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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1978-04-27, Page 15CARD SHARKS — Senior citizens from the St. last week, a traditional-patch held every year during Polumban area were challenged to a euchre game by Education Week. . .(Expositor Photo) Grade -7 and 8 students from St., Columban School • Something to say • by Susan white. Here's who- to blame/1km It was pase presidents night at Seaforth, Lions Club on Monday. evening when not only former. presidents were , 'honored but ladies also were guests. • Of the 24 'pasts presidents • living ail but five wore able to attend the.- event and they were -presented with certificates of service by' incoming president ' Gordon Rimmer..-... • • • . Plaques on which the names of the past presidents Were inscribed . were accepted by .President Marten Vincent who presided for the program that followed dinner. Significance of the plaques was emphasized by' Irwin Johnston.. An engraved • gavel was Council • (Continued from Page 1) Mr.. Haycock said to prevent spedulation, a lot purchased from Abe companye must , be built on within' a two year period or else the money is returned to the buyer and the land returns • to Arris. ' He added, "the first six lots are the hardest to sell" and said the model homes which will be .built may be Sold as lost leaders. The devlopers asked council to appoint a)setAill negotiating con-; rnittee to start meeting with fhe developers on a regular basis. • Members of the committee appointed by council are councilor Wayne Ellis, PUC Manager Tom Phillips and Roland Dzus, re- presenting the Huron County riarinfing department. Meetings with the developer are expected to begin 'within the next week. S8„000 damage in.firp• burning to the Name causedesterfieidof 1 in smoke. 58A .000.Harry Flak; Seaforth fire chief, Mrs. Verna Kelly. Harpurhey, said firemen, couldn't enter last week, • • smoke-filled borne to remove the chesterfield until they had air packs and Oxygen masks. in place. Mr. Hak Said if the doors of the home had been opened any The damage was caused by smoke and water after a chester- field in the .itting ,room went up Weller, there was a danger the a'u' Would have fanned the flames. Mrs. Kelly rah across the road , to a neighbour's home to report the fire. The cause of Thursday's fire careless has been given as smoking. 6 THE HURON EXPOSITOR, APRIL erenOipity Huron's famous 'journalists ,..„. I cLin't think it leeks through the pages of the .Expositor that you read every week but we bavt, a pretty good tinte putting this paper together. . - • Aha you say, that's why they had my name spelled wrong add Johnny Jones' name-under my •son's picture. Ancf likely the good time 'they have explains my Fdr Sale ad having the wrong phone number and Qat 'mistake in the grocery ad. Because these mistakes and many many more have and will continue•to happen here at your newspaper,'We hate them, we get-upset about them but we're only human art humanS make mistakes. (Compoters 'do too but- we .• don't have any here to blamethiggs, on.) It's a pretty conscientious _bunch who wOrk dain'hard putting your paper, out every Week. incident like the one a couple of weeks ago that saw Just about all the team photos of Seafortk's young hockey players unusable for' publication tnakek us all feel bad. , We have kids or grandchildren of our own, We know how much it means to the little kids to see themselves in print-and every year we try to get picurcs of 'all those who play Saturday morning hockey in the Expositor. I don't think anyother ,newspaper in the' area even tries to do it. This year we blew it, and as the sayin e goes, "everybody in town sees, our. •mistakes," arid/or' omissions. It doesn't make "those little kids feel any better When :we say we're sorry but we're saying it anyway; And vve:11 try otebest to see that it doesn't happen again. * * * * * * 'Perhaps it sounds like I'm makingpcuses - but most readers, have no idea ho many steps' there 'are between a reporter or' a member of th-epublic covering an event and the finiShed • product appearing-in the••Expoeiter. Last year when we had an open house here for our correspondents we calcuiated and decided that their copy goes through about eight different hands from the time it' comes into the office until it appears in the paper. Now, while they're all loving and carefill ;,hands, slip tips do Occur and it constantly amazes me that they'don't &cue more often. Just to give you a quick idea of who's here and -. , . • c. and, interested. There's plenty of beleagured • past presidents ' fete d.. Co-op Nursery School, May 1 8 Pub husbands, reluctant kids and. preoccupied. people sitting out there in front of 'you. So it's no wonder--and I find this especially You're ill. v ited. Seaforth Lions club. ' Monthly lyteeting; 'Seaforth LOwerti5Tary. UPTM to the 1 believe in keeping, an audience awake. If there's something I can't stand, it's people falling asleep on me while I'm talking to them. Call it pride. .Call it challenge. Call it conservations of resources-,not letting hours ` • ,of , thought and preparation waste away On 7 dead ears. .Call -it anything you want; but I still insist. I want a ncedozeitedience. It doesn't come easy, of course. .Everyone ,. what happens while we. turn raw news into printed stories I'll sketch the route. Carol HUnt or Teresa Hickey in the front office are the firSt contacts as they ta,lie"eews over the 'counter or phone. They send copy along to the editor. I'm the one who cuts out the hymn numbers, the delicidmi lunches And generally cut the copy to make it interesting to the general reader and to fit what space we have available. Many of our spelling mistakes originate here because my ,writing is not the best. ' Next quite a few Of the -stories are seen by our publisher, for accuracy and/or :.historical 'perspective...he provides background and context for a lot of our news. Then stories ,are typeset, - by Henrietta Brown or Judy-Rose during the day and by Maureen, Delaney on the night shift. They , Piave to Wrestle with •unfamiliar names, illegible writing, blanks left to b-sefilled in later and my, additions" scrawled in the margins. Proofreaders Winn McLean during the day and Cathy Coleinan 'at night take the typeset copy and compare it with the original, all the • 'while watching ' for typos, spelling and . grammar errors and inaccuradies. They make• corrections, get things re,'-set when necessary and pass, corrected sto.ries on to the page layout people. • ,t Ever wonder how Dublin area stories all end up the same pages or family stories always turn up eti the family page?-Likely you haven't but I'll tell you anyway. It isn't easy. I slug stories Dublin, family or whatever and that slug is supposed to stay with the story ,on its travels, through the office. It should land stories in a IMX 'labelled Dublin or editorial etc. and in theory anyone laving out a page will find everything that's' supposed, to' be on it 'in that box. ' , theory, but in practise it's marvellous that 'about 90% 'of our stories end up where they belong.. Ail Of the above is going on 'against a pretty tight deadline and it never .' fails that 9/10's of the stories needed for a particular page are in the box' belt the rest aren't even, at the, office 'yet. • We get "aggressive at that point and substitute something else so the page can be ;finished. Actually putting stories•and lids on pages (and that's a lot more complicatecrthan you think...I had' no idea before •I worked here..)'-could „ be' -Cathy Malady, Rhea Hamilton,-Liz Watson, Alice Gibb or, me. Once a page is all put together someone, usually me or Alice, writes headings'on' all the • - , stories. Headings are supposed to pull readers • into a story so we try to make them •as'thrilling as' possible. That too 'isn't easy because.-' headings' have to fit. Try saying something.. thrilling in one line over two columns when the word Egmond.ville has to be ,in it. • Headings too are dorie in a hurry and once. In a while we get, into trouble for mistakes in. • them...like the time we had .trusteeS at 'a euchre instead ci4. an education conference. ' After Complete\withheading pages 'get. a quick once over they are shot in our darkroom 'by Tom Haley • and•,- •on the good .days a,, negative 'of every page -of the•Expositoris on its • Way to the printing. plant in' Goderlch with Bob MCMillan by 4'p.m. Wednesdays. Now I've just talked about people whoeare directly .Concerned with news. Some of them, and lotkThfitrers Mein-ding -Bhrb Peggy Boose and Annel-luff put ads together every week and that's a story in itself. So are photos and 'Fran Hook 'prints them: ,' Reporters get the occasional byline,' Editors get their' names on the masthead on .the editorial page but the backbone of•the . paper, those who put ads and pages together get, no credit, nowhere, a few of our resident' was were, complaining to me last week.'" . And one of 'them had a' solution too. • "Artists sign 'their work. Why 'shduldn't we sign our ads or. pages? Cr you could run ou' r pictures •••oti the p ages .we do,"- it was suggeSted. ,, • . , • • , • .• ' I didn't reject it out of hand but 1 haven't been' nishing to collect their signatures and head and shoulders portrait's either. It may be., however, 'an idea whose time has,, come.. It has one big thing to .recommend it. We could include a little note to our readers and • advertisers: "Got a complaint about • this page/ad? Call (signature .and/or p.hoto()". Because along with credit goes blame and those of us who arc. visible in the front office' would be more than' happy to share it around: While Tolitlei, and fartBrey lIcinAgheay°eibLi always•y been taken . Pretty seriously in Huron County, there's, another kind of .occupation that's never been looked 'on lightly, and that's the newspaper business. .'• - • Huron County, and pertic4lerly the .Seaforth-Clinton area: has given C.anache(and will 'give again, we hope) •sertie of ntore celebrated fournalists •and at 'least one. novelist whose names have an honored place ip the. ann. els' of the ;Canadian Press AssOcaition; that venerable institutiOn. ......• — Now the. most popidarly ecelaimed former Sbaforth• native was •Sir Horatio Gilbert Parker: .a 'prolific novelist who 'produced 36' romances and historical novels,' married a New York heiress, moved in the best 'circles of upper class England -and died in .1932, a baronet, and member of the- British -Privy Council. Although Sir Gilbert's novels aren't read very often today, and many people May „remember 'him' more front the AuthorS card garge. he was once one of Canada's best' selling,authors and • more romantic figureS. SirpGilbert was, born in Camden ,East, Ontario from United Empire Loyalist stock, the son of Captain J.' Parker of. the 'Royal • Artillery who produced:,10 children. altogether.' r • When the father,retired from the service, the faMily niovedto • Seaforth and young Gilbert, worked as'a dispensary assistant for a local doctor. Although the family se tled 'or the' church as a fitting future , ,career for the buddine'euthor, who'd published his firstpoem 16years of age, Gilpert's health broke-down in 1883 while he,Was lecturing at Trinity College; 'andOe• young man• decided to head for wanner climes. ' - Australia ' His travels took him to Australia, and to pay . for" his wanderings, he started writing' seriously.' For 'four years' fie, • settled down• as-Assoeiate editor Of the Sydney"Morriiiig-Herald • and_wrote three plays-in ..his_spare-tiree..and.theaset off to-see,,. more of the SC:eith ,Seas,..before returning ' .-• • 'Never a man' to do things by. half : • Sir Gilbert decided , seineWhere-on his:travels that he wanted to abandon fburnalism • for "real" writing, so he destroyed all.the Work he'd written until, then. and returned to Canada. • ----- . t, The first fiction Sir:Gilbert pubiished was a series of short stories' about' a French-Canadian woodsman named .Pretty Pierre, loosely based on people • r Gilbert had lived aon.g• as a boy. These stories were collected C ni n flierte and His People; Tales. , Of the Far North, published in 1888-and like many Writers, what Sir .Gilbert didn't know about northerp_,Canada tend _he, knew a great deal) , he.simply'ern6oide„red. The book was a hit, and the writcrOlOved ro"En.glatid ,whore he .renteined for most Orthe rest of his! life. • Vretty 'Pierre's-adventures Were. followed by some of .the .attilfor:A most popular works. One. wasThe.,SeatSof the Mighty, a.notiel Which described the fall of•Quebec in 1759: complete with detailed maps of .the battle • The Seats. of the. Mighty, in a day when a book selling 4,000 copies was considered p bestseller, sold 100,000 copies and •. firmly established the author'S reputation as a leading Writer of historial• fiction. . . . Another popular work. was. When •Valmond Cate& To Pontine: the .story of a lost: Napoleon, which Sir .Qilbert 'based -on the legend. that -A member Of Napoleon's family :Was • •bli?ied somewhere in Quebec: • The plot of V.almond was one-of s most popular. • The character Valmond impersonates :Napo,leoe?-k descendant, and dies without knowing he` really is the son. of the, French . leader, born when Napoleon was in e,x0e on -St. Helepa.. Notv Sir Gilbert. aS.a former Seaforthite.knew the value of • good,itard -work, so in addition,to his writing .eareer he served for • 18,,yearS as Conservative member of Parliament for Gravesend: was chairthan..of le:renal South African ASseciation. from '1903 '- 1911; was 'made. a baronet in 1915: 'served with the. propaganda knows an audience isn't all that eager, • alert - presented to the club on behalf of ' the past presidents by A. Y.MeLeen who was president in in 1939 -.40 and•James A.. Stewart only SO year member ,Who was president in 1940-41. Past district governor ,Bruce Murray of St. Marys -reininaed memberS of the lasting contri- bution the club had made to the -community through the • Lions, Park. Re5erring to the' records being established ,by Seaforth skater Lloyd Eisler the speaker predicted that he would bring fame to the town 'as a world clainpion. He recalled the steps taken in 'establishing a youth camp - first, in Canada- . at - Wildwood and .the• 6D-operation Seafoteb- had' extended in establishing the facility,. He was introduced by Orville! Oke and Elmer Larone. expressed appreciation. Ross Scott' recalled the many years. Velma Miller had catere.clto the Lions Club andhowy- her cceoperation had contributed to the success of the club. MeMbers of tfie Clinton Lions Club Who Were in "attendance brought greetings front that'cfub and presented pictures of the King and Prince Phillip. , The nreseritation was made by 'L. H. Theedom Arrangements for the meeting 'were emtpleted bY a committee headed by Harold Turnbull and included several selections by the Silhouettes of Listowel, a ladies' barbershop quartette. The attention of guests was drawn to-a walnut display cabinet erected ,op the north wall or the Community Centre in Which the club will display -plaques and charter documents. The case 'wbich was planned by Darwin Bannerman was built by, ton Driscoll from a walnut log found At .the Lions Park, • • . true on Sunday morning-when it's the land, or an odessey in space 6r tune-out time: 1 learned years ago it's one thing to 'have, your speech in your head and heart, but it's quite another to get it off.the paper and onto others. • • That's where the real battle begins. But I'm a good soldier. I pack a whole kitful of battle gear. . • And I want none ,of this buSiness about Making my speech so good and, so interesting, that people are compelled to listen. That may read well'in beaks, but rile found it just. isn't siK Your speech content can snap, crackle and pop,• but it's not going to light up every kind of e wood. There is such .a thing as dead wood, you • • know. ,• So back to' my bag of gear. My best weep:mistily-vole-0,- I use it all the time:1 talklaster. I talk skiwee, I. talk higher. Then lower. Louder arid softer.' If you, drone 'on and on in that same dull Monotone, you're askin. g for it. You're asking for sleepy heads and drooping necks. Sometimes i stop,. Pause: A long pause. It never misses. It usually opens at least ,one dimmed - eyelid. It catches „the sleeper off ., guantHettlinks the speech is all over. Time to • stand. Up. Time to applaud. But 'no. I caught him napping thiS time and •l hold hiseye, and I • keep it until I'm finished, There's more. d always keep a good story on the back burner. A dramatic one, or a startling one or a funny one. There's nothing that perks' up a head like a Story. Gestures help. How•can you expect to bring people te life if you're dead .yotirself? So go • preacher's turn' his flock •adjourns. To nap division during the wan and ended his life as a-member of the British Privy Council. *Rtenanage Sale Today, Sir Gilbert's books eanOrily•be found in rummage sales er used book stores, since his old-fashioned jingoism and romantic ideas of imperialism have long since ceased to interest readerSt The author won his readers by creating robust or mysterious ',characters. glamorous settings based More on imagination 'than. fact, "spiced with touches orbiblicai morality, not. surprising, considering his early:Career., Although Scribner's publishers, released a, collected edition of Sir Gilbert's works in .19.13, the novels were already being criticized.as out of date. The author tried to defend hit-itself in the prefaee, and:Stated, he "eared more for truth and beauty than fie did for fact" and told, his reader's he produced his novels and plays in a continuous trance-like state; true inspiration_„, no doubt! But Sir Gilbert Parker. who abandoned traditional journalism for the .supposed glory of heing a bestselling author, was only. one Huron County, native who lived by his pen; A second was John Rainsford-Botte, barn of a Sikits fathe'r and Irish mother, bertainly a winning •CortibinatiOn, in 1877 in. East Wadanosh. Mr. Bone•proved to be a math' whiz from high school on and a number of, schelarships paid his way ihrough' the University of Toronto. . , year , s , later, the Cub" reporter bad become assistant In 1900, at the' tender age, of 23 year's', he'started -Working for the Toronto pally Star, taking turns working in the provincial press gallery 'and covering stories out "of town. _ _Managing edittir - Six managing editor of the paper, and by the next' year he )kas, managing editor, a position second only to God or at -lust; the paper's publisher. Now while Mr. Bone's star was rising; so was the n wsPAPer's ,aritV eireulatitm increased „subscribers in .1900 to 65,000 subscribers in 1909 and the start of a reputation which would- see,-the, Star survive the deadly Toronto newspaper,- war_ Some 50 years later. - 'While Sir G,ilbert Parker wa's a Tory thrOugh and through,' ' .John Bone was just as strongly•Liberal ie. his sentitnents, but 'a Liberal Who advocated settle surprising socialist philosophies for, his day and-age. First, 'Mr Bone advocated further decentralization or the fedthrat 'government, a se' ntiment Which tocla•y'S provincial premiers woulcrhertilyapprove. He also promoted the extension of .government ownership 'of keteindustriei, and felt the Cornmon, worker should share a larger return from his labours: Research didn't •saif how Mr. Bone's radical. ideas-sat With Liberal party leaders of the day, but the editor would certainly be a petential candidate' if he were alive • np19:00P:o's, we must mention Jean Graham, a lady 'who grew up in • , population which shone, in-the field: of journalisM in the early,'' lest readers think it was Oily the male half of, the: the Methodist parsonage in Clinton and Managed to carve out an impressive career when women jciurnalists Were the exception - rather than the rule. Although today, some say they're becoming the rule,, rather than the exception , • Miss Graham started• her careers ,-as editor-in-chief"of the Canadian'llorne Journal arid' by 1914, was editor of the women's section of Saturday Night, as well as vice-president Of the. Canadian Women's Press Club, another venerable institution. According te a brief •biography in Camtdian Men and Women of the time, Miss Graham was noted' fOr her "dainty, lifting , poems',and '.'rac'y editorials", .but despite her sex, "her writings are always sane."' • " • • Now this is only.- the begienieg of- the list' of writers and , jeurnalists "Who, spent the early part of their lives in Huron County. And, just in. case you aren't impressed, a story in • The Huron Expositor ie 1914 noted, cousin of Arthur Stringer (another bestselling -author) goes up. to Huron 'every year to• " fiSh." Salaries (Continued from Page 1) r • • Employees in educational' ' services which include' audio- visual technicians and' a librarian cost $60,259. • . , Janitorial staff in • the county .1, schools cost $980,099 and' bus drivers cost 5152,506 in wages. The budget, less the salaries,. leaves the board with•S5.441,099 • to Operate its .education system. That iltoney---is used--,--f. or • e • purchasing supplies for Schools, ' paying legal - costs, insurance costs, operation of buses, operation of elementary, and secondary schools, deht charges' and capital expenses, • The cost of wages in the operation of the education system has :always been 'a source of concern for trustees trying to justify annual requisitions to the , county's 26 municipalities. The trustees argne that three quarters ' , of the budget is fixed' costs -like salaries and they have no power to alteethat..Added to that are the fixed costs for debt charges and plant operation Which means taht if wages are beyond the control of the bbard's budget then over 90 percent of the money spent annually is out of the hands of the board of education trustees. The high precentage paid in salaries is a shock to many business minded people. Many, claim 'that ,if Wages exceed• Percent of gross 'e,xpenses a company is paying too much for staff. If that rule of thumb applied to education or many, other government agencies then -one third of 'the board'g• staff would have to face early retirement or school, taxes -would have to be increased by 30 percent. • 34 Vanastra (Continued from Page 1) 'Chamber of Commerce had been in ,contact with the Kitchener plant. Mrs. Edward said employees in the Vanastra plant are row considering ways they could' cut operating costs at the plant, in order to keep the operation open. The employeeFi will have a meeting with board members Of the Kaufn.an company in the near future. She said the fact Tuckersrnith council is also interested in saving the local industry has "helped us eurk up some strength.'! HARPURHEY EIRE — Firemen, don air Packs 'and masks before entering the smoke-filled home of yrs. V. Harpurhey, where •a burning .chesterfield - resulted 'in 48,000 worth of damage to the horns. .(staff Photo) 4 Amen (by Karl Schuessler _ ahead. Mae. Lift yotir arms."Flail your arms. Wave Your arms. They're saying, "Hey, look., I'm here. I'm alive. "tin talking. I've got something to say".. - You can overdo it, of course. A•few Senday,s 'ago I pounded the pulpit--for emphasis, of course. The tacks that held the parament on the Bible stand jumped out., And • the-cloth eetlapsed-to-th e-floor- Even more. If voice and arms don't 'work, . then try your legs. S'fart walking. Mae , about. Walk back and forth. Eyes always glaze on still objects. I've been known to leave the pulpit-- and keeping right on talking--and; stand on the altar steps. And if I still don't win their eyes. then 1 start down .the aisle. Once 1 • stopped and, patted a man on • the head. There's no end to what do to keep myself ° in a wide awake audience. If my own powers fail, then it's over to.the listeners. Let them do a. little work,. Let 'them participate, When in mid sermon; I stiddenly.annctunce we'll now sing two verses of hymn #39, don't think I've forgotten what I wanted. to say. Not - at all. Slue, the song illustrates my point. But the listeners are making the point too. And , they're having a part in it. They're learning by doing--not hearing.. They're involved.. Audience participation is another 11(A?fd for it,. Let then.' help you along. Let them come out with a word you're 'struggling to find--that exact wore you need to describe and you're green:1g to find it. Ask a question, a • rhetorical question. Someone in the crowd might be good .enough to answer it for You. You relish this kind of • response.. You know they're listening. Listeners. That's what you want. -Active listener's. Alive and awake as you are. And no one can listen, if he's talking: I . read the , classictput-down last week. William Taylor, a . Methodist preacher from the last century, fixed his eye on a whispering woman and said, "if that lady on the third row, sitting on the end of the seat, with a yellow bonnet, doesn't stop whispering, I'll point her out." , NOW, no Clergyman would., dare risk his membership list that way today. Sharp tongues cut too . deep. That's why today's speakers pack kinder. weapons than William Taylor did.