HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1971-05-06, Page 4Giving a speech
Ur al as hearing it
My masterpiece
Still not using
seat belts?
What's holding
you back?
store of W. Core, Huron Street.
He has had many years of
experience in the Huron County
area.
A convention of the
independent electors of West
Huron will be held at Carlow on
Saturday, 9th inst., at tw
o'clock p.m., for the purpose o
selecting a candidate to contes
West Huron. As several an
named there will be no troubh
to secure a good man to run as
McCarthyite.
THE malgamated CLINTONN NEW ERA THE HURON NEWS-RECORD
' Established 1865 1924 Established 1881
Clinton News-Record
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Ontario Weekly Newspaper Association and the Audit Bureau
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registration number — 0817
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KEITH W, ROULSTON 'Editor
J: HOWARD AITKEN — General Manager
Published every Thursday at
the heart of Huron County
II Clinton, Ontario
Population 3,475
_ THE HOME
OF RADAR
IN CAATADA
4 Clinton News-Record, Thursday, May 6, 1971
Editorial comment,
At last, an alternative
If the Ontario Liberal Party lives up to
its promises at recent meetings around the
province, Ontario residents may at last be
getting a reasonable alternative to the
present government of Ontario.
Despite a lot of talk and a lot of
publicity, newly-elected leader of the
Ontario New Democrats, Stephen Lewis,
has not really offered much hope .of a
strong, reasonable government under his
party. From the looks of it Mr. Lewis will
always be a teddy bear-bater.
And, until recently, Robert Nixon of
the Liberals has not astounded the world
with his policies either. But now, faced
with an almost-certain election in the next
year, Nixon has been presenting himself as
the calm, reasonable leader who could
lead us out of the present mess. What's
more, he has recently been setting a
policy that gives real promise.
In Lindsay last week, for instance, Mr.
Nixon promised a major priority of his
government would be to reverse the
centralizing policies of the present
government and encourage strong local
government so citizens could feel they
had a clear influence in controlling their
government. He would bring an end to the
jurisdictional takeovers which have been
quietly bringing most areas of government
under direct control of Queens Park.
Mr. Nixon promises that his
government would only introduce
regional government where there is a clear
public demand for it (which means
nowhere) and that new emphasis would
be put on County GOvernment and
co-operative arrangements between
municipalities.
And while the government has been
ignoring the problem completely and Mr.
Lewis, trying to control his radical Waffle
wing, has been schizophrenic, Mr. Nixon
has brought out a reasonable policy on
foreign investment which should help
keep control of the economy in Canadian
hands without scaring off investment.
He promises first a Takeover Review
Board to screen takeovers of all
Ontario-incorporated firms. He would also
require complete financial disclosure of
private companies doing business in
Ontario and implement legislation to keep
control of the finance industry in Ontario.
He would require the Ontario
Development Corporation to give clear
preference to Canadian Firms over foreign
firms. In the past the major account of
ODC funds have gone to help American
firms expand their control of the
Canadian economy.
A Nixon government would enforce
laws such as those that require minerals
mined in Ontario to be refined in Canada.
Hopefully, Mr. Nixon will come up
with more concrete proposals in the
months before the election. After years of
wondering in a wilderness without any
apparent policy, he finally seems to have
been inspired. And he has some other
good men on his team such as Murray
Gaunt from Huron-Bruce.
The still-missing factor, however, is a
good local candidate, because in
provincial elections the strength of the
local member of Parliament is still very
important to the voters who need to
know he is there to help if needed,
If Nixon can find good candidates at
the local level he has the makings of a
major upset, and a good government.
Women in politics
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Another of those
finger-painting chimpanzees has
had a picture hung and awarded
in yet another American art
gallery, as you may have read
last week, and once more
modern art is taking its lumps.
Too bad, say I.
Until I painted Percha, a
carefree if not downright lunatic
excursion into tempera, my
interest in abstract or
impressionism was somewhat
remote except for defending it
occasionally on the grounds that
in art, as in life, the unexpected
adds zest.
My own moments with the
brush have always been purely
for therapeutic reasons since I
find it the best of all means of
relaxation. From the very
beginning I was a lighthouse or
barn man.
People could say of my work,
as they often did, that it was
lousy, but at least it was always
readily identifiable. My critics
would say, "That's a lousy
lighthouse" or "that's a lousy
barn" and that was praise
enough for me. What I lacked in
talent I made up for in bold
color and the utter certainty
that, I would be leaving nothing
for posterity. In that respect I
was, you might say, a confident
artist.
Then, overnight, I made the
accidental transition from a
lousy traditionalist to a lousy
impressionist and a whole new
world opened up for me.
It began one day when my
daughters and I were out for a
row and a school of perhaps two
dozen perch slanted by
underneath the boat.
The water was very green that
day and the green perch against
the pebble bottom — each
pebble itself a distinctive shade
of green — made a curious,
perfect impression that was gone
as swiftly as the fish, themselves.
It took us nearly a month to
paint it. I say "us" because the
girls pitched in willingly on the
painstaking job of putting in the
green pebbles, no two precisely
alike in tone.
As we went along all sorts of
unexpected and delightful
effects began to emerge and
before very long we knew that
we had wandered as innocents
into the realm of abstract art.
The perch, which I'd painted
in first, began to meld with the
pebbles. Some days they'd be
there and some days they'd
appear to have swum away into
underwater mosaic grottos and
the whole canvas — two feet by
four — began to change in
mysterious ways as the new
color went on.
It was like nothing I'd ever
experienced with lighthouses or
barns. My helpers, standing back
analytically, responded
•
What's
nen) at
Huronview
Canadians have been overlooking a
huge reservoir of talent in the political
field — sitting on the doorstep waiting to
be tapped.
That is women — half of the population
of the country, who hardly ever run in
either municipal elections or for
provincial and, federal parliaments. Only
one woman sits in the federal house and a
handful function in the senate and in
provincial assemblies.
The lack of encouragement and the
systematic ignoring of womert candidates
for elective posts is a national disgrace.
Without their point of view, sensitivity
and unique knowledge of particular
aspects of life, governments are certainly
crippled.
Women have to rid themselves of the
idea that politics is a dirty game and
realize that political decisions touch and
shape their lives on every level. They had
better get in there and help make some of
the decisions which set the quality of
their own lives.
Inability to find campaign funds
restrains some potential women
candidates but money is a limiting factor
not only for good women candidates but
for men too. Somehow central election
funds must be set up — as was done
recently in Nova Scotia, where each
candidate gets a similar amount for
campaigning. This would make elections
less expensive and fairer, would encourage
more and better qualified candidates —
male or female.
There is no shortage of good talented
women candidates to pick from.
Thousands of women now work in
political parties — serving as committee
chairmen, presidents and vice-presidents
of riding organizations.
Most of them are in their late thirties
and early forties, have raised their
families, pursued careers and are ready for
new challenges. Parties must push,
educate and encourage these women to
take that one long step to candidacy.
They could not be sure, as
they'd been so sure before, that
what they were looking at was
hardly worth looking at. Even
the professional artist, to my
shock, was a little unsure and
compromised by calling it an
amusing little whimsey.
Every viewer saw in it things
which they alone could see and
they wanted to re-title it.
"It looks to me," said one,
"like soup spoons in mint
candy." "It looks to me," said
another, "like bowling pins on
broken bathroom tile." And a
small boy, unaware of the title,
looked at it and said simply, "I
see fish." It was my finest
moment of triumph.
But the real triumph, of
course, was for an art form that,
even in the hands of the novice
or the chimpanzee, apparently
can excite the interest and sti
the imagination and what more
could you ask of the creative
urge?
Last week , I mentioned
making a'speech to the Vimy
branch, Canadian Legion, and
what a treat it was to be able to
get up and talk about the
stupidity of senior officers.
Normally, I loathe making
speeches almost as much as I
detest listening to them.
As a former weekly
reporter-editor, a cold, wet, grey
blanket comes down over my
spirit at the fateful words, "And
now, I give you our guest
speaker."
That's the signal, Some guest
speakers you couldn't "give" to
a starving group of cannibals.
I have been "given"
dunderheads and dolts,
politicians, and poltroons,
pip-squeaks, pedagogues and
presidents, farmers and
philosophers.
Not once have I been
inspired, uplifted or convinced.
On a very few occasions I have
been mildly amused, although
almost never by professional
humorists, who always seem to
intent on keeping their tongues
in their cheeks that you begin to
feel that somewhere in the
process they have bitten them
off.
* That's the receiving end. The
delivering end is just as bad. It
follows a fairly pat format.
You are called up, or written
to, by the secretary of some
organization which you.'ve never
heard of, and told they'd like to
have you as guest speaker at
some function yoti have no
interest in, at some place you
have no idea of how to get to.
This is the moment to say,
loud and clear, "Thank you; I
am deeply honored, but I can't
possibly make it." Any
Wavering, and you're in trouble,
The professional guest
speaker, and there are a few
about, chooses that moment to
lay down his cards. He says,
"Well, I might be able to fit that
in on that date, but I'll have to
consult my calendar," He
consults his calendar, which is
blank for weeks, He calls back.
"Yes, I could make it. My fee is
$75. Plus expenses."
This produces an agnoized
pause, if you're on the phone.
Then comes a plaintive, "Oh.
Yes. Well, uh, as you know, till,
we're a non-profit organization,
and we don't have much money,
and we thought you'd just come
along and give us a little talk.
You know, just anything. 11h,
how would $10 expenses be?"
And, in a burst of enthusiasm,
"And bring your wife along. Her
dinner would be free, of
course."
This is always 'what clinches it
with me. A last-minute
invitation for my wife. And a
free dinner for her. Big deal.
Some people love to speak.
To anybody. 'They have one
speech, which they've
memorized, They have two
jokes, invariably inserted with
the prefix, "That reminds me of
a little story , ." It didn't, and
the story has nothing to do with
anything.
But for half an hour, and
sometimes, Lord help us, for 45
minutes, these speakers are the
cynosure of all eyes, except
those which are closed in
slumber. And every ear is
attuned to them. Except those
with the hearing aids turned off.
They bask. It is nectar and
ambrosia to them, even though
it may be lukewarm coffee and
cold porridge to their listeners.
Good luck to them. For me,
it's torment, It's like a Saturday
night bath, whether you need it
or not.
About every two years, I make
a speech, whether I need it or
not. I'm proving something to
myself.
This time it was different.
Vimy branch is the way I like it.
They meet only twice a year, for
a real smash. They have no club
rooms, no flags, no lugubrious
mutterings about "At the setting
of the sun, we shall remember
them." Instead, they have their
own band, which smashes out
the "tunes of glory" at a volume
that is exceeded only by their
enthusiasm and skill.
The chaps took the insults
well. Their hospitality was
gracious, unobtrusive and
generous: a hotel room, 'a
cheque for expenses, and a crock
of my choice. My wife was not
thrown in as an afterthought.
Maybe I'll make another
speech in a couple of years.
15 YEARS AGO
May 3,'1956
The Wesley-Willis United
Church Good Will Club will
meet in the church parlour on
Tuesday evening, May 8. bliss
Evelyn Hall is to be guest
speaker,
The ladies of the Women's
Association and Women's
Missionary Society are invited to
Mr. J. T. White's home in
Londesboro for the regular
meeting on May 9, at two
o'clock.
R. J. Goodman, Clinton, his
wife and his two daughters
returned here Tuesday from a
two-'week stay in Florida with
relatives. 'They greatly enjoyed
both the sun and their visit but
are glad to be home again.
house on High Street Ball Bros.
purchased from the George
McTagart Estate.
A meeting to organize men's
softball activities in town for the
coming season has been called
for the Town Council Chamber
May 13. The town league and
representation in the W.0,A.A.
will be discussed.
Jack Cornish and George
Wilson, Brucefield, and Hugh
Hawkins, Alex Iladdy and
Willard Aiken, Clinton, motored
to Orillla Sunday to represent
Clinton Branch No. 140, at a
district Canadian Legion Rally.
More than 1,000 delegates, from
all parts of Ontario, 'were
present.
40 YEARS AGO
May '7, 1931
Mr. F. Pillman, who has been
spending several summers in
Clinton and who goes to
Woodstock for the winter, has
returned to Clinton for the
summer months and is glad to
meet with old friends again.
The News-Record is indebted
to Miss McKenzie of Stanley for
a copy each of an old Clinton
Courier and an old New Era,
which we were very much
pleased to receive Iast Friday,
May 1.
On Tuesday evening last the
Clinton and Seaforth Home and
School Clubs were entertained
by the Goderich Clubs in
MacKay Hall, when a very
excellent program was put on,
followed by refreshments and a
social time. Between 30 and 40
attended from Clinton and
Seaforth and a very pleasant
time was had by all.
55 YEARS AGO
May 4,1.916
W. M. McQueen, son of Mr.
James McQueen of Stanley, who
has been working among the'
soldiers for the last 15 months'as
Captain of the Y.M.C.A. has
resigned his position and is now
attending the Canadian Military
School of Instruction in
England. His opinion is that
every available man will be
needed before this great war is
over.
Mr. T. G. Medd the midway
barber will move his shop to the
building which housed the old
recruiting office. The building
has been renovated and papered
and looks fine. "Cap." Cook had
the job of papering etc.
Mr. William Proudfoot, K.C.,
of Goderich, M.P.P. for Central
Huron has been re-elected a
bencher of the Law Society of
Upper Canada.
It is expected that a special
recruiting service will be
conducted all over Huron
County by the minister on
Sunday, May 11.
75 YEARS AGO
May 6, 1896
At the adjourned meeting of
the Bicycle Club, it was decided
that the membership fee be
placed at 50 cents and that the
members wear uniform caps.
The first run will be on Friday
evening to Bayfield and return,
the start to be made from
Clinton market square at seven
o'clock sharp. The matter of
building a track was discussed,
but left in abeyance for the
president.
Mr. M. W. Wright has just
opened a butcher shop in the
The Christian Reform Church
of Clinton, assisted by a group
of young people from the
Reform Church of Exeter,
provided a song service last
Sunday evening. Mr. Dick
Roorda led the group hymn sing,
accompanied on the piano by
Alice Roorda.
The residents' program of old
tyme music and dancing, led by
the Huronview Orchestra, was
well attended on Monday
afternoon. It was decided, as
there are programs to be
provided by other groups on
Monday afternoons in May, that
the residents' program be held
later in the week.
The Seaforth Junior Farmers
entertained on Thursday Family
Night. A variety program
included two numbers by the
square dancers — Diane
Henderson, Evelyn Storey,
Elaine Carter, Nancy Gibbings,
Graham Craig, Glen Dolmage,
Murray and Jim Henderson —
with Allen Carter doing the
calling to music by the
Huronview Orchestra, an
accordian solo by Gerwin
Wyman, and step dancing by
Murray and Jim Henderson,
accompanied by Diane
Henderson. Graham" Craig sang
several numbers and led the
choir of 20 in a lively sing song
alternately with wonder and
with giggles.
So we finished it and hung it
after a lot of experimentation (it
looked differently in every light)
and waited for the reaction. It
came almost immediately and it
has kept right on coming. And it
has put me so permanently on
the side of the moderns that it is
only a matter of time before I
start fooling around with Dada.
For one thing, people took
"Perch" seriously which was
something they'd never accorded
my more primitive structural
efforts. Some liked it and some
did not, some were ecstatic and
some were offended, but
everyone was positive and that is
the highest accolade a man of no
talent can receive.
People who had looked for
no more than a minute-and-a-
half at my lighthouses and barns
now stood there lost in study.
They wanted to find The
Meaning of it, The Symbolism.
10 YEARS AGO
May 4, 1961
J, R. Middleton, RR 2,
Bay field, was elected
I Deputy-District Governor of
Region 3, District A-9, of Lions
International, at the annual rally
held last Wednesday night at the
Zurich Community Centre.
Over 400 parents and friends
attended the open house at
Clinton Public School on
Wednesday evening, April 26.
The Home and School
Association served coffee and
lunch at the end of a variety
show.
A meeting of the boards in
charge of secondary education in
the C.D,C.I.'next Tuesday, May
9, to consider further the
possibilities of adding vocational
training to the education
opportunities of the county's
young people. Last night board
members discussed the matter at
length.
25 YEARS AGO
May 9,1946
Mr. and Mrs, Bruce I3artliff
have moved into 'Dr. V. G.
Thompson's bungalow, recently
vacated by Mr. and Mrs, W, N.
Ball wh( have moved to the