HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1978-05-24, Page 12SAFETY with
precast concrete steps
ME iv
11111
Mr. Unit Step can provide you with a safer
entrance
is Non Slip Safety Treads
• Expertly replaced in hours
not days
• Steel re-inforced precast
concrete provides longer life
n Maintenance free, No painting
reqUired
• Many sizes of steps
and porches
Quality Ornamental iron railings to compliment your entrance
Call Mr. Unit Step for your free estimate
,
UNIT
STEP
Settifprfh 5274820
Your Precast 806dig8t0
IFEMEEL
Aw>.
Ken Doig Windows
Invites You
to see the latest in all styles of
SOLARIS° CLAD
WINDOWS
SUNDAY, MAY 28
at the Seaforth Golf Club
11/4 miles south, 1 /2 mile east of Seaforth
Demonstrations continous
from, 1 to 5 pm
- COFFEE & DONUTS -
SOLARIS®
Products
• eliminates frost -
The high value of 4" air space
doilt,A1 Oozing units ntIN the r104.
cOoduCtiVity Cieon oliminatet
Condensation. Geoli conductiveig Con-
alUMIntial td
are strong and durable
cJes,groei foi our. totiO Climate.• Solsuhe
quouslec .110 guar anlbed by the StIversei0
5-yitar Warr witv.
• AdVantaget
Cleat v!sion yoar rood
woe, i nutdatiou (or tool saving.
Somrstw insioutton for wooter cotntort,
Elimination of storm window orottlerns
(sIntsos. maintenance. et4.).
Only two surfaces to chitin.
Reduction of outstdo noise tionsittioslon.
Doable weatherAtt,tr Arareuntt
Attract se
Cro6tt view
el a 5ptaris Vit
KEN DOIG
WINDOWS
527 1113
Seaforth,.On t.
12 THE BRUSSELS POST, MAY 24, 1978
Remembering
The little house out back
by W.G. Strong
"When memory keeps me company,
Moves me to smiles or tears,
Two weather-beaten objects
Loom up through mists of years,
Behind the old school-house. they stood
A hundred feet or more
And hurrying feet had worn a path
Straight to each swinging door."
Anon.
When the Board of Trustees of every rural
school section contemplated the erection and
equipping fo a new school-house, particular
attention had to be given to the necessary
outbuildings. The construction of the girls'
and boys' conveniences was imperative and
became known by various appelations;
outhouse, backhouse, closet, toilet, biffie,
two-holer,-, outdoor plumbing, parliament
building.
The Department of Education showed as ,,
much concern over the erection of these twin
buildings as they did with the school-house
proper. The plans and specifications for these
out-buildings were an intergral part of. the
school's design and had to be incorporated
into the contractor's tender. ,
It is doubtful whether any school board or
contractor con sidered -the official blue-print
for the toilets serously. In actual practice the
local design was simpler -and produced a very
serviceable building. Specifications
recommended flap-boards for easy access at
the rear for cleaning purposes as ,well
as galvaniied iron pails undereach seat. Some
boards hesitated to comply with' the in-
structions since the former •provided handy
clandestine opportunities to study part of the
human anatomy of unsuspecting specimens.
Iri winter the cold icy blasts of wind and
snow had an uncanny knack of filtering under
the flapboard causing the convenience to be.
anything but convenient. In place of the
catch-buckets ulider_the toilet scat, the board
'found it more functional to dig a trench
beneath the service portion of the outhouse.
Each spring the night soil had to be removed.
Sometimes an excavation was made nearby •
and the mal-olorous contents deposited there
in and covered with earth to create little
mounds. • .„
Some engaged a farmer to remove this
Rain puts
crops
behind
schedule
Don Pullen. Huron County Ag:
Rep., said the growing season in
Huron County is about two weeks
behind last year's schedule due to
the heavy rains recently.
He said many farmers were
able to plant their spring grain
and some of their corn during the
prolonged dry period which pre-
ceded the rain,
However, he said some farmers
say their corn is still "all in" -
which means "all in the bag".
Mr: Pullen said corn planting
will likely be resumed in the next
day or so. He said there is no
cause for undue concern at this
point, given the normal' summer
growing season:
Mr: Pullen added old timers
agree it's been "an unusual
spring" with the prolonged dry
period followed by last week's
heavy rains.
the Ag. Rep. said the rain WAS
Very valuable and one benefit is
that conditions are now ideal for
herbicides to work.
He said grass in the pasture
fields has. also started to grow
better since \the rain so people
whO pasture cattle are getting
them out on the land:
said he expects
dairy farmers will start 'turning
their ows out to pasture in the
next week
human excrement when he was cleaning up
his barnyard of its. accumulation of manure,
Despite this extremely disagreeable, offensive
and unhygienic task some semblance of
cleanliness was obtained to meet the
scrutinizing eye of the inspector when making
his semiannual visitation.
The erection of a fence to screen the front of
each privy often resulted in an enclosure
which acted as a snowtrap in winter or made
supervision from a distance rather difficult.
Insome instances the board members found it
convenient to dispense with this visual barrier
and accomplished the same objective by
placing the privies at a discreet distance from
one another at the rear of the school-house.
The term, discreet, really meant the extreme
width of the school-yard. '
The privy was well-named for it was in
ingenious device for preserving human
privacy. The carpenter by simply shifting the
door to one side was able to'use the remainder
of the front wall as a blind for the service
corner. This, combined with the fact that the
door swung inward, screended any sitting
, member from public' gaze whether the
entrance was open or not. All too often, the.
door sagged just enough to scrape the floor so
the opening could be readily adjusted to'
provide the maximum amount of fresh air,
light and the desired range of view with the
minimum chance of self-exposure.
Who could wish for more? This hindrance to
the free movement of the door had an added
advantage for it stymied the wind from
blowing it open when visitor was otherwise
preoccupied. The life-expectancy of a latch or
inside Catch on the door was extremely short
for a break-in or .a break-out was always
occurring as the pupils were over participating
in various ' shenanigans. The privy was the
recognized place of safety for anyone
attempting to escape from pursuing ."Out--
laws." if one had anything of a confidential
nature to impart to a friend, the parliament
building' was the ideal place in which to
communicate.
Upended
During the summer months the perversity
of youth led many outhouses to be upended.
As they lay in a prone position, they were
silent sentinels to the fact that school was out,
its members no longer in session. A few days
before the opening of school in mid-August a
work-party reactivated the fallen con-
veniences, When certain board members
became indignant with the regularity with
which these ourhouses were overturned, they
had them securely anchored with wire braces
and stout stakes. It likewises reduced the
possibility of the utility being moved as a
• hallowe'en prank.
The size of the hole or holes in the school
privy did not always complement the size of
the rear portion of a pupil's anatomy so that
occas ionally someone had to effect an
embarrassing rescue. A small grade one tot
after having secured permission to go out, back
by raising the hand and displaying one or two
fingers was often caught short and decided to,
roost in a hole much too large forher slender
body. Her form jack-knifed into the orifice and
she was tillable to, extricate herself. Her _
stifled cries for help failed to reach the
schoolhouse proper.
It was only.when the conscientious teacher
missed her entire grade one class that she left
the classroom to investigate and heard the
sobs of the beleagured, urchin. As she neared,
the whimpering ceased suddenly and the
child, deject. but unhurt, asked to have her
bigger sister come to her assistance. Believing
that discretion was the better part of valour in
such as delicate matter, the sister was duly
summoned and in a matter of mlinutes both
girls were back in the schoolroom without
shoWing any outward signs ' of having
participated in anything approaching a
tragedy.
As summer approached the stench made
(Continued on Page 16)