HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1975-02-20, Page 2PAGE 24--GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1975
EDITORIALCQMMENT
Inflation victims.
One must have sympathy for the
Canadian housewife as she struggles
with continuing' inflation. .Yet it must be
remembered always- that she .is one of
the more fortunate victims of this
'economic malaise that affects the whole
world. Because she and her family' can
eat. •
There are too many others who don't
eat regularly, and hundreds of
thousands, possibly millions, who, have
gone hungry:and died during the past 1.2
months. Photographs taken in the West
African country of Mali recently ,show
-once-proud-nomads scratching in the
dust for grain after an air -drop. In, .the
African region below the Sahara, known
as the Sahel, drought has gripped entire
nations. In Ethiopia, the worst drought in
a _century -is -said to have killed 250,000'
people.
They who hunger are the true victims
of ,inflation, for the aid they seek is slow
in coming. Many nations want to buy
wheat for their people,, but can't afford
the high prices. Late in 1972, a tori. of '
wheat cost $79. By March this year, it
had all but tripled in price, Between 1972 .
and 1974 fer$ilizer, which is a•vital tool
for faster,agricultJral development, had
doubled in price from $70 to $135 a ton.
Shipping costs are risin"g rapidly, and
general disenchantment with inflation in
the rich countries does not help the aid
picture. Politicians who are under fire
over rising prices look less kindly upon
development assistance ,for poorer
nations. b •
Yet their need today is greater than it
ever was. Sky rocketing oil prices have
hurt the poor of the world more than they
have hurt us. Canadians, in assessing
the impact of inflation on their lives, also
should rerherriber the hungry. For they
are in the midst of a disaster that was"
not of their own making.
Need -fir humor
Stephen Leacock defined humor as
"the kindly contemplation of .the in-
congruities of life, and the artistic,
expression thereof." BO' kindliness
does not`seern a dominant .quality of
much of our humor today. Popular
humor often makes fun of the other
person's weaknesses and failures, even
of his or her deformities of body and
mind. It delights in the embarrassment
and discomfort of others and in well -
honed sarcasm at their, expense. Much
humor, today is an exercise in' self-
aggrandizement: its practitioners
seem to think that they will stand so
• much the taller if they can cut someone
------ down.
The form of humor called satire can
be an effective means of attacking
injustices, exposing evils, puncturing
pomposities. But many ' of today's
satirists seem to be. simply saying,
•
",See how very -clever we are, fou
stupid ,sods out there!"
We .need more- of the humor which
has a dominant element of 'kindliness
in it, the kind which helps us accept
life's little ironies and idiocies and
everyday. incongruities, the kind which
'can be healing balm for the hurts of our
hearts. The late Gordon' W. AI 1port, one
of the more influential' psychologists of
our time, studied the roleof humor in
mental health and came to ,this con-
clusion:
onclusion: "We have grounds for sup
posing a person's•"sense of humor is
closely related to his• degree 01 self:
insight. ... One who can laugh at
himself is unlikely to feel greatly
superior to others- ... Humor tells us
that our total horizon of life is too wide
to be compressed into our present
rigidities ...,,,The neurotic who --learns to
'laugh at himself may be on the way to
self-managernent, perhaps to cure.''
N�iiconfirinit
•
•
Through human history it has been
-the nonconformist, u the off -beat
character, the eccentric, who has been
responsible for most change and
progress. .Albert Einstein was once
asked how he came to work out his
theory _.of, `relativity: he answered
simply, "I challenged an axiom." We
are the heirs and beneficiaries, of
thousands and thousands of non-
conformists "who through the years
have .effectively and creatively
challenged axioms, in all spheres of
life.
But there is nonconformity and there
' nonconformity. Much of the
fashionable nonconformity of today
seems lacking in creativity. It is often
-simply self -assertiveness. A
,psychologist has said, '"Many con-
formists have no -.deeper motive 'than
simply .to avoid a ° scene." Yes, of
course. And rinany nonconformists
have no deeper motive than simply
to create a scene ,.. a safe little scene`
mind you, designed to draw attention
to a little self than, to challenge
anything significant. V
Things must be very difficult today
for the person who has come to believe
that conformity is bad and . non-
conformity is good. Just how do you tell
one from the other? The point =is made
in a cartoon in a magazine showing the,
wife -of a bearded , artist saying im-
patiently to her husband, "Why do you
have to ••be a • nonconformist like"
everybody el•s'e?"
But let us recognize that much of
today's nonconformity comes from
awareness of those pressures of
standardization which threaten to
squeeze all the color and joy and juice`
out of life. Not. long before he died
Bertrand Russell gave this warning:
"I'ndividual Initiative is hemmed in
either by the, state or by powerful
corporations, and tHere is great clanger
in ancient
sness and
s to vigorous
Fest this should produce,
Rome, , a kind :of I'i
fatalism that is dis
life." Nonconform4t,4 Can ,be a moral
virtue in these times!"
Vie Oober[cFj
SIGNAL -STAR
—Ci — The County Town Newspaper of Huron •--C] -
A •
4.
Founded in 1848 and published every Thursday at Goderich, Ontario Member of the CWNA and OWNA.
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'but the'• balance of the advertisement will be paid for ,St the applicable rate In' the event of a
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Advertising Is merely ari"•offe'r to sell, and may be withdrawn at any (ime .The Signal -Star is not,respon.
•
Bible for the lose Or damage of unsolicited manuscripts or photos
Business and Editorial Office
TELEPHONE 524-8331,4
area cede 51.9 ' •
• Mailing Address:
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Secorld class mail registration number: -0716
Pgblished bV Signal Star Publishing Ltd,
ROBERT O. SH.R I E R --president and publisher.
SHIRLEY J.4<ELLER---editor
JEFF SED'DON_editorial-.staff
DAVE SYKES--editorial staff •
EDWARD J. BYRSKI--adverti,$irlg manager
DAVE R. WILLIAMS—advertising representative
.
14.
Say, Z 3-ug.'?15coVt.RED fORTIE Noe STICK - SCoRIN( '
Great lakes
Highway 2�.
Dear Editor,
I am writing this letter to
clear up a misunderstanding. It
has come to my attention that a• •
statement I made at last weeks'
committee meeting of council
regarding the purchase of ,
property to facilitate the .,
reconstruction of Highway 21
may have placed Mr. and M'r's. Opera, House as a community
"'Harold Gauley and Mr. and
Mrs. McArthur in a bad light
with the townspeople. I • said
- that I did not think the town,
should be 'blackmailed' into
purchasing the propel ties for
more money” than we had to
pay.
This came after Mr. B. Ross
Canadian community com-
pletely isolated from the out-
side world. Te gather. material .
for his one-man show, Ted
spent a month living with the
people of Old Fort Bay, along
with Bill Acres of Listowel, who
designed the set for the show.
.The purpose ' behind this
evening of entertainment is to
encourage the people of
Drayton and surrounding area
to make. use of the Drayton
resource. •
People ,from Clinton and
•Goderich wishing to see the
film and play should take High-
way 8 south 'to Mitchell, then
take Highway'23 east through
to Palmerston, then south 10
miles on Township Road No: 10
to Drayton. The Opera House is
had" stated that arious _ corn"in thebrayton Town Hall.
panies were ready to go, in
regards to , moving services,
etc. 1 sirriply meant that we
should not be hurried by these
companies into purchasing the
two properties-before`we couid
negotiate 'the purchases . in the
best interest of the town,
To this point in time, both the
Gauleys' „and the McArthurs'
have co-operated with the town
in every way, and... my
statement in no way was
related to them.
Yours respectfully
Stan Profit
Drayton
Dear Editor :
I've enclosed some posters
promoting an' event scheduled
for the Drayton Opera House on
Saturday, March 1, at 8 p.m.,
which I feel is of interest to
your readers.
The evening cortsiSts of a
showing, of .a film -- "The
'Clinton Special" -- and of the
performance of a play, "Naked'
on the North "Shore", produced
by Theatre Passe Muraille and
featuring actor Ted Johns a's
re -creator of the tiny fishing
village of Old Fort Bay on the
coast of Labrador. -
The Drayton Opera House,
the setting for this activity, was
-built in 1902 and restored°in 1972
under an. Opportunities for
Youth Grant. Apparently the
Opera House • was the 'site of
Beatrice Lilly's . stage debut
and it features an unusual
raked proscenium arch stage
---ands tin embossed ceiling
Tickets can• be reserved by
calling, 1-638-2252 in Drayton in
the evenings. If -you feel there
might he a good demand for
tickets in Clinton, I would be
pleased';te 'en'd' erne you; w.w
beach with the yawl boat was at
t e road • �orng
beach at • Sheppa
miles north
in your paper a
ago
away in Detroit, he
the crew on the Azou
was lost and
had a watch repair
south side of the sq
to see many
about the harbour an
d J, know where, a
picture 'ofA the harbour
which you could
return the
When you finish wit
Sincerely yours,
Don Smith
Drayton, Ont.
P.S.'Tickets are $2.50 each.
ig Bitl
Dear Sir:
In your last twopapers•I have
been very interested in the
story of W.L. Forest (Big Bill) .
''"and Bob Carr who lived where
the salt block now is and who
gave me the first boat I ever
owned.
Captain John MacDonald,
owner, and captain of the
Schooner Azoo and ' Red
MacDonald his son ,who I first
started sailing with.
Enclosed is a picture of the
Schooner Azoo taken upbound
in the Saint Clair River in 1907
.which you may like to put in
ayour .paper as many people I
am sure would like to see it as
the anchor and captain of the
Schgoner is beside the museum
on North St. in''Goderich which
was founded by Captain John's
nephew Bruce MacDonald of
Britannia Rd. Goderich about
forty-five years after the: Azov
was lost off. Point Aux Barques
min October 1911.
There are many stories that
could be told in your paper
-which are of a lot of interest to
people reading your paper such
"The Clinton Special is acne: as the;ones you had in your last
hour and tern minute color film' two papers. •
describing how the Nay, "The I have many, stories myself
Farm Show", was created by on the above""mentioned men
the Theatre Passe Muraille and I know there are others still
f`ompany. It ,includes in- around Goderich • who have
tervjews, with the farm people many ` stories about Goderich
around the Clinton-Goderich Harbottr.icture of theaAzou 1
area with whom the actors This p
lived and worked during the believe is the only picture of her
summer prior to the play's as I'°know that the MacDonalds
production in the fall of 1972; never had a picture themselves
Also shown are Scenes from the except Bruce who now hasone
"Farm Show" during its tak'enfronithis picture.'
performance in the °Listowel Bruce could give you the
Sales,F3arn. The film was made • exact location 'of where he
by Michael Ondat,ie,.. the 1972 land they wreck which was up
C;o%crn(r-C,eneral's AC'ard. near Port Eigin some forty
Winner for Poetry years after she was lest, arid
Ted John'sis a member of after she l'adt1P+fted sixty some
the original Farm Show cast. in miles from where Captain John
'Naked on the North Short?"' he and his crew left her, ,
•
peopre=creatles, singlehandedly, the-
location Captain John.
le and .• lifcrstyle of a , and .his.CCW 'landed on the
•
the end of h back
to the rton
several •of
Goderich.
I sawfew
months a Kemp
passed was
one of
when shehis
father store
on the so uare
in Goderich.
I-fope more
stories, d if
interests- very
early is
in Sarnia get a
picture o
Please enclosed
picture h- it.
Yours truly,
--Captain R. Wilson.
have- a
Ievels lower
this year
LOOMNO L,ck
75 YEARS ACO
The unexpected' and ex-
tr,or:dinary rise of . the
Maitland last week, following
the break up of the week before,
caused much speculation as no
change was expected until the
final thaw in the spring. On
Thursday however the water
began to rise and- by noon the ,
big island was like a lake, every
part of it being flooded, but the
colder weather stopped the rise
and froze up the channel below
'Attril's. The end is not yet as
the large quantity of ice in -the
river between the lake and
Saltford Bridge will cause a big
jam if 'Old Sol' does not melt
the ice considerably before the
spring freshet. Of course the
fall of snow will determine the
result, but so far the 'fall has
been; a full average one, and a
proportionate fall over the next
four weeks with a -warm spell
like we had ten days, ago should
give us the most exciting
opening ° of the Maitland we
have had in some years.
Some one broke open a box
owned by a gentleman using
the arena of late and the fine
skater's boots and hat were
helped to by the thief. It .is said
the fellow who stole thearticles
was seen taking them home and
if such is the case it seems
strange that his people don't
see that he hands them back
immediately- as they must
know he did not come by them
_,.,
The return match of the
Signal and Star blocks at a
game of hockey ended up in the
fashion that all experts of the
game predicted. The Star team
won and played a- fine .brand of
hockey worthy of any victor..
All of the Great Lakes are
expected to be lower in )975
than they were' in 1974,
According to the Monthly
Bulletin of Lake . Levels, a
'jointly prepared publication of
the U.S. Department of
Commerce and the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers, Lakes
Erie, St. Clair, Michigan and
-Duron are forecasted . to+ be
about six fiches lower at the
end of July than they .were last
July. Lake Superior is expected
to be' about three inches lower
and Lake Ontario' a foot and a
half •lower for the same period.
The lakes are expected to
peak as follows,:: ,Erie
and Ontario at the end of May;
Lake St. Clair at the end of
June; Lakes Michigan and
Huron normally peak 'in mid-"
• July and Lake Superior in mid-
September. The lakes reach
. .their -annual- owe in -winter --and
highs in summer 'but usually
attain these extremes at
slightly,different times because
bei n -of -various hydraulicd
raulic and
hydrolo is factors.
For shoreline property
• owners and others here is how
lake levels . are expected to
compare with thei"r long-term
to th€ averages at the end of July:
Lake Erie, 18 inches above its
long-term average; Lake St.
Clair, 20 inches above; Lakes
Michigan and Huron, 15-1/2
inches above; Lake Superior,
seven inches above and Lake
Ontario, one inch below.
Signal -Star!,
,,•� THE WINTER WIND
The winter wind sounds like a train,
As it blows around the window pane.
The sea's huge waves give a mighty roar,
As they hurl themselves upon the shore.
The dark clouds are heavy, but what a surprise,
When the sun conies out, then soon it hides.
The noise of wind and sea together,
Give us wild'and eerie weather.
THE FIRST SNOWFALL
The trees are hare, the ground is dry,
The sun is setting in the sky,
.Night Is here, the earth is still, ,
And in the air there is a chill,
A few snowflakes fall to the ground, ,
As they fall there is ncd sound.
Millions more fall in the night,Until the ground is covered •
with white. ,. •
The snow has stopped,.thrl moon shines on
The sparkling snow until the dawn.,
The sun rises casting a rosy glow
Upon the fields and hills of snow.
And in the scene of winter charm
Are children front nearby farm.
In a slci'gh with jingling bells,
You can hear their happy yells.
And with the horse running so hard,
.l'he scene looks likens Christmas card,
Miss IE:li7abeth Near sc,ht the Signal a letter from the
„Goderich Psychiatrit Hospital asking that her poems be
printed in the paper. The two poems are written by her,
60 YEARS AGO
Large quantities of ice are
being harvested from the
harbor this week. Quantity will.
'to a large extent replace
quality this winter as there is
only about 10 inches of c1e % ice
on blocks thirty: ,inches thick,
the balance being "slush ice."
Taking advantage ,of a 1-ast
opportunity before the Lenten
season, a great crowd gathered
at Oddfellow's, Hall on Tuesday
evening to prtij,lpate , in the .
d•anc.e given under • the
management of the Stewart
orchestra. The hall was too
crowded for enjoyment and
slight confusion was caused by
the. supply of programs failing
before all were supplied.
Depending upon a verbal
engagement some of the ladies
found they had two partners for
the same dance. Aside from
these trifling discontents the
evening proved proved very enjoyable.
Six 'or eight' of the Goderich
Volunteer Fire Department
drove to Dungannon last
Thursdayby sleigh to respond
to- a call sof alarm.. Thevolun-
teers were called to the scene of
the old Mallough House at
Dungannon which burned to the
ground as a result of an
overheated . stove combined
with a defective chimney. The
four hour blaze at one time
threatened to consume the
telephone office next door but
was brought' under, control lfy
,the excellent firefighter of both
communities.
^
5 YEARS
Betty Moss, 18, daAGOughter of
Mr, and Mrs. William Moss,
Auburn, was crowned school
Queen at the annual At"Home
Ball at :GDCI last Friday
evening. Princesses chosen for '
the gala event were Debbie.
Hoexges, Jennifer'Lrnklater and
Jean Stothers. The theme for
this year's ball was -Cinderella
and the affair that has become
known in Goderich as one of the
social highlights of the .year,
was once again a success.
'The Goderich Recreation
Board met Monday evening
and gave final „ approval to
° plans for , the first 'Winter
Carnival to be held in town. The
Goderich and ,District Labor.
Council have put up $15 in priie
money for the event and the,
recreation hoard have offered
prizes for winners of some of
the novelty events: The. -Labor
Council challenged • the
Goderich Businessmen to a tug-
not=war which Will be held the
first day of t o day event.
Thirty o the senior
geography students at GDCI
attended a "Symposium on
Urbanization'" at Grand River
Collegiate in Kitchener
recently. The purpose of the
session was to question experts
and conduct ,roup discussions
on the topic of "the kind of
environment in which people
Wish to live." The students
concluded that- intelligent
regional planning is essential if
governments are to . deal ef-
fectively with the problem of
relating, man's needs .to the
"anaggmentt, 'of his .' en-
Vironmenr i °