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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