HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1975-10-16, Page 4By Bill Batten
Imagine it ... no longer is
there a Southcott name on the
mastbea.d or this newspaper!
For those of us who have been
knocking around this establish-
Meat for the past quarter century
or so, that is indeed a strange
feeling and also signals the end of
a record. In his historical review
of Exeter, Joe Wooden noted that
the Southcott name held the
longevity record in local business
ownership. It was a name
associated with newspapers in
this community for 73 years.
The writer's personal tie with
the family in a business way
The late J. M. Southcott, who started his newspaper career in 1902
and amalgamated The Times and The Advocate in 1924.
Mrs. .1. M. Southcott worked for many years on the T-A and is shown
here with Dorothy Davis of the Exeter PUC staff. Mrs. Southcott was
women's editor and assisted in the front office operation as well.
9a.ty,ft 20e/4m-ea
4V"
Robert Southcott putting together a page of the T-A when it was
printed by the letterpress method. Robert joined his father in the
business in 1945, later becoming the publisher. He sold the newspaper
last week to J. W. Eedy Publications Limited of St. Marys,
Don Southcott shown chatting with Elmer D. Bell. Don was editor of the
newspaper from 1950 to 1964.
Our response to now
By ELMORE BOOMER
Counsellor for
Information South Huron
For appointment
phone; 235-0560
Endangered privacy
Distinguished newspaper service terminated 1-
Numbers or quality
Should we go to court?
Something came up on my
Saskatchewan holiday this
summer past that rather in-
trigued me, and I thought it
might strike a chord, responsive
or otherwise. in the breast, or
breasts, of my best friends. the
readers of this column.
I had thrown a small and un-
select party on thelast night of the
convention. At least it began
small. It grew steadily larger
because it was unselect:
everybody who passed the open
door of my room was hollered at
to common in.
Fortunately, most of the people
who were passing were weekly
newspaper people with their
wives, girl friends, or grand-
mothers. With regard to the
ladies. I must confess, said he
gallantly, that you couldn't tell
the girls from the grandmothers.
Perhaps that is because it's
Women's International Year. but
I doubt it. I have noticed in the
last few years that girls are
becoming more like grand-
mothers: the glasses, the long
skirts, the humped shoulders:
and, for good or worse, grannies
are becoming more like girls:
smoking cigarettes, drinking rye
whiskey, and elevating their
bosoms, with the aid of goodness-
only-knows-what miracles of
elastic, to positively perilous
positions.
Well, back to the party.
Federal and provincial politics.
women's lib, starving editors.
rotten kids, and overpaid
workers, were dealt with fairly
smartly and expeditiously. They
were all bad, we agreed. except
for the starving editors, the last
bulwark in the fight for freedom,
law and order, the old virtues,
and a return to the "good years"
of the Depression.
This was standard for a party,
and I was pleased that everything
was so cool. But, as every host or
hostess of every party,
everywhere, and every time,
knows, most people sensibly go
home to bed, and mine host is
stuck with the Rag-Tag and Bob-
Tail of the party, who still have a
few bones stuck in their craws
and want to wash them away with
some fairly strong solvent.
It happened. I won't mention
names, because they are two fine
western editors, good to their
children, kind to their wives,
pillars of their communities, and
I don't want them run out of town
on some torn-up rails of a defunct.
line of the C.P.R. not tarred and
feathered, but smeared from
head to foot with printers' ink and
copies of their old editorials.
I'll just call them Rag-Tag and
Bob-Tail. Rag-Tag finally ran out
of arguments and steam about 4
a.m.. but Bob-Tail kept me up
until 6.47 a.m., the bus leaving at
8.30 for the fishing trip, me going,
him not, and I hope, if he reads
this. he is dying slowly and
painfully from an incurable
disease.
This is what they got hacking
about. with me as the judge:
should or should not a weekly
editor run in his columns court
new s?
And that is why i thought you
readers might have an opinion.
Rat-Tag said: "Absolutely. It is
Times Established 1873 Advocate Established 1881
exeferZtnes-,A6Liocafe
SERVING CANADA'S BEST FARMLAND
0,W.N,A. CLASS 'A' and ABC
Published by J. W. Eedy Publications Limited
Editor — Bill Batten — Advertising Manager
Assistant Editor — Ross Haugh
Plant Monoger — Les Webb
Composition Manager -- Dave Worby
Business Manager — Dick Jongkind
Phone 235-1331
SUBSCRIPTION
started 25 years ago, and it is
naturally with personal regret
that we now see that association
being terminated .
However, it brings back many
fine memories, starting with my
first encounter with printing ink
as a printer's devil, and stret-
ching through the progression of
years when I had the privilege of
sitting down with Robert to
discuss the decisions that go into
the management of a newspaper.
While a person may be
egotistical enough to suggest that
his development may have been
fostered through personal effort,
it doesn't take much to realize
that the major portion of it
resulted from the tutelage of the
four Southcotts,
Perhaps the most important
ingredient that was quickly in-
stilled in my mind was that of
dedication. It was not merely a
dedication to make profitable
business, but a dedication to
serve a community and turn out a
product that not only mirrored
the activities in that community,
but acted as a leader through its
news and editorial columns
Don Southcott was probably the
hardest employer this writer
ever had. To use the word "slave-
driver" would not be unrealistic.
However, it was not in the con-
notation that the word implies. It
was strictly through example.
From Monday morning
through to Wednesday evening,
Don practically worked around
the clock in his successful drive
to make The Times-Advocate one
of the leading weekly newspapers
in Canada.
Not only did he set standards
that those of us in his employ
found difficult at times to follow,
but he set standards that other
newspapers emulated and his
leadership in that regard was in
no small way responsible for the
progress that the industry has
enjoyed in recent years.
That may suggest to some that
the long hours were spent
primarily in producing a good
looking newspaper. Far from it.
The main objective was always to
cover the local news as fully as
possible and many times we
know Don gave up time in which
he could have been more
profitably engaged selling ad-
vertising space to devote his
energies and abilities to covering
a major story that he knew would
affect the community he served
or in pondering over an editorial
to suggest some project that
our duty. No one can be spared.
We owe it to our readers. If I
myself were convicted of
it inthe
paper."
im-
paired driving,I would run
Bob-Tail spoke thus: "Blank-
beep! Who do you think you are —
God? The guy or the gal has
already been judged and sen-
tenced by the law. He or she has
been punished. All you are doing
by printing it in the paper is
doubling the sentence, exposing
him or her to the scorn and
contempt of friends and neigh-
bors and salivating sensation-
seekers who swoop like vultures
on the garbage that is other
peoples' troubles."
As you can see, Bob-Tail was a
little more poetic. But Rag-Tag
was not to be downed so easily.
He fought back.
"0 K,. smart-ass. What would
you do if there was a murder in
your town?" You'll note that he
had by now dropped the sub-
junctive.
Bob-Tail: "I'd ignore it. I'd say
in the paper that So-and-So had
passed away on. Such-and-Such.
If the Calgary papers wanted to
come in and make a big murder
thing of it, let 'em. You knowwhat
I'd do? I'd go and see the widow
or widower) and talk to her (or
him; as a friend."
I won't bore you with any more.
The argument went on for two
hours, with the judge (me),
looking at a non-existent watch,
brightly mentioning that the
fishing trip was starting in two
hours, and even calling room
Amalgamated 1924
would help the area progress.
Many times, such as with the
local planning board, he not only
editorially pushed its formation,
but be then joined that board as a
member to get the machinery
into gear.
He stepped on toes, but never
maliciously, and was first and
foremost the journalist who
didn't hesitate to write things as
he saw them, even though he
knew his comments could prove
costly in terms of lost business by
upsetting an advertiser.
He gave of his time to the board
of trade, the Kinsmen club and
many other community projects
and gave much more than he
ever received from the com-
munity.
Our earliest association in this
newspaper was more directly
related with Robert, of course,
and as it turned out, the last 10
years have again been spent in
working with him after Don left
the business.
Robert and I crossed paths
prior to sharing printer's ink as
he was among one of my early
Sunday School teachers. One of
the highlights of my young days
was when he loaded up the half
dozenkids in the class and treated
us to a dinner in Toronto and an
NHL hockey game. Such outings
for 11-year-old kids in that day
and age were comparable to a
world tour today as far as thrills
and sheer awe are concerned. He
probably had questions about
that trip after it was planned as
he had to remind his country
bumkin class to use the proper
silverware in the restaurant and
on the way home we ran into a
severe ice storm that no doubt
had him wondering if the outing
was worthwhile.
The writer's care-free life
turned around suddenly when
Robert first approached me to
consider attending Ryerson
Institute of Technology to take
the printing management course
on an arrangement to be partially
financed by the T-A.
That was the push that set the
course for the following years of
my life and obviously I owe a debt
of gratitude for that.
When Don left the firm to start a
paper in Stratford, I was asked to
assume the role of editor,
fulfilling a dream that only the
luckiest of printer's devils can
fulfill.
Robert, through the years, has
worked diligently in developing
this newspaper into today's
standards and certainly shared
the credit along with Don for the
innovations that established
standards for others in this in-
dustry.
The Times-Advocate possesses
one of the most modern com-
mercial printing plants to be
found in the weekly newspaper
field in this country, and with the
exception of the editor's office,
the plant is kept in impeccable
condition.
Robert also has been a leader
in this community, despite the
heavy commitment in time which
he has given to his own business.
His work in the church is known
across the province and any
organization has known the
capabilities and leadership he
has freely given them when they
were fortunate enough to have his
interest. Of late, that interest has
spread into the work among
retarded children and the Huron
Country Playhouse, while older
residents of the community will
recall his efforts in recreation,
Kinsmen and other area ac-
tivities.
While he is giving up the reins
of this newspaper, we know he
service to see what time it was,
So what would you do, gentle
reader, if you were a weekly
editor? Would you run the court
news, and break some poor
mother's heart? Or do you think
that the public has a right to know
that the mayor got drunk and
beat up his wife?
When I was a weekly editor, I
had to cope with this. I decided,
with the full concurrence of my
partner, that there was no par-
ticular point in running court
news. Too many people were
being doubly punished, and why?
Merely for the delectation of the
righteous.
Strangely enough, or not, the
people who howl and plead the
most, when it is their family
about to be exposed in public
print, are the most righteous. The
less righteous are almost proud
that nephew Elmer "got his
name in the paper."
Three days later, on our fishing
trip, I reintroduced the subject,
and saw two weekly
newspapermen, this time from
Ontario, practically come to
blows over the issue.
Daily papers treat the subject
with the utmost cynicism. They
have a court reporter. He or she
reports only those cases before
the judge which will make a
"good story": the salacious, the
sensational, the bizarre — only
those that will make the reader
chuckle or slaver.
What do you think? Perhaps
your editor would be interested in
your opinion. Does he or she run
court news? Does it serve any
purpose? You judge.
Write him, or her. Write me,
tare of him Or her. I would really
like to know how ordinary, decent
human beings feel about this,
will continue to serve when asked
as he has in the past.
Robert and Don have been
excellent employers and perhaps
the long-time service recorded by
such people as Frank Creech,
Bob Nicol, Harry DeVries and
yours truly gives some indication
of that fact,
In our mobile society, people
just don't put in from 25 to 40
years with the same firm unless
they are being treated fairly, and
by the same token, giving in
return.
The two Southeott brothers
came by their dedication and
community service perhaps as
only a ''matter of course" in view
of the example which they had
been given by their parents,
Alma and J. M. Southcott.
It was the writer's pleasure to
work with both these senior
members of the family, and
ironically, while J.al, was the
president of the firm, Mrs. South-
cott always gave me the extreme
compliment of working as my
employee when she was women's
editor of this newspaper.
The photos of the Southcott
family shown on this page
were taken by Exeter
photographer Jack Doerr. They
were used in a special publica-
tion in 1956 which marked the
beginning of this newspaper
being printed on a rotary press
in Stratford. It was one of
many major changes in-
stituted by the family in their
many years' involvement with
The Times-Advocate.
50 Years Ago
The concert put on by the J. L.
Hudsons Co.'s Ladies Quartette
and the Male Quartette of Detroit
in the James Street United
Church on Friday evening of last
week under the auspices of the
Centralia Ladies Aid, as among
the best that has ever been heard
in this community. In spite of the
fact that a drizzling rain fell most
of the evening, the large
auditorium was filled.
Monday was the Golden
wedding anniversary of Mr. and
Mrs. Thomas •Kestle of town.
John G. Walper was fined 825.
and costs for conducting a pool
room in Exeter without a licence,
Messrs. Harold Turnbull, Wil
Allison and Gordon McDonald
returned home from the west,
25 Years Ago
The Ratz reunion was held in
Shipka school on Saturday.
Seventy five cattle buyers,
some from this district, paid
nearly half a million dollars last
Thursday in four and a half hours
for Manitoulin Island's famous
feeder and stocker cattle.
The 1950 South Huron Plowing
Match was held on the farm of
Elder Bros., Hay township,
Mr. & Mrs. John T. Allison
quietly celebrated their diamond
wedding anniversary on Monday.
Mr, and Mrs. Ed Westcott of
Usborne are leaving the farm and
moving to Exeter into the house
they recently purchased from
Thomas Coates.
A plaque naming those who
subscribed $500 to the proposed
South Huron Hospital will be
erected. Twenty seven have
qualified.
IS Years ago
A four year old Hensall boy,
Bill Vanderhorst is undergoing
the painful anti-rabies treatment
after being attacked Saturday
Hopefully, I was never gullible
enough to consider attempting
any mastery through that
relationship with a lady who
devoted her time to "just helping
out,,
J.M. to most of us, was never
the boss. He was just one of the
people who pulled together to
produce a weekly newspaper,
and while he never understood
tor said he didn't) some of the
gigantic changes that took place
when he turned the operation
over to his sons, he always took
time to commend for a job well
done.
The newspaper he knew was
vastly different than the one
which you now read and many
times he would pause at my office
door on a Thursday morning to
say "I don't know how you people
around here do it" in reference to
the modern newspaper he held in
his hands,
The senior Southcotts sparked
their sons attitude of love and
devotion to this area and
established a high degree of
community spirit that was
followed.
Now, we say goodbye to the
Southcotts as far as their
association with this newspaper
is concerned and obviously it is
most difficult for any person to
come up with what could be
considered appropriate words to
express our thoughts as an
employee, friend and as a
newspaper editor who should
express the thoughts of the
community as well.
That farewell appears to be
caught behind the lump in my
throat.
afternoon by a pet cat which went
wild.
Dr. Robt. McClure, widely
travelled Canadian Medical
missionary will speak in James
St, United Church, Friday
evening.
Exeter Lions Club collected 18
tons of paper Monday morning in
one of the most successful paper
drives yet.
Repair on the Anne St. drain
where it crosses Main St. has
required a detour around Main
St. This week. Workmen are
installing large 54" culverts
under the road, where a bot-
tleneck has caused damaging
floods in previous years.
South Huron Hospital officials
expect to interview architect
Charles A. Gillen, London, to
approve final plans for a 16 bed
addition.
10 Years Ago
The new portable classrooms
went into operation at the South
Huron District High School
Tuesday morning. The
caretaking staff worked overtime
Thanksgiving Day in order to
scrub and wax the floors. The
painting was net completed until
Monday evening,
A flash hail storm Tuesday
morning quickly turned the main
street of Exeter white and also
turned many people's thoughts to
such things as snow tires.
Although the storm lasted some
10 minutes the hail stones were
small and little if any damage
was incurred.
The new auxiliary police of-
ficers have now received their
uniforms and are proving a
valuable asset.
Religious education will be
instituted at the S.H,D,H.S, this
fall but it will be freedom of
choice for the individual student.
The course is being set up to start
in the near future and will beheld,
after school hours.
After years of hearing the
Church lampooned from every
side it was rather refreshing, the
other day, to pick up a secular
magazine with an article coming
out in praise of it. And believe it
or not what the author, Tom
Harpur, was commending it for
was it's new 'get-tough' policy.
You may remember last Spring
there was a great furor because a
minister in one of our cities
refused to christen a baby until,
as he told the parents, "I see you
in church at least once as
evidence of your faith," The news
media made the most of it with
headlines condemning the
minister for trying 'to blackmail'
the baby's parents into coming to
church. (They admitted they
hadn't attended for 10 years.)
Angry letters poured in to editors
(pro and con); radio open lines
were hot with opinions of
listeners and broadcasters.
In spite of the ferment, most
ministers and priests supported
their fellow-clergy in his stand,
Most of them stressed that
baptism or christening is not just
a nice occasion on which people
get dressed up and a baby has
water poured on his head, It is, in
fact, an unique act of com-
mitment and involves belonging
to a community of faith and
worship, witness and service.
In the past, many parents
seemed to have felt that after
having their baby receive the
various needles to keep it from
catching all the diseases, it
should then he baptised to make
sure it didn't go to hell!
In the past, many parents
seemed to have felt that after
having their baby receive the
various needles to keep it from
catching all the diseases, it
should then be baptised to make
sure it didn't go to hell! The
result of this practice is that the
vast majority of Canadians have
been baptized in a Christian
Church but are walking around
without a clue as to what it really
means.
But as the churches begin to
tighten up their stand this may
become a thing of the past.
Father Brian Clough, a Roman
Catholic priest says, "There's a
Privacy has been taking a
beating during the last ten years.
It seems to be part of the
revolution we are living through.
Openness has become the
modern virtue.
If private ownership was
suspect, being the ground of
capitalistic exploitation, privacy
also eschiwed. Is not the lack of
openness the source of anxiety
and personal unhappiness?
A whole new industry has come
into being. People travel long
distances, spending time at
expensive watering places, to
have their unhappiness exorcised
and their inner feelings exposed.
One of the matters for concern
is the spread of this to children in
school. Corporations and em-
ployees go to weekend
workshops. Teachers are can-
didates for sensitivity groups.
Neighbourhood groups are
organized, Adults can choose not
to attend in most cases, but in-
creasingly children do not have
this choice.
Here is a situation not readily
understood by most people, Well
do I remember • sitting.awith a
rather conservative group of
ministers listening to their
discussion of the public school
system,
Their concern centered around
the secular nature of the modern
school. Protest was loud against
the teaching of evolution and the
neutral approach to Christianity.
The queStion was asked,
"What development in school life
would you consider completely
inappropriate for your child,
making his withdrawal" from the
public system mandatory?"
When the leader of the discussion
indicated, as answer to this
question, the inclusion of sen-
sitivity groups, a quietness of
new pressure on Catholics who
don't attend church to either
shape up or ship out, It's part of
the church renewing itself. We
want to make certain that all the
sacraments are actually
celebrations of the faith of those
who take part."
Even the United Church,
Canada's largest and perhaps
most lenient Protestant
denomination is tightening up.
Very Rev. Bruce McLeod, in his
retiring speech as moderator
said this, "We've made it far too
easy to be a Christian and to get
into the church," his successor,
Rt, Rev. Wilbur Howard goes
further, "Perhaps we should be
thinking of making all baptized
members take a compulsory
course of study every five
years."
Clergy, especially the younger
ones, are feeling increasingly
frustrated to find themselve4I\
officiating at religiouW
ceremonies such as christenings,
weddings, and funerals that are
just being used as window
dressing for the casual or un-
committed church adherent.
_.It is an abuse, an hypocrisy
that borders on blasphemy that
so many people take serious vows
at religious rites without the
slightest intention of following
through.
The article suggests that in the
future the Easter-Christmas
Christians may not find they can
have these various ceremonies
performed on demand as they
have in the past. There will come
a day wherr it won't be just a
matter of course to have a
Christian baptism, wedding or
funeral.
The author ends by saying,
"This will not please everybody
and chances are the church rolls
will continue to shrink. Chur-
chmen argue, however, that by
trimming away 'excess fat' and
challenging members more
drastically, the churches will be
healthier and more effective in
the closing decades of this cen-
tury."
It would appear they are tired
of playing `the numbers game'
and are out for quality instead.
miscomprehension descended.
Thomas Cottle, who has a
PH.D. degree in sociology from
the University of Chicago and
works with the Children's
Defense Fund in Massachusetts,
has entered his prdtest against
the diminishing of privacy in the
latest issue of Psychology Today.
He speaks of compulsory
sensitivity groups including
children six years of age. Team
points are collected by children
telling intimate feelings.
Children unable to speak freely
are pressured by classmates to
conform to . the prescribed
openness. Such children often
become "problems" for . the
school psychologist. Drugs
designed to "open them up" may
be administered.
School officials have in-
creasingly decided against.
privacy. Students do not sit at
individual desks, but must share
desks with three or four others.
The open classroom concept
seems in some ways at least to be
an expression of this same urge
toward openness. Schools without
walls compensate for their lack
with oversized guidance
departments. Boundaries,
defining limitations have to be
supplied in sonic fashion.
The implication is twofold.
People generally have come to
the belief that it is just as im-
portant to learn how to relate as it
is to know certain facts.
The other implication before us
is simply that we have come to
the belief that only professionals
have the skill and ability to shape
our children's lives. Parents have
abdicated from this task,
There are overt dangers in all
of this, The most obvious is the
lack of confidentiality, It is so
easy for counsellors to betray
trust, almost inadvertantly at.
times. Another real danger at
this time is the storage of
material in computer banks,
Confidential information can be
Obtained from such sources.
The immediate danger is. the
debasement of a person. Each
person should be free, within
broad limitations, to be open on
one hand, or to Maintain certain
confidentiality on the other, as he
pleases.
Any society which makes it
difficult to .do either is hi despite
of many of its people,
Published Each Thursday Morning
at Exeter, Ontario
Second Class Mail
Registration Number 0386
Paid in Advance Circulation
March 31,1975 5,249
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