lucid description of the area
with emphasis on the primary habitat
types and the birds characteristic of each
of them. There is a short history of bird
study of the area and the main sources of
information are given. Treatment and
terms used are clearly defined.
The annotated list (pages 16-74 inclu-
sive) contains 268 species ascertained to
have occurred in the area. Three addi-
tional species are listed hypothetically.
The annotations are definite and ex-
tremely well documented, there being
none of that exasperating vagueness so
often encountered in annotated lists.
‘Terms used to evaluate the general status
of each species conform with those re-
commended by the Federation of New
York State Bird Clubs. The detailed data
are precise and well chosen. There are
many useful notes on local habitat pre-
ferences, a subject too often neglected by
many writers. Spring arrival data are well
covered but autumn departure data are
scanty, presumably because the latter are
not so abundantly available.
Interesting bird sketches by talented
Fred Lahrman, as well as a number of
photographs, are scattered through the
text. There are two useful maps and a list
of the literature cited.
From the over-all planning to proof
reading this publication shows evidence
that consistently meticulous work has
gone into its preparation. Everyone either
actively or potentially interested in the
birds of the area should have a copy.
Visitors to Regina will find that it is more
than an authoritative list of the birds they
can expect to find. It will also be a great
help on where to find them.
W. Eart Goprrey
Hamilton, Robert A. 1961. "A Yankee in Canada, by Henry D. Thoreau
[Review]." The Canadian field-naturalist 75(4), 260–261.
https://doi.org/10.5962/p.341986.
View This Item Online: https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/89075
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5962/p.341986
Permalink: https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/partpdf/341986
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