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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1963-07-18, Page 9staid. Comfit Nothing Like A Young Mind Dr. Wilder Penfield, one of Canada's most reliable authorities on the workings of the human brain, was interviewed re- cently on a Montreal TV program. The theme of the interview was the capability of children to absorb more knowledge than they are currently being expected to accept. Specificially, the interview dealt with the possibility of teaching young- sters a second language at an early age. Dr. Penfield pointed out that it is quite feasible to teach a child two or three languages simultanteously if it is done early enough — at the latest before 12 years of age. He also mentioned a cur- ious, but well-founded fact — if a child learns a second language at an early age he will be able to learn a third language in later life with much Tess difficulty than would have been the case had he learned nothing more than his mother tongue in childhood. Dr. Penfield's advice was that the sec- ond language should be started by six years of age and that the teacher should not be a person whose only contact with the child is in teaching that language. He asserted that the language teacher should take up a part of the school week teach- ing all subjects in the second language. The -purpose is to teach the child to think in a second language, so that the process of hearing in one language and then mentally translating can be obviated. His plea, of course, was that French should be taught to every Canadian child, not only in Quebec but in all the other provinces as well. Conversely, the French- speaking children of Quebec should be taught English in the same thorough manner. This is a subject we have referred to before. It is a most important one. If you never meet anyone from Montreal or other parts of Quebec you may not be fully aware of the growing problem which is exemplified by the Quebec separatists. It is a very real and dangerous feeling among French-Canadians. True, it should never have arisen, but the plain fact is that it has arisen, whether we like it or not. The difference in language is by far the greatest single barrier between the two major ethnic groups in this country, and that difference must be removed as speedily as possible. If a full and comprehensive course in French were started in Ontario public schools today it would be 20 years before its full benefits would begin to appear. Therefore it is obvious that there is no time to be wasted. For Clearer Writing The time may be here for discussion of and argument for middle-class mor- ality, says The Printed Word. Or perhaps it is the high-class morality of the middle class. By middle class one means a class that is middle in income and modest in social ambition and attainment. There is much to be said for the man and woman who bring up a family in the way the Victorians said they should go. There is faithful attendance at Sunday School and in large congregations as the youngsters become full members of the Church. Or there can be nothing more heart-warming than to see the pride of a family when a boy makes his speech at Bar -mitzvah. North America is Christian and Jew, yet there are writers for stage and screen who preach against or who bring into their work a scorn and derision of the churchly qualities that held, or hold civilization together. It is not held to- gether by motion picture stars who trade for a new wife at a cost of millions, or by writers and editors for stage, screen and magazine who use their talents try- ing to find new ways to shock. It is highly probable, in fact, that writers who try to exploit prurience and who are supported in their "rights" to bare their lewdness are far from being first class in their profession. They find themselves much in the position of Ra- belais now virtually unreadable, whose droll stories had to become droller and droller—or drierer and drierer. There is nothing new about filth and readers who have some instinct for good taste are sure, in the end, to turn toward bright, clever, entertaining cleanliness if it can be found. Budget Triggers Higher Prices One of the most serious consequences of the confusion which has arisen from the Gordon budget will be a general in- crease in the prices of many of our com- monly -used goods and services. Having breakfast in one of Toronto's larger restaurants the other morning, we were greeted by a neatly -printed notice in which the management regretted that their long -famous ten cent cup of coffee would in future be 15 cents. The notice is typical of thousands of increases which are being applied all over the business field. In our own business it has become apparent that some price increases will be necessary. We have tried to hold the line for the past four or five years, in the vain hope that the economy would level off to some extent. Like other conscientious firms, too, we have made every effort to practise economies wher- ever possible, rather than passing on higher costs in the form of higher charges. Mr. Gordon's budget, however, makes it official. Already a 4 percent tax has been cracked onto the very costly equip- ment which is used in the newspaper and printing industry. This 4 percent is to be increased to 11 percent over the coming months. The increase must be reflected in our prices if we are to stay in business. All of this makes it very plain that the government of Canada, regardless of the party which may be at the helm, is going to face the urgent necessity for very careful scrutiny of its own expendi- tures. Curiously Unaware Sometimes we are amazed at the lack of attention the Lakeshore townships pay to one of their most important sources of revenue. Though tourists and cottagers must of necessity leave a sizeable amount of money behind them at the end of each summer, it is not unusual to find town- ship roads along the lake frontage in de- plorable condition. This cannot be said of every township, but in many cases it is all too true. We have also heard of cottagers who were most irate over the difficulties they experience whenever it is necessary to seek any sort of co-operation from muni- cipal councils. In fact it is these prob- lems which have given rise to the numer- ous cottage -owners' associations. Perhaps it is inevitable that township councils, composed almost exclusively of farmers, who work hard all summer, should find themselves short of sympathy for the sort of people who can afford the time and money for holidays. We suspect there is more than a tincture of jealousy in the atmosphere. It is not unusual for the "natives" to carry a spirit of ill -concealed contempt for summer invaders, but this attitude is one which should speedily be corrected. Tourists and cottage owners, in many parts of this fair province, provide the chief form of livelihood for the natives. Millions of dollars are spent every year to attract tourist business and a big per- centage of that expenditure can be wasted by a poor welcome when the tourist ar- rives in the area selected for his holiday. This applies not only to the actual lo- calities in which the visitors will stay, but equally in towns such as our own, through which the travellers must pass and in which they would at times like to do some business. 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 U.S.A., $5.00 per year; Foreign rate, $5.00 per year Advertising Rates on application "CLOSE -ORDER DRILL" — Skill and precision are demonstrated as four destroyers of the RCN's Pacific Command steam in tight formation while carrying out a multiple jackstay transfer evolution in waters off Victoria. From port to starboard the ships are the Margaree, Skeena, Saguenay and Fraser. btancoZi Wingham, Ontario, Thursday, July 18, 1963 SECOND SECTION 111111IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!IIIIIIIII111111II!! a111dCII11111111U z77r"VIII;!hi!I!illflllotm!tl!1!!!!!Ilili!P!Illtlll!!Ih1111141DU!IIIItnIL'llll!II!I;III!'l!!I!1!!L'!IIC91J!IIIIIIIII!1!a SUGAR and SPICE IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIpBy Bill Sm ley Some people are addicted to drugs, others to drink, some to the weed, others to women. Teachers are addicted to summer courses. Why? * Ask a teacher and he'll tell you, "To improve my profes- sional competence." Ask the chairman of the school board and he'll tell you, "So he can demand more money." Ask the teacher's wife, if you want the real truth: "So he can get down to the city there and have a big time running around and living it up while I'm stuck here at home with the kids." They're all equally right. That's why I've been taking a Refresher Course in Eng- lish. And don't think it hasn't been refreshing. It started off in rip -snorting style and the pace hasn't let up for a min- ute. Girls, drink, bawdy con- versation and wild reunions with old comrades. I hadn't really intended to get involved in anything be- yond a few love affairs and half a dozen nights on the town. That's why I picked out what I thought was a fairly quiet spot to stay. My illu- sions were dispelled even be- fore I got dressed in the morning. There was a surrep- tious tap on my door. I open- ed it and was confronted by two young ladies, both stark naked and grinning broadly. * .* * Talk about your Profumo affair. "Hi, Unca Bill!" chor- tled my nieces, Jenny and Susie, aged four and three. Well, that wasn't so bad. I'm used to bare -bottomed little girls, and these were the only ones I had anything to do with while I was away, so help me, Mom. But the drink was another matter. I couldn't seem to stay off it, without the old Trouble 'n' Strife there to keep an eye on me. Morning, noon and night, I was into the stuff. I'm so sick of coffee it'll be a joy to get home, where a man can have an honest beer after a hard day's work watching the starlings decorating his new picnic table. Then there was the shock- ing conversation I was ex- posed to. At home, the dia- logue runs on pretty conven- tional lines. You know, stuff like, "When are you going to cut the grass? The place looks like The Petrified For- est." Or, "Iley, Dad, will you take us for a swim and play badminton with us and go bowling with us and give us our allowance and buy some watermelon and ice cream and a boat so we can go waterskiing and can I drive the car?" * * * Pretty tame stuff. But on the course, there were no re- straints. Just a bunch of men, out for a good time, and no holds barred. You should have heard us throwing the bawdy talk around. Like, "Yeah, my old woman's the same. Sorta owly." And, "Yup, these modern kids are spoiled rotten." And, "Guess I . godda gedda new car. Body's shot." And a lot of stimulating stuff like that. But this was nothing com- pared to the wild times at night. That's when we really cut loose. I'll never forget the first night I threw caution to the winds. Met a couple of the boys downtown in a bar and had a pretty raucous time, talking about how they had a hell of a time getting their kids to practise the piano, too. * * * Well, sir, they just couldn't stay with me. They faded. There I was, at 8.30 p.m., raring to go. And by sheer chance, I got into a terrific reunion with some old mates. It was the night of the pre- miere of The Great Escape, and I was passing the movie house. I wandered into the lobby, told the doorman I was an old prisoner -of -war (what the film was about) and he told me to go on in. It was a thrilling show. At least that's what the critics said about it, in next day's papers. I snoozed. After the show, the old P.O.W.'s came out, grand in rented white dinner jackets and fat wives with borrowed mink stoles. And there was old Elmer, large as life. In fact, twice as large. I hadn't seen old "El," as I called him, since the day the Russians liberated our camp, back in May, 1945. He hadn't seen me since then, either. As you can imagine, it was a hilarious reunion. Nothing would do but that I'd have a drink with him. We went off with our arms around each other's shoul- ders. At least, as far as they'd reach. Mine wouldn't go much past the nape of his neck. He had grown. Side- ways. * * * We were just getting nicely REMINISCING JULY 1913 The following donations were received by the Wingham Hospital: James Gaunt, $5; J. A. Currie, $10; W. J. Boyce, $5; J. L. Awde, $5; D. Bell, $5; J, C. Graham & Son, $5; G. Carr, $5; Wm. Bone $5, Mrs. Elizabeth Bloomfield, with her late husband, Robert Bloomfield moved to the Township of Morris fifty four years ago and nine years ago took up residence in Wingham. This week she left Wingham to spend her remaining days with relatives near Clinton. Again the pale rider has been in our midst and it is our duty to chronicle the death of one of Ontario's oldest pioneers, in the person of the late Dune: an McKinley. Mr. McKinley was bom in Cawal, Argyles - shire, Scotland in 1835 and at the age of 1 immigrated with his father Donald McKinley and settled in the township of Lobo near London, Ont. When quite a young man, he leamt his trade as carpenter, working at this, also contracting and bridge building. He built the bridges on the Grand Trunk between London and Wingham, as well as many other sections in Canada and the United States. About 30 years ago, owing to ill health, he retired to Wingham where he has been one of our most respected citi- zens. 0--0--0 JULY 1926 Mr. G. A, MacKersie, Principal of School, Bounty, Sask. , is spending his vacation with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Wm. MacKersie of Shuter St, Mr. Wilfred Fryfogle of Detroit, spent a few days with relatives in town. He was accompanied home by his two sisters, Mrs. Jas Hamilton and Mrs. Cummings. The C.G.I. T. of St. An- drews Church spent a couple into our reunion, and swear- ing we'd reforge the strong bonds of those days behind the wire, and bring our fami- lies to visit each other, when El asked if I'd gone straight back to Calgary when I was discharged from the air force. As I've never been in Cal- gary in my life, I was rather taken aback. A few minutes later, it had been revealed that Elmer's name was Elwood Middle - house, and that he thought mine was Bill Wiley, who'd slept in the bunk above his in Stalag Luft 3. I was in Stalag Luft 1. We parted rather coolly, trying to out - fumble each other for the check. There's nothing quite as re- freshing as a refresher course. At least, I can tell my wife that I led my class. Down to the cafeteria every day, for coffee break. Of pleasant weeks at Mr. R. S. McGee's cottage at Kincardine beach. Miss Marjorie Gurney and Mrs. A. M. Hannah were the chaperones. The following young ladies were in the party: Misses Eva Rintoul, Bertha Mc- Gee, Penelope Hannah, Nancy Taylor, Mary Mitchell, Fairy Fells, Elizabeth Ross, Lois Prast. Mr. Harry Ansley of Winni- peg is renewing acquaintances here and visiting with his mother, Mrs. John Ansley, Shu - ter St. Mr. and Mrs. Jas. Anderson and sons, Jim and Donald of Peterboro are guests at the home of Mr. and Mrs. John Galbraith, Minnie St. Mr. W. G. Knox, who has been visiting his brother-in- law, Mr. W. J. Gallaher and other relatives here, re- turned to his home at Moose - jaw, Sask. 0--0--0 JULY 1938 The Newton family reunion took place at Pike Lake on Saturday with 125 present, members being in attendance from Gowanstown, Belmore, Clifford, Ayton, Harriston, Wroxeter, Hanover, Toronto, Listowel and Gorrie. Mrs. J. W, McKibbon and daughter, Mary Elizabeth and Mrs. C. B. Armitage and daughter, Doris, motored to North Bay and Callendar last week to view the Quints. On their return they visited at Buffalo and at Niagara Falls. Mrs. F. A. Parker and daughters, Patricia and Grace, have returned home after spend- ing the past few weeks at Day- tona Beach, Florida. Word was received in town, of the death of Annie Catherine Griffin, R.N., daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. C. N. Griffin, of Wingham, at Wind - so r. Mrs. John Campbell, who resides with her daughter, Mrs. Geo. Hawthorne, Lower Wingham, celebrated her 92nd birthday on Monday. Mr. and MIS. Peter Gowans left on Tuesday for Owen Sound where they took the boat for a trip to Sault Ste. Marie. They will visit with Mrs. Gowans' sister there for a few weeks. JULY 1948 Four rinks of Trebles from the Wingham Ladies Bowling Club attended the tournament held in Clinton last Wednesday. First prize was won by Mrs. Elsie Sturdy, skip, Mrs. M. Ilam and Mrs. Murray Johnson; and third by Mrs. It, Campbell, skip, Mrs, 11. C, MacLean and Mrs. Chas. Lloyd. Mrs. Chas. MacWilliarn of Swift Current Sask. , visited for a few days with her cousins, Mr. and Mrs. J. A. Kelly. This was her first visit to Wing - ham in :3U years, since a party of 13 went west and settled in Swift Current and Stewart Valley, Sask.