HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1981-03-26, Page 2THE PUPILS OF S.S.#6, HIEIBERT—The brick school was just a year old
when this photo, loaned by local historian Belle Campbell, who's in the ,
second row, was taken.. The school burned down after a furnace
'overheated on the night of January 11, 1940. A lot of dry wood was stored
in the basement and nothing, not even old school records, was saved. In
the photo are, back, left:' Miss. Lynn Gillesbie (teacher)', Graham
McLaren, Alma McLachlan, Annie McKellar, May Hoggarth, Myrtle
Bell, dean McKellar, Olive Speare, Belle McKellar, 'Minnie McLaren,
Tom..Laing. Jim Gillespie, AndreW Bruce, 2nd row-Stewart Robertson,
Tom Gillespie, Jack Hoggarth, Stella McLaien, Lottie Rice, Jennie
Hoggarth, Belle Campbell, Lila McCullouch, Nellie Bruce, Garnet Bell,
Carlyle Hoggarth, Tom Scott, Elwyn McLaren, Ounc McKellar. 3rd
row-Lloyd Miller, Roy McCullouch, Jim' Hoggarth, Jim' McDougall,
Herman Speare, Lone Bell, Lorne ,Speare. Front roW-Sadie Hoggarth,
Becky Bruce, Grace Speare, Mary. McConnell, Hattie McLachlan, Mary
McKellar, Sarah McKellar, Agg.ie McKellar, Harry Norris, Frank Bruce,
Lyle, Norris, Wilfred McLaren, Everett Rivers.
eattiles flax barn
public meetings could sway
the vote. It was also a day
when there were at least two
newspapers in virtually every
community, one always on
the Grit side. and one on'the
Tory side. The name-calling
that went on, in the pages .of
those papers would ',43,/0e
Premier Lougheed and Prime
Minister Trudeau blush:
don't exactly wish to
return' to those days either.
They were. the days when a
Change in parties in govern-
ment could mean' wholesale
change-in who held_ what jobs
in the community-. You might
suddenly have a new post
master. Vote the wrong way
and you might not have the
bridge you have been prom-
ised for so long.' Thankfully ,
most of the patronage has
gone Out of politics in
Canada.
BITTERLY FOUGHT
Election' excitement I re-
call was the excitement of my
growing-up years when there
were issues that ware bitterly
fought over during the elec•
tion campaign. There was
feeling of suspense when the
polls chised the people
awaited the response, People
debated their gut feelings
about-Who would' Win. There
'was an art on the parr of
people involved with the
parties in having an ear to
the ground, for judging from
the 'people you met how the
whole populace would react.
Sortie had a better instinct
than others,for this, but even
for the best there was the air
of uncertainty.
Today there's about 'as
much uncertainty in an elec-
tion as there is In a McDon-
ald' s ha mburger:, EVerything
is computed and analysed to
the point Where you' have the
feeling they might as well
have saved all the money o f.
the campaign and let the
computers-eleet-the 'govern-
ment.
The election just past, for _
instance, was called because
the Conservatives have a
sophisticated polling system
that told party planners, that
now was the time for an
election': that the mood was
right. There 'used to be 'an
art in that kind of jud'gement'
but today it's a science.
Experts know that if you take"
a specified number of people
from, specified pre-selected
areas and interpret the' re-
sults of the poll according to
establish voting . patterns
over the past • number : of
years you can predict within
a few percentage points just
howl/the vote will go. You
may keep hoping that the
"expert 'be wrong' lust
Please turn tri.page 3
to gO back to the really, •
exciting -days. Tice -early hindd the' Seeneg. Elections :io Huron County,
back, in the days 'of Tiger . by Keith Roulston
Dunlop and ('ol. Van Eg-
mond. were times when you
might get your 'head split
open trying to get into the'
election poll to cast 'yoUr
vote. Those %%ere times when
votes were bought. with
drinks. or frightened off by
gangs that roamed the
streets with clubs: That kind
of excitement I Could do
%'‘.ithaut Elections of a slightly later'
era, the late 1800's and. early
I900's were more , peaceable
and exciting in their own
way. It was the day before
the. mass--oietlia,..,..witm the
oratory of , candidates • at
•
Smiley
• papers, as the English teacher. His/her
thoughts about Phis. Ed. ttaehers. shop
teachers. business teachers affid others who
don't have formal exams are unprintable in
a family journal. Their attitudes toward
science teachers and-gee graphy teachers,
with their true-false exams, are barely less
charitable.
These ruminations, none of them
original, recurred to me as I sat serenely
during this 'year's March .b eak,r pursuing
the current' crop of regurgitations, wild
guesses. and hopeful, meanderings that
consistute the average student's exam.
This year, I sat in something resembling
a white man's igloo, and marked my
papers in Moosonee. Unperturbed by my
grandboys" fighting, crying, challenging
me to a game of chess Or dominoes,
walking across my exam papers with dirty
rubber boots, sat like Solomon, alter-
nately bemused. amused. bewildred, an,
occasionally bewitched, by the outpourings
of adolescence.
4
AdmiP
(.11.
t
111411:102 positor
stool 1tftitr, Serving tho Community first
527-0240
Published at SBAFORTHi ONTARIO every Thursday morntno by
McLean Bros. Publoshars Ltd.
Andrew V. McLean. Publisher
Susan White-, Editor
Alige G too. News Editor
Member Camidien Carnmutzity'Newspaper Association, Ontario Weekly
Newspaper Association and Audit Bureau of Circulation
SobScription rates:, •
ganadal'tis.a Year Or/ advance)
OntaideCrartatia$33. yeartrAirtauvaneo
*Mutt Ctrplirs. /40 'entSlaeh
Sogpaciviaso,Maiiiivisteafinn tin mho 0696
seA*PRT14.10NTARIO; MARCH 26, 1981
s get rid of
the strap
March break, when the students are out of their classrooms and •
loose on the land, could be just the time to ponder a question that's been
getting some coverage recently: shduld the strap be banned from
Ontario's schools?
Our minister of education, Bette Stephenson says yes and she backs up
her view with some legal, moral and psychological evidence in a
statement asking all the province's schoOl boards fOr an opinion.
The Huron board in turn says it wants to hear from parents, students.
teachers„ anyone with a point 'of view, 'before it responds to Mrs.
Stephenson.
London's board banished the strap from, classes under its control last
Week, Other Ontario boards have told the minister they will do no such
thing.
We urge readers to tell local trustees (John Jewitt•in .Hullett; F,r.ank
Falconer in Tuckersmith)-how they feel abOut the strap. We'd welcome
discussion in the Expositor's letters to the editor coldmn too.
Maybe what 'we think about the strap in the schools will start some
dialogue. Here goes.
We don't think the strap belongs-in the schools. (or in the home either,
but that's another subject.)Hyron's pparq of. ed has a chance to show
some strong moral leadership in the province, and not incidentally, to our-.
kids, •by rejecting the use of torte in its classrooms,
We don't think .the conduct of anyone, especiatIV a child, improves with
humiliation And physical pain. The strap, in our limited experience (when '
we went to schOol we used to get hit with it) has the opposite effect and
makes students hardened, nasty,, and more inclined than ever to devote
themselves to a career of classroom ihterruption,.
What,about the argument that the strap is necessary becaUse it gives
teachers some authority, the "put the fear of God into them' ' theory?
Think about the last time you learned anything because you were scared
to death. Nobody. .does really, except about elemental thingslike fire and
traffic...taboos that have to be well established betore a youngster starts
school.
No, we. think-most people Who.have' graduated from the Victorian
,frame of mind would agree that it's,not a climate of fears that we want in
our sc.hools --
'thibilt order, peace and quiet and discipline are necessary
if our children. are to learn and the presence of the strap proMotes all
three.
We don't think"that peace and quiet and respect for authority- that's
based'on the threat of force is very healthy It promotes not
orderly learning but the belief that physical force is the way to get
ahead,,that pressure and threat is what makes the world go round.,Surely
tbat'S not what a sane society that wants an end 'to wars should be telling,
itsch ildren •
We think respect and. order in, the classroom can be won by competent
teachars who like kids but-clearly define the limits of behavioraacentable
in their classes: Those teachers have authority because they earn ix, pot_
l3ecaute they wield the strap.
There are lots-of arguments. We'd like to •hear yours.
But it's our opinion that there are many ways to educate a generation
pt bright, capable, reponsible and caring yoUng-jaeople. The Strap;
even ,the threat of the strap, in the classrooM isn't one of them.
Ire 'agOite. •
Sure we all like to get letters as lang as it's
not a requeSt for money and in these days.
business demands, or should demand re-
quests otherwise they could fail to operate.
Over the years 1 have written iparl-
articles (well call it what you like) Preanta-
tions. speeches. 'and many rhymes, some
sense and nonsense but on leaving e farm I
cleaned out my desk, consequently t ao not
have any or many keepsakes,. but I 'know
people that have and perhaps a fe'w that
reached the Expositor are obtainable. Some
years ago I gave up and since then I say to
myself; This is it.
However, from memory 1, recall writing
one and to me it Can apply to many today.
This I think was written some time in the
A long time ago in '32 shall we say.
Farmers were doing their work the hard '
way.
520.000? Why the first class constable is
making 420,300 a year plus' overtime of
several thousand dollars a year? In July the
salary will be S21.300. How dOes council
expect efficiency and management from the
chief when his staff receives ,more money..
1 hope the move to require medical
certificates by employees does not lead to
discrimination on medical reasons'. No
Medical has ever prevented people having
heart attieks.
Perhaps Council could give some consi-
deration to employing p .disabled person or
improving access to the- towns-•rptiblie
buildings or assisting the nursery school to
obtain a suitable facility. Perhaps 1 hme
missed the information if assistance. has
beep given, but I did read a year ago. the
town was going to move in this direction.
Yours sincerely
Betty Cardno
ft was tough going then and caused quite a
holler.
Then the old bud was still worth a dollar
So they invented machinery to make the
Work light
Couldn't afford help, so you drove all night
Concentrate for the pigs. and Sonic for the
cow
Gas for the tractor, points for the plow, that
wouldn't last long unless you 'drove slow,
Some seed and fertilize to make it grow.
They told us and proved it paid don't
, you see.
Instead of just one, you now will get three
Feed cattle and hogs almost fit for the fair,
Send them to market -- too many there.
So you paid some bills the best you could
And spent the winter cutting wood_
There's one thing we know just can't be
- 4 •
two dollars and only make ONE.
Vee Eel
MARCH 25,1881
'The bell on die English church in Seaforth
has been so arrangedthat it can now be used
as a fire alarm
About4 o'clock on Tuesday evening, the
large barn at John Beattie's flax mill, and
Used for storing undressed' flax, was
discovered to be un..fire. 'The building being
frame and filled with inflammable material.
the fire spread so rapidly that before the
alartn was sounded through the town, the
entire-edifice was in flames. Nothing could
be done to save eitherithe. building or the
contents.-'
HenryEngland had-a buggy stored in Mr.
Beattie's barn in Seaforth and as it could not
be gotten out. it was burned in .the fire. M.
Armitage also' had his buggy stored there
during the w inter and. had just removed it
the day before. else it would have shared the
late of Mr. England's.
George Habkirk of tch .6th concession of
NcKillop has a hen of the Poland breed
which hatched out a brood 'of chickens on the
23rd and they are all living and lively. They
will require considerable nursing on the part
of old mother hen to bring' them through
safely till the warm weather. •
MARCH 23,1906
Preparations are being made for resump-
Interest in the provincial
election last week-w ee, reed-to
Teach an all time loW. IS it
ariv wonder?
1 mean not only was- it
recogniicd from the beginn,
ing that the odds were better
that Bill ,Davis would be
premier when it was allover
than that the Toronto Argon-
auts woutrit win the Grey'
( up this year, but everything
else about elections was
pretty predictable. Elections
used to he exciting, exhilar-
ating times in the life of the
country. Now they're about -
as interesting as w atching
the traffic lights change (in
tam with the drivers on the
roads these , days. traffic
has -the edge,) - -
Now- I wouldn't exactly like
Marking examination papers brings out
the best and the worst in a teacher. Any
tomfool can set an examination. Any other
idiot can w rite, the 'thing. But marking the
finished, or more often unfinished product
is something else.
In some ways, marking exams is 'the
absolute,. anus of the sometimes creative
body' of teaching., It .is to the teacher What
an overflowed toilet is to the plumber.
Normally, a plumber's life is a fairly
ham one. Nyhanging away at pipes.
Cursing gaily as he tries to unscrew a
rusted nut, 15ropping a dirty great wrench
on the customer's new tile floor, And
wrilitfk out a whacking great bill at $14 an
hour; plus parts whith must be made of
24-carat gold.'On the whole, a satisfactory.
fulfilling life. A plumber is usually a
smiling. afable chap, much like the
highwaymen of olden times, who grinned
gallantly as they stripped the passengers of
the stage Of their valuables.
It's the same with teachers. You seldom
sec a teacher who is not similing, except
between ire first of September ant the end
of June.
They too have their little joys in everday
life: bullying kids; cursing the principal
bon of operations at the Seaforth woollen
mills. It is hoped to have them in full
operation in about 'a week, and on a much
larger scale . than 'formerly; a lot of new
machinery hak been installed and a,
ready-made clothing, department added.
Hereafter the-Wien mill will be converted
into ready-to-wear clothing and all on 'the
-premises.
Thomas L. Grieve has sold his farm on the
5th concession of Tuckersmith, to Mr. Alex
Gordon of Egmondville for $6,800. It is an
extra goodfarm and has first-Class buildings
on it.'Mr..Grieve intends coming to Seaforth
to reside.,, '
R.D. Bell of the London road, Tucker-
smith, was in town a few days ago,
deliveringto Mr. Aubrey of Montreal a very
fine six-year-old gelding for which he took
home the nice little pile of $275,
Joshua , Pollard of McKillop , near, Win,
throp..spent a few claYS'Veir pleasantly with
friends inToronto. While in the city he spend
some time in the Parliament buildings and .
occupied a seat in the, gallery of the
Legislative Assembly.
By Bill
under their breaths; gossiping venomously
about colleagues who are having more fun
than they; happily shinning about being
underpaid and over-worked; thanking.God
that it's Friday. A challenging life of
dedication and idealism.
But both parties have one craw in their
ointment, or fly in their throat, or whatever
you call it.
When a plumber walks in. rubber-
booted and faces a floor covered with
water, sanitary napkins, toilet tissue. adn
semi-dissolved feces. his normally serene
mien becomes one of stony stoicism.
And when a teacher finishes a term at
school, utterly exhausted. empty, of ideals,
drained Of dedication, and faces the
marking of about 180 edam papers, his
normally congenial expressibri turns into
something resembling the agony ex-
presita in a cheap reproduction of the
Crucifixion.
Nobody looks quite as crucified, stag-
gering homt with both arms full of exam
MARCH 2I,1931
Hensall has become known for many years
past as a great centre for onion culture and
large shipments are made by rail every
spring and at the present lime and for the
past several weeks out 'onion kings, as they`
are often termed, have been very busily
engaged with a number of helpers in sorting
--and, getting the onions ready for shipment
'to all parts. .which aggregate a great roam/
car, toads.
Mrs. Robert Bonthron of.Hensall who had
been living during the,,wintry months in one
of T.C. JOynt's apartments over his block of
stores has this week moved back to her own
dwelling, a little east of the post office on
Main Street.
E.H: Close OfiScaferth has purchased the
Wilding lot on North Main Street from Mrs.
J.G. Mullen, and on Wednesday moved the
Robert Scott cottage from Harpurhey onto
_ the property and will remodel it intro a
modern residence.
MARCH 23,1956
A mother and her two small 'Children ,were
driven front their McKillop Township home
Saturday morning scant minutes before
names levelled the .two-storey frame build-
ing to the ground. Damage Is:estimated over
$5000., .
Mrs, E.J.McGtath, with her two children,
Patsy. S and John, 4. were alone in' the house
when Mrs. McGrath noticed burning
material falling through a suniepipe '
hole in the ceiling.
Stanley Jackson, Tuckersmith; recently
disposed of a. pure-bred Hereford bull at the
Ontario Bull Sale in Tort:into. for the stint of
$650. A big ruggeditirriorwrling weighing
almost 1600 pounds at '22 months of age, he
was first prize bull in a class of .30 at the
show and brought $75 more than the reserve
champion bull.
Don-. Dennis and Roy_ Wildfong of
McKillop returned this week having success-
fully completed a course in auctiOneering at
the Reisch School of Auctioncering in Mason
City, Iowa. The well-known school said to ,
be the largest of its kind.
Mr. and Mrs. Fergus Stapletcin, Mr. and
MrS. Clayton Looby. Mr. and Mrs. Dan
O'Rourke, Frank O'Rourke, Matt Murray
and Gerald Holland attended the Dublin-St-
Patrick's ball held at Dixie on Friday,
evening.
Some were simply stunned. Others were
desperate, seeking any 'port in a storm..
Some had a clue. but' couldn't solve ,the
ease: .And very occasionally. there was
sheer delight in seeing 'a keen. original
mind at work.
I mentioned the chore as bringing out
the best and the worst in the harassed
pedagogue, peering, pencilling, pouting
over the papers.
One becorries a philosopher: "Oh, well.
what the hell? We can't all be brain
surgeons," after reading the efforts of one
who has professed the desire for such a
profession and spells it "brian swim"
One becomes a philanthropist: "He's
flunking badly. But he did clean the
blackboards and plug in the record players
and said 'Have a nice' holiday, sir', and
he's going into the old man's bosiness
because there's nowhere else to go. so
give him 10 marks for co-operation and
attitude. That'll please the Guidance
Department."
One is amused. She wrote on-the-outside
of the Japer: "I'did my best. Mr. Sniiley. 1
'h4e your in a good mood when you mark
this," I took off a mask because she.
.To the editor:
An apology and questions
1 have watched with interest the letters to
the Editor re: Brotherhood night, but have
, yet to see one apolcigizing.for. the ,episode of
" requesting an invited guest to leave.
An error in' judg ment can always be
forgiven if honestly dealt with. I feel the
episode of BrotherhOod night reflects poorly
On Seafqrth and affects everyone who lives '
here, not just the people attending the • event,_ .
Maybe Seaforth is "Okefinoki- land" as
the Toronto Star said two years- ago,
1 read with interest the Council is
considering opening committee meetings to'
the public. I certainly feel this is a step in the
right direction.
If This a sincere desire, perhaps they will
inform the general public and council why. a
public enquiry is necessary into our police
force? Why Chief Cairns has not received a
. raise . since January 1979-, approx, salary
Spendi$2\and only make $1?
Anne.
It's spend
Sugar and spice
ections may have been crooked but iiiteresting
or teachers, the best and worst of times
.'l