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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1952-08-07, Page 2hfl £THE TIMES-ADVOCATE, EXETER, ONTARIO, THURSDAY MORNING, AUGUST 7, 1952 This Journal shall always fight for progress, reform and public welfare, never be afraid to at­ tack wrpng, never belong to any political party, never be satisfied with merely printing news. WILL HE CO-OPERATE? THURSDAY MORNING, AUGUST 7, 1952 Right Proportion Care In Contributions Builds Better Community The Future South Huron’s hospital will soon be in operation—"thanks to the energetic group of men who have pushed and fought for its existence and for the hundreds of people who voluntarily donated to its construc­ tion. The next major step after the comple­ tion will be the organization of the board to operate and maintain tin .building. This will take careful planning and much fore­ sight. Hospitals in other communities across the province have been managed in many different ways. Some have been operated in the black. Some have been hopelessly in the red. The difference, in most cases, has been the work of the board and the cooperation and interest of the people. South Huron will wish to see its hos­ pital operated as efficiently and as econ­ omically as possible. It looks forward soon to a report from the Hospital Association on its intentions and its policies for the future.* * * -> "Where Were The Taxpayers?" (St. Marys Journal-Argus) What happens in a municipality when the taxpayers do not take sufficient interest in their government has been amply exem­ plified recently in Toronto Township. The Globe & Mail in referring to the fuss now going on there, points out that— “What has happened in this particular municipality, is happening in all too many others. It is plain that they are not being properly administered. Taxpayers grumble about it to each other. But instead of pitch­ ing in to do something about it, they let things slide until the whole situation ex­ plodes. They pay no heed to the stable door until the horse has been stolen.” The Globe & Mail goes on 4o say that only 18 percent of Toronto Township’s urban dwellers—-the ones who had the big­ gest tax increases—bothered to vote at the last election. “One may suppose that many of those who booed and jeered the most loudly at Lome Park School Friday night were among the 82 percent who stayed away from the polls.” The editorial concludes by saying that “local governments cannot rush into trouble and then expect Queen’s Park to bail them out. They must stand on their own feet, and resolve their own problems. That can only be done if they are kept under the eye of an interested and informed electorate.” Many, many times a year, Exeter mer­ chants are asked to contribute to campaigns and enterprises. Modest estimates are that the stores are approached in the name of 50 different collections and over $10,000 is given away. The amount of money is enough to warrant careful consideration to this ever- increasing phase of social welfare and community advancement. The numerous, in­ dividual donations arc not significant in themselves but their total is one that re­ presents a huge investment from the town’s business people every year. After all, the lump sum of $10,000 would go a long way toward one project or another. The point of'this editorial is not to discourage merchants to donate , to the worthy but to examine carefully the place where these donations go. They are not all equally deserving nor are they all deserv­ ing. Large companies are now considering donations part of their budgets and take care to see that their money is used to the best advantage. In cities, merchant organ­ izations aid management in the selection of the proper and just recipients. It is possible that the sense of pro­ portion to this money-giving game is lost. In some cases merchants have refused to donate to a good and local cause, simply because, they say, they’ve been giving to too mucin Certainly, if every merchant gave to every canvasser or request, he would feel a heavy pinch. But he is not doing himself nor his community a favor by giv­ ing money away to promotions which are not worthy. Greater discretion to donation-giving will help merchants build their community. * * » * PUZZLE (The Printed Word) The Grade VI arithmetic book pre­ scribed for use in Ontario public schools goes as far as the study of decimals and one of the last exercises in the book is a series of statements, “which are absurd be­ cause the decimal points have been put in the wrong place”. The student is required to correct the statements by moving the decimal points to the proper place. Most of the examples are easy enough, but two that will puzzle par­ ents when Johnny asks for help are: “But­ ter is worth $3.4 per pound,” and “Eggs cost 3.6 cents a dozen,” It seems time for the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Educa­ tion to get together. uiiiiiiiiMiiHiiiiiuiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuuuiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiii 50 YEARS AGO The continued heavy rains are causing great anxiety throughout the country. The crops generally are in great danger of absolute destruction and a continuation of this weather will be disastrous. Mr. H. Pickard, who has been attending school at Brantford, is home for his holidays. Miss L. Johns returned home Tuesday evening from a pleasant visit with friends in Paris. Miss Olive Westcott is visit­ ing friends near Kippen, the guest of the Misses Dinsdale. Miss Nellie Quance is spend­ ing her vacation at her home here.. Mr. A. Sheere, who has been in Crystal City for some months, returned home Monday. An Initial Step Teach Safe Driving In The High School 25 YEARS AGO The large bank barn on the farm of Henry Hodgins, half a mile east of Corbett, on the town line between McGillivray and Stephen townships, was com­ pletely destroyed by fire, with its contents an a new threshing machine, the latter owned by James Germotte. There are ten acres of tall oats on the farm of Mr. Basil Edwards, near Hensail. One stalk measuring six feet and six inches was brought into the Times-Advocate and is on dis­ play here. Sunday visitors at Niagara Falls were Sam, Calvert, Nona and Bill Chambers, Charles Sal­ ter, Misses Tena McCurdy, Phyl­ lis Weiner, Betty Grant, of town, and Mary and Edward Cham­ bers, of Crediton, The James Street United and Trivitt Memorial Sunday Schools As the "TIMES" Go By held successful picnics at Grand Bend Wednesday. 15 YEARS AGO The Exeter Bowling Club held its first men’s tournament in nine years, and since the club was reorganized two years ago. R. N. Rose's rink tied for third place with a rink from Ailsa Craig. Civic holiday witnessed one of the largest crowds to be seen at Grand Bend in a number of years. Exeter saw a quieter holi­ day with stores closed. Many people enjoyed the holiday out of town. ' Rain interrupted the band tattoo held at Exeter Agricultu­ ral grounds Wednesday, August 4. Just after the program was started, the downpour came and the program was continued in the Arena. Mr. Harry Cole left Friday last for Toronto where he will be joined by his friends and pro­ ceed to Northern Ontario for a few days fishing. IO YEARS AGO The first student pilot class to start training at Centralia Air Station arrived Monday. A citizens committee has been formed to help provide qc- commodation and recreation in Exeter for the personnel of the station. Mr. John Hunter has brought into the Times-Advocate, a freak cob of corn. Clustered around the main cob are six smaller cobs in various stages of forma­ tion. Coupon rationing of tea and coffee went into effect Monday with the quota for each person! set at one ounce of tea and four/ ounces of coffee but not both. Children’s Benefactor At the close of the nineteenth century a famous English wo­ man, Elizabeth Haldane, was asked what she considered to be the greatest discovery of that century. She made this astonish­ ing reply: “The discovery of the little child.” She went on to say that more honest attempts were being made to understand chil­ dren than ever before. -If there is any one person, more than another, to be thank­ ed for this improvement, it is Frederick W. Froebel, the an­ niversary of whose death is observed this year -— to be exact June 1, He was the "Father of the Kindergarten", and it prob­ ably was of this educational method Mrs, Haldane was think­ ing. Frederick Froebel was born at Oberweissbach, a village in Ger­ many, on April 21, 1782, and after a somewhat unhappy child­ hood he took up the profession of teaching at a time when practically nothing was done to make school interesting or in­ viting. He decided to try new methods by inviting children to ask questions and succeeded in making them feel at ease. Sometimes he took the boys out into the woods and he lived his boyhood over again as he talked with them of trees, flow­ ers and birds, Every subject he taught was made interesting. If a boy did not seem to ibe inter­ ested, he did not scold the pupil, but instantly began to think out plans to make his teaching more attractive. He was strongly op­ posed to flogging pupils, which at that time was quite common. Speaking of this period of his life he afterwards said: "I felt as happy as the fish in the sea or the birds in the air.” When the public examination of this school was held the results were so satisfactory that the parents and other teachers were unani­ mous in saying that Froebel’s method—while new and unusual — had certainly produced mar­ vellous results. Froebel said that in this happy intercourse with his pupils they taught him as much as he taught them. He had never thought that physical exercise had any place in education — no one at that time did — now he began to -feel that a boy should develop physically as well as mentally and he encouraged them to play games and, as far as he could, he took part. He said: “I watched the boys at play and soon, saw that games had a mighty power to awaken and stimulate intel­ ligence.” Froebel’s ideas were bitterly assailed by many who did not agree with him. Foolish and wicked rumours were circulated about him and he received threatening letters. There have always 'been people to whom anything new seems hateful and it was so with Froebel’s teach­ ing. Often bigoted people would visit the parents of pupils attend­ ing his school and poison their minds against him, and, Froebel, who was an extremely sensitive man, was greatly discouraged. He became convinced that the education of children ought to begin early and so, in 1829 he opened a school for children from three to seven years of age. Little ones were taught in a natural and sympathetic way so that school would become more and more inviting. For a long time he racked his brain trying to think of a suitable name for these new schools for little tots. One day while walking with some friends he kept repeating: "Oh if I could only think of a suitable name for my youngest born!" Suddenly he stood as if fettered to the spot. “Eureka,” he fairly shouted, “I have it! KINDERGARTEN (child-garden) shall be the name of the institu­ tion." For the remainder of his use­ ful life Froebel devoted himself to the establishment of Kinder­ garten schools. He was often so severely straightened .for money that he had to pawn his personal belongings to raise money. He once allowed the whole of his household furniture to fbe sold by public auction in order to get money to carry on his work with children. For a time, when ad­ vanced in years, he was without a permanent home and endured considerable discomfort. He died on June 1, 1852. Dur­ ing his life-time many people failed to understand him; often those who ought to have en­ couraged him showed bitter op­ position. Yet his work lives on. After his death others took up his ideas, and today the Kinder­ garten is found in every land where education has its proper place in the life of the people. Our quotation today is by Olive Schreiner: "The first six years of life make us — all that is added is only veneer." In recent months the Exeter District High School Board has considered the poss­ ibility of establishing a course in auto­ mobile driving for the pupils of the school. The Times-ildvocate would like to encour­ age the members to go ahead with this plan. Many of today’s drivers do not know all the rules of the road nor have they re­ ceived the proper instruction which is para­ mount to careful and safe driving. In most cases, motorists have learned the art of driving through casual observance and ex­ perience—-sometimes tragic experience. The. courtroom is not the place to learn the fundamentals of safe driving nor is the grave the just penalty for ignorance of them. Driving today is not just a matter of gear shifting and wheel turning. It can be too dangerous to be treated as such. It in­ volves a possible threat to too many people to be taken for granted. Deaths, injuries and property damage are formidable witnesses to the case for greater attention to driving habits and me­ thods. The public must face the highway menace. The high school is an excellent place to begin a public program. Instruction in safe driving can be given there with effi­ ciency, thoroughness and with the least possible cost in relation to the number ben efitting. It would reach youth at the age where they begin to drive and would, therefore, get them off to a good start. Other schools have established such a course and have received marked success. Youth caused, more than 27 percent of last year’s accidents. Obviously their driv­ ing habits must be corrected. If the members of the high school board authorize a safe driving course as part of the curriculum, they will act for the pupils’ and the people’s welfare. Parents and taxpayers who encourage the members to establish the course are helping themselves as well as their child­ ren. News From Our NEIGHBORS mu in............. i By STANLEY"THE OLD HOME TOWN ®fje Cxeter ®ime$=&bbocate Established 1873 Amalgamated 1924 Advocate Established 1881 Published Each Thursday Morning at Exeter, Ontario An Independent Newspaper Devoted to the Interests of the Town of Exeter and District Authorized as Second Class Mail, Post Office Department, Ottawa Member of the Canadian Weekly Newspaper Association , Member of the Ontario-Quebec Division of the CWNA Member’ of the Audit Bureau of Circulation Paid-in-Advance Circulation as of March, 1962 — 2,534 SUBSCRIPTION RATES Canada, in advance, $3.00 a year — United States, In advance, $4.00 a year Single Copies 70 Each Melvin Southcott - Publishers -Robert Southcott Had Successful Year Mr. Bruce Eickmeir has suc­ cessfully completed his fourth year in the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto, having obtained a class standing of seventh in a class of 71 students. We join with Bruce’s many friends in congratulating him on this fine year’s work. (Zurich Herald) Seek Debenture Norman Coveney, Jack Ed­ munds and W. F. Walther were named a committee to approach Mitchell Town Council asking them to issue a debenture to finance artificial ice for the new Mitchell and District Community Memorial Arena, at a second public meeting called for the purpose of its consideration. (Mitchell' Advocate) Win W.O.B.A. Title Parkhill bowlers climaxed an already successful Season when the local rink won the Simpson trophy, emblematic of the W.O.- B.A. championship at London, on Tuesday night. The rink con­ sisted of Hugh Larkin, lead; Edgar Robinson, second; Stan Vernon, vied skip, and Mat Tel- fer, skip. Besides the cup which is be­ ing displayed in Jimmy Orr’s butcher shop window, each bow­ ler receives a mahogany table. (Parkhill Gazette) Nethercott Barn Burned St. Marys firemen were called at one o’clock Thursday morn­ ing to a fire in the large frame bank barn of Roy Nethercott, lot 23, concession 3, Blanshard just off the Mitchell Road. Driver William Dunlop with the big crash truck carrying a load of water and Chief John Chis­ holm, Captain William Cardwell and Firemen Stan Skipper and Harvey Ball made the trip in record time but had trouble get­ ting into the farm lane on ac­ count of the large number of cars that were parked every­ where. By this time the barn was a mass of 'flames so fire­ men concentrated on protecting a nearby shed, the family home and a buried gasoline tank vent which it was feared might take fire and cause an explosion. It is understood threshing opera­ tions had been in progress in the barn during the day. Every­ thing inside the structure was consumed by the fire. (St. Marys Journal-Argus) Explosion Averted Prompt action by Edward Boyes, Eginondville, and the speedy arrival of the Seaforth fire brigade, probably averted a disastrous explosion a.t Ziler’s Repair Shop, Egmondville, late Tuesday afternoon. Fire was touched off on a gas pump when a tractor, manoeuvring around the pumps, forced against the closed-in gas dispenser. Boyes ran across to Haney’s store when the blaze started and returned with a hand extinguisher, which he used before the Seaforth brigade arrived. The pump was destroyed. (Huron Expositor) Truckers Raised Employees of Hanover Trans­ port in Hamilton, London, Wat­ erloo and Clinton Monday voted on a proposed new contract un­ der which the management is offering wage boosts that range from 28 cents an hour to 38 cents. The wage rate has always varied in different areas, and is dependent to some extent on how close to the U.S. border operators are working. (Clinton News-Record) LAFF OF THE WEEK BUT WHERE COULD YOU GET ONE LIKE It I’M AFRAID I CAN’T TELL YOU. WHAT IT’S FOR, MADAM - BUT WHERE COULD YOU GET ONE LIKE It FOR ONLY 69 CENTS?’’