Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2015-06-24, Page 5Wednesday, June 24, 2015 • Huron Expositor 5 www.seaforthhuronexpositor.com The Charivari's of Huron Charivari (pronounced shiv- aree) which according to Wikipedia, translates into `rough music' is an ancient custom transported from Europe to the New World by early settlers. In Huron, the Charivari was a form of mob violence or domestic ter- rorism used to protest perceived marital irregularities. It is hard to know how often these Charivari's took place in Huron. Some were simple sur- prise parties where a horde of uninvited guests showed up at someone's house. Gavin Green describes one such incident in the 'Old Log House' when two young girls got the notion to visit 'Uncle John' unannounced with two sleigh loads of merry -makers and 'lots of eats! When Uncle John saw two dozen visitors at his door, he told them, 'You can all go to hell and take your girls with you.' Peace was restored after 'Auntie' calmed Uncle John down and after a few fiddle tunes `Uncle John's Irish blood warmed up and he danced the Irish jig for us.' Not all surprise parties ended so harmoniously. Reports of Chavarari's as public disturbances began appearing in local papers in the 1860's. The `Huron Signal' described a Dun- gannon Charivari in February 1864 where a newly wed couple were awoken by the sound of the 'most discordant noises ever heard outside of Pandemonium. The pans, kettles, horns, cow- bells, rattling, blaring and ringing, interspersed with every moment or two with the still more exciting report of fire -arms, conspired to render night hideous.' It must have been a terrifying night for the couple but it was more than just mindless vio- lence. It appears that the hus- band had broken one of the Vic- torian taboos about mourning. He married his 22 year old bride only four months after his wife and mother of his seven children had died. The 'virtuous' mob, the paper believed, thought the mor- als of the community had been violated and a lesson needed to be taught. Another night of terror was inflicted on the home when the aggrieved husband lodged a complaint with the local Justice of the Peace. The home was van- dalized a second time with `filth' tossed through smashed win- dows and gunshots fired into the house. No one was charged and Huron History David Yates the 'Signal' called the 'Charivari a reprehensible practice: In November 1864, the mar- riage celebrations of one couple were interrupted when a large mob assaulted the wedding party by pelting the roof with stones, discharging firearms, and bell ringing creating a 'furious con- cert! Despite the remonstrances of the bride and her attendants, the groom and his friends assailed their attackers and in 'a severe tustle' repelled the mob. The newlyweds alleged offence seems to have been that some neighbours had not been invited. In July 1865, the `Signal' reported another Charivari in Bluevale when a 'respectable' 69 year old widower married a 70 year old Goderich Township widow. On their wedding night, the elderly couple were serenade by `the most fearfully exciting noises' ever heard in the area. 'Muskets, carbines, fowling pieces, and pistols all belched forth their contents' accompa- nied by the clanging of pans, beating of sticks on board fences and an assortment of bells, tin whistles and other noise makers. After suffering two hours under siege, the 'worthy bridegroom' won the mob over by taking them to a local tavern 'to make them- selves merry: Jilted suitors and a perceived breach of community morality were common causes for a Chari- vari. However, often times, there was no apparent motive. In Feb- ruary 1864, one wedding night at the Travellers Rest Inn on the Bayfield Road was disturbed by the usual round of gun shots and noise making. Before any serious mischief occurred, a heavy storm cut short the devilment and 'cooled the courage of the com- plimentary serenaders.' The 'Sig- nal' called the Charivari 'a dis- grace to a civilized community.' The threat of serious violence lurked beneath the surface of these mob actions. One of the worst moral offences in Victorian Canadian society was family aban- donment. According to the 'Clin- ton News -Record' in July 1893, Joe Cook, a father of seven children, eloped with a young mother of two. The `human wretches' report- edly took the train to Michigan in May but when rumours that Cook had returned to Clinton to gather his belongings a crowd of several hundred citizens, many of them women, surrounded the house where he was believed to be staying. Cook escaped by hiding from the mob but, the 'News -Record' did not doubt that the `wayward man' would have been tarred and feathered. The paper cau- tioned others that 'Clinton is cer- tainly not the silent or happy abode for such people.' A similar incident scandalized Seaforth in 1865 when it was reported that a certain Mrs. Dix had eloped with a watchmaker named Stephenson. Mr. Dix tried to persuade his wife to remain but the 'infatuated woman persisted in her determination to forsake the husband of her youth.' However, after a few weeks, the 'erring wife' returned home. Unfortunately, the community was not as forgiving as Mr Dix. A 'Committee of Morals' published a letter in the `Huron Signal' serving notice to Mrs Dix that she had ten days to leave Seaforth or be carried out of town `ridden on a rail, afterwards to be clothed in a dress of tar and feathers: Addi- tionally, the gentlemen warned that `ill -famed' Mrs Dix that if she was seen in town again she would 'then be made to walk the streets naked and be scourged with the rod of Moses: Not everyone sided with the Committee of Morals. `Sister Charity' called the vigilantes `cowardly' and 'unmanly: `Doubtless the woman was guilty' but she advised the 'moral men of Seaforth' to look to their Bibles and see that 'him that is without sin cast the first stone: How far the `Committee of Morals' was prepared to go is unknown. It seems the threat of mob violence drove the Dix family out of town. Charivari's continued in rural Ontario well into the modern age but, over time, they lost their implied threat of violence. They were more in the spirit of the sur- prise party than an attempt to impose society's morality on their neighbours. letters to the editor Hiker puzzled by concems about G2G To the Editor: As an avid Hiker I am puzzled by most of the concems expressed by the Huron County Federation ofAgricul- ture and adjacent landowners. Over the years I have walked the old rail bed between Blyth and Goderich. On the section between the East side of the Maitland River and Blyth, it has obviously been very well used shown by two distinct tradcswithout vegeta- tion. Therefore I am puzzled bywhy the use by hikers should be a great concem when there was no evidence of concern from the current mostly vehicle users. As far as biosecurity the only place I am very aware of this as a concern is the property at the comer of Sharpes Creek Line and Bishops Road where the property is very Re: Ontario racks up debt while 'Rust Belt' states largely balance their books: Report Dear Editor, Our government remains on track to balance our budget by 2017-18 and will do so in away that is both fair, responsible and supports the impor- tant services that Ontarians rely on like health care, education and build- ing integrated transportation net- works. We are achieving this goal through prudent management of resources and restraining program spending where appropriate. And our plan is working. This year, Ontario beat its deficit target by $1.6 billion in 2014-15 and through our careful financial man- agement, we have held program spending growth to an average of 1.5 per cent, below the rate of inflation. We have also become the top juris- diction for foreign direct investment in all of North America. Furthermore, Canada's leading economists are forecasting that Ontar- io's economywill be among the growth leaders for the country as a whole. Accordingto a recent Bank of Montreal Report, Ontario's economic growth is expected to "top the national average for the first time in 13 years" at 2.5 per cent. RBC's latest Provincial Outlooks was even more optimistic projecting Ontario's economic growth to be 2.8 per cent in 2015. As for Ontario's manufacturing sector, its sales increased by over 31 per cent between 2009 and 2014. In the last three months alone, Ontario's manufacturing sector has gained nearly 18,000 net new jobs. In addi- tion, since 2010, auto assembly and parts companies have also invested more than $7.6 billion in Ontario. Ontario is also one of the top infor- mation and communications dearlymarked Bio Security Hazard keep out I have not ever noticed any similar posting along the old rail bed. Hikers are generally environmen- tally responsible and for the few who discard garbage along a trail there are usuallymanymorewho are more inclined to pickup the garbage. I am not a farmer and afraid I do not understand how a hiker will increase weed and pest control for the adjacent property. On the current GART sec- tion the grass is regularly mowed while on the section beyond the river to Blyth I have not noticed any such cutting down of grass and weeds. I am confident that in the few places with livestock that fences can be erected to solve any animal problem, although again, I have not noticed any livestock or fences in the parts I have walked. Patrick Capper Clinton technology jurisdictions - ranked second in North America in terms of the number of ICT establishments. What the Fraser Institute's recent report fails to acknowledge is that there needs to be a balance between reducing deficits and providing ser- vices for Ontarians. I am proud to be part of a govemment that rejects slash- ing programs for short term gains as drastic cuts would harm the economy and limit our potential for growth. Instead, our govemment is making strategic investments such as investing over $130 billion in transportation and infrastructure projects over the next 10 years whichwill help strengthen our economy, increase our productivity and our competitiveness worldwide, and attract a long lasting return on investment to Ontarians. This marks the largest infrastructure invesin tent in Ontario's history. Finally, comparing the economic activity and the budgets of a Cana- dian province to a US state is mis- leading as the two jurisdictions have vastly different responsibilities. Ontario provides a universal health care systemwith a cost of $50.8 billion which is roughly comparable to the entire operating budget of state like Michigan. In addition, Ontario has deliv- eredthiswhile consistentlyachieving the lowest program spending per capita among Canadianprovinces. We are building on our province's strong economic fundamentals by continuing to create a competitive business climate, investing in mod- em infrastructure, investing in skills, education and training, promoting entrepreneurship and innovation and helping our businesses go global to ensure communities across the province benefit from a strong Ontario economy. Yours truly, Charles Sousa Ontario Minister of Finance