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Pauline Johnson rediscovered f<J7 By Marcus Van Steen One of the more interesting events in our city this week was held in the Brantford Historical Museum on Wednesday evening. The occasion was the appearance of a vivacious young woman, Sheila Ferguson, to recapture the mood and significance of the Buckskin and Broadcloth stage appearances of Emily Pauline Johnson almost a century ago. Miss Ferguson, who is known to Expositor readers for the art re- views she contributes to the newspaper, also writes a weekly column for the Simcoe Reformer. She says her fascination for the Mohawk princess and poet was aroused by a biography she read just over a year ago. She won- • dered why she had noDearnecl bout her in school and she was amaze t t so ew ana were even aware of t is remark- able woman who was a veo: -fa- mous personalit~ in her day and who had made important contri- butions to Canada. She decided that, just as Pauline had taken to the stage to get her message across, she might do the same to make Canadians realize the true significance of this remarkable woman. Gives talks in Chiefswood, and sank to near C'e~ a~ter ~e earl~ ~eath o~ f her Chi Geor eofinson the result of a sava~e beating bv thugs who resentedis attempt to i:;nd the trade in rot-gut alcohol ,90 the reserve. In Chiefswood, Pauline could read in a well-stocked library, spend idle sun-lit hours drifting on the river in her canoe, and meet scholars, writers, and lead- ers of society who were included in its guest list. With the chief gone, the widow found she could not afford to maintain such a mansion and she moved to a flat on what is now Dufferin Avenue but was then called Napoleon Street. Pauline, who had been writing poetry since childhood, thought she could make some money by sending her poems to magazines for publication, but the payment was pitifully low. Hector Charles- worth, at that time editor of Sat- urdav Night, recalls in his me- moirs that he made out a payslip for $3 for The Song My Paddle Sings, one of Pauline's most fa- mous poems. Those were the davs of the platform entertainer. There was no radio or television, and good theatre was rare, even in such cit- ies as Montreal and Toronto. Miss Ferguson gave a graphic descrip- tion of Pauline 's first platform performance in January, 1892. Expositor Photo Sheila Ferguson speaks to historical society. The nervous young woman was teamed up with several other poets, including Duncan Camp- bell Scott and W. R. Lighthall, to give a reading for the Young Lib- eral Club of Toronto. In spite of her qualms, which were mad~ worse by the fact that her older sister had denounced her for dra,.ing her family name in the' mu Paulme's rend1hon of The Cry of an Indian Wife was the sue e£S of the evening. The pro- moter, Frank Yeigh~ooked her in for 125 other appearances in On- tario and Quebec during the next five months, and Pauline became a much-sought-after platform per- former. Toured world During the next 15 years, Pau- line crossed Canada three times, travelled deep into the Unite States and made three visits to England. Miss Ferguson presented graphic evidence that, at times, this was a very tough life in view of the scarcity of appropriate fa- cilities in most of Canada at the time. But Pauline did a great deal to make every small struggling settlement in the far western reaches of Canada aware of the fact that they were Canadian and should be proud of that fact. Died of cancer Just how famous became clear when she died of cancer in her 52nd year. Ber funeral was the most elaborate ever seen in Cana- • da up to that time. Wreaths and condolences oured m from ever 'part of na a an rom overseas. And everywhere the sentiment was expressed that she would be remembered. In her slide show, Miss Fergu- son included pictures of what Chiefswood used to be like and what it looks like now. She made a strong bid for the restoration of the famous old mansion, not only as a tribute to Pauline and the Six Nations Indians, but also as an important tourist attraction. Her talk was well received by a small but enthusiastic audience, and there was a spirited discussion afterwards. Marcus Van Steen, of Brant- ford, is a freelance writer.