HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1973-10-11, Page 40;',VBEIMENNI
Times Established 1873
Advocate Established 1881
Amalgamated 1924
Ithe OteferZime.sabuocafe
SERVING CANADA'S BEST FARMLAND
C.W.N.A., O.W.N.A., CLASS 'A' and ABC
Editor -- Bill Batten — Advertising Manager
Assistant Editor — Ross Haugh
Women's Editor —• Susan Greer
Phone 235.1331
Put money on the roads
aaanaais i:
Wilson's Jewellery
Opposite Exeter Post Office
‘k\ ill BRIDAL-KNOT
HOME OF THE BEAUTIFUL
DIAMONDS
Insured and Repaired
FREE for One Year
Pleasing you pleases US
Anticipating the worst
An 18-year-old California youth is suing
the San. Francisco United School. District
and state education officials for $1-million.
The reason:
Although he attended class regularly,
caused no discipline problem and received
his high school graduation diploma on
Schedule he cannot read beyond the fifth-
grade level, he cannot understand basic job
application forms and as a result, accor-
ding to his statement of claim, he is "un-
qualified for employment other than the
most demeaning, unskilled, low-paid
labor."
The suit contends that under California
law, the state is responsible for minimal
education standards and establishing a
system to turn out pupils with these skills.
One education expert is reported to have
called it a "good hard suit that goes after
shoddy school work."
A number of education reformers have
welcomed the action,
Which gets us thinking about Ontario.
Ontario has abandoned compulsory sub-
jects in its high schools. Too repressive on
individual creativity. We wonder just how
long the lineups will be outside the cour-
trooms in a few years when some of our
graduates try coping in the adult-world
without minimal functional skills—skills,
say, in English, French or a knowledge of
how their country operates.
You think that's fanciful?
We point out that at last May's conven-
tion of the Ontario Public School Trustees
Association, it was mentioned that three or
four school boards in the province have
taken out liability insurance against that
very possibility,
Falling Asleep
Plenty of opportunity
Have you ever craved for the skill and
courage to drop your aggravating husband
flat on the doormat? Well, here's your
chance. Just read the half-page advertise-
ment in this issue listing the courses
available in Huron County schools. Slip
down to Exeter and enrol in a judo
class—for beginners as well as those who
already have a bit of practice.
Seriously—don't fail to look at that
advertisement. The four secondary schools
in the county are offering an amazing varie-
ty of night classes this year—and in our
books on-going education for adults is the
utlimate in a. well-balanced learning
process.
Naturally you will be most interested in
those courses which are offered in the
school nearest your own home, but even
that limitation leaves you all kinds of scope.
At the F. E, Madill school in Wingham the
classes range from upholstering to garden-
ing, from sewing to business mathematics,
history to gourmet cooking—and many
more.
Some of the more unusual courses
offered in the'other schools include physical
fitness for both men and women, pottery,
electricity for home owners, basic tran-
sistors, farm engines and hydraulics, short
hand,,golf instruction., moral problems in a
permissive society, consumer education,
taxidermy, computer programming, speed
reading, Of particular interest to those who
are anxious to complete secondary school
education are credit courses in various sub-
jects from Grade X through Grade XIII.
The most important aspect of any
educational system should be to instill in
the child a continuing thirst for knowledge
and the basic abilities which will permit
him, as.an adult, to educate himself until
the end of his days. Many, many well-
informed people in generations gone by had
to leave formal schooling in the early
grades of elementary school. They were the
intelligent minds which simply continued to
learn from life and events about them.
Night classes, of course, speed the ac-
quisition of knowledge immeasurably and
offer new avenues of interest for those who
may feel that their lives have become a bit
boring—or be of pointed assistance to per-
sons who realize that a new skill would
materially boost their chances of success in
earning a living,
If you are interested in night classes it
would be wise to enrol at once, because any
course will be withdrawn if there is lack of
evidence that a meaningful number of per-
sons are interested. The telephone numbers
of each of the schools are listed.
Wingham Advance-Times
• • . ...........................
A Bob, barmaid, brigadier
Last week I was talking of the
fun of meeting people when you
are travelling. It's not that your
friends at home are dull.
They're probably more in-
teresting than some of the types
with whom you become bosom
buddies on short acquaintance.
But the people you meet on
holiday are a refreshing af-
firmation that the earth contains
an infinite variety of creatures of
the human species.
This week I'd like to finish
these thoughts by introducing you
to three greatly different people
we met in England; a Bob, A
Barmaid, and a Brigadier,
Hurtling from Edinburgh to
Chester on a train, we picked up
at the ancient and bloody old city
of Carlisle, near the Scottish
border, an addition to our
compartment.
I didn't mean that Carlisle is
bloody in the sense of bloody
awful. But it did change hands
several times in the bloody
border wars. And it was there
that William Wallace, the great
Scots rebel, was put on public
view in a cage, before he was
hanged, drawn and quartered,
and his parts affixed on various
pikepoles about the city, as a
lesson to the Scots "rebels", in
the fourteenth century.
Anyway, Bob Mitchell proved
an agreeable travelling com-
panion. He was interested, in-
teresting and affable. We'd been
in the same war, he on corvettes
in the navy, I in the air force, We
nattered about taxes, housing
costs, comparative incomes.
As we rattled through the
Lakes District, he went to pains
to point out things and sights of
interest. He suggested a good
restaurant in London. A veritable
gentleman, in this age of boors.
He proved this when we
stopped to change for Chester. I
started wrestling with our
luggage and an incipient
coronary. Before I could say,
"Bob Mitchell", he had whipped
the two big suitcases off the
overhead rack, nipped out and
put them on the platform. You'd
have to be a basket case for this
to happen to you in Canada.
During our earlier con-
versation, he told me he had a
cousin in Neepawa, Man, I told
him my column was in the
Neepawa Press. So here's his
message to his cousin: "Ask if
Fred Crook remembers his visits
to the Roman Wall area of
Cumberland and Nor-
thumberland and his walks along
the beach at Southborune."
There you are, Fred Crook.
The Barmaid, I'd been telling
my wife for years about the
barmaids of Britain. They are
NOT the busty, blowsy barmaids
of fiction. But they are a breed of
their own, with their, "Wot'll it
be, ducks?" , and "Ta, Luv." Ta
means thanks.
But they seemed to be a
vanishing breed, supplanted by
young women with too much
make-up, wearing slacks and a
bored expression.
I was beginning to despair of
finding a real English barmaid.
But we did. She was Heather, in
the Tudor, Westminster Hotel,
Chester. She was 100 percent
proof of everything I'd been
telling the Old Lady.
She ran that bar like the
ringmaster of a three-ring circus.
Excellent service, a joke or a
personal word for all the
regulars. No play for tips.
Peanuts or potato chips for
anyone who looked as though he
needed it. And all the time
humming a song, pirouetting
behind the bar, actually enjoying
life. A delightful person.
And nobody, but nobody, got
out of line in that pub, It was not a
matter of rules, or threats, but of
personality.
Then there was the Brigadier.
He was another kettle of fish, a
horse of a different colour, or,
rather, of a number of different
colours, like a chameleon.
He was either a Scottish lord or
the biggest liar in London, and I
lean toward the latter,
We had a casual drink together,
and he was friendly. I swiftly
This week, many fellow
Ontario residents are enjoying a
"holiday" in Halifax as delegates
to the annual meeting of the
Roads and Transportation
Association of Canada.
From the outset, let us agree
that a national road conference
has some merit. Everyone will
agree there isn't a place in
Ontario that can't stand a little
improvement in roads.
However, many should
challenge the numbers attending
the conference and the costs to be
incurred by the taxpayers.
Oxford county apprently holds
some claim to the record for
attendance. At least 23 county
councillors were planning to
attend and another four were still
giving the matter consideration
at last check.
The cost to the ratepayers was
expected to be around $10,000,
It's been a tradition for Oxford
county councillors to attend the
national road conference. L,at
year, 21 went to Vancouver and
the year before that some 18
hopped off to Winnipeg.
Such extravagance is
ridiculous and it's a safe bet to
argue that if all the county
councillors stayed home and put
the $10,000 each year into roads,
the result would be much greater
than that attained by attending
the convention as far as the
county roads are concerned.
Following last week's reading
of the September police report by
Chief Ted Day, Mayor Jack
Delbridge had occasion to
remark that "it's becoming more
like Chicago every day".
His reference was to the
lengthy list of crimes, par-
ticularly thefts.
In several cases the crimes
were perpetrated by juveniles
(youngsters under 14).
In most cases of this nature, the
learned that he was 58 (he looked
42), had been in the Cameron
Highlanders, was a retired
Brigadier, had been with British
intelligence, "But we mustn't
talk about that, of course."
That's when I began to suspect.
When he told me he spoke
Hungarian, Roumanian and
Polish without an accent, my
suspicions deepened.
When I said, in my blunt
Canadian way, "How come?", he
answered airily, "Part of the job,
old boy,"
When I asked his name, he
said, "Just call me Cameron." It
seemed he was the Lord of
Lochiel, and he muttered about
,the Camerons and their feuds
with the McDonalds and others,
He had an unnerving habit of
drinking six Pernods while I was
worrying through two half pints.
Then he'd get quite stoned and
mumble on and on, "I'm drunk. I
say, I'm drunk. I'm as drunk es a
lord, But of course I am a lord, so
it's all right."
We parted after several en-
counters, and I asked for his
address. He wrote down,
"Cameron" and an address in
Edinburgh, Then he thought
better, and above "Cameron" he
wrote, "Lord of Locher. Then
he thought again, and in front of
that wrote, "Rt. lion." Only
thing, he couldn't spell Lochiel.
Later that week, hi Edinburgh,
I was tempted to check at the
address he'd given, but decided
against. Didn't want to spoil a
beautiful myth,
Well, there you are, A Bob, a
Barmaid, and a Brigadiers
police advise the parents of the
theft and leave the punishment in
their hands.
However, they no doubt will
have to question this policy if the
incidents continue to increase.
Juvenile court officials may
have to deal with some of the
culprits and a few words from
some parents may avert this
unpleasant visit,
+ + +
Speaking of court, some of-
ficials appear to be seriously
weakening the threat over the
heads of drinking drivers when
they approve restricted licence
suspensions giving convicted
impaired drivers the right to
drive for purposes of their work.
When restricted licence
suspensions appear almost
automatic, there is bound to be,
less hesitancy on the part of
people to worry about drinking,
To lose your licence only for the
purpose of pleasure driving
results in a situation that may be'
termed a nuisance, but certainly
not a hardship.
With drinking drivers being
responsible for the major portion
of the death, injury and property
damage totals that occur on our
highways, a punishment that
creates a hardship appears
necessary.
+ + +
Readers who are wondering
how the editor's no smoking
50 Years Ago
Mr. Clayton Prouty is suffering
with a compound fracture of the
right leg. 'Mr. Prouty was
working in the gravel pit owned
by Dunsford Bros., Hay township
when without warning the pit
caved in and he was partly buried
beneath the falling earth.
The fine double bank barn of
Mr. William Darling of the third
concession of McGillivray near
Clandeboye was competely
destroyed by fire together with
the season's crop, a pure bred
Hereford bull and several pigs.
Mr. Darling just completed his
threshing that afternoon.
The Plymouth Brethren have
rented the old YPCA building for
the purpose of holding gospel
meetings.
The 13th annual convention of
the Exeter and Usborne Sunday
School Association met Tuesday
in Thames Road Presbyterian
Church with President J.W.
Skinner in the chair.
25 Years Ago
Exeter chapter OES celebrated
its tenth anniversary last Mon-
day.
Six brides were received into
church membership at Thames
Road United Church on Sunday
morning: Mrs. Lorne Passmore,
Mrs. Almer Passmore; Mrs.
Donald Kernick; Mrs, Beverley
Morgan; Mrs. William Rohde;
and Mrs. Edwin Miller.
Prizes for the best skating
couple at the Exeter Roller Rink
carnival went to Marion Webber
and Bill Musser.
The Exeter Lions Club,
sponsors of the Lucan Lions Club
held a joint session with the
Lucan club on Friday evening.
A new railway siding is being
built into the new plant 'of the
Exeter Rutabaga Company in
Exeter north,
campaign is progressing will
undoubtedly be pleased — to say
nothing of being downright
surprised — to learn that he has
now completed three weeks
without one cigarette.
It has not been easy as others
will attest, but we've done so
much talking in the back shop at
coffee break about the dangers
and evils of the foul habit that it is
now nearing the stage where it is
impossible to succumb to the
habit again.
A couple of our cohorts who are
unable to show the necessary self
restraint to.give up the habit are
waiting patiently for the writer
to tumble from his high horse so
they can unceremoniously laugh
him right out of town.
Actually they're afraid we'll
succeed in having "no smoking"
rules printed on the walls to
protect the innocent non-smokers
from the hazards to which they
are subjected 'by the curls of
smoke eminating from certain
areas of the plant.
We regret that other non-
smokers have yet failed to in-
dicate their support for our plan
to banish smokers from our midst
at meetings, sporting events,
etc., etc.
Come on, let's put an end to the
nuisance, f they want to smoke,
let them gather in small rooms
away from those of us wanting
clean, fresh air.
Out with the butts!
15 Years Ago
Steve Storey, who has patrolled
right wing for the Lucan Irish for
the past four seasons, has been
named playing coach of the Irish
Six for the '58 - '59 season.
The Exeter Times-Advocate
offers to award the person who
sends in the best news tip of the
week, two free tickets to the
Lyric Theatre which may be used
for any regular performance,
About 35 pupils of Drayton
school attended the marriage in
the. Christian Reform Church,
Exeter of Betty Petrusma,
Ottawa to their teacher, William
VanWeiren, on Saturday.
McGillivray School Area Board
have taken an option on land for a
central school on the farm of Levi
White, concession 14 and have
engaged an architectural firm.
10 Years Ago
Staffa Merchants, won the OBA
"C" crown Sunday by defeating
Little Britain 7-6 staged a happy
parade on a Model "T" through
Staffa, Cromarty and Mitchell
following the victory,
Ivan Hunter-Duvar, local
businessman escaped with
minor injuries Sunday when the
plane lie was piloting crashed on
a runway at RCAF Station
Centralia.
Exeter Lions made a good start
Thursday night in their raffle
canvass, part of a campaign to
raise $4,000 for welfare work for
the coming year,
The new $210,000 Biddulph
Central School will be officially
opened Friday night in a public
ceremony.
Trucks of area farmers are
making frequent trips to Staffa
Creamery to draw water for their
livestock. Well below normal
rainfall has resulted in many
wells going dry and up to 35
farmers are drawing from this
source.
A little girl fell out of bed
during the night. Her mother,
hearing the crash rushed in to
pick her up, crooning sympathy.
I'm alright, Mommy," said the
wee one, "I just fell asleep too
close to where I got in,"
It seems very often we church
people fall asleep too close to
where we got in.
We may start off with plenty of
zeal but gradually lag and droop
until we're dead to the world. And
if there are a few who manage to
keep awake they seem aplogetic
for doing so, Some of use are even
afraid to admit we're Christians
and pussyfoot around lest we
offend someone.
Non-Christians are not afraid
to state where they stand . . . why
should we be?
Well meaning people have
cautioned me, "Don't talk it
around so much that you're a
Christian , . you'll turn people
off." Well, that certainly says
something for the Christianity of
to-day doesn't it?
Madeleine L'Engle says in her
book, Circle of Quiet, that she
wouldn't mind if being a
Christian was a dangerous thing.
If, when a group of Christians
met for bread and wine they
might expect to be interrupted
and jailed for subversive ac-
tivities, or if they were once
again thrown to the lions. But
what she does mind, she says, is
that 'Christian' means for so
many people smugness, and
piousity and holier-than-
thouness.
How many Christians do you
recognize because of 'how those
Christians love each other'?
Not much wonder those outside
the church are confused, They
long for God and are offered all
too often piousity, sociology or
superstar entertainment, none of
which meets their needs.
Many churches are just
hideouts to go to escape the awful
demands of God or a good place
to go to sleep,
We hear so many people say,
"But I'm not sure I'm a
Christian .. how do I know?"
It's simple . , either you are or
you aren't.
You would think me ridiculous
if I said to you, "I'm not sure, but
I think I belong to the Whilsmith
family. I hope I'm married, but it
would be presumptuous of me to
say I'm certain of it."
Either I am married to that
long-suffering man of mine or
I'm not. My marriage certificate
clearly states that I am.
God says he has adopted us into
his family, and we are sons and
joint heirs with Christ to all his
goodness.
Of course, it all comes down to
trust. When my husband and I
were married we had to trust that
each of us would not run out on
the other and stay around
through thick and thin. He
promised me he would, and I took
him at his word.
So it is with God. "The man
who comes to me I will never, no
never throw out," said Jesus
(John 6;7) So, we believe him.
When God tells us we are
adopted into his family even
though we haven't earned the
adoption certificate, have paid
nothing, have no idea how it will
work out and can't quote one good
reference for ourselves, we can
count on it as we have never
counted on anything else in our
lives.
And once we've gotten that
straight and caught the ex-
citement and joyful possibilities
of the situation we should be off
and running and deep enough into
our faith to be in no danger of
falling asleep.
trtaklaarans,
Published Each Thursday Morning
at Exeter, Ontario
Second Class Mail
Registration Number 0366
Paid in Advance Circulation,
March 31, 1972, 5,037
SUI3SCRIPTION RATES: Canada $8.00 Per Year; USA $10.00
Notice to Owners of
Dogs and Cats
FREE RABIES
CLINICS
The Huron County Health Unit, in uo-operation with
the Health of Animals Branch of the Canada Depart-
ment of Agriculture will be holding free rabies clinics
at the following:
Thursday, October 12-2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
BAYFIELD TOWN HALL
Monday, October 15-2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
HENSALL ARENA
Tuesday, October 16-2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
EXETER ARENA
Wednesday, October 17-2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
GRAND BEND FIRE HALL