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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1980-04-23, Page 4Perspectives decided to chip some paint off the door frame, taking up my knife from the ground where I had dropped it. Instead of chipping paint, she chipped a nice section of skin just under the nose. If you remember Art Linkletter, his comment about raising kids was as follows, The first cut with the first child was a major catastrophe, where one had to decide whether to call the emergency squad or just take the child to the hospital yourself, After four or five successive children's cuts and bruises the comment usually was "Don't bleed on the rug!" Our reaction was the first. By the time we got to the doctor the bleeding was pretty well stopped and he decided to put one of these butterfly bandages on it, guaranteed to hold the cut together and not leave a scar, It sounded too good to be true, and was. The scar is still there. Whatever, I can still remember the day a Grade 8 student went out of the door beside my office a little faster than usual, giving the kick board her customary kick. Unfortunately the door was frozen shut and instead of it opening, the plate glass shattered cutting her from the outer edge of the eyebrow across to the nose and down to about half the nose's length. At first the cut was just about the width of a hair with only a thin line of red showing. When I touched it with a piece of gauze though, blood gushed out. The doctor spent almost 3 hours sewing it up. To his credit there was only the finest of scars barely showing. Truly an artist at work. Dear Sir : South Huron District High School is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. The Student Council is planning a gala Homecoming '80. All former students, graduates, teachers and their friends are invited to attend, Special invitations are extended to the 1950 Staff and Graduating Class. The festivities begin June 21 at 8:00 a.m. with a Pan- cake Breakfast at the Firehall. The breakfast continues until 11:00 a.m, From the Firehall the ac- tivity moves to the High School for class reunions. Several locations are designated for certain years. At the same time special events will be held through out the school. These events will include old timers field hockey, basketball and soccer games. Musical presentations, theatre arts presentations and depart- ment displays will also be set up. A special picture and yearbook display will also be set up Donations of old pictures would be ap- preciated. These may be given to Doris Schwartz in the school office. The program includes a chicken barbeque at the South Huron Recreation Centre from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. A program introducing former queens, presidents and staff members will be held after the meal. Com- pleting the Homecoming '80 Day will be a dance to continuous music provided by "Spirit" and "Masquerade". Homeco- ming '80 will be an un- forgettable occasion so get your tickets now while they are available at RSD Sports Den, The T.A., Jerry MacLean's, the school office and present students. Therefore circle June 21st on your calendar and return to the high school for one day and have the best time of your life. Yours sincerely Mike Burke wilderness, he gets letters from Iraq, Paraguay, Argen- tina, Ireland, and so on. There are two from the United Nations building in New York, another from Florida, many from Quebec. He has friends all over the world. Maybe he writes back to them, I don't even write letters to the editor, no matter what inanities appears in print. But it's all going to change. After all, a man controls his own destiny. I am definitely going to answer all your letters. Norm. Tony Winnie, Floss, Norma, Blake, Uncle Ivan, nephew Paul. cousin Laura, and all you readers. The minute I retire. Pus. 4 Times .EsniWished .1e73. Timei.Advecate, April 33,1940- Advocati Established 1881 Amalgamated 1924 . Mainstream Canada Li SEIVIND, CANADA'S gat PAIIMIAHD Q.W.N.A.. CLASS 'Wand ABC Published by J. W. Eqedy reblication0.1.1roit04 LORNE fEBY, PUBLISHER Editor — Bill flatten Assistant Editor — Ross Haugh Advertising Manager — Jim Beckett Composition Manager Harty policies Business Manager Dick Jcsnykinr/ Published Each Wednesday Morning Phone 235.1331 at Exeter, Ontario second Class Moil Registration Nurntser 0386, sugiscmprioN RATES; Canada $14,00Per Year; USA $35,00 As a result, the big boys are falling rather hard and unfortunately a sizeable portion of the economic stability they bring to the nation is falling with them. Last week, an area farm organization director visited this newspaper to out- line details of a protest march to Ot- tawa to outline farm problems to the federalpoliticians, The gentleman was a little hesitant in his enthusiasm for the march, because he noted that many farmers who were experiencing problems were those who had greedily extended into large operations that were now facing economic hardships. Big is not always better...a conse- quence now being faced by auto manufacturers and some farmers alike. "Let me get this straight — I'm a $500 tax deduction and you only give me 25 cents a week allowance?" Campus protests should fizzle on the faculty, Taxpayers kick in another $4,000 or so per student. Canadian students should look around before they start protesting fee increases that simply match the inflation rate. Bennington College in Vermont, for example, is now charging a whopping $7,3$0 per year. While that's among the highest in the U.S., univer- sities such as Yale, Princeton, Stanford and the Massachu. setts Institute of Technology have tuition fees of $6,200 or more per year. And that's in U.S. funds. Canada's students don't understand how well off they are. Supported and subsidized by millions of taxpayers who never had the chance to attend university, this country's stu- dents are being given a glori- ous, low-cost opportunity to enhance their future earning power. Instead of protesting higher tuition fees, Canada's students should get on with their stu- dies. Otherwise, taxpayers may start to feel university students are being coddled. each sunny day, of the beauty of flowers, of the song of bird. "How often do we reflect on the joy of breathing easily without pain, of Swallowing without effort and discom- fort, of walking without pain, of a com- plete peaceful night's sleep? How often do we eat merely to satisfy hunger without appreciating the sub- leties of taste and smell of a well- cooked meal? How often do we complain of our work when we should be thankful for the great blessing of being able to work? One soon realizes how precious life is, when it appears certain that it will be curtailed." Never on Wednesday afternoon being "sick" because many of them are quite intelligent, and know perfect- ly well what they are doing. It may sound like a drastic remedy, but punishment of some kind is warranted and corporal punishment, which most of them should have had when they were younger, might be suf- ficient to turn them from the career of destruction. It is about the only remedy which suggests itself as being real punishment, which is what most of the vandals of our time do not get, and thus they laugh at the law and the courts. Enlisting public help is a difficult thing, because anybody who ventures to provide information is likely to find himself the target of the vandals. What the public wants is protection, some kind of adequate penalty seems as likely as anything to reduce van- dalism. No other treatment has succeeded, despite all attempts at kindness and reformation. So perhaps a little application of some real punishment, that can be felt, might arouse in the vandals the awareness that we are fed up and want them stopped. The Trentonian Appreciation of life Why not the strap? +CNA The bigger they are, the harder they fall! That is a comment most boys have heard from their fathers or hockey coach as they attempt to foster some pyschological fortitude in the face of a superior foe. There have been many bloody noses attesting to the fact it wasn't always good advice but news reports indicate that the adage is showing up in many unpleasant ways in today's society. The major auto manufacturers have announced massive layoffs as the in- dustry suffers the consequences of fail- ing to heed the energy crisis warnings and the fact that many foreign manufacturers were and at the same timewere being successful in con- vincing many potential buyers. New appreciation of life and the world is often expressed by those who have been given a short time to live. Rarely has it ever been better expresed than by Toronto surgeon Dr. John A. MacDonald, who died of cancer recent- ly after spending his last years helping others face death. Following is anexcerptfrom his book, "To Live With Cancer" recently published by McLelland and Stewart: "When I became aware of my mor- tality, my attitudes and feelings chang- ed. There was real meaning to the words "This is the first day of the rest of your life." My appreciation of life increased. There was a heightened awareness of How does one deal effectively with vandals? First of all, it is obvious that present law does not. Here we have special efforts being made to improve Mount Pelion, and right behind the builders come the destroyers. It is simple enough to say that if vandals are caught, they should be made to rebuilt what they destroy. That would be fine if they could, both as to materials, cost, and abllity.But how many could, or would? In all of this the one ingredient that seems to be missing is some kind of penalty which might have the effect of Making vandals think twice. It ought to be public enough that there would be no chance of hiding it under some rug of secrecy. Jailing seems not to have any effect, and in any case, often hardens those who keep on offending agains the law. One old-fashioned remedy which this province used to use is whipping. The strap is something which cannot be hidden. It is the one thing mostly likely to deter the senseless destroyers. They cannot be hidden under some excuse zmnIZEN,P2AEMAM:r"—"'"''''' By SYD FLETCHER I saw an article in the newspaper the other day about a new glue that will be used to replace stitches and all the problems associated with sewing up cuts and other such wounds. Soon a surgeon will be able to reach for a glue bottle instead of the neede and thread. Probably the end results will be far more attractive than the present process along with a large saving of time in operations. Gone though will be some of the skill whiCh is associated with a doctor who is a good seamstress as well as knowing his way around the human anatomy. One day my youngest The writer failed to follow one of the cardinal principles of living in Exeter last week, although fortunately the ramifications were not as serious as they could be for some others who fail to keep their'mind on what they are do- ing. It's a principle that has been handed down for at least one generation, so really there was no excuse for this "native" having made the faux pas. At the'outset, it should be noted that the error was due to my own stupidity. No one else has to accept any blame for it. It all seemed rather simple at the time. I was hurrying home to get lunch for my 15-year-old son, and pulling into the driveway, there was the inevitable distracting question of whether there was anything in the cupboards on which to dine. The pace quickened as I made my way into the garage and then the lurk- ing monster made its attack with a quick blow to the top of the head which temporarily buckled my knees and created a colorful galaxy of stars floating somewhere in the cranium. Regaining my senses (most of what is left, anyway) I looked back to see who had hidden in the garage to perpetrate such a vicious assault. The answer was seen in the slight quiver of the over-head door. It had apparently dropped down slightly in the wind and was hanging at a head-pounding level. Undaunted, the cook headed quickly to the kitchen to retrieve the frying pan from a lower cupboard and it brought first indication that the garage door had caused more damage than suspected. The warm stream of liquid pouring down over my forehead and into a pool on the kitchen floor was blood, a fact further substantiated when a damp washcloth became quick- ly saturated when held to an enlarging, throbbing bump in the middle of my bald spot. In many ways. I am one of the worst people I have ever met. And one of them is in not answering letters. I wish it were not so, I wish I were meticulous and tidy and had my income tax return filed at least two days before the deadline, and liked cats, and shined my shoes at least once a week. But I'm not and I don't. That's just a sample of the things I don't like about myself. An entire list would fill this column. But not answer- ing letters is right up there near the head of the list. It was brought home to me today, end of March, when I received in the mail my annual card and gift from an old- time room-mate at college, Norm Lightford. Every Christmas, arriving end of March this year (great mail service, eh?) he sends one of those beautifully illustrated calendars, and a warm card. And I have never seen him, or written to him, or telephoned him, for about thirty-five years. Of course, the turkey never sends his address, but I could fihd that with a little effort. Poor Norm, I shouldn't say that. He's now a dental surgeon in Ottawa with a large practice, a happy marriage after a lousy one, and a family. But I did him a dirty one time. Away back in the fall of '41, I decided to join the Air Force. Not because I thought I could bring Hitler to his knees in short order. Not at all. Mainly because I was falling badly behind in my studies because I had fallen badly in love with a girl from Rio de Janeiro who had to go home, leaving me bereft. Enlisting was a good way out. Only one problem. I was sports editor of the Varsity year-book, Toron- tonensis. I had some scruples, but not many. I didn't want to .leave them without a sports editor (scruple). So, I suckered my room-mate, Norm, into taking over. Result? He failed second year dentistry, and had to repeat, while I was off in the wild blue yonder. (No scruples). And just here on my desk, under the beer bottle or the goose-neck lamp, is another example of my non-letter- answering perfidy that bothers me, but doesn't seem to go away, like a headache or a cold. It's a letter from Tony Frombola, of Oakland, Cal. It is dated October 4th, 1979. It begins, "Dearest Bill," and ends, "Well Bill, old buddy, I sure wish I was hand-carrying this up to you; it sure would be nice to have a few for old times sake..."'' Tony had tracked me down, after thirty-four years. Last time I'd seen him was on a troop-ship home from England. He was a Typhoon pilot, a prisoner-of-war, and we had "escaped" together after our camp was taken over by the Russians. He was also one of the great con ar- tists, and I'd written a column about this aspect. Somehow, through the "old buddy" network, he'd heard about it, and spent four months trying to find out panied by the doctor who advised that he would have to go on to University Hospital for examination by a plastic surgeon because he had severed a ten- don. I thought about asking them to wait to see whether my head laceration would require examination by a brain surgeon. With transportation costs be- ing what they are these days, there's no sense two people driving that distance with the same intended destination. However, any fears of further travels were soon dispelled when the young doctor at the clinic suggested he could have the gap closed within a few minutes and he quickly lived up to that prediction. The moral of the story, as others have found out, is that it is not wise to need medical attention on a Wednesday afternoon at South Huron Hospital. I don't think I could have undertaken the trip to Hensall with a severe cor- onary! * * * * While the medical attention in Hen- sall is first rate, and could perhaps serve as a model for South Huron Hospital, it was a trip I anticipated with some trepidation, After all, they have three black rab- bits on the loose up there and there's no telling what evil could befall a fellow. Actually, the story I did on the coun- cil report last week from Hensall deserves some explanation. It was one of those "light". meetings due to the absence of two members and the rabbit bit just happened to tickle my funny bone to the extent I got slightly carried away. It just goes to show that some people have a rather distorted view of the responsibilities of their elected of- ficials. Surely those officials should not have to waste their time on such items as three marauding rabbits. where I was. He phoned me one night from California. And I've never answered. My sisters write long letters oc- casionally, and I never answer. My kid brother sends off an affectionate mis- sive every Christmas. I do not deign to reply, Readers write warm, intelligent letters praising my column, or telling me what a jackass I am. I maintain a haughty silence. Certainly. after a while, people stop writing, and you've lost another friend. Or enemy. What they don't realize is that I'm just testing them. Anyone who can go on writing letters into a void for thirty-odd years is a real friend, worth cherishing, even though you never answer the letters. Today I had a long-distance call from a woman, asking if she could reproduce one of my columns for a meeting of school trustees, The column was critical of schools. I said, "Sure." She said, "Thanks very much," I said "O.K." Communication instant. If she'd written me, asking, she'd never have heard, yea or nay. What really has rubbed into my skin this major flaw in my character is the number of letters that pile into our place, from exotic lands, bearing in- credibly beautiful stamps, for our son Hugh, After nearly five years in the By W. Roger Worth Spring has arrived on tun, versity campuses across the country and restless students have turned to the annual rite of protesting upcoming in, creases in tuition fees. In the 1960s, students were battling such gut issues as the Vietnam war. Now they vent their spleen on the university officials and governments that have been forced to raise tui- lion fees by about 10% to keep up with inflation. The students, it seems, are mad. Roger Worth is Director, Public Affairs, Canadian Federation of Independent Business. AMOSIRMORROSr..441.11L411101N Big not better • N AROUN In the true tradition of cooks, I con- tinued with the noon menu, ensuring that it did not become contaminated with blood by wearing the washcloth that was soaking up the elements from the blood system that appeared to be " flowing at a pace that would make an oil driller jump for joy. * * * * Returning to the office, I immediate- ly sought out the expert on first aid for clumsy cooks. With the laceration from a can opener accident still not entirely healed, Mary. Alderson was the logical choice for some medical advice. The queasy expression that im- mediately crossed her face was all the notice that was needed to indicate that a trip to the hospital for some stitches waOlecessary. Advising the receptionist that I would return shortly I made the short walk to the emergency department and waited while the nurse attended to another lacerated victim who had put his finger in the way of some cutting in- strument that hadn't stopped until it had made a deep incision. That victim was dispatched to the Hensall Medical Centre and the writer took his turn under the surveillance of the emergency room nurse. One look was all that was needed to diagnose the remedy for my problem. Some sutures would be required. Unlike the previous victim, I had a choice. I would drive up to Hensall to get medical attention or I would come back in a couple of hours when a doctor was expected to be on hand to look after my needs. Opting for the former, I joined the procession of accident victims heading from South Huron Hospital to Hensall for medical attention, and was soon sitting in the office with the woman who was acting as chauffeur for the chap with the severed finger. He arrived back in the waiting room a few minutes after my arrival, accom- Answering some letters r-P/A04111.1. 4bufknint. But somehow, it's difficult to sympathize with the campus crowd. Beleaguered Canadian tax- payers already pick up about 85% of university education bills, with additional support for needy students available through a variety of special assistance programs. In most cases, university tuition costs less than $800 - $1,000 per year, depending n metrOnf anew 55 Years Ago • Mr. & Mrs. H. Bowers have moved -into the apart- ments of E. C. Harvey. At a public meeting, in the town hall, it was decided .to ask council to submit a bylaw for the erection of a two-room addition to the Exeter public school. Mr. and Mrs. Leo Ferguson entertained the teacher and pupils of S.S. No. 1 Usborne, Friday afternoon. A picnic to the bush had been arranged but owing to un- pleasant weather, games were played 'at the house. 30 Years Ago .Crediton last week lost its oldest and one of 'its most respected businessmen in the person of Mr. Thomas Trevithick in his 83rd year. When a boy of 16 he worked with his father as carriage maker and woodworker, later taking over the business. Donations to an Exeter District Fund to help the stricken victims of the Manitoba Flood are being received at the Exeter Times-Advocate. Supplies are so short in the stricken flood area in Manitoba that a plane which flew from Centralia RCAF station with radio equipment to Winnipeg has stayed to aid air lift operations. Exeter Chapter OES is undertaking to furnish a $600 room for the South Huron Hospital. 20 Years Ago Richard N. Creech, a life- long resident of Exeter and one who has been actively . associated in the com- munity's progress, died on Tuesday in his 85th year. Monday night, Exeter PS board awarded a contract for the installing of a public address system throughout the school, including the new addition. Miss Marilyn Strang, a student of MacDonald Hall, Guelph, is holidaying at her home having completed her year. The Exeter Ladies' Golf Club will open their season on Tuesday, May 10 ac- cording to plans set up at an executive meeting Monday night. Mr. and Mrs, E. C. Harvey have returned after spending the winter months in Florida, 15 Years Ago Exeter council decided this week to start over again in their bid to find a police constable to fill the vacancy on the local force. Council Monday night unanimously supported a move authorizing Chief C. H. MacKenzie to hire off-duty OPP officers in an effort to mount a sustained attack against hazardous drivers' driving habits of area youths in the neighbourhood of SHDHS at noon hours and at school dismissal time, At their Monday meeting, the Exeter Public School board discussed the possibilities of converting their coal-burning furnaces to oil, and a more detailed study will be undertaken with a view to making a decision at the next meeting. " '"