~——-—- CANADIAN IOETRY: OUR DEBT TO EPAIN

world War I saw Canadian writers revealing themselves as members of the "Maple Leaf Jchool" : that is to say as blindly chauvinistic, blatantly sentimental. The novelists were following the pattern of Ralph Connor and his books Hghe fiky Pilot in no Man's Land (the padre urging on the troops) or To Him that Hath (the resolution of the Winnipeg Stike thébuél, brotherly love). There appear to have been only two attempts at a polit- ical and objective analysis of the war and its afe£math)in the worfisof two men who are still relatively knxxnx unknown and unpraised.l refer to Chnnfir:Harrison'snGeneraK Die'in Bed and Douglas Durkin's Ehe Magpie. Here for the first time in Canada war is seen not as ggrious sacrifice) but as brutish and mad ; and the desire to build a new world for the returned soldiers and their families is a strong theme in The Magpie.

But generally speaking thebgggggqbf prose and poetry in the twenties

are replegte with political naivete & éfititudes of ofosy opfimism, arrogant individualism combine with éfiiiiififiééfi conservatism. It was

not until the 1930's, whenifie entire ixhxix social fabric of the nation collapsed at the onset of breadlines, evictions, ruthless police provo- cation and attacks on strikers that what could be called fblitical con-

2 sciousnesrbegan to grow in the minds of Canadians—-whether they were in

/ trade unions, unorganized , unemployed, or in professions such as teachi ng.

law, social work, journalism. Thus, to understand what the events in gfmin meant to Canadian writers and poets it is needfu1'to examine the years

‘between 1930 and 1935. A social worker, Margaret Gould, summed up the

period in these words:

when the poor in Canada try to help themselves by organizing into unions and striking for better conditions and pay, the militia is called out t0 crush them, as in Stratford. When they

oggggize for a decent standard of relief, tear bombs are —nEusu€g§£§§§ it tge as in Vancouver. Or they are ejected from the

x ’ K ¥ ii; Hall, as in Toronto. Or they are routed out 5? their homes and flung into prison, as in York County, Ontario.

The shana-and disgrace of this situation was depressing not only for those involved, but for the onlookers?-some of whom were writers. o_ wmaal/.U}.a'€%fs*s*;“.Z‘s* §‘.*spE§;;”9 . fAn.>éhi“;f;. uses fB”¢Q:£:”Ehite the ppposite: a determination to fight for changes, a desire to build a new world where there would be justice and a good living for all.

”‘€?¢Q33’33§¥3¥3¢=F’;x dramatically when thzx in July, 1935. Spain's . e momentof decision came 4uyN/ /Mrfig /1 V flQ\f»y7 Q,¥:C1J~%

Q‘ f;o<J2:\ o«uwX\ .;CiZ;u fkvwfl (‘ 2f;;C ~ ffluff‘ a k4:NJ2 £,L»Q-sLLT~:?: (Ca 7)(;..4 . cal".

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