Scrivner

“In Canada we are developing a pattern of life and I know something about one block of that pattern…I helped make it…”

            October is Canadian Woman’s History Month and what better way to celebrate than to realize one of the most influential people to ever grace the Wild West, Nellie McClung.  Born October 20, 1873, she epitomizes the prairie woman: hard working, determined, industrious, and passionate.  Her story includes the Depression, both World Wars and Prohibition.  Although she instigated many advancements in the welfare of women and children, she is best known for being one of the ‘Famous Five’ and the ‘Person’s Case’. 

“The women of Alberta have always been tireless in their in their pursuit of knowledge and human betterment.”

            Women were gaining ground at the turn of the last century.  Moving into the every aspect of the work force, two Albertan women had a profound effect on what was to become a pivotal change in the British North America (BNA) Act, section 24.  Judge Emily Murphy from Edmonton and Judge Alice Jamieson from Calgary were both challenged as to whether or not their rulings were valid because of a small clause that stated only persons could hold a certain positions of power, including the Senate.  That clause was understood to signify only male persons, an obstacle for the female Judges.  And that’s where McClung stepped in.

“To the province of Alberta belongs the credit for clearing up the vexed question of whether or not women are persons, according to the laws of the British Empire.”

            The Famous Five were assembled in Edmonton, including McClung, Judge Murphy, Irene Parlby, member of the Alberta Cabinet, Louise McKinney, an ex-MLA, and Henrietta Edwards, author of Laws Relating to Women.  The plan was to petition for an interpretation of the BNA Act in a well-crafted letter and send it off to Ottawa.  Their answer came a most unpleasant way nearly one year later.  Read in the newspaper: Supreme Court of Canada upholds the ruling that women are not Persons.

“Never retreat, never apologize – get the thing done and let them howl.”

            Down but never defeated the women assembled once more to change strategies.  Instead of the Supreme Court they decided to appeal to the Privy Council.  The only hurdle was that they had no money to pay a lawyer.  So, again, another letter was written, this time to the Prime Minister Mackenzie King asking for financial support.  Yes was the reply and their petition was taken before the Council.  More than two years after their initial movement, the Famous Five, as well as all Canadian women, were rewarded with the newspaper headline:  Privy Council Declares that Women are Persons!     McClung followed this up with a newsworthy story of her own:  Now that We are Persons.

“Chivalry is a poor substitute for justice, if one cannot have both.”

            McClung eventually married, having first picked out a reasonable perspective mother-in-law.  While raising small children, she rallied for the women’s right to vote in Manitoba.  Her parody play, “Why Men Should Have the Vote,” went a long way to sway the public opinion on the matter.  She left Manitou just before the bill was finally passed.  A free spirit, she called each province in Western Canada ‘home’ at some point, as well as being a guest lecturer across Canada and the U.S.

“For generations women have been thinking, and thought without expression is dynamic and gathers volume by repression.  Evolution when blocked and suppressed becomes revolution.” 

            But McClung didn’t stop there.  In her lifetime she carried the title of pioneer teacher, author of fifteen books, suffragist, social reformer, lecturer, and legislator.  Elected in Calgary as the Liberal Member of the Legislative Assembly in 1921, she spoke independently of her party and fought single-handedly for many social issues including free dental and medical care for school age children, married women’s property rights, mother’s allowances and old age pensions.  She was not re-elected in 1926.  It has been said that all of her occupations worked together to fuel the desire to improve the rights for Canadian women.  She has been called a crusader yet a practical leader.

“I want to leave something behind when I go; some small legacy of truth, some word that will shine in a dark place.”

A statue of McClung and the other ‘Famous Five’ grace Parliament Hill today.  As well she was honoured on the 8-cent stamp for her work in the ‘Person’s Case’ on its 100^th Anniversary.  This month wonder not about heroines in far off lands, we happen to have one in our own backyard.  Thank you, Nellie – your truth shines on.

Susan Pamela Eunice Emilson is a typical 13-year-old girl.  She likes to play the flute and hanging out with her friends, hates Math, loves pizza, and enjoys watching television when she has the time.  She insists that the TV show C.S.I. does not give her nightmares, although the sight of a needle in real life makes her want to throw up.  A normal girl doing normal things…except for those 80 page hand-written novels she produces on a regular basis.

            Emilson started writing when she was four years old, starting off with song writing and plays.  Her latest play, “A Mother’s Life”, was scheduled to perform at her own Junior High School when Emilson’s friend, a major character, had to back out.  Instead, the play was performed with characters played by stuffed animals and her little sister for a captivated audience of four…Emilson’s parents and grandparents.  “We did it for my Mom’s birthday.  I think she really enjoyed it.”  She gives me a shy smile, seeming a child one moment and an old soul the next.

            “Words are powerful,” she says solemnly.

            And words are what Emilson has to spare for her passion, which is writing mysteries in long fiction.  Her stories are filled with people with exotic names and littered with realistic dialogue.  “I’d like to make a career out of writing stories,” she says, “but even if I didn’t make any money at it, I’d still do it on the side.  And maybe own a farm with all types of animals.”  She makes a squeamish face.  “Not cows, though.”

            For a challenge, her father commissioned her to write a short story for a summer project.  “I made one but it was really hard.  There wasn’t enough space to give the characters time to develop and I didn’t like being restricted to only writing about one scene.”  Longer is equated with better in Emilson’s first experiences with publishing.  An E-Zine approved one of Emilson’s stories, Five In An Unknown World, on the condition that it is extended eight more chapters.  She promptly complied by not only meeting their expectations, but also writing 13 extra chapters.

            Emilson credits her little sister, Charissa, for being a motivation to keep the stories coming.  “She’ll always ask to read what I’m working on and then she’ll beg to know what happens next.  I have to keep going so she’ll leave me alone!”  She sighs.   Then she adds quickly and modestly, “My mom tells me I have a great gift.”

            When asked to list the special gifts of an outstanding kid, Emilson says, “Kind and patient.  Having a sense of humour makes you interesting.”  How would others describe Emilson?  “Nice, I hope.”  She thinks for a minute, “Maybe the boys wouldn’t say that.”

            Besides all that writing practice Emilson still likes to keep her skills sharp.  “I like to read a good author.  I find that I learn how to write from analyzing how the author puts the story together and the ideas that he or she may have.  I also like to think about things I might have changed or added to make it even a better story.”

            Emilson’s advice to wanna-be writers is to stay with it.  “I find that the story or the character gets really stale if I don’t write something on it everyday.  If I don’t work at the story constantly, I find it really hard to finish it.  I have a lot of uncompleted stuff.”

            But with more than a dozen completed stories and plays under her belt, Emilson seems well on her way.  A warning to all editors:  be on the watch for a rising star – goes by the name of Susan Emilson.

There was a chain link fence that ran around my property.  On one side lived the Hillmans, retired farmers.  Being quite a few years younger than them I always called them Mr. or Mrs. Hillman.  As much of being a term of respect it was also to hide the fact that I didn’t know for sure what Mrs. Hillman’s first name was.  It might have been Eva but I wanted to spare myself some embarrassment.  I did – for the seven years we lived next to one another I always called her Mrs. Hillman.  It went both ways, I was always Brittany to them. 

Because of Canada’s extraordinary long winters, spring was (and still is) a time to get reacquainted.  Mrs. Hillman was a superb gardener and would lean over the fence to let me know the names of mysterious perennials that would pop up from year to year.  She would point out pest plants and would look accusingly at my healthy, but seriously overgrown, daisies.  Since weeds were the things I grew best, I was reluctant to cut them back, even though they were stealthily trying to take command of her yard.  Mrs. Hillman, of course, grew everything well.  I believed she was the farmer that wrote the Farmer’s Almanac.

Mr. Hillman, or Art if you are a more informal and less easily embarrassed person, reminded me of the neighbour in Robert Frost’s popular poem “Mending Wall”.  He was a man of few words but what he said was worthy of remembering.  There is nothing I know today about being prepared instead of doing repairs that I don’t owe to him.  I try to apply his simple principle to my personal life as well as my electric lawn trimmer.

The fence, though, that was the important thing.  It kept my daisies from getting too wild and kept my kid’s soccer balls off of their perfectly manicured lawn.  The fence, too, kept them from coming over and moving the rake from the middle of the yard.  It kept the advice at just that; what they offered me I could leave at the fence.  There was too much of an age difference to pretend that we would ever be the best of friends but a formal relationship was made informal by the airiness of the chain link.  I agree, Mr. Frost, good fences do make good neighbours.

          The year is 1520.  All noblemen in Sweden have been executed, save one.  His name is Gustav Vasa and he is on the run from the Danish king, Christian the II. The mode of transportation:  two long slabs of pine, each weighing 12 pounds and one long pole.  The travel destination:  across the country to Norway, 90 Km away. Who will join the rebel forces and reclaim Sweden from the Danes? 

            The year is 1855.  An ad in the Sacramento Union newspaper reads:  People Lost to the World; Uncle Sam Needs a Mail Carrier.  The job benefits include a 300 kilometre and five-day round trip through the Sierra Mountains, crossing deep snow drifts, freezing winds, low flats and high passes.  As a bonus, add a 100-pound knapsack full of letters and packages addressed to gold miners living a state away. Many had gone before…and failed.  Would John Thompson on 10 foot; 25-pound ski-skates succeed where others had fallen?

            The year is 1965.  The place is Inuvik, Northwest Territories.  A ski troop veteran of WWII gives twin sisters, Shirley and Sharon Firth, a pair of cross-country skis. Two slight, Aboriginal girls fighting against prejudice and poverty become destined to represent Canada at the Winter Olympics.  Will they be able to overcome a twin’s sickness, the death of their mother, despair, rejection, and personal failures to take a medal at the Games?

            What unites these wildly different historical characters?  They are all cross-country skiers! 

            Cross-country skiing, also known as XC skiing, only experienced a renaissance as public sport in the last 30 years.  Before then, this type of skiing was purely functional and almost exclusively limited to the Scandinavian countries.  In fact, petroglyphs dating as far back as 2000 B.C. show Nordic people gliding ‘scooter style’ on top of a long plank of wood.  Of course, there have been some improvements since that time.

              Along with upgrading of basic equipment, skiing has adopted a terminology that makes a beginner cringe in fear.  But if you’re just starting out, don’t let terms like flex and binding, waxing and Telemark turns discourage you.  

            There is an age-old adage about skiing:  ‘If you can walk, you can ski’.  Lauzier suggests this may be misleading.  He adds to the saying, “Even disabled persons have the ability to ‘sit ski’ on the trails.”

            J.C. Lauzier is one of the Outdoor Centre’s experts at the University of Calgary.  A program coordinator for both river kayaking and XC skiing, Lauzier has been a XC skier for the last 25 years and an instructor for 16 of those years.    Although he won’t admit to being a ‘winter person,’ there is jubilation in the way he speaks about getting outdoors.  “I get such a release in getting out on skis and reconnecting with nature.  It helps me to leave all my city woes behind.”

            The U of C offers some of the most affordable prices around Calgary in programs for beginners and renting equipment.  Whether you want ‘just a taste’ with an introductory two-hour sampler course, or the ‘full meal deal’ with four hours of snow and ski activity in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, the instructors at the Outdoor Centre are more than willing to help you out.  The rates for renting ski equipment are also very reasonable and, of course, much less expensive than buying skis that will sit unused in the basement.  The Outdoor Centre carries all those little extras, too, like ‘pulks’ (tow sleds for toddlers), and ski racks for your car.

Whether you have your own equipment or are renting, dressing properly for winter weather is always crucial.  Lauzier recommends travelling in removable layers of light clothing, with the exclusion of cotton garments.  Cotton tends to retain moisture and the worst thing a skier can be (besides lost) is wet.  “You won’t need to spend any money on synthetic garments at this point as long as you pick ski areas that have warming huts or some kind of shelter,” Lauzier adds.  Sunglasses add protection against snow glare.  And, most importantly, don’t forget your hat!  40% of body heat is lost through the top of your head.

It’s time to hit the trails!  But where to go?  Local destinations abound.  “Shaganappi and Confederation Golf courses are groomed on a volunteer basis and offer easy to intermediate level trails,” says Lauzier.  “Also, almost any natural area within the city will have skier set trails.”  If, like Lauzier, you like to get away from the ‘city woes’ there are over 40 Km of easy to advanced trails at Bragg Creek and easy to moderate trails in Sandy McNabb near Turner Valley.  “Both are prone to Chinook winds, though, so you may have to travel a bit farther to Ribbon Creek in the Kananaskis Valley to find more consistent snow conditions,” advises Lauzier. 

Wherever you end up, skiing can be a time of solitude or social fun.  “I enjoy both the times I’m out for a solo experience or skiing with my family and friends,” says Lauzier,  “You can make it as sociable as you wish.  Usually a group of us will meet at a coffee shop for a quick brew and then head off to the mountains.  Lunch is a relaxing affair with everyone gathering along the way to build platform seating in the snow and then just kicking back.” 

Lauzier also enjoys the solitude of doing a fitness ski, as well he should.  XC skiing is the best sport to achieve toning for every major muscle group, according to the Canadian XC Ski Association.  As an added plus, XC skiing burns more calories per hour than any other sport.  Still need convincing?  “Physical fitness is only one of the health benefits of this sport.  Mental and spiritual aspects of our lives are also worked.  The beauty and symmetry of skiing is found in earning your elevation gain, in order to enjoy the rush of gravity,” theorizes Lauzier, “XC skiing can be used as a holistic means to increase our everyday health.”

But what ever happened to Vasa, Thompson and the Firths?

Only two men joined Gustav Vasa that night in Mora, Sweden when he made a plea for his country.  The three of them travelled to the Norwegian border to rally troops.  Those troops came back and eliminated the Danish rule.  The people were so impressed; they made Vasa their king. Presently, one of the most popular cross-country ski races is held in both Sweden and North America in King Vasa’s honour.  The Vasalopet, or literally ‘Vasa walks’, is attended by skiers from more than 20 countries worldwide.

            John “Snowshoe” Thompson became a legend to the people of Nevada and California.  He continued on making mail drops two to four times each month, for twenty winters.  People would leave their baking burning in the ovens just for the incredible sight of him rushing into town with their packages from loved ones and with Nevada’s first newspaper.  He did this all while dodging hungry wildlife, rescuing lost mountaineers, and despite appeals to U.S. legislature, never getting paid for his work.  Today, Thompson is considered the Father of Skiing in California.

            The twins, Shirley and Sharon Firth, overcame tragedy and prejudice to compete as Olympians but never did receive a medal.  They did make an unprecedented four consecutive appearances (from 1972 to 1984) at the Games, a total only equalled by Quebec’s speed skater, Gaetan Boucher.  They always knew when one twin finished racing; the other would also, but they have no regrets.  Sharon says, “I look back on the things I did through skiing and it’s always been happy moments, the positive things that carry through and make your life more exciting.” 

            Whether you a be a rebel king, an unpaid mail carrier, an Olympic contender, or just a novice looking for a fun winter activity, cross the gap of history and give skiing a try.  Tell J.C. Lauzier I sent you.

If you would like to find out more information on the University of Calgary’s XC Skiing Programs you can visit www.ucalgary.ca/opc or call 220-5038.  The Outdoor Centre also has brochures available at Safeway and Co-op stores.