HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1956-12-20, Page 2This newspaper believes the right to express an opinion
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Tht TtmH’Advocatfz December 20, 1955 Jottings By J.M.S,
Yuletide Welfare
Editorials
can-
The Change In Christmas
Another Christmas has rolled
around and the Christmas spirit
today is the same as it has been
for* many years and no doubt
will be for many more years to
, ".........*. ‘w that
changes is the method of cele-
gvanted with little realization of
the tremendous steps that have
been, taken is the matter of child
ren’s toys. Electrical equipment
and mechanical toys have com
pletely revolutionized hardware
stores and what youngster- can
pass the attractive decorated
windows filled with toys, with
out stopping mother or dad and
expressing a wish for some of
them? »
Poll Sets Pcpular
Dolls have always been favor
ites with the girls and while
the make-up and styles have
changed with the older folks,,
youngsters in the old days en
joyed just as big and just as at
tractive dolls as they do today.
However the sleeping doll, the
talking doll and the walking doll
are new innovations,
I remember in Rome, Italy. a
bus driver taking home a mech
anical toy to his son on his birth
day, a toy he could ill afford to
buy. It was pointed out to us
by our courier that no. matter
what the sacrifice, the children
must have their presents. The
same spirit that prevails among
us is the same the world over.
In the words of Edgar Guest:
Let us have a Christmas tree,
Let its glowing candles be
Warm and cheery, gay and
bright,
Let its gleam dispel the night
Let our voices fill the air
With carols, greetings every
where-—
In that good old-fashioned way
Let us keep this Christmas day.
come. The only thing
brating it.
Christmas trees, lighted
dies, carol singing, and good
old-fashioned greetings have pre
vailed from generation to gen
eration. Santa Claus has not
grown old as we grow old but •
our methods of living, transporta
tion, labor-saving devices, mod
ern home equipment, sanitation,
heating, lighting, cooking have
undergone vast changes in a
comparatively short period of
lime.
It is just 50 years ago that
hydro was introduced into On
tario and the prediction of Sir
Adam Beck that electricity
would be available for lighting
every home in the larger mun
icipalities; which .seemed at that
time almost incredible, has now
surpassed the most optimistic
speculations at that time.
To think that electricity is avail
able to the vast majority of the
residents of this fair province,
is one thing, but to realize the
many advantages to which it.is
now being put and to think of
■the many electrical devices there
are-today for use in the home,
now taken for granted but un
dreamed of 25 years ago, should
cause us to stop in wonderment.
Remember. The Stave Factory?
The old woodbox and in many
cases the coal bin; are fast be
ing replaced by oil. How many
will remember the Sutherland
and Innis stave factory that used
to operate on Huron street and
the listings that could be bought
for a song to be used for start
ing the morning fires?
Where scald cream used to •
. adorn many a farm cellar shelf
foi’ the Christmas season, now
ice cream is stored in a'modern
farm freezer, that holds enough
frozen foods to last for weeks.
I wonder what the young peo
ple, and older ones too, would
think if lights went out at twelve
as they did in Exeter before the
advent of hydro. Entertainments'
and parties were wound up so
as to go home before lights out.
Hydro has changed the night in
to day.
Another, thing that is taken for
GUARANTEED
TRUST
CERTIFICATES
*Heartwarming Christmas Spirit
Prevails Throughout District
It’s heartwarming to see district
organisations spreading the Christmas
spirit- with special welfare programs
at this season of the year.
Many of these activities were out
lined in last week’s Times-Advocate.
They include entertaining inmates in
orphanages * and homes for the aged,
providing Christmas cheer for unfor
tunate families, donation gifts to mis
sions and sponsoring children’s par
ties.
Special mention should be made
of those who .have organized the fund
for Bob Scott', the youth who was so
seriously injured in a recent traffic
accident, and those who contributed
gifts to the Summers family which lost
all its possessions (in a fire near Clande-
boye.
These and other activities show
clearly that Christmas is not just the
Flood Threat
Construction of dams in the up-
'per reaches of the Ausable River
watershed is the only solution to stop
the growing severity of flooding con
ditions in the Parkhill areas, says the
Parkhill Gazette in a recent' editorial.
The Gazette also proposes a re
routing of water in the Cameron-
Gillies drain which bursts its banks
:every year. The Gazette editorial is
reprinted below:
“Many harsh things were said
about the Cameron-Gillies drain which
was repaired a few years ago. The
drain starts on the high ground to
■the east and south of Parkhill. The
rapid fall Of the water down the slope
-is channelled into the small railway
culvert. The drain here makes two
right-angled turns and a bottleneck is
..created.
“The chief obstacle in the way of
X solution is that the whole Parkhill
.Creek system which starts about 15
miles north in Hay Township, has al
ways been a flood threat. Every year
this creek bursts its banks and spills
commercialized holiday many com
plaints are made about.
Yet, more of this type of service
work can and should be done, not only
by organizations but also by individ
uals, to make it a merrier yuletide
throughout the community and the
world.
Celebration of Christmas is a sel
fish thing if it means nothing more
than giving presents to those from
whom presents are expected in return.
Christmas would mean much
more—and would be celebrated in its
truer sense—if every family made at
least one gift for which they expect
no more return than the happiness of
giving. There are many places to
which this gift might go.
Prominent among them is the
recently-organized fund for oppressed
Hungarians. Committees have been
established in all major ’centres for
the receipt of donations. Contributions
may be left at The Times-Advocate,
from where they will be forwarded to
the proper authorities. -
Then there’s the Christmas Seal
campaign for TB prevention; the blind
campaign and the sick children’s
hospital in Toronto.
Locally, there’s the ?fund for Bob
Scott, the appeal for clothing and
food for t|ie Summers family, the
families on relief or in strained cir
cumstances throughout the district.
A visit to a shut-in is one of the
least expensive but most appreciated
“gifts”.
E DISPENSED BY BILL SMILEY
Is there anything in this world
quite as silly as the annual
Christmas card binge in which
otherwise intelligent, sensible
„ people indulge? I-doubt it.
* #
I’m afraid it’s another mani
festation of twentieth century
softheadedness for which we
have the ladiesi bless and praise
them, to thank. You can say
what you like about men, and it
will probably be true, but I
doubt very much whether they
would ever get into the Christ
mas card jungle if left to them
selves. They simply wouldn’t
bother sending cards to anybody,
and everybody would be a lot
happier.** $ *
Every year around our place,
we hold Christmas Card Night.
Aftei' the kids are in. bed, '\ve
get down to it at the kitchen
table: I enjoy this, because it
gives me a chance’ to exercise
that ham-handed, elephant foot-
* ed wit in which the male animal
delights at such times.
*
short term—5 years
pay 4^% interest, payable half yearly
Unconditionally guaranteed as to
principal and interest
authorized investment for tryst funds
IN 5 YEARS
$500 ACCUMULATES TO $624.60
It’s been a long time since this
community opened its homes to enter-9
tain airmen from England and other
Commonwealth- countries who were
training at district stations under the
British Commonwealth Air Training
Plan- during world war two.
People drove as far as Port Al
bert to pick up their guests and bring
them home to a family dinner. It was over low-lying ground in its lower an enriching experience: the airmen
reaches and many times it has flowed enjoyed visiting with Canadian famil-
over Highway 81. - •- - °...................................
Gillies drain joins this creek about
three miles west of Parkhill.
“A diversion scheme could easily
re route the excess water east of Park
hill to poin the Parkhill (Mud) Creek
system just west of Highway No. 81.
This would require about a half mile
of diversion plus a mile of channel
improvement before reaching the main
stream. A second diversion scheme ■
Would be to divert some of the water
to the Spring Creek system -south of
town which seems to be more than
adequate for the amount of water
that flows through it.
“Diversion at first glance seems
to provide a ready solution but there
are three drawbacks. First, necessary
.permission of property owners might
be difficult to secure. Second, the
consent of various councils and boards
would be necessary; and thirdly, these
creeks could be easily overflowing
their banks from tributaries upstream.
“It becomOs increasingly evident
that the area is over-drained. As each
new drain is authorized and construct
ed it taxes the two main Ausable
River outlets more and more. These
in turn are progressively getting less
efficient due to the large amount of
• sediment dropped jn their lower
reaches by each succeeding flood.
“The answer seems to be ways
6f Containing the waters in the areas *
where damage would be less, or a
large dredging operation to increase
the capacity to handle the huge
amount of water. This second solution
has a big disadvantage, It is not
permanent because of the continued
silting. The- containing of water has
been advocated many times before.
Engineers have proposed the McInnis
and Parkhill Dam. Until these dams,
and possibly other smaller ones, are
constructed^ the flood threat will be
with us always?’
MERRY MENAGERIE
• ies and- the Canadians broadened their
horizons by listening to descriptions
and tales of far away countries.
Today, citizens have an equal op
portunity to play host to young men
who are visiting this area from Euro
pean countries. We are referring to
the NATO trainees at RCAF Station
Centralia.
These trainees, who come from
France, Belgium, England, Italy, and
other European nations, will be spend
ing this Christmas thousands of miles
from home. The RCAF will make their
Christmas as pleasant as possible, of
course, but no doubt many of them
would enjoy a family dinner in a
Canadian home.
1 “We’re goners if they don’t get home soon and take that
water pistol from Junior!”
Intelligent Canadians — be they
Liberals or Conservatives — will hope
that John Diefenbaker can revitalize
the Progressive Conservative party in
order to restore the two-party system
to this country.
During the past two decades, ^he
opposition to the government has been
detrimentally weak —• it has not been
able to provide the stimulation neces
sary to give the nation its most ef
ficient government.
The- enthusiasm displayed at the
PC leadership convention showed,
without,<a doubt, that the (forty has the
energy and ambition to regain its
former position. The question is, does
it have the leadership?
John Diefenbaker, we believe, is
a man who can improve the party’s
position. We doubt, however, if at his
age he can develop it to the point
where - he will become the prime
minister of this country. The party
will have to foster other candidates
for that position.
Go By
25 YEARS AGO
Miss Marjorie Medd, who is
(Sfje (Lxeter ®imesi=^bi)ocate
Timet Established 1873 Amalgamated 1924 Advocate Established 1881
Published Each Thursday Morning at Stratford/ Ontario
An Independent Newspaper Devoted to the Interests of the Town of Exeter and District
Authorized a* Second Class Meh, Post Office Department, Ottawa
MEMBER: Canadian Weekly Newspaper Association/ Ontario
Weekly Newspaper Association and Audit Bureau of Circulation.
AWARDS: 1956—A. V, Nolan trophy, ganaral excellent:* for newspaper* published
in Ontario town* between 1,500 and 4,500 population; E. T. Stephenson Trophy for
best front pago among Ontario weakly newspapers (also won Ih 1954). 1953—All-
Canada hWiited Federation national safety award; Ontario Safety League award.
t Plid-in-Ad vance Circulafioh a$ of September 30, 1955—2,734
I SUBSCRIPTION RX'TEf (In Advaneel-Canads $3.00 Per Year; U.S.A. $4.00* |
50 YEARS AGO
Mr. Alvin Brintnell returned ___ ___u___ ___,, __
home from Goderich Saturday attending Macdonald Hall,
night, having completed his ' Guelph, is home for the holidays,
term’s work at Model School. llzzzzzhzz zz th"
A meeting of those interested - ^he day in Kirkton.
in a knitting factory was held in ™ni,nincf 1,11 nKmrt-
the Town Hall on Tuesday night,
but action was deferred until
the new year.
Mr. W. D. Sanders, who has
been putting in a system of
water works in hi? barn on Con.
2 Stephen is this week installing
a gasoline engine for the, pur
pose of chopping etc,
Misses Amy Johns, Jessie Dow;
and Anna Martin are expected
home from Toronto today.,
Some of the students arriving
home for the holidays are El
more Senior, Roy Farmer, Herb
Gregory, Ed Eacrett, Miss Win
nie Carling, Herb Pickard and
Miss Martha Carling.
15 YEARS AGO
There will be no election in
Exeter this year, all of the old.
officials being retained in of
fice.
Postmaster Pfaff estimates
about a ten per cent increase in
Christmas mailings.
The turnip waxing plant of S.
Winer and Co. has had a record
output of waxed- turnips with
36.000 bushels.
Misses Ann-Morgan and Grace
Decider of Usborne, who are at
tending London Normal, and
Miss Margaret Allison, Thames
Road, who is attending Wester
velt Business College, are home
for Christmas holidays.-.
The pupils of the Exeter Pub
lie School have invested $306,75
in JVar Savings Certificates And
stamps during the term from
July 1.
In a competition for- window
display of cioetrio lamps, spon
sored by the Ontario Hydro De
partment, Miss Dorothy Davis
won second prize and was
A
With ponderous glee
the list. “Who in the
all that’s* baffling,’’ I
Lulu Butterworth, and
we sending her a card?. I never
heard of her in my. life.” My
wife removes a stamp from her
tongue and uses it on me. “It
just so happens,” she says, in
measured tones, “that Lulu But
terworth is that dumb blonde
with the big bust that you thought
was so terrific in your philoso
phy lectures twelve years ago
and she sends us a card every
year with her apartment ad
dress and phone number in'Tor
onto, and I*d like to .know why.”
$ »
“Oh,” I say.
# * *■
There is a brief._____ ___
this. She has twelve cards, all
the same, left over from last '
year, and she’s poring over the
list, trying to figure out from
all the tick marks, X’s and hen
scratches who it was she sent
the cards to last year, with the
red Santa Claus on them. It
would be-just simply dread ful
if someone got the same card
two years in a row. Awful. A
gross breach of etiquette,
“Why in the holy old heck,”
I venture’ again, with a little
less assurance, "do we * send
cards to the Blankses?, We don’t
like them, we’ve never be.en in
their house, and half the time
she doesn’t even speak to me on
the street.” With icy logic, she
replies: “Because she’s a mem
ber of the Chapter and we were
on the Ways and Means Com-
mittee* together two years ago
__t up
*
I survey
name of
ask, “is
why are
My •
THE
STERLING TRUSTS
C O R P o
Head Office;
372 Bay St., Toronto
RATION
Branch Office
1-3 Dunlop St., Barrie
silence after
6
'-- ahd tHey sent
year."❖ 4*
I say.
* *
a card last
♦
*
EXETER
e
X
• THE COUNCIL OF THE TOWN OF EXETER
HAS' EMPOWERED ME TO PROCLAIM
Wednesday, December 26
•A
E
^Horseshoe pitching is the order
Ml Mm From
morning till night about 20 of
our citzens can be-found in the
church shed playing the game.
The Canadian National Rail-
‘ way will run a special train
from London to Wingham on
Christmas eve.
Family night was a feature of
the special Christmas Sunday
evening service at Main St.
Church. Two families With seven
children each: Messrs H. Jen
nings and H. J. Kestle, Were
present. ■
lessrs. Hugh Creech and Harry
Jennings of the University of
Western Ontario, Kenneth Stan-
bury Of Osgoode Hall, Toronto,
are home for the Christmas
holidays.
10 YEARS AGO
A Severe windstorm swept this
district Thursday evening and
did considerable damage. A stor
age building at the Huron Lum
ber' Company was completely
demolished.
The officers and directors of
the Exeter Agricultural Society
held a banquet at the Central
Hotel Friday evening. Mr. J.
Stewart, Ailsa Craig, was the
speaker.
A daylight attempt to rob the
jewellery store of Mr. Fred Cole
was foiled on Monday by Mrs.
Colo.
The first open meeting of the
newly formed Chamber of Com
merce, was held in the Legion
rooms Monday. Four groupings
have been set up: agriculture
under Preston Dearing; industry
under B. W. Tuckey; commerce
under . Ulric Snell and civics
under t>r. Doyle. I
R. N. Creech has resigned aS
chairman of the Hoard of Educa
tion which he has served, many
yoars^
, Silene’e, while I lick the glue
•”on envelopes and she writes ad
dresses on them. I think gloom
ily of the millions of dollars
spent on Christmas cards and
the’ stamps to mail them. Would-, •
■ n’t it. be much finer, if every-
■ •one just donated the cost of their
cards to a central fund? The
total cost would probably mean
two weeks in Florida this winter'
for every old-age pensioner in
Canada.
I’m not completely an old
crank about the Christmas card
business. It has many things in
its favour. For one, it tells me
once a ycai' that my two broth
ers are still alive. They have
wives who send us Christmas
cards. If they weren’t married,
I’d never hear from them,
, wouldn’t know where or whether
they lived, or how many kids
they had.
* # # #
(And I must admit it’s kind of
nice to hear from old friends.
Evgry yeai’ I get a card from
Clancy Mulligan, a bow-legged
little diggei* from Woolla-Worri,
Australia. An old air force side
kick, all he wanted to do was go
back to Austrylyer and raise &
$ * II pigs and he wished this
*- %&”*” war would finish so he
get at it. His cards each year
reads something like: “My oath,
Smiler, these $&$&’*”*”** pigs
are sending me fair &$&$*”
wild. I wish I was back in the
b”15"** air force.”
I always get a nostalgic smile
out of Clancy’s card. Of course
there’s another type of old friend
you get cards from. Couple of
years ago, I brought home a
batch of cards from the post
office. I never read them, just
throw them on the table for my
wife to check through and make
surO we get a card from every- .
body we sent one to.
—Please Turn To Page 3
The Reader
Comments
Letters to the editor published
herfeunddr represent views of in
dividual persons, We Invite read,
ers to make use of this column.
1956Clinton, December 15,
To The Editor:
On bohalf of Mr. Bolton,
mysdlf, who represent the _
tario Department of Agriculture
in this county, I would at this
time like to thank you for the
excellent coverage and publicity
given to farm meetings and
agricultural activities in 1956.
Trusting that we may continue
to enjoy this wonderful co-opera
tion and wishing you and the
menibers of your staff a very
Merry Christmas and a Happy
New Year,
G, W, Montgomery,
Agricultural Fepresentative,
For Huron County.
and
On*
4
Public Holiday
\
AND I HEREBY URGE ALL CITIZEN^
K TO OBSERVE IT AS SUCH. •
May I also -remind you to
r
■SX,
4
Drive Safely
Over The Holidays
R. E. POOLEY, Mayor
• 4 S
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