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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1969-10-23, Page 2Sugar and Spice by Bill Smiley I'd go hunting,if This is the time of year when 'the hunting stories are flying around. Each time they are retold, they become a bigger lie or, a little funnier. I don't mind the stories when they're funny, or big, fat lies. But there's nothing more boring than listening to a hunter tell- ing you in deadly earnest the entire story of how he would have got his bag of ducks, of bagged his deer, if the fates and the Weather, and anything else he can think of, had not conspired against him. a4"difil tre,i,':3tneOne relate: what happened on every hole of his golf game, or every hand of bridge. He woeld have shot par of made his grand slam if, if, if .... ••• • Getting back to hunters, you'll never hear that earnest, serious teller of tales admitting that he couldn't hit the side of a barn with a handful of beans, from three feet. Or that he's as quiet in the ,bush as a tank on a hot' tin roof,, lo.' there's nothing wrong with him. It's the gods, or his gun jammed, or sheer bad luck. Quite a few of the chaps on oul staff who are keen hunters urge me to join them. This means standing around in a swamp and chest- high boots •after walking an hour to get there, gazing sullenly for hours at a sullen sky fil- led with blackbirds and swallows and non-ex-„; istent ducks. I've been -able to' fight off the temptation for several years now. I used to be a fair shpt. There's many a tree, fence-post and tin can in that country, that can testify to that, and I used to enjoy hunting. It really was pleasant to -get away from the old battleaxe for a few hours on a lovely autumn day. But I've never been a fanatic. , Any tend- -ency I had toward becoming one was cured forever last time I went deer hunting. I got • • lost twice,' was almost shot once (he hit the hound instead of me)„, and was .dam' nearly drowned on the way home from a remote , island in a blizzard, a high wind, and a leaky boat. • • Huniingan fo.r.:tte -birds, literally. In pro- portion to numberg, there are more hunters killed, wounded, or disabled for life from heart attacks and arthritis, than birds. Anether thing that puts me off is the type, of people who hunt. There is a large ,percent- age of high-grade morons among them. Eve just read in the Wiarton Echo story about two " hunters" who shot add killed . two wild, 'white swans that had made their home near a beach resort and were a delight to cottagers. What'is there to say about, " hunters" who shoot swans? 'A couple, of years ago, two chaps I know went out to the local golf course and shot every black squirrel in sight. This takes a lot of nerve, stamina, and bush-lore; walking around a golf course; slaughtering half-tame - squirrels, with three ounces of _meat each' on, them. Then therWare the " hunters" who go off for a good drunk in the bush'It gives them a chance to- play poker, grow a beard, curse belch and do all sorts of maely things like that. They could do the San* thing by check- ing into a motel room for a week. ' But they enjoy wearing big boots and rough clothes and making rude noises. Then they come home and let their wives push them 'around like. puppets for the other fifty-one weeks, There's no appal in hunting Mr ,me any More, though I -llive to get out in the • bush, preferably alone, ' But if they ever declare an open season on school administrators, I'll. be right back there, gun, on, shofilder, keen of eye and hard of law,' tireless in the chase, and relentless in the kill. I wouldn't even mind taking part in wip-ing out the entire species,. though M against thi; sort of thing, normally. • 0 4' 0 4 :firtitee 1860, Serving the Conzrnuttitv rirso t SEAF08,171,AltI0, every, Thq'sda.Y morning bY141•RAN BPS, rublialle Ltd.` .A.NPREw 11110.LE,ANt Editor Member Canadian Weekly NewspaPer Assoc/41On Ontario Weekly Newspaper As latien and Audit Bureau -of Circulation Newspapers Subscription Rates: Canada (in advance) 86.00 a Yeai Outside Canada On advance) $8.00 a Year SINGLE COPIES 10 CENTS EACH Second Class'Mail Registration Nuinber 0696 ly double parked, once moire began us- ing front entrances. Main Street usually is busy enough and crowded enough with shoppers and through traffic without being• burden-, ed with vehicles that without more readi- ly be accommodated in other areas. Now is probably the best possible time to take steps to stop the practise before drivers have forgotten their way along the rear service lanes. cannot be expected to provide the em- ployment base. There must be fobs or young families must migrate elsewhere. And without young families the com- munity is doomed to go downhill. Go6d schools are next in importance, again because they'are necessary to, hold young -families. When industries contemplate a move to a rural ,area, they look hist to such things as quality of schools and level of pay for teachers. Health care facilities also mime near the top of the list. Other community factors are, of course, important like churches, recrea- tional facilities, highways, and • many others.” You may be wondering by now why we haVen't mentioned low' taxes. The reason is that taxes come a way down the list among the characteristics considered by firms shopping for new locations. Low taxes are nice providing they have not been achieved by robbing the community of the things that make for what 'is called.livability. A company must have an adequate supply of labor, including youngJabor. They must have a community attrac- tive enough to please their administra- tive personnel needed to launch and manage the factory, laboratory; or whatever the enterprise may be. Low taxes do not necessarily mean happy families, good schools, and a heads-up community.- (Leamington Post and New), te;y: . . X.ng11.:.0.,,t, . , .. ,, ..., . ;91:9:;:vimel70.4411:.:gt491lat p4eonoi 1eat Try.asi won't wear wtiledfartItagem0!'; Wh9gle .u,:';' '.§tratIg*AlteliCP making tn-Y life not budge. ''' - . ', ' • •,, Some weeks-like this week, gene pressed trousers uecaral: ..fOt instaac0 get absolutely stained .- Witt.;w great glottOt.Joicif ,. sifted. ... ,'m long a$. things go 0°40'94 " You% -114Y; -t.it . T . cried. •,, ....I.OlaY4O . . calm. -1 Yt to I We normal :1111isteltajCbeaev,9e014t•lill'rt);asnicraYyTC:a141014;t14Vis; hsr tteainmtoiongerehiteorhtsadi).;97,:i_t,tt'9,ft. the brpH:eel4Winctamaild'oti;9904:0 lt000:E00:00. t10,.0iiv•L01,;. 14:"..Itt diverthW from tt41 oder; himself a new Pair • Ot'llt:.+49 ' explainalt9 wfltra at r17041sPraie'dwWcith° tolil Y" later he decided 10 lintbder .0* lust one day and OAP: wee • blue denhnjeana,-irk, b. leePlIt .: • About that monlent'oitt,dattf. ghter hobbled into the house,- big tears welling out of hear eyes}'` Her left leg, was dragging and ona look told me it was badly hurt. 7,. " What happened this tiine";',, son, It is explaining, tho'new neighbors why 'our little boy turns up at their, door begging for something to eat. It is put- ting into language' a three-year old can understand why he shouldn't get a glass of water on his own from the sink behind , asked the harassed X-Ray te jh, the counter in the lunch counter nician in the emergency ward al at the five-to-a-dime store. It is the hospital. trying to keep a semblance of - It was a soccer game," poise while he screams at the top told him, hardly able to meet his' of his lungs that it isn't safe to eyes., leave him unattenderLin the " Does this sort of thing hapi., shopping cart at thesuper- pen often in your family? ha queried over his glasses. y It was our eldest that broke Suspecting that he intended his arm. He' said it was 180 lbs. to report our family to the child, of solid brick that hit him at ren's aid I told him, " Certainly' football practice but it wouldn't not. We've just had' a streak of,• -have mattered to me if he'd in- jured it lifting a paperweight. A The fact of the matter was,it was his right arm and he's in the -first year of high school-a dead- ly combination. The .doctor said 41 he would be -out of action for a month. ' Of ,course, my son charged that I was only concerned that he would not be able to-con- tinue with the painting project he had begun, in the upstairs of our aged home.' Then he had is-another disas- trous 'accidents His brand new ful and wheeling around kicked him in the face, injuring him badly. The Pine Tar Company north of Manley, are apparently making a success of the Man- , Pfacturing of pine stumps into turpentine and tar which when fully developed will be a boost to the pine swamp, 'north of here. The new cement stable in connection with , the Presbyterian church at Arneefield is ,about completed and they propose 'having a fowl Supper when finished. Farm property in the, vicinity of Kippen still keep's changing hands. J.P.Cole has disposed of his 50- acre farm to Thos. Consitt of Seaforth, for the sum of $5,000.--' Wm. Cooper Jr. of Kippen, was in Chatham this week taking in the tractor plowing match. OCTOBER 26, 1894 , There have been severaPeheep worried by dogs in the neighboring of Varna lately. . The Bell Telephone Company have recently plabed new instruments in I.V.Fear's Drug store, Thos. Browns' residence, and in Dr. Murray's surgery. The new metallic long dist- ance line east is now connected with the Seaforth office. George Cardno of town met with what might have been a serious accident. He Was out hunt- ing black squirrels and the breach loader "of his gun burst. Rh face was badly blackened and burned with the powder and one eye is pretty sore. Wm. Fowler of the Huron Road was -re- turning from Brussels with a horse, and covered buggy. It was- quite dirk and when near Lead; bury he went to pass a teant*Another team, which Mr. Fowler did not notice was meet- — ing and his buggy was caught between the two behicles. The concussing threw him out on the road and he was not seriously injured. The bridge spannihg 'the mouth of Silver Creek, east of Egiriondville, is being rebuilt ,and teams have been -unable to pass that way. Alex Muefari of Brucefield is the contractor. At the invitation of P.M.Chesney, a num- ber of young People spent a delightful time at his beautiful home south of the village of EgniondVille. • The ceremony of Messing a new bell for St.„-iatnes' Church will be perfortned by Rt. Rev, Bishop O'Connor-of London. The bles- sing of bells is Vefy ancient in the elitirch. This bell, thd gift of Howard and O'Connor,,, weighs with its mountings 3.075 pounds. ; - Wm. Welsh, the eontraetot for the wood- work of the tie* Methodist Church at Hen- -Sall, his a good staff of men husily .engaged Irt .pnehing Ott the *Otk and 11 is to 'be lit by, 20 electric Attractive Conlmunities are the Answer In the Years Agorae Throughout the summer while Main Street 'was in varying states of disrup- tion there seemed to be no problem as far as transport -vans and -delivery truiks were concerned, in making day to day deliveries from rear lanes. Truck drivers readily became familiar with the rear entrances to Seaforth stores. But what happened as soon as Main Street opened? Drivers reverted to old habits and with trucks all too frequent, Farm people have good reason to be interested and involved in the nation- wide push -to move industry and jobs out into the country so that young peo- ple can continue to live there rather than migrate to the metropolitan areas which have become more and more crowded and harder and harder to gov- ern decently. Too often we adopt a defensive stand' and-start worrying that growth fn the community will mean higher taxes and More competition for farm labor. The truth is it may cost even more to Iive in a •community of shrinking population. and declining tax base. Lo- cal governmental and community ser- vices cost almost as much in a shrink- ing as -in a' growing society. The fewer remaining people find themselves tax- ed heavier to keep these services going. Spreading the jobs and the popula- tion is the most sensible national pro- gram we leave launched • in a long time. It may be the solution to the problems of the big cities as well as the rural areas. As we work at the job of spreading economic growth, some 'facts have -been coming to the fore, both in the surveys that are being taken and the experience that is being recorded. v'ety of jobs is all-important in. ,rebui ng a rural community. Now that farrning has become more'snecial- .1zed- and mechanized, agricultute alone OCTOBER 27th, 1944 ,Pt„ At the last meeting of TOckersmith mun- iciPal council, the resignation Of D.F.McGre- gor, who ha been Clerk:for the past 34. years was reluctantly accepted. His successor will "be E,P.Chesney, the, Township Treasurer, the council wisely deciding to combine •the two offices. _The box packing comthittee of Kipper East WOmen's Institute met at the home of Mrs. Glenn McLean, and packed 20 boxes , for local boys overseas. Friends and neighbors of Mr. and Mrs. Geo. Eaton and family of Winthrop gathered at the hall fora farewell party. Following cards they were called to the front when IrWin Trewartha read 'ae address and Mrs. Theron -Betties presented them' with a tri- light floor lamp: Abbut 125 persons gathered in the Com- munity Hall at Walton to honor 'Mr: and Mrs. Boyd Driscall.-•Ivan Shannon-read an address " and Walter Somerville presented them with a 98 piece dinner set of dishes. About 150 neighbors friends and relatives gathered' in the Community Hall at Walton to honor Mr. and Mrs.Stewart McCall.Doug. Lawless read a suitable address and Thos. Kirkby presented them with a- studio couch. Robert Tyndall of Tuck ersmith completed his season's threshing a Week ago' and reports a good yield of grain of a superior grade. • . OCTOBER 24, 1919 In one, of the most remarkable elections -ever held in Canada the Ontario Conservative ,''Government of Sir Wm. Hearst went down to defeat:this week. The Premier and all but two of his cabinet were among the defeated. The congregation of Duff's Church McKil- , lop met to do honor to their pastor, Rev: D. Carg#C,:44110-- has laboured faithfully for the pastkihinfiteara; During the evening an• address - Was read' by' M. Murdie and Robert Flabkirk ' presented Win with a well filled puBe 'and Miss Elizabeth Hendersonpresented the family each with a beautiful present. Andrew &Ott of town is making extensive litiprOVeinerita to the residence which he re- *fitly.purchased' frOm the . McMichael Estate:.. The residence, on tarries St, at present occup- ied by Mr. Scott has been leased by Mrs, Robert Willis to Marshall Stewart, Jacob Latta of Chlieihurst has sold his one 'hundred. here farm 1430%0, Fitzgerald, Campbell, ;the young, .son of Mr. and MM. tee*. Eyre, Mei with a Misfortline,While leading ,out a horSe to water, it' (tame Play- The early Huron farmer did not always have the acreage that would keep him busy the year around. And especially was this true if he had a - family of boys. In order to earn extra money, he would often" look for work elsewhere' in summer as well as in winter. The following was entitled " Summer Work in the Early -Fifties by an old Morris boy and is taken from the -Huron Expositor -of February 7, 1908. . " Aftei I had' helped to take in some of the • crops at- my home, I hired with a man who had the contract of logging, crosswaying and bridg- ing the town line from Blyth to Winghani prair- ies--theremvas no Wingham then. This man built the inn frame bridge at Blyth. It was made of hewbrahutments and crossway approa- ches. There were eight or ten men in the gang, and When': we' had finished this work, we went to a place near Clinton called Charleswortlr's Mills, en the Bayfield River. Here we enlarged and, remodelled the sawmill, and repaired' the dam; the spites used in this work' were about 12 feet long and 4 inches thick. They were sharpened on one edge and hollowed out on the other, so 'that they fitted into one another like matched lumber. " Mr. George Fulton,. the contractor, was a good " boss" , and as -we never worked after the regular hours, it seemed easy for me, -as;.L. was accustomed to work from daylight to dark, After this Mr. Fulton engaged to build bridges and culverts for a Mr. Whitehead, connected with the Buffalo and' Goderich railway con- struction. Here, hovAver, through a lawsuit we- had some trouble getting our pay, and as it was the money we-were after,'I decided to go to Brantford, and work in ,the harvest fields. " Mr. Fulton wasted me to stay with him, 'but, as his terms did not suit me, I started for Brantford with only 25 cents in my pocket. " I wervt: first to a Mr. HawthOrne's, near Harpurhey, from whom my father bought his • first cow, and stayed there for the night. In the morning I commenced my journey to Brant:- ford. There were very feW people'on the road so I was not able to ,get a ride from any person. BeloW 'Mitchell I overtook an old man, who I • recognized as a local preacher from Morris. As I could walk faster than he could, I wanted to push on, but. he -would not hear of,it; his feet were beginning to scald, so he sat. down in! a fence corner and made a long rope Of tWisted grass. When he bad 'taken off Ids boots he wound this around his feet and ankles,. thereby making a pair of grass slippers which were much easier on his feet than his leather boots. We journeyed together as far as Stratford, where our roads diverged, as New Itarribing was his destination and Woodstock mine. I reached Woodstock safely -and trudged cluring the night through it, passing along thi; Oxford toad. About this time I became very litnigry, bilt my money was all gone I was xediteed to beg- ging. I passed house after housditi;the attempt .• to work up my courage to ask trot' food. At last however, after this sort of thiligliid One on „or a long tune I became diSpetataI •at ,the house what was then known 4 Check- ered Sheds", a school masteri dalighiet 'gave me spine crusts of dry bread and EAU bowl of • • .,- " They grew grant clover on the light ground and 'then ploughed it under as a fertilizer, and • they had heavy crops of fall wheat and other' grains. I- worked at two or three other places, cradling, binding and drawing-1mi, grain, and l everyone pressed me to dome bi another year. At last, however, I started for oodstock, and on arriving there I. replenished ,,my ward- , robe, which had suffered much hard usage in " On my ,way home I met two other Morris boys at a village called Bell's Corners; they seemed to 'be "friends with the stage driver beeause when he arrived they got on and took me with them and we all rode nearly half way to Stratford for nothing: Here we met the re- turn stage and the °wrier of the line got on our stage so I had to get off. I walked on a short distance and when the stage passed me I jump- ed on the back steps and rode with them to Stratford. When I got near Clinton I hired with' a man who still had his spring wheat to cut. From 'there I went to his brother's, near Man- chester (Auburn'). On the way there Lmet.Mr. Sutton and hired with him to do some more road work after I had fiffiahed at Manchester. " I stopped one night at home on my way to Belgrave where, Mr. Fulton:s brother was in charge of the Work,. He was a very strong, pow- erful man, -commonly known as " Big Bob Ful- ton." The work here was very heavy, some of the trees which I cut down being as thick as my axe handle was long. The 'weather also became bad' and ,Wet; and the-oxen we had to do the teaming wete'contalually sinking into the mud. , By this time we were in a ve/OV'lld country and had to sleep on .beds of ' beughi, amid odi -meals consisted of tea, bread-and dried Codfish, boiled in water. It was very good, but having no change We got tired of it. At' bat we finished; , and as there Was'enough work at honie to keep me busy f drew try 'pay and went back to old Morris. In all Itty ;travels I -worked for her one , who Was unkind ft?' nee,, and in that teiPeet I think I was Jock* them most ,boys who g6 among strangekS to earn theft liVelihoodt" • • SEAFORTH, ONTARIO, OCTOBER 23, 1969 Lets use the Service Lanes Seaforth Firemen At Niagara These firemen represented the Seaforth 'Brigade at a firemen's convention in Niagara Falls in 1920 and posed for their picture before a picture background of the famous falls. They are (front, left) A. W. Dick, P. J. Dorsey• and J. L. Smith, (standing) T., G. Scott; D. L. Reid-and M. McPhee, The picture was loan- ed by Glen Smith, a son 6f J. L. Smith. From the Old Files 1 AIVE SELEtT thick, sour milk.-1 will always remember that meal, for it was the first and last I ever begged. About dinnertime I passed a farm 'Where they had commenced 'to cut 'their hay, but when I asked for work I was told that they did not need any, help, neither did' they ask 'me to stay for dinner, although the table was set and they Were just sitting down. However, a tavern keep. er at the Checkered Sheds told me that a man named Williams, who lived in Burford town- ship, wanted a man. When tgot there Pfound him sick in bed. That night I cut some •of the hay in the orchard and the next day two of the neighbors came to• help, and we soon 'had the hay all cut. Mr. Williams had a fine farm, well • tented, well stocked and well tilled; hie orchard had in it the largest apple trees I have ever seen. . When I was finished at Mr. Williams' I hired ' with a man wl,io lived about five miles from Paris. He had• itwo other men; one ,of these named Scott, seemed rather new at the work, his hands were so soft he wore kid• gloves, for in those days they had no binding machinery, except the old and reliable " Armstrong Pow- er" . ' • market. bad luck." " Hin-m-m," he mused the, way all medical people do. it set, we lesaamruedn.tuWreedalsohindadiseovvrir ed how injured legs make it litre possible to practice music scales; wash dishes and prepare Stinday:, ,fectly practical to p School lessons yet petsgkez it per seek at the neighbors,' go out foi an obpatbimysiistticatn20w5 .cwhenets• fi dinnh my t:oortuars toast ell this morning it wail butter side up. i -