HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1972-06-08, Page 10Otte Auron fxpositor
Since 1860, Serving the Community First
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ANDREW Y. McLEAN, Editor
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SEAFORTH, ONTARIO,,June 8, 1972
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Lions program saves lives
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Nature has a remarkable way of protecting itself. These Kildeer eggs In anest built on a
gravel drive leading to the George Pearson farm near Ethel are the same coloring as the gravel
and brush.(Photo by Nicholas'Hill)
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ey (Vele ,
eel( ""a f ri
From My Window
— By Shirley J. Keller —
Su ar and Spice
by Bill Smiley
In the Years Agone
It is an all too fami-
liar story - that of the
child playing in the sand
on a beach or at the
waters edge who suddenly
disappears.
Sometimes help is at
hand and a life is saved.
Too often the child is
lost. By this time it is
too late to think of the
water safety training
that coUTd.have prevented
tragedy.
-fortunately in this area
there are concerned people
who think about, water.
safety and the program
that is Tiecessary to in-
still in the minds of
Seaforth area children
the precautionary measures
that"can assist in pre-
venting death by droWning.
'For. more than forty
years the Seaforth Lions
Club has made a-water
Safety program available
to Seaforth area child- •
There is never a dull moment when
you are raising a family. Isn't that so,
parents? And when your children are
as far 'apart in age .as mine - with such
diversified interests . .well, life is
always filled with surprises.
We've jest ,come through one of the
most exasperating weeks any family could
know.. Not that anything so terrible - or .
so wonderful - happened. It 'is simply
that normal household bedlam 'at the .
Kellers was replaced with abnormal'
household bedlam for almost seven days,
• and now that ordinary chaos reigns again,
we're all breathing a little more easily.
Let me start with the eldest in the
house. 'This one generally works hard
not to become involved in anything too
demanding of him. A level-headed tint
-no-stress kind of person, I could hardly
believe my ears when he announced that
he was letting his name stand for an
office in the students' council at the
high schoOl.
That's right. We've just come through
an election campaign with a lad who threw
himself into it with everything' he had
. . and as much as others could muster,
too. There were posters and banners and
mottos to consider. There was, a speech
to Write and to rehearse. There were
ideas to sort out and make decisions upon.
In short, trie week*fiad all the excite-.
nient you'd expect to find where there is
an election candidate . . . . plus the
added exhuberance of youth and youthful
eagerness.
Our second born was in the throes of
the track and field day at school. Her
schedule for the past few weeks has been
geared to getting in shape for this meet
and last week was just the culmination of.
all that had gone on before. There was
jogging and the ensuing showers. There
was deep breathing and proper diet to
'Consider. There was non-restricting cloth-
ing to be selected and readied and there
was the silent vigil to be well aware of
what her competition was accomplishing
on the and in the field.
As the big day neared, the daily
ritual became more intense. In fact
things became so desperate that our
daughter felt the need ,to retite early at
night e• window, thrown wide open, of
course - so she could rise at the ("rack of
. dawn to begin the rigorous routine anew
"Pm "trying to help my kid.
Could you tutor me in
-fourth grade math?"
ren. Each year as many .
as five hundred children
take part in the learn to
swim program and through-,
out July and August attend
the water safety classes
at he Lions pool.
it•is, true, an
ability to swim is not in
itself a guarantee against
drowning., the knowledge
gained through the Red
Cross swimming program
which is carried out at
the Seaforth Lions pool
goes a long way to pre-
ven't- tragedy.
It'is impossible, of
course, to say how many
liveS have been saved by
the work of the Lions
Club but based on statis-
tics there is no doubt ,
that ,their contribution
has paid for itself many
times over through trage-
dies that have' been, avoid-
ed because those involved
could swim.
arid afresh.
The youngeSt 'Keller had a problem,
too. His kindergarten class was pro-
ducing the musical extravaganza "The
Three Bears" and the part of.Father Bear
was still to be cast.' Our youngest son
hoped he was in line for this demanding
dra:matic debut merely becauSe he was
'the biggest guy in the class . . . and •
Father Bear had to he 'large and hurley:
That's 'why,Lthe youngest Keller spent
so much . time last week tromping and
stomping through the house. He was, as
he explained, only doing his Father Bear
walk like the teacher had said it should
-be done. Maybe if his tromping and
stomping,Improved,. so would his chances
for being Father Bear in the play..
Between the oratory efforts of No.One
child, the deep-breathing and deep-bending •
of No. 'Two child and the stamp, stamp,
stamping of No. Three child, my husband..
and 'I were on the 'verge of exhaustion.
"What has gone wrong with the kids?"
nay husband asked one evening after dinner
as the children scattered to talk, tumble
and. tramp. "Is there some kind of talent
'Caravan coming to town?"
As is usually the case at our house,
mother had to brief father on the up-
coming events which were causing the
commotion. (Somehow, Dad's always the
last to know') • ....
. "When will this be over?"' he shouted,
trying to make himself heard above the
din. .
"Soon," I reassured him. "This
weekend for sure."
It all happened within 24 hours. Thp
speech-making (plus the wits of a clever
campaign manager) won No. One child
the seat he'd hoped to gain; Lady Luck and
sOme real determination brought track
and field fame for No. Two child as she
walked off with the senior trophy in our
town; and though No. Three child didn't
get to portray FatliPt- Bear for arrapprec-
lative audience, he did lea-rn what a
pleasure" it is to he part of an important
back-up chorus in a live stage production
where the applause rises and falls like
thunder. •
As I said before, we're back to normal
househord bedlam this week
but for how king? ' Who can tell with
a family in the house.
"For years. and yeirs I've
hen trying to tell you that
money won't buy •
harininess!"
For a writer, facing a deadline with
nothing in his head but a vacuum is
about as" jiiyous an occasion as facing
his wife at 4 a.m., after phoeing• her at
,5 p.m., to tell her he's going to have two
drinks, not- three or four but two,-• With
the boys on the way home from work. I
hope those figures haVen'tf confused you,
but perhaps you get the general idea.
Sometimes, however, coincidence
creates a colUmn. I had nothing in my
head for this week's column. Not even
tog. Just vacuum. Good old coinci-
dence came to the rescue.
Today I met in the halls one of my
English teachers. He's a mature chap
and pretty tough. Been through a war
and twenty-five years of marriage, spent
a stretch as a weekly editor, and has
raised -three children. How much tougher
can you get'? But he was almost in tears.
"They can't read," he mumbled
brokenly; "they can't read". I patted
his back -and wiped his eyes, as we
department heads "do, (though I reserve:
weeping on my shoulder for women
teachers only), and gradually -found out
that he was talking about a Grade 9 class
in the four-year stream.
"There, there," I consoled. "Of
course they_ can't read. Neither, with a
few exceptions, can my Grade 13 students.
Kids aren't supposed to learn to read'
any more. It might destroy their sen-
sitivity. Now you just go arid show
them a nice little movie, or let them
express themselves on the tape recorder.
Or let them lean. out the window and
watch the cars going by and then have
'them write a poem. 'But ciOn't correct
the spelling iut the poem. You'll destroy
their creative Spirit. ,Jost 80 0P back
JUNE lf, 1.897
Chas. Mason of Turkersmith, who
is one of the oldest, a's well as one
Of the .hest horsemen in the country, has
quite a record as a traveller, he having
crossed the Atlantic nearly 50 times.
R. B. Scott, of Harpurhey, has had
the pleasure of a ten clays visit from
Mr. Black of peehles, Scotland; MT,
Black is a son of the late Wm. Black
of Beyroute, Palestine , with whom Mr.
Scott was for II years a clerk and rnana-ei.
ger.
The officers and teai,bers of.St. Thomas
Church, Seaforth. have decided to change
their Sunday School to the morning during
the summer months.
One night recently someone was mean
enough to lock a drove of sheep the
schoe: yard' at Londesboro and these
caused great lamage to the flower hens.
J. G. Stanbury's name of Hayfield
was in the list of suecessful can•li lates
in Orsgoode Hall, standing third. .
The heavy rains of the last -week at •
Hensell have demonstrated how ha Ily
we are in need of good drains.
JUNE 1922
The farmers in Turkel-smith lia-e5
om vier-iced 'lifting sweet clover.
Two bakers and one butcher now r nine
to Kippen to supply life's necessities to
tee eiti7ens.
The rateP ; lavers of Hensall were ealle
upon to vote on the by-law for the sine
of $24,000 to buil:lea new public senool
and, continuation scnool, in one budding
but owiug to several factors It wasele-
. feated by a vote of 66 for and 110 against.
The town of Ilensall was visited by
a bawl of 'gypsies. but High Constable
Whitesides thought it was not lesirable
for them to have n extended visit.
Thos. Farquhar, Hensall, has been
in there and stimulate them." •
That's one thing_my teachers have to
admit. When they come to the chief,
they get inspiration, motivation, and a
fresh new approach. Some of them even
say .they'lletry to stick it out to the end
of the term. '
well,- I felt pretty good': as ,we all do.
after giving meaningless advice, but that
wasn't enough. to write a column about.,
Got home after school, and opened. my
mail. There 'was a very nice letter
from Margaret Grieve of Oakville, who
• taught for 41 years, and says she hadn't
a single regret on leaving it - The' Pro-
fessioa, though there were many good
years. and an abundance of pleasant mem-
ories. That cheered. me 'up, for some
obscure reason. Maybe even stay
on another year,_ and collect-my twelve-
year pension, which will amount to $38
'a month everY second leapyear.
in the, same mail was another letter
" from 'an old friend, with a clipping en-
closed. It was an article by Norm Ibsen
about the rapid rise in illiteracy, or the
decline in literacy, or whatever you want
to call what's happening• to our youth.
A 'Professor Gold, chairman of the
'University of, Waterloo's English depart-
ment, blames the school system because
it's turning out; students incapable of ex-
pressing themselves. They can't com-
municate, I quote the writer- of the
column, Mr. Ibsen, who says, with tongue
in cheek, "Maybe it's because they're.
being taught by language arts specialists
instead of English teachers."
Maybe. But -I take exception- to, the
professor's sweeping generalization about
' students expressing themselves. They
can. They do. Even the best and mild-
engaged as carrier on Route No. 2.
Work on the pump house in connect-
ion with the new waterieorks, system to
be installed in Seaforth, was com-
menced this week. Mr. Eckert and his
men are now excavating where•the scales
were for the reservoir which will be
under .1:e pump houSe-and
Reeves,' Parke of Sea:forth, IVI dNaugh-
ton of Tuckersmith, McQuaid of Mc-
Killop, arid Armstrong of Hullett are
in Goderieh , attending the June session
.. ounty. C ounell._...
Samuel Walker of town mot, ref to
Buffalo from where he will sail for a
two weeks trip to Duluth.
S, Little ofetOwe, who has been look-
ihg after the Harpurhey Cemetery, has
made a great improvement in the appear-
ance of the grounds.
Mrs. J. G. Doherty of Egrieendville
was in Toronto, attending the graduation
of her daughter, Miss Lulu, at the Wes-
tern Hospital.
Elton Umbach of town has opened -a
htanell drug store in Hayfield for the
summer when it Will again be in charge
of Russel HriStew.
The oral compOsitions given by the
Seaforth Public School have been very
suecessful this year. The winners of
the medals, donated by the principal,
were - GirlSe Ruth Jarrott, boys, Gerald
Snowden,
JUNE 13, 1941
Appointmant of Huron County
eonstreileS,lielmar Snell, Seaforth; John
Ferguson, Exeter and Chas. Salter, Blyth
to C)e nntarlo Provincial Police, was
anheunred by District Inspector,, J. A,
H. Criik of Kitchener.
Thos. 5, Smith, who some months
ago retired as iiaretaker of the Seaforth
District High School, was honoured by
a f.erernonv In the audithrium, where he
est of boys -have always sworn a bit. But
shakes you a bit to hear some sweet little
girl of sixteen' drop her books or- stub
her ' toe and launch into a communicat-
ion ;that' would curl the hair of a World
War I muleskinner.
However, I agree with the profes-
sor that the whole situation is the fault
of the school system.. The universities •
blame the high schools, which blame .
the elementary schools which blame
home environment or something.
'This is patent nonsense. My father
,,,got through Grade 4 and wrote a beauti-
ful copper-plate script with intelligence.
My mother had'Grade 5 and wrote wittily
and grammatically. Thar wasmy home
environment.
You can't blame' the elementary
.schools. They do what they can ,.with
what they get,...in the face of a 'depart-
ment of education that is about as con-
sistent in its aims as a dart in,a. wind-
storm. And you can substitute another
consonant for the '"d" in dait, if you
wish. '
You can't blame the high schools,
who do what they can with ever-increas-
ing mass of illiterates. What the hell,
what does it matter if a brilliant science
student, or a math student who 'Will be
'working with slide rule and computer, -
writes a sentence like, "Everyone should
have a good education so they can go
to Co1XXX collegxx collitch and make ,
a lodds. bread"?
People worry about literacy falling
into., the hands of an elite group. In
my opinion, it would be the best thing
that could happen Ap .English. It would
take us back to The glorious days of
the Elizabethans, and let the slobs fall
where they may.
was presented with a purse on behalf of .
the students, staff and members of the
board. '
Members of the Public Schopl Board,
met with the teachers previous to the
opening of school to honor Miss Maude
Hartry who retires from teaching at the
close of the term in, Jime. Chairman
Clare Reith presented her with a cheque
on behalf 'Of the board and read an ad-
dress, Miss Hartry concludes 48 'Years
of teaching, having commenced teaching
at_Droadfocit's Bridge In 1900.
The '79 th anniversary of the opening of St. Mary's Anglican Church, Dublin,
was celebrated with a capacity congre-
gation in attendance. The rector Rev. C.
Fe L. Gilbert, Seaforth, was in charge
of the service.
Rt., Hon. James G, Gardiner, himself
a practical farmer, showed great in-
terest in. the exhibitS at the' Hensel'
stock show, which he opened,
Mr. and Mrs. Chas. Eggert, McKillep
Twp. celebrated their twenty-fifth an-
niversary at a family dinner on June
1st. On the following Tuesday, Mr. and
Mrs. Eggert returned to their home to
find about 40 friends and neighbors wait-
ing for them fora surprise party. Mrs.
Fergus Horan made them the recipient
of a purse of money and an address was
read by N. FletierMan,
Miss Lois M. ,Jamieson, daughter of.
Mr . and Mrs. Robert Jamieson
'
Con-
stance, was one of the 194'7 class of
nurses to graduate from the Stratford
General Hospital. Miss Jamieson re-
ceived the award for surgical technique,
also was winner of a silver cup trophy
donated for best school Spirit and leader-
ship.
Mr. and Mrs. David Papple and Mrs.
C.V.WeSt were presented to the Gover-
nor General at the recent investiture
ceremony held in London.
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