"The Marine Excursion of the Knights of Pythias" is the third story from Stephen Leacock’s masterpiece story sequence "Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town". It deals with an exploration of the social, political, and religious aspects of life in Mariposa, while some of its citizens are on a cruise holiday excursion. Spirits are high when catastrophe strikes.An extremely interesting parody of sea voyages, "The Marine Excursion" is a charming and ironic story, and a very representative portrayal of Leacock’s own view of his contemporary Canadians.Stephen Leacock (1869-1944) was a Canadian writer, teacher, and political person. During the first two decades of the 20th century, he was the leading humour writer in the English world. His works often satirize in a light-hearted way the social and political problems of the time, as well as the human condition. His most prominent work is "Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town", where he portrays the ordinary lives of the fictitious town of Mariposa.