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3.

beauty of much modern architecture in the United States is due to
the fact that they have had their colonial tradition behind them?
A good instance is South Africa. The simple Doric of the old Dutch
farm-houses has been adapted by Sir Herbert Baker into some of the
most beautiful dwellings that I know. The point about a tradition
is that it should be a growing thing, elastic, adaptable, a principle
and not a pattern. A sound tradition must be adapted not only
to fit modern needs, but to suit its environment, whether in town or
country.

Here in Canada, it seems to me, you have a great chance.
You are not under the bondage of any one tradition. You have a variety
to choose from, and the opportunity of working out a new tradition
for yourselves. You have excellent local materials in stone
and timber. You have a variety of landscapes, so you cannot be bound
to one form. What is in place among the wooded hills of the East
would not be right for the Prairies, or for the Pacific coast. Most
of your cities are still growing, and you have a magnificent chance
of town-planning, for you have not the congestion of space which
makes that difficult in the Old World. I would cite Regina as an
example of what can be done by a little care, with very few natural
advantages. With a little pains I think that Ottawa and Vancouver
could be made among the most beautiful cities in the world. I speak,
as I have said, without any knowledge, and am only giving you the
views of a most friendly spectator. But I have seen many new buildings
in Canada which greatly pleased me - country houses and camps
which melted into the landscape; and an urban building like the new