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Times-Advocate, 1983-09-28, Page 4Page 4 Times -Advocate, September 28, 1983 0"1..44041M, imes - Times Established 1873 Advocate Established 1881 Amalgamated 1924 dvocate Serving South Huron, North Middlesex & North Lambton Since 1873 Published by I.W. Eedy Publications Limited I ORNI I I [)Y. Publisher JIM BF( KC CF Advr•ris in} BII I BAI FEN 1 d+tor HARRY DFVRIES Composition Manager ROSS HAUGH Assist.rnt Editor DICK JONGKIND Business Manager Published Each Wednesday Morning at Exeter, Ontario Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386. Phone 235-1331 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Ai Canada $21.00 Per year; U.S.A. $56.00 C.W.N.A., O.C.N.A. CLASS 'A' and 'ABC' Eastern rustlers At a time when beef farmers are experiencing pro- blems in the market place, they're being attacked on yet another front that may arouse visions of the old, wild wild west. There have been an increasing number of cattle rustling incidents in this part of Ontario in recent months. A couple of weeks ago, an Usborne farmer lost 18 head and just this week a news story in the Seaforth weekly gave details of a farmer in that area losing 11 head during the middle of the night. These modern rustlers don't come swooping out of the sagebrush on horseback to drive the animals away. They back trucks up to feedlots and haul the animals in trucks with few clues for any posse to follow. To date, even the sizeable reward offered by cat- tlemen's associations have failed to nab the culprits. The situation should prompt beef producers to keep a closer watch on their barns and to consider some security measures. It also behooves area residents to be aware of the problem and to advise police if they see suspicious cat- tle trucks in their neighborhood at unusual times. Grow old gracefully Maybe you are one of those well -adjusted people who can manage to grow old gracefully. Or do you go around pretending to yourself that you are just as young and spry as you ever were and staying as far away from a mirror as you possibly can? To be young at heart and ready for whatever adventures life may have in store is an admirable at- titude. In fact the attitude itself often gives rise to long - continued abilities to achieve and succeed when others have taken to their armchairs. It is another matter, however, to be so obsessed with eternal youth that old age becomes an enemy to be fought off at all costs. One oft -repeated TV commer- cial ommercial poses the question, "How old do you think I am.." as the smooth -skinned lady applies the fountain of youth to her face from a bottle of cosmetic cream. The same message in a dozen different forms is repeated day after day. Erasing the signs of approaching maturity has become a multi -million -dollar business. The market is huge - as big as all man -and -womankind for those who have a few extra bucks to spend. We have nothing against a woman looking her best as long as shecan;we don't mind a man warding off grey hair whenever possible. But to believe that only the young are attractive or successful is folly. The in- dications of advancing years are not all repulsive. In fact they are usually the signs that those so adorned have lived in this world long enough to have travelled many of its paths of experience and to have ac- cumulated some wisdom alons the way. (Mount Forest Confederate) Our Legions are positive The facts and figures and positive public profile clearly prove the valuable worth of our Royal Cana- dian Legion branches. Contrary to the narrow minded opinions of some, there's more, much more, to our local Legions than old vets talking about war days over a few pints of beer. The Royal Canadian Legion was founded in 1925 as an associatior of ti.use who served in the Armed Forces. It was originally formed to serve ex -service personnel and their dependents, by improving ,their social and economic conditions. However the Legion is much more than that. It has grown in those 78 years to meet the today's needs throughout the communities it serves. The R. E. Pooley Exeter branch 167 and area Legions in Lucan, Grand Bend and Hensall have long been active groups in the successful operation of the municipalities they serve. The Exeter branch has recently made a number Could learn Those who say they' don't see anything interesting at a fall fair, are, for most part, citing their own ignorance. That may appear a little harsh, but the reality is that if you don't understand the work that went into a particular project, you probably don't find it of much interest. Whether it be a quilt, a jar of pickles, the champion goat, a good picture or a plate of potatoes, the viewer must have some appreciation of what the exhibitor was attempting to show before the former has a complete understanding of the exhibit. Those of us who have little initiation in the art of quilting may see the finished product as something colorful and ideal for a cold, winter's night. Those familiar with the art of quilting, however, look at it entirely different They examine the stitches to determine the uniformity and look for the tiny flaws which may set the losers apart from the one with the red ribbon. The experts may even determine that the judges were wrong, and in some cases that may well be a fair assessment although the results still stand. It's the dif- ference of opinion that makes a horse race and the same holds true for fair exhibit. It is, of course, not uncommon to have one judge award a first prize in one fair and when the same competitors meet again with the identical article in another fair, the results aredifferent intheeye of another judge. That is particularly true in the case of animals, where over the period of a week or two, the second place critter may blossom to head the list. of donations of valuable equipment to South Huron Hospital 'and along with the other area branches are strong supporters of minor sports and have the well being of our young people uppermost in their minds. The Legion objectives are noble. They recognize the sacrifice made by thousands of Canadians in the First and Second World Wars and in the Korean War and strive to make others aware of the significance of Remembrance Day. Their aim is to develop an understanding of the ceremonies and rites of the past as they are reflected in the past. They work to teach others to appreciate the qualities of endurance and courage and of devotion to the principles of freedom within our multicultural community. They celebrate peace. Legion Week is a time to think about the commen- dable service and the voluntary assistance given by the men and women who actively support the Royal Canadian Legion in Ontario and help make .our com- munities better places to live. more about baking There's little doubt the judges at the Ex- eter fair had a most difficult task in declaring the winners, although everyone who enters usually learns something from the experience and so there can not be any real losers. If you were among those who didn't find BATT'N AROUND with the editor 4 anything interesting, we repeat that it may be a problem with your knowledge of the various exhibits. I do have to admit that I didn't (earn anything interesting about baking, but if some of the prize winners would like to in- crease my knowledge of the art by sen- ding over a few of the appetizing goodies they had on display, there is every reason to assume i could become better educated in that regard. t f t History probably doesn't record the time and place of the first fair, although there is little doubt events of that nature have been going on for longer than most would expect. It is possible that a semblance of a fair was first staged when a group of cavemen decided to get together to determine which of them could produce the hest fire in the shortest time frame. From that time hence, people have been getting together to stage a variety of friendly con- tests (and some not so friendly) and to en- joy a festive outing to provide a break from the doldrums of the normal working day. Fairs are different things to different people. The midway, entertainment or just the chance to meet and greet friends in a festive setting contribute to the suc- cess, but it is the competition which ap- pears to be the main ingredient to the longevity because it is the one component not shared by many of the other -celebrations in the area which come and go. None matches the 129 years of the fair, of course, although some may attain that age some day, especially those which feature some forms of competition in their lineup of activities. t While fair prize lists have increased through the years, they have in no way kept up with other monetary aspects in our society, giving credence to the sugges- tions that few exhibitors display their wares for the money involved. In fact, other than a few "profes- sionals", many of the competitors pro- bably spend more in time and effort than they reap in prizes. There's also very lit- tle in the way of prestige for the red rib- bons, although it is a factor. But the main ingredient is unques- tionably the satisfaction and pride the ex- hibitors receive from having their efforts displayed and, for many, in making the local fair a success. It is this attitude which has enabled the fair to succeed for the past 129 years and hopefully it will prevail so local citizens can still enjoy the interesting displays 129 years from now. t Where do they go? Where do the summers go? I know where the winters go. They go on and on and on. But Canadian summers seem to pounce out of a frigid spring, flourish like an exotic plant, and wither and die two months later. I was looking forward to this past summer. Lots of golf, swimming, loafing, reading, a good visit with my grandboys, and arriv- ing back at school for the last four months before I quit - tanned, fit, keen. Planned to do some fishing, a lot of walking, and some traveling, pro- bably to the Maritimes. Well, as Casey Stengel of the old Brooklyn Dodgers used to say, "Wait till next year. We'll murder the bums." I've played golf twice, depite the beautiful weather, because I haven't had a leg to stand on: my right one. Next year I'm going to have it sawed off at the ankle and a tin foot implanted, as the great Douglas Bader did, when he lost both legs in a flying accident, got some artificial ones, and went back into combat as a fighter pilot. Next summer, I'm go- ing to swim every day at one of the great beaches in Canada, even though I have two perforated ear- drums. I'm going to the Maritimes if I have to hit- chhike. I'm going to catch a trout if I have to resort to a stocked pond. I can't whine too much. I did have a good visit with the grandboys. I have a new one now. He used to be Balind, but the kids at school teased him for hav- ing such a funny name, so he forthrightly changed it to Ben. And Ben he is now. Not many people change their name at seven I also did a lot of reading and loafing, preferably at the same time. But it's hard to do both at once when your wife is talking ceaselessly about how she has stopped biting her fingernails, how she is planning to lose weight (and sneaks down in the middle of the night and Sugar and Spice Dispensed By Smiley eatsfourbutter tarts) ,what happenedat her summer course in music, and how many big bills are coming in against a rapidly shrinking bank account. I'd planned to do some work on The Jungle - the bushes around our proper- ty. Too hot. The Jungle is creeping closer every day, and I would not be surpris- ed any day now to see an orangoutan leap from one of the oaks onto the roof. There have been diver- sions, or course. The street on which we live was invaded by a con- struction crew about mid- August, and they will finish about the end of this week. That keeps one on one's toes. There's nothing like the growling of a bulldozer outside your bedroom win- dow at 7 a.m. It's a grand summer operation, though, for elderly gentlemen, kids, and housewives with nothing better to do, than stand around and super- vise a construction job. Parking your car is something else. The con- struction crew digs a chasm 10 feet deep on one side of the street, and then fills it in again. Don't ask me why. They cheerfully throw in some gravel so that you can get into your garage. Next morning, you saunter out about 8 a.m. to go and buy some milk or something. Right behind your driveway is the Col- orado Canyon, and you'd need wings to get your car out, and the crew is up at the other end of the street. It takes a few days of hairy maneuvering before you give up, and stick your car in the driveway of a kindly neighbor, on another street. The big machines are not like puppets, either. They can do a lot, but my front lawn looks as though a herd of elephants had spent the night there, hav- ing a square dance. Late summer was sad- dened a bit by the death of Ted Reeve, the great old sports writer and athlete. He was 81, and some reporter friends. said he had at least four terminal illnesses about 20 years ago. A huge hunk of bone and gristle, with a great broken beak of a nose and hands like a couple of gnarled frying pans, Ted Reeve was a gentle man and a gentleman, except when he was clobbering somebody with a lacrosse stick, or pounding an op- posing lineman into pulp. First time i met him was in the Toronto Men's Press Club, where he was wont to hold court with a collection of cronies. I. walked in a complete stranger, ordered a beer and sat alone. Within five minutes, Ted beckoned me over to join the group. He didn't know who I was, didn't care, but out of . sheer gregariousness, didn't want anyone to be left out. So there I was a hick columnist, sitting with a group of top newspapermen of the day. Every time I met him thereafter, he'd wave me over. He didn't even know my name, but called me "Wiarton", because I knew a Stevie Stephenson from Wiarton, against whose father Ted had played lacrosse six decades ago. "Dirtiest lacrosse player I ever met, but one of the best". And finally, I have a let- ter from Mrs. Frederick E. Bevan of Vaynesboro, Georgia. She and her hus- band spent 40 years on the prairies "working our gun dogs". She still takes the Weyburn Review. Her brother-in-law was a P.O.W. in WWII, and she'd like to know where she could buy for him a copy of Boys, Bombs, and Brussel Sprouts, which I'd mentioned in this column. Frankly, I don't know, Mrs. B. But it's out in paperback now, and I'll see that you get a copy, even if I have to send you my own. And thanks for your warm and . enerous letter. So much for a beautiful summer. I hope you had one. My ear -drum goes "click" about once an hour. Maybe I should get a tin ear along with the tin foot, and a tin nose, which a doctor has been trying to get me to have straighten- ed for 10 years. Any donors? Nothing but good in August of this year a very unusual event was held in Vancouver at the University of British Col- umbia. It was held in a huge yellow tent, not a cir- cus but a series of services and sessions sponsored by the World Council of Churches. it was interesting for me to follow this event because of the tremendous number of different faiths and national backgrounds that were brought together --over 800 delegates from 306 chur- ches, with over 100 coun- tries represented, somebody from every down to eat meals together, talk over com- Perspectives continent. it seems to me that this sort of thing can promote nothing but good. If you bring people from all over the world, have them sit By Syd Fletcher `1�t� S.�alS roF mon and differing pro- blems over that meal, worship together, and argue over policy in a friendly manner, then 1 have to believe that you can no longer think of other countries in a con- descending or hateful manner. Despite the United Na, tions' lack of control over the political policies of its member countries I believe that it is through the meeting of people on a one to one basis similar to that of the World Council of Churches that a major outbreak of war has been averted. More credit to the peo- ple who take the.time and effort to organize such events.