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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1981-09-30, Page 4Page 4 Times -Advocate, September 30, 1901 Ames Times Established .1873 Advocate Established 1881 Amalgamated 1924 t dvocate Serving South Huron, North Middlesex & North lambton Since 1873 Published by J.W. Eedy Publications Limited tORNE EERY Publisher JIM BECKETT Ad‘k•rtising Manager HILL BATTEN Editor HARRY DEVRIES Composition Manager ROSS HAUGH Assistant Editor DICK JONGKIND Business Manager I Published Each Wednesday Morning at Exeter, Ontario I I Second Class Mall Registration Number 0386. Phone 235-1331 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada $17.00 Per Year: USA $35.00 C.W.N.A., O.C.N.A. CLASS 'A' and 'ABC' Can't lick the increase Postmaster -General Andre Ouellet has announced whopping increases in postal rates intended to put the new Canada Post Corporation on a sound footing. In an unusual display of public relations, Ouellet has also invited Canadians to voice their acceptance or displeasure with the proposed rates, although he hasn't made any real promises as to what will happen if there is wide -spread opposition to the new rates. However, Canadians who do accept his invitation to voice their opinions have already been given some indication of how they will be received. If Ouellet had kept his ear to the ground he would have known that most Canadians opposed the recent contract signed with the posties which gave these semi -skilled workers earnings of upwards of $25,000 per year along with four weeks vacation after eight years and 17 weeks maternity leave at 93 percent of their regular salaries. The salaries and benefits are totally out of line with those of the private sector and constitute the basic reason why the substantial increases are now required in postal rates. Canadians realize they have to pay the bill for the wages and benefits one way or another, whether it be increased contributions to the federal treasury through postal rates or taxation. There may be a choice, but obviously there is no escape. The majority of Canadians would be prepared to accept the new rates if they were guaranteed that the excessive deficits in the postal department would dis- appear, that service and mail handling would improve and there would be no interruptions in delivery due to strikes. That would be worth the extra cost involved, but could be classes as wishful thinking. A point worth considering One of the aims of fall fairs is to be educational, as well as entertaining. That being the case, former SHDHS agriculture teacher Andy Dixon is correct in his criticism that the Exeter fall fair missed the boat in some aspects, Saturday. Andy made his comments after walking through the livestock displays in the new agricultural building. None of the entry forms on the pens and cages of sheep, chickens, ducks and pigs identified the breed and he noted he had not kept pace with the many new breeds and was at a loss to know what he was looking at. He suggested the entry forms should contain the breed name and obviously it is a point well taken and one that the fair board directors should move to cor- rect. They should also ensure that entry forms carry the name of the exhibitor and not merely a number. One of the focal points of a community fair is to see the work of friends and neighbors, but numbers are meaningless. The new agricultural building and its proximity to the rec centre prompted more people to view the livestock displays this year, but unfortunately the facility was far from full and the directors should review their prize lists to see if more interest can be generated to take better advantage of the building and put more emphasis on the rural aspect of the fair. Readers suffer some Readers will note we have changed the format of the editorial page, but for the enlightment of a couple, it should be ex- plained there has been no change made in the type of ink or paper that is used to produce the paper. Mention is made of that fact after a rather unusual telephone call to one of the gals in the front office shortly after last week's publication hit the street. A lady noted that while reading the paper. her lips started to get dry and her eyes watered. She wondered if there was something in the ink that may be creating this strange malady, adding that another reader had shared her ex- perience. There's possibly an explanation, the most logical one being that the editor has poured so much sweat and tears into the weekly task that, through some strange phenomenon it sets up a reaction whereby certain readers are also moved to tears when they read the finished product. No doubt medical research would determine that it is similar to the labor pains that some husbands experience when their wives are giving birth or the strange situation in which people suffer discomfort in a big toe after the digit has been actually amputated from their body. The writer's lips also go dry on oc- casions when reading the newspaper, realizing that he can expect a nasty phone call from some irate reader whose name has ended up being misspelled or that an editorial comment will not sit well with some particular person. If it is any consolation to the lady who has fears that her health being under- mined through reading the newspaper, she may take consolation in the fact that most members of the staff also suffer strange maladies, ranging from sore legs (from standing on the cement floor in the back shop) to frayed nerves (try- ing to meet deadlines) and her reaction strange malady is nothing more than a sympathy syn- drome. However, she should perhapsbewarned that new medical evidence will possibly show newsprint and printer's ink could q .sq a BATT'N AROUND with the editor lead to cancer, particularly if the newspaper is read while one is drinking coffee or any of the other food stuffs that also contribute to health problems. That's just the way things are these days and our only consolation comes in knowing that watching TV also can en- danger one's health through radiation. There's just nothing safe these days! • Speaking of oddities in the printed word. those whose eye -sight is strained by reading newspapers or find their arms aren't long enough, may be in- terested in knowing that the smallest book ever printed in moveable type was an edition of Dante's "Divine Comedy" published in 1879. The book is 21/2 inches by 1'/2 inches and has 31 lines to the page. It took five years to complete the job and the eyesight of the compositor, who also did the proofreading, was permanently damaged. Even with a large magnifying glass, it is difficult to read the print. Those of us who graduated from the ranks of printer's devil in the days when type was set by hand, find if difficult to comprehend how anyone could get his fingers to perform such intricate work. Conversely, the largest book on record, which was owned by Charles II, was an enormous volume measuring six l feet high and three feet wide and it stands on casters so that it can be open- ed. It is an atlas and the maps were printed in 20 sections and then fitted together. It's obviously not the type of thing someone takes home and curls up with in a favorite easy chair in front of a roaring fire. One of the interesting aspects of prin- ting is that the pioneers, with such crude and simple components at hand, did turn out some efforts that can not even be duplicated today with all our com- puterized equipment. It could also be noted that the best photograph from a contest that judged entries taken over a wide time period, in- cluding the works of some of today's most noted camera bugs, was one taken in the early 1920s with an old box camera. • The competitors with their thousands of dollars invested in automatic cameras, filters, lights and dark room equipment had to slink away in shame. And to finish up on a literary note, in- dications are that the continuing battle over banning books in schools, has at last had one beneficial aspect. It has prompted an increase in the use of public libraries. Seems that when some of the citizen groups denounce books for their language or sexual content, people rush out to get their hands on it. In one town, the librarian reported that one of the books that had been opposed by the righteous, became the most wanted title in the building, after it had been borrowed only once prior to the protest. While some authors have expressed bitterness over their creations being banned, they should actually welcome the controversy because it appears to be the road to it becoming a best seller. "It was recalled ... by the mortgage company." Enjoys an unusual visitor We didn't have a very exoticsummer, but we did have one visitor who was unusual, to say the least. • He was only with us for about 48 hours, but he left a lasting impression, es-' pecially on one of my wife's favorite white bed- spreads, from which she has been trying to extract a stain of tar ever since. It seems that he set down on the bed -spread a' large suitcase, which had recently been resting on an asphalt road on a hot summer evening. Thus, the tar spot. Anybody got a recipe for getting tar out of white spreads? Dr. Garry, as he is call- ed,, is a large man of 60. He is totally deaf, but can lip-read better than most of us can hear. He arrived with my son Hugh, who knew him in South America. He leans heavi- ly on a cane, but lugs a mysterious, huge case full of mysterious things. • According to him, his mother was a Do ib In- dian, and he was born in Yellowknife, father un- known. Over the years, he has had T.B., syphilis, spinal meningitis and alcoholism. Ile has spent time in jail. He was in North America to be treated for some kind of South American parasite that has got into his bloodstream. Withall, he is a man of great charm, and strong convictions. He is a pioneer for the Ba -ha -i faith in Paraguay, and will go back there to die. He reckons he has two years. He has written for radio and TV, but the booze was a problem. Somewhere along the line, he became a Ba -ha -i, and decided to devote the rest of his life to spreading the faith. He went to Paraguay to replace my son Hugh, • who had done a five-year stint there and may go back. Sugar and Spice Dispensed By Smiley his feet flying like feathers. Hugh, with his customary fecklessness, though "we" could put on a show at the local park with no problems. Guess aYWA' Dr. Garry is a con- tradiction in terms. Hugh assured us that he ate only one meal a day. I guess the others were just snacks: juice and toast and three eggs for breakfast; whatever's around for lunch; and a dinner that would sink the Titanic. Like five cobs of corn, a pound of potato salad, a whole cucumber, some cold meat, and half a pound of tomatoes. But that's not the only paradox. His specialty is putting on "shows" for children. He did a couple while he was hete, and they were excellent. This big man, who can scarcely walk with a cane, psyches himself up, throws away his cane, and does an act that would kaffle many a 20 year old. In Indian costume, 'he does about four dances, prancing around like a 20 year old brave. He switches to a Chinese out- fit, and does a mime that would turn green a 14 year old geisha girl. Another switch, and he's a clown, cavorting around, delighting children and adults alike, who ran around lining up equipment: mikes, amplifiers, 100 feet of ex- tension cord, and finding a reasonable location for the exhibition? One of the amazing things about Dr. Garry is that, despite his total deafness, he does all his dances to music, tapes. Son Hugh beats out the time with one hand, and Dr. Garry only oc- casionally looks up to see whether he's on time, and get a reassuring nod from Hugh. When it's all over, the good Dr. is like a sack of potatoes, can barely struggle back into his street clothes, and scarcely walk, even with the cane. Hugh is ex- hausted, of course, from beating out the time. However, they are able to make it back to the house and eat enough for a threshing -gang. And guess who takes all the electrical gear back to the stores in the morning, while they're both having a little lie in? But the man was char- ming. erudite, convinced of his faith: "Every little bit helps," and has a real sense of humour. When Hugh and his Mom started their usual tiff, he nudged my wife slyly and said, "Shall we leave home?" And he's pretty dauntless. He drove 15 miles with us and put on a show for a group of Indian kids. He's going to lick his bug and go back to pioneering in South America. He hasn't had a drink for years. He's worked with emotionally distrub- ed children. Down south, he lives on dried corn and fruit. His total income is about $100 'a month. But he can throw away that cane and dance deft- ly on uneven ground, like an Indian brave, a Chinese girl, or a middle- aged clown. I was rather sceptical, being a rather sceptical sort, about some' of his stories, but I could almost swallow the lot when I saw him perform that near miracle. Enough. We bundled him on the bus, with busses and hugs, along with that great mysterious case, which holds his costumes, magic tricks, Chinese fan, and other gimmicks. And it was a little sad to see him leave, going back to live among the natives of Paraguay, sick, crippl- ed, and stone-deaf. But it was also a little hartening to see a man who has given up the entire materiaiistic life of North America sallying forth, spirits high, to face whatever he had to face. Good luck, Dr. Garry. You may be a bit of a charlatan; but aren't we all? You're a good man, with your heart in the right place, despite all your earlier adversities. Need to kindle greater respect As I was walking down one of the side streets in our town, I noticed a very simple sign in front of one of the houses: "Please keep off the grass". The Lawn was immaculate, as were the flower beds, the trimmed bushes. Ob- viously the owner cared for her property and wanted it to look nice. A week later I just happened to walk by the same house and saw an old lady working in the garden, snipping off some roses. "You've really got a lovely place," I remark- ed. "It was," she relied bitterly, "till that happened." She pointed to a place on the lawn next to her sign. Cut so deeply into the lawn that the grass was completely gone, were 3 or 4 deep ruts. It was obvious that somebody had deliberate - at, nx two young boys broke into the building and did a tremendous amount of damage in a relatively short time. There seemed Perspectives ly backed a car up onto the lawn and spun the wheels until the grass was destroyed, simply because the sign had ask- ed them not to. At one school that I was By Syd Fletcher to be no real motive. Neither lad attended that school. I felt that the judgewho handled the case used a great deal of common sense in his sentencing. Instead of sending the boys to a reformatory, where they'd learn even rougher tricks, he made them come to the school and do custodial work for two months - pickhtg up papers, cleaning floors, and trimming weeds. By the end of the time they had a much greater respect for the law and for the amount of work that goes into keeping a school clean and tidy. I would hope that if the characters whd messed up the old lady's lawn were caught that they too would be forced to make restitution by hard labour at an appropriate task. I know that it would do them some good.