A CANADIAN CRY

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 22, 27 January 1936, Page 17

A CANADIAN CRY

"LEAVE US LEACOCK!"

REPLY TO UNITED STATES

It would happen a morning like this, just when doubts had begun to assail us as to whether there really is a Santa Claus, and besides that the man came in to clean the windows, just at this nadir we must needs read in the "New York Times" a suggestion that some American college should invite Stephen Leacock, now that he is retiring from McGill, down there merely to sit about the campus and smoke, says a writer in the "Winnipeg Free Press." It looks like a job that would appeal to a great number of persons— or at least, to one of our colleagues. As one who has been smoked at by experts, we are ready to admit that there is merit in the "Times" suggestion, and Mr. Leacock, it must also be admitted, would probably think so, too, provided any American university suitably endowed would feel the need of a sitter and smoker to round out its curriculum. . :....' SOME CONVERSATION. The Professor, of course, would understand that at intervals there would have to be a little conversation, or at least just at first there would. It would come a bit hard on those collegiates who clustered about thinking to hear the Leacock lapse to find that this was his. morning to give out pronouncements on economic matters, though at that there is a school of economic thought that holds that this is the time he is at his funniest. There was that occasion, for instance, when he suggested the Government should call in all the silver currency and replace it with nickel. And the more recent occasion when the announcement was flashed out from McGill that Leacock had a plan to relieve depression in six days. It consisted in using less gold grains in the dollar, a subtle distinction it might be noted from the vulgar plan of issuing more paper money. Fellow-economists took one look an,d said that as a reliever of depression Stephen had better stay with writing articles. Still we might be able to spare Professor Leacock (also several other professors) to any number of American campi to expound his economic theories, but it isn't nonsense that his novels bring sketches of sunshine to little and big towns here. At the moment we cannot think of any nation that has any more need of being smoked at than ourselves. We may be the men of the fair far north, our kingdom stretch from sea to sea, and our natural resources vast and practically untapped in this fair Canada of ours, but there are moments when it would appear that we have concluded that the total absence of sense of humour is necessary to true worth, as well as the primary requisite m our public men. MANY ACTIVITIES. Professor Leacock hasn't tied himself down to one line—that is when he could be lured off his professorial line, for he is quite sufficiently Canadian, or perhaps it is just human, to be intensely serious about his own professorial subject. At other times, however, his has been blessedly like his own Lord Konald, who "flung himself from his room, flung himself upon his horse and rode madly off in all directions." One of these directions one time took him around the world, at someone else's expense, to see how the Empire was coming on, or perhaps to see if it were really true that the sun never set on it. Then as one who at the University, according to himself, had spent his time in the acquisition of languages living, dead, and half dead, he is automatically an authority on all phases of education even to the point in this line of earning the approbation of fellow-teachers —the most adamitically opposed-to-approbation audience in the world— by his observation: "The parent who could see his boy as he really is, would shake his head and say: 'Willie is no good. I'll sell him."' Mr. Leacock, it should be acknowledged, has not been asked to repeat this lecture at the Parents' Club. The Professor is not without his philosophic moments, it being in one of these that he propounded that golf may be played on Sunday not being a game in the eyes of the law, but being a form of moral effort. AUTHORITY ON WOMEN. He is an authority on women also. If there are any winsome Winnies among his campus crowd they will realise in a moment that the game is up He has written a piece about them, trying to warn his fellow-men. In it he discovers that "In the point of morals-the average woman is, even for business, too crooked." Clearly Canada, needs Stephen. At tlie moment .we hear he is in ■gloom. 'He; is practically sure that there isn't'i'Santa. He's not sure there ever was-.-a Santa. What with one .thing and* another. It is whispered that he bought a house on the distinct understanding, that the timbers therein'are fifteenth: century, or perhaps it was 500 8.C.,r and now he has discbVeredrrohVK' mocking,., dishonest world, bf faithless" real- estate agents— that tHe -liSnberg are : not later than seventeenth of■something; Professor Leacock hasshut himself in his study. He is writhing. Perhaps furiously fulminating. ■ Smoking;. Perhaps smoking the timbers. And under the Canadian sky, long may his lum reek!