Duncan Campbell Scott

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Dr. Duncan Campbell Scott
Source: Library and Archives Canada, PA-165842

Duncan Campbell Scott (August 2, 1862-December 19, 1947) was a Canadian poet and prose writer. Charles G.D. Roberts, Bliss Carman, Archibald Lampman and Scott are known as the "Confederation poets". Scott was also deputy superintendent of the Department of Indian Affairs, a position he held from 1913 to 1932.

Scott was born in Ottawa, Ontario. Early in life, he became an accomplished pianist. In 1883, he met Archibald Lampman who introduced him to poetry and prose writing. His best work was inspired by the Canadian wilderness and the native people of North America.

In 1894, he married Belle Botsford, a concert pianist, who he had met at a recital in Ottawa. After Lampman died in 1899, Scott helped publish a number of editions of Lampman's poetry. He became a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 1899 and served as its president from 1921 to 1922. He was awarded the Lorne Pierce Medal in 1927 for his contributions to Canadian literature, and received honorary degrees from the University of Toronto (Doctor of Letters in 1922) and Queen's University (Doctor of Laws in 1939).

His wife died in 1929 and, two years later, he married another poet, Elsie Aylen. He retired from the Canadian Civil Service in 1932. He died in December 1947 in Ottawa at the age of 85 and is buried in Beechwood Cemetery.

Contents

[edit] Indian Affairs

Aside from his poetry, Scott made his mark in Canadian history as the head of the Department of Indian Affairs from 1913 to 1932, a department he had served since joining the federal civil service in 1879.

Even before Confederation, the Canadian government adopted a policy of assimilation.

In 1920, under Scott's direction, it became mandatory for all native children between the ages of seven and fifteen to attend one of Canada's Residential Schools.

“ I want to get rid of the Indian problem. I do not think as a matter of fact, that the country ought to continuously protect a class of people who are able to stand alone… Our objective is to continue until there is not a single Indian in Canada that has not been absorbed into the body politic and there is no Indian question, and no Indian Department, that is the whole object of this Bill. ”

—Duncan Campbell Scott, [1]

The children who attended these schools lived in terrible conditions; in some cases the mortality rate exceeded fifty percent due to the spread of infectious disease.[2] The children were taken away from their homes, their families, and their culture. In some cases they were physically, mentally, and sexually abused[3], actions tolerated in the drive to achieve the objective quoted above.

[edit] Reputation

As part of their Worst Canadian poll, a panel of experts commissioned by Canada's National History Society named Scott one of the Worst Canadians in the August 2007 issue of The Beaver.

Arc Poetry Magazine renamed the annual "Archibald Lampman Award" (given to a poet in the National Capital Region) to the Lampman-Scott Award in recognition of Scott's enduring legacy in Canadian poetry, with the first award under the new name given out in 2007.

The 2008 winner of the award, Shane Rhodes, turned over half of the $1,500 prize money to the Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health, a First Nations health centre. "Taking that money wouldn't have been right, with what I'm writing about," Rhodes said. The poet was researching First Nations history and found Scott's name repeatedly referenced. Rhodes felt "Scott's legacy as a civil servant overshadows his work as a pioneer of Canadian poetry", in the words of a CBC News report.[4]

Anita Lahey, editor of Arc Poetry Magazine, responded with a statement that she thought Scott's actions as head of Indian Affairs were important to remember, but did not eclipse his role in the history of Canadian literature. "I think it matters that we're aware of it and that we think about and talk about these things," she said. "I don't think controversial or questionable activities in the life of any artist or writer is something that should necessarily discount the literary legacy that they leave behind."[4]

[edit] Bibliography

Years of first publication link to corresponding "[year] in literature" articles (for prose) or "[year] in poetry" articles (for poetry):

  • 1893: The Magic House and Other Poems Ottawa: Durie (London: Methuen, 1893; Boston: Copeland & Day, 1895)[5]
  • 1896: In the Village of Viger, sketches of French Canadian life; Boston: Copeland & Day[5]
  • 1898: Labor and the Angel, poems; Boston: Copeland & Day (1945 reissue,Ryerson; 1973 reissue, McClelland and Stewart ISBN 0-7710-9192-3)[5]
  • 1905: New World Lyrics and Ballads[6] (Morang)
  • 1905: John Graves Simcoe, biography, in the "Makers of Canada" series (Morang)
  • 1906: Via Borealis, poems[6] (Tyrell)
  • 1916: Lundy's Lane and Other Poems,[6] Toronto: McClelland & Stewart
  • 1921: Beauty and Life, Toronto: McClelland & Stewart
  • 1923: The Witching of Elspie: A Book of Stories, Toronto: McClelland & Stewart (New York: Doran)[5]
  • 1926: The Poems of Duncan Campbell Scott,[6] Toronto: McClelland & Stewart
  • 1935: The Green Cloister: Later Poems, Toronto: McClelland & Stewart[5]
  • 1947: The Circle of Affection and Other Pieces in Prose and Verse, mostly prose; Toronto: McClelland & Stewart[5]
  • 1947: Walter J. Phillips (Ryerson)
  • 1979: The Untitled Novel, written about 1905; posthumously published; (Penumbra) ISBN 0-920806-04-X

[edit] References

  1. ^ National Archives of Canada, Record Group 10, vol 6810, file 470-2-3, vol 7, pp. 55 (L-3) and 63 (N-3). For a more accessible source see: John Leslie, The Historical Development of the Indian Act, second edition (Ottawa: Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, Treaties and Historical Research Branch, 1978). 114.
  2. ^ Canadian Government Apologizes For Abuse of Indigenous People - washingtonpost.com
  3. ^ From apology to action: A response to the Residential Schools Apology
  4. ^ a b News article, no byline, "Poet donates prize as reminder of award namesake's legacy", "Last Updated: Tuesday, October 21, 2008, 10:44 AM ET", CBC News (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation), retrieved August 8, 2009
  5. ^ a b c d e f Web page titled "Duncan Campbell Scott (1862-1947)" at the "Canadian Poetry Archive" website, retrieved June 27, 2009
  6. ^ a b c d R. L. McDougall, "Scott, Duncan Campbell", article in The Canadian Encyclopedia online, retrieved June 27, 2009

[edit] External links

[edit] Further reading

  • Titley, E. Brian. A Narrow Vision: Duncan Campbell Scott and the Administration of Indian Affairs in Canada. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, 1986. ISBN 0774802618
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