(2) The farms are in the shape of long, narrow rectangles, 20 or 30 arpents in length, by 2 or 3 in breadth. The farm buildings are all built at one end of these rectangles, along the public road, which crosses them at right angles, thus giving a close succession of houses and barns. Not Infrequently the buildings of two abutting ranges are situated on opposite sides of the same road, making a double row of almost contiguous houses, somewhat like a vil lage street. The ranges, of which there are four or five in parallel line in every parish, connect with one another and with the village by means of °routes') or transverse roads, along which no buildings are erected; so that each range is iso lated from the rest and forms a distinct group ing within the parish. This type of settlement, which differs from that of the isolated home stead to be found in some parts of France and throughout the Anglo-Saxon world, and also from the central village type observed in other parts of France and Europe, is a distinctly French Canadian creation, which the habitant takes with him wherever he settles in num bers. The range seems to have been the out come of the desire on the part of the habitant, while residing on his own farm (which the vil lage settlement would not allow him to do), to secure the benefit of his neighbor's assist ance and company in a more effective way than the isolated homestead would permit. What the habitant cannot accomplish with the help of his family he endeavors to do through the free help of his neighbors. However, while the nearest neighbor, on either side, may be called upon now and then to lend a hand in the ordi nary work of the farm, the summoning in num bers of the near-by farmers is resorted to in exceptional cases only, such as the clearing of land, the gifting* of a barn or the relief of some destitute family. Each range looks after its poor, by means of voluntary contributions, principally in kind. Each range has its cheese or butter factory, its schoolhouse, also its large wooden cross along the highway, in commem oration of some religious revival.
(3) The roads leading from the various -ranges all centre toward a village, generally small, comprising a few lodgings, workshops and stores, besides the priest's house and the church. A community wherein the highest aim of the farmer, the basal element, is to cater to all the needs of his household directly through the labor of his own family and the occasional assistance of his neighbors does not leave much scope for the development of other social fac tors. The ambitions and efforts of the most capable being restrained within that limit, equal ity and similarity of condition is the rule. Com merce, industry, the liberal professions remain embryonic. In the absence of leaders in agri culture, industry and commerce, learning be comes the standard of distinction. A few wise old farmers, the doctor, the notary, the lawyer, are looked up to; but, on account of the exalted nature of his function, the parish priest is de cidedly the dominant factor. Like the family and the range, the parish is primarily an organ ism for mutual support, .both in the physical and moral order. It plays to a certain extent the part of an insurance company, as barns, for Instance, destroyed by fire are restored through contributions from all the parishioners in material or labor. On Sundays and feast days the habitant meets at church his coparish ioners, who are all relatives or close acquaint ances, the doctor, the notary; he listens to the admonitions of the acure,D to the announcements made by the public crier, and 'receives the intel ligence and impressions which will be his mental food for the remainder of the week. To all in
tents, the parish may be considered as an en largement of the family with the parish priest as its patriarchal head. Then, the parish is the main organ of local government in the French Canadian country, the school commission and the municipal corporation, of British origin and of comparatively recent introduction, remaining mere adjuncts, only partially developed, of the parish proper. The revenues of the latter often exceed those of the school commission and municipal body put together. Many localities have, no town-hall other than the vestry. In practice the cure is much more the maintainer of the peace and the arbitrator of disputes within the parish than are the mayor, the local magistrates and court. His powers extend even to a close supervision of family affairs. The law of the province allows him the 26th bushel of all cereals grown by his parishioners within his territory, and his influence over the church wardens and flock enables him to obtain from close-fisted farmers the expenditure of comparatively large sums of money on church buildings. His influence is exerted as well over the school commission and municipal council, whose policy and decisions are usually made to conform to his wishes. On the other hand, practically the only check on the cure is the far off bishop, who visits the parish and inspects the books every third year, and may remove him at will. The school commission and municipal corporation are administered in a spirit of parsimony. School buildings are in adequate, and the teachers, generally girls, re ceive very little pay and give correspondingly poor results. Illiterates are still. in large num bers. As each individual farmer is required to look directly after that part of the public high way which faces his property, and to contribute his share of the labor necessary for the mainte nance of the cross-road leading to the village, the municipal council has little to do apart from supervising, in a general way, the repairing of roads or the occasional building or repairing of bridges within the limits of the parish. Sim ilarly, county councils have not acquired in the French country anything like the importance which they have in English sections, and are content with looking after roads, bridges or water courses common to two or more parishes. On the other hand, provincial and Federal poli tics have taken quite a hold on the habitant; but the interest which he takes in them is more the outcome of his inclination for clannish warfare and oratory, and of his craving for the petty favors of officialism, than the result of a desire on his part to ensure the proper man agement of public affairs, which he does not always grasp. These are the prey of organized political parties, whose leaders are recruited mainly from the liberal professions and the cities. Church and politics are, in the mind of the habitant, the only avenues open to those desirous of rising in the world. And this ac counts for a rather remarkable development of institutions of classical and literary teaching in a community wherein common schools are markedly deficient and technical and business training neglected.