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HomeMy WebLinkAboutWingham Advance-Times, 1977-06-29, Page 11J .4, ,44 rJ THE RDVAflCE TIrnEs y'rh',',.i�''r.J,ay:;:; sS: '<s?F,::::'<:::i::r:<:'r,:;;•:. Spoiled by nature Sometimes we Tend to forget that we who have the good fortune to live in Western On- tario hive spent our lives in a virtual Garden' of Eden. In the midst of all the complaints about low prices and high costs we miss the fact that we take for granted' the almost uninterrupted series of good crops which are taken off the iand year after year. There is some justifiable concern right at present because of the lack of normal rainfall since early spring. The area around Wingham and south for some miles had not had a really worthwhile rain for more than two months until Saturday's storm and corn fields are not nearly as healthy as they should be. A trip farther south, into Middle- sex County emphasizes the degree to which we have been missing moisture. Farther .. :.•..:.;...:::::::•..: �. ......., .. �. .;..;: •:>:: •rr::'•<•,;; •r...alio::.�..:..,•:i5xt:'•o-''... . .r JJ .............................................r..r....:.................::f:'.`.::i:i�+tiL�F iY::•{r4:.:e.i:J:i•:i•: `:L: .:;::%J.�.�/.�..rvrr...... ,. east, too, crops look considerably better in areas which have enjoyed several good spring rains. As we have mentioned, this momentary concern should remind us of all the really serious natural hazards which are seldom experienced on any widespread scale in this part of the world. We never lose a crop to grasshoppers or locusts or hail as they do in the West; we have had a few tornados, but they have always been of a Limited size, with damage confined to comparatively small acreages. Real, honest -to -goodness drought such as the rainless years of the Thirties in Western Canada are unknown here. We have much to be thankful for — but right now most of us would like to say thanks for a long, warm rain. Parlez vous what? According to Biblical history the Lord employed 'a very 'effective means of punishing the cpresumptuousness of the people who tried•to•erect the tower of Babel. He simply caused them all to speak in new languages so they could not understand one another; and ever since that far-off day lack - communication ofcommunication his been the most frequent stumialing block to human progress. In. Canada we have every reason to pay close attention to the „consequences of a language' barrier. English-speaking and , French-speaking neighbors have lived side by side ill this land for more than two centuries' and appear less able to ' communicate and co-operate today then they, were 20 decades ego. It i$ a- sad, sad • tragedy and one which is likely to cost Can- adian's of every, language dearly before it is resolved. Take tfee case of the. Belgian girl who has been working for°some time in an Ottawa office alongside the other staff members who are all, French-Canadians. She has. been all but ostracized by her fellow employees, -not because she does not•speak•French,. but, be- lieve it Or not, because h"er` French is too good. Educated in the French -speaks% sector of Belgium, she speaks correct' Frenchrather than the altered' language of thin same nai.mewhich': has evolved in Canade. Then' there are the rabid English -streaking Canadians who refuseo concede in any `way to the rights of the 'French-speaking people to their 'own •tongue.. And how 'abo4' thea attitude of; the .school -board in .Esse‘.„ County which fs'•bitierly resisting pf•ovi'n- cial government directive to build &separate high school for the 'Students` in, that area whose native tongue is French? •. • One thing is c'rta.in. The federal. govern e` ' ment`s.approach "o. the lang.uagproblem has been:less than perfect': No law can force a people to become bilingual. The law cany of course demand that official services, such as the courts and government agencies provide two languages, but there is no way to force large numbers of people to .learn a secbnittr;,: language. P No•Ianguage can or will survive unless' itsis in frequent and continual use. If every man, woman and child inthis community was obliged to take French lessons and to persist until they could talk. the language with reasonable fluency, the second language would be completely lost In 'the first `few years after the lessons 'ceased. People just naturally revert to the language which comes most easily to them. We can recall the words of ah older woman who, as a young school teacher, had taken post in a community which had been settled by German families. The parents com- plained to her' that they would speak to their children in German, but the' youngsters always answered in English. 'Bythe third generation the German tongruSeeklee all but forgotten. A few years back we happened to enioy the hospitality, of• a delightful French-speaking family, in Bathurst, New Brunswick. `During ot) ttay., a farrf iiy -from the Gaspe area of ,Quebec came, to visit fi,ith our host'sand, spent some hours tryiplg to recall enoUgffdf our own high school French to understand the conversation. About,the only thing we learned all,afternoon was that the man. from the Gaspe owned -2O cows., . After thieir•departure,our. host told us that the far'nity had lived for many 'years in. New Brunswick; where they had many English- speaking neighbors. They . had become reasonably fluent in English by the time they moved „back to the Frencteonly district in Quebec,'nd in a few short years they had all but lost their memory of the Ianguag which was not their native tongue. - It is not hard for a reasonable 'person to sympathize with the Quebecer's- desire 'to work aad-play in:his"own langbagewfaen he lives in a province where French' is predominant, but it is also reasonable to submit to the truth that if, we are to continue as a bilingual nation 'we must bow .to 'the right of language minorities — the English-speaking, in "Quebec and the .French-sPeaking outside of that province., Personally we,have•,never seen a more explicit. instance -of -the '-sensible stand on • 'language than one which occurred to us a few years ago. Havinga fluent Dutch ''errtployee on the staff of the paper at that • time:we asked him to write a column each week in the Dutch language., Our belief that . we Would be providing something of :real interest for the many Dutch families in our area was shattered when several of them told tis either personally or ,by telephone'and letter that they did,ot;appreciate the Dutch coliirhn..Their Pion• was•expressed When the said, "We live in Canada, and we want to be Canadians. We want to read and speak . the language of Canadians." The, next week we dropped the column. Costs ridiculously high The Supreme Court of Canada will hear appeals against three damage awards made by lower courts)in cases of personal injury. In two of these cases court decisions had awarded damages of more than a million dollars each to individual injury victims. One four-year-old child was awarded damages of 3850,000 for injuries which will probably prevent the youngster ever being able to earn a living. Admittedly there is no slide rule which can measure the cost of pain; at the same time no amount of money can ease the burden of pain either. Therefore such awards are us- ually based on loss of livelihood. • In this particular case and in others like it, such excessive awards are getting beyond reason. After all, $850,000 invested at even a low six per cent would bring a yearly return of $51,000 a year, or slightly less than $1,000 a week. A Million dollars invested at six per cent would return $60,000 a year: The awards against doctors in the United States have been running into such hugefig- ures that the medical men, even with high earnings, can scarcely afford the insurance premiums which would provide the coverage under malpractice policies. As a conse- quence doctors' fees have been mounting like sky rockets. We do not suggest here that persons who are injured through the negligence or ill intent of others should not be compensated. Certainly they should, but. it would appear that there has to be a line of common sense to be applied. How many children do you know who will ever have a hope of earning $1,000 a week, averaged out from four years of age? And with an award of that size the one thou. sand a week would only be the interest. The principal sum could still be invested to pass on +o someone else. THE WIFIGHAM ADVANCE -TIMES Published at Wingham, Ontario, by Wenger Bros. Limited Barry Wenger, President Robert 0 Wenger, Secretary -Treasurer Member Audit Bureau of Circulations Member — Canadian Community Newspapers Assoc. Subscription $12.00 per year Second Class Mail Registration No. 0821 A page of editorial opinion Wednesday, June 29 Letters .the Editor • MINISTER SPEAKS OUT. ON SUPERSTITION 150 Binning St. W., .Listowel, Ontario N4W 1G3 June 2.5, 19'77 Dear .Editor :. ' The enclosed chain letter was brought to my attention recently. While no doubt many people refuse to take such Pieces of mail seriously, several features of. this • letter deserve comment. • ' • It begins `Thin -prayer has'been sent to you for good luck. Unless the sender failed to forward all he or she was supposed to, this par- • `titular copy:, .; contains no , "prayer" at all. Further; the suggestion that a prayer' brings good luck is, a , contradiction in • terms. Either you trust God and await; His blessing or you trust fate or 'chance‘You can't have it 'both ways. However,' my main concern about the • letter is the 'direct threat it carries if the receiver does not send on 00 copies as he is bidden to do. It explicitly men- tions two people who failed to circulate the lettero.and a short time later they died. As I men- tioned at the outset, most people can and dog take this in their stride. But there arc some,' perhaps elderly . folk who are genuinely upset, ,by this kind of thing. A few years ago the Listo- wel -Ministerial Association took issue with an evangelistic association which sent letters to individuals mentioning their Ontario Weekly Newspapers Assoc. Six months $6.50 Return postage guaranteed names, `and • addresses several times throughout•the'body of the letter. While many recognize the 'ease. with which this is done through stop -key computer, a number of eld, ly folk regarded this as a direct ersonal.appeal to which, they felt obligated . to re.- spond. (The appeal wa' for $100.00 even if they had to borrow the money in order to comply: ) Consumer organizations ex- pend considerable aline and energy trying to educate senior citizens against fraudulent sales= men„ and: schemes. Surely, 'I've • ought to be just as concerned about other forms -of harrass- ,' melt. represented by, chain let- ters. The final crunch of .the whole business is that the letter came unsigned and without any return , address. This suggests to me that the sender forwarded ' his 20 copies because he was respond- ing to the threat rather than be- . cause he wanted to willingly engage in the enterprise. Here, •one is reminded of the verse in II Timothy 1:7 -"For God hath 'not given us ..the • spirit of fear; but of power, and of love and of a sound mind." 'Yours sincerely, Rev. J. Rea Grant • , EDITOR'S NOTE— e ' The. chain letter to which' Mr. Grant refers aloes not ask for money, as so many such missives did before their circulation became illegal. The letter makes the usual demand that 20 copies of the letter be sent on to: „other people and the admonition that" gdba luck will follow obedience to the instructions. The odious part of the letter is . contained in the threats which it contaios "Constantine Diaz„ received the chain, in 1955., He • asked his ,secretary to' make copies and send them out. A.few days later he won a tottery of two million dollars. In his, country Cosco Graduis, an office, ema ployee received his chain' and forgot it. In a few days he lost his job. He'found the letter and sent copies out. Five days later he got,. a better job., Deria Morichild received the chain and not believ- ing it threw it away. me days later •.he died." , . 0. 0 00 The ,Advance -Times Dear Editor: Everyone loves a parade! the. Village of Blyth extends a Warm invitation to .everyone to either participate in or become involved in our centennial parade. Blyth is celebrating its 100th birthday this year and has picked July 30th as the day for its \gigantic parade, We are looking for more floats of all tykes, antique vehicles, horse drawn carriages, bicycles, clowns or any other thing which will make for a colorful parade. Clubs, groups and families are urged to participate. If you are interested, contact Harve McCallum at 523-4253. Many cash prizes are being of- DAMAGES—Des Brophy of Brophy Brothers points to damage on the wall to his business building he says is caused by cars backing up after leaving the hotel. He stands beside a tractor that had t� have the tire changed after the wheel drove over a broken beer glass. He says the cost of the tire is 3250 and he is "a little fed up" with the damages. A link fence at the back of his property has been torn to make a short cut as well. feted in over 12 different cate- gories. The Rt. Honorable Lt. Gover- nor Pauline McGibbon will lead the parade andparticipate in the opening ceremonies. The„ parade -starts sharp at 1:30 'p.m: on Saturday, July 30. Get in touch with us today if you wish to enter. or in any. case tryyto attend our " ftivities, you won't regret it. * Yours very truly, or. "William Riehl Chairman Blyth Centennial'Cpmr11. Bear country GORRIE - Mr. and. Mrs. Dewitt Adams 'of RR 2; ;Gerrie saw .two .Medium sized black bears in a hayfield behind their home. Last -week their neighbor, David Kienapple of the 6th of Howick reported seeing a black ,. bear standing on its hind legs' in front of James Sanderson's, farm. • On seeing the car the animal re- treated to the bush. • This is the first time, bears have been seen in this community for many years. PRINCE CHARLES — the bio- graphy by Helen Cathcart In all the new literature around Prince Charles, no one comes closer in family intimacy and understanding than Helen Cath- cart. This book is a lively and il- luminating study of the Prince of Wales as he nears the milestones of marriage and the Jubilee, the vital turning point of his career. CITY OF MANY DAYS by Shula- mith Hareven This magnificent novel, now available for the first time in English, was a best-seller in Is- rael, and winner of that nation's highest arts award. Noted author Shulamith. Hareven traces the life of a Jewish family in Jeru- salem through several decades of this century, capturing.along the way the unique, elusive atmos- phere of a truly 'complex, truly romantic city. THE PLOT TO DESTROY ISRAEL by Alvin Rosenfeld. The Arab war against Israel; as this book so dramatically dis- closes, is unique. This war fea- tures deception, double-dealing, and double-talk. The goal is masked from the West behind false postures of "moderation". This book does not mince words. It offers hard. proof of Arab cruel- ty, it, quotes evidence of high- level orders to, kill. It points to the involvement of Arab "moder- ates" in the support of terror.' Russia's total support for the Arabs is detailed, but so is the grim Western record of heaping ., arms on tfle Arab intransigence, and succumbing to Arab oil riches. There is dynamite in this book. LINER: Avel 'About a Great Ship by°`Nil' eI B:' -Gerson .The author has captured, in, fascinating detail, the complex workings of a modern ocean liner — from the engine rooms to the kitchens, to the bridge. (He has told the story of the men and women whose ambitions, pas- sions, talents, and failings are as crucial to the running of a great ship as the design of her hull or the decisions of her master. LINER is .entertainment of the. firstorder full of suspense, in- trigue, and the'•romance of the sea. • - HAPPY AND GLORIOUS — THE SILVER JUBILEE by Donald Edgar Donald Edgar has spent a ,large part of these years' as a columnist for one,.ef Britain's largest and moSl ' influential newspaper groups.- "His frequent contacts with Buckingham Palace have placed him in aunique position to survey the , period and describe the various crises and upheavals which have eonfronted the, Queen. and her ministers. The result is not only a powerful assessment of a remarkable woman, but also a - sumptuously illustrated chron- icle of our time., u The special programs for Se- nior Citizens' week began on Sun- day, June 19, with a church ser- vice in the Auditorium. Rev. J. Ure Stewart of Seaforth was the guest speaker and Mrs. Doris McKinley, organist and choir leader of Ontario Street United Church, Clinton, accompanied the men's quartette — Stan Johns, George Turner, -Chester Archibald and John Levis, and the junior choir led by Mrs. Tur- ner. Blyth and Bayfield seniors visited the Home on Monday and entertained in the afternoon with a variety program. Administra- tor Chester Archibald welcomed the guests and officially opened the week's activities. Harry Baker was emcee for the pro- gram which included voal solos by Mrs. Whittick and Mrs. Mc- Clinchey, a violin solo by Dalton Smith, and a sing -a -long led by Mrs. Mary Nediger, accom- panied by Mrs. Myrtle Parker. The Goderich Township volun- teers and musicians assisted with the activities. Brussels and Clinton seniors were guests on Tuesday and pre- sented a variety program with Ed Martin of the Brussels Club as emcee. Mrs. Edna Baker, Mrs. Van Fleet, George Turner and Frank Hooper entertained with vocal solos, Elmer Trick a vocal solo, Ken Flett violin solos, read- ings by Mrs. Ida Livingston and Mrs. Edna Adams, and the Tril- lium Club duet. The Hensall and. Exeter Clubs visited the Home on Wednesday and the presidents, Mrs. Rundle and Percy Campbell, shared the emcee duties for the afternoon's program. The Hensel] quartette included Mrs. Dorothy Mickle, Mrs. Pearl Taylor, Mrs. Myrtle Sherritt and Mrs. Dorothy lint- nell. There were readings by Mrs. Windover and Mrs. Rose Harris, mouth organ solos by Henry Adkins, a piano duet by Mrs. Dorothy Mickle and Mrs. Vera Ross. Entertaining for Exe- ter were Mrs. Bullock, Mrs. Finkbeiner, Mrs. Isles, Mrs. Merkley, Mrs. Hoffman and Ken Johns. The Dashwood and Grand Bend seniors sponsored a bingo at the Home on Thursday afternoon and as well as providing the prizes for the games a prize was given to the eldest lady playing, Mrs. Scott, 97, and the eldest gentle- man. Tom Herman, 93. To date (Thursday night) about 300 se- niors have visited the Home and we are looking forward to visitors from Gode-]ch ,on Friday and Seaforth on Saturday. Everyone appreciates the extra effort made by the kitchen staff to provide the meals and the lemonade in the afternoons. We also appreciate the help of the Huronview orchestra who helped with the music on several occa- sions during the week. New Books in the Library PRINCE CHARLES — the bio- graphy by Helen Cathcart In all the new literature around Prince Charles, no one comes closer in family intimacy and understanding than Helen Cath- cart. This book is a lively and il- luminating study of the Prince of Wales as he nears the milestones of marriage and the Jubilee, the vital turning point of his career. CITY OF MANY DAYS by Shula- mith Hareven This magnificent novel, now available for the first time in English, was a best-seller in Is- rael, and winner of that nation's highest arts award. Noted author Shulamith. Hareven traces the life of a Jewish family in Jeru- salem through several decades of this century, capturing.along the way the unique, elusive atmos- phere of a truly 'complex, truly romantic city. THE PLOT TO DESTROY ISRAEL by Alvin Rosenfeld. The Arab war against Israel; as this book so dramatically dis- closes, is unique. This war fea- tures deception, double-dealing, and double-talk. The goal is masked from the West behind false postures of "moderation". This book does not mince words. It offers hard. proof of Arab cruel- ty, it, quotes evidence of high- level orders to, kill. It points to the involvement of Arab "moder- ates" in the support of terror.' Russia's total support for the Arabs is detailed, but so is the grim Western record of heaping ., arms on tfle Arab intransigence, and succumbing to Arab oil riches. There is dynamite in this book. LINER: Avel 'About a Great Ship by°`Nil' eI B:' -Gerson .The author has captured, in, fascinating detail, the complex workings of a modern ocean liner — from the engine rooms to the kitchens, to the bridge. (He has told the story of the men and women whose ambitions, pas- sions, talents, and failings are as crucial to the running of a great ship as the design of her hull or the decisions of her master. LINER is .entertainment of the. firstorder full of suspense, in- trigue, and the'•romance of the sea. • - HAPPY AND GLORIOUS — THE SILVER JUBILEE by Donald Edgar Donald Edgar has spent a ,large part of these years' as a columnist for one,.ef Britain's largest and moSl ' influential newspaper groups.- "His frequent contacts with Buckingham Palace have placed him in aunique position to survey the , period and describe the various crises and upheavals which have eonfronted the, Queen. and her ministers. The result is not only a powerful assessment of a remarkable woman, but also a - sumptuously illustrated chron- icle of our time., u The special programs for Se- nior Citizens' week began on Sun- day, June 19, with a church ser- vice in the Auditorium. Rev. J. Ure Stewart of Seaforth was the guest speaker and Mrs. Doris McKinley, organist and choir leader of Ontario Street United Church, Clinton, accompanied the men's quartette — Stan Johns, George Turner, -Chester Archibald and John Levis, and the junior choir led by Mrs. Tur- ner. Blyth and Bayfield seniors visited the Home on Monday and entertained in the afternoon with a variety program. Administra- tor Chester Archibald welcomed the guests and officially opened the week's activities. Harry Baker was emcee for the pro- gram which included voal solos by Mrs. Whittick and Mrs. Mc- Clinchey, a violin solo by Dalton Smith, and a sing -a -long led by Mrs. Mary Nediger, accom- panied by Mrs. Myrtle Parker. The Goderich Township volun- teers and musicians assisted with the activities. Brussels and Clinton seniors were guests on Tuesday and pre- sented a variety program with Ed Martin of the Brussels Club as emcee. Mrs. Edna Baker, Mrs. Van Fleet, George Turner and Frank Hooper entertained with vocal solos, Elmer Trick a vocal solo, Ken Flett violin solos, read- ings by Mrs. Ida Livingston and Mrs. Edna Adams, and the Tril- lium Club duet. The Hensall and. Exeter Clubs visited the Home on Wednesday and the presidents, Mrs. Rundle and Percy Campbell, shared the emcee duties for the afternoon's program. The Hensel] quartette included Mrs. Dorothy Mickle, Mrs. Pearl Taylor, Mrs. Myrtle Sherritt and Mrs. Dorothy lint- nell. There were readings by Mrs. Windover and Mrs. Rose Harris, mouth organ solos by Henry Adkins, a piano duet by Mrs. Dorothy Mickle and Mrs. Vera Ross. Entertaining for Exe- ter were Mrs. Bullock, Mrs. Finkbeiner, Mrs. Isles, Mrs. Merkley, Mrs. Hoffman and Ken Johns. The Dashwood and Grand Bend seniors sponsored a bingo at the Home on Thursday afternoon and as well as providing the prizes for the games a prize was given to the eldest lady playing, Mrs. Scott, 97, and the eldest gentle- man. Tom Herman, 93. To date (Thursday night) about 300 se- niors have visited the Home and we are looking forward to visitors from Gode-]ch ,on Friday and Seaforth on Saturday. Everyone appreciates the extra effort made by the kitchen staff to provide the meals and the lemonade in the afternoons. We also appreciate the help of the Huronview orchestra who helped with the music on several occa- sions during the week.