Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Seaforth News, 1957-01-17, Page 3Jokes That Ended In Tragedy At a merry party in a Shrop- shire manor house an attractive young guest was dared to sleep in the "haunted room." "I don't believe in ghosts," she declared defiantly. But the young sons of the house decided to give her a pro-, per scare. From their father's collection of foreign curies they. obtained a mummifies. . hand, covered it with phosphorescent paint and placed it on thegirl's pillow. Then when she went to bed they listened outside her door for the expected cry of fright. It came -but it was no ordin- ary cry. It was a high-pitched scream of wild and unreasoning terror, which chilled their blood,. and it ,was followed by fear- some nimals noise s, deep growls and savage snarls. White-faced, panic-stricken, the boys rushed to their father and blurted out their story, He and some of the guests rushed to the bedroom and battered down the door. The girl was sitting on the ' bed. Her eyes were wild and staring, her features contorted into a mask which seemed scarcely human. From . her throat camp the bestial noises rWhidi had so terrified the two boys. The stupid joke had driven her mad. Horrible? Undoubtedly. But this is by means the only oc- casion on which jokes have re- sulted in tragedy. A Lancashire mill -hand, of ,poor mentality, was unable to find a girl friend. But one day he was convinced by some of his workmates that an attractive young woman in the same mill had fallen in love with him. Delighted, he approached the girl. "Give me a kiss," be beg- ged. She stared at hmi contemp- tuously. Then embcldencd' by the nods and winks of his mates, he attempted `to seize her in his arms. In her anlioy- ance the girl. pushed him viol- ently aside and gave him a stinging slap on the face. "Keep your dirty hands off me, you half-wit" she blazed. The same evening his body was found in the canal. Ridicule had 'played on his weak mind and driven him to suicide. Schoolboys are fond of play- ing jokes; sometimes their ideas of humour lead to unintentional cruelty -and 'worse. At one school, a boy was terrified of mice. His classmates regarded him as a sissy. They captured a mouse and hid it in his desk. When the boy lifted the lid the mouse jumped out. ran up FREEDOM JITTERS - .Free`dom has its uncertajnties for Eva Della Casa, .20, as, nervously biting her nails, she waits for a plane with 100 other Califor- nia -bound Hungarian refugees. his arm, on to his shoulder and scuttled off. The boy shrieked, turned deathly white and fain- ted. This experience brought On such a serious nervous condition that he had to be sent to a spe- cial school. A joke had jeopar- ized that youngster's whole future. To some of the London boys • who.; were evacuated during the war the Country was a frighten- ing place after dark. And a number of Suffolk locals played on 'a city -bred youngster's fears. "That lane you go along every evening is haunted," they told him solemnly. "The devil walks there!" The boy was scared, but he put a bold face on the matter. One night he heard the clank- ing of chains in the lane and a queer noise. In the light of the stars he saw a ghostly, devilish -looking head with horns coming towards him. The boy was terrified. He tur- ned and ran, not realizing in his terror that the "devil's head" was only a goat, tethered there by the jokers. They found him the next morning. In his un- reasoning fear he had pitched over the edge of a sand -pit. Result: several weeks in hos- pital. I-Iighly strung people are den-: erous subjects for jokes. An Essex , husband learned this through a bitter experience. "Shan't be in till late to -night," he told his wife as he left for work one morning, "I'm going out with another woman," He was only joking. But his wife took it seriously. She moped, and in her extreme de- pression put her head in the gas oven. Fortunately, she was rescued in time. Another woman who suffered through the misguided humour of others was a decidedly plain girl who worked in a London office. She rushed in one day waving a letter which bore an address in Wardour Street. "One of our talent scouts has been watching you," it said. "You seem to be eminently suitable for a big part in our next film." The foolish girl went to the address given -only to find that she was the victim of a cruel joke. She guessed that her office colleagues were responsible and knew that they would pull her leg unmercifully. Terrified at facing their ridicule, her eyes blurred with tears, she stag- gered into the street. She walk- ed straight into a bus and was crippled for life, Watch .Quiz Do you wear a watch? Is so, do you know that: Mary Queen of Scots possessed a death's head watch which was made out of a human skull. That the world's largest watch made for the St. Louis Fair of 1903, was so enormous that people could walk among its moving wheels and its balance wheel weighed a ton, That London watchmaker John Arnold made the word's tiniest watch for which he was paid 500 guineas by George III. That one of our Queen's wed- ding presents was a tiny 15 -jewel • Swiss watch st into a gold latch- key. That when Guy Fawkes was arrested after trying to blow up the Houses of Parliament an oval-shaped watch found on him was inscribed' with pictures of running figures. ✓6 • Mabel arrived home with an engagement ring on her finger. "What kind of a felloware you engaged to?" her fatties asked. 'Well, he says, he always wanted a home." "That sounds good." "And he likes ours very much." CROSSWORD PUZZLE ACROSS necktie 1. Conflagration 6. Native of 5. Alack Latvia. 9. That woman 7. Cuokoo 12. Seed' Covering 8. Long thin. 13. Watchman Cigar 15. Dealers In 9. Large knife candy 10. Possessive 17, Purpose pronoun 18, Parcel 08 11. Otherwise ground 19, Web-footed animals 20. Read covering. 21. T'ntruth o. Convict 20. Perish 115. Pahrir 19Malarial fever 30, Undeveloped flower 3L Pure 32. Andiron 33, Tnsn lie 34 Billow 36 Limb 5C Droop 7 'Shin 40. Large 41. Noah's boat' 44,.'t9,ought- fhlpess 7. Renegade 5• Toa point on 0. Novel 0. Aquatic bird. 1. Xe compelled DOWN 1, Countenance f. Ofetal. t Outer covering 4. Fairy 3. Etna of 14. Arrow poison 33. Deserves • 16. Ardor - 34. Traditional 20. Garden tool tale 21. Cover 86. Not so much 22. Passing 86. Alarm whistle fashion 37. Scrutinize 24. Self 24. Self 98. Expect 26. Unexploded 39. Sufficient shell 20. Armed conflict 27. Urge 28. Insect 80. Capture 31. Floor Covering (poet.) 40. Greek letter 91. Jap. aborigine 42, Decays 43. Bond of union 40. Black bird 46. Male turkey 1 a 5 6 7 8 -fl 12 15 17 14 22 23 24.., 29 87 98 39 44 47 4e 1?•'•26 27' 28 Answer elsewhere on hie pegs. SOLID, MAN, SOLID - Adorning a street in the British sector of Berlin is this Sphinx -like statue of a ram, made of red tile bricks, possibly a new medium for sculptors. This week we continue the highlights of the farm outlook for 1957 ,as foreshadowed from the Agricultural Conference held in Ottawa Dee. 3-5, 1956. Livestock Total meat production in in- spected or approved establish- ments in Canada in 1958 ap- pears to be approaching the rec- ord 1.9 billion pounds set in 1944. In 1957 production will probably differ only slightly from 1956 levels, an anticipated reduction in pork production being probably offset by in- creased beef production. A continued strong domestic demand for meat, plus an'anti- cipated firm improved United States market should prevent any significant decline in cat - 'tie prices, while all the indica- tors consumer demand, ex- port possibilities, and the sup- ply position - point to strong hog and pork prices, both in absolute terms and relative to beef prices. The relative price position will likely cause some switching by consumers from pork to beef, thus causing an additional increase in the al- ready high level of domestic disappearance of beef. A slight increase is looked for in calf slaughter, while sheep and lamb slaughter will prob- ably remain about the same. No marked change in prices of calves, or of sheep and lambs, is expected. Dairy Products Milk production in 1957 is es- timated at 17.5 billion pounds, about the same as in the pre- vious two years. The fluid milk market& expanded by increased population, will probably ab- sorb any small increase in to- tal milk production and per- haps divert some milk from other products to fluid use.. During 1957 consumption of creamery butter is expected to exceed production with the dif- ference made up out of exist- ing stocks. Cheddar cheese pro- duction and consumption are likely to be about the same as in 1956 with slightly less cheese available for export in 1957. Output of evaporated milk and dry ,skimmed milk will prob- ably be approximately in bal- ance with consumption, with any increases reflecting the growth in population and fairly stable per capita consumption. Ice cream production may reach 34 million gallons, about one million- gallons more than the previous record set in 1955. Eggs and Poultry Eggs During the remain- der of 1956 and the first five months of 1957 swings in the supply and price patterns will be more pronounced and egg prices will, on the average, not be as favorable to producers as during the corresponding per- iod a year earlier. During the summer months of the coming year it is expected that produc- tion and prices will be similar to those in the corresponding period of 1956. Poultry - The poultry meat situation in 1957 will be 'dom- inated even more by develop- ments in the chicken broiler and turkey industries than in 1956. Both of these segments of the poulry industry are rapid- ly developing new and more efficient methods of production and marketing with the result that they are now the two nia- jor sources of poultry meat in this country. In view of this situation it is expected that price levels forpoultry meat in 1957 will be about the same as in 1956. Fruits and Vegetables The 1956 apple crop of 12:0 million bushels was 37 per cent less .than the bumper crop of 1955 and 16 per cent below the 1949-53 average. As a result Of the small crop, prices have been, and are expected to con- tinue at higher levels than in 1955. Barring unforeseen de- velopments, the 1957 crop will probably exceed that of 1956. Larger crops of peaches, pears and cherries are anticipated in 1957 than in 1956. The 1957 crop of • strawberries and rasp- berries is expected to exceed that of 1956 but it will be a few years before the 1949-53 level of production is reached. The 1956 potato crop of 66.8 million bushels was one per • cent larger than that of 1955. Both imports and exports dur- ing 1956-57 are not expected to reach the levels of 1955-56. The average price received during the season as a whole is expect- ed xpected to be above that of the 1955- 56 crop year. Consumer demand for fresh vegetables in 1957 is expected to remain strong. Because of the smaller packs of canned vegetables in 1956, the acreage contracted for processing in 1957 is expected to be increased. During 1957 the growth of the frozen fruit and vegetable in- dustry is expected to be main- tained. Seeds Production of pedigreed cere- eals in 1956 was practically the same as in 1955. Because of frost damageandpoor harvest weather there may be some lo- cal scarcity of good quality pedigreed seed but the total supplies of most of the popular varieties should be adequate for domestic needs, leaving a .sur- plus of some varieties available for export. The production of Selkirk wheat, Parkland bar- ley and Rodney and Garry oats was greatly increaser:. Estimated production of all the principalforage crop seeds in 1956, with the exception of sweet clover and meadow fes- cue, was less than in 1955. The alfalfa seed crop was much the smallest on record and produc- tion of alsike clover, red clover, timothy, brome-grass and crest- ed wheatgrass was considerably below average. With the exception of alfalfa and red clover seed, supplies of the principal hay and pasture seeds, in spite of smaller pro- duction, should be sufficient to meet domestic requirements. As supplies of alfalfa seed will not be sufficient for domestic needs it is expected that substantial quantities of seed of adaped varieties will be imported from Upsidedown to Prevent Peeking MOMMTMOMMi mom MOUR iO®{:I10®I�I► OR ©©QQ© EWEN�W•:n.M© ik1 1µ9TF ©� M ikj. mgrumAnnolato womemommigum u®® ®Up`©Ehi1Jm ®DE®Ol BEME©O� ®® ODW goo© the United States to supplement Canadian production. Canadian grown double -cut type red clo- ver seed will also be in short supply, but seed to meet domes- tic needs is available from the United Kingdom and, the United States. Smaller crops of many forage seeds in Canada, the United States and Western Europe have stimulated prices on world mar- kets and prices to growers in 1958 are considerably higher than a year ago. There was some increase in estimated production of peas, beans and corn in 1956 com- pared to 1955, although produc- tion of beans and corn was con- siderably below average Most of the sugar -beet stecklings in British Columbia were lost through winter killing and practically no crop was harv- ested. Production of swede and Mengel seed was confined en4 tirely to the Maritimes and is the smallest in years. Substan- tial imports of most vegetables and root seeds will be required t0 supplement Canadian pro- duction; this is, however, a nor- mal situation and it is expected that the necessary supplies will be available as usual from the United States and Europe. Ducking St els For Nagging Wives It was seriously suggested by a henpecked British husband re- sently that the old-time duck- ing stools should be reintroduced in this country as a method of curing the nagging tongues of wives. His idea is unlikely to be adopted but it is similar to a proposal made a few years ago London magistrate who declared that he would gladly give his Parliamentary vote to the can- didate who would promise to do his best to revive the ducking stool as a punishment for too - talkative women. This queer instrument usually consisted of a chair fixed to' a crossbeam which was erected over a pond into which the of- fender was dipped three times. The method was said to be very effective. Its use was not con- fined to shrews. Quarrelsome couples were tied back to back by their neighbours and ducked together. Dishonest traders were also punished in the ducking stool. Brewers of bad beer, bakers of inferior bread and butchers con- victed of short weight were all liable to be ducked. The last recorded use of the ducking stool in England was at Leominster in 1809, though there 'was a later sentence which was commuted. Few ducking stools survive in Britain today, but in 1931 one which was formerly used to pun- ish "unruly women" at Kenil- worth, Warwickshire, was dis- covered in a barn where it had lain hidden. uN Lasso By Rev. R. Barclay Warren B.A., B.D. How To Resist Temptation Matthew 3:16-4:11 Memory Selection: Thou shall worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Mat- thew 4:10. • The great temptation at the end of 'the forty days in the wilderness was no farce. Here Jesus in his perfect manhood was subjected to the same temp- tations that we experience to- day. He did not yield. If we open our hearts to Him we can triumph too, The first temptationconcerned the basic desire for food. After all, one must eat. But "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that pro- ceedeth out of the mouth of God." At the recent Christian Business Men's Convention ire Chicago a garage owner told of how Jesus had entered his heart and transformed his life. He discontinued the practice of turning back the speedometer when preparing the trade-ins for the used car market. Some dealers will tell you that you have to turn them back. "You can't sell a car with 70,000 miles on the speedometer," they say. Well, anyway, this man is pros- pering in his business better than ever before. People come to him because they know they can believe him. We wish every dealer would follow his ex- ample. Many desire fame. Some have gained it by posing in the nude, Surely that is casting oneself down, But the crowd who ap- plaud today will be cold and heartless later on. Jesus would take no cheap way to fame by leaping from the temple's actin- , neck. There is also the desire for possessions. Men lust for far more than the necessities of life. The people who are arres- ted for swindling their employer are not stealing for the sake of bread. It's because they .wan% a new car, beautiful furniture, fine clothes, liquor and the like. In this good country people ,don't need to steal to eat. It's the' lust for luxuries that gets people into trouble. Jesus would not bow to the Devil to get the. kingdoms of this world. Men are still tempted to give way to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye and the pride of life. Let us not yield but sat- urate ourselves in the truth of God's Word. Then we can repel the Devil with the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. RIDING OUT THE GAS PINCH - Piggybacking, uied by,Ameli- can railroads for several years, makes its appearance in France just in time to help out in the current gasoline shortage. Pie- tured in Paris is a special flat car (top) equipped to handle trailers or (bottom? big 'transport trucks. Shippers can send loaded vehicles to distant points at great saving in rationed gaS.