HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1963-03-21, Page 9Teachers Will Be Missed
The announcement last week that
three veteran teachers of the public
school staff will retire at the end of this
term leaves us all with mixed feelings.
We do know that these teachers have
earned their retirement and well deserve
a rest from their arduous labors—but
parents throughout the community will
be sorry to see the fine abilities of these
teachers lost to the younger generation.
Education and the entire system
under which it is administered, ' have
undergone far-reaching changes during
the past 15 or 20 years. With all respect
to the younger teachers who have been
the first to take up the new methods, we
feel that no small measure of commenda-
tion is due to the members of public
school staffs who were able to add the
benefits of long experience and thorough
training.
To Miss Williamson, Miss Johns and
Mrs. Webster we would like to extend
the gratitude of this community for the
untold gifts they have passed on to our
children. We would also extend the best
of good wishes for years of retirement
which will be rich in rewards for the
years of effort they have devoted to the
public service.
The Wake -Me -Up Election
There is a lot of general moaning and
groaning right now about the horrible
mess we are in when it comes to national
government. It's about the only thing
Canadians can agree upon — how com-
pletely fouled -up our affairs have become
and how completely we lack leadership.
By and large we are inclined to agree.
There does appear to be a tremendous
hesitation on the part of the old-line poli-
ticians to stand right up and say what
they mean.
On the surface things look black—
but closer observation would indicate
that a revolution is taking place in the
mind of the Canadian voter himself. The
very absence of strongly -directed leader-
ship is causing the average Canadian to
ponder the importance of sound govern-
ment and to think deeply about the con-
sequences of a bad choice on April 8th
when he goes to the polls.
This is not merely a theory. Note
the attendance at meetings where the
political leaders have been speaking.
Crowds which were numbered at a few
hundred last June have suddenly swollen
to thousands.
Nothing could be healthier for the
ApPominion of Canada. We have heard a
lot of sad statements to the effect that
it is a crying shame the defence prob-
lem should be brought into politics; that
anti -Americanism has arisen.
We don't think it's a shame at all. For
30 or 40 years the Canadian voters have
been asked to elect governments on cut-
and-dried issues which were 'tailored to
the useful proportions professional poli-
ticians wished to deal with. In this elec-
tion the politicians have not been afford-
ed the usual freedom of choice — and
Canadians are going to do their voting
under the influence of issues which, for
once, they feel are vital to the nation and
its safety.
We would suggest that any leader who
wants to gain the respect and support
of the Canadian public should concen-
trate on a platform of "whatever is best
for Canada" rather than "what will get
me the most votes."
There is no need to run from town to
town and province to province with a
whole bagful of new and shiny promises.
The Canadian voters have long since
awakened to the fact that there is no
such thing as a free hand-out from any
government.
A growing class of electors are listen-
ing, so far in vain, for a leader who will
promise only one thing — sound and
intelligent government, at a price we can
afford to pay.
• Department Provides Excellent Service
As the roughest winter in several
years draws to a close we would like
to express a few words of commendation
to the Ontario Department of Highways.
Despite repeated storms of a horrendous
nature, the main arteries have seldom
been closed for more than a few hours
at a time.
Admittedly the Department now has
vast resources at its disposal in the way
of adequate and well-designed equipment
—but every one of these machines has
to be manned by workmen who know
their jobs and who are not afraid to
venture out in the worst of winter
weather.
Our highways are well maintained,
not only in the winter months but in
summer as well. The roadsides are kept
neat and well mowed; picnic tables and
rest areas are numerous and attractive.
A trip through neighbouring provinces
and the various states of the Union leaves
the average Ontario driver with a keen
sense of satisfaction. Few other areas
provide the fine roads and attractive
scenery that we enjoy.
While we are on this subject we
would also like to compliment the Provin-
cial Police on their work this winter.
Their job is not a pleasant one when
they have to brave the bad weather to
investigate accidents. Their courtesy and
vigilance contributes greatly to the com-
parative safety of our highway system.
Spring Is Springin'--Slowly
Yes, there are a few signs that spring
is really around the corner. The odd
crow is sounding off in the woods, but
we suspect it's just those oddballs who
are slightly off the rocker and are
squawking about the cold like the rest of
us., A bit of brown grass is peeking
from under the edges of the snowbanks
—but the banks are still anywhere from
five to 15 feet high. Several cars have
been seen along the main street in which
there were young men whose fancies
were definitely turned to thoughts of
love — but these lads acted the same
way all winter.
Even a cursory examination of the
winter's fuel bill will indicate that spring
should be close at hand—but that's not
Arc
a solid guarantee. Nor is the fact that
the kids have lost the last of their mitts
and that the buttons have fallen off their
winter coats.
What we do know is that it will take
more than a few sunny days to melt the
snowdrifts piled along every fence and
roadway; it will be a long time before
the ice is all gone from the lakes and
streams.
However, don't be too gloomy. Re-
member that we didn't have any cold
weather until almost the first of Decem-
ber and last spring it warmed up nicely
by the end of March. Maybe this time
the law of averages will prevail.
We don't live in Florida, you know!
THE WINGHAM ADVANCE - TIMES
Published at Wingham, Ontario, by Wenger Bros. Limited
W. Barry Wenger, President - Robert O. Wenger, Secretary -Treasurer
Member Audit Bureau of Circulation; Member Canadian Weekly Newspapers Associ-
ation; Member Canadian Community Newspapers Representatives
Authorized by the Post Office Department as Second Class Mail and
for payment of postage in cash
Subscription Rate:
One Year, $4.00; Six Months, $2.25, in advance
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Advertising Rates on application
The Wonderland of Winter
Willows Along Lower Town Mill Race
btrm UtantieNZinvt
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Wingham, Ontario, Thursday, March 21, 1963
SECOND SECTION
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SUGAR
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SPICE
II I,IIiIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIfIIIBy Bill Sti ileylliiilillllliiiiillr..
There's one thing about Canadian weather — you'll
never die of boredom. This is my thought for the week as
the equinox arrives. I think a Canadian March 21, the first
day of spring, is just what the word suggests. Equinox is
from the Latin Equus—horse Nox—night. English transla-
tion—nightmare.
We don't know whether
we're going to be sitting out
on the patio in the sun, hav-
ing lunch with the birds yell-
ing wildly and the grass
sprouting green, or huddled
by the window with a red
nose, looking at a backyard
of navel -deep snow, with a
gale howling about the house.
It's refreshing, by George.
I have neither patience nor
sympathy with those traitors
w h o complain continually
about our Canadian weather.
What we should do is pack
them off to England, where
it rains all the ruddy time;
or ship thern to the desert,
where they'd be stunned into
sullen submission by the
brutal thump of the daily sun;
or pay their passage to the
tropics and let them mould in
the mildew of monotonous
dampness.
We should be proud of our
winters, for example. They're
mean, tough old devils, grim-
ly clinging to their reign until
they've wrung the last ounce
of resistance out of us. Some-
times, I swear, one more
week of cold weather would
have everyone in the nation
at each others' throats.
Then comes one of those
incredibly s o f t, caressing
days, then the wind is velvet
from the south, the sun licks
ice and snow with hot, ravish-
ing tongue, gutters gurgle,
and there's a lovely stink as
the wrappings are peeled
from the rotting, buried body
of the earth.
* * *
Out in the ice, the steam-
boats bellow like trapped buf-
faloes. Out on the street, the
kids stroll through puddles
over their boot tops. Out in
the bush, the trout streams,
black eels against the snow,
snort and chuckle and burble
with pure pleasure as they
race to their nameless des-
tiny, free again after months
of silent slavery.
Down at the dock, the boat
owners prowl, calculating,
estimating, figuring the days
until they can launch that
leaky, paint - peeling monu-
ment to man's eternal folly.
Up on the hills, the fanatics
are still at it, hurtling down
over gravel and grass, rocks
and roots, and occasionally
some snow.
Up in the bedroom, the good
wife views, with horrified de-
light, the sickening shade of
last year's wallpaper, reveal-
ed by the yellow March sun.
Down in the basement, the
fisherman putters and mut-
ters, swears and glares, ties
flies.
Down at the park or the
poolroom or the post office,
the old gents, sick to the soul
with confinement, suck in the
sun, shivering, but once again
defiantly alive, part of the
world. Up in their rooms, the
One Moment, Please
By Rev. C. M. Jardine,
Wingham, Ontario
One of the most remarkable
things that we learn as we read
the Gospel accounts is that
Jesus Christ was a man of out-
standing courage. He knew
what was before Him when He
deliberately chose to go up to
Jerusalem and make His last
great appeal to the people. St.
Matthew tells us that after
Peter's confession: "Thou art
the Christ, the Son of the liv-
ing God" and our Lord's declar-
ation concerning the church:
"Upon this rock I will build My
church", Jesus loses no time in
making known to His disciples
the prediction of His suffering
and death, which will inevit-
ably follow His decision.
He made the choice freely,
teen-agers seem to be study-
ing for their Easter exams,
while through their heads and
bodies swirl the heady fluids
of life, the juices of spring.
* * *
Up in the attic, the black
squirrels perform their end-
less do-si-do, interrupted only
by queer periods in which
they don't scuttle, but chortle
and croon to the doubtless
thousands of babies they have
produced in the winter
months. Down in the base-
ment crouches the cat, vast
with unwanted kittens, brood-
ing, patient, green-eyed.
Ours, I'in afraid, is not the
spring of 0 To Be in Eng-
land, Now That April's There.
It's not the spring of tiny
jonquils poking their dainty
heads through the turf. It's
not the spring of birdies and
blossoms of gambolling
lambs and tender green buds.
All this is two months away.
Ours is a savage, sudden
spring, raw and rugged, orn-
ery and awkward, unexpected
and uncomfortable, muddy
and moody. But it's never
dull.
And boy -o -boy -boy, aren't
we glad to see it
knowing He could easily slip
away to a quiet place in the
country and escape His enemies
But He refused to take the
easy way out. He was deter-
mined to confront the people,
both friends and foes, by a
direct face-to-face approach.
St. Matthew says: "From that
time forth began Jesus to show
unto his disciples, how that He
must go unto Jerusalem, and
suffer many things of the elders
and chief priests and scribes,
and be killed, and be raised
again the third day." (Matt.
16:21)
There are times when we
feel that the best approach in
dealing with a problem that
faces us is to wait patiently
until the time comes when we
can successfully cope with it,
because of the fortuitous turn
of circumstances. The condi-
tions then are right for sur-
mounting it.
There are times, however,
when the only adequate ap-
proach is a direct frontal attack
The wisdom and courage of
Jesus in His decision has been
borne out not only in the im-
mediate events that followed
but in the long term results,
which culminated in the gift
to the world of a revelation of
God's love and purpose that
would abide forever. His cour-
age not only inspires admira-
tion, but challenges us to fol-
low and serve flim as our Lord
and Saviour.
SAFETY INSURANCE
Why wear auto seat belts'?
The answer is simple. Seat
belts are the most effective
single safety item available to
reduce highway deaths and in-
juries. Most people wouldn't
think of driving without auto-
mobile insurance. Your life is
far more valuable than your
car — so why drive without
safety insurance, such as that
provided by seat belts.