HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1978-05-24, Page 1Rey, Dan Sargent
ESTABLISHED
1872
TIME TO SIGN UP FOR THE BASESBALL SEASON.
From left: Gwen Cousins, Jan Adams, June Adams,
Gregg Higgins and Steven Thornton were all at the
Brussels library on Friday night to sign up for baseball.
Registering the potential players were: Scott Bridge,
Ralph Watson and Gery Dillow. - (Photo.by Langlois)
russels Post
BRUSSELS
107th Year — Issue No. 21 ONTARIO
WEDNESDAY, MAY 24, 1978
Young minister in Anglican church
By Debbie kanney
If you stereotype minsiters as
being old, gray-haired or balding
and sometimes lacking in a' sense
of humour, a meeting with
Reverend Dan Sargent of Blyth
would quickly dispel any such
illusions.
He's yOung--just about 29--he's
The lawn bowling season has
arrived. The greens of the
Brussels Lawn Bowling Club are
ready and waiting for players.
Bowling is a healthy, as well as an
enjoyable, community activity, ;as
any bowler will tell you. A not too
strenuous sport for the young and
the not so young. If you are riot a
member of our local club why not
join now. New members will be
welcomed. There will be free
bowling for beginner's during the
month. of June. Do not worry
about not having bowls. They are
available from the club. Lawn.
Bowling here Monday \ and
Wednesday eveings. Why not be
there?
******
The telephone service we are
enduring these days leaves much
to be desired. There have been
many complaints of,,poor service,
calls not coming in 6r of not being
able to make any calls.
It make's
one' wish that Ma-Bell had not
taken over our local telephone
system. With the increased costs
since that time one mail expect
better serf let not less. Less is
what we ilaVelbeen getting these
days, -
Child abuse seems to be on
every increasing problem in our
.society, oWe read ; or. hear, of
hospitals reporting the admission
Of bruised and battered children,
'almost daily. To most of us
inflicting, physical injury on
Ming child—broketi bones,
burns, near starvation, torture--iS
a horrifying thought. Parents do
at times lost patience with their
good looking and quick witted. AS
minister for four congregations of
Anglican churches at Brussels,
Blyth, Belgrave and Auburn he's
also a very busy man.
Born in Midland, Ontario, he's
married and has two children. He
got his Bachelor of Arts Degree
from Western University and his
youngsters and are angered but
the majority control their tempers
short of severe physical abuSe.
Personally, , when necessary,
I do not consider a smart swat,
where.it will do the most good, is
child abuse. If so many cases are
reported how many. more are
never brought to light until a child
suffers serious injury, even
death? Relatives, friends and
neighbours hesitate to inform the
proper authorities even when
they know of such a case. This
attitude is understandable but
wrong. Consider the child who is
-Suffering such treatment. :OM**
HOW ".often we remember
moments that delighted us in our
childhood. The feel of early
morning dew on our bare feet; the
„luscious taste of the purple fruit
of the mulberry tree, freshly
picked in the early dawn. eaten
with clotted cream for breakfast;
the excitement of being lifted to
the back of our highsteppistig
mare for a short ride knowing no
harm would come because daddy
was at the bridle; those treasured
moments when we sat high in a
tree absorbed in a book while
munching a juicy apple; the
fragrant goodness of crusty
bread, hot from the oven, with
plenty of sweet butter, both made
by a loVing Mother; daydreaming
in a4Alowly swaying hammock.,
stung under the shade of a
blossoming locust tree; the gentle
haft's of Mother as she patiently
brushed fly away hair into ilky
curls. How dear are these and
Many other memories of a happy
childhood.
Master of Divinity Degree from
Huron College.
Originally scheduled to go to
the Diocese in Moosonee he had
so much trouble with the Cree
language he went in May of 1974
to the Yukon instead where he
says most of the natives, except
for the very old, spoke English.
It was a sad little church he ha
up there in Teslin (which means
Long Waters) he said, recalling
that for the first four Sundays he
Was there., only four people
showed up? After six months
attendance increased to 35 and 40
from a community of about '200.
Asiced about sonic of the
differences in the Yukon
compared to where he is living
now, Mr. Sargent said, "cold
toilet seats in the outhouses."
Another difference he noted
was the local delicacy--moose
brain which had been smoking in
the stove pipes ,for about three
weeks. Mr. Sargent says he
always found an excuse for not
staying for supper when that item
was on the menu.
Mr. Sargent at that time also
had another parish at Atlin in
British Columbia. The name Atlin
means Big Waters. The two
congregations were 125 miles
apart.'
From Wednesday through to
Sunday morning he, would be at
Teslin and then on' Sunday he
would drive back to where
he stayed until Wednesday.
One thing he did enjoy about
the two communities was the
mixing of all denominations.
Since the, Anglican Church was
the Only non idtomaW Catholic
Church there, his congregation
included members of other
denominations as well.
It was difficult when he came
back south just being an Anglican
Minister again, he said.
"It's just living proof that we
don't need all the denominations'
We've got. Most of them are
based. on tradition, rather than
logic and truth," he said.
The Anglican rectory in Teslin
Was three forestry shacks built
together. Twenty years ago they
said it was just to be a temporary
situation but Mr. Sargent said it's
still that way today and is likely to
remain so.
Atlin however, was a different
situation. It used to be. called
Discovery because it's* (meta the
towns where gold was found'
during the gold rush days. At that
time, it was a town of 10,000
people but it now has a population
of about 250. ,
The Anglican minister
describes the houses there as
having ceilings 10 feet high--
southern style houses which were
completely inappropriate for the
north.
There was no indoor plumbing
in-the minister's house at Tfe,slin
because he didn't live there full
time. Mr. Sargent says they
carried their water from Atlin to
Teslin in the winter and in the
summer trucks came by and filled
up a barrel, for them.
After two years he moved on to
Cassiar an asbestos mining town
in northern British Columbia, a
city which has the highest paid
workers per . capita in North
America. A person sweeping
floors would gel paid $8.60 an
hour and the minister was the
lowest paid person in the
(Continued on Page 9)
Short - Shots
by Evelyn Kennedy