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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1976-06-17, Page 2"Anton xpositor . Since 1860, Serving the Community First Published at SEAFORTH, ONTARIO, every Thursday morning by McLEAN BROS. PUBLISHERS LTD. ANDREW Y. MCLEAN, Publisher SUSAN WHITE° Editor DAVE ROBB, Advertising Manager • Member Canadian Community Newspaper Association Ontario Weekly Nespaper Association and Audit Bureau of Circulation Subscription Rates: Canada tin advance) $10.00 a Year OutsiJe Canada (in advance) $20.00 a Year ,SINC;LF COPIES — 25 CENTS EACH Second Class Mail Registration Number 0696 Telephone 527-0240 SEAFORTH, ONTARIO, JUNE 10, 1976 The stink about sewers I I a 't .\"T ()NT. • Seaforth on early postcards Do you remember when The Woodlands were? How about The Grove? Did you ever go on picnics to The Grove? The Grave is Case's Grove and it was down by Silver Creek, near the land on the eastern outskirts of Seaforth that was a golf course •before World War 2. The Case house is now owned by Brad Smith. But no one around the Expositor is sure where The Woodlands are. The two scenes are on colour tinted post cards, postmarked 1908 and 09, that were loaned to the Expositor by. Edythe Coleman of McKillop. The cards are all addressed to Mrs. Coleman's great aunt, Miss Lou Moxley in Guelph in the era when the sending and collecting scenic postcard craze was at its height. On one of the cards MiSs Moxley's niece thanks her for a post card she's sent, "I'm getting my album pretty well filled but I think they are so nice to look at," says the niece in Seaforth in March, 1908. Miss Moxley's 'niece was Mrs, Coleman's mother, Vera Hunt McMillan, a sister of Frank and Homer Hunt of Seaforth. One of the other photos is of a "Rural Scene, near Seaforth" ... does anyone recognize the barn? The fourth postcard, of Seaforth's Main St., shows the telegraph wire poles, the tower that once sat about Kidd's Hardware, now Hildebrand Paint and Paper and a, sign advertising Crich Bros. Cold Sodas. "Could we have the same sort of post and 'photos of beautifti1 green spaces and tidy streetscape these days?' Or have we lost more than 67 years since these post cards were printed?. In the Years Agone Even before they had opened the envelopes which they received from the town last week Seaforth ratepayers were 'prepared for bad news:- They realized that, despite the careful budgeting by council, taxes had taken a big jump and that they would be required to pay substantially more as their share in meeting Seaforth expenses in 1976. What they weren't prepared for, " however, were, two items which appeared on most tax bills demanding payment of a sewer levy and .a sewer connection charge based on frontage. It was these charges that precipitated a storm of protest because it will be months before most ratepayers will be connected, to sealers. They were being required 10 pay for something they didn't , have and perhaps, in some casW wouldn't have until next year. An excellent case may •be made for the action that was taken. As was • Gypsies are like grapes. They come in bunches. So when you see one gypsy, you know there's another one not far away. I'm the same way. If I write one piece on gypsies. then you can be sure another will follow close behind. I guess that's because there's so much to say about gypsies. especially when you have a • man like Jan Yoors keeping me entranced for one whole afternoon in his New York studio. Jan won his way into the gypsy camp_ with his pair of shoes. Of course, none of the boys , wore shoes. But to them that was an ultimate in luxury. So all afternoon the gypsy boys took turns wearing his shoes. He even let them cut the• toes out, so the bigger boys' feet would fit in. The gypsy boys ran around the camp in what they considered real living, but to Jan Yoors, he had just thrown off his symbol of slavery: And that night the campfires and songs and dancing began. Jan said he stayed five minutes too long: And he was hooked. For the next six years of his life he caravaned with his adopted gypsy fa mily. He learned about all their survival techniques. He learned them so well that during the second World War, the British Intelligence employed 'him and some other' gypsies to teach the underground their survival techniques. The gypsies know. A, nd. th,ey know plenty other things. They know ir driesn't pay to 'get outright revenge. It's far more effective to It seems, when one looks around, that the Great Revolution of the 1960s has petered but, as most revolutions do. And, 'as usually happens after a revolution, the pendulum is swinging toward conserva- tism. The Savage Sixties, featbring a vicious war in Viet Nam, student uprisings, draft dodgeri, the growth of strident feminism, and the blossoming of four-letter words in the mass media, have simmered down into the Scared Seventies, when inflation and unemployment are the bogey-men. Most obvious evidence of this is the race for president in the States, There's not a liberal in sight. It's like a game of musical chairs in which every participant is striving to be a little farther t•3 the right than ,the guy who made the last speech. PM not entirely unhappy about this swing of the pendulum. While' revolutions often produce freedom, they also produce excesses, and that of the Sixties was no exCeption. It produced nVitilence,,a callousness and a VicionSitess that was probably unpara- Ilele'd in western civilization's history. indicated on a slip of paper accompanying the tax bills, the ministry, who is building the sewers, requires the town to make the first payment in the year work commenced -- that is 1976. Had council not acted, now to raise the funds it would have been faced with borrowing and the interest involved would then have been an added cost for ratepayers. Prepayment of sewer rates also can be advantageous for the town .and result in a substantial.saving for the ratepayer. But in order to take advantage the ratepayers had to know the option open to them and the relative costs. ,The argument at Monday's council meeting and the anger of many people could have been avoided if taxpayers had been fully informed in advance of what" was contemplated and of the options open to them. A special meeting to more communication between the town, the ministry and' the press would have helped. curse your enemy.' Jan learned that fast and well one afternoon when some local people beat and salt pelleted him.and his friend out ,of • town. And when back in camp he lay nursing the blows and planning his revenge, his adopted father had a better idea. Jan's gypsy family Went back and cursed the people and their land. Forever afterward the, gypsy spell .hung -wer them. And a slightest slip on a banana peel would testify to the gypsy's power. That's how the gypsies have it all Over us. The question isn't: Does the gypsy spell have power? It's: Do I think it has power over me? And it's the same way with their fortune telling. To Jan Yoors it doesn't do that much good to keep. probing: Is it accurate? Is it possible? Does it work? The matter is: Do I think it works? Do I think they can tell my future? • I should blame myself for needing to know the future. It's my insecurity and fears that drive me to their fortune tellers. The gypsies are only accommodating my needs and my anxieties. And when I left Jan Yoors that afternoon, I had learned lots about the gypsies. But I learned lots about myself too.. I think Jan Yoors was trying to tell me something. The Big Lie - The Big Cheat - The Big Deceit - they all live just as much - or even more - in my own gypsy soul. Remember? The kids were on drugs. The parents were on the booze, Cops were called pigs. Language that would shock a sailor came out of the mouths of babes. It was fashionable to be filthy if you were young.. Hard rock replaced anything resembling music to be listened to. Cults of various degrees of obscenity flourished. Muggings multiplied. Hijacking hit the headlines. It was a nasty, nervous decade for" society to grope through, and as a basically conservative person, I'm glad it's fading. even though it has left a fair bit of detritus as it ebbs. Not all of it was bad, of course. Many of the old shibolleths were swept away and replaced by something saner. The social political and economic status of. women took a giant step forward, There was a new honesty, as much of the stuff our parents used to sweep under the carpet was pulled out, looked at squarely, and found to be merely funny, not frightening. There was a new and healthy skepticism toward.poilticianS, culminating in the not so incredible discovery that sonic were liars, some Crooks, some both. Ottr institutes of higher learning got a good shake-up, and their traditional stuffiness swung toward something verging on license. In short, a lot of the phoniness of our society was exposed for what it was. A lot of rocks were turned over, and a lot of things crawled out from under them, and died in the hard, clear light. That's all to the good. Every, revolution must crack some eggs to make an omelet. And every revolution inficts wounds, some of them savage. But society is the, sum total of individuals. And just as an individual who has been mugged, • knifed, raped or otherwise abused, must retire and tend his wounds, so must society. There must be a healing time. • Perhaps the Scared Svcnties is such a time. Certainly there is a trend. Hard rock music, hoist on its own petard, 'is being replaced by 'country and bluegrass music. Transcendental meditation is replacing the acid trip. Most people are fed up with the pure pornography •that has flotirkhc4. Even that sacred cow, hockey, has turned people off, including • Amen by Kart .Schuessidr- Gypsies are likegrapes JUNE 16, 1876 . • . As an instance of the business being One in Seaforth in the one item of eggs alone Mr. D.D:Wilson shipped this week six car loads-. The contract•for watering Main St. •has been awarded to John Cainpbell who receives. $3.75 per day for the work. • • Th os. Govenlock of McKillop has shown us a sample of fall 'wheat the, stalks of which measure 4 feet 4 1/2 inches in length. The open meeting of Constance Lodge, of Good . Templars held in their new hall was a decided success. An excellent choir from Seaforth was in attendance. A.new Grange under,the patrons of Husbandry has been organized in S.S..No. 1 McKillop. The following 'officers were elected: Peter O'Sullivan, Master; John , O'Sullivan, Treasurer; John McFadden, Lecturer; James Carlin, Steward; Patrick O'Neil 'Chaplain; James Devereaux. Gate Keeper; Robert DeVereaux, Treasurer, JUNE 21, 1901 J. Fisher of Usborne Twp. met with a severe and painful accident. He had had a root' h ouse erected under the approach to the barn and before the mason work had become dry he removed the, supports and the 'filling caved in on' him. A very serious accident occurred at the barn raising on the farm of Geo. Henderson west ofw.inthrop. J. J. McLaughlin was standing at the top of the stonewall, prying astick of timber. The bar slipped and he fell to the ground. The medical attendants gave no hope for his' recovery. MeSSrs. Tindalc and Chant and their ladies passed through Varna to. Bayfield in a horseless carriage. The garden party in connection with the Presbyterian Church at Winthrop was held on the grounds of Arch. Somcville. The financial returns about $70.00. During the SeVere storm the barn of Mr. Watt of the Mill Road was struck by lightning . Mr. Fotheringham had a Sheep killed. Hugh Chesney of Tuckersmith had the misfortune to fall while walking on the lawn at his home, fracturing his thigh bone. Alex McNcvin of Kippen who has been assisting in the post office herefor some time has gone to Clinton in the Molsons bank. John Laird of town has removed his grocery stock from across the railway track to the McGinnis block. The. turf club have had the track put in good shape. The 33rd Regiment band furnished the music for the lawn social at Egmondville Church. • JUNE 18, 1926 Rutherford Henderson of Holstein has • been appointed ledger keeper in the Standard Bank here. C. E. Diegel of Brodhagen recently received a good position with James Watson of Seaforth. ^ Thos. Purcell of Manley has engaged with John Reid to work on the dredge. A pretty wedding took place at St. Columban Church when Mary Clotilda, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Peter Eckart became the bride of Peter Maloney of Beechwood. Humphries & Co. have had four car loads of coal arrive in the past week and it is "getting - nearly all disposed of. W.C.Bennett of Winthrop has installed the Delco lights. aficionados, with the mindless, but contrived violence of its goon shows. Hijackers are harried and hunted down. , Maybe, just maybe, we're in for a brief 'Golden Age, in which the arts will flourish, ripoffs will become a thing of the past, excellence will be restored as an aspiration of the young, and children will honor their parents. But don't hold your breath. Maybe, just maybe, movies will start having a plot again. And policemen will be pals, not pigs. And music will be enjoyable, not • excruciating. And vandalism will vanish. Butdon't hold your breath, Maybe, just maybe, town engineer's will go around holding hands and singing, "I think that I shall never see, A sewer lovely. as a tree." 'But don't hold your breath, • Maybe, just maybe, politicians Will start letting their left hand know what their right hand is doing, and remove both hands from • the pockets of the taxpayer. But don't hold your breath. I'm a realist. I don't hold my breath. But I'M also an optimist. So, whatever it's worth,' welcome to the new Golden Age. Mrs. R. Bonthron and Mr, and Mrs. T.C.Joynt of Hensall are' en' ying cottage life at Bayfield. A bee to ma certain changes and improvements in connection wi h the sheds of the United Church was held last we pr. W. C. Sproat, son of Wm. Sproat ,near Kippen, recent graduate of the University of Western Ontario will practice in Seaforth. The street dance given on the Main St. was a great success. Music was furnished by Hogg,'s Orchestra. The Cadets from Seaforth Collegiate Institute attended divine service at Egnitondville. They were accompanied by .Seaforth Highlanders Band. Dalton Reid was the special soloist. Mr. andMrs. Alex Broadfoot, who have been spending several weeks with relatives here returned to their home on Monday. T. E. Heron of town has leased.the residence of Miss Hargon for the summer. • H. Riley of Londesboro is at present in Lucknow, moving some buildings. Mr. Fairservice of Londesboro recently bought the evaporator from A. Asquite. W. Mills of near Harloch purchased a carload of cattle in Toronto last 'week. - The best field of fall wheat we have seen this season is on one of the farms of David Boyd on the Leadbury line. ' DECEMBER 16, 1951 Ernest L. Box, a prominent businessman of Seaforth for many years, passed away at Scott MemOrial Hospital, He was a councillor in 1918. He has been 'a director of the Toronto Mutual Life Assurance Co. He also was a band member for 25 years. The 50th,wedding anniversary of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Scott of Goderich St. West, was observed at their home. A family dinner ,was served to mark the occasion. • LAIL. 793 celebrated its sixtieth anniversary with a banquet, in their rooms. Mayor E. A. McMaster extended greetings on behalf of the town. The, speaker was W. J. Woolsey of Clinton. At the conclusion of the banquet, euchre was played, with the follOwing taking prizes: Mrs. .Geo. Armstrong, Mr. and Mrs. J. A. Westcott, and John Crawford. A tree branch caused a short circuit in a 4,000 volt high tension line on Saturday morning resulting in a hydro interruption of about 11/2 hours in the vicinity of the hospital. At the same time the sho'rt circuit rang in a false fire alarm. Dr.. C. G. iTogdil,, of Ottawa, has been appointed Toronto Board of Education's first full time psychiatrist at ,a salary of $11,000 a year. Funeral services were held, in Brucefield United• Church for Hugh Aikenhead who died in Clinton Public Hospital, ' He had celebrated his 81st birthday "a few daysago. About 60 neighbors and friends assembled at the 'home of Mr. and Mrs. Garnet Taylor ,to honor their daughter, bride elect. She was presented •with numerous gifts of china, linen and kitchenware. Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth M eKenzie of near Kippen, were honoured at a party in S.,S.No, 14 Stanley prior to their leaving to live in' Clinton. An address was read by Alvin McBride while Mrs Robert Flood made' Mr. and Mrs. McKenzie 'the recipient-of a suitable gift.. Mrs. H erb Traviss of Walton, entertained for Miss Shirley Befitted, bride elect, at a miscellaneous shOwer. Mrs: Saint Stdey entertained in honor .of her daughter Miss Eleanor, bride of last week . A bout 130 persons called to offer .good wishes for the bride's future W. J. Elder of town quietly marked and mr, Mrs. happiness,w their 56th wedding anniversary. Sugar and . Spice by Bill Smiley Believe it or not, this age is golden