”53 THE PIONEER

"There is properly no history, only biography," said Emerson. Our history is the biography of our pioneers,

Only memories and scanty records now remain of those people, of their homes, occupations, joys, and sorrowso No evidence exists of the bustling shipyards; the forge is gone; the sites of the limekilns cannot now be discerned, Only a few depressions in the good earth show where men built simple comfortable homes, where children were born, grew up, went out into life. Those who lived and worked almost beyond human endurance, in those days, rest from their labors on some nearby quiet hillside, in the old cemeteries near the

scenes they loved well, May the God who sustained them

in their day, in laying the foundation of the full and abund€ ant life we now enjoy, strengthen us, into whose hands has been placed this heritage, and instil in our hearts and , minds a full appreciation of its worth, The resourcefulnessv of the pioneer provides an amazing revelation of the intel- ligence, native ability and adaptability of our ancestors. Many of these people came from rough fishing and mountains

ous regions, others from highly civilized centres where heavy manual labor was unknown. Their training and way of life was of little use in meeting conditions in the new countryo The initiative of the pioneer, however, directed

his brawn and brain into channels required in his fight for survival. Carpenters, ship builders, implement makers and

artisans, in scores of developments quickly followed. Almost every farmer was able to take care of his own care Dentry tasks, build his own wagons and carts, and the many articles needed on a farm, Many soon showed a preaeminence in construction work, and their special skill was sought

in the building of bridges, wharves or churches° There is much that could be added to this volume, if one could find the scattered material, Difficulty has been experienced in" procuring even so much as is in the enclosed articles, ' gathered from many sources a articles published in Prince Edward Island magazines of fifty, sixty years ago; some of the old Journals of the House, though several of these are missing for the pioneer period, Newspapers were published« but only odd numbers of these are available, For many of ‘