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 -