LU THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



Government to come to wise conclusions in these matters, and to keep 

 alive and vigorous all projects that aim at conserving and developing 

 our intellectual resources. 



We talk too often and too lengthily about Canadian poetry and 

 Canadian literature as if it was, or ought to be, a special and peculiar 

 brand, but it is simply poetry, or not poetry; literature or not litera- 

 ture; it must be judged by established standards, and cannot escape 

 criticism by special pleading. A critic may accompany his blame or 

 praise by describing the difificulties of the Canadian literary life, but 

 that cannot be allowed to prejudice our claim to be members of the 

 general guild. We must insist upon it. If there be criticism by our 

 countrymen, all that we ask is that it should be informed and able 

 criticism, and that it too should be judged by universal standards. 

 Future critics will recognize the difficulties which oppress all artistic 

 effort in new countries, as do the best of contemporary critics. As 

 Matthew Arnold wrote, in countries and times of splendid poetical 

 achievement: "The poet lived in a current of ideas in the highest 

 degree animating and nourishing to the creative power; society was, 

 in the fullest measure, permeated by fresh thought, intelligent and 

 alive; and this state of things is the true basis for the creative power's 

 exercise". When we seek in our contemporary society for the full 

 permeation of fresh thought, intelligent and alive, we do not find it; 

 we do not find it in America or elsewhere, and if the premise is sound 

 we can say, therefore, we do not find an ample and glorious stream of 

 creative power. It is casual, intermittent, fragmentary, because 

 society is in like state. But we may be thankful that in our country 

 there has been and is now a body of thought, intelligent and alive, 

 that gives tangible support to the artist and that has assisted him in 

 his creative work. 



You will note that I am taking high ground, in fact, the highest, 

 in dealing with literature and the highest form of literature- — -poetry. 

 I am well aware that there is a great increase in our written word 

 during the last twenty-five years, and our writers are now competently 

 meeting the varied demand of readers whose taste does not require 

 anything too finely wrought nor too greatly imagined. I heard one 

 of our successful writers declare the other day that what we should 

 do now is to get the "stuff" down somehow or other and never to 

 mind how it was done so long as it was done. Well, that would give 

 us all the rewards of haste, but would hardly assist in building a 

 literature. There must ever be this contrast between the worker for 

 instant results and the worker who toils for the last perfection. One 



