A Few Acres of Snow

Odd, isn’t it, that I remember him mostly for his mocking statement of my beloved Canada, "quelques arpents de neige”: “A Few Acres of Snow”

This man, this Voltaire, was born François-Marie Arouet in Paris Nov. 21, 1694, and a short 23 years later, in 1717, Voltaire found himself in the Bastille for a year for writing libelous poetry. Complex and wily, Voltaire is known for his poetry, historical works, plays, and philosophical works. Nearing his death in 1778 he said, "I die adoring God, loving my friends, not hating my enemies, and detesting superstition."  His legacy is, in, part ironic. The French Revolution began eleven years after his death, and his work had an influence on that turn of events, although he would have been horrified.  You see, he was a strong advocate of progress, but he distrusted the judgment of the masses that he thought to be stupid and uneducated, ergo, his opposition to democracy. Following Plato and Locke (who influenced him enormously) Voltaire espoused enlightened dictatorship.

I wonder what he would say today about "my few acres of snow."