Mary Pickford Show

His Excellency the Earl of Bessborough, Governor General of Canada was in bed last week with a severe chill. But Canada was as hot as the Earl was cool. From Quebec to British Columbia angry little groups talked of his behavior while newspapers demanded a public apology.

Fortnight ago on Empire Day the city of Toronto celebrated its 100th anniversary with parades, speeches and banquets. As Governor General, Lord Bessborough had accepted an invitation, but, more important to native sons. Toronto's best known daughter, Mary Pickford, had come home for the centenary, stealing all the applause.

The Governor General and his lady arrived in their private car, were escorted to the City Hall. At the front door they waited. Mayor Stewart and the city fathers expected them at the side entrance for a private reception in the Mayor's office. Minutes passed before word of the mixup reached Mayor Stewart who rushed down to find the representative of the Crown red as a beet under his plumed hat, and already seated on the reviewing stand waiting for the parade to begin. Stammering apologies Mayor Stewart asked his Lordship if he would care to come back for the reception.

"NO!" bellowed Lord Bessborough. "Where is your Mary Pickford? Get on with your Mary Pickford show! Whers is the parade? Get on with the parade! And I want to know, my man, what you will say if I report to the King that I have not been properly received in Toronto?"

"That is for you to say, sir," said Mayor Stewart.

After the parade Lord Bessborough refused to sign the distinguished visitors' book at Toronto's Old Fort, departed in a huff.

With few exceptions the Canadian Press attacked Lord Bessborough last week. They pointed-- out that to earn his keep a governor general has only to attend the functions to which he is invited and keep his temper. Only critic of Lord Bessborough to surfer was a radio announcer known as Uncle Al, who launched into an impassioned defense of Mary Pickford on the Gooderham & Worts whiskey hour:

"Our Mary Pickford is flesh of our flesh and of good red blood, not blue. Torontonians cannot tolerate an affront to her, particularly when it comes from an alien to the land of the Maple."

Uncle Al was suspended and Lord Bessborough caught his chill.

To the ill-concealed rage of King George (TIME, Dec. 15, 1930), Australia was the first Dominion to demand and get a native governor general hand-picked by the Dominion. The Irish Free State followed when the arrant Republican Donal Buckley was given the job in 1932. Canada may be the next. Last week the Winnipeg Free Press pointed out:

"A native governor general could be reprimanded, castigated or scolded--did events seem to call for it--with no sense of impropriety or bad manners. He might even register as much impatience as Lord Bessborough did, without a national crisis being the result. . . . Lord Bessborough may well have made history both for himself and Canada by his little flare-up at Toronto."

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