The Rural Voice, 2004-07, Page 34Playing
the
devil's
game
(and other
rural
diversions)
Ptaging cards
was
considered
the devil's
game in some
rural homes
but who could
resist? Then
came radio
and television
to add to
rural social
life
By Arnold
Mathers
S)L ial lite of a farm family in the
1930s and '40s was simpler and
more community -oriented than
today.
When Dad and Mother began
farming they did not have hydro. Dad
enjoyed listening to the radio and one
of his first building projects was to
make a shelf for a used radio which
he had purchased. The radio ran on
batteries which were very expensive
and so listening was restricted to an
hour or two per week. A couple of his
favourite shows were Baby Snooks
and Fibber McGee and Molly.
Card playing was not allowed in
granddad Mathers' home. When Dad
and Mother were first married they
lived from January to May with
granddad Mathers and the maiden
aunts. Dad had learned to play cards
with the Woods family and really
enjoyed the game. He bought a deck
of cards and left them on their
dresser. Aunt Jane saw the cards and
burned them. In her strict Methodist
30 THE RURAL VOICE
upbringing cards were the work of
the devil.
When Dad and Mother moved to
their own farm in May a deck of
cards was one of the very first
purchases. Dad quickly learned to
play euchre and cribbage.
Just one farm down the road lived
the Jim Campbell family. They loved
to play cards and had small children
about the same age. Many evenings
were spent at one house or the other
for an evening of cards.
One cold, snowy winter night
when I was a baby, mother and dad
had walked the kilometre to the
Campbells for cards. On the way
home dad decided to hurry home
ahead and get the fire started to warm
up the house. Mother was left
carrying me the last half of the way.
She almost didn't make it home. She
became so exhausted she just wanted
to lie down in the snow and go to
sleep.
Jim died of a heart attack in his
40th year and his wife and boys
moved to town. Dad and Mother had
lost a valuable friend.
There was very little money
available to buy gas for the car to go
tripping about. Weekly drives to town
on Saturday night for groceries were
also great opportunities to meet
friends. Dad parked the car at the
south end of Wingham usually at the
chopping mill. Mother would do the
grocery shopping at the Red Front
grocery and carry the groceries to the
car.
Dad walked up the street and
talked to everyone he met. As
a youngster I well remember
holding dad's hand and running
circles around him trying to get him
to walk on up the street. Eventually
mother would catch up to us and we
would walk up to the north end of
town where her brother Walter and
his family always parked. Often there
was a ball game at the park and we
would stand on the creamery