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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1986-03-12, Page 4Pogo 4 Tim's -Advocate, March 12, 1986 Times Established 1873 Advocate Established 1881 Amalgams ed 1924 imes dvocate Serving South Huron, North Middlesex & North Lambton Since 1873 Publshed by 1.W. Eedy Pubikatlons Limited . Published Each Wednesday Morning at Exeter, Ontario, NOM 150 Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386. Phone 519-235-1331 A LORNE EEDY Publisher JIM BECKETT Advertising Manager BILL BATTEN Editor HARRY DEVRIES Composition Manager ROSS HAUGH Assistant Editor DICK JONGKIND Business Manager SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada: $25.00 Per year; U.S.A. $65.00 C.W.N.A., O.C.N.A. CLASS 'A' Need help to be ready March is Red Cross Month. Whether in -this month or any other, Red Cross is ready. Almost daily we see and hear ac- counts of Red Cross helping disaster vic- tims in far corners of the world. Whether it's a massive earthquake, a famine, a volcanic eruption, or an armed conflict, the Red Cross is ready to comfort and care for the victims. But the Red Cross story unfolding quietly every day across Canada is just as important as the events we see on our television screens. The Canadian Red Cross and its volunteers are .always ready to provide a range of services to help the members of our communities during emergencies, to improve the quality of individual lives, and to make . our communities better places to live. March is Red Cross Month in Canada. It's a good time to remind ourselves what the Red Cross story means to us and how important it is that we help keep the Red Cross - and its volunteers - ready. • srtarsi, s -IT'S A CRUISE -PROOF MODEL' Keep 'em Last week was a banner one for this newspaper, and its readers. No, there were no prizes won, but more importantly, there were five letters to the editor, expessing opinions on a number of topics. A couple even took the editor to task for recent opinions express- ed in this column and editorials. That's great! All letters are welcom- ed, including those which take exception to the editor's opinion, and certainly those which present ideas for discussion or consideration on any of the vast topics which affect our readers. It's one of the more important aspects of the newspaper and hopefully other readers will be compelled to follow the example set last week. Some letters can spark a storm of let- ters, as indicated by a situation which arose in England some years ago, follow- ing the publication of the following: , "Dear Sir: It seems ministers feel their sermons are very important and spend a great deal of time preparing them. I have been attending church quite Some coming regularly for 30 years and I have pro- bably heard 3,000 of them. To my conster- nation, I •. discovered that I cannot remember a single sermon. I wonder if ministers' time might be more profitably spent on something else?" For weeks a' deluge of editorial responses ensued concerning the value of preaching. Finally it all ended with the following letter: "Dear Sir: I have been married for 30_ years. During that time I have eaten '32,850 meals -- mostly my wife's cooking. Suddenly I have discovered I cannot remember the menu of a single meal. And yet... I have the distinct impression that without them, I would have starved to death long ago." Similar to sermons, the opinions ex- pressed in newspapers may not be remembered to any appreciable degree, but they can keep thtnds from starving to death when they prompt an awareness of those things which transpire in our communities and deserve consideration. Keep those letters coming! interesting A recent request for a grant from Exeter council by a youthful group of female students at SHDHS had some very in- teresting aspects. As reported, the male members of council voted to pro- vide $150 from the town's coffers for the conference on women's issues being planned by the students, while the two distaff members were opposed. It is worthy of note that both Deputy -Reeve Lossy Fuller and Councillor Dorothy Chapman.had sat in on a conference planning session with the young women and were well aware of the pro- gram's content. Both were in agreement that the conference was worthwhile, but contended that those who were going to benefit should be expected to pay something towards the cost. That's realistic and perhaps Mayor Shaw's comment about male guilt being an influence in the final decision reached by council is self-explanatory. However, equally interesting, is the fact that the split on a sex- ual basis was noted by the Mayor. That in itself reflects a type of bias and in reality should have been no more noteworthy than if any other two members of coun- cil voted against the donation. ( And yes, it was a bias that this newspaper extended in its repor- ting of the matter, although we're certain it's something we wouldn't have spotted without the Mayor's comment.) It should be noted at this point that while there are some friend- ly quips at times around the Ex- eter council table that pronounce the sex of the members, there certainly is no suggestion that it is a contributing factor in any of the discussions. Members of council are there as individuals and are always treated as equals. ironically, many visitors still refer to the group as "gentlemen", and this was no more pronounced than at the same meeting when a female U.A.W. spokesperson used that terminology on at least two occa- sions in her presentation to council. No one bothered to correct her; Batt'n Around ...with The Editor it was obviously not something that bothered anyone. Oddly enough, it's a mistake more often made by female delegates than males. * • * * • While some female members of the community, and even the con- ference organizers, may have been displeased with the reaction of the two distaff members, it is not difficult to explain for those who know the two. Lossy and Dorothy don't have to stand up vocally for women's rights. They exemplify the fact that women can be whatever they want to be in their communities. In reality, there are probably times when they wished they were excluded from some of the opportunities they have seized to be actively involved in the numerous activities they under- take to make their community ( and that's a very extended one in their view) a better place in which to live, work and play regardless of one's sex. As stated, they stand as equals (and at times above) their male cohorts on council regardless of the subject matter and you pro- bably won't find them at con - aspects- , ferences extolling the rights and opportunities for women because they know through practice that those have already been won and it's more gratifying and challeng- ing to put them to use than sit around talking about them. • M • • • Council's donation of $150 y be questioned by some, but the writer must admit to being somewhat flabbergasted to learn that the secretary of state had originallx agreed to provide $8,000 for the conference. I was actually cheering the fact that someone had come to her (? ) senses in freezing the grant, but the cheering quickly subsided with the announcement that the grant was 'back on again. To put it into context, that $8,000 from the federal treasury is in line with Exeter council's $150, although the latter does not have a building deficit and can probably afford the money more than the feds. The $8,000 was a mere drop in the bucket of the grants provid- ed for women's groups across the nation to mark International Women's Day. One group receiv- ed $1,800 for a rally and dance and there were others equally questionable. There is no intent to discourage the local conference organizers. The9 may as well get some of the loot and no doubt will put it to bet- ter use than some of the groups. However, the government doesn't have that kind of money to throw around and surely women too must recognize that it would be much better invested in giving young women the oppor- tunity to get a job (whether it be as a nurse or a plumber) than staging conferences that virtual- ly lie to them because that money has been lost in an economy that could have put it to use creating those jobs or services for which women, as well as men are striving. Nothing against dogs There is no doubt about it: Duncan wants a dog. I have nothing against dogs. They're great company. They know their place. And they add class to a home in the country. Why live in' the country, you might say, if you can't have a dog? 'And I can ' pardon • their liabilities: the fact that they often smell. That they shed hair all over the carpets. That they con- sume mountains of expensive food, most of which is then digested and transformed into deposits. That they cost money to buy and to maintain. Duncan doesn't understand any of this. He is four years old and wants a dog. Correction. He says he "needs" a dog. "Why do you need a dog, Duncan?" "Because dogs are cuddly and nice." He also tells me that a dog would chase rabbits, wag his tail, fetch sticks and balls and do other tricks like rolling over. Duncan gets his ideas from TV and VCR movies: Littlest Hobo, Benji, Lassie and other tear- jerkers. How often has the "Boy and his Dog" theme been ex- ploited on the silver screen and the boob tube? It doesn't matter. This boy needs a dog. Until now we have succeeded in talking him out of it. We've tried all kinds of artillery to shoot down this notion of his. "Duncan, dogs have fleas". "What are fleas?" "They're little insects, bugs that sit on a dog's fur and bite. And they jump like this. And then they jump on Duncan and bite him like this." "I don't care. I still want a dog. "Duncan, dogs have to be fed and cleaned and walked and cared for every day. "But I'll do that. Every day I promise." "You'll get tired of it after a week." "No, I won't. I'll never get tired of my dog." How could anybody resist blue eyes like that? So we tried am- The Peter Hesse! Column munition of a different caliber. "Duncan, dogs sometimes eat too quickly or the wrong stuff, and then they are sick all over the floor. Who's going to clean it up?" "I will, and Daddy will help me." We didn't have the heart to tell him that dogs also get worms, that they need all kinds of treat- ment and that in spite of tender - loving care they sometimes die. When I came home yesterday, Duncan waited for me in the driveway, as he always does when he has something impor- tant to tell me. "Daddy, Daddy, guess what! I'm getting a dog for my birth- day! I'm getting a dog, Daddy!" The kid was beside himself with excitement. His pink cheeks glowed. His eyes gleamed. He was jumping up and down: "Mommy said I can have 0 dog. For my birthday. I'm so happy, Daddy!" "Really Duncan? When did Mommy say that?" "Today. She phoned me. She said I'm getting a dog for my bir- thday. I'm supposed to tell you." Mommy wasn't home yet. I thought Mommy and 1 had an agreement. No dog until the boy was ready for one. Postponement until (much) later. I felt betrayed. And yet, I didn't feel like spoiling Duncan's day. And anyway, why should I be the heavy? I sent Duncan inside and waited in the driveway for Elizabeth to come home. Before she was out of the car, I con- fronted her: "What's this about a dog?" "Dog. What dog?" "Ducan said you're getting him a dog for his birthday." "I said no such thing." When we got inside, Duncan was performing a jubilation dance. "I'm getting a doggie, I'm getting a doggie", he chanted .And everybody else in the house was getting as excited as Duncan about the dog. We shout have said: "Duncan, you've ma it all up. Mommy didn't pro ise you anything. You're not getting a dog, and that's that." 1 But there are limits. I mean, you can be cruel to a boy and take a candy out of his mouth. You can hide his bedtime blanket or send him to his room without supper. But you don't break his heart. What breed of dog do you sup- pose we should get for a four year-old who is long on promises and good intentions but short on everything else? Exciting programs and body can be. ° disabled children, talking to Last week I promised to tell you of the exciting things that are happening in Developmentally Handicapped classes since they have been integrated into regular schools. As I said before, people sometimes ask me why we take the effort to put children who are so severely mentally hapdicap- ped that they cannot feed themselves or even handle their body functions into a 'normal' school. What possible good can come of it, one person said to me. What can they learn? The first important thing to point out is that each of these students is first and foremost a child, A human being who responds to loving care and con- cern. Not so many years ago such children would have been put in- to large wards where they would have been fed and changed, and kept away from the 'shnsitive eyes' of the rest of the world which doesn't like to be remind- ed of how frail the human mind The most valuable thing that happens when we have severely disabled children in a regular school is the benefits that the By the Way by Fletcher other children receive from being associated with them. At recess and lunch breaks, every school day, there is a quick patter of feet outside my office door as a group of junior students hurry down to the developmental class. They spend their whole recess pushing wheelchairs up and down the hails on nasty days or around the playground on nice ones. They 'mother up' the them, hugging them. When we have an assembly in the gym- nasium, the wheelchairs all are brought down, too, and none of the children at this school stare or turn when some strange sounds come from the back, of the atlditorium during the pretenta- tiof. Similarly on the playground, handicapped students who are more mobile are invited to join in the games that spring up each recess, climbing up on the snowhills and bouncing a ball against the side of the school. They are often given a second chance if they get 'out' but that's it. it's back to the end of the line like everybody else. The result that I can see hap- pening at this school then is a large group of young people go- ing out into the world who are very accepting of people less for- tunate than themselves. They have developed a degree of tolerance that many adults could quite well copy. 1. 1 1 t