[grant] presidential ADDRESS 9 



but he clothes natural scenery and phenomena (especially the starry 

 heavens, the sun and the seasons) with a spirituality, a pervading 

 intelligence, a guiding glory and a fire hardly equalled in English 

 literature." 



Or, again, Isabella Valancey Crawford was a true poetess. She 

 died young, worn out in the pursuit of literature, receiving too late 

 the meed of praise which was her due. But what are we to think when 

 Mr. J. W. Garvin, her editor, says: — "The more we study these 

 children of her brain, the more we marvel at what she accomplished. 

 What other poem in the language more powerfully and nobly ex- 

 presses the divine right of man to freedom from slavery than 'The 

 Helot ?' What other dialect poem surpasses in conception, in humour 

 and in heart-searching philosophy 'Old Spookes Pass ?' What other 

 epic of its kind excels 'Malcolm's Katie' in picturesque description, 

 in brave-hearted purpose, and in tender constant passion ?" 



Let us hope that future editors will leave this style of criticism 

 to the American slip-covers of American best-sellers. The literary 

 criticism in Canada and its Provinces is sane, and both Queen's 

 Quarterly and The University Magazine have done much to keep us in 

 the paths of discretion, but the one really first-class bit of Canadian 

 literary criticism by a Canadian is a little book entitled "Roberts 

 and the Influences of His Time," by James Cappon, which originally 

 appeared in the form of articles in the Canadian Magazine. Cappon, 

 still one of our members, is a Scot by birth, a favourite pupil of Edward 

 Caird ; but he came many years ago to Canada, and threw in his lot 

 whole-heartedly with us. "Roberts and the Influences of His Time," 

 is slighter than a study by Sainte-Beuve or by Matthew Arnold, but 

 like their work it is not only a sane and sympathetic criticism of the 

 poet, but a real interpretation of the literary influences which have 

 helped to fashion him. 



I feel acutely that this paper has been too much a mere catalogue 

 of names diversified with occasional impertinences. I would greatly 

 have loved to go more deeply into the causes of our strength and of 

 our weakness; to estimate the eventual effect of the war upon Cana- 

 dian life; to discuss whether Prohibition and Poetry are compatible, 

 and whether literature can conceivably flourish in the land of the 

 Lord's Day Alliance; but these high themes must wait till another 

 day, and I must go on to try to make at least one practical suggestion 

 to this section for the furtherance of our work. 



I have already spoken of our great need in Canada of a really 

 good weekly. A further suggestion may be ventured, drawn from the 

 experience of France. Our authors leave us to go to strange lands 



