Her involvement in left-wing organizations likely began from her contacts with the League for Social Reconstruction and the Canadian Forum and was strengthened by her own financial struggles and by the conditions observed while she worked at the Vocational Bureau. One of her earliest activities helped the Toronto Branch of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom set up a book-room.19 The wife of one of True’s professors, Anna N. Sissons, was the corresponding secretary for this organization and it was at her home that True had lunch with J.S. Woodsworth and experienced what she later described as an “old-fashioned religious conversion.” This led her join the C.C.F. in 1934, only two years after it was founded.20 Professor C.B. Sissons, a University of Toronto classicist, was Woodsworth’s cousin and had been the best man at his wedding. In a later interview she repeated that she “was first attracted to socialism by J.S. Woodsworth, the C.C.F. leader...[because of his]...love for people. You could warm your hands in his personality.”21 Woodsworth was about the same age as her father and his dedication, deep sense of calling and ministerial experiences in the western provinces doubtless reminded her strongly of him. Although Woodsworth had considerable influence on politics and on the provision of social services in Canada, he was far from a typical politician. He was driven by ideals rather than the necessities of maintaining political power, although he negotiated many very successful compromises. Once again True had found a sense of calling. As Walter Young wrote in his book, The Anatomy of a party: The National C.C.F. 1932-1961 “... the socialism of the CCF inspired service and sacrifice; it was a faith [its members felt] worth crusading for since it offered everything that was good and opposed all that was bad.22 Woodsworth told a national convention, “In our efforts to win elections we must not yield to the temptations of expediency. Let us stick to our principles, win or lose.”23 Although, like the majority of the party, True later supported the declaration of war against Germany in 1939, it was Woodworth’s principled stand against it that she remembered best and later included in a short poem.
Opponents said to J.S. Woodsworth once
(The noted pacifist), “We must fight fire
With fire,” but, smiling gently, he replied
“Fight fire with water, rage with peace, and hate
With patient understanding and with strong
Persistent loving and with tireless faith....24
Throughout her life True collected odd newspaper clippings and wrote out quotations which appealed to her. Among these are some which reveal aspects of her thoughts and feelings about the party. One of these quotes, attributed by her to Grover Cleveland’s “Annual Message for 1888”, said “The Communism of combined wealth and capital...[is]...not less dangerous than the communism of oppressed poverty and toil.” Another noted that “Socialism inevitable if world wants to avoid Communism” and another, somewhat sadly, that “Those of us who are in earnest must be ready to face antagonism, ostracism.”100
Her experiences in the Depression showed in one of her poems entitled, “Free Enterprise.”
“My little plant,” the manufacturer said
With modest praise, leading his guest by row,
On row of trembling girls, who worked below
The earth-line, in his cellars. Pale as snow
The flowers in their cheeks. That was a bed
Where only livid parasites could grow.
He did not feel the cold. Rotund, well-fed,
He did not know his plant’s deep roots were dead.101
True’s friend, Emily Smith, suspected that True liked the C.C.F. because “the odd parties had an appeal for her...they were not strong the way old political parties were...they didn’t have the cohesiveness... she would have liked stepping in and getting it going...but if you get into a party thats already established [you can’t do that] ...” While True’s support for the C.C.F. slowly waned over the years as many of the social welfare issues she supported were implemented by the other parties and as she became increasingly uncomfortable with the growing importance of labour unions within the party, she remained an active supporter until shortly before the C.C.F. joined with the Canadian Labour Congress to form the New Democratic Party.
4
WORKING FOR PERKINS BULL
1931–1938
In late 1931, True was hired by William Perkins Bull to collect a library of Canadiana which he wished to give as a wedding present to his son whose home was going to be in England. About 400 first editions were desired, together with the autographs of the authors, of the illustrators, of the editors and of the subjects of biographies.1 True’s work on this project must have impressed Bull because he then appointed her his Chief of Staff, in charge of all the personnel, male and female, engaged in researching and producing his histories of Peel County. Bull’s original intention had been to produce one 50-60 page book on the subject, but the project soon grew into an obsession. He hired scores of researchers and interviewers and began production of a remarkable series of books that Augustus Bridle of The Toronto Daily Star described as “a delightful hodgepodge of history and biography written with the guile of an ancient mariner.” Topics ranged from the history of sports to military undertakings to the Orange Order to the life of Sitting Bull. He hired some of the best artists in the country to illustrate them.2 True was quoted as assuring the reporter that “if it sounds as though we were going far afield, let me assure you that is only because of ramifications made by early Peel settlers and their affairs.”3 In another article she was quoted as asserting that she “considers Mr. Bull’s undertaking the most important piece of historical research ever undertaken in Canada, and...only a wealthy and extremely public-spirited man could do it.”4
It was certainly a big project. The same article stated that “Miss Davidson is in charge of practically all details of the work. Her staff consists normally of 20 but has run up to 70. A tremendous amount of research work has to be done: looking thro [sic] private files, letters, newspapers, libraries and by personal interview. Everything is traced to prove its authenticity.”5 The books were produced in limited quantities and most were given to libraries and museums. In 1938, True told a Regina reporter that “three out of the 20 central staff members are working on old family histories of Peel people. These sketches occupy 32 large steel files and include the complete record of every 25 acres in Peel from the original crown grant. Four of the staff members are stenographers; two are filing clerks, and three are artists. Indexing, proof reading, summarizing newspaper articles of ancient date, all this is part of the undertaking.”6 Several sources have cast doubt on how much of the writing of these books was actually done by Bull, or whether he acted more as an editor, using the very comprehensive writings of his research staff and of True Davidson. None of the books credits anyone other than Bull by name, a decision for which many criticized him later. True, however, knew that her work would not be acknowledged by anything other than a paycheque. As an article written at the time noted “...while Miss Davidson’s name will not appear in these works, and will be forgotten when the books are remembered and prized, there is no doubt but that her work, in them, will remain.”7 The same article noted that “Miss Davidson is largely responsible for the compilation of the material, and naturally, while Mr. Bull himself is the authority, he must depend on someone who has a background of historical research, knows something of apt illustration, of binding, and all the other details which follow the gathering of the material itself.”8 True was realist enough to recognize that the employment opportunities for writers, researchers and illustrators during the Depression were too few for any of them to be able to insist upon written acknowledgment as well.
True began working for William Perkins Bull in 1931 and rose to be second-in-command of his extensive staff of researchers, writers and illustrators. True later said of