I Remember Sir Wilfred Laurier and the street car, Published 19 February 1954 When Sir W'Ifrid Laurier was Liberal leader, he used to ride the street car home. True, earlier he had driven horses and later used a car. But both were for state occasions. The tram was for every day. Laurier's long aristocratic face and his white plume of hair falling out back of his inevitable tall silk hat combined to make him an unforgettable figure, sitting there with ramrod straightness. I used often to see him going about six o'clock to Laurier House. He was a dignified figure. Once, however, he lost his dignity. He went down to the far corner of Queen and Metcalfe Streets, to get his tram. The car came. It slopped on the near side of the street. Regulations had changed and nobody had told Laurier. The street car waited on the near side of the street; Laurier stood on the far side of the street. Both waited. Neither moved. Stalemate. The car stood there: Laurier stood there. What would happen next? Laurier, with as much dignity as he could muster, walked slowly, deliberately, across the street, marched to the rear door and got on. the tram had won over the statesman. |