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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1969-03-27, Page 4ftset 4 -I. Wingham Advance -Times. Thursday, Miuch 27, 1969 ' We Have No Choice There seems to be no end to the, pleas for our assistan* Every month, indeed every other week brings its own bundle of requests that, we share our wealth. That, however, is exactly as it should be in a day and age when we are enjoying unprecedented good times and prosperity. Many of the "worthly" causes to which we are asked to donate receive our . assistance because the average citizen is well aware that it is his responsibility to help, even though the benefits accruing from the funds may never be enjoyed in any. way by those who contribute. It is a fivorable sign of our development as a civilized people. There are other collections, however, to which we should give concentrated at- tention and whatever extra we can dig up in a monetary sense. One of the most important of these is the Cancer Fund—a fund-raising venture which is of vital im- portance to every man, woman and child. The annual campaign opens on April 1st and the,target for the Wingham area is a minimum of $2200. The national as- sociation hopes to raise $3,200,000. There are many disease* which medi- cal science is still battling to control, but cancer is the one which strikes instant fdar into the heart of every person. O'er - hops the reason for this particular em- phasis is the fact that a -majority of cancer victims suffer intense pain before the disease has run its course. Cancer, of course, is vulnerable. Al- though it still takes too many lives, science has learned a great deal about the dis- ease, and there is good reason to believe that within a few years it will be control - able. That is, if we who are on the battle lines continue to support the fight. So much is provided today out of government funds that we tend to think that all the necessary money for cancer research will come from Ottawa or Tor- onto. That is simply not true, nor should it be. It is you and I, the possible victims of this ,scourge, who have the most at stake in the battle, and it is only right that we should contribute directly and positively to the final defeat of this enemy of mankind. Remember this when the canvasser calls at your door. Grabs You, Doesn't It? eur readers no doubt noticed in last week's paper, the picture of a baby in •need of adoptive parents. The column is titled "Today's Child", and is an open appeal to the emotional instincts' of those potential mothers and fathers who have rooin in their homes and their hearts for • one of -hundreds of children who have no natural parents. The same column has been running in thei'daity papers for several years and has been _notably successful in bringing together children who neeito,love and hope •and, adults who can .provide for those ..needs. Personally, We are rather proud ' t•P'4 of this achievement, for it was originally upon our suggestion at a meeting in To- ronto that this form of publicity was in- stituted. At one time there was a tremendous backlog of children in the city welfare establishments, waiting hopelessly for homes. Knowing that there ,were thou- sands of couples who would welcome ad- optive children, we urged a campaign of advertising to bring them together. We • are pleased that the column has . been made available to The Advance -Times and other weekly papers in the province. Not Too Surprising ' A hundred time.s during the past year you have heard someone deploring the violence Which has disrupted American and Canadian cities and the campuses of great universities. Many people profess to be deeply shocked at the ease with which civilized :people turn to arson and blood-' shed. The common thOught is that it is all pointless—why do people do 4. • V;Tkliel'Ettuth is that despite our veneer of civilization, the screeching savage lurks 11PP—far beneath the surface in a good ' many supposedly sophisticated peoplea Many- of us still violence for its .own ke Standing in the Wingham arena on Saturday afternoon we watched one per- (od of the Midget hockey tournament. Within 30 minutes no less than four fights Ottike out among the Young hockey play -4, Op, one of them anasty affair in 'which the blood was flowing freely. The re- feree and linesmen restored order, but not before dozensofadult spectators Were yelhig encouragement to the bloodied players,cfrom the sidelines. Those grown- OpsIgave no thought to the "sportsman - Ship' that » hockey is supposed to instill.. They were» screaming for violence—the bloodier the better. 4-; , • The »organizers of the Lockridge Me- morial Tournament deserve» a »Ggood deal of credit for the effort that has gone into, • this major sporting event. It does seem a shame that a tournament which is intend- ed to bring out the finer qualities in young people should, in fact, see public demonstrations of the worst in human .nature. Nor do we blame the 'player's entirely. Naturally they tend to behSve as the older.' folks demand. When the adults who ac- company the teams scream for more vio- lence and less hockey the boys have little 'alternative. • We believe it »i high time that all minor hockey rules be reviewed and fresh emphasis placed on the fine points of the game: stick haradling, skill in shooting; bet- • ter skating and the physical fitness that the game should demand. Referees should be instructed to clamp down on the rough stuff right at the outset and clean up the game. • Perhaps some of the maniacs who get their kicks out of fights between teen- agers would be disappointed, -but the bet- ter type of hockey fans might enjoy the gamea little more. This Right Must Be PrOtected • A few years ago this writer was stay- ing in a quaint hotel in the city of .Soest, Nest Germany. • Coming into the small bar late one evening we saw several people sitting over their beers, patrons of The place whom we had seen before. With them were two men in dull grey uniform; • Who stopped talking to their neighbors as soon as we came in: Gulping,the last of their drinks they slapped on their caps and hurried out of the' place. When opportunity arose we asked the young hotel owner who these two men • were. He said they were members of a • train crew from East Germany, waiting fOr the return of their train to the other side of the Iron Curtain. Selected because they ,were particularly trustworthy,, these two fellows refused to stay, in the same ro0M- with an English-speaking Canadian for fear of searching questions should the news of their contamination reach their superiors in the east. Doestn't sound like a partitularly free or satisfying existence, does it? The »arrest and imprisonment in Mont- real last week of CBC reporter John Smith, because he refused to divulge the name of the person from whom he 'learned facts about recent terrorist activities brought • this episode in Oermany to mind. Thou- sands of people all across this land would agree with the authorities that Smith • should be forced to tell where he got his information—% suffer the consequences. re, The reporter has chosen the second alter- native because he has an understanding about the basics of freedom in a democ- racy whichour laws have failed to acknow- ledge. • -» Smith; along with „all other journal- ists worthy of the name, knows that the . curtailment of his freedom is not a blow at the "press" as much as it is at the right of the public to be informed by the news- papers and broadcast media. •If this reporter should •weaken and tell where he got his information about • criminal activity, he and all other reporters would find it impossible to gain the confi- dence of informers in future. When he managed to get someone to -"sing" about 'terrorist activities he no doubt gave his promise that .he would not divulge the source of his infor,mation and he is living up to that promiie by spending a week in jail. •• Surprisingly enough,- the solicitor -gen- eral agrees with the CBC man and plans to bring legislation before the Quebec House to guarantee the immunity of re- porters under similar circumstances. There are limits, of course, to such immunity, but in each case the deciding factor ought to be the -interest of the public: ' Fortunately, we don't live in East Germany. We should retain our full right to talk with whom we please and to refuse to repeat the conversation if We wish t0. do so. Dear Sir: Your editorial,. "Freedeink For AU, " dated March 20, 1089, is an infuriating document. In the first four paragraphs , you openly praise the MacKay Comrnitte& Report on Religious Education for its recommenda- ttons to eliminate, from the. Public School system, religious instruction. You concede that Canadians have the right to - religion of their choice; that the thousands of students in Ontario Public Schools today, of varied religious backgrounds, neces- sitate the elimination of Chi/A- lan "indoctrination" from the classroom. • I most emphatically agree with you! If you had only end- ed there. You persisted, how - ,ever,., with: "If Cluistianity is to be prov- en a worthwhile faith, a faith to which others will turn for ultimate. truth, Surely there is no need for enforced indoctrin- ation at the Public School level': What, or who, gives you the authority to assume that the "others" (whoever the poor un- fortunates might be) .WANT the ."ultimate truth?" Further, as- suming that the "ultimate truth" is a sought-after commodity, are you so confident it lies in ' Christianity? Why does it not lie in Buddhism ,or Judaism or Atheism? I suggest, sir, that -you are a victim of the system of indoc- trination—the system which in- discriminately rams Christian- ity down the throats of the un- sespecting children --Jews, Mos- lems, Hindus and yes, even Christians! Your missidnary at- titude is the Christian disguise for arrogance and narrowmind- edness. Freedom of religion (or non - religion) is a fundamental RIGHT otevery -individual. It is nota PRIVILEGE to be be- stowed half-heartedly by Christ- ians. Marcil 24,1969 Wingham, 9nt, Yours truly, Victor Nerenberg 4,etrotrow,....."0,~4.... • DearSir: X would like to congratulate Mr. Crawfotd,„D ougl a.s and CKNX radioahd TV fo r stand they have taken regarding our ,"World Hockey Team' No longer does this channel sweep the efforts of these boys under mama ° THE WINGHAM ADVANCE - TIMES Publish/ at Wingham, Ontario, by Wenger Bros. Limited W. Barry Wenger, President - Robert 0. Wenger, Secretary -Treasurer Member Audit Bureau of Circulation Member Canadian Weekly Newspapers 'Association Authorized AS' second class mail by the Post Office Department, Ottawa, and for payatent of postage in cash Subscription Rate: 1 yr. $6.00; 6 months $2.75, in advance; USA rim per yr.; Foreign rate $7.00 per yr. Advertising Rates on application the rug, sO WI Weak, but bring them out in. FRONT, where they beleng, failures as well as wins. Our sometimes dismal showing in this field.of Sports, is, by no means the fault of the boys involved entirely, it is however, for the most part, the fault of our government, plus the complete apathy of Cana& ians in general and certain news rueihad a letter one time, from one of the executives on our National team, who stated, and quite truthfully that, "These ' boys are beaten by Canadians themselves, before they go ov- er to play". I ask in all sincer-. ity, what the hell has happen- ed to the "Real Canadian Spirit". over the last few years? Why aren't the Canadian people de- manding publicity, for a better deal, for our National team? Apathy, plus extensive brain- washing is the answer. The powers that be, will tell you that the government of th country can't afford to pay out more money for this endeavour. I say "hogwash". ' • One example stands out in my mind, and there are hun- dreds of others. . Take the case of a government official, nam- ely Gillies Gregoir, an avowed, seperatist, and dedicated to the destruction of Canada, as such. This man was PO.id in e cess of $40,000 per year of your mon- ey, to aid in breaking up your country. I did hear he receiv- ed a Centennial Med al. It isn't funny, it's pathetic. A self-proclaimed "clown" in V ancouver, is awarded some- thing like $5,000 per year, by the Canada Council; and'so on. The boys of our National Hockey Team, have the guts to go over and play Ultra -Profes- sionals, men who are trained - the year-round, well cared,for, well paid, by their individual governments, this is also true of Sweden. The people and the govern- ment of these countries, are damn proud of their World hock- ey teams, the players are in reality true ambaisadors to their countries. In other words, -1 Canada and its people are judg- ed by ow forts in World Fern - petition:: Thebacking given to our atheletes in this .field is dismal, shrinking and a complete dis- grace to Canada, our Country. This lovely baby is Daniel, 7 months old, who needs a Mommy and Daddy to help him grow up. As you see, he is a handsome child of Irish, German and Negro background. He is active and healthy, used to lots of company and attention for be is living with a foster family of seven while he waits -for a home of his very own. Daniel is a happy, affectionate, good-natured boy, who chats away in his own language, blews bubbles and is tireless about playing pit -a - cake. He likes acrobatic games, especially with people a good deal .bigger than himselfAwho are strong enough to make him feel secure if they pietend to throw him around. He is well nourished and easy to care for goes to bed at 7 and sleeps right through the night and can amuse himself well when awake. To inquire about adopting Daniel please write to Today's Chia, DepartMent of Social and Family Services, Parliament Building, Toronto 5. For general information about adoption ask your local Children's Aid Society. No effort should she Spared te once again obtain the PUD E 'which IS Our true liglt1rA0E. It our government officials have lost it, whieh I suspect, we should show the m that we haven't. What can you do about It? Raise the roof, take five - minutes, and write Mr. Craw, ford Douglas or Myself. Above all, let's get with it for heaven's sale. P.S..-Better still, write your MP. Yours very sincerely, Norm Pyra,h 147 Cambridge St. Goderich, Ontario. .....^^~deditedet0,400." C D- Fr*ILWIq4 t.; {4 f rot a AP. to -Pt 411411 *kI$i*Mh1e. r. riot r W141444's, M4i rik. YR 4** 0110.0 ZOOM"' tit L0444,4" II* Pt hairot"..0 1.,d44100'.4 r•rtitt, ti '‘'.1.1'111*411' W.,4 ,)001 Dear Sir: Are Ontario farmers sleeping while the rest of North Ameri- can fumes watch what is hap- pening to them by their Ontario Government and its tune -call- ing industrial tycoons? T h e rural upheaval with no benefit to any part of society in Cana- da, could well,begin in the next few months, unless farm- ers accept as f'irst class citizens, their responsibility to demand -- 1. The right to a democratic choice of organization, to repre- sent them, including control of their marketing boards. 2. No interference by any parties oth- er than fa • their indus- arming, (This 1 udes government bodies). 3. hat an Ontario Farm Organization be only a stepping -stone to a Canadian Farm Organization as soon as possible. Anyone, farmer or not, who is selfish enough to believe that our Ontario markets and produc- tion are a God-given right had *better remember thatwe do have a Dominion of Canada and farmers as well as others have a responsibility to one another right across that Dominion. Further, it must be considered that only with a close affilia- tion with the farmers of U.S.. A. can we cOmbat the election - paying, greedy corporations, straddling the American -Cana- dian border, who will continue to exploit the Canadian and American ,farmers by using each others'. preduction against them ,...:, • ,. t:. , . . , — . - tile member the Ontario ,Fed 4r- , ation of Agriculture's weakness - and the Government's cheap food policy that walked hand in hand with it. So far the new G. F. O. appears to .be a change; in name only. If farmers ex- pect to have another organiza- ' tion built for them, they will have to expect the same Gov- ernment Control, they had with the last one. I would remind . you also, that fence -sitters get picked off one by one. • Leadership is present in On- • tario Farmers Union and Nation- al Farmers Union, even in Na- tional Farmers Organization in US.A. that has never been . ttthere before in North American • farm history.. Public opinion would have you believe that 'ese ldaders are rabble rousers . o t to line their pockets. These , leaders are "Men of Unison" who can see beyond one little Ontario organization, promising a very, very, short-lived relief. . , How long can we expect this • leadership to hold out against industrial interests with unlim- ited public relations funds? That depends on whether we as farm- ers accept our responsibilities now. Yours sincerely, Robert King, . Rodney, Ontario ANNE FULLER of St. Marys placed first in the girls' divi- sion at last week's Science fair. Her exhibit was "Cor- rosion of Steel", comparing acid and water to see which is the more corrosive on steel and the ways of preventing metal corrosion.—Advance-Times photo. Spring is pure female A couple -of weeks ago, I sang a song of hate' in this space. Since Spring, theoreti- cally, is just around that cor- ner which recedes steadily as you approach it, the least I can do is sing a song of love, and ask you to join me. Everybody loves something, even if it's only his car. Looking into the backyard, it's pretty hard to get- all goofy about Spring. The pile of snow pushed up beside the garage is now down to six feet. My cedar lawn chairs look like a couple of .matrons, buried to the waist in blanc mange, their arms ex- tended i)leadingly. The .picnic table still looks like a freshly, - risen loaf of bread. • But the sun shines, day after day, and .eventuallYthose arti- cles must reveal themselves in all . their scabby, Shabby ugli- ness. •„ . » . • Spring in Canada is pure fe- male; unpredictable, perverse, passionate, hot -or -cold, cruel - or -kind. And completely unde- pendable, as far as mood goes. In this crazy climate, I have lain on fresh grass .in March and in love .and in sun that 'suggested the following month would be July: And I have gone fishing on the first of May and had my line freeze to the rod. There. Having expressed my mistrust of Canada's Spring; I shall return to our theme: love. • This is a favorite topic for poets who can't think of any- thing else to write about. Not being a poet, I will avoid trying to be poetic and thereby save both of us a lot of embar- rassment. • Some people think that love is a potion, especially in the Far East. You know: rhinocer- os horn ground up in a mixture of oysters, and celery. Actual- ly, I wouldn't mind taking a swig at it. Sounds jolly invigor- ating, or something. Love is not a potion; it's a lotion. It warms the cold heart, as analgesic balm warms the Sore shoulder. It lubricates the grinding nerves. It soothes the tortured soul as olive oil does the baby's bum. It is an ointment (by the way, Mecca ointment is good for practically anything. Un- paid commercial). And it is a Mecca toward which you trav- el, and from which you return, rather wondering whether the Whole trip was worth it. and: and flies and heat. And ,nobe,dy. else there but a mob of ex, hausted, hot, tired and dis- gruntled pilgrims like yourself: That's love. However, one mustn't wax philosophical about love, evert on a highly elevated plane like this. Not in this country, id this climate. Let's get down to specifics. What do we love? - , I love my country. Not the i government, or the people, particularly. The physical Can- ada A. black spring stream rac- ing between the snowbanks in March. The ghostly mist of green that slips into the trees in May. The, Rockies, in mid- summer, aloof, sneering at the ants that crawl • about theit knees. • The . sculptiire-8” bin j white seascapes of January. . ' 'I love peace And lonelines , and they're dam' hard to come by, now -a -days. Its beautiful. to be alone, sometimes, without the yelpand clamor, the stink and garbage Of everyday living. About theonly place you can find it is in an inacessible bog, with a fishing rod. The outboard motor and the ski- doo have seen to that. And I 'love all growing things: grass, flowers, leaves. Except when they have to be mowed, or cultivated, or raked. And nearly all children. Ex- cept when they grow up. • And I love a good • poker game, especially when the cards are coming right. And a good argument, . especially when I'm right, which seems to be nearly every time. And I love my„ wife, but oh, you kid. And I love my kids, but OH, YOU KIDS! And I love to do a good job, ' whether it's writing a column, or teaching a dumbbell" some- thing, or finding a new gim- mick in my tax return. It sel- dom happens, but it makes me happy. Sometimes. I can even love my' neighbor. as myself. It's a. lot easier These days. He hasn't an ox or an ass or A maid -ser- vant to covet. See? I've just begun. I hav en't: even mentioned hot bon . - fires or cold beer, or a thou- sand other things. Put down a list for youiself, and you'll de- cide you're not such an old miserable after, all. Man shelters for Bruce Trail The Bruce Trail 'Association this week announced a plan to construct a series of log cabid- style shelters -at strategic locat tions along the popular nature trail which extends all the way from Tobermory to the Niagara Peninsula. The open -front rustic shel- ters will be basically construct - ."ed from cedar telephone poles donated to the Association by Bell Canada. Bell is removing ° Many of its poles throughout Ontario as part of a continuing program to place telephone fa- cilities out of sight and under- ground. ° First of the shelters, about 10 feet by 16 feet in size is ex- pected to be completed by early slimmer and will be located near Meaford, Long rangeplans call for shelters spaced about 10 miles apart along the length of the trail ---a good day's hike from each -other. A Bruce Trail official stated that while the gift of the poles solves one major problem, oth- ers remain. These include find- ing suitable locations, addition- al funds to over construction costs and other material requir- ed. "However we forsee no ma- jor difficulties in completing our plans to have one of the finest tourist attractions in the Prov- ince, "he added. .astvt.47.4T 4 11