Forum: Canadian Life and Letters 1920–70. Selections from the Canadian Forum ed. by J.L. Granatstein, Peter Stevens (review)

REVIEWS 451 evidence thatthedeclinein prohibitionstrength. atthepollscoincides almostexactly withthegrantingof thefranchise towomen.It mighthavebeensounderto divide women,likemen,byclass. Thischapteralso overstates theinfluence oftheAmerican movement in Canada.Far from beingdominatedbytheir Americancounterparts, Canadianprohibitionists hadconsiderable influence intheUnitedStates andconsiderableindependence in bothoriginsandgrowth.Finally,it ispuzzlingto readthat prohibitioncame'suddenly, almostsurprisingly' in World War I. What couldbe suddenor surprisingaboutit when prohibitionclearlyhad majority supportin Ontarioasearlyas•894and hadgiveneveryevidence of increasing supportfrom thattimeuntilitsvictoryin •9•67 The concluding chapteroffersa varietyof suggestions to explainthedeclineof prohibition sentiment. Theymustbeonlysuggestions, since thestudyexamines few of themand nonein anydepth.Someseemreasonable enough.The failure of prohibitionists to sustaineducational efforts, for example,must surelyhave weakened themovement. Othersuggestions wouldmorewisely havebeenleftaside. Mostquestionable istheideathatgovernment controlof liquorsalesucceeded in Canada because it was more consistent with British and Canadian tradition. This is coupled withthenotionthatprohibition was essentially anAmerican concept. Surely alargepartofBritishlawisdirected toprohibition-ofvarieties ofsexual experience, forexample. Astogovernment sale ofliquor,itisnotaconspicuous featureof British life,yetitdoes existinsome American states. Moreover, howdoes oneaccount forthe legislative victoryof a 'tradition'that neverwon a popularvictoryat the polls? Furtherevidence of theweakness of thischapteristhestatement thatalcoholisno longertheproblemit was.Sincethestudydefinesneitherthe problemthatwasnor theproblemthatis,whatcanbetheworthof anyconclusion? There isnotruth in anotherassertion that prohibitionists failed to examinethe underlyingcauses of social problems; theyweredoingsoat leastasearlyas•88oandtheypioneeredin politicalandsocial responses. Prohibition in Ontario,•9•9-•923 is, for the mostpart, a limited outlineof its proclaimed topic,thepolitical ramifications of prohibition.It isalsohandicapped by aninadequate understanding of theprohibition movement anditsconclusions bear littlerelationtotheevidence presented. GRAEME DECARIE Concordia University Forum: Canadian Limb andLetters •9:•o-7o.Selectionsj(3'om The CanadianForum.Edited byj.I•.C•^TSTV.• andvETEa SXEvz•s. Toronto,Universityof TorontoPress,•97•,. Pp.xvi,43•, illus.$•7.5øcloth,$7.5øpaper. In one way this is an easybook to review.Who can questionthe interestand significance of TheCanadian Forum fortheCanadian intelligentsia throughout most of itshalf-century of publication? In anotherwayitisless easy todealwith.Howcan Forum, asingle volumeeditedin •97•,,dojusticetotheproteanvarietyandunparalleledlongevity of thisjournalof politics andculture? The second question ismadesimplerby the editors'cleardecision not to try to 452 THE CANADIAN HISTORICAL REVIEW present anaccurate historical pictureof TheCanadian Forum asitwas, coming intothe homes andlives ofthoughtful, liberal-minded readers monthbymonth,yearbyyear, throughout the country'schangefulhistory since •9•o. Instead, despitethe chronological format of the book, they createa picture colouredand shaped specifically tomeetthetastes andviews of manymid-•97osCanadians including, no doubt,thecurrentmanagers of themagazine's destinies. The resultisanundeniably fascinating anthology high-lighting greatmoments in thepolitical andculturalhistory ofmodernCanada. The political history isofcourse seen inaprogressive perspective, notably underthebrilliantlightofF.H. Underhill's searching candourandintelligence. Butthewholepolitical spectrum isdiscernible, angled fortheinterest oftoday's audience, fromJ.S. Woodsworth's bizarre andwildly utopian notionsabout 'a systemof unemployedinsurance'in •9•, to concern expressed in •9•4 about'aSeparatist movement inFrenchCanada,' andtothearrival onthescene of allthemodernprimeministers onebyonefrom Mackenzie King('as Premier of Canadahe is an absurdand preposterous person')to Trudeau and Trudeauism. The sense ofrelevance totoday's concerns is just as strong inthe much-emphasi•.ed culturalaspects of theselection. There isscarcely awriternowconsidered tohavea placeinthecanon ofEnglish-Canadian literaturefromthetimeof Pratttothearrival of MargaretAtwoodwhoisnotrepresented in thesepages. There isa mostimpressivebody of poetry,and alsosomeimportantcriticalwriting, as, for example, NorthropFrye'smasterly essay onA.J.M. Smith's Book ofCanadian Poetry in •943. Confrontedwith a collection whichiscertainlya delightto hold and to browse through,a reviewermayseemungratefulto showdisappointment, evena little dismay,at the creaturebegotby Granatstein and Stevens out of the voluminous originalfiles.This editorialselection essentially tries to make over TheCanadian Forum in theimageofthe•97os magazine: 'Generally, articles thatdiscussed foreign phenomena were...excluded, andtheemphasis throughoutisdeliberately focussed onCanada.'Whatawealthof intelligent,concerned thoughtanddiscussion hashad tobesacrificed, andwhata distorted pictureresults. The editorialstaffof the •97os journal are withintheir rights,and indeedare operatingin the generously flexible traditionof theirpredecessors, toconcentrate thejournalonthenationalconsciousness . They aredoingsowithbrilliantsuccess, andnodoubttheirsisoneof themost vitalepochs in thejournal'shistory.Nevertheless, throughoutmostof thathistory, TheCanadian Forumwasnot primarily a nationalist voice.Its achievement wasto bring to consciousness a whole range of subjects, both nationaland 'foreign phenomena,' sothateducated, civilized, modernpeoplecouldbehelpedtoviewthe worldin perspective. TherewasagreatdealmoretoTheCanadian Forum's distinction thanForumchooses to recognize. F.W. WATT University ofToronto Studies inEducational Change. RICHARD D.HEYMAN, ROBERT F.LAWSON, andROBERT M. STA•aP. Toronto,Holt,Rinehart andWinston, •97•. Pp.xii, •59. $4.95The history of education hasmadegreatstrides in recentyears. No longerdoesit ...