HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1977-09-01, Page 4A grammar lesson
We are sure that the editor of the Acton
Free Press had tongue in cheek when she
wrote the following article. Nor do we
believe the rules were found in any serious
newspaper column, but for relaxation on a
hot summer day we repeat them here.
Here's your community newspaper
with another community service. We heard
about all those young people who — accor-
ding to some — can't write sentences
properly.
We don't write so good ourselves,
neither, some times. Anyways, here are
the rules Kay, Eric and Helen seen in
another newspaper.
1. Each pronoun should agree with their
antecedent.
2. Just between you and I, case is impor-
tant.
3. Verbs has to agree with their subjects
4. Watch out for irregular verbs which
have crope into the language.
5. Don't use double negatives. Not never.
6. A writer should not shift your point of
view.
7. Don't write a run-on sentence you have
got to punctuate it.
8. About sentence fragments.
9. In articles and stuff like that we use
commas to keep things apart without
which we would haVe without doubt
confusion.
10. But, don't use, commas, which are not
necessary.
1 1 . Its important to use you're
apostrophe's correctly.
12. Don't abbreviate unless nec.
13. Check carefully to if you any words out.
14. In my opinion, I think that an author
when he is writing something should
not get accustomed to the habit of mak-
ing use of too many redundant un-
necessary words that he does not ac-
tually really need in order to put his
message across to the reader of the ar-
ticle.
15. About repetition, the repetition of a
word is not usually effective repetition.
16. As far as incomplete constuctions, they
are wrong.
17. Spel correckly.
18. Last but not least, knock off the cliches.
Under heavy sedation
...........
tii":•:•••:••'•".
One more hurdle to jump
Too fat? Too thin? Too tired?
Too often? Do something for
somebody...
Your bodyi
Fitness is fun.
Try some. PaRTICIP007017
Page 4 Times-Advocate, September 1, 1977
•
Any is too many
The two bad accidents which have oc-
curred recently at the junction of Highway
4 and 83 have again stirred comments that
the intersection should be controlled by
traffic lights or some better warning
device.
The ministry of transportation and
communications has previously turned
down suggestions for the traffic lights and
their "bumps" on the highway were of
course removed because of their un-
suitability.
It is probably a fact of life that people
are going to go through an intersection
periodically, regardless of how well it is
signed or how many lights it has.
However, the recent crashes indicate
that the present markings and warning
light are perhaps not sufficient and should
be improved in some manner. An investiga-
tion by the Exeter police committee would
appear worthwhile to see what ideas can be
presented to the ministry to correct the
problem.
This newspaper also learned recently
that attempts have been made by some
area residents to have the ministry con-
sider installing passing lanes at some of the
busier intersections along Highway 4, such
as the Crediton Road and the Mt. Carmel
Road.
However, the ministry indicate that
the number of serious accidents occurring
at these locations does not at present
warrant the lanes which enable motorists
to safely bypass cars which are making left
hand turns.
It seems rather odd that the necessity
has to be related to some particular
number of serious accidents. Surely, the
concern should be for avoiding any ac-„
IJU you cidents whatever, and not merely reducing
the numbers.
This is being written from a
hospital bed, where I am in
traction and under heavy
sedation. Don't worry. I wasn't in
a car crash. I just had a five-day
visit from my grandboys.
It seems that my daughter was
moving and it was going to be
awfully difficult with the boys
underfoot and it was a great
chance for Gran and Grandad to
really have a good visit with their
favorite people untrammeled by
the interventions of parents.
What can you say? "Sorry, but
we like to play golf in the af-
ternoon, spend a quiet evening,
and get up when we feel like it in
the morning, during holidays”?
Of course you can't. You burble
somehing like: "No problem,
dear. We'd love to have them,
It'll be a real treat," And then
you hang up the phone, look at
your better half, and mutter
mournfully, "Good Gawd, the
kids are coming,"
They came, they saw, they
conquered. And that's why I'm
writing from hospital. As soon as
I get out of traction, they're
moving me, permanently, to a
place called Autumn Daze, a
home for chronic grandfathers to
eke out their last few months,
exchanging senile horror stories
about grandchildren,
Oh well, it may not be so bad.
My wife says she'll come and
visit me regularly, except during
the golf, skiing, fall and sewing
seasons. That means once in
March and once in November.
She promised to bring me a drink
on each occasion, because my
nerves are shot to hell, too. But
that's a long time between
mickeys.
It isn't that my grandsons are
bad kids. They're not. It's just
that they are three and a half and
one and a half years old, and their
favorite sport, indoors and out, is
tormenting the living daylights
out of each other,
First few days weren't bad.
The Old Lady has a way with
them. She can change a diaper On
one and carry on an incredibly
complicated conversation with
the other without getting a hair
out of place. She can sit at the
sewing Machine, with one on
each knee, and actually sew, as
they try to poke their fingers
under the needle. When she's
cooking, she plops them up on the
counter beside the stove, where
the older one asks 84 questions,
all beginning with "why," and
the little one opens the cupboard
doors and bangs his eye on them
and shrieks.
During this period, my role
was a fairly passive one. All I had
to do was get them their break-
fast. Nothing to that. I give them
each a can of yogurt and half a
banana. For dessert, I open a can
of peaches and get the ice cream
out.
It may not be your standard,
unimaginative, cereal breakfast,
but the boys go for it and seem to
thrive on it.
And then , of course, when
they've finished breakfast and
are in a great mood, there's not
much for me to do.Exceptilet them
play around, on, and over me,
break up eight fights over whose
ball or shovel it is, and serve as a
trampoline when they line up at
the far end of the living room, run
as hard as they can, and hurl
themselves head-first into
Grandad's lap, almost invariably
knocking heads together, with
subsequent recriminations,
howling, and both of them on my
knees being comforted.
But before you know it, lunch is
'over and it's nap time. No, 2
goes down happily with a bottle.
No. 1 requires six stories, If I
read the one about Flicka, Ricka
and Dicka one more time, I'll go
out of what is left of my mind.
But it works. He gets groggy,
Just as he's drifting off, No, 2
hurls the bottle out of his crib,
leaps up, rattles the bars, yells
for action and both are wide
awake ready for More Fun And
Games With Grandad.
Afternoons in the backyard are
comparatively peaceful, except
for one thing. For some
misguided reason, I have only
one lawn hose, Did you ever see
two boys with only one hose
between them? Older is stronger.
He wrests hose from Younger
and squirts him with ice-cold
water. Younger bellows, runs to
Grandad, soaking from head to
foot, and jumps up to be loved
and petted.
Older forgets hose and starts to
climb gate. Grandad yells.
Meantime, Younger has picked
up hose and gleefully squirts
Grandad,
Grandad yells again, un-
printably, Younger drops hose
and runs, square into square
corner of picnic table, Great welt
on forehead. Gran will be furious
with Grandad for not watching
boys properly.
Those were the good days.
Came Tuesday, and Gran was
committed to a golf tournament.
Dubiously.
"Are you sure you can cope?"
"Who me ? Course I can cope.
No sweat. I can handle these two
with one head tied behind my
back."
"Well, maybe . . . but ."
"Gawn, away wid yez. It'll be
child's play."
And it was. Six hours of it.
During which: eight fights were
broken up; the boys ate all four of
the chicken legs I'd prepared for
the three of us; we went shopping
and I lost one for 60 panic-filled
seconds in the maze of the
supermarket; the Younger
discovered how to unfasten the
buckle of the seat-belt; the Older
started yelling for his Mommy
when I smacked his ass for
clobbering his little brother with
a ping pong bat, which for some
reason unknown to man or God,
he had found behind the car seat.
My daughter walked in with a
cherry "Hi, Dad!" and found me
on the phone trying to call the
police department, the fire
department, anybody.
She looked at me, shook her
head, took the phone from my
shaking fingers, and called an
ambulance.
This is the weekend that many
area residents never expected to
see. They were the skeptics who
said the community could never
raise the necessary funds for the
South Huron Rec Centre.
They were joined by others of
varying pessimistic viewpoints.
There were some who thought
the centre would have to be
financed with sizeable con-
tributions from the coffers of the
participating municipalities,
There were some who felt the
campaign would take a number
of years to complete.
In all honesty, there are ac-
tually very few people in this
community of South Huron who
could envision raising over $250,-
000 in less than a year.
For them, it is at least a sur-
prising accomplishment.
But there is one last hurdle and
that is the necessity of - a
successful grand opening
weekend to put the cap on the
fund raising project.
A superlative weekend of
events is planned, and there is
certainly something of interest
to all ages.
In effect, it will be a victory
party, with your support. Come
out and join in the festivities and
share the gratification of your
friends and neighbours with
whom you have worked so hard
to complete a task that many
thought was an impossibility.
*
One of the interesting aspects
of producing the special souvenir
supplement for the official open-
ing has been looking through our
files to gather information on the
history of arenas in Exeter.
Certainly, one of the most sur-
prising facts is that the new
South Huron Rec Centre is the
seventh ice surface to be provid-
ed in the community.
Of equal interest is the nota-
tion that the most recent arena
was built in 1935-36 in such a
short period of time and for the
price of $10,000.
Now, who says inflation is non-
existent?
There has been one particular
change in emphasis in the
building of ice surfaces through
the years in the community. That
is the fact that many people
helped support the current rec
centre because of their interest
in providing a hockey and skating
rink for the area's kids.
From what we can gather, the
earlier rinks were built more for
the adults and few kids even got
an opportunity to play hockey or
skate.
Hopefully, the new rec centre
will actually turn out to provide
an equal mix of recreation for all
ages. With its heated viewing
area it will certainly attract
more adults to view hockey
games and skating shows and
perhaps will entice more of them
to don their blades and join in the
fun,
* * *
People involved in the building
of the new rec centre are
naturally slightly disappointed
To the Editor:
The citizens of Waterloo Street
are once again breathing fresh
air. The ominous clouds of dust
enveloping each passing car are
gone.
The long-awaited and long-
over-due tarring of our street has
finally come about in the late
afternoon of Wednesday, August
24.
It could be said that many of us
had given, up hope and that the
works department suffered the
brunt of our impatience. I am
also sure that the members of
council were well aware of our
displeasure.
To conclude I think it must be
said that the citizens of Waterloo
Street are thankful. We can now
escape our dust infiltrated homes
and enjoy the last fleeting days of
summer outdoors.
Mrs. E. VanBergen,
* *
The Editor:
I am collecting used eye
glasses, complete, or just the
lenses, or just the frames
(complete or broken), for the
Christian Medical Mission. Could
you please mention this in your
newspaper.
The glasses are sorted,
repaired and tested before being
sent out to the Dominica
Republic, Haita or other coun-
tries. Then the glasses are
distributed by :volunteer
professionals.
A Chatham, Ontario eye
specialist wants 1,000 pair of
glasses to take to Haita on
February 1, 1978.
All glasses will be appreciated.
A letter of thanks will be sent to
each donor.
Yours sincerely,
Mrs. Geraldine Schell,
Charing Cross, (near Chatham)
Ontario NOP IGO
The trouble with jogging is that
by the time you realize you're in
no condition for it, you've got a
long walk to get back,
Amalgamated 1924
•
•••••=4*MIN.=..1Mm-'..
rO Sid anna coliy01— Pow
that the facility has not been
completely finished in time for
the grand opening.
However, they can take some
solace in the fact that the
residents of St. Marys are even
farther behind and the arena in
that community won't be done
until January.
That has created a sizeable
problem for hockey and figure
skating organizers as they are
again scouting around the coun-
tryside for ice time to fill their
needs until the new year.
• *
The St. Marys Lincolns of the
OHA Junior "B" group have
secured ice time at the new
South Huron Rec Centre for nine
of their home games this fall.
Three of those games will be
played on Sunday afternoons and
the others are slated for Satur-
day evening.
*
The Lucan arena project
received a big boost this week
with the announcement that
their Wintario grant will be in-
creased to $523,566.62. That's
considerably more than Wintario
had promised originally and
moves the fund drive in that
community much closer to its
target.
Lotteries have been much
maligned in recent months, but
there is little doubt that most of
the new arenas springing up
around the countryside would not
be possible without the lottery
funds.
It's basically a matter of retur-
ning money to the community
from which it came in the first
place, but the fact remains that
most people are still more
generous in doling out cash for a
slim chance to strike it rich than
they would for a worthwhile
community project.
* * *
Talking of hockey and skating
indicates that fall is quickly ap-
proaching and that means the
schedule for most area residents
will be speeded up as fall ac-
tivities commence again.
That will lead most people to
question where the summer has
gone.
It is certainly the shortest
season in the year and there
should be a huge prize for the
person who could come up with
some scheme to lengthen it.
* * *
Our congratulations to the Ex-
eter swim team who this week
splashed their way to the Lake
Huron Zone championship, It
was the third time in the past
four years that the local
swimmers had won the overall
team trophy and the boys'
trophy. On Saturday, the local
gals more than held up their end
otrfopthhiyngs by winning the girls'
While the swimmers are to be
commended for the dedication
and hard work needed to ac-
complish the feat, special men-
stitoanf f should be made of the pool
The staff members provided
instruction and workouts three
times each week during the past
summer and also worked at the
tvhaeriroouosd.meets at home and on
They received no pay for this
special program, other than the
satisfaction of having the best
'team in the zone, and hopefully
that reward will in some way
make their efforts worthwhile,
55 Years Ago
Mr. E, Taman, Saskatoon, has
taken a position of coatmaker
with his brother, William,
Mildred, daughter of Mr,
Murray Elliott, Centralia had the
misfortune to get the top of one of
her fingers cut off in a cutting
box, She and her brother were
playing around the machine at
the time,
The Outdoor Club of Main St.
Church held a wiener roast at
Grand Bend on Monday evening,
There was a large number
present,
The young ladies of the Main
St. Outdoor Club went to Clinton
last Thursday and played a game
with the ladies of a class of
Ontario Street Sunday School.
They defeated the Clinton team
24 to 20, Following is the line-up of
the Exeter team: EleanorMedd,,
Helen Dignan, M, Heywood, M.
Walker; Adele Lovie, Inez
Tuckey, Mabel Johns, M,
Broderick, R. Lamport and Mrs.
T. Elliott.
Exeter's new subdivision
'where 50 new wartime houses are
being erected is a scene of great
acAtivi etyh.e
cheque for $2,000 was
received as a grant for Exeter's
new community Park from the
Ontario government.
A tomato blight has swept the
village and the destruction of a
very promising crop of tomatoes
is complete.
Miss Margaret Dougall has
received the certificate from the
Department of Education giving
her the authority of a fully
qualified specialist of in-
strumental music for high school
and supervision of music .for
public school.
Murray Stephen, Elimville, has
resumed his studies in Special
Art at the Beal Technical School,
London.
From Your Fire Dept.
Gary Middleton
Chief, Exeter Area Fire Dept.
Often at practices, meetings or
after fire emergency calls, items
of public interest with regards to
fire safety, prevention
procedures, extracts from books
such as, Firehouse, The
Canadian Firefighter,
Firefighting in Canada, equip-
ment and so on are discussed and
are only heard of mainly by those
in the Fire Fighting Field and
those involved with fire depts,
whether classified as
professionals or volunteers.
Working towards a good fire
prevention program, pre-
planning fire attacks, hard work
at training, fellowship and
dedication make fire depts. such
as yours function and worth
belonging to.
From time to time, I will en-
deavour to pass on to you - items
of interest and happenings which
hopefully will not only benefit you
who read this article, but keep
you more closely in touch with
the operations and proceedings of
this fire dept.
Fire prevention and smoke
detectors may be a good topic to
begin with, as all new homes and
apartment buildings must have
detectors installed under the
Ontario Building Code. They.
must also be hand wired and on a
separate circuit,
While reading the Canadian
Firefighter, I came across this
item which I'll pass on to you. It
was entitled "Smoke Detectors
are here to stay."
In 1976 Canadian Firefighters
were gratified to see the public
beginning to accept residential
smoke detectors. Smoke
detectors offer a tangible step
towards preventing death by fire
or asphyxiation.
We are frequently asked for
advice in planning for home
safety.
Fortunately there are many
models and brands from which to
choose. Unfortunately this leaves
many consumers confused about
the true value of the features of
various brands.
Here is a basic checklist to aid
you in evaluating various
products,
20 Years Ago
"Kaukauna Aldebaran" a
Doberman Pinscher puppy
owned by Mrs. Lloyd England,
Crediton, scored a remarkable
win last week when she swept all
major awards at the CNE Dog
show conducted by the Canadian
Kennel Club. The 11-month-old
bitch captured trophies for best
in show, best Canadian-bred in
show, best Canadian-bred puppy
and best in working group,
Exeter Agricultural Society
will present its second trade fair
next Tuesday in connection with
the annual fall fair, There will be
a display of commercial and
industrial exhibits,
There will be two new in-
structors at SHDHS; Miss
Marilyn Bowman, Norwich, a
graduate of McDonaldlnstitute,
who is in charge of the domestic
courses for girls; and Miss May
Arnold, Chatham, a graduate of
UWO, who will be teaching
mathematics.
The T-A received its first
awards in national competition
this week, capturing first prize
for best front page, and third
prize for bests, all-round
newspaper. • 15 Years Ago
With Mayor Eldrid Simmons
casting two deciding votes, town
council Tuesday night passed a
motion requesting the Ontario
Liquor Licence Board to conduct
a vote on outlets here.
Bonnie K. Hogarth, youngest
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. L. V.
Hogart, Exeter, recently
graduated from McConnell Air
Lines school in Minneapolis with
an average of 96 percent. She
plans to work with an American
airline.
The 20 members of the senior
grade at the new Precious.Blood
R.C. separate school set up
temporary accommodation in the
Exeter Library Tuesday as their
room in the new building has met
with unexpected construction
delays,
(1 )ULC Listing;
If the product is not listed by
Underwriters Laboratories of
Canada, there is a good reason.
ULC listing is your assurance
that the product meets a
minimum standard of per-
formance.
(2)Gas Detectors:
Does the manufacturer claim
that his product is a "gas and
smoke" detector? There is no
such thing-avoid all such
products.
(3 )Unit Detects: Invisible
Combustion Particles: Visible
Smoke: Flame:
Heat. Invisible combustion
particles are present in all stages
of a fire. A good home protection
system should include at least
one detector capable of
responding to flame.
(4 )Battery Operated:
In the event of hydro failure
there is no protection without a
battery.
(5)False Alarms:
In "ionization" type detectors,
the "dual chamber" feature
compensates for changes in
temperature and humidity to
permit sensitivity without un-
necessary false alarms. Single
chamber devices are less precise
and therefore more prone to false
alarms,
(6)Test Button:
No test is better than real
smoke. However, people being
what they are, testing is likely to
be more frequent if a test button
is provided,
(7)Flashing Light Battery
Confirmation:
Test as above requires a ladder
or a chair. A visible light allows
any member of the family to
check at any moment without
inconvenience,
A manufacturer who skimps on
the appearance of his product
could be suspected of having
followed the same policy in his
entire product design. The most
expensive product may not be the
best, but a dollar saved could cost
a life.
Hoping this information will be
of some use to you. Next week,
Approved Detector Models and
Firms.
Times Established 1873
Advocate Established 1881
torefeMinesalluocafe
SERVING CANADA'S BEST FARMLAND
C.W.N.A., 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 — Silt Weekley
Composition Manager — Harry DeVries
Business Manager Dick Jong kind
Phone 235-1331 Published Each Thursday Morning
at Exeter, Ontario
Second Class Mail
Registration Number 0386
Paid in Advance Circulation
September 30, 1975 5,409
SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada $11.00 Per Year; USA $22,00
have anything that will give him enough energy to mow the lawn on weekends?" 30 Years Ago
Ho t
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