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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1952-12-25, Page 2Page 2 THE TIMES-ADVOCATE, EXETER, ONTARIO, THURSDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 25, 1952 This journal shall always fight for progress, reform and public welfare, never be afraid to at­ tack wrong, never belong to any political party, never be satisfied with merely printing news. THURSDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 25, 1952 ter Speaks ow Wonderful Is Christmas I (Rev. A. E. Holley, B.A., B.D., Minister, Main St. United Church, Exeter) It’s Christmas again. Christmas—with the hurrying shoppers, the colored lights and decorated evergreens, the busy pre­ parations for family homecomings, turkey, plum pudding and cake, The excited and happy little people as they wait expectant­ ly for’ Santa Claus; the citjp crowds, the weary sales clerks and postal clerks with cards and more cards, house to house and door to door; the jingle of bells, snow sparkling, crisp and exhilarating; the carol- lers with “Silent Night” and “O Little Town of Bethlehem”. How wonderful is Christmas! What does it all mean? Somewhere in the midst of it all, the Church is calling us to recapture again the greatest event this world has ever known, the coming of the Son of God to be the Saviour of the world. We are called to worship and to be remind­ ed of God’s Gift to mankind. A tremendous Gift, given not because we deserved it, but because God .so loved that He gave. No wonder Christendom has called this “an un­ speakable Gift”. It leaves us speechless, words are inadequate to express our thoughts. All we have, is doxology, “Praise God from -whom all’blessings flow”. Has Christianity lost this emphasis ? Is St. Nicholas, the patron saint of the. ever­ green. more, important than -worship? Is the Yuletide, with the plum pudding steaming hot and roast sucking pig and the tradition­ al drinking of the toast to the god of the evergreen taking the place of a simple and profound Christian expression of a deep understanding of God’s purpose foi* man­ kind. Let us pause long enough to ponder this distinction. Greatest Music The greatest music this world has pro­ duced is available to us at Christmas—the beautiful music—the abiding music. It»’s mostly choral—intended to be sung in the Church, the House of God. Then let us sing it! Let us augment our choirs, dust off the anthems, fill up the empty seats and praise the Lord. Let us not crowd our re­ ligious activity into a small two- or three- hour compass, -whilst our secular celebra­ tions go on into the wee small hours of early morning. It's Christ’s birthday, not ours! “Let us ponder in our mind God’s wondrous love in saving lost mankind.” Christmas reminds us that God chose, as the centre of His great redeeming pur­ pose, the Home. It was as a Babe that God came from Heaven to earth. He did not choose the palatial palace of the ruling­ monarch, or the market place where the crowds were. This Child was born in a common feeding -stall, among the cattle, “Thou didst leave Thy Throne And Thy Kingly crown, When Thou earnest to earth for me, But in Bethlehem’s home Was there found no room For Thy holy nativity. But of lowly birth Cam’est Thou, Lord, on earth, And in great humility.” Distinction Important Our boys and girls must be reminded of this tremendous truth. They have grown up in a world where the glamour and gift giving of Christmas has centred its mes­ sage on Santa Claus. Never for one mom­ ent would we confine Santa to a tradition­ al genial gentleman with long whiskers and a happy grin. Yet when our little people’s minds move away from the whiskered gentleman, let us direct them to the fact of Christmas. When we get rid of Santa, we must never get rid of Christ. It’s for this reason that the religious and Christian centre of Christmas must always be main­ tained. Jesus Christ was born today, yet not simply “was born", but continues to be born anew in every heart open to re­ ceive Him. Can we direct our minds and those of our children to this central truth, so that the Church and its teachings are at least as important as Santa Claus. Let us remember that Santa Claus and Jesus Christ are not synonymous, or the same. Santa may remind us of the wonder of giving and receiving, but it’s Jesus Christ Who is born a Saviour and Lord! The dis­ tinction is most important. How then shall we Christian people celebrate Christmas ? Is there any better way than that suggested by the greatest Apostle of Christ this world lias ever known? “Let your manner of life be worthy of the Gospel of Christ.” Keep Majesty In a manner suitable and in keeping with the Majesty and Dignity of Christ’s Birth, we will allow nothing to be done which shall detract from the. fact that it is His Birthday. We shall remember His presence in our homes, at our family home­ gatherings, in our fun, in our association ■with one another. We shall say “yes” to the things which allow our minds to move freely with the truth as it is seen in the coming of the Babe of Bethlehem, Christ the Lord; we shall say “no” to the things which allow our minds to be drawn away from this central truth® and thereby destroy its true meaning. Let’s keep Christ in Christmas, and thus may it be a sincere, Merry Merry Christmas for us all. A Newcomer Looks At Canada appy Cliristmas To our many friends we wish all the pleasures that a joyous Holiday Season can bring. R. E. Russell Thank You As we reach the end of 1952, The Times-Advocate would like to express its sincere appreciation to those who have as­ sisted us during the year. We are grateful to our correspondents and all others who have contributed so faithfully to this newspaper. Their devoted help enables us to publish news of the large community surrounding Exeter, to bring the town, villages and country to­ gether’ in a family atmosphere. The correspondent’s task is a never- ending one. Week after week, they gather the news of their district and send it to us for publication. They are community- minded folk, who realize the importance of advertising their village or district. We are deeply indebted to them for their services, and in expressing our ap­ preciation, we also offer our humble apol­ ogies for shortcomings in oui* treatment of their work. These irregularities are un­ fortunate but are usually unavoidable. We also wish to express our thanks to the many people who assist us and our correspondents in getting the news. Their* Cooperation is most encouraging and help­ ful. Christmas Wishes The Times-Advoeate would like to ex­ tend special Christmas greetings to people who we think deserve best wishes from this community. These are the men and women who have been active in the progress of our district—the people who work sincerely to improve our life. They ,are the ministers and leaders in our churches who help us keep the spirit of Christmas awake throughout the whole year. They are the men and women who conduct our affairs and carry out our re­ sponsibility to our fellow man. They are the volunteer leaders of our service clubs, our fraternal societies, our ladies’ groups and all the organizations who assist in making the community a bet­ ter one. They are the ones who are building our churches, our .hospital, our schools, our necessary public buildings; who help the needy; who promote better conditions for us and our loved ones. These are the people we wish, on behalf of the community, a full measure of joy and happiness for Christmas and the New Year. By FRED NEGRYN Grand Bend (Editor’s n ote—Mr. Negryn, at the request of our Grand Bend correspondent, Mrs. L M. Myers, writes of his im­ pressions of Canada. Mr. Neg- ■ ryn lived in Holland, worked in Germany as a boy, and re­ sided in England 15 years before coming to Canada. He travelled all across Canada before deciding to settle in the Grand Bend district. As a newcomer to this country, one is often asked by his Can­ adian friends what he thinks of the country he has come to live in. As I have been living in several countries, experience has taught me that this is a rather tricky question to ansiver, be­ cause first impressions are liable to alter considerably as one be­ comes accustomed to the differ­ ent habits and customs of the country he now lives in. However, I will try to give you the benefit (or otherwise) of my impressions of Canada, and if this little article contains some slight criticisms (which is inevitable when one deals with first impressions), please con­ sider them to be very good- natured. Vast Size As I landed in Halifax, in November 1950, and started my train journey to Toronto, I be­ came gradually amazed at the size of the country I was travel­ ling through. After hours on the train (in my own country I would have long since crossed the border into some other state) it seemed as if there was no end to the land and, some1 feeling akin to awe came over me in a country of this size. And what about the vast number of cars one sees all over? In me, it produced the feeling that everybody had a car and took it as a matter of course, whereas in my own country, the possession of a car is usually, confined to business­ men. People Friendly After having arrived and settled down at my new abode, I was very soon agreeably sur­ prised t o find the people so helpful and friendly,, and this awkward feeling of being in a strange country and outside the community very quickly . dis­ appeared. In fact, within no time at all, one seemed to feel “at home”. As most newcomers feel at first a little home-sick, this Can­ adian characteristic of including new arrivals into the community has a very great effect on them and soon helps them over strangeness of their new home. Furthermore, after only meet­ ing other people*a few times, the formal' term of Mr. and Mrs. is dropped and first names are used, and it seems as if one has known these people for a long time already. , Likes Optimism After having talked with some of your new friends, one becomes quickly impressed with what I would like to call Canad- liinuiinMiitiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiikitiiiiiiiitiiiniiiiiaiiiiiiiuiii As the "TIMES" Go By Cxeter ^imej^bbocate Times 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, 1952 —- 2,534 SUBSCRIPTION RATES Canada, In advance, $3.00 a year —- United States, in advance, $4.00 a year Single Copies 7^ Each J, Melvin Southcott * Publishers - Robert Southcott 50 YEARS AGO At a meeting held in the town hall for nomination of county councillors to represent District 4, George H. Bissett presided. Nominated were H. Spackman by John Gilfillan and Joseph Senior, Exeter; Richard Hicks by H. E. Huston and W. C. Hus­ ton, of Exeter. These being the only nominations, Messrs. Hicks and Spackman were elected by acclamation. The Rev. G. Perkins, M.A., of Lindsay, will succeed the Rev. J. W. Ten Eyck as rector of Trivitt Memorial Church. president; S. F. Reid, secretary­ treasurer; L. J. Penhale, man­ ager; and Reg. Taylor, assistant. 15 YEARS AGO Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Dearing celebrated their forty-fifth wed­ ding anniversary. Exeter Concert Band, under the leadership of Ted Walper, gave a concert in Leavitt’s Theatre in aid of the Christmas cheer fund. 25 YEARS AGO The large Dome skating rink which has been the pride of Exeter, collapsed beneath the heavy weight of Snow upon it. Only the ends of the rink re­ main standing. Loss will be heavy to Mr. William Leavitt, the Owner. Miss Ella 0. Morlock won the second Carter Scholarship of Huron County valued at $60. A graduate of Exeter High School, Miss Morlock is now attending Western University. A hockey club has been or­ ganized with T. O. Southcott as president; Ulric Snell, Vice- IO YEARS AGO Dr. J. W. Browning died at his- home, December 20 in his one hundredth year. Up until a week before his death, Dr. Browning was in his office each day. He had prac­ ticed continuously in Exeter for over 75 years. Dr. Browning was born in Somersetshire, England, on No­ vember 21, 1843, and came to Canada at the age of two years. Learning telegraphy ih his father’s store in Markham, where the telegraph office Was located, Dr, Browning mastered the key while watching his sister at work. In 1939 at the Edison Centen- Hary he was honored as the Old­ est living telegrapher and was presented With a golden key. ian optimism regarding the possibilities in the country, and as most new Canadians arrive here with hopes for the future this is a most heartening thing to hear, because no matter how optimistic one is when he leaves his country of origin, he never- the less wonders what is going to happen to him in his new homeland and sometimes doubts assail him as to whether he has done the right thing to his family and himself. However, these doubts, if they exist, are very quickly despelled and one settles down to normal life. Now if one is fortunate to have a radio another impression is formed and that is that he does not very much like the Canadian radio program. No sooner has he settled himself down to enjoy some nice- music or story when the program is interrupted for some advertisement or other, and as most new Canadians are not used to this sort of thing, one becomes- a little exasperated and sometimes feels like throw­ ing the radio through the win­ dow. However, after a little time one gets used to it and so this first impression about radio programs dies a natural death and one enjoys his radio as much as he did in his- former home. Stores Convenient •Yes, and what about the stores one goes to do his shopping. J refer here in particular to the grocery store. Groceries, vege­ tables, fuits and meat all are found in the same store. lu most European countries one •would have to go to at least three stores to fill his shopping list. At first this seems very strange, but after a little time one begins to like it very much (at Jeast that is what the wife tells me). It is all so very handy and saves a lot of trudging from one store ■ to another. Before closing this article something . must be said about the climate in Canada. Before one leaves his country of birth, most people try to tell one that the summers are too hot and the winters too cold. .Spring Too Short If one arrives in the spring, one is inclined to be a little dis­ appointed as spring seems to arrive almost overnight. My im­ pression is that the gradual change from winter to spring, which makes this season so lovely in Europe, is all too short here. However, soon summer comes along and wonderful weather is the order of the day. To be sure there are a few hot days and these are not very easy for the new Canadian, as he seems to suffer more from the heat than the people who have lived here longer. But then comes fall and I am sure every new Canadian will ask himself where he could go to see so much beauty as in Canada at that time, And what about the delightful weather and your Indian Summer? I have no doubt that my first impression of “Canadian Fall” being the lovliest season of the year will be a lasting one. Not AS Cold A few words must now be said about winter and I can say that my first feelings about this season were that it was not half as cold ai? I had anticipated it to be. However, friends toll me that the longer ono lives in the ‘—Please turn to Page 7 & message of hope and peace, the Christmas Btar shines again. May the joy in its radiant light be reflected in your heart throughout the New Year. Exeter District OP