Clinton News Record, 2014-10-08, Page 17Wednesday, October 8, 2014 • News Record 17
Colonel John Alexander Cooper: Varna News
Canadian Nationalist
David Yates
Special to The Clinton News
Record
Colonel John Cooper was
a ferocious champion of
Canadian nationalism in the
early twentieth century. As
newspaper editor, infantry
officer, founding president of
the Canada Club, movie dis-
tributor and Director of the
Canadian Bureau of Infor-
mation in New York City,
Cooper made the advance-
ment of Canadian culture his
life' work. Cooper's zealous
nationalism was rooted deep
in his childhood in rural
Huron County.
John Alexander Cooper was
born in Clinton in May 1868.
He was the second child of
William and Mary Cooper's
nine children. The family
were devout Methodists who
valued education. John grad-
uated from the Clinton Colle-
giate Institute in 1888. He
received first class honours in
Political Science at the Uni-
versity of Toronto in 1892, and
a law degree in 1895.
While a university student,
he enlisted as a private in the
Queen's Own Rifles, Cana-
da's most distinguished mili-
tia unit. He was commis-
sioned a Lieutenant in 1896
and married Kingston
socialite Agnes Massie, the
daughter of Captain James
Massie an Royal Canadian
Artillery officer. Their mar-
riage produced two sons and
two daughters.
Despite Cooper's legal train-
ing, he pursued journalism as
a way of influencing public
opinion. As a university
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student, he edited student
journals and published at least
three stories in 'Maclean's'
magazine. In 1895, Cooper
became the editor of 'The
Canadian Magazine' which he
unashamedly used to promote
his brand of Canadian nation-
alism. In one of his first issues,
he called Alexander Muir's
'The Maple Leaf Forever' as
Canada's 'National Song.'
Yet, Cooper's nationalism
was distinctly pro -Empire. For
Cooper, and most of English
Canada at the time, the
United States was the greatest
threat to Canadian independ-
ence. Cooper believed that
Canada's potential could only
be realized by forging closer
ties with Great Britain and the
sister Dominions as a counter
weight to American cultural
and political Imperialism.
The motto 'One flag, One
Throne, One Empire' embla-
zoned on the frontispiece of
every Ontario school text
book would have agreed well
with Cooper. In fact, he was
appointed to the Royal Com-
mission on Ontario school
textbooks in 1906.
In 1897, Cooper became the
founding President of the Cana-
dian Club. When Cooper was
presented with an Honourary
Life Membership in 1937 he
stated that the Canadian Club's
prime purpose was 'the frank
cultivation of national senti-
ment' in Canada but not at the
expense of loyalty to the Moth-
erland. After fortyyears, Cooper
told the Club that 'I think we
were right in our belief that a
vigorous and more united Can-
ada would mean a bigger and
better Empire:
Indeed, the close Imperial
ties within the Cooper family
were strong as Cooper's
brother, Ernest, was then the
Managing Director of Gil-
lette Industries in England
and would be knighted for
his masterful organization of
the British war effort.
After 11 years as 'The
Canadian Magazine's' editor,
Cooper went on to edit 'The
Canadian Courier' from
1906 to 1915. He served one
year as President of the
Canadian Press Association
in 1901. He wrote several
popular history books
including "Canada Under
Victoria' (1901) and edited
'The Story of Canada and the
Great War' (1919).
With the outbreak of the
Great War in 1914, Cooper
gave up journalism and
devoted himself to the war
effort. In 1915, he was pro-
moted Colonel and com-
manding officer of the 198th
battalion ('The Buffs'). Colo-
nel Cooper took the battal-
ion overseas in 1917 where
the it was broken up to pro-
vide replacements for casu-
alties in front line units .
When Cooper returned from
Europe in 1919, Prime Minister
Sir Robert Borden appointed
Cooper the first Director of
Canada's Bureau of Informa-
tion in NewYork His job was to
promote Canadian interests in
the United States.
In 1921, he became the
Chairman of the Motion Pic-
ture Distributors and Exhibi-
tors of Canada where, ironi-
cally, he opened Canada up to
Hollywood movies. According
to Manjunath Pendakur in
'Canadian Dreams and Amer-
ican Control' (1990), what
became known as'the Cooper
Organization' lobbied provin-
cial censor boards to loosen
their strict standards which
had the effect of allowing
more American movies into
Canada. As a public relations
director for the film industry,
Pendakur writes, Cooper was
'quite effective' as Hollywood
productions flooded Cana-
dian theatre screens at the
expense of lower budget
Canadian and British movies.
When Cooper left the movie
distribution business in the late
1930's, American movies had
virtually destroyed the Cana-
dian film industry. For the rest
of the century, much of Cana-
dian culture would be filtered
through an American lens as
Canada's best actors, writers
and producers would have to
'make it' in the United States
before being recognized in their
homeland. Surely, this was an
unintended consequence of
Cooper's term at the helm of
the 'Cooper Organization:
When Colonel John
Cooper died on 17 January
1956 in Toronto, his brand of
Canadian nationalism was
rapidly fading only to be
replaced by an American
cultural dominance which
he, in a strange way, helped
to usher in.
11E -ELECT
Larry McGrath
for
Tuckersmith Ward
Councillor
• Lifelong Tuckersmith
resident
• Over 20 years in Municipal
Politics
• Common sense approach
• Has the taxpayers best
interest as top priority
Joan Beierling
Special to The Clinton News
Record
The Stan Lee Seniors met
Sept. 24 at 6pm with 16
members present. Charles
Reid gave the Blessing and
all enjoyed a delicious pot-
luck supper. They were then
entertained with some
music by Marlene, Glen, Ann
and Jack, Gwen and Ralph
which they all enjoyed.
A short Business Meeting
was held with all birthdays
in Aug and September being
recognized. The minutes and
Treasurers report were read.
A donation will be entered
into the Book of Remem-
brance in memory of Hugh
McBride. The Rally will be
held October 23 at Londes-
boro and the Christmas
Meeting will be Dec. 3 with
Little Audrey entertaining,
The next Meeting will be
Nov. 5 at 7:30pm. Charles
Reid closed the Meeting with
some jokes and Meeting was
adjorned.
The Card Party hosted by
the Brucefield Odd Fellows
starts the season Thursday
Oct. 9th at 7:30pm. Everyone
welcome!!!
The Varna Crokinole
Club start their Season
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For
DORIS (GIBBINGS)
ANDREWS
80th Birthday
Celebration
at Londesboro Hall
Saturday, October 11, 2014
2pm - 4pm
Best Wishes Only
again Tuesday Oct. 14th at
7:30pm at the Brucefield
Community United
Church. The Annual Dou-
bles Crokinole Tournament
will be held Saturday Oct.
18th. Please call 233-7443 if
interested in playing in this
tournament or for more
information.
Sunday October 5th marks
the 1st Anniversary of the
Brucefield Community
United Church. Guest
Speaker Norm Barlow will be
speaking and special music
will be provided by Pete Pos-
till and daughter Mrya Par-
sons. Special thanks to these
people for sharing their tal-
ent. Fellowship and lunch
will be provided after the
Service.
Sunday October 12 we
celebrate Thanksgiving as
well as Communion. Your
thoughts and opinions are
needed for Colin Snyders
upcoming Grad Project.
Those who would like to
participate in a session to
share your experience of life
and ministry at Brucefield
Community United Church
are invited to join in at a
session meeting on Thurs-
day Oct. 9 at 7pm.
CONTINUED > PAGE 18
GODERICH
LIONS
ARENA BINGO - Wednesday 7pm
TV BINGO
Monday 7 pm
Eastlink Channel 12
Hurontel Channel 1
TCC Channel 48
LIC. #M717413
HAPPY arm BIRTHDAY
MARGARET COOPER!
Come & Go Tea
Clinton United Church
October 18, 2014
2:30 - 4:30 pm