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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1999-12-29, Page 6M E S -ADVO CATFE Exeter Wednesday,Deeetnber 29, 1999 L PUBLICATIONS MAIL REGISTRATION NUMBER 07511 jim Beckett Publisher and Editor Don Smith Deb Lord General Manager Production Manager Published by J.W. Eedy Publications Limited 424 Main Street South, P.O. Box 850 Exeter, Ontario NOM 1S6 • (519) 235-1331 EDITORIAL Imagine what we want to be as our future unfolds e are about to celebrate the dawn of a new millennium, despite the fact the mathematical experts are still insisting it starts next year, with 2001. Certain biblical scholars claim that because of certain mix-ups in our calendar over the centuries, we are out by a few years on the birth of Christ, and the new millennium will not start for another three or four years. Nnne of this matters. In the public mind, the new millennium is about to begin, hopefully not with a bang, but with a whisper. The past decade has brought us scientific discover- ies that boggle the mind We are unlocking the mys- teries of life itself, yet we are not able to - adequately feed and shelter a frightening percentage of the world's population. We are exploring the vastness of space, in search of other worlds, yet we continue to make a mess of this world's air, water and agricultural land. We can pick up a telephone and talk to someone in China, Russia or Bosnia as casually as we would speak to a neighbour down the street, yet government leaders cannot meet face to face and reach an agree- ment on much of anything. The past century has brought us literally from travel by horse and buggy, to travel in space ships. Europe is only a few hours away from North America. The most distant place on earth is less than a day's travel, and people routinely visit other countries in much the same way their grandparents once visited other communities only a few miles away. Still, we are plagued by an inability to understand those who do not worship, as we do, who speak a different lan- guage, or who do not share our political ideas. The past thousand years has seen an explosion in human population and accomplishments. There is no place on earth which remains unexplored, unmapped. Our distant ancestors from the year 1000 would scarcely recognize what we have become - sophisticated citizens of the world, who look at the stars and see not tiny dots of light circling the earth, but huge worlds which dwarf our own, and await exploration. ' But are we better, people? Are we more generous, caring, intelligent? Magic may have given way to science, and blind faith to modern philosophy, but we are essentially the same creature. We have come so far in some ways, and yet we have made such little progress in others. Perhaps the next thousand years will lead us to discoveries not in distant space, but within the only truly unexplored realm, the human spirit. The next decade will bring medical discoveries allowing us to cure diseases we dread. Meanwhile, hunger kills more people in a day than those diseases do in a year. The next century could well bring human settle- ments on distant planets. Will we bring with us only our intelligence and scientific triumphs, or will we also bring intolerance and warfare? As for the next thousand years, dare we even imagine? Could a person living in the year 1000 have dreamed of television and space travel? Perhaps it is time to stop hurtling blindly, at light speed, into the ftlture. As the new millennium dawns, let us open our eyes so we can see where we are going, and look at where we want to go. Most of all, let us gaze into the crystal ball of' our souls, and imagine what kind of people we want to be as our future unfolds. Editorial&Oprnion ghippoiouaams 4$84 king over two cen I'm not after Rous Haugh's job of doing • the -weekly Back in Time feature for the T -A but `writing the last column of the 1900s, I couldn't help but • take a look back to see how the century started. Back in those days, Exeter had two newspapers — the Times and the Advocate. Both had their political per- spectives on the community and were regional papers just like today's Tnnes-Advocate. A glance at the newspaper ads provided the most obvi- ous due to changes during the last 100 years. Cook stoves were the hot items (no pun intended). The new model of McCleary cookstove promised to "warm the kitchen and burn those rough chunks." I assume the rough chunks reference was to wood and not Gbristmas cake. If the stove and wood furnace weren't up to snuff, men's and women's flannelette night- gowns could be purchased for 50 cents. A spiffy ad heralded the arrival of a new model of treadle sewing machine with "radically new methods of sewing." Here's the scary part. Farmers were getting 40 cents for a bushel of corn and ice skates were 45 cents. When was the last time you could get skates, shoes or even slippers for the price of corn? We're still buying stoves, skates and sewing . machines but the changes in technology are astoundh)g. Never before have there been so many advances in a 100 -year period. During the last week of 1899 the Central Hotel was illuminated for the flrst time by acetylene gas and the Advocate reported the "results were splendid." Electric lights premiered in Wroxeter. During the first week of January, the Times reported the new engine at the mill in Woodham was completed and would soon be up and running. This week's Times -Advocate has car ads galore but 100 years ago ads for horses and carriages were nearly as plentiful. es Our lifestyles are radically different. I can spend a Saturday morning getting the latest news on the Internet while my breadmaker makes another loaf of perfect bread and the automatic washer does the laun- dry. Yet we cling to traditions and continue to enjoy the company of friends and family. • An 1899 school concert in Crediton featured songs, solos and recitations just as family and friends enjoyed at•this year's Stephen Central and McCurdy school con- certs. Bayfield youth started the century at a "social hop" in the town hall. About 25 couples attended and "a pleas- ant evening was spent by all," reports the Times. I'm sure area youth will have their own form of social hops on New Year's. January 1900 farm meetings at the Exeter Town Hall were on the subjects of economical milk products and getting the best yields in corn. Sounds a lot like the agendas for agricul- ture seminars at Ridgetown and Elmwood next week. We are privileged to live in safe, healthy com- munities. We have not had a war on Canadian • soil for more than a century. We can worship publicly and have a seetningiy endless supply of food on our grocery store shelves. At the same time, the gap between rich and poor in Canada is growing. Families often need two incomes to make ends meet and. we work half the year to pay taxes to the federal, provincial, county and municipal govern- ments. Professional athletes are paid millions of dollars a year to chase a puck or ball but people in cities and small towns live on the streets or in parks because they can't afford basic shelter. Let's hope when the TA reporter writes the last col- umn of the 21st century, everyone will have food, shel- ter and love. .4.�. KATE MONK KATE'S TAKES About the limes -Advocate Address & Office Hours Times -Advocate, 424 Main Street South, P.O. Box 850, Exeter, Ontario NOM 1S6. Our office is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. 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