HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1975-10-23, Page 220
PAGE IOA--GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, THURSDAY, UC 1'OBER 23, 1975
CAS speaker s�ysspijt1eveI families !9bki4 oef childhood=
"For- nothing is fixed
forever and forever; lit is not
fixed. The earth is- always
shifting, the light is always
changing,, the sea does not
cease to•grind down the rock.
Generations do not cease to,.
be born, and we are
responsible to them because
they are the only witnesses
we have. The sea rises, the"
light fails, lovers c'ng to each
other and the children cling to
us. The moment we cease to
hold each other, tare moment
we break 'faith with each
other, the sea engulfs us and
the light goes out." - James
Baldwin.
With this remark, Dr.
Donald Morgenson,. Professor
of. Psychology at Wilfrid
Laurier University in
Waterloo, summed • up, his
address to the guests. 'at the
Huron County Children's. Aid
tiangvet ,,held in Clinton
Thursday eveningLt
Foster parents honored
CAS director says
_marriages breaking
downin Canada
Dr. Morgenson's topic was needs increasingly
"Childhood's End" and dealt dominated than's activities in
with the rights and privileges Western society. The mon-
of children in any society. In a strous growth of technology
humorous but. explicit way, demandecj more prolonged
Dr. Morgenson defined intensive and extensive
childhood as a marvellously education. This prolonged
carefree period of life to education slowly but surely
which all are en tied - and separated children-, and
then went on to explain how adolescents from the adult
the youth of today is rebelling world,"
against a society which often, "Youngsters rather
denies them that--�k of naturally created a wcsrld of
upbringing. their own choosing, one that
"It is a fact that many incorporated their own
years ago children were an morals, their own clothes,
integral part of adult family their own music, their own
life, but we have seen over the mythologies," the speaker
past 400 years A gradual but cd•ntinued. "In turn, the older
sure isolation process oc- youngsters began, to capture
curring, where we have the minds and the hearts of
pushed them gently into a children, who shared the"
world almost tot,ally devoid of same existential territory.
adults," Dr. Mo enson said. John Plumb put it this way:
"Slowly but surely we' have „We can now look back with
forced them to create a world longing to the late medieval
of their own. No wonder then, world, when, crude arid
as John Plumb has said in the simple as it was, men and
winter Horizon, (1971) they ; . women and ' children lived
have made that world a their lives together, shared
citadel of rebellion. the sat`ine ,morals as well as
• '
hoprli'ssness to today's
orld, would like 4o take that
fatal step into the past where
things wi re clearly more
hamar, ',.ore innocent, more
childlike ?*". •
"Youngsters of today
appear to be more controlled
and inhihited, fearing ex-
pretis.►veness," Dr.
Morgenson observed. "They '
tend to intellectualize many
things, apparently somewhat
afraid of being human. They
are considered by many to be
pseudo -nature, cool,
detached, emotionally
bankrupt and completely
bored. They are also
• developing a self-centered
inteilectualisfn."
Factors which may have
contributed to this state' of
affairs may be the bomb and
the overwhelming technology
of the age; mass media which
the professor says has 'made
hypocrites- of many world
leaders; affluence;
depression -bred parents; and
the fact that kids have been
exiled to a world where there
are "few adults. to rap with,
few adults to,. identify with".
"'yhey simply are nol as
col rftil; 4ively, flamboyant,
easy-going . as former
youngsters may have been,"
Dr. Morgenson feels. "Many
of our kids have not learned to
play• with easy abandon, so
that even their pursuit of
th
the same games, a same
'Poster parents 'who had per day for a child to be in The speaker pointed out excesses as -well as the same
given from five to 15 years of -care in Huron. County. The that ancient paintings and austerities. In essence, youth
llui„on County director described this as a writings attest to the fact that today is rebelling against 400
service, to ?�n>i., , „ past, children
Childe'n's Aidoctety'�we're” • "very cheap,.bargain," wren in times long p years. of repression and ex-
„ > honorecrThursday evening at:one considers this is a total '9 >iVed'the r Lives to_ ther w•ith ' ploitation."
the annual banquet in Clinton. package involving. ...,, ad- adults':' They `wet"'e ne• 'Essentially s lit -level
Those who , received ministration, social workers, really apart from them. They • Y P
recognition for their room and board, clothing and ate with them, drank with families, not only split-level
them, partied with them, homes," the speaker said.
assistance in service were medical care. Dr. Mor nson de lored
M. and Mrs. Ross Krueger; He offered the highest played with them. ,Morgenson p the'
RR 2 Crediton, 15 years; Mr. , praise to the county's foster He pointed out that famous the regimented playtime,
and Mrs. Hartley Watson, ' parents, and said -that slightly paintings such as the Battle lack of opportunities for what
Kincardine, 10 years; Mrs. over two-thirds of them are Between Carnival and Lust he called wasteland ex -
Mary Campbell, Blue3ale, 10 . ,xtow giving five years or more (1559); the Peasant Wedding periences and the repression
years; Mr. and Mrs. Leonard.' of service to the CAS here. (1568) ; and the Peasantof imagination in today's
O'Rourke, RR 4 Seaforth, 10 a As an extra measure of Dance (1568). by Bruegl ' formula for, childhood.
years;
Mr. and Mrs. Gordon ,concern, however, Mr. Heath showed "men and women "Perhaps technology, that
Westlake, Rif 3 . Bayfield, 10 said there was a • "dwindling drunk out of . their skulls, opiate of :the people, has
years; Mr. and "Mrs. Aaron - number of homes" available groping for, each other with come close to killingb'eauty,
Kuepfer, RR 2 Bluev.ale, five forwthe teenagers taken into unbridled • lust" having holiness, mystery •and in -
years ; Mr. andMrs, Franklin care. He spoke of the county's children eating, drinking' and nocence,". Dr: Morgenson
Roth, RR 3 Kippen, five „group home operated by Mr. playing right along with the - said. "These are things. which
Mr. and Mrs. Bruce and -Mrs. Dehn.is':MBrown of adults. I find most beautiful in
years;
Ty •
Tyndall, RR 3 Clinton, five Middlesex County where "Children were'zxot thought children. In sum, , perhaps
years; .Mr, and Mrs. Jim eight teenagers from 14 to 16 as requiring a special or science has killed the . in -
Schell, Huron Park., five years of age are presently in sometimes sterile en- nocencel of:.;children, and
years; Mrs. Alice Koehler, care. ...._ ,&'onment," Or. Morgenson come Close to killing .
Huron Park, five years; Mr. He also spoke about an said. "They were not thought childhood. Fids, if this is true,
and ' Mrs. .Terrance Bauer, independence home project to require • special en-- may be trying to avoid their
Sunset Beach, five years; Mr. for teenage girls which. ,is tertainment, special clothes, own childhood's end by, their
and Mrs. Earl Bensette, RR 1 presently under con --(except as ,site .would clic- flight into unreason, where
Brucefield, five years; • and sideration for Duron which tate), nor was it thought they can preserve magic and
Mr. and Mrs. Ray Foster, RR
3 Clinton, five years.
The Director of Children's
Aid Society in Huron, Bruce
Heath, 'also drew -attention 'to
Mr. and•Mrs. Garth Hamilton'
of Goderich who have been
operating the county's
receiving home for the past
three years. As well; Mrs.
Hamilton co-ordinates the'
Society's volunteer drivers
and staffs the answering
service at nights and on the
weekends.
In his brief address to the
gathering, Mr. 'Heath ex-
pressed grave concern for a
statistic which reveals that
one in every four Canadian
marriages is "on the rocks
and on the way to the divorce
courts". P
Mr. Heath indicated this
results in new problems for
CAS and said that problems
are also arising from homes
where the parents are at-
tempting to "stick it out"
because of the children. One
in every five single -parent
families is now headed by the
father.
, Of 158 children in the care
of CAS from January to
September, , 78 were
teenagers. At the end of
September, , there were 86
children in care with 49 - 'or
just slightly under 60 pet cent
of this number - being
teenagers,
"We can only anticipate
this trend will continue," Mr.
Heath went on.. He admitted
the board and, the CAS
workers felt deep concern for
this problem.
"There are few pat
solutions," Mt. Heath said.
"The answer is not found in a
simple index in a •community
or a book." '
It costs slightly under $10
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"
should help to alleviate some necessary to isolate' ,them innocence.
of the need ,for homes. from the very sophisticated Dr. Morgenson went on to
But place markers _at each ribaldries of adult .life, in the say that in his opinion, adults
plate told the story. They tavern or at home." may ' also be -resisting their
said, ' "Make time for the After 1500', the speaker told childhood's; end, , but in a
teens. We do." The telephone his audience, society and the slight different way.
number t� call is 524-7356. ' whole western world needed "Look at styles todayt
highly skilled and highly clearly reminiscent of past
trained men for commerce, years, irrecoverably dost'
Knlfty Kneaders law, medicine, business. decades," the speaker said.
Science and technology began "Books, such 'as catalogues
4H meeting held to invade more and more of_ originally published years
village life, church life, 'and years ago, representing a
The fourth meeting -of the commercial life and finally lost world, lost relationships
Knifty Kneaders opened with family life. etc. Home designs,
the 4-H pledge. The meeting "From about 1800 onward," - decorations, the entire world
was at the home of Mrs. D. Dr. Morgenson stated, "these possibly sickened by a
Van Osch. .
mirgimummommr
Eight members answered
the roll call. The next meeting
will be on October 21 at Mrs,
E. Evers'. place.
Mrs. ,t). " Van Osch had
started the Basic Roll Dough
before the meeting and the
girls all had a chance to shape
the dough. into rolls.
They discussed the good-
ness of,bread, the food' guide
for good health, sweet dough
for buns and rolls and the
sour dough.
The leader talked about
menu planning around the
Canada Food Guide.
Members chose the four
people, to d t 'cheese puff
and the ham urger stacks at
the next meeting.
•
CANADA SAVINGS
BONDS
1/ 2%
Bruce .Erskine
",86 North St.
Phone 524-9555
pleasure 'seems frenetic and
forced."'
"In short, they are
prematurely mature, sober,
appearing as adolescents who
have skipped childhood and
as young adults who have
'somehow skipped
adolescence. Sortie play at
love and loving, but without
really experiencing the in-
timacy and devotion which
most often sustains love in
mature relationships." .
Tracing his own childhoods'
from endless kite flying
through sandlot sports to
marbles from dawn to dusk
and hiking with friends for
days and days,. Dr.
Morgenson added, "My
potential in those days con-
cerned no one, but me oc-
casionally. We were free to do
what we wanted. If the world
worries about me at all today,
it is because of the possibility
that I might live too long.
He .urged his 'audience to
resist childhood's end.
"Our salvation appears to
lie in our dreams," the
professor said. "The child
who is the dreamer, the
dawdler, the mystic, will be
„able to rekindle the human
imaginations and. 'rekindling
of imagination is vital
today.
He said that in this age of
change anehchallenge, people
are sorely tempted by two
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torces - lbve for the new and a
flight from responsibility.
"I certainly hope that the
Children's Aid Societies of
Ontario can successfully
resist enshrining ° the new,
repudiate the pld and tested
tradition and I hope that also
professional child -"mare
workers of the CAS will
remain models for other
adults in our society- who have
lost their parental concern,"
Dr. Morgenson .concluded.
THANK' YOU
I have sold my business and I would' like to
take this opportunity to thank everyone for
their .patronage.
HAROLD LAMB
B P Service Station
Hwy No. 8, Goderich
NOTICE
Citizens Of Town Of Goderich
Leaf. Pick;Up_
•
•
The Works and Engineering .Department will be co-
ordinating leaf pick-up with the regular garbage route for the
next mdtnth,, commencing with October 20th.
Please arrange to have leaves placed at curb. •Small..amounts
of leaves should be bagged and placed with regular garbage.
For . further,- information please call Works & Engineering
Department, 524-7222.
COUNCILLOR GOWER,
WORKS & .ENGINEERING
CHAIRMAN.
r-'
We have a wide range of applLances from .which to
,tthoose.
• , SC510 White
DISHWASHER
M
V -•'t
We believe
in tuiic,
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179 HAMILTON ST.
-� GODERICH
524-2711
PARTNER 252R
With Forme 15/Bi, vol
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•
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•