Constance Ward Harper
Constance Ward Harper was a Canadian author, primarily of poetry, and the originator of the Flag Day concept.
Biography[edit]
Constance was one of nine children to Benjamin Ednam Ward and Constance Marquerite Master. Benjamin immigrated to the United States between the 1840s and 1850s, while his wife was American-born. The couple's first two boys were named George Washington Ward, and Benjamin Franklin Ward.
In Hamilton, Harper raised $4,000 for war efforts.[1]
Harper moved to Vancouver, where her husband managed the local branch of the Bank of Hamilton, "for some little time."[1]
Ward published a poetry collection in 1916, known as Patriotic and other poems. It was "a prettily printed little booklet, bearing on its cover the Belgian flag."[2] It included the poem "King Albert", about Albert I of Belgium.[2] At least 800 copies were sold at 25 cents each, as Harper donated $200 to the Queen Elizabeth Fund for the Orphan Children on Belgium.[2][1] A Vancouver Daily World critic suggested that Ward "must not confine her genius to war themes."[2]
The Moon-Man and the Fairies (1930), a book of children's poetry, was released with illustrations by North Shore artist Grace Judge. The Vancouver Sun owners The Sun Publishing Co. Ltd. printed the title.[3] A reviewer for The Province said parents "should not miss" the local title, deeming the poems "strikingly original." They continued that "there is no doubt that Mrs. Ward 'knows her children' to be enabled to write with such friendly intimacy of the things which little ones like to hear about. Animals, fairies and the wonders of the sea are all dealt with in the most interesting style, and the youngsters will get a great deal of fun out of its pages."[4] In Canadian children's books, 1799-1939, Sheila Egoff dismissed the book as "the type of rhymed rubbish considered suitable for children at the time."[5][6]
Harper appears on the Orangeville District Secondary School Wall of Honour, for "Entrepreneurial Spirit", specifically citing her Flag Day efforts.[7]
Bibliography[edit]
Poems[edit]
- "The Canadian Muse" (1914), critiquing Rudyard Kipling's interpretation of Canada, published in Hamilton Spectator, republished in Chicago Tribune[8]
- "Vancouver" (1915), a tribute to Vancouver, British Columbia, published in Vancouver Daily World[9]
Music[edit]
- "That home of loving dreams" (1939), words and music[10]
- "That old-fashioned mother of mine" (1939), words and music[10]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c "Poems help Belgians" (Newspapers.com). The Province. Vancouver, British Columbia. 14 July 1916. p. 18. Archived from the original on 11 October 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
- ^ a b c d P., F. (7 July 1916). "The World's window" (Newspapers.com). Vancouver Daily World. Vancouver, British Columbia. p. 6. Archived from the original on 11 October 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
- ^ "'The Moon Man' is delightful children's book" (Newspapers.com). The Vancouver Sun. Vancouver, British Columbia. 13 November 1930. p. 24. Archived from the original on 11 October 2019. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
- ^ Walters, E. (9 November 1930). "Fairy lore" (Newspapers.com). The Province. p. 4. Archived from the original on 11 October 2019. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
- ^ Gail Edwards, Judith Saltman (31 July 2014). Picturing Canada: A History of Canadian Children's Illustrated Books and Publishing. University of Toronto Press. p. 46. ISBN 978-1442622821. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
- ^ Egoff, Sheila A. (1992). Canadian children's books, 1799-1939, in the Special Collections and University Archives Division, the University of British Columbia Library : a bibliographical catalogue. Vancouver, British Columbia: University of British Columbia Library. ISBN 088865197X.
(item 782)
- ^ Godfrey, Leslie (16 September 2009). "The School on the Hill: 125th Anniversary of ODSS". In The Hills. Mono, Ontario. Archived from the original on 11 October 2019. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
- ^ Harper, Constance Ward (23 January 1914). "The Canadian muse" (Newspapers.com). Chicago Tribune. Chicago IL. Archived from the original on 11 October 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
- ^ Harper, Constance Ward (6 December 1915). "Vancouver" (Newspapers.com). Vancouver Daily World. p. 6. Archived from the original on 11 October 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
- ^ a b Catalog of Copyright Entries: Musical compositions, Part 3. Library of Congress, Copyright Office. 1939. p. 5549. Retrieved 15 October 2019.