HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1976-05-19, Page 9Sugar and Spice
by Bill Smiley
The human spirit
K
Could you write a pungent, telling essay
on The Human Spirit?
No? Well,. that's what my senior
students tell me too. But I know they are
wrong, and I think you are wrong also.- I'll
bet you could write a dandy, especially if
you have lived a lot.
I gave my student's instructions for an
essay, and most of them went into a state
of mild shock. They shouldn't have. They
are dealing with the human spirit, their
own and others, every minute of their
young lives.
However, students, like most of us,
prefer things to be spelled out., But how
can you spell out the human spirit?
You can't touch it, taste it, smell it,
weigh or measure it. You can't peer
through someone's navel and shout
"Tallyho! There it is! Your spirit!"
From the beginnings of thought, our
great writers and thinkers have explored
the human creature in an effort to pin down
this elusive thing.
Some philosophers have, believed they
had put their finger on the slippery little
devil only to find that it has squirted away.
Clerics are more apt to call it the soul.
Psychologists pin nasty names like id and
ego and libido on various aspects of it.
.Writers give examples of it. A rtists try
to depict its highest aspirations.
The human spirit exists in all of us. It,.
along with the power to reason, is what
raises us above the level of the beasts.
Its presence is allied to all that is good
and great in human kind: loyalty,
integrity, compassion, honor, courage,
dignity.
Its absence represents all that is bad in
the human race: greed, cruelty, prejudice,
indifference, treachery.
Given the right fertilizer, the human
spirit reaches out to other human spirits,
and mankind moves another inch toward
the stars. . •
Without proper nourishment, the human
spirit shrivels or warps, turns in on itself,
rots, and spreads like a cancer.
In certain periods, the undernourished
spirit produces the great psychopaths like
Attila the' Hun, Napoleon, Hitler, and we
are led into darkness.
But after each of these sombre intervals,
the resurgent human spirit roars back,.
fanning the embers into a blaze of glory,
and once more man is on the march.
This is all very inspiring, I'm sure, but
it's pretty abstract, and I prefer the
concrete. Let's see if we can find some
examples of the human spirit in action.
When a two-year-old child, normally
good and obedient, sticks out his lip and
flatly refuses to do something reasonable,
and defies threats of spankings, he is not
just being stubborn. He is exhibiting, to
the world, his sense of self, of
independence. That is the ,human spirit.
When an 80 year old man, or woman,
prefers to pig it alone in poverty and
discomfort, rather than be shuttled off to a
cosy senior citizen's home, he or she is
doing the same.
When a man or woman has ,enough' guts
to say "No!" at a time when all about are
saying "Yes!" that's the human spririt at
work.
But let's get down to an example we can
all understand. When a man gets up after
his old .lady has knocked him down five
times, and advances on her, arms
outstretched, and says: "Darling, let nie
explain just once more." that is the human
spirit at its best.
Don',t get this human spirit thing all
mixed up with sentimentality: the cooing
of a baby, which might be just a gas pain,
the radiant smile of a bride, which might
be just vanity. Or gloating. No, let's keep
it on a high plain.
Here are the instructions I gave my
students. See how they grab you.
' This essay is to be an examination of the
human spirit (soul, self) as it acts and
reacts under stress, in inter-play with other
human spirits, in conflict with society.
"The essay should reveal something of
what the student has learned this year from
expoSure to the ideas of first-class writers
concerning the human spirit.
"Ideas expressed should not be merely
emotional clap-trap or mystic foofawraw.
Nor should they be a mere recording of
examples of the human spirit in action,
taken from the books read. They should
rather represent the student's own human
spriit reacting to the stimulus of what has
been read and pondered.
"Any reasonable — and even some
unreasonable '— approaches to the topic
will be encouraged.
"Students may _choose one of the
following exhortations from their glorious
leader:
"GOOd Luck"
"or
."Eat Your Heart, Out."
Aren't you glad you don't take English
from me?
OPP finds bicycle
During the past' week the
Wingham Detachment .of the
Ontario Provincial , Police
conducted thirty investigations.
Nine charges were laid under
the Highway Traffic Act and
eleven warnings were issued.
Two charges were laid under
the Liquor Control Act.
One 24" bicycle was found and
is being stored at the Wingham. Ontario Provincial Police
Department, Wingham. The
owner can claim the bike by
describing it..
During the week 4 there were
two Motor Vehicle Collisions'
which caused an estimated
$1150,00 in property damage.
There were no injuries.
CASkIN4D-
866 what forest fires
can dtis.t6 Cattatidt
We cant afford tqbddOrelett'
t,--Zr-
1.1":)264...,
3
FOR STUDENTS ONLY
10% Discount
on anything in the
store on presentation o.
Student Card
11-4.ViPre"
DESK SETS
GRADUATION PLAQUES
IDENTIFICA'IhON BRACELETS
Engraving done on premises
Mayer's Jewellery
• Where Personal Service
Is Still Iniportant.
) Brussels 887-9000
Audrey & Lloyd
fr?
44,1111.,
•
New president
in chair at WI
The Majestic W.I. met in 4the
Brussels library on Wednesday
evening of last week when the
new president Mrs. Bruce McCall
chaired the meeting. Miss laura
Lucas, secretary, gave the usual
reports and correspondence. Invi-
tations from Huronview and
Wingham Institute were
accepted.
Mrs. ' Leona Armstrong
reported on the East Huron
district annual at Molesworth on
May 11. The F.W.I.O. is to
celebrate their 80th birthday in
February 1977. Moncrief W.I.
invited the 75th District Annual
meeting to be held there in 1977.
Achievement Day for the 4-H
girls is to be held in Grey Central
School, Ethel, on June 5. The
remainder of the meeting was in
charge of Mrs. Doug Hemingway,
convener of Agriculture and
ED'S SIDING & ROOFING
WINO
* Vinyl & Aluminum Siding
* Aluminum Seamless Eavestroughing
* Free Estimates
GET THE JOB DONE RIGHT AT THE RIGHT PRICE
$80 PER SQ. INSTALLED.
WROXETER
335-6341
ONTARIO LOTTERY
CORPORATION
INVITES
Ontario
APPLICATIONS FOR
DISTRIBUTORSHIPS
The Ontario Lottery Corporation from time
to time has territories come available in
various parts of the Province for the
distribution of Wintario tickets.
A distributor is required to be actively
engaged on a full time basis in the operation
of the distributorship, each distributor must
employ adequate sales personnel, and
maintain sound accounting and clerical office
practices.
Wintario 'distributors are independent
businessmen working on a commission basis.
A distributor is required to pre-pay for
Wintario tickets and re-sell them to the 500 or
so Wintario retail outlets in his territory. The
current commission structure for each draw
is 21/2 cents per Wintario ticket for the first
100,000 tickets and 2 cents each on the
remaining Wintario tickets sold.
In accordance with an agreement with
Olympic Lottery, Wintario distributors
presently act as wholesale distributors for
Olympic Lottery tickets as well.
Sales reports and audited financial
statements will be required by the
Corporation.
At present vacancies exist in territories
centered in Toronto, Paris and Windsor.
Others may arise in the future and all
applications received Will be kept on file from
which any future vacancies could be filled
without further public notice,
interested individuals can obtain further
details and application forms by contacting.
the Corporation at (416) 961-6262 or writing
to: Distributors, File 2400
ONTARIO tOTTERYtORPORATION
2 Bloor Street West
Toronto, Ontario
M4W 3H8
Applications for existing 'vacancies should be received by,
May.31, 1976.
THE BRUSSELS POST, MAY 19, 197'6 —9
Canadian Industries.
The motto "Conservation is as
good for the soul as the soil" was
given by Mrs. de Vries.
Sherri and Debra Fraser enter-
tained with step dancing numbers
and Janet Gillan of Exeter, Huron
County Dairy Queen, spoke on
her work and experiences.
Mrs. Hemingway introdu'ded
Ian Deslauriers, of the Maitland
Valley Conservation Authority
who spoke on conservation, illus-
trated by slides.
At the next meeting, June 9 at
8 p.m., the 4-H Club girls will
present a demonstration and skit.
Miss Pengelley, home economist,
will be the guest speaker.
A secret auction was held and
lunch served by Mrs. H. Steffler,
Mrs. L. Connelly, Mrs. I. Evans,
and Mrs. D. Hemingway.
'y A e 1-444;i
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