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Title: The Revived Significance of the Initials "U. E."
   A paper read before the Pioneer and Historical
   Society of the County of York, July, 1892.
Author: Scadding, Henry (1813-1901)
Date of first publication: 1892
Edition used as base for this ebook:
   Toronto: Copp, Clark
Date first posted: 12 August 2011
Date last updated: 12 August 2011
Project Gutenberg Canada ebook #835

This ebook was produced by David T. Jones
& the Online Distributed Proofreading Canada Team
at http://www.pgdpcanada.net

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(_REPRINT._)

THE REVIVED SIGNIFICANCE OF THE
INITIALS "U. E."

A PAPER

_READ BEFORE THE PIONEER AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF
THE COUNTY OF YORK, JULY, 1892,_

BY

REV. DR. SCADDING.

TORONTO:
THE COPP, CLARK COMPANY, LIMITED





THE REVIVED SIGNIFICANCE OF THE
INITIALS "U. E."


Most of us have been very familiar from our boyhood with the initials
"U.E." Certain persons amongst us used to be spoken of as "U.E's." A
fuller phrase sometimes was that they were U.E. Loyalists, but there
long remained in the minds of many of us, probably, a certain degree of
indefiniteness as to what the expression really meant. We have become
better instructed since. The U.E. Loyalists, as we all know now, were
persons who during the contests in the British colonies of North America
between the advocates of independence and their opponents sided with the
latter party. They conscientiously felt that their duty to the crown of
Great Britain absolutely forbade their taking up arms for the purpose of
freeing themselves from the yoke of the Mother Country. With them the
Unity of the Empire was a sacred thing. To dismember it, or to aid in
dismembering it, was a kind of impiety. The feeling was evidently a
relic of the old chivalrous times, when the land one lived in was in
theory, according to feudal ideas, the property of the king, and it was
a matter of honor for every faithful liege subject to shield his king
from suffering any loss.

This strong feeling induced very many of the British colonists to
sacrifice their possessions, and in many cases lucrative positions,
rather than assent to the political principles which were becoming
predominant around them. They accordingly abandoned the localities which
had been the home of themselves and their forefathers as speedily as it
was possible to do so, and betook themselves to other portions of the
continent, where the British rule still continued to prevail. These were
the United Empire Loyalists, and they found places of refuge in parts of
what are now called the Maritime Provinces of Canada, as also along the
northern shores of the St. Lawrence, eastward of Kingston, and on the
Bay of Quinte, and on the westerly banks of the River Niagara. In all
these localities the authorities of Great Britain provided lands for the
loyal refugees and their families, where they might commence again the
useful, but laborious, work of colonists. Wild lands, too, were allotted
for the occupancy of others, who were desirous after the conclusion of
the revolution still to preserve their allegiance to the British crown
by emigrating peacefully from their former homes. Subsequent settlers
in the Maritime Provinces and in the two Canadas learned to regard with
much respect their predecessors in the good work of colonization, on
account of the sacrifices which it was known they had made for
conscience sake; and hence the peculiar reverence which used to attach
itself to the term U.E. Loyalists in our younger days, and even to the
initials U.E. taken independently.

I remember looking with a degree of awe, when quite a youth on what was
called a U.E. right. The head of a U.E. family was entitled to draw, as
the expression was, a two hundred acre lot of wild land for each child
in his family. The certificate to the effect that any child was thus
entitled, was what was termed a "U.E. right"; it was transferable and
saleable, and it was one of these certificates that it was my chance
once, when a mere lad, to become the possessor of for a very small sum,
and which was afterwards disposed of for my benefit at a very small rate
of profit; but I know that it secured to its worthy purchaser a two
hundred acre lot in the township of Brock, converted by him into a
productive farm, which at this moment in its entirety would be a little
fortune.

The initials U.E. seem likely ere long to assume a fresh importance in
Canadian history. It is curious to observe what a part initials somewhat
like these have played in history elsewhere. These abbreviations in the
form of initials have quite a place of their own among literary
curiosities. They have been found convenient in conveying an idea which
otherwise would require a multitude of words to express, and they often
have the power of creating a certain degree of enthusiasm. The letters
U.S. have often the same effect on the citizen of the United States as
the sight of his star-spangled banner. They represent to him his
country, as it were. He humorously interprets them sometimes by the
homely expression "Uncle Sam"--a kindly impersonation of his country. I
remember when aforetime the initials U.C. had much the same effect on
young minds among ourselves here in Canada. They had the power of
exciting a degree of patriotic feeling as representing the old province
of Upper Canada, an abbreviation now poorly supplied by the not very
euphonious "Ont." for Ontario. These initials now survive amongst us
only as a prefix to a well-known great public school or college, and as
such are still, I am happy to say, regarded with a sentiment of
affection by its alumni. You will often hear the expression "Old Upper
Canada," meaning old Upper Canada College, uttered by them in a tone of
fondness. I need not mention what a peculiar power the initials N.P. had
in our political circles a few years since, and for that matter they
possess much influence still. The maintenance of what is called the
National Policy is without doubt a matter of weighty importance, not as
promotive of independence of Great Britain, but only as tending to
secure unity among ourselves as a people. At the present moment, as we
all know, there are three initials exerting a considerable power
throughout Canada, viz., C.P.R. Among the older clergy of Canada, the
letters S.P.G. awaken to this day a feeling of reverence and gratitude.
They are the initials of the ancient English Society for the Propagation
of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, which did so much for the furtherance of
the best interests of the British colonists years ago, both in Canada
and throughout what is now known as the United States. In London many
years ago the initials O.P. represented a stirring controversy in
connection with theatrical affairs. We have all doubtless heard of the
O.P. riots, which were riots among the populace for the purpose of
bringing about a return to the O.P., _i.e._, the old prices demanded for
admission to Covent Garden or Drury Lane. Among the French, during the
period of the first empire, one initial sufficed, _viz._, N., to stir
the national spirit. Among the Romans the letters S.P.Q.R., initials of
the Latin word signifying the senate and people of Rome, seen on their
military standards, were a kind of sacred tetragrammaton, having a
talismanic effect on the minds of the soldiers.

The ancient Jewish hero's name Judas Maccabeus, so inspiring to Hebrew
soldiers of yore, was formed from the first letters of the words in a
Hebrew sentence signifying in English: "Who is like unto Thee, O Lord,
among the gods?"--words borne on their ensigns and bucklers in time of
war.

Strange to narrate, our familiar hip, hip, hurrah! is said to have had
an origin connected with the Jews. Hip, or more properly hep, it seems,
is composed of the initials of the Latin words, "Hierosolyma est
perdita," _i.e._, "It is all over with Jerusalem"--the exulting cry of
the mob of a medival city while assaulting and sacking the ghetto or
quarter inhabited by the unfortunate Hebrews of the place. I could refer
to other names and words in history of like origin; for example, in the
reign of Charles II. the ill-sounding word cabal was formed out of the
initials of the names of the king's ministers at a particular time, and
was made use of accordingly.

In Hudibras the absurd monosyllable "smec" is used to bring ridicule on
a large class of Puritan writers of the Cromwellian period. Since it
appears, in short for "smectymnuus," a portentous word formed from the
initials of the following writers: Samuel Marshall, Edmund Calamy,
Thomas Young, Matthew Newcomen, William Spurstow. But to return to our
subject. It seems to me, as I have said, to be very certain that in the
near future the unity of the empire will again become a watchword, and
perhaps a war cry, having reference to political interests of a far
wider extent than those which exercised the souls of our predecessors,
1777. It may possibly once more afford a test of a man's political
principles, a test of his fidelity to the crown of Great Britain as
severe as it proved to many of our progenitors, in the old original
thirteen colonies, afterwards forming the now well known United States
of North America. The British public are beginning to open their eyes to
the fact that the British Empire is a very magnificent one and quite
worthy of being preserved in its integrity.

Confederation is the order of the day. The German Empire has recently
unified itself. The Italian people have just been undergoing the same
process to their great advantage. It would be too bad for the British
Empire to begin to disintegrate just at the moment when other empires
are so carefully consolidating themselves. Its extent is said on good
authority to be at this moment that of three Europes, or, rightly
speaking nine million square miles, with a population, English speaking
or otherwise, of four hundred millions. This, of course, includes the
great empire of India, several vast territories over which the British
crown exercises a protectorate. This vast empire is said to be in
receipt of revenues amounting to some two hundred and ten million pounds
sterling, and controls half the seaborne commerce of the world. It is
manifest that this is an empire which ought not recklessly to be broken
up and abandoned. On the contrary, every patriotic British heart must
desire its consolidation, and, if possible, its perpetuity. One portion
of the great continent of North America has already been confederated.
This has been one step in the direction of a general imperial
confederation. The work of confederating other groups of British
colonies in other quarters of the globe has been actively commenced with
the same object in view. This has been done with no idea of transforming
these groups into independent nations in the future, but only as
preparatory to a general confederation of the whole of them into a great
empire, still having the parent country as its headquarters and
principal focus of the system. The moving spirits of this enterprise
have been the Lords Rosebery and Carnarvon. The death of the latter
nobleman, which has occurred during the composition of this paper, is a
great blow to the good cause, but without doubt a competent successor
will appear.

Each group of colonies is expected to follow the good example set by the
Canadian Dominion. It is hoped that in all future time the globe will
be girt, as it were, by a British belt--by a chain of nations of various
areas and irregularly placed, all of British speech and British descent,
entertaining identical ideas of liberty, social order and law, governing
themselves by institutions derived in principle from the mother state
and all in this way, notwithstanding considerable diversity, compacted
together into a permanent unity engaged to stand by one another in time
of need. We, of course, are subjected to trials in these respects to
which our brethren in Australia and at the Cape are not exposed. The
proximity of the great republic to the south of the Canadian Dominion
creates a difference, but the difficulties arising from the difference
may, we confidently hope, be surmounted through the wisdom of statesmen
and diplomatists. Some scheme of a just and well regulated reciprocity
will be devised; friendly feeling towards the old mother land will
continue to grow among our neighbors, and all desire for incorporation
on either side of our boundary lines will be happily extinguished. The
two great English-speaking empires of the world would be virtually one,
and a perpetual amity between them will be obviously to the interests of
both.

The meeting of the conjoint societies of the pioneers of the counties of
Peel and York happening to take place this year on a day so closely
following after Dominion day, when the patriotic sentiment is especially
warm in young and old throughout Canada, I have thought it fitting to
take up briefly the subject which has been employing our attention.
Descended as so many are in both of our societies from the old U. E's,
(as the expression is), inheriting as we do so largely a deep respect
for the old U. E. principles, it will be expected of us, I think, and of
our children, when the critical time shall come, that we shall present a
very decided front against all who shall be engaged in any movement for
the dismemberment of the great British Empire, and what I desire is that
in the meantime all our members should take into consideration, as far
as it may be in their power, the pros and cons for the great measure of
Imperial Confederation which is now occupying the minds of so many. I do
not think the matter should be thrust aside as an impracticable and
visionary project. So far as the mother country is concerned we may be
sure that the conditions propounded for a perpetual connection will be
just, honorable, simple and worthy of most respectful attention. Hers
will be an easy yoke after her experience in the past. We shall, none of
us I am sure, feel willing to throw ourselves away; we shall, none of
us, be found willing to abandon our status as British subjects and all
the proud associations with the history of the British Empire. The unity
of the empire, in a grander sense than that which inspired the
enthusiasm of our forefathers, will again become a stirring watchword
amongst us, and to the last we shall endeavor to deserve the name
bestowed upon us by the poet laureate (Tennyson) when he spoke of us as
that "True North,"--meaning the loyal people of that portion of this
northern continent of America, who have continued to this day firm in
their attachment to the British crown. The laureate, I may add, has, in
another place, expressed in lively terms the genuine feeling of the
mother country towards her sons scattered over the face of the globe. In
the second stanza of his popular song entitled, "Hands All Round," he
thus calls upon the British public at large to join in wishing
prosperity to--


    "All the loyal hearts who long
      To keep our English empire whole!
        To all our noble sons, the strong
      New England of the southern pole;
        To England under Indian skies,
      To those dark millions of her realm!
        To Canada, whom we love and prize,
      Whatever statesman hold the helm."


These are words which we in common with our fellow-British subjects
throughout the world welcome most cordially, and with them I shall
conclude.




[End of The Revived Significance of the Initials "U. E.",
by Henry Scadding]
