Clinton News-Record, 1978-01-12, Page 4• r
PAGE 4—CLINTON NEWS -RECORD, THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 1978
What we think
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Say your piece
Perhaps one of the most over -rated
powers is that of the Press, and to
prove it one needs only to look at the
track record of some of the larger
newspapers who have taken stands at
election time.
Too often, the press simply reflects
the views of the public and in so doing,
claims influence, says the Port Perry
Star.
Speaking from this end, we have
often been frustrated at the lack of
public reaction to local occurrences
and issues we feel are important to
every citizen. At times, we've even
taken an unpopular stand against a
widespread and emotional issue.
Pro or con, we like reaction. It is the
only means by which a community
newspaper can measure its impact on
the community. Whether the reaction
is in favour or opposed to our stand is
irrelevant. The part that matters is
that people care enough for the com-
munity to participate. ...a__
A letter to the editor may not be
running for municipal office, but it
does indicate a willingness to get in-
volved at least to a point where we
want fo be heard.
There is, of course, those of us who
feel that talk comes cheap. That it
accomplishes nothing.
We've probably all run into the
fellow who, failing to get involved in a
• discussion, simply states the old cop-
out about being powerless to do
anything about it.
Seems to us that if we've nothing •to
say about the community, we're not a
part of it.
Sugar and Spice/By Bill Smiley
Canada's Winter
Chinese, among other peoples, honor
their ancestors. It's a nice idea, but about
this time every year, I start calling down
maledictions on
When they were kicked out of their
Scottish crofts by landlords who decided
sheep were more important than people, or
had to suck their feet out of the Irish bogs
because even the praties were getting
scarce, why, oh why did they have to
emigrate to some stony farms in Pontiac
County, P.Q.?
Why didn't at least one of them head for
-Australia, or South Africa, or Mexico, or
South Carolina, anywhere south of the snow
belt?
Nope. With unerring ' instinct, they
headed out -of two of the worst winter
climates in the world — ScOttishhighlands
and Northern Ireland — and straight for
the worst in the world — middle Canada.
There are those idiots who claim that the
Canadian winter is a healthy climate.
Perhaps that's why 1 had 12 students absent
today out of 32. Perhaps that's why I hack
from ,November until June so loudly that
my wife knows when I've entered our
block, let alone the house.
This year, we didn't, get our usual few
.skiffs of snow, two or three inches at a time,
so we could get our snow tires on, our
winter grumbling tuned up, and our winter
blasphemy geared for what was coming.
Not a chance. By the 10th of December,
we'd had two feet of snow around our place,
and the temperature had hit 10 below.
Fahrenheit! I had to dig the lawnmower out
from under a snowbank to put it in the
toolshed. What kind of a way is that to live?
Had to dig my rubber boots out in
November. I hate those boots with a
loathing I have never felt for any other
creature, animate or otherwise, in my
entire life.
Every year, they seem to get farther
away from the top of me, and harder to pull
on. I either topple over on top of them, or
get one foot halfway in and can't get the
rest in or out, or the blasted zipper sticks
after one inch, and I get snow over the top
and into my shoes.
Getting them off is even worse. I use'the
heel and toe method. Too proud to sit down
and pull them off with my hands. That's for
old people and smart people.
No, I stand teetering, put the toe of one
foot against the heel of the other, and pry.
The zippers never zip down more than
halfwEy. I grunt and pry. Either nothing
happens, or there's a sudden whup, and the
boot comes off. With my shoe inside it. And
I am,dancing around in one sock foot in the
snow that has fallen off my boot.
Or the zipper breaks and I can't get the
boot off at all. The other one comes off like
an eel, and I walk around all day with one
rubber boot -shod foot, and one in a shoe.
And that's only the beginning. There's
winter driving. Oh, you may be one of those
guys with a warm garage, a snowblower to
clear your driveway, a block heater to keep
your engine warm, and an inside car heater
to prevent instant piles when you sit on that
icy plastic seat cover.
I ain't. My 10 -year-old Dodge sits out in
the elements. On a typical morning, I go out
and spend 10 minutes cleaning off the snow
or scraping off the ice. Then I get in, say a
short but fervent prayer, and turn the key.
She gives a startled grunt, wheeze and
bellow, resembling a cow giving birth,
groans, and falls silent. I start to get mad,
pump the gas,. and flood her, shouting
imprecations. She responds with a scornful
and gradually °diminishing, "Arrggh,
arrggh, argh..."
On the rare occasionS when she does kick
over, I warm her up carefully, look fear-
fully over my shoulder at the three-foot
bank the town snowplow has thrown up
behind us, and give her the gun. She either
stalls and we end like a stranded whale,
belly on the snowdrift, or she bombs right
through and I hit the telephone pole on the
other side of the street with my rear
bumper.
Even worse than the driving in winter is
the attitude of a good( portion of the
populace. I totter in to work, wheezing, one
boot unzippered, relieved and yet furious;
'and some pink-cheeked young colleague
chirps : "Wasn't it a terrific weekend? All
that snow. I skied -all day Saturday and
Sunday. It was just beautiful out in the
bush, on the trails."
At these times, I would like to trail that
young pink -cheek out to the bush, point out
how beautiful it is, manacle him or her to a
Christmas tree, come home and sit down by
the fire with a good shot of anti -freeze,
smiling broadly as the temperature
dropped and the wind rose.
' Even more obnoxious are those who sit
around, the bourgeois bums, and natter
about the great winter holidays they've
had, each trying to out -do the other.
J'Yeah, Barbados is all right, I guess, if
you like getting your foot pierced by a sea
,urchin. Not much to do but lie around in the
sun and drink cheap rum."
"Jack and I took a.cruise last year in the
West Indies. Stopped at 10 different islands.
F6ntastic!"
"But aren't there a 16t of ugly Canadians
on those cruises. You know, hairdregsers
,and salesmen and school teachers? We like
Mexico ourselves."
"We thought so tot', but then we
discovered Hawaii."
May they all get triple arthritis, have
their pensions cut off, and have to spend all
their winters in Canada.
Our idea of a great winter trip is to take
the i11 -considered Christmas presents back
to the store and get a credit, if we're lucky.
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The Clinton News -Record Is published each
. Thunday at P.O. Box 39, Clinton, Ontario,
tenet, NM 11.0.
Member, Ontario Weekly
Newspaper Association
It is registered as second Class mall by the
post office under the permit number 0117.
The Hews -Record incorporated In 1924 the
Huron News -Record, founded In 111111, and The
ClintowNew Era, founded In 11165. Total press
run 3,200. •
Clinton News-Recolad
Member Cabadien
Codemunity Newspaper General Manager • J. Howard Aitken
AssOcleflon Mar •14101411 L fingeratil
AdepttishigGliatter • Gary 1.. Halet
News editor • Shelley McPhee
Office Mariager. . Margaret Gibb
tirtulatiaL trifle Atelecia
Accounting • Marian Willson
Display eilverilstrig rates,
'meltable on, request. Atli for
kit* tend Nei • effective Oct. 1,
• 1977. .
Subscription Oats:
Canada • '13 per year
U.S.A. • .17.011
Other • '20.00
I .4
Odds 'n' ends - by Elaine Townshend
•
Snowflakes
Remember the childhood game of
trying to catch snowflakes on your
tongue? Remember the delightful taste?
Snowflakes were fascinating things.
They came in a million different shapes,
sizes and designs, and it seemed as
though no two snowflakes looked exactly
alike. Some had needle-like points, while
others fanned out more delicately. Some
were large enough that we could faintly
discern the minute, fragile patterns;
others were mere specks. ,
Some stung our faces a little when they
hit us. Others felt wet and sticky, and
they clung to our hair and melted on our
glasses.
some danced to the ground one at a
time; others fell in bunches so dense that
they seemed to draw a curtain around
They seemed to disappear as soon as
they hit the ground, but gradually a
white film covered the grass. Before
long, a mound of snowflakes glittered in
the sunlight.
When enough snow had accumulated,
we built forts and used snowballs for
ammunition. Our creativity ran wild as
we sculptured snowmen and other
figures. When we got tired, we just
flopped onto the soft snow, and then
scrambled to our feet to see the shape we
had left on the ground.
What fantasies we • children could
weave as we watched more snowflakes
fall!
As we grew older, scientists gave us
logical explarigions for the mysteries of
snowflakes. They ' consisted of water
vapour in the air that had crystallized
into geometrical forms. ,
Common sense tells us it is true, but
sometimes even we adults revert to our
childhood fantasies as we watch
snowflakes drift past our windows.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote a
poem entitled "Snowflakes":
• "Out of the bosom of the Air,
Out of the cloud -folds of her garments
shaken,
Over the woodlands brown and bare,
Over the harvest -fields forsaken,
Silent, and soft, and slow
Descends the snow.
Even as our cloudy fancies take
Suddenly shape in some divine ex-
pression,
Even as the troubled heart doth make
In the white countenance confession,
The troubled sky reveals
Tho it. feels.
This is the poem of the air,
Slowly in silent syllables recorded;
This is the secret of despair,
Long in its cloudy bosom hoarded,
Now whispered and revealed
To wood and field."
Francis Thompson described a
snowflake this way:
"What heart could have thought you? -
Past our devisal
(0 filigree petal!)
Fashioned so purely,
Fragilely, surely,
From what Paradisal
Imagineless metal,
Too costly for cost?
Who hammered you, wrought you,
From argentine vapour? -
'God was my shaper.
Passing surmisal,
He hammered, He wrought me,
From curled silver vapour,
To lust of His mind: -
Thou couldst not have thought me!
So purely, so palely,
Tinily, surely,
Mightily, frailly,
Insculped and embossed,
With His hammer of wind,
And His graver of frost.' "
From . our early files .
• • • • • •
5 YEARS AGO
January 11, 1973
Clinton finally has its New
Year's baby. She is a 7 pound 3 oz.
baby girl born at 12:45 p.m. on
Wednesday, January 10 at
Clinton Public Hospital.
The proud parents are Mr. and
Mrs. Edward Szusz of RR • 1,
Blyth. Dr. Street made the
delivery.
Reeve Roy Pattison of East
Wawanosh was elected Warden
of Huron County on the fourth
ballot Tuesday afternoon in
county council's chambers in the
Court House, Goderich.
Although five men were
competing for the honor, the real
race was between Reeve Pattison
and Reeve Hugh Flynn of Hullett.
The tally on the fourth vote was
Pattison 28 votes, Flynn 26. Both
men were in the warden's contest
for the second time.
Clinton's new Recreation
Director, Mike Stephens, 23, has
only been in town a week and
said, "1 love the place."
The comment came during an
interview this week with Clin-
ton's third rec. director in a year.
Mike, who took up his post
January 2, said the reason he
picked .a small town like Clinton
,to live and work in was because,
"There's no cohesiveness in a
*rot. directors job in the city. Here.
we have a better chance of
community development."
He intends to conduct a survey
in Clinton to find out what
recreational programs people
are involved in and what ad-
ditional programs they would like
setup.
"We definitely need more
varied programs for the people,"
he said.
10 YEARS AGO
January 11, `1968
At the inaugural meeting on
council, the Clinton News -Record
was presented with an Ontario
government plaque com-
memorating its century of ser-
vice to the community.
Mayor Den Symons, on behalf
of Hon. Charles McNaughton,
presented the plaque to Howard
Aitken, vice president of the
Signal -Star Publishing Company,
owner of the newspaper: •
In a letter, Mr. McNaughton
praised the newspapees "out-
standing and unique contributio
to our way of life."
Clinton's first baby of the year
took his time coming but he
finally arrived at 1:07 a.m.,
Thursday, January 4 in, the
person of William Garth Devison,
a 6 pound, 81/2 ounce first child for
A -C Henry J. Devison and his
wife Linda.
Clinton Lions Club presented a
cheque for $1,000 on Tuesday
evening to the London and
District Crippled Children's
Treatment Centre. The money
was excess funds held in the local
club's trust fund for crippled
children's work. The money has
accumulated over the past two
years from the sale of the Easter
seals.
Clinton Lions Club is one of
over 230 seryice clubs in Ontario
which promotes the sale, of
Easter seals to finance the work
of the Ontario Society for Cr'ip-
pled Children.
25 YEARS AGO
January 15, 1953
Subscribers of the Goderich
Township Municipal Telephone
System at a special meeting in
town hall, Clinton, Thursday
afternoon, voted by ballot in
favor of, selling their system to
the Bell Telephone Company of
Canada. No actual negotiations
have 'yet taken place with the
company.
• The officers of the newly -
formed Huron County Weekly
Newspaper Association are
secretary -treasurer, Barry
Wenger: Wingham Advance
Times; chairman, J.M. South-
cott, Exeter Times Advocate;
president, George Ellis, Goderich
Signal Star; vice-president,
Robert Southcott, Exeter Times
Advocate.
According to Clinton's clerk -
treasurer L. Douglas Holland, the
stork experienced a much busier
time here in 1952 than in the year
previous.
Last year, 286 babies were born
at the Clinton Public Hospital, an
increase -of 25 from 1951. There
were 91 deaths recorded last
year, compared with 60 in 1951.
George - L. FatcOner,
Brucefield, was named chairman
of the Clinton District Collegiate
Institute Board at the inaugural
meetiryg held Wednesday night,
January 7. He is the official
representative of Tuckersmith
Township.
50 YEARS AGO
January 12, 1928
During 1927 the local firemen
answered 12 calls and Clinton's
fire loss during the year, ac-
cording to the reports made out
by the government, was $2,740.50.
That is too large a percentage for
a town of this size. It behooves
everyone to be careful to prevent
fires.
By an inadvertance the casket
of Miss Jemima Helyer was put
off at Kitchener on Tuesday. The
mistake was not noticed until the
train had left but as soon as it was
realized the railway officials
went about rectifying it. The
casket was sent by motor to
'Stratford and from there by
special train to Clinton, arriving
here a few minutes after one, in
time for the funeral which was to
be held at half past one.
Mayor H.B. Combe, Reeve B.
Langford and councillors O.L.
Paisley, W.S.R. Holmes and Dr.
F.G. Thompson were duly sworn
in on Monday afternoon, taking
upon themselves the obligation of
administrating the affairs Of the
municipality to the best of their
ability.
75 YEARS AGO
January 15, 1903
The Township of Stanley is
about to 'lose its treasurer, Mr.
John Reid, who has held that
position for 22 consecutive years,
,having decided to retire. Mr.
Reid has been a model treasurer,
his books being so well kept that a
statement of the municipality's
standing has always been easily
obtained. 'The council iS anxious
te retain his services, but he has
been wanting for some time to
retire and will de se when the
auditors have completed their
labors.
- Merchant Harnwell, who is
always looking to the interests of
his many customers, has ordered
an up-to-date peddling wagon
from Purdy and McNaughton and
when spring arrived J.E. will be
'able to supply the wants of his
patrons much better than ever
before. ,
The. IOF ball held last Friday
evening in Bayfield, though the
weather was exceedingly rough,
.01
was well attended, about 80
couples being present. Excellent
music was furnished by the
Excelsior Orchestra for Zurich.
Lunch was served at 1:30 and
dancing continued till 4 o -clock.
All enjoyed the evening.
Mr. C.W. Williams of Goderich
Township delivered a load of hogs
to Mr. R. Fitzsimmons on
Tuesday, 'which weighed 3,650
pounds and netted him $210.
Another of the Huron., pioneers
has been laid to rest, one of the
very few left of the early settlers
of our county in the person of
Mrs. Maria S. Butler, relict of
Wm. Butler, who passed away on
the 27th ult., at the ripe old age of
75 years. In 1852, she with her late
husband, came to this county and
took ,up lot 35, Goderich Town-
ship, about a mile outside of
Clinton, where by industry and
economy they made a com-
fortable home and reared and
educated a family of seven
children.
100 YEARS AGO
January 10, 1978
A few days since a very dif-
ficult operation was successfully
performed by Drs. Hulbert and
Stewart in Brucefield. The
subject was a five-year-old son of
Mr. A. Dart who had a hare -lip,
which greatly disfigured his face.
The ,boy was placed under
chloroform for half an hour the
slit in the lip was parted on both
sides and sewed. The mark of the
junction is scarcely disternable.
Inspector Yates charged R.
Brownlee, of Blyth with selling
liquor 'without a *license, on two
counts, both of which were
proved and Brownlee was fined
$25 and costs and $20 and costs.
Mr. James- Huston of
Tuckersmith received a lot of
raisins grown in California, as a
Christmas present from his son
there.
'The merchants and
businessmen of Londesboro
complain of the, difficulty of
collecting accounts.Agt now that
the tvads are in 'good condition
farmers will be enabled to
market their grain and many will
be more freely dirculated.
Blyth is to have an oatmeal
-4J
What you
think
Needs
Dear Editor:
Here we are in the new year
of 1978. The festive season is
over so I cannot be accused of
begging.
For a few years the editor
of this popular weekly has
made statements that w
have adequate service clubs
to supply the needs of those
getting government
assistance. I strongly differ
with him.
I am a registered blind
person livingalone for the
past four years, maintaining
and paying for a home on an
income of around $3,000. In
that time the only people who
came to my home were those
collecting money for their
projects.
It literally nauseates me to
hear the news media, talk
shows and the public in
general calling widows,
widowers, women on
mother's allowance and all
the handicapped under 65
years old, lazy bums and
government parasites.
Would you the complainers
work after $60 a month, the
government takes - 70 per-
cent? Would you like to have
your bank account an open
book and be checked on as
closely as a newly paroled
prisoner?
I don't hear very little
screaming about the millions
of dollars of unpaid fines or
the millions lost in convicting
these reprobates.
However there was one
bright spot in 1977. In Sep-
tember a program that
changed my- life was started.
The Huron Outreach
Program with the day care
centre at Huronview with co-
ordinator Mrs. Ann St. John,
assisted by Rosemary
Armstrong, also ably assisted
by Mrs. Karen Scruton and a
battery of happy and un-
derstanding volunteers
began. The program is an
open book to everyone and
most of all there is no bias
against any person.
What they have achieved
for the lonely and the
homebotind in a short time,
no one could ever believe. If
everyone in Huron County
shows the love in giving
themselves like these
dedicated people, then what
can be achieved in 1978
cannot be bought with money.
Those who have not already
been to the centre, come and
see for yourself- what really
can be done.
Thank you,
Allan Reid,
Clinton.
Dogs
,Dear Editor:
The following poem about
dogs was taken from the
Killarney Guide of Killarney,
Manitoba.
A "dog lover",
Clinton.
DOGGIE DO
It's true...we've heard the
wise man say
That every dog must have
his day
In cities, though, each day we
rue
How many dogs have had
their do.
The streets are spattered all
through town
With Beagle beige, and
Boxer brown,
Though litter we must never
strew
Still every dog's allowed his
do.
In play grounds where the
toddlers crawl
To ball fields where they
bat the ball
To often what will spoil the
view
Are spots where Spot has
stopped to do,
My days of hop -scotch have
all gone
But now I play in on my
lawn
From flower bed to grass so
green
Those spots of brown are
always seen
Our cities soon will go to seed
irith droppings from the
pedigreed
From Cocker,. Collie, Great
Dane, too,
And other cttrs who can and
do
Man's best friend is not at
fault. .
It's his master we must halt
Our neighbors who expect us
to
Love him an4—love his
doggie do.
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