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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1960-12-15, Page 2Since 1860, Serving the Community First li'ublished at SEAFORTH, ONTARIO, every Thursday morning by McLEAN BROS., Publishers ANDREW Y. MCLEAN, Editor Member Canadian Weekly Newspapers Association, Ontario Weekly Newspapers Association, Audit Bureau of Circulations Subscription Rates: Canada (in advance) $2.50 a Year Outside Canada (in advance) $3.50 a'Year SINGLE COPIES — 5 CENTS EACH Authorized as Second Class Mail, Pest Office Department, Ottawa SEAFORTH, ONTARIO, DECEMBER 15, 1960 Determine Essentials It is not mere luck that determines the success or failure of political par- ties, the. Ottawa Citizen reminds us in an editorial headed, "Political Prospects in Canada." The Citizen puts it this way: "Among his many talents Liberal Leader Pearson has the happy knack of avoiding grandiose claims — a rather unusual thing in a politician —and therefore his latest utteranc- es on the status of political parties in Canada are well worth ponder- ing. "Mr. Pearson, addressing Young Liberal groups, said there was evi- dence from all quarters that a strong, progressive and resurgent Liberal- ism was on the way back to office, responsibility and power in Canada. With this observation he coupled the comment that the. Conservatives had shown themselves incapable of coping • with the problems of the day and were rapidly losing ground with the electorate. "And, the Liberal chieftain added that so long as. Liberalism remained the party of change and reform, there was, no need for the New Par- ty, that alliance of the CCF and la- bor. • "Realistic observers of the nation- al scene can hardly help but agree with Mr. Pearson's view that the Liberals are on the march and the Conservatives in retreat. This has been spelled out by the results of provincial elections, by-elections and even the sometimes suspect pollsters. "There is bound to be some disillu- sionment with a government once settled into its term of office and this is particularly true when a party wins such a landslide victory as the Conservatives did in 1958. But this still doesn't explain the apparent rapid melting away of support for the Tory cause. Economic factors and unemployment have hurt the government" but probably what has' done the most damage is the inces- To Political Success sant dithering of Prime Minister Diefenbaker and his cabinet col- leagues. "The government seems able to come to a decision only after the most prolonged and agonizing bouts of soul-searching and even then, its actions are far too often inadequate half -measures. This characteristic has come to many to mean incom- petence aid undoubtedly has had its reflection in by-elections and provin- cial contests. "Mr. Pearson's reflections on the redundance of the New Party con- stitute a valid observation as long as the Liberal Party continues to be fully representative of the views and aspirations of the Canadian people. The New Party cannot ' claim to be a truly national party–in the main it is a wedding of labor and. socialism with some reluctant agricultural ov- ertones. A political creation on this restricted basis is not likely to have a major appeal for Canadians. "For the Liberal Party, in its search for political success at the fed- eral level, Mr. Pearson has spelled out some essentials. Liberals will have to work hard and remain true to the principles of the party. These include service to the country; de- termination to maintain unity of the nation ; moderation, toleration and rejection of extremes whether from right or left. Faithfulness to these basic tenets, as Mr. Pearson suggests, will bring the Liberals a long way forward on their return to forming the .government at Ottawa." Anti. -Week Week? We are' tired of special weeks or months. We are satiated with special deals whereby we must be kind to earthworms or wear certain gar- ments or pay tribute. to special rela- tives. As it stands now, for instance, we revere the pickle for an entire week and pay homage to mother for one day.—Cleveland Plain Dealer. If you are self-employed you will find • British Mortgage Retirement Savings Plan designed particularly for you. It gives you the opportunity to — save on your income taxes — provide a pension for your retirement. Get full information on this plan. Telephone, Stratford 271-2050 or send in this coupon. J1 ]ITIESII MD DAME &TI ST CD\ ! 1'ANY Founded in 1877 Head Office: Stratford ❑ I would like details of British Mortgage Retirement Savings Plan. ❑ Please have onel of your officers call on me. Mr. Mrs. Miss Address: At[4AT 9IEE 41cC RTHY, HAVE IOU PERFORMED ANY Cf/AR/TABLE DEEDS OF LATE? .- ---SUGAR AND -SPICE By W. (Bill) B. T. SMILEY 1 "You're a failure, Smiley," he told 'me. He said it casually, but I must admit that I quailed before the cold, knowing stare he gave me, It didn't matter that he was baggy -eyed, unshaven and scratch- ed himself like an ape. I knew he could see right through me. "Yabbut .." I started to say. Whenever I'm pUt on the defen- sive, I find myself saying that. "It's Old English or something for "Yes, but ." He brushed it aside: "Yabbut me no yabbuts. For years you've been trying to blame it on everybody but your- self. Face 'it. You're a failure, and you know it." * * * With a vestige of my custom- ary dignity, I drew myself up about an inch and . asked him where the heck he got that idea. After' all, I told him, there's meat on the table every day, nobody has holes in his shoes, and we have furniture, a car, an electric dryer. We even have a kitten that may, or may not, be pregnant. * * * He just looked at me and snort- ed. "You're such a failtte you don't even know you're a failure," he continued in that disgusted way he affects. "Your furniture is junk, your car won't be paid for until 1962, and that's the. cheapest' 'dryer on the market. He went on: What about the important things? Do you have a recreation room? No. Do you have a patio? No. You don't even have a television set! You're forty years old and you don't even have one lousy, lit- tle transistor radio." * * * Everything he said was right, of course, but he didn't have to look at me with such distaste. I began to get a little sore. "Now, just hold on there, Buster," I retorted. "You may think these are the im- portant things in life. But we're not all like you, thank goodness. What about the real values, the solid achievements?" • * * "Yes?,' he needled, hawking, spitting and scratching in a most disgusting fashion. I stood right up to him, and told him a thing or two: "How about that B.A. de- gree I earned? Hots' -about flying that fighter-bomber against the Germans? How about editing a newspaper for ten years? How about a wife and two children who are devoted to me? You think a fellow can do all those things and be a complete failure?" British Mortgage and Trust Company' represented by W. E. SOUTHGATE Phone 334 -- Seaforth British' Mortgage and Trust Company represented by JOHN A. CARDNO Insurance Company Thane 214 : . Seaforth in the eye, trying,to impress some- body. * * *. But try as I might, I can't im- press that hard old case who lives in behind the mirror in our bath- room. I know he'll be there again tomorrow morning, bleary-eyed, rumpled, scratching, disillusioned, and cynical. Tomorrow -morning he'll probably try to convince me there is no Santa Claus. * * * He rubbed his bristly chin, look- ed at nie with the enthusiasm of a farmer about to clean out the stalls, and said flatly: "Yes, It took you ten years to get that B.A., and they were sympathetic to vet- erans, or you'd never have got it. You were a second-rate pilot, re- sponsible for the loss of an $80,000 aircraft. You edited that paper with more complaining than a rup- tured hen, laying eggs. And I can show you even bigger failures than you, who have a wife and eight children devoted to them." "Maybe so," I shot back, "but I was snapped up pretty darn quick when I decided to become a teach- er. Does that look like a failure?" He bared his tobacco -stained teeth at me in a grimace of scorn. He opened his mouth for the crush- ing rejoinder. I braced myself for it. And just then, like the bugles of the cavalry arriving in the nick of time, a piercing feminine call came up the laundry -chute.: "Are you going to spend all day in there? Your eggs are hard and the tea's getting cold, and it's 8:30." * * •* So I shut up, rubbed in the lath- er, took a suck on that first fag of the day gagged over the toilet and when Ir started to shave, he baci disappeared. Self - confident, no longer a failure, I sped through the rest of the business and ran priskl'y down to breakfast, the pic- ture of a well-groomed, keen dedi- cated teacher. A man spends ,most of his time trying to impress somebody. At work, it's the boss;, fellow -workers, and subordinates. At home, it's the wife and children. At any oth- er time, it's whoever happens to be around. We get ulee''ts• heart attacks, divorces antithe odd punch (Prepared by the Research Staff of Encyclopedia Canadiana) What is the Meaning of Tantramar? The Tantramar River, a tidal stream in New Brunswick, empties into Cumberland Basin at the head of the Bay of Fundy. The word is a corruption of the French "tinta- marre" (buzzing sound) and it per- haps is a reference to the noise of the tides or to the noise made by flocks of waterfowl that fre- quent the rich marsh lands along the river's banks: The Tantramar marshes, which have been diked, produce great quantities of hay and are dotted by hundreds of hay barns. * * * Where Did the Ojibwa Get Their Name? The Ojibwa, an Indian tribe or series of tribes that occupied an enormous wooded area from the Ottawa Valley west to the prairies and as far north as James Bay, got their name from one of their own native words, Otohibway, meaning "those whose moccasins have puckered seams." Another, anglicized adaptation of the same word is Chippewa, the name that is more commonly used for this group of tribes in the United States. * * * Who Rode Six Bucking Horses In One Day?, Pete Knight, famous rodeo rid- er, rode six bucking horses in one day to win the world champion- ship at Winnipeg in 1926. Knight was born in 1904 in Philadelphia and, after living for eight years in Oklahoma, came with his par- ents to Canada at the age of ten. They had a ranch at Crossfield, Alta. He first entered a rodeo there in 1918 and in 1924 he rode in the Calgary Stampede and tied for championship honors. At Mont- real he successfully rode Midnight, a well-known outlaw horse. In 1930 he won the reserve championship of the American Rodeo Associa- tion and, after a world tour in 1934, won the world title again in 1935 and 1936. Death came to Knight the following year, at the age of 33. In defending his title in 1937 he was thrown and trampl- ed by Slowdown, a horse he had ridden several times before. * * * Who Was Known As the White Indian? By REV. ROBERT H. HARPER MY DOCTOR Years ago, my father at the commencement of a college for young women, indicating a slight frail girl in the line of graduates filing upon the stage; said, "That's So and So of such and such a place." As a pastor, he had known' her and her family. Not long thereafter, I had be- come a minister and had been ap- pointed to that town. I found a welcome in that blessed home. Soon I had the pleasure of offici- ating at the wedding of the daugh- ter to a young merchant of the town. In the years that had passed, I was stricken with serious illness and my thoughts turned to a young surgeon who was gaining quite a reputation in our small city. My wife phoned the young surgeon the day before. By the time I was wheeled to the operat- ing room, I felt like a knife would be a relief from gall bladder colic. Of course you know the outcome, or you would not be reading this. I saw my doctor the other day. I go to him at intervals for a check- up, and a reassuring pat on my shoulder. I go away, feeling bet- ter. He's my doctor. I have known his parents for a long time and I have known him a long time. Just a Thought: Just a moment of meditation each day upon the things for which we should have to be thankful and appreciative; it should be enough to build the strength we need to meet emergencies as they arise. FIRESIDE FARM FORUM Fireside Farm Forum met Mon- day evening at the home ' of Mr. and Mrs. George Carter with an attendance of 12. The discussion was, "Wanted—A Food Thruway." This forum felt we should not spend more money to assist un- der -developed countries. If they were given the surplus, we think their government- should pay for transportation and distribution. To give away would solve the surplus problem, but certainly would not help the farmers' income. It would help the countries re- ceiving the aid, but if they had more agricultural knowledge and up-to-date machinery, it would help their own production, the group agreed. One member of the forum thought in the case 'of India, if they would get rid of their Sacred Cows and get a Holstbin, it would help to solve the milk problem. Mrs. Oliver Anderson invited the forum for the next meeting on January 2. Winners at euchre were: high, Mrs. Robert Dalton and Watson Reid; lone hands, Mrs. Jim Howatt and Eric Ander- son; consolation, Mrs. Oliver An- derson and Harvey Taylor. -- John Tanner, the son of a Vir- ginia clergyman who had settled in, Kentucky. Born about 1780, Tanner was kidnapped in 1789 by two Chippewas and taken first to the Saginaw Valley in Michigan and then to the Re River country, where be lived fo twenty years. In 1816 he acted a guide and in- terpreter to Lord S rk founder of the Red River Colony. Hip story was publicized and he was reunit- ed with his family, but he did not live happily ever after. He was shot and desperately wounded by an Indian, lived for, a while at Michilimackinac with a second In- dian wife, was married briefly to a white girl from Detroit, and lost the custody of his half-breed daughter Martha, In his later years he lived at Sault Ste. Marie, where he was employed by the Indian agent as an interpreter. In 1846 his house was burned down.; Tanner disappeared and nothing further is known of him. Two,days after the destruction of the house the brother of the Indian agent was shot dead. 'Tanner, unhappy because he had been unable to adapt himself to white society, was generally believed guilty of the crime. A TMcDUFF OTTAWA REPORT CATCHING UP WITH CANADA When Queen Victoria settled a - raging dispute between the cities of Toronto, Kingston and Montreal by choosing the backwoods, lumber centre of Ottawa as Canada's capi- tal in 1857, there were serious mis- givings about the selection. The London Times, the "Thun- derer" of world journalism, seat a special correspondent by th name of N. A. Woods to have a look at the place. He confirmed the doubts that had been express- ed. Ottawa, he penned back to Lon- don, "seems like a monstrous ab- surdity . . . a bad practical joke that has gone rather too far." The site, he admitted, was "most picturesque", but this was hardly enough to qualify it as a world capital, especially since "all other requisites are deficient." The Times made this observa- tion on Mr. Woods' findings: "It would seem that the (Queen's) decision must have been an eminently impartial one, since its effect was to satisfy nobody and to unite those who agreed in noth- ing else, in the most extreme dis- like of the course to which they had bound themselves to agree. Those who never found themselves on the same side before—Orange- men and French-Canadians, Pro- testants and Roman Catholics, re- presentatives of all the most con- flicting interests—appear to have agreed for once heartily and thor- oughly in the dislike of Ottawa." All that is 'history, but the jokes, the jibes and the nasty digs about Ottawa's failings have continued unabated in the = more than 100 years since. Not without reason. There is no question that the capital city has one of the sleaziest downtown sec- tions of any Canadian metropolis. Its roads are plagued with pot- holes. It lacks a decent Civic audi- torium, has few good restaurants and fewer night clubs. - Perhaps more by accident than, design, it has a first-class profes- sional football club, which has just brought home the Grey Cup from Vancouver after trouncing the best from the West, the Edmonton Es- kimos. But Ottawa can claim no professional baseball; its sym- phony orchestra folded last year for lack of financial support, and the smartly -dressed matrons of the Ottawa social set find it necessary to travel to Montreal or Toronto to find gowns suitable for display- ing at the opening of Parliament and at Government House. Part of this cultural vacuum a n d commercial backwardness stems from Ottawa's size—a mere 250,000, all of whom might be lost quite easily in one of the larger suburbs of Toronto or Montreal. But part of it can be attributed tp what might be euphemistically re- ferred to' as the Ottawa way of life. The Capital city has just given another illustration of its intro- spective character in a civic elec- tion by reversing the trend else- where and voting down Sunday sports. And it sternly resisted the appeals of two businessmen can- didates in choosing the redoubt- able feminist, Charlotte Whitton, as its mayor. That Charlotte, the one-time so- cial worker and more recently newspaper columnist and radio and television broadcaster, has drive and enthusiasm no one can ques- tion. She is a veritable ball of flame who seems to drive all man- hood before her. A sizeable section of Ottawa manhood, it might be added, ex- ists in mortal fear of her and what she may do to the City. But she remains the people's choice, even if only by a narrow margin. The Sunday sport s" decision seems to have been tied in quite directly with the mayoralty. Miss, Whitton's major opponent, Mr, Sam Berger, President of the Big Four football league and a more than competent businessman, lost the election by a hair's breadth— something over a thousand votes in a total count of around 80,000. Sunday sports, which Miss Whitton fearlessly and loudly opposed, lost by about the same margin. Oddly, the town of Eastview, a predominantly French-speaking community surrounded by the city itself, voted the other way—by a margin of two to one—and may be able to capitalize on this by stag- ing Sunday afternoon entertain- ment that the citizens of Ottawa can come in to enjoy. That way, everyone may be satisfied, with the good, burghers of Ottawa sit- ting home on the Sabbath to read books or think pious thoughts, while their more daring neighbors can take in a Sunday ball game with- out stirring far from home, But while Mayor Charlotte and her staunchly reactionary support- ers have won the day, the fact that theirs was such a narrow victory seems to- indicate a gradual awak- ening in Canada's sleepiest city. Six years ago, when Charlotte last sought the mayoralty, it was a brave man who dared to oppose her. Eight years ago, when the question was last put to the voters, Sunday sports was snowed under in the negative vote. The forces of reaction remain in control, but by the most slender margin. 'Which all points to the possibility that Ottawa, the "bad practical joke" of a century ago, is gradually preparing to join the rest of Canada in twentieth-century political progress. Capital Hill Capsule The Liberal and CCF parties were looking ahead to the next federal election in their . decision to fight the Federal Government's admittedly -drastic legislation that stopped the nation-wide rail strike in its tracks. Both parties are ac- tively courting labor at this stage, while the Government will depend on the larger body of public opin- ion to justify its action. A scrubwoman for a big London office fell heir to considerable pro perty. "No, I'm not going to give up my job," she told newsmen. "I wouldn't know what to do with myself without it. But heaven help them that gets in the way of me mop now!" IN THE YEARS AGONE Interesting items gleaned from The Huron Expositor of 25, 50 and 75 years ago. From The Huron Expositor December 13, 1935 Warden William Sweitzer, of Stephen Township, was honored at the closing session of Huron Coun- ty Council on Friday, when he was presented with a cane. The West side of town defeated the East side in a euchre battle at the Seaforth Euchre Club on Thursday evening. Some 3,420 players registered at the Seaforth Golf and Country Club during the past season. Town treasurer John A. Wilson received a cheque for $251 from the Liquor Control Board of On- tario. The Egmondville Hockey Club Field a meeting on Dec. 5. Officers were elected at .the meeting. John McKenzie and Helen Mc- Lean won the tournament arrang- ed by the Seaforth Badminton Club on Friday evening, when they de- feated Ted Taman and Betty South- gate. The Swiss Bell Ringers put on a very good concert in Hensall Town Hall on Tuesday evening: On Monday evening the Neil Shaw Auxiliary of Egmondville Church held its annual meeting. Officers were elected for the com- ing year. The Kippen Euchre Club met at the home of Mr. and Mrs. William Kyle on Monday evening and a very enjoyable time was spent. The choir of First Presbyterian Church honored Mr. and Mrs. Jas. F. Scott, newlyweds, for Mr. Scott's services in the choir. The social time was held following the regu- lar choir practice. * * * From The Huron Expositor December 9, 1910 A. M. Smith, of Simcoe, has es- tablished a special parcel delivery in town and has two large deliv- ery wagons on the road. Mr. Con Eckert lost a fine cow last week. She wandered off to the bush and when found was dead with a calf by her side. The Order -in -Council which went into force in February, requiring all dogs to be muzzled, expired on Wednesday. bogs are now priv- ileged to run at large free- of these appendages. The Wonderland Theatre, Clinton, had a narrow escape from destruc- tion by fire Friday night. It was put out before too much damage was done. George Keys and J. W. Palmer, both of Brussels, have traded farms. Mr. Robert Ballantyne had part of his thumb cut off while thresh- ing the other day. Officers have been elected for the ensuing term by Court Sher- wood Forest, Ancient Order oi~ For- esters. Mr. W. Ament was in London on Wednesday attending a meeting of the Colts' Curling League, as re- presentative from the Seaforth Club. Seaforth -rink is being flooded and made in shape for the winter's sports. Mr. J. C. Greig has presented the Fire Brigade with $25 for their valuable services at the time of his late fire. * * * From The Huron Expositor December 11, 1885 Mr. G. L. Courtice has been ap- pointed Postmaster at Holmes- ville. Much interest has been created over the advent of a,pair of twins. They weigh only 41 pounds. One in a tiny midget of only 13/4 pounds. They are alive and likely to thrive at their home in Ashfield Township. Mr. Jackson's tannery in Eg- mondville escaped fire on Monday evening when some wood, which had been left to dry, ignited. A neighbor noticed the flames and soon extinguished them. Seaforth breeders are largely re- presented at the Toronto Poultry Exhibition, being held in that city this week. There are 14 coops of fancy poultry, valued at $500. The Seaforth Poultry Association have decided to amalgamate with the Stratford Association and .a union exhibition will be held in Stratford this year, and Seaforth the next. Anniversary services for First Presbyterian Church, Seaforth, will be held on Sunday, the 20th, when Rev. Mr. Laidlaw, Hamilton, will preach. - Mr. E. Hallett has leased the ice skating and cuilings rinks for the season, and is now having them put in shape. Mr. James Coxworth, Hensall, proprietor of the Mammoth Skat- ing Rink, has been flooding and preparing 'it for curling and skat- g. A porker belonging to Dr. Car- der, of Blyth, when killed and dressed, weighed 304 pounds. Ifiee4& FiN:SRjyby:.vNru'tivl.'u7dO%ri'iiJ+'.{A•S.n'n:x..- q/2/YLCS "Okay, maybe it still is a little early, but when they D0 start hiring they'll remember you face"