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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1969-05-08, Page 94 ,a M 1 g e On* ;the.G lmportent events Qf the Past° WOW' We* the two -night presentation of.e play.at the Madill Seconcient School, , Some .Funny Things, Happened on 'the Way toe. Graduation.'" Most high school plays ore not particu- larly unique — but this one was. In the first place it was written by one of the • s tudents, Anne Oldfield. Secondly, it was superbly presented by en alhsdent cast. of about forty. Not only did the script. call for dialogue between actors, but'many of them sang the lyrics which had been written for contemporary music. The students in the, audience were pa- tently amazed at the production --carried almost against their will Into the very heart of `the action on stage, Adults who attended just could not believe they were watching a performance by teen-age amateurs. Whet refreshing: and encouraging ex, perience to be reminded that 'the vast majority of young ,people are creative rather than destructive, and that there as a reservoir of brain power waiting only the complexion of school years to serve mankind. A New Approach Another exercise in youthful expression took the form of a completely modern teen service et the United Church Sunday before last. The speakers, musicians and choir were all teen-agers, while the regular minister and the congregation filled the pews to listen to what the young people had to say. All the older folks agree that they had a -lot to say. --things that young people can best express in their own terms. We have asked quite a few adults what they thought about the youth service and without ex- ception they have mentioned the sincerity of the young people who participated. Were the oldsters shocked? Though none would admit it, it 'is safe to assume that some of them were rocked back on their heels to some degree—but shock treatment has a certain therapeutic value. Because forms of worship have chang- ed little in the past 150 years. we tend to feel that any kind of worship which is un- familiar is unacceptable to the Lord. Per- haps we should recall that Christ lived at a time when the orthodox Hebrew Church would not condone the slightest deviation from a complicated set of hide -bound re- ligious rules. The Master, however, wor-- shipped in the open fields; He taught His followers their greatest lessons from the top of an olive -clad hill — and once He used the deck of a smelly old fishing boat for a pulpit. Frequently it is man, not God, who is offended by drastic change. =Slightly Irritating. A Canadian Press release which appear- ed in the daily newspapers last week has left a pretty foul taste in the mouths of hundreds of trustees who serve -as direc- tors of Ontario's community hospitals. The release quotes Dr. Matthew Dy- mond, provincial minister of health, on the subject of hospital financing. We can only hope that he was quoted out of the proper context, for the printed words 'We are trying to introduce sortie 'sense of reA Qn the,.part ofPhospital 'boards etid the "aim ifiistratiorf`,"� `are " IF; rotating in the extreme. According to the CP story the minister continued, "We hope that by providing them with something in the form of a mo- bile budget they"will be persuaded or in- duced or .seduced into adopting modern practices, good business practices." The minister has left the suggestion, in no uncertain colors, that the average hos- pital • board . member is a wastrel who flings' money around in wild abandon. There is a definite inference that the boards have no business sense and that they ' must be "persuaded, induced or se- duced" into using nioney carefully. We believe -itis time that the good doctor took a trip around the province to meet some of the people who are assuming responsibility for hospital management— without any remuneration whatever. We are personally acquainted with quite a few hospital board members in • many Western Ontario communities and without excep- tion we find that hospital leadership is provided .by business and professional men who have been at least as successful in life as, have the politicians who• tell them what to do at every turn. The suggestion left by. the minister's address was that the Ontario Hospital Services Commission has open -handedly permitted hospital boards to use their own judgment about how much money they will spend. Such is far from the . case. The only change in handling of hospital budgets is that OHSC has decided notto dictate the disposition of funds for each department within a hospital. In actual , fact, the budget of 'the Wingham and Dis- trict Hospital was cut by nearly $19,000 for this year and the Commission required a detailed statement of just where the cuts would be made. It is worthy of note, too, that ,local hospital boards, despite their reputation with' the department for lack of business ability, are still required to raise 'any money needed for new equip- ment. If hospital, board members are lacking in the .common sense needed for the' job perhaps the minister should allocate enough funds to pay the salaries of some real hotshots to do the job. Strange Mixture Now that General Charles de Gaulle has departed the poli.cital scene, apparently for keeps, the world is sitting `back in some Mystification. De„ Gaulle was a strange mixture of power and pettiness; and he has left an impression on modern Europe which will not soon be erased. On the credit side of the national ledger, the general has at least given France ten years of political stabi4ity and consequently a chance to rebuild an econ- omy whist? had been shattered not only by five years of war, but by 20 years of changing government before that. Those among us who are old enough to recall the years between the two great wars will remember that France faced a new election every few months. So 'many parties were represented in the national government that none could achieve a clear majority and as a consequence none could. hold power 'for more than a few weeks or months. In fact it was this unsettled political situation which was /the disas- trous factor in the emergence of the power of the Third Reich in Germany and the irreversible path to war. Had France been united and forceful in its determin- ation to prevent the rearmament of Ger- many, the French and the British could easily have prevented the horrors of 1939- 45. When Charles de Gaulle was elected to readership in France ten years ago one 0•11.0111111416 • OS OH of his first moves was drastic monetary legislation which saved the .value of the franc for the average French wage-earner. Under his strong hand the old political haggling ended and the- country forged ahead — notably without any serious po- litical inroads from the Communists. This m.uch of de Gaulle was good, but apparently he. carried within his touchy bosom great -resentments for snubs he had received in London in the early years of the war as the unknown leader of the Free French forces. Never one to forget an injury, either actual, or supposed, he had his revenge when the British sought entry to the European Common Market, for ' his voice was an influential one and he steadfastly refused to agree to British entry into ECM. French relations with the United States were tense throughout, de Gaulle's time, despite a fortune in financial aid sent from the U.S. to France after the war. It was also de Gaulle's decision that NATO forces should be forced off French soil and it was his interference in Canadian domestic af- fairs which caused the chilling of relations between our country 'and his. It may take many years to assess the general's impact on the world of human affairs --whether it was good or bad. One thing is certain, however, he will not soon be forgotten. MAY I 'National Hospital Day +lsy observance and of .. portynityl ' $ the birthdate in l'820 .of because •�?bselrl�ancei � one else, had the eoura9e that w:emr n v hoh mom t ted, and the tenoclt to to Challengewhet ours trtleP y t {.� ish 'tl e.p n ' u .:.,• hospital care we take for bl a,rid cip Y+r granted today. before Florence Nightingale there was ,com- passion for the Sick, :bud 1i qualities, of order an cls dignity of the patient es well Opportunity, $cause 1/4,14wIt from Newfoundland tover Island, an occasion to remind our communities how far we have come from Miss Nightingale's day in ss►feg!rlg the country's health, and what we see for the future. Opportunity, too, to pay de- served tribute to -the trustees,- auxi I iaries, doctors and staff of our hospitals who 'Malde `Wall work so well. `Even if we didn't have'otoit ideals --to unite us, we would have the headaches. financing, management, expanding patient demands, publie'unrstanding and many others. These are problems that confront hospitals all across. Can- ada- After also a year as, president of your Association, I am more than ever convinced that we can. solve them bet- ter by working together, .regionally, provincially and na- L�onarlly. National Hospital Day is 0. symbol of our unity. ''„,,,,R., ALAN HAY, President, Canadian Hospital Association. else. She added the vital Ness, and concern for the for his physicai`well-being. ves us, as hospital people THE WINGHAM ADVANCE - TIMES Published at Wingham, Ontario, by Wenger Bros. Limited W. Barry Wenger, President Robert O. Wenger, Secretary -Treasurer Member Audit Bureau of Circulation Member Canadian Weekly Newspapers Association Subscription Rate: 1 yr,- $6.00; 6 months $3.25, in advance; USA $7.00 per yr.; Foreign rate $7.00 per yr: Advertising Rates on application Registration No. -0821 Return Postage Guaranteed Second Class Mail Reminiscing Notes from the fibs APRIL 1920 • The Provincial Grand Or. ` �f ange Lodge of Ontario West horn orad W. Bro. Rev. Horace W. Snell of Wingham by electing him Grand Chaplain at their 61st Annual Session, which was held in the Methodist Church, ' • Orillia, last week.' There were some twenty or more clergy- men present and it is therefore a high honor to be chosen as chaplain. Rev. J. W. Hibbert of Essex,, and a former esteem- ed minister of Wingham, has held this honorable position dur- ing the past two years. . Mr. Tom Smith, Windsor, has° accepted a position in the office of the Western Foundry. . Mr. Snaith was employed in the._. Dominion Bank here for a few years . The Toronto papers recently had an account of another' hon- or being added to the gifted son of Mrs. T. Ross of East Wawan- osh, Rev. W. Ross, who has been stationed for some years .as pastor ,in one of die principal Pr byterian churches of Hal - fax. S. , having received the honor of D. D. He is one of the leading ministers of the Presby- terian Church, having a steady of yesteryear advancement since he was in- ducted to the -ministry as pastor of Glencoe Church. • The Citizens Band have se- cured the services of Mr. George Wright ofSmith Falls. as band leader for th&coming season. Mr. Wright was leader of the 160th Bruce band when v they went overseas and comes to Wingham highly recommend- ed. He is a brother of Mrs. A. Vanalstyne, Wingham Junction. Mr. Wright will receive $350 • for his services with the band and will• work in the Bell fac- tory. APRIL 1934 Mr. John Gray, Victoria Street, brought into this office on Friday a stem off a Manitoba Maple tree that grew 7 feet, 6 inches in 1933. This tree was cut down by Mr. Gray and he allowed the growth from the root to come up to hide the stump. Last spring he cut • these branches down some but lure ambitious branch which started last spring grew 7 feet, 6 inches last year. It is at pres- ent on display„in our, window. Mr. Cecil Markley, who for some years has operated a gar- TODAYS CHILD BY HELEN ALLEN This stunly young fellow with the merry expression is Jerry, 19 months old. He needs to be adopted so he can grow up hi the loving security of a permanent home. Jerry is a big boy with blue eyes, fair hair tinged with red and fair skin. He is in good health with no known hereditary diseases in his history. He's a happy child, though occasionally displaying some temper when frus- trated. A little shy with strangers, he doesn't take long to make friends. Jerry loves other children, but can amuse himself well when there is nobody to play with. He likes music, singing along with records and always ready to dance. This handsome little boy needs parents who will ° welcome him on his own merits and who are not demanding about background. To inquire about adopting Jerry please write to Today's Child, Depart- ment of Social and Family Service, Parliament Build- ings, Toronto 211. For general information about adop• tion ask your local Children's Aid Society. Hums ss/11/1,sssmums ss1.saseie,ISI/ussisi mIgellmsio/l"//.//N/,/M biliances Wingham, Ontario, Thursday, May 8, 4969 age on the corner of Josephine and Victoria Streets has added another line to his business hav- ing accepted the agency for the Terraplane and Hudson cars. These cars will be displayed at his present place of business, a showroom having been installed in the north portion of the build- ing where the stock room form- erly was situated. Machan Bros. have purchas- ed the property in which Mr. H. B. Elliott has his book store. Some time between now and the first of June they will trans- fer their stock into that build- ing. Mr. Elliott owns the prop- erty where Machan Bros. now. operate theii,store, and will move his store to that location. APRIL 1944 Mr. Arthur Field has purch- ased a . chicken ranch and mark- et garden. which is lo s a t e d about ten miles south west of London. Mr. and Mrs. Field expect to leave in about two weeks. At a meeting of thee. G. I. T. held on Thursday the following officers were elected: Presi dent, Panzie Champion; Vice - President, Irene King; Secre- lary, Marie. Spading; Treasur- er, Marjorie Copeland; Pianist, Marjorie Hobden; Press Report- er, Gwen Blatchford; Games Mistresses, Joan Hiseler, Judy Deyell. Twc\district airmen graduat- ed as pilots at Centralia on Friday, they were: R. McIn- tosh of Lucknow, and E. F. An- derson of Kincardine. Rev. John C. Hutton has ' . been in y ited by the congrega- tion of Pine River and Bethel to become their pastor. Mr. Hutton, a former Wingham man, is at present pastor at Underwood United Church. APRIL 1955 Bill Henderson brought in what must have been the grand- daddy of all the smelt the other day. Measured ten and a half inches long and was wider across the beam than any of the silver tid-bits we have ever seen. They say it takes 65 smelt to make a meal,' . but'it would only take a few of those to make a liar out of somebody. John Wilson arrived in town on Monday morning from Or- angeville, to take over the 'managership of the Canada Pack- ers plant in Wingham. He will rake the place of Hank Mc - 'Knight, former manager, who has been. transferred to Clinton. Arrangements have been completed for laying the corner stone of the new Court House and County Building, on Mon- day, May•23rd, 19554 at 2:00 p. m. His Honour, Judge Frank Fingland, will lay the corner stone for the new building. Earl Campbell, Warden of Huron County will lay a stone from the old Court House dated 1854, which will be incorporated in the new building. Birthday greetings to James Wild, who celebrated his 80th birthday today. Mt. Wild has - been working in Wingham for ' over 50 years, first with the Walker & Clegg factory and later with Fry & Blackhall. He still comes to work every day and is still in charge of the cab- inet room in the Fry and Black - ,hall factory. Mr. Wild is well known as a skilled carver and designer, and has gained a rep- utation for his beautiful work and outstanding craftsmanship. SECOND SEC`riON Messer's not for me, but ... It's not that . I particularly enjoy fighting for lost causes. I . lost the flag fight, and look at the rag we got. 1 know I can't beat non -disposable • bottles, soaring taxes, and my wife. But somebody, some voice in the wilderness of the twen- tieth century must keep the banners flying, the flame burn- ing. That's why I think the CBC should not have cancelled that hardy annual, the Don Messer Show, regardless of those purv- eyors to the puerility of the public, the "ratings:!' Personally, I wouldn't watch the Don Messer Show with a ten -foot telescope. Its mixture of emasculated barn•da►nee and ineffable bathos are not my• bag. But I know a great many middle'aged and older people who look forward to it weekly and enjoyit thoroughly. Their toes tap to the sprightly fid- dlingand their eyes grow wet - over the sentimental songs of ' yesteryear. And what's . wrong with that? It may be corny, but it's Canadian, right out of the Ma- ritimes. And however bad Its ratings are, it couldn't be worse. than some of that crud the CBC buys from -the. States and forces on us, willy-nilly. Most of its fans like it be-- cause e-cause it's. clean and comforta- ble. The show, to them, is like an old friend with whom they can relax, safe in the knowl- , edge that for half an hour, once a week, they 'won't be subjected to the perversion, violence and' viciousness that characterize a good deal of the other garbage.on the box. Can you imagine Charlie Chamberlain kicking someone in' the groin, or Don Messer chopping somebody acrossthe throat with a karate blow, or Marg Osburne wriggling through a :, double-entendre (dirty) song? Well, maybe. But not on the show. Every year, the CBC comes up with a few brand new shows. And every year, with the inevitability of -death and 'taxes, they flop. Can you name one (there may be one, but can you name it?) that lasts two seasons. But -I doubt it. This includes the high-priced,. Won - der -boy, Sunday night sensa- tional, controversial, • shows, like Seven Days. They're a silt- months' flash and then every- one goes back to the Beverly Hillbillies or some other cul- tral impartation. In contrast, the Messer show has been running for a decade. It still stands at a healthy 22nd out of 59 series ' sur.: veyeu on the latest Nielsen rat- ings. That means :a lot of 5: pe)- ple watch it. • It would be interesting to know just bow the ratings are done. The show appears on” a Friday night, at 8.30. `off people under 40 are 'either getting ready to go Out, ltSire F gone, or are having peoplewin',a at that hour on that day. A sampling in Toronto, where viewers can : get • several stations, might show that two and a half people were watch- ing Don Messer: But a sam- pling from ' the hundreds, of Canadian towns with. only oriel. station available might show that 50 percent were mesmer- ized by Messer. That incestuous title empire known as the CBC does some very good things. And it . also does a good many fourth -rate things. The hockey fan gets his hockey, and I don't begrudge it to him. But 10-0 for Boston. This is NHL hockey? The avant-garde drama hounds get their drama on Fes- tival. Some of it is excellent; some lousy. The intellectual gets his talk programs. Again, a few are first rate; many would shame a high-school panel discussion. And we all get the CBC news, a stale re -hash of news stories from the dailies, and. wire service stories with a few film clips of the same stale commentators saying the same stale things ,in.that same stale 'fashion. To each his' own, and I would defend with equal pas- sion the right of each of these • categories to watch his own thing. Why not, then, let the folk ' who watch Don Messer and they are legion, — continue to do so for a measly half-hour a week? etrout to eite Eeterov Dear Sir: May 5 was the 24th anniver- sary of the Cease Fire and com- plete capitulation of the Ger- man and other enemy forces of the Third Reich. CBC on Sun- day evening, with Patrick Wat- son as host, formerly of This Hour Has Seven Days, program- med on The Way It Is incidents of the First and Second World Wars, with overtones of ' t h e carnagewhich these bitter times have brought about in the pres- ent century. The Old Sweats and War II veterans h av e so much in common in comrade- ship, omradeship, and yet today there are words being printed in the news, for our information, of varied and pending wars --strife such as Nigeria and Biafra. The Vietnamese and Viet- cong seem intent on prolonging Round Table Talks and stalling while some other Communistic element searches for some mi- nority country to strike and overthrow. Churches are dis- integrating- and millions, of peace -loving people are starved, murdered and mutilated. Gov- ernments have no way to stop this only by thteat of nuclear bombs and anti-missile bases. People wish to have so much to say and talk about. Then pray, let them sit down and talk and get these things settled once and for all, and let the masses speak up and declare that this must stop. Talk is cheap; so is gossip and this other type of hate lit- erature and bilingualism and separatism. Older educated people and the younger ones too, stop and try talking peace and unselfishness, and then per- haps there will be no more wars Sincerely, A Veteran.