Emily Murphy was a prolific writer, published in
Canadian, American, and English periodicals on topics
ranging from choosing a bride, confederation, and
sterilization. Sometimes, she had more than one article
published in the same edition of a magazine, so she used a
variety of pseudonyms or pen-names, such as: Janey Canuck;
Earl or Earlie York; Emily Chetwood; Emily Ferguson; Mrs.
Arthur Murphy; as well as Judge, Magistrate, or Mrs. Emily Murphy.
She also wrote a number of books, including:
- The Impressions of Janey Canuck Abroad (1902) - Travel
and description of England
- Janey Canuck in the West (1910, 1917) -
Frontier & pioneer life on the Prairies
- Open Trails (1912, 1920) - Travel and description of Canada
- Seeds of Pine (1914, 1922) - Travel and description of Alberta
- Little Canadian Cousins of the Great North-Western
Provinces (1923) - Children in Canada
- Bishop Bompas (1929) - A history reader for school children
One of her most famous books is The Black Candle
(1922),
a landmark publication that was very influential in shaping
Canadian drug laws that underwent significant changes
throughout the 1920s.
Judge Murphy took a deep interest in those who appeared
before her, but she felt her efforts to assist drug users
were futile. Because of her interest in solving the problem
of drug addiction, she undertook a thorough study of the
drug trade and the problem of addiction. She interviewed
drug users, sent questionnaires to police officials, read
studies, reviewed available literature, and worked closely
with Canadian narcotics enforcement officials. Thus, when
Maclean's decided to publish a series of articles on the
drug trade in Canada, Emily Murphy was the expert to whom
they turned. Maclean's published five monthly articles, which
formed the basis for Part One of The Black Candle.
The Black Candle has been criticized for being a
sensational account of the drug trade. But Murphy's great
concern for the drug addicts she dealt with, her sense that
the drug trade was destroying the young people of the nation
coupled with her belief that education would alert people to
its dangers (thereby striking a mortal blow to the drug
trade) caused her to write in a way calculated to shock and
arouse people.
Most of her suggestions were incorporated in the Opium
and Narcotic Drug Act of 1929, but her recommendation for
the establishment of treatment facilities was ignored, an
outcome of partial success.
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