Dewart became a teacher in Dunnville, where he also taught at the Wesleyan Methodist Sunday school and spoke for the Sons of Temperance.

[3] The book aimed to "rescue from oblivion some of the floating pieces of Canadian authorship worthy of preservation in a more permanent form.

He lamented that although poets should be national heroes, in a young country like Canada "if a Milton or a Shakspere ... was to arise among us, it is far from certain that his merit would be recognised.

[5] His selection of poets, in order of preference, began with Charles Sangster (1822–93), Alexander McLachlan (1817–96), Charles Heavysege (1816–76), Pamelia Sarah Vining (1826-97), Jennie E. Haight (1836-1916), Isidore Gordon Ascher (1835-1914), Rosanna Eleanor Leprohon (1829–79), George William Chapman (1850-1917), Susanna Moodie (1803-85), John F. McDonnell (1838–68), and Helen M. Johnson (1834–63).

[6] In 1869 Dewart was elected president of the Ontario branch of the Dominion Alliance for the Total Suppression of the Liquor Traffic and was appointed editor of The Christian Guardian.

He campaigned for union of the different Methodist churches of Canada so they could reduce duplication of effort and better support missionary activity in the northwest.

However, he continued to insist that the Bible was divinely inspired, and to reject attempts to adapt traditional beliefs to fit modern culture.

[2] Dewart ran for provincial election in 1898 as Liberal candidate for Toronto North, but was defeated by George Frederick Marter by a small margin.