Clinton News-Record, 1967-12-21, Page 22 Clinton News-Record, Thursday, Pec. 21, 1967
star still shines
.. For thousands of years men ha^e
’been fascinated by the stars: the
shepherd on the lonely hill, the sailor
on the wind-swept ocean, and now the
astronaut in his cramped spaceship,—
each is attracted by the beauty and
pattern of the stars—patterns as simple
as a woman's dipper or a hunter's belt
and horn?
The silent stars take us back to
that first Christmas and the Wise Men
who studied the stars looking for por
tents. These "Wise Men from the east"
believed that heavenly bodies had a
great deal to do<with human lives. They
knew that the moon affected tides and
that the sun determined their crops. It
was just a step farther to believe that
a study of the stars could predict human
events.
Many in those troublous times
were looking for someone to lead them
out of the mess they were in. We read
of certain "Wise Men" who saw a star
vhich "went before them, until it came
and stood over where the young Child
was." Some scientists dismiss this story
as a legend; others feel that the star
was a supernova; Dr. R. S. Richardson,
astronomer at Mount Wilson Observa
tory, feels that it may have been
"Halley's Comet" which, about the time
of Jesus' birth, was slightly north of
Castor and Pollux, which in their daily
journey passed through the zenith at
Bethlehem; and finally, Dr. Alter of
Griffith Planetarium said that "so far
as astronomy is concerned, the story of
the Wise Men seeing the star may be
true in every word."
- The stars still have their place in
the world of today. Many amazing
stories have come out of the experience
of airmen who, through fair weather or
foul, over land or sea, flying high, or
low, have taken their planes to their
destination and flown back within .an
error radius of less than a mile. Using
sextant, chronometer, wind-drift meter,
air-speed indicator, compass, sliderrule
and celestial . almanacs, they can tell
exactly at what spot the plane is flying,
A^oveg^e^lpuds are fixed’stars which
atrany given moment are over an exact
recorded position on the earth. Thus
the navigator has a sure and certain
guide to his destination.
Today storms of war and hatred
have all but blotted out the "Star of
Bethlemen." In the midst of a world
revolution we are going some place
in a dreadful hurry. But where are we
now? And where are we going? Do
we have any real sense of direction in
the midst of this tremendous social up
heaval through which we are now
passing ? Perhaps it would be well for
us, in this time of confusion, to try
celestial navigation!
Roswell Barnes tells of a recent
mountain vacation. Daylight faded into
dusk; dusk blended into darkness; and
then the stars began to appear. He
realized then that he had not really
looked at the stars for years. "That is
what's the matter with us and our gen
eration," he pointed out, "we have lost
our vision of the stars."
This Christmas season bids us to
look up and behold the stars still shin
ing: the shepherds on the hillside, the
Wise Men on their journey, the humble
stable bathed in light,—these invite us >
to escape ,our earthbound littleness,’
conquer our despair, lift our faces, and
remember that-the stars still shine.
.Rev. Andrew J, Mowatt,
Wesley-Willis United United Church
Business and Professional
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ALUMINUM PRODUCTS
Redcoats advance on Metis in the Battle of
Batoche, 1885. In 1884, Louis Riel1 was per
suaded to return from exile in the U.S. —
where he was teaching in Montana - to champion
the cause of the pioneer white settlers, Metis
and Indians once again, this time in Saskat
chewan, after leading the'ir first uprising in
Manitoba in 1869-70. He tried to uphold the
interests of the settlers and preserve their
lands by constitutional means against federal
government encroachment, but to no avail. The
building of the CPR across the prairies in-
evitably would break the transportation monopoly
of the Metis Red River carts; and it brought
land speculators andnew settlers who threatened
to wipe out the peaceful community farm system
they had established along the river banks.
The federal government failed to grasp the ur
gency of these worries, which were intensified
by the fact that the buffalo, on which the Metis
had depended for a nomadic living, had dis-
appeared from the plains: the farms of these
English and French half-breeds - mostly
descendents of the fur traders — had become
their only way of surviving.
Riel set up a rebel provisional government
at Batoche, on the South Saskatchewan. If Riel
liad given his brilliant general, Gabriel Dumont,
From the Imperial Oil Collection
who was a hero of the great buffalo hunts,
a free hand to lead guerilla harassment of th
militia on their long trek • from the end of the
railway toward Batoche, history might have
taken a. different course. But Dumont's forces
held in check.
A detachment of North West Mounted Police
sent to nip the rebellion in the bud was defeated
by Dumont’s Metis at Duck lake on March
26. A trial of strength became inevitable and
was complicated by Indian uprisings against
the N.W.M.P. Eventually Riel, Dumont and
Cree Indians under Big Bear and Poundmaker
fought a series of brave and brilliant battles
against greatly superior federal arms. The out
numbered rebels finally met defeat at Batoche
on May 12, and Edmpnton on July 12.
Riel was captured, found guilty of high treason,
refused to plead insanity — which might have
saved his life — and was hanged in the police
barracks at Regina in November 1885, Eight
Indian leaders were also hanged; Poundmaker
and Big Bear were jailed for three years
and died broken in spirit. Dumont fled to
M ontana, starred in wild west shows, and was.
eventually allowed to return to Batoche, where
he married a Scottish half-breed, and lived
out his life peacefully.
RONALD L. McDonald
Chartered
Accountant
If ST. DAVID ST. GODERICH
- 524-6253 -
For Air-Master Aluminum
Doors and Windows
and
Rockwell Power Tools
JERVIS SALES
R. L. Jervis — 68 Albert St
Clinton — 482-8300
Attend Your Church
This Sunday
NOTE r- ALL SERVICES ON
STANDARD TIME
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH
(Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec)
Pastor: JACK HEYNEN, B.A.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 24th
9:45 a.m.—Sunday School.
11:00 a.m.—CHRISTMAS SERVICE.
— ALL ARE WELCOME HERE —
ONTARIO STREET UNITED CHURCH -
big brother
In a society where television is a
Big Brother hammering at our minds,
advertisers already possess an awesome
power for good or evil.
Their power is most potent and
visible when .wielded upon children.
And many parents ip the weeks before
Christmas heard their children ask
Santa Claus for toys advertised on
television.
No longer, however, do boys ask
simply for trains, or girls for dolls. They
specify brand names. This makes Santa's
job easier: He has only to watch tele
vision to know that his elves this year
must make lots of Smash whistle trains,
or Wetmessy dolls (or, unfortunately,
Bang-ur-dead guns).
But what happens to the kids?
They grow into adults-in-year-
only, so oriented to television that their
minds no longer function as units in
dependent of the set. They are in
capable of decisions free of the magic
box's influence. Television's hypnotic
eye has subjugated them. And the ad
vertisers' power is total.
Writer George Orwell, in his novel
"1984" which introduced Big Brother
to the world, predicted such zombie
like dependence upon television. With
16 years still to go, he is almost proved
as a prophet.
As Big Brother manipulates his
generation of television-stunned robots,
it is apparent that he is a collective
agency made up of lesser godlings.
They are the advertising agency crea
tive experts, who rely on surveys to
tell them what tune to play to attract
the most dancers.
A Montreal survey executive, M. R.
Gelfand, recently told the Broadcast
Research Council that television viewers
will reject believable ads ("they don't
move-them") and those that are com
pletely unbelievable ("they are rejected
and no further action is called for").
Mr. Gelfand recommends creating a
"curious disbelief" commercial which
creates a state of tension which "cannot
be resolved until the viewer has proved
to himself that what he has seen or
heard is or is not true." To do this, Mr.
Gelfand points out, he or she has to buy
the product.
"The emphasis today," Mr. Gel
fand said, "is on producing TV com
mercials which don't offend — but I'm
not sure this is a wise course. I'm not
too sure if a message has to be en
tirely believable to be effective."
What the unsure Mr. Gelfand ap
pears to suggest is that Big Brother
should start telling clever lies. Perhaps,
for Big Brother's sake, he is right.
But he is wrong in his assumption
that television commercials today do
not offend. There are a few members
of a generation that grew up without
getting hooked on the television drug
who find the commercials downright
offensive, because they are aimed at
children ... of all ages.
Clinton News-Record
Wl CLINTON NEW ERA Amalgamated THE HURON NEW8-REC0R0
EMablMwd 1*86 1924 Established 1881
Published Every Thursday At The tyeart
Of Huron County
Clinton, Ontario, Canada
Population 3,475
ffi n -ffi
|l«Md cewlrteuttem to *♦»!• peWkailio*. are th* •piaton*
ef tea wrltaH aal», and de mH Mtauarlly aapraM
tee views ef tte kewtpaper.
AaUNdMI •» Seeead daw Mel), ted Office OapartmeM, Onawa, and for FaymaM of Podafo la Cate.
tUMCKIFnON SAW: Makle la advenee - Canada aad Oreat Britain! IMS a year:
IMhd RMm aad Forelea: MB, Steele Ceptea: II CooH.
From Our
55 years ago
THE CLINTON NEW ERA
Thursday December 19, 1912
Mr. Roy A. East of the Royal
Bank staff, Winnipeg, is expec
ted home on Saturday for a short
holiday. It is about a year and
a half since Roy went west and
has not been home in that time. .
Consequently his many friends
will be glad to see him.
Miss Mae McCartney of God-
erich is visiting at Miss Sarah,
Tebbutt’s. . ..
Miss’ Blanche Tebbutt has
been engaged by the Trustee
Board as organist of Holmes
ville Methodist Church.
40 years ago
THE CLINTONNEWS-RECOR.-
Thursday December 22, 1927
Misses Jean and Eleanor
Plumsteel of the London Uni.
versity are home for the
Christmastide.
Mrs. Clara Rumball leaves
tomorrow Friday, for Montreal
where whe will spend the Yule,
tide with her sons, Messrs.
Ray and Fred Rumball.
Miss Jessie L. Metcalf of
Detroit came on Saturday to
spend her Christmas vacation
with her parents in Bayfield.
25 years ago
THE CLINTON NEWS-RECORD
December 24, 1942
All this month we have been
having winter weather with
more snow almost every day.
Saturday night andSunday morn
ing set a new record for this
time of year with the tempera
ture 22 below zero. The last
couple of days-have been milder
and will help the holiday travel,
lers.
We notice by yesterday’s pa.
pers that the No. 10 Canadian
General Hospital R.C.A.M.C.
has arrived safely overseas.
Attached to this unit is Captain
John Beattie, former Clinton
doctor; and Privates Alfred
Crozier, Henry SlomanandWil.
liam (Izzy) Powell.
Pte. Arthur Aiken of the Scots
Fusiliers at Niagra-on-the.
Lake and'Gnr. Bob Campbell
of the R.C.A, at Petawawa,
are spending leaves at their
homes in town.
Mr. and Mrs. L. W. Dippell
and children of Bowmanville and
Dr. and Mrs. Harvey Potter of
Brooklyn, N. Y. are holiday
guests of Mr. and Mrs. O. W,
Potter.
15 years ago
CLINTON NEWS-RECORD
Thursday, December 18, 1952
. Miss F. Cuninghame picked
two large bunches of grapes
from her vines on December
11. That same day she picked
Christmas roses.
Stewart Hill, Bladsworth,
Saskatchewan is spending a few
days with Mr. and Mrs. Nor*
man Ball and other old school
mates. Mr. Hill, as a boy, at-
tended Summerhill School and
left the vicinity for Saskat.
chewan nearly 50 years ago.
Mrs. Percy Wheatley, Tor
onto, was a weekend guest wiffi
Mrs* Harry Bartliff.
William J. Craig and Allan
Eady Files
of Auburn, visited over the
weekend in London. Mrs. Craig
who had been visiting her daugh.
ter, Mrs. George Wilkin who
has a new baby daughter Pat.
ricia Ann, returned home with
them.
10 years ago
CLINTON NEWS-RECORD
December 19, 1957
Mr. and Mrs. John E. Cuning.
hame and their family,
Mrs. C, A. Trott returned
home after spending four days
last week in Detroit where she
attended a testimonial dinner
given by the city of Detroit for
her cousin Mrs. Alice Guyette.
Mrs. Guyette retired this month
after 31 years as a city em»
ployee, having served as' sec
retary to the late Albert E.
Cobo while he was city trea
surer ‘ arid later when he be-
“THE FRIENDLY CHURCH”
Organist: MISS LOIS GRASBY, A.R.C.T.
Pastor: REV. GRANT MILLS, B.A.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 24th
9:45 a.m.—Sunday School.
11:00 a.m.—CHRISTMAS SERVICE.
TURNER'S UNITED CHURCH
2:00 p.m.—CHRISTMAS SERVICE.
3:00 p.m.—Sunday School.
■ “ ■■■■ ■ caTfife.m^or.-^
Mr's- Gordon Cun^' Bar-
uingham.estotLflus.. week for SyraW bara ■«'8W.".b&radlej^iBayfield,
cuse N. Y. wnere they will spend spent the weekend with Mr. and
Christmas and New Year’s with Mrs. R. Jenkins, London.
SUGAR
AND SPICE
by Bill Smiley
At home tor Christmas
As some brilliant clod once
pointed out, Christmas comes
but. once a year. And it’s a
jolly good thing it does.
Think of what we’d be like if
we didn’t have the glory of
Christmas to pull us out of the
bleak, little lives of selfishness,
misery and lonesliness.
Especially in these bracing
northern climes is Christmas a
necessity. It is cold, the nights
are long, and the festival pro
vides a splash of color, warmth
and love that enables us to
face the dreaded long winter
ahead.
Oh, I’ll admit it is a bit of a
drag, in some ways. The gentle
day of joy has become the fo
cus for a multitude of
irrelevancies.
There’s the dam’ tree to put
up, the ridiculous cards to be
sent to neighbors you saw yes
terday, the horrors of gift
shopping, and the stupid bird
to be stuffed, trussed, cooked
and eaten.
In addition to these trap
pings, which make perfect
ladies swear and strong men
weep, there is the incredible
commercialization of the event,
in every possible aspect. But
don’t blame that on others.
You don’t have to take part
unless you want to.
Admitting all this, there is a
magic in Christmas, in the
very word, that still holds up.
There’s a vast satisfaction, for
example, when you finally get
the tree to stand up with no
more than a 45-degree list,
and it’s all decorated, and you
realize that, despite what your
wife said, it’s the best tree in
town.
When you sit down to write
those cards, you discover that
you still have a great affection
for old friends you haven’t
seen for so long,' and you wax
quite lyrical, and ask them to
visit you. Sometimes, alas, they
do.
And you must admit you feel
as though you’d climbed Ever
est when you get that last
package wrapped and sit back
admiring your good taste in
gifts, paper and ribbons.
Then there’s the turk. For a
number of years, this has been
my baby, at our house* And
when I’ve made the dressing,
trussed the brute and stuck it
in the oven, I feel somOthing
akin to the pure pride and joy
of a woman who has produced
a real baby.
There’s the fun of spoiling
your kids rotten and putting
yourself in hock for six
months. Christmas wouldn’t be
the same if it didn’t make you
a little reckless.
But perhaps the best things
about Christmas are the sim
ples ones. There’s the won
derful moment of peace and
quiet on Christmas Eve, when
everything is done, and the
stockings are hung and the fire
murmurs and the tree glows,
and you talk warmly and lazily
of Christmas Past and Christ
mas Present.
Then there’s the church
service, with its ancient, sim
ple story, so familiar, so real
because you’ve known it all
your life. And the gastric
juices churning in your stom
ach. And the post-church
salutations of “Merry Christ
mas,” really meaning it.
And the opening of the pre
sents, after church. There’s
love in them. You realize this
daughter of yours tried to get
something really special for
her Dad. And this son of yours
spent his last five bucks on a
gift. Even though he’ll beat
you for ten before the day is
over. And nothing fits your
wife, as usual.
And, of course, dinner. But
the time you enjoy this is
when you are 14, and have an
elastic stomach, not when you
are 44, and have a dyspeptic
one.
After the dishes, which are a
real pain in the posterior, be
cause all you want to do is
sleep, some carol singing re
stores the spirit. And the old
carols sound like new.
This year, we’re having a
quiet family Christmas, after
many years of having a large,
fairly noisy one. Hugh said he
was coming home for Christ-
mas, even if he was in Aus
tralia.
It may be a mess, because
we fight d lot in our family*
But not at Christmas time.
May you all haVe the Christ
mas I hope we’ll have.
si
Wesley-Willis — Holmesville United Churches
REV. A. J MOWATT, C.D., B.A., B.D., D.D., Minister
MR. LORNE DOTTERE?., Organist and Choir Director
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 24th
SPECIAL CHRISTMAS SERVICES
9:45 a.m.—Sunday School.
11:00 a.m.—Christmas Anthems, Organ Numbers.
” Mr.'LCDotterer ' r v*™
Ser^ini^LEf.tihG^E CHRIST CHILD GROW UP"
11:00 p.m.—The Christmas Story in Song and Story.
(Illustrated)
HOLMESVILLE
1:00 p.m.—CHRISTMAS SERVICE.
1:45 p.m.—Sunday School.
ST. PAUL'S ANGLICAN CHURCH
Rev. R. W. Wenham, L.Th., Rector
Miss Catharine Potter, .Organist
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 24th
CHRISTMAS SERVICES
9:45 a.m.—Church School.
11:00 a.m.—Carol Service and Lessons.
4:00 p.m.—Holy Communion.
11:00 p.m.—Choral Midnight Communion.
CHRISTMAS DAY — DECEMBER 25th
10:30 a.m.—Holy Communion.
ST. ANDREW'S PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
The Rev. R. U. Mac Lean, B.A., Minister
Mrs. M. J. Agnew, Organist and Choir Director
Mrs. B. Boyes, Supply Organist and Choir Director
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 24th
9:45 a.m.—Sunday School.
10:45 p.m.—CHRISTMAS SUNDAY.
— EVERYONE WELCOME —
CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH
Guest Preached: D. VELDHUIZEN
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 24th
10:00 a.m.—Worship Service.
2:30 p.m.—Worship Service.
Monday, December 25 — 10:00 a.m.—Worship Service.
Every Sunday, 12:30 noon, dial 680 CHLO, St. Thomas
listen to "Back to God Hour"
— EVERYONE WELCOME —
BASE CHAPELS
Canadian Farces Base Clinton
ROMAN CATHOLIC CHAPEL
Chaplain—F/L THE REV. F. J. LALLY
MASSES
Sunday, December 24,— 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.
Christmas Carols—11:30 p.m.
Midnight Mass
Monday, December 25—9 a.m. and 11 a.m.
CONFESSIONS
Saturday, Dec. 23—2:30 to 4 p.m. — 7 to 9 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 24—2 p.m. to 4 p.m. — 7 p.m.- to 9 p.m.
— SPECIAL NOTICE —
No confessions will be heard after 9 p.m. on Sun., Dec. 24
PROTESTANT CHAPEL
Chaplain—S/L THE REV. F. P. DeLONG
Sunday, Dec. 24—1100 hrs.—Family Festival of Carols.
2330 hrs.—Holy Communion by Candlelight
followed by Christmas snack and carol sing
with R.C. mdinght congregation.
Christmas Day—1000 hrs.—Holy Communion.
Sunday, Dec. 31—0900 hrs.—Holy Communion.
1100 hrs*—Divine Service with Jr. Choir.
Phone 482-3411, Ext. 247 or Ext. 303 after hours
MAPLE ST. GOSPEL HALL
Sunday, December 24
9:45 a.m.—Worship Eervice.
11:00 a.m.—Sunday School.
7:30 p.m.—Christmas program.
Speaker: Eric Vetters, London
Tuesday, 8:00 p.ni.—Prayer and
Bible Study
Pentecostal Church
Victoria Street
W. Werner, Pastor
Sunday, December 24
9:45 a.m.—Sunday School.
11:00 a.m.—Worship Service.
7:30 p.m.—Evening Service.
Friday, 8 p.m.—YPU Meetl