HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1969-11-27, Page 4Seuedeote
If the pen be mightier than the sword, then this community has
lost one of its more conscientious "warriors" in the person of J. M.
Southcott, publisher of the newspaper.
For some 67 years J. M. was engaged in the betterment of this
community, an opinion easily reached through a cursory review of the
yellowed files in our office which contain the words of wisdom,
sympathy, congratulations and challenge which flowed from his heart
and mind over those many years.
He was a pioneer in the publishing business, having worked his
way through the many facets of the business to become a publisher.
His career started on September 2, 1902 as a printer's devil with
The Exeter Times, although he had been a carrier boy for the
newspaper several years before that.
As printer's devil, he was required to work 60 hours a week and
his duties included looking after the fires, sweeping the floors and
setting the type for the newspaper by hand.
Only five-feet four inches in height, the young compositor had
to stand on a wooden box to reach the eight-point type in which the
newspaper was set. Each letter was handled individually at that time.
In 1910, J. M. purchased controlling interest in the newspaper
and became managing editor at a salary of $65 a month.
In 1924, while he was in control of The Times, he purchased the
Exeter Advocate and the papers were amalgamated.
The charter of the company was surrendered in 1941 when J. M.
acquired all of the capital stock. It remained in his name until 1953
when he took his two sons, Robert and Donald, into the formation of
The Exeter Times-Advocate Ltd., a private company.
He had a hand in printing over 3,000 editions of this newspaper,
and while failing health terminated his active contributions to the news
columns in the past couple of years, his frequent visits to the office
often included a few "news tips" he had heard from a fellow lodge
member or over a cup of coffee at a local restaurant.
In a sense, he never did retire from a vocation to which he had
devoted his time and talents.
He encouraged changes in the mechanical production of this
newspaper, although it spelled an end to an era which he had enjoyed
so much. His sole interest was in seeing this newspaper grow and
improve with the community and he looked on in awe at some of the
computerized equipment at work as he probably did when he installed
the firm's first linotype in 1911.
* * * *
J. M. was first and`foremost a family man, although his family
extended into broader terms than most of us think. In the first instance
it included his parents and brothers and sister and it was a tightly knit
group that enjoyed the things that families did at the turn of the
century.
It never dissipated and at one time he and two of his brothers
and a sister lived on nearby properties. This close association spilled
over into their business lives.
His own family was also a closely tied unit and he welcomed his
two sons into the business.
Then there was The T-A family, a name he gave to the group of
men and women who worked in the actual production of the
newspaper, as well as the men and ladies throughout the countryside
who weekly contributed news budgets.
On many occasions he spoke in glowing terms of the
contributions of each and every one in producing a prize winning
newspaper and a newspaper that reflected the growth and spirit of the
community.
J.M.'s other family included his community. Despite an energetic
schedule that had to be followed in the weekly production of a
newspaper, he always found time to contribute to the betterment of
the community in an active way.
He served on the village council here for two years, but was
defeated when he supported a movement for the construction of a new
school.
He was a member and chairman of the board of education, a
member of the arena board when that building was erected and later
chairman of the same board.
In other fields, he organized the district older boys' parliament
which met for several years at James St. United Church; served as
Scoutmaster of the Exeter troop for a number of years; was recording
steward of James St. United Church for 32 years and he was associated
with the late I. Hubert Jones in providing leadership at the Sunday
School for many years.
He was a member of the Exeter Lions, I.O.O.F. and had received
his 50-year jewel from the Masonic Lodge.
In sports, he once won first prize for the 100-yard event in a
registered track meet in Stratford in the time of 10.2 seconds. He was
president of the old tennis club and an active lawn bowler who
competed in many district tournaments and was a member of an Exeter
rink which won one of the events in the WOBA in London in 1955.
In the newspaper field, J. M. was a past president of the Ontario
Weekly Newspaper Association and in 1963 he was named "Man of the
Year" by that group. He was a member of the Canadian Newspaper
Association and a charter member of the Canadian Weekly Newspapers
Association
J. M.'s writings always displayed a keen sense of the country
around him, and much of this was gleaned from his frequent attendance
at newspaper conventions and events from coast to coast.
He had been overseas twice with other Canadian editors on tour
of England and the continent. He first went in 1922, when he attended
a garden party at Buckingham Palace and was among the group
presented to King Albert of Belgium. It was on this tour, too, that he
and the late R. N. Creech, then editor of The Advocate, represented
Exeter, Ontario, at a civic banquet in Exeter,-England.
In 1956, he and Mrs. Southcott went overseas on a CWNA tour
and while in Rome, they had an audience with the Pope.
Over the years, J. M. was instrumental in the training of several
printer's devils who, following their stay in Exeter, went on to new
horizons.
He was a man who never gave one the indication he was the boss.
You didn't work for 3. M., you worked with him.
The writer can recall early in his career as a printer's devil
undertaking the task of cutting large press sheets in half to be fed
through the folder.
He came over to note that we should be careful to keep the
papers straight. However, he followed this with an explanation of why
it was important to the men who would handle the paper that it be
straight. He took the time always to explain the "why" so the job could
be put into perspective by the person undertaking that job.
Later the same afternoon he came over to commend us on the
fact we were now doing a better job, a job which he noted was an
important part of publishing the newspaper.
A young boy's pride swelled that day and this was one of the
many examples we could use to point out how much we all will miss
the "head of the family".
*
J. M. Southcott, in his 84th year, died Thursday morning at
South Huron Hospital.
He is survived by his wife, the former Florence Alma May; two
sons, Robert, Exeter, and Donald, Clarkson; one sister, Miss Stella,
Exeter; two brothers, T. Orville, Exeter, and the Rev. R. E., Oil City;
and six grandchildren.
He was predeceased by one daughter, Florence, in 1955, and also
by three brothers.
The funeral, arranged by the Hopper-Hockey Funeral Home, was
conducted in Exeter United Church, Saturday, by the Rev. Glen
Wright.
Interment was in Exeter Cemetery.
Pallbearers included six members of The Exeter Times-Advocate
staff: Frank Creech, Robert Nicol, Harry DeVries, Bill Batten, Ross
Haugh and Howie Wright,
- 30 - 111•1110111•MINM
Rewarding job
.............................................................
Olaf
A
tommoolf
newspaper,
Amalgamated 1924
room. Harrowing is the world.
So I spent Saturday
afternoon Ong over the poems
with her and getting her all
muddled up. But she left with a
pile of notes and the feeling that
she could survive the ordeal.
Sunday afternoon I met two
more former students, under
different circumstances. I
couldn't help them with their
work. It was in a funeral home
and their mother was dead,
tragically, after a brief illness. I
kissed the girls and hugged them.
There wasn't anything else to do
or say.
Sunday night, one of them,
Liz, closest friend of our
daughter since Grade 7, came
around and spent two hours
talking with my wife and me. No
weeping, just talking in her
sensible, sweet, 19-year-old way.
And last of all, there was
another former student, my own
kid, Kim, staggering around in
that horrible chaos of first-year
university. Bell Telephone stock
took another good shot in the
arm when her mother called her
Sunday night.
She had just discovered that
she'd been missing two biology
lectures a week, all fall, because 0
they weren't on her timetable.
And maybe this was the reason
she wasn't doing so well in
biology. And she has an exam in
it this week and she knows she'll
fail and she'd like nothing better
than to quit the whole silly
business and get a job as a
waitress.
And that's the way it goes, if
you're a teacher. I've been at it
for only ten years, but in that
time, I've found very few
youngsters who are vile or
despicable. There are some. But
most of them are funny,
confused, lost, brash, shy,
aggressive, kooky.
It's only when they become
adults that they seem to turn
into pompous bores, nagging
wives, stuffed shirts, shrews,
gossips and all manner of
unpleasant creatures of both
sexes. •
Perhaps there's a great
universal truth in there
somewhere. But I can't find it.
However, it makes up for a lot
of the frustration and
nerve-rending days of teaching
when the blase, sophisticated
teen-agers come back to see the
old man when they're in trouble.
Most teachers become very
fond of certain students. And,
believe it or not, some students
become very fond of certain
teachers.
This was made painfully clear
to me over the weekend. I
became involved with a veritable
spate of my former students.
They're all at university now and
each was going through some
part of the particular hell that
that involves.
It began on Friday afternoon.
Gerry appeared at my classroom
door, looking like a rabbit that
has just nad a run-in with a wolf.
While the class I was about to
teach chattered about what they
were going to do tonight,
chewed their gum, waved their
mini-skirted legs, or dropped
into a deep slumber, Gerry told
me his troubles.
He is one of the nicest boys
and one of the weakest English
students, it has ever been my
fate to encounter. He's the kid
who rushed about last June and
bought me a bottle of burgundy
and six golf balls after receiving
the incredible news that he'd
passed in English.
His only problem Friday was
that he had three essays to write
in six days. He was looking for a
life belt. I was fresh out of them,
but gave him some reference
books, some sympathy and some
ideas on how to tackle his
essays.
I don't think he has a hope in
heaven of passing his semester,
under those conditions, but he's
learned something: you don't
wait until an essay is breathing
down your neck before you
write it.
That very night, another
former student called her mum,
who lives across the street from
us. She wanted to know if the
Smileys were going to be home
for the weekend. If so, she was
coming home, because she had
to see Mr. Smiley.
She has graduated and is
attending a college of education,
purportedly learning to be a high
school teacher. Her problem was
a little different. She had to
teach some poetry this week as
part of that 20th century form
of the Spanish Inquisition
known as "practice teaching."
This involves facing a class of
strange students, with an
eagle-eyed professional teacher
watching from the back of the
50 YEARS AGO
An electric motor to run the
organ blower was installed in
Main Street Church last week.
Mr. W. R. Stewardson has
disposed of his barbering
business to Mr. John Hockey.
The Advocate this week
replaced their gasoline engine
with an electric motor.
The contract for the
Soldiers-Memorial at Hensel has
been awarded to Messrs.
Cunningham and Pryde for
$2,500. The monument will be
of granite and the statue will be
six feet, the whole being about
fourteen feet high.
Mrs. Beavers, County
President of the W.C.T.U.
returned on Monday night after
attending the provincial
convention held at Guelph last
week.
25 YEARS AGO
A delegation of officers and
brothers of Scarboro Lodge 438,
ICOF, called on Rev. James
Anthony and presented him
with a jewel of the Order. Rev.
Anthony has been an Oddfellow
since 1901 and was a charter
member and Noble Grand of
Scarboro Lodge.
Wilbert James Venner, driver
of a gasoline truck for W. C.
Allison, died suddenly of a heart
attack at the store of James
Trevethick and Son, Brinsley.
County Treasurer A. H.
Erskine in submitting the
financial statement at Huron
County Council, estimated a
surplus of $27,601.24 at the end
of the year.
15 YEARS AGO
Beth Taylor, daughter of Mr.
& Mrs. Harold Taylor, Usborne,
was presented with a Women's
Institute scholarship of $100 at
the annual provincial meeting in
Toronto last week.
A meeting to organize a
community safety council will
be held Tuesday night under the
sponsorship of the Exeter Home
and School Association.
Stores in Exeter will remain
open Wednesday afternoons
during December, R. E. Russell,
chairman of the Businessmen's
Association said this week.
Over 75 junior fanners from
Huron County took a bus tour
to the Royal Winter Fair in
Toronto on Saturday. The trip
was conducted by Harold Baker,
assistant agricultural
representative, and two buses
were required to transport the
crowd.
Thieves failed to open the
safe at Exeter District
Co-operative Monday night
when they broke into the
building near the station.
10 YEARS AGO
Elston Cardiff Huron MP was
named parliamentary secretary
to Agriculture Minister,
Harkness last week.
Preston Dearing and son,
Gerald RR 1, Exeter, captured
every, major prize in the Dorset
Horned sheep competition at the
Royal again this year.
Mrs. H. Cleven of Winnipeg is
visiting with her sister, Mrs. C. S.
MacNaughton, and her brother,
Jack Fulcher, and their families.
The Exeter Kinette club
members on Monday night
attended the Exeter Lyric
Theatre as the social part of
their meeting.
Old Orchard Lord Vern 24L,
owned by Whitney Coates and
Son, RR 1 Centralia, captured
highest honors for Canadian
Herefords Thursday when it won
the grand championship ribbon
at the Royal
Times Established 1103 Advocate Established 1851
exefer'Zinies-Atwocate
SERVING CANADA'S BEST FARMLAND
0.W.N.A.i CLASS 'k and ABC
Editor— Bill Batten Advertising Manager
Phone 225.1331
Published Each Thursday Morning
at Exeter, Ontario
Second Cleat Mall
Registration Number 03M
Paid in Advance Circulation,
September 30, 1968, 4,520
SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada W® Per Year' USA $8.80