HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2015-06-24, Page 5Wednesday, June 24, 2015 • Huron Expositor 5
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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