Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1976-11-18, Page 4c Fact-finder Ian Hunter may not have helped :solve the contract dispute between the Huron County school board and its elementary teachers, but his comments on incremental increases are most in- teresting. This, of course, is an annual dispute with the teachers and the board. The teachers argue that their normal incre- ment should not be included in calculating the base cost to which a percentage in- crease applies, while the board contends that it should. Mr. Hunter sided with the board in this matter, saying that incremental increases are indisputably a cost item to the board; also they increase the total compensation package received by a teacher. That may not convince the teachers, but it adds one more voice to the argument that normal increments should be included in calculating the base cost on which in- creases are given. Spirit at low ebb Directors of the Exeter Midwestern Rodeo Association had little choice in their decision to suspend the local attraction. The lack of interest gave clear indication that the few who were prepared to go ahead would have had a most difficult time in terms of financial and manpower assistance. However, it is to their credit that they at least left the door open for the rodeo to be staged some time in the future if people in the community wish. Equally disturbing is the fact that Ex- eter's annual Santa Claus parade will also be dropped this year. It was one of the best parades in Western Ontario, but with the apparent demise of the Chamber of Commerce, it will be dropped. Attempting to find an explanation for the apathy surrounding these two popular local attractions is difficult, although it may be fair to say that the heavy involve- ment many people are giving to the South Huron Recreation Centre is one of the reasons. However, once dropped, it will be ex- tremely difficult to reinstitute the projects and the entire community should feel some shame that it failed to step in and assist. It is certainly a black mark on our record of community spirit and interest. Human rights Mental retardation, physical handicap and sexual orientation should not bar people from employment, housing or services according to a submission to the Ontario Human Rights Commission. The Department of Church in Society of The United Church of Canada has sub- mitted a brief proposing that revisions to the Ontario Human Rights Code, now under consideration, should be expanded to include the three additional conditions men- tioned. "Most persons who are physically handi- capped, mentally retarded or homosexual, wish to live inconspicuously in their com- munities—working and living where they wish, and having access to the services and facilities that they need and desire," says the Church submission. "Many have these opportunities and that access and do not experience disserj.tnination. However, from- time to <time 11 elsoli Sjia,"ye been denied jobs, aecommodatidn or 'services on the basis-cif 'their physical or mental disability; or their sexual orientation. It is to prevent recurrences of such situations that ,we argue for their inclusion under the code. We do not support preferential treatment for these groups, only equal opportunity." The Church group also suggests to the Ontario Human Rights Commission that it adopt a more positive approach in regard to its code. "The Human Rights Code of Ontario, like many other documents regard- ing human rights, approaches the safe- guarding task negatively: i.e., prohibiting discrimination. Some other documents, however, like the Canadian Bill of Rights, the Saskatchewan Act to Protect Certain Civil Rights and the new Quebec of Human Rights and Freedoms approach the question positively by enumerating the various rights available to all citizens. "This latter method...is a psychologically and sociologically sounder approach be- cause people respond more successfully and willingly to the encouragement of positive behaviour than to being threaten- ed with punishment for improper behav- iour." While the Church department considers healthy attitudes "as the primary deterrent of discrimination," it recognizes that legis- lation is also needed for contesting dis- crimination in the courts. "The Church brief concludes with this summary statement "We believe in the sanctitya of human life. Any injustice or discrimination that debases a person's life, we view as sinful. The protection of human tights is critical in the fight against such injustice and discrimination." The resolution approving the submission to the Ontario Human Rights Commission directed the Department of Church in Soci- ety to send copies to federal and provincial governments and other relevant bodies "as they consider human rights issues and legislation." Hypocrite still with us Times Established 1873 Advocate Established 1881 Amalgamated 1924 exefeidAmes-Abismafe SERVING CANADA'S BEST FARMLAND 0.W.N.A, CLASS 'A' and ABC Published by J. W. Eedy Publications Limited LORNE EEDY, PUBLISHER Editor Bill Batten Assistant Editor — Ross Haugh Advertising Manager — Jim Beckett Plant Manager Jim Scott 'Composition Manager — Harry DeVries Business Manager Dick Jongkind Phone 235-1331 Published Each Thursday Morning at Exeter, Ontario Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386 Paid in Advance Circulation September 30, 1975 5,420 Conodo 511.00 Per Year; USA $22,00 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Vi7eMetv.W.ov, Page 4 " Times-Advocate, November 18, 1976 ....10.1.0,11•11.11,11,10.10011.110114,110,, verrn^^,..." .-NINAVrNNVXV'tl:N.,vr.yk'ftt0b'NeRAOZNhyOV,F,,,y,.ynre. ii,VolVAVe2.V.11 Should be included Deadly Midas touch "Oh dear, looks like Leopold and the philodendron got into another heated discussion on bilingualism." This is getting ridiculous There is one type among the species Man that puzzles and saddens me. In an age that congratulates itself on its openness, its hones- ty, its "Let it all hang out" at- titude, the hypocrite is still very much with us. Some people might think the 19th century was the golden age of hypocrisy. Certainly, it set some high standards in this line. There were the manufacturers who preached enlightenment and progress oil the one hand, and on the other worked children 60 hours a week in their factories. There were the men who brayed of chastity as one of the prime virtues, and dallied with prostitutes. There were the men who spoke glowingly of a gentler way of life, and set savage fighting dogs on one another. The list is endless. And the women! Oh, but weren't they the hypocrites, too? Just as tough and voracious as any woman of today, they hid these traits behind a facade of gentility, humility, helplessness and fainting fits. It was an era in which the public mouthing of the Christian virtues was only exceeded by the private materialism, corruption, and sometimes downright viciousness of the middle and up- per classes. Well, then, have we got rid of this particularly obnoxious type, well into the second half of the 20th century? Not bloody likely! Perhaps we're not quite as hypocritical as the Victorians, but I wouldn't want to bet on it. All that's changed is the terms of reference. No manufacturer today could get away with hiring children. But don't think they're any less heartless than their forebears. At least, in the 19th century, you knew the boss was a bastard. Today, a company can "reorganize," and turn half a dozen middle-aged men into the street by an "executive decision." Many men in today's society still practise a double standard, one for themselves, one for their wives. A man who gets drunk has had "a few too many." A woman who gets drunk is "disgusting," A man can go to a business con- vention and have a little fling with a call girl. If his wife kisses a couple of guys at the New Year's Eve party a bit too warm- ly, she's a sex maniac. We have politicians who spout of peace and plan for war, doc- tors who preach against drugs and tell you cigarettes will kill you, even as they butt their 50th coffin nail of the day and pop a couple of bennies to keep going. We have pillars of the church whom you wouldn't trust as far as you could bounce a bowling ball in a swamp. We have all kinds of characters who will cheat on their income tax, and then berate people on welfare for "ripping off the government," We have teachers who "Can't understand the attitude of young people today," completely forgetting that they , themselves were insolent, lazy, and not even that bright when they were young people. We have mothers who got in the family way at 19, and had a shot-gun marriage, bewailing the "sexual licence" of their daughters. We have fathers who deplore at length the slothfulness of their sons, conveniently ignoring that they had to have a good boot in the tail from their own fathers before they'd even carry out the ashes. We have school trustees who will double over in an agony of glee after hearing a filthy joke, but in public sternly deplore the "pornography" children are be- ing exposed to in their school literature. They are the type who will res- pond with chuckles and even bel- ly laughs to the sexual leers of Norman Lear in Maude and All in the Family, but thunder fulmina tingly against a fine novel like The Diviners by Margaret Laurence. They are the type who don't want anything racier than "The Bobbsey Twins" taught in school, but will shout with ribald laughter at smut on television and take in every restricted movie in town, laughing when there is bloodshed on the screen, and nudging heavily when a cou- ple of naked bodies start squir- ming on the celluloid strip, What about today's women? Are they less hypocritical than their great-grandmothers? On the whole, I'd say yes, They're just as blasted irritating as ever, but they're more honest. They still cry for no apparent reason, but they know there's no percen- tage in pulling a faint. They'd probably just get a glass of water in the face. But even the women are a long way from being out of the woods, when it comes to hypocrisy. And many of the biggest hypocrites are "surface" feminists. They Want all the perks of the new freedom, and all the treats of the old "e8Senee of wofnan." Oh, well, "Let him who is without sin cast the first stone," I'm certainly not talking about me and thee, gentle reader. But aren't you a little sick of them — all those hypocrites? * * * Rev. George Anderson had some rather interesting com- ments to make in his Remem- brance Day speech last week in which he explaind he could not accept the Legion slogan that our freedom was man made, not God given. However, he continued by pointing out that either way, Canadians are not in a very good position to defend their freedom, because they don't have the military strength and ar- 30 Years Ago Fire swept uncontrolled through several miles of marsh land south of Grand Bend Sunday evening. The fire was checked by a morning downpour, Monday. Warden Shaddick of Hensall was presented with a clock at the annual Warden's banquet in the British Exchange Hotel, Goderich. Over $1200 has been subscribed to the Exeter Agricultural Society to help meet expenses in connection with the new park. 20 Years Ago 'Robert Down, 19-year-old son of Mr. & Mrs. Clarence Down has been awarded a $100 scholarship by Huron County Council, It is given to the student from the countS' who obtains the highest standing while attending Ridgetown Agricultural College, A sell-out crowd attended the premiere performance of Exeter Drama Clubs "Peg 0' My Heart" Wednesday night, Featured in the cast were: Marjorie Mikes, Jack Fulcher, Audrey Bentley) Jim Carter, John Hendrick, Gerald Godbolt, Edna Glaab, and Bob Russell. Director was John Gornan, maments to produce a man- made freedom, nor do they have enough trust in God to produce a God-given freedom. His comments are certainly worthy of our consideration. * * Speaking about Remembrance Day, the Exeter Legion members should be commended for the excellent job they do in visiting our schools and other special events to make young people more aware of what Remembrance Day is all about. Those who grew up during the wars, have no problem in recall- ing the sacrifices made, but today's young people are far removed from that terrible time and it requires talks by the veterans to give them some in- sight into what war really is. The writer had occasion to listen to Harvey Pfaff address a group of young people on the sub- ject and we know his audience came away with a better un- derstanding of what Canadian soldiers faced in defending our country. It's one thing to read in a history book about the causes of war, the killing, the suffering and the destruction, but it takes on a more realistic and per- sonalized touch when those facets of war are explaind by someone who experienced it. War is too often glorified in movies and television and it is important that veterans share their experiences "lest we forget" what it was really like. Had your swine flu shots yet? No doubt you're similar to most people in this nation who are totally confused about the situation, A few months ago it appeared an absolute necessity and our concern then was that the vaccine may not be available soon enough. However, the conflicting reports since then about the necessity for the shots has left people with an apathetical ap- proach. It does appear, though, that the consequences of not getting a shot far out-weigh any reason for failing to do so. It should be emphasized that the shot should also prevent standard types of flu and that makes it even more valuable. Roll up your sleeve! 15 Years Ago Mayor-elect Eldrid Simmons will be the youngest chief magistrate in the town's history when he is sworn into office in Jasnuary. Rev. Lyle Bennett, formerly of Bervie, was inducted at St, Paul's Anglican Church, Kirkton, Thursday evening with Suffragan Bishop Appleyard assisting in the service. Lee Learn was named corresponding secretary of the Presbyterian, Men of Stratford Presbytery at a meeting Monday night in Stratford. 5 Years Ago The Exeter Broncos competing in Shamrock minor hockey play played a 2-2 tie in Strathroy Wednesday night and blanked Ilderton 5-0 in Lucan, Saturday afternoon, The grand champion steer at this year's Royal Winter Fair in Toronto was a hereford from the Whitney Coates and Son Herd of Centralia, The'Coates' steer was purchased by Dominion Stores for $2.25 per pound. Mrs, Lorne Hicks, Centralia, spent a couple of days last week With her sister, Miss Wilda Pollock in Kitchener, There is a parable told about a reed flute that was passed down from the time of Moses. The instrument, even though crudely made, produced exquisite music that blessed worshippers for generations, Then the priests decided that such an important heirloom should be decorated with gold to reflect the majesty of its music. But after the gold was applied, the flute produced only harsh, metallic notes, It had been ruined. There are many valuable things gold cannot enhance. In fact it can do just the opposite. You remember the Grecian myth about King Midas who had his dearest wish granted that whatever he touched might turn to gold, only to discover that his lovely daughter wasltransmuted from warm, loving flesh and blood to cold, lifeless gold when he kissed her. Gold cannot buy lasting friendship, or love or good health, And it cannot bring one closer to the Kingdom of God as the rich young ruler .(Luke 18: 18-25) found out. It did, in fact, create a barrier between him and salvation. We seem to be living in an age of the 'Midas syndrome'. Never in the history of mankind has he had so many wonders open up as when with his scientific touch he has wrought untold changes in his en- vironment and life style. Yet, nothing so bedevils the astonishing achievements of our scientists and technicians as the way in which the 'marvels' of our civilization develop unforeseen like justice, and who think that justice should be taught to the next generation, please drop me a line. Ivan Jensen, P.O. Box 1537, Innisfail, Alberta The Editor, Exeter Times-Advocate Exeter, Ontario. Dear Sir: Yesterday was "Remembrance Day!" A day we commemorate our war dead. Could you please give me one good reason why the town of Exeter (dear sweet town that it is) would celebrate it on Sunday, November 7. I took my two children out to the cenotaph to see the services after I explained aboutRemem- brance Day and why it is on the 11th day of the 11th month at the 11th hour. Guess what we found. Nothing! When I grew up we always went to the services on the right day and all stores had the decency to close for one-half hour 11-11:30 to show respect. I asked one store owner why he wasn't observing at least two minutes silence and he answered What for? ! Well, man what the h-- did we fight for. Next thing I know we'll celebrate all special events at our convenience. I am very disappointed in human feelings towards our men who fought and died for people who don't even respect their dead on the right day. Yours truly Linda Webber * Dear Editor: I am writing to various newspapers across Canada in the hopes of 'making contact with members of the Ship's Company who sailed in the Canadian Navy frigate H.M.C,S. "CAP-DE-LA- MADELEINE" during the years 1944-45. It has been over 30 years since we said our "so longs" and went our separate ways and just maybe there are some who have taken up residence in this area, I hope to re-establish old friendships by means of a newsletter and if, possible, organize a reunion in 1977, Those who served in her during her first Commission (1944-45) or those who have knowledge of anyone who did so, may contact me at the following address — Les Williams 327 Ashland Avenue Winnipeg, Manitoba R3L 1L6 After the unusually cold usual situations and about the weather experienced throughout only encouraging aspect is that most of the summer months, the weather will continue to be weather and environment ex- the favorite topic of discussion. perts advised that we could ex- * * * pect that trend to continue in the Area drivers have experienced next few decades, some difficulty coping with their They explained that the past first encounter with winter driv- summer weather was in fact not ing conditions. Most people re- unusual. Rather, the preceding quire a couple of weeks of warm summers had been the od- slippery roads and poor visibility dity and we were returning to a before they fully realize that ex- more normal situation. treme caution is required to get Naturally, that caused most them to their destinations safely. people considerable consterna- One of the interesting tion, but the worst news may be sidelights is to watch the tracks yet to come, • of other vehicles in the fresh It is certainly not with much snow on the highways. While anticipation that we await the returning from Huron Park last explanation of why this area has week, the writer had occasion to been hit with such early winter do just that and we fully ex- weather. Hopefully, those same pected to find the driver ahead of experts won't come along and us piled up in the ditch tell us that that is to be the nor- somewhere along the road. mal circumstance for the next At the junction of the Crediton few decades as well. Road and the Huron Park However, it was interesting — sideroad, he (we'll give the although far from encouraging — ladies the benefit of the doubt) to hear an official explain what had obviously approached too we are facing in the years ahead l Auickly and liad skidded towards on a recent television prograrrO„ tie ditch. Realizing the predica- He said North America could ex- rnent he faced, the driver had ap- pect weather with more variance parently decided the best course in the future, rather than the of action was step on the gas and more moderate conditions of re- head through the ditch and back cent times. onto the Crediton Road. This means, he suggested, that The tracks from there were the cold snaps will be colder, the similar to following a snake, warm spells will be warmer, the with the occasional skid mark dry periods will be dryer and the where the vehicle had been pull- wet days will be wetter. ed quickly from a path leading to All in all, it sounds as though the ditches. people can expect some very un- However, through the falling snow we could see that the next maneuver must have raised a few hairs on the operator's head. The path on the road started following a straight line towards the south ditch and veered just a few feet away from a huge tree. From that point on, the tracks were much straighter and the skid marks disappeared as the scare had apparently convinced the driver he was flirting with disaster. .14j1(e, Na plan; would dare talk back to my wife. Dear Sir, Are we not indignant or angered when someone does injustice to us? Indeed, injustice seems to strike at the very foundation of any co-operative relationship, whether this is between man and wife, business partners, labour and management, the governed and those governing, or between nations. If the one party is -continually doing injustice to the other parly, a co-operative relationship will break down and often end in violence. Our Western industrialized society, and the benfits that we derive from it, will not be possible when the general population no longer believes in or understands the importance of being just to the persons that we deal with. Not only will marriages break doWn and many children become mentally disturbed misfits, but industrial enterprises cannot function when no one feels an obligation to perform the duties for which he is being paid. Communal and government systems will no longer function to give us the necessary services of water, roads, electricity, etc. when officials steal the money entrusted to them by the public. This is the reason that millions of people live in misery and some starve to death in India, Africa, South America, and many other places. Their private and public systems cannot function because, of theft and corruption. A sense of justice is missing. • Then we should expect that the leaders of our society were anxious to inculcate a sense of justice in the next generation. It may be true that the Christian Church has performed that function in the past, but the Church is rapidly losing its in- fluence as a moral teacher of the young. Our secular governments have not shown much interest in teaching morals, As a matter of fact, it is interesting to note that the laws enforced in a democracy, like Canada, do not have to pass any test to make sure that they will not do injustice to some part of the population. All they need is the support of a majority of the politicians in power. We will be in serious difficulties the day that majority is crooked. Our judges commit themselves to judge by the law and are not obligated to do justice at all. Our public system of education does not seem to be aware of the need for teaching justice, either. They just repair their vandalized schools and call for more police. If there are persons still who and disagreeable side effects. For example, as writer LeGrand Smith points out, the great triumphs of modern medicine have produced the bewildering problems of over- population and raised 'the question, When does a person have the the right to be born and to die? Our wonderful automobile industry has created the ghastly slaughter on the highways. The rising scale of production and consumption has resulted in the high degree of pollution and the staggering consumption of the earth's raw materials. Our Midas touch has produced a standard of living unequalled before, but if our energy is becoming as scarce as the experts tell us, it may not be long before our marvellous appliances sit useless with no power to run them. Knowledge in one field after another is so advanced and so complicated that experts in one area cannot understand the language of the others. The left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing. The result is often confusion if not chaos. LeGrand Smith goes on to say, "Eternity and perfection are within our dreaming and longing, but beyond our grasp." Like Adam and Eve we think we can be gods working out our destiny entirely on our own. But also like Adam and Eve,, we will have to rediscover we are God's creatures, created by Him, and that our salvation and destiny lies in understanding this and living it within the bounds of Christ's teachings and example.