The article below appeared in the Manitoban, March 3, 1933 (3-3-33) on page 1:

Manitoba Philosophy Professors Carry On Active Work
in Field of Philosophic Literary Work
Max Diamond

Many students are unaware of the excellent opportunities offered them by the University of Manitoba for gaining practical wisdom and knowledge, yet there are in our University two very able men whose writings have received recognition by leading scholars all over the world. These two men are Prof. Henry W. Wright and Prof. Rupert C. Lodge, both of the Department of Philosophy and Psychology.

Professor Lodge specializes in the History of Philosophy and Logic. He is chiefly noted for his writings on the Philosophy of Plato. Professor Wright’s interest rests mainly in strengthening the work of psychology and in particular (…)¹ regarding social and ethical problems.

Another important fact which gives to the Department of Philosophy and Psychology a dual significance is that many of the textbooks used by the students have been written by these two men. Among these writings are Professor Wright’s book on ethics called “Self Realization,” his volume on Social Psychology entitled “Moral Standards of Democracy,” and three of his religious editions called “Faith Justified by Progress,” “The Philosophy of Religion” and “The Religious Response”. Beside his numerous writings on the “Philosophy of Plato,” Professor Lodge has written a volume entitled “Introduction to Modern Logic,” a book now widely used by philosophical students. Yet the writings of these two illustrious scholars does not end here, for even at present there are other volumes in process of preparation.

Until now the Department of Philosophy and Psychology has had no real good location, but with the transferring of the Senior division to the Fort Garry site it has been allotted large and spacious quarters on the third floor of the new Arts building.²

Lodge and Wright were two of McLuhan’s most influential teachers at UM, although he majored in English. Wright’s book, The Moral Standards of Democracy (1925) remains, “heavily annotated”, in the McLuhan collection in the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library at UT.  As described here and here, communication and inter-communication are the central matters in this volume — matters which, of course, McLuhan would pursue for the rest of his life.

In regard to Lodge, on December 12, 1935 McLuhan wrote from Cambridge to E.K Brown, then the new chairman of the UM English Department, wondering about his job prospects there. McLuhan observed that in Winnipeg he had “directed [his] energies to philosophy, and did [his] best work for Professor Lodge” (Letters 79).