Parenting & Family Quote by John Strachan

Strachan’s question is a scold disguised as a lament, the kind of rhetorical move that lets a loyalist criticize the Empire while still sounding like its dutiful son. “Is it not evident” isn’t an invitation to debate; it’s a verdict delivered with clerical calm. By framing colonial governance as “grop[ing]… through the darkness,” he paints Canada not as an equal partner but as a dependent forced into improvisation, stumbling in a moral and administrative fog. The image is doing heavy political work: darkness suggests danger, disorder, even sin - conditions a clergyman is professionally equipped to diagnose.

The sting is in “almost totally unaided by the parent state.” “Parent” is the operative metaphor: Britain is cast as negligent guardian, the colonies as children left unsupervised. That hierarchy matters. Strachan isn’t arguing for independence; he’s arguing for attention, resources, and tighter imperial stewardship. In the early 19th-century colonial world, abandonment could mean unstable institutions, weak defenses, and popular agitation. His word choice hints at fear of what fills the vacuum when London looks away: local factionalism, American influence, and democratic experiments that threaten the Anglican, conservative order Strachan championed.

Subtextually, this is also a bid for authority. If the colony is in darkness, it needs guides - administrators, bishops, and “respectable” elites to interpret the path. Strachan’s complaint about neglect doubles as a justification for a more assertive governing class at home, armed with imperial backing. The question form softens the blow, but the message is blunt: leave colonies to fend for themselves and you don’t get self-reliance; you get volatility.