The Difference 150 Years Makes

This past weekend I finished reading Pierre Berton's The National Dream which describes the story about building a railway from Montreal to British Columbia in the 1870's. It is hard to fathom a Canada that does not reach from the Atlantic to the Pacific but if the railway was not built that could have been a reality.

My curiosity about early Canada was peaked so I picked up John A: The Man Who Made Us immediately after putting down The National Dream. I am intrigued to see how society has evolved and using that knowledge to better anticipate the future.  Reading about Canada's first Prime Minister provides great insight into the foundation of Canadian society.  For instance, Sir John A. Macdonald started practicing law just before he was 16 years old despite never having studied at university. Practicing law in 19th century Canada did not require a degree.  Obviously, today it is extremely rare for someone to begin working at 16.

In fact, in 21st century Canada, the Ontario government predicts that 70% of jobs will require some form of post-secondary education. Interestingly, the foundation for Canada's education system was set in the 19th century by Egerton Ryerson, the person that my school is named after. (Some controversy now surrounds his approach as he started the Canadian residential school system.)

Another fact about Macdonald's time that seems unreal by today's standards is that a short speech in parliament was two hours long. Macdonald and others were known to give speeches lasting five or six hours. Obviously the 1800's was a time where electronic communications did not exist and Berton explains that politics provided for good theatre so politicians gave lengthy speeches and people listened. Newspapers would often print speeches given in parliament.  Gives whole new meaning to participating in Toastmasters! 

A last noteworthy point for me was the immense effort people had to put into building the actual railroad. It took more than a decade to build and all sorts of physical, personal and political challenges were encountered. An eyeopening and somewhat funny part of the story, especially by today's standards, was that people had to travel a few hundred miles just to pick up the mail - many times through the mountains. Today all we have to do is reach down to our hip and grab our Blackberry or iPhone!