1915-03-31ee

“War is serious business. There are those who hold that an evening at the theater during a time when the mother country is locked in a death grapple is most unpatriotic. They go further than this and remark that when the ‘piece de resistances’ is a humorist whose sole mission is to tickle the funny bone and make one laugh, said evening constitutes unforgivable treason””

Hamilton Spectator.    March 31, 1915.

Despite the possibility of being deemed treasonous, approximately 1,00 Hamiltonians made their way to the Temple theatre on March 30, 1915. They went to that large vaudeville theater fully hoping that they would not only be entertained, but provoked to laughter by a humorist.

It was a very special humorist who was present that evening, Professor Stephen Leacock, known to many as ‘The Mark Twain of Canada,’

Anyone in attendance at the Temple theater that evening might have assuaged their guilty feelings by knowing that all the money which paid for tickets did not profit some theater magnate but was forwarded a good cause:

“All money realized will be turned over to the Belgian Relief Fund. It will used to alleviate the sufferings of that devastated little nation, which was almost wiped from the European map because its people were so bold as to resent the violation of its neutrality by Germany.”¹

¹ “Leacock Draws Big Audience : Canadian Humorist Provides Evening of Fun”

Hamilton Spectator. March 31, 1915

The Spectator reporter present was clearly a strong admirer of the humorist:

“Professor Leacock is a master of satire, and he stood out last evening as a living embodiment and perfect interpreter of the humor which he has originated and placed in books. He was as a breeze wafted on ahead of the spring which is to come.”¹

As Professor Leacock was brought to Hamilton under the auspices of the Canadian Club, it was fitting that he was introduced to the large audience by the president of that organization, G. Edwin Main. Mr. Main traced, briefly the guest’s impressive career history, but emphasized that above all Professor Leacock “had the happy faculty of being able to get a stranglehold on Old Man Gloom.”¹

When he first appeared on stage, Leacock was greeted with a spontaneous, rapturous welcome. When the applause died, and before he began his program, Leacock  drew his first laughs via a few well-chosen satirical barbs for the Hamiltonian who had introduced him, Mr. Main.

Professor Leacock then said that he would be reading from some of his own writings:

“He announced that he was taking considerable chance in doing this but was determined that there should be someone in the universe who should be forced to hear all the good stuff that he, the speaker, had written. It was most unfair that the author alone should know what those books contained.”¹

After keeping his audience entertained and amused for well over an hour, Leacock brought things to an end:

“A most refreshing closing, and a most optimistic one, was given by a reading from an alleged copy of the London Times, bearing the date of 1916, wherein John E. Redmond and Sir Edward Carson leave the house of commons arm in arm, followed by the entire house, the objective point being a moving picture palace where the feature film is entitled, The March of the Allies into Berlin.

“It was real satire, the kind Hamiltonians have been denied hearing for many a day.”¹

The applause given to Professor Leacock was, again, loud and very prolonged. A hearted vote of thanks was tendered by President Main, and the evening ended with the singing of the national anthem.