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The Seaforth News, 1959-12-24, Page 3Sad Fait Of The Pocket Knife The degeneration of the "knife" into a component of juvenile delinquency shows as well as anything to what base uses the fine arts may be turned in a society that misconstrues its pur- poses, I am grateful for a letter from Tracy Stalker; who tells me knives "or other dangerous wed+. pons" have been deleted from , schools, It's pretty hard to look at that edict and still believe boys are no worse than they used to be. Certainly knives are no worse. My own ownershipof a lethal capable, businesslike , knife gees back beyond my own recollec- tion. I had a knife as soon as I can remember having one, and so did every other boy 1 grew up with. Indeed, I had several knives. Foremost was the pocket- knife, a jacknife, which folded for the hip pocket, and was as much a part of our normal accou- terment as the pants that sup- ported the pocket. This knife was" everyday. I also hhad afi fish knife,alo longer and leaner blade, that got sum- mertime use. if we went fishing. then I had a sheath knife, kept sharp as a razor in my sea chest, which had never been try sea, and 1 didn't get it out much. If I went camping, maybe, but it had, to be worn on a belt and wasn't' as handy as the others. Of course, the sheath knife is traditional state -o' -Maine equip- ment, for both sailors and woods- men, and I don't belittle it. It was a wild -looking thing except In line of duty, and except for allowably erratic instances of piracy or poaching it was a tool and, not a weapon. The pocketknife was a com- panion and a friend, and it had so many uses memorycan't catch up with them, In our day, you could take all the knives. you wanted to 'school, but 'they had to stay in your pocket. Tea- chers had a ,solid rule about jackknives, ano there was no ap- peal, If she saw one, she took it. No ifs, ands, or buts, It stayed• in her desk drawer until endof term. On the last day of school anybody who had a knife in es- crow could go up front and get it. You didn't have to be doing anything with it - if you just so much as brought it out so she could see it, that was it. If you asked permission, that was all right. You'd raise your hand and upon recognition would ask, "May I use my knife?" Teacher would ask what ,for, and there were certain per- mitted pses. Maybe the sole on your hi -cut had flopped and you wanted to trim it. You : might need to pry the lid off your wooden pencil box - or perhaps you had a stub pencil too short to be pointed in the machine. There was one occasion, in fact, when the boy said he want- ed to stab a rat, and it turned out he actually had a rat in 'his desk. We followed the teacher out of the room, and; I don't re- member what became of the rat, except that there was some con- jecture the boy had brought the rat in himself and set up his own amusement. He was' equal to it, I know. When the teacher spied a knife and it was forfeit, a boy's next step was merely to get a new knife. A boy was expected M have a knife, and bad to have t knife. He just wasn't supposed. to have itout in school, If 'you °ould find one of those old maple two -Place desks anywhere, you'd see that knives did get taken out In school without being detected, for the initials proved it. 'One boy in our class had the name of' Dennis Ulrich MacBeith, andhe ased to carve DUMB in big block letters in desk after desk. "HELP; MURDER" -Going as fast as his webbed feet will propel, him, an eastern black -backed pelican from Aus- • tralia dodges his pursuers. The bird was captured by keep- ers at N.Y,'s Bronx Zoo, for transfer to winter quarters. Teachers were never sharp-eyed. enough to slow him down. There were various ways to acquire a . new knife, but as a good, one was relatively expen- sive,- you didn't always just go and buy one. We swapped; and it was customary to have spaie knives for swappers. You didn't hazard your pet, because swaps were sight unseen. Sometimes the knife you got" .in 'a swap wouldn't have any blade left, Naturally you didn't show your swapper around, . the way you did a good knife you were pleas- ed with and wouldn't swap any- way Having swapped a• •swapper; bladeless and loose in; the .handle, it was fun to keep on swapping and see how long it would' be before you got your own swap- per .back again. 'It usually hap- pened. We played jackknives, spinning the knife off_' our fingers and shoulders so it stuck in the ground. It took •skill. Miss Doyle,; a teacheralong there some- where, used .to play with usand was school champ. She had her, own knife, a thin -bladed rouser, we'd've given much -boot for, any of us. She took It out•at Hallo- ween time to trim candles for our pumpkin decorations, and we chided her for not asking per- mission. At. recess someone . ask- ed to' see' her knife,' and. .one thing' led to another until she was out on the grass with us doing "headsies" with great suc- cess, Anyway, if this '•'dangerous weapons" edict means that all uses of a knife beyond personal affray have gone by the. board,. this is a poorer world. When you pause and think of all the things we did with knives without stab- bing anybody, it makes ' for alarm. How does a boy dig his spruce gum today? How does be; cut an alder for fishing? •How can a boy make a kite, or' peel a wil- low switch, or make a. whistle? How does he bore a hole in his horsechestnuts , , open a clam fix the string on his bobsled? What doesheuse•to ream a hole in the heel of his boot, so he can attachhis skate? - By John Gould in The Christian Science Monitor. ADDED INCENTIVE Los Angeles, Calif., rookie .policeman John W. Ensign made his first arrest when :he spotted a stolen car. He gave chase and captured the driver. The car was his own, which he had parked two hours before in the 'police station parking' lot. "Yes," said Brow ne, "when my wife and I have an argument I always have the last word," "Do you?" said his friend, with an admiring' tone in' his voice. "How? "I apologize." CROSSWORD PUZZLE ACROSS 7, Wandering 8. Pronoun 9. Appendages 10, Object of devotion - 11, Small horse 17. Lateral 1. Beast of 19. Adjective burdena1. 011 of rose suffix 4. Mysterious petals 23. United Biblical usrd 2. Only 24. Beam 9. Bib 3. Caring only 25. Employ 19, Pedal digit for one's self 26. Inclined to g 4. Mournfully find fault 13. Sun-dried 5, Redact 27. Score at brick 6. That which - baseball 14. Commotion makes the 99. Prohibit 44, Extinct 15. Entirely world go 29. Compass point 46. Sbl»-shaped 16. Recreation round 31. Crony clock 19. Strain again 2Di Badly 21, Climbing vine 22. Measures of length 24, Stratagem 26, Wading bird 20. Exist 30, Remnant ot, combustion 31. Dried plum • 32 Is able 77 Pronoun 74. Pigment 35. Johnny -cake 36. Distilling grain 37, Breed of dog (ab,) 33, Beat 40, 8'earless 40 Flypocrlticnl 47. Dutch commune 48, Mahogany streak 49. Edges of a root 50. Old musical note $1. Type measures 62, Rune away 53, Rosy DOWN •32. One of equal rank' 34. Buddhist sacred language 35. Author of The Raven" 36. Ponders 37. Squeeze 33. 8Iud • 89. Presently 41. Medal snowfield 42. hack for hanging clothes 43. unoccupied Answer elsewhere oh this page THLFA2N FONT JoktoaLssen The farmer's share of the food dollar continues to be a bone of contention in the United States - just as' it does'here In Canada. As 'evidence, I pass along to' you the following: * 4 8 "Why have retail food prices been rising while prices received by the, fanners have .been onithe decline?" • - The' question is less puzzling to processors than to farmers and'.. consumers who do not always re- member that food passes through' ' many hands :on itsway from the farm to the 'dinner table. None ,of:the owners of those hands is ready -to, concede that his own. "take" from the. consumer's' food dollar is',too .,large. (Some even think their share is too small.) • e a. The question is getting an in- creasing. share of.• attention not• only from housewives who : buy groceries. but from experts both in. agriculture and .economics who, even with. statistics • and Slide rules, find the riddle ;difficult. Some researchers , who have been digging deeply into this problem,' have come up with a report whichdoes not solve, but , 'does, help to: answer, the, ques- tion 'everyone •is asking. a: "Farmers produce the bulk of , our food; supply, but many other people .' participate. in the trans- porting;' processing, ' packaging, wholesaling, and retailing activi-' •tied that are necessary to make food' available to "'consumers" states' a report prepared by W. E. Hamilton,director of research, 'American Farm Bureau Federa- tion..Mr. Hamilton made the re- port for the National Planning Association, whose agriculture Committee, of which -he is a.mem- ber, signed the statement, "All 'of these' services cost money," the report .continues. "All add to the price that must be paid by a consumer for farm - produced food," But the addition to price does not all go into profit forthe mid- dleman, as is. sometimes implied by criticsoffood prices, writes Helen Henley in the 'Christian Science Monitor, * • r! • "Both farmers and the various middlemen who moved •farm - produced food through the chan-. nels of trade had expenses,' ex- plains the•. report. "For example (in 1957)., about 28 per cent of the total retail food bill was paid out by middlemen as wages; a little' over 7 per cent was paid out for transportation which also involves labor; and about 22 per cent was paid out for nonfarm supplies ( .the prices of which re- flect some labor costs), interest, taxes (other than federal in- come taxes), profits of unincor- porated businesses, and miscel- laneous expenses. "With expenses of the above types totaling 57 per cent of the retail food bill, and about. 39 per cent of the total going to farm- ers, 4 per cent was left as corpo- rate profits, before taxes, Corpo- rate profits remaining after taxes amounted to 2 per cent of the. retail ,food bill. But reduction in the farmer's percentage of the consumer's dollar does not necessarily mean a' decline ` in farm prices or in- conie, the report states, "The re- verse may be true if added proc- essing increases consumer . de- mand for a farm product, Conse- quently it appears desirable to ,avoid ole of such terms as the ffarmer's share' and the 'middle-. .Dan's share."' Nor can the percentage of the consumer's dollar received by a farmer be necessarily considered an indication of his financial well-being, since that percentage normally and historically varies betweencommodities, from a re - ;ported high of 70 per cent for butter to a low of 13 per cent for corn syrup. The citrus industry is cited as further 'proof of, the fact that consumer -dollar ,percentages do not. always' represent accurately the return to farmers. "A United States Department of. Agriculture study of market. ing margins' for Florida oranges and orange products in the 1952- 53 marketing season found that; the growers' percentage of the consumer dollar was higher for. frozen concentrate (34 percent) than it was for fresh oranges (25 per cent). "But the growers received $1.93 per box for oranges sold for fresh use in comparison .with only. $1.82 per box for oranges used for frozen concentrate. Con- sumers paid the equivalent of $7.31 'per box for fresh 'oranges and $5.30 per fresh box' equiva- . lent for concentrate. What prob ably, is more important is the 'fact 'the development of frozien concentrate, resulted in an ' ex- pansion of the total 'market for oranges." In spite of "a natural tendency for producers. and consumers to consider -that marketing mar- gins are always too high," the re- port concludes, "as a matter of :practical economics ...'market- ing margins are ,tod high only it; the same or a better job of: mar- keting could be "done for ,less money, or if a better job could be done for the same money." Further study is' needed, the committee agress, concerning the extent to which "marketing mar- gins are (or are not) increased by monopolistic activities, admin- istered prices and wages, govern- ment regulations, taxes, and eco- nomic cycles." * * * Among ' the devices listed 'which might be considered as a 'means to reduce margins are: in- creased competition, , encouraged by • increased cooperative activi- ties, more direct marketing and; effective action to eliminate any monopolistic or restrictive trade practices; increased labor effi- ciency:' possible reduction of government expenditures and re- peal or reduction of taxes which increase distribution costs; efforts to reduce fluctuations in the vol- ume marketed. Thekey to reducing margins, according to the NPA report, may be for farmers and other groups involved in marketing farm 'products to see that every mar- keting function is performed as economically as possible. DRIVE CAREFULLY The life you save may beyour own. This Bank Doesn't Like Ridicule The Ncw England town of Holyoke, y Massachusetts, h a s been having quite a chuckle over the case of an, Air Force ser- geant's wife who received by mistake a check made out for $4,000,022.75 when it was meant to be $22.75. Mrs: James Walsh, the recipi- ent, refused toireturn the check when she learned that Miss Ann Halliwell, the tellerwho struck a wrong key, had been discharg- ed. She insisted. that Miss Helli- well, an employee of five years, be reinstated. Miss Helliwell has since received several offers of other jobs. Now the bank is seeking in court to recover the check - on which it presumably could stop payment - lest it "be .held up to 'ridicule." This goes a long way toward shattering the "image" the financial community has been trying, to build up of the typical banker as a genial, un- derstanding human being rather than a flinty -faced guardian of the vaults. In nearby Cumberland, Rhode Island, it is relatedthat when • a resident reported a $9 million mistake in a ,check„ the manager • of 'the bank invited him .to New York -to have lunch with the clerkwho made the mistake. It is a fortunate bank whose assets include. a sense of humor. For to err is ,human ' but to for- give- may be' good business. - From The Christian Science Monitdr, Firing Squad Shot Own Man Dr, Neumann, the German Press Attache. in Rome, recently' attended a remarkable ceremony - the unveiling of a 'memorial to the 56 -year-old Italian priest, 'Domenico Mercate, and tbe' un- known German'S.S, man who re- fused to shoot him. German ,soldiers, particularly ,,S.S. men, very rarely disobeyed orders, however inhuman or hor- rible, but .this man was an ex- ception. In 1945, with the Allies sweeping to victory on all fronts, a retreating German force ar- rested the priest,near ,Verona, accused him: of 'noncompliance 'with their orders, and, sentenced him to, death. However, when he was about to be shot, 'one of the firing squad protested. Stepping forward, he told his officer: "1 can't shoot a priest, I'm a Catholic,' Remindedof the penalty for disobedience, the sol- dier repeated: "I cannot shoot a priest.," He was fallen out and the firing squad then shot. Father Mercate, Afterwardsthey 'fired again: this time at their comrade. Now both priest and soldier share a menu= 'menti and the honour of having died a true Christians. Idea] boss is one who can put his foot down without stepping on someone • else's. UNSAY SCfl00I LESSON Key 11 lart'1ay Warren, I,aH.: lK•u God is Our Help; Acts 13:1-12 Memory Selection; Casting all your ogre upon him; for he Gareth for you. I Peter 5:7. One of our greatest needs to- day is a revival in the prac- tice of prayer. The prayer - meeting has disappeared from most communities. Instead: of gathering to pray for one an- other, sharing ' one another's burdens, people are flocking to the psychiatrists, We have great respect for the psychiatrists. But if more people were learning how to cast their care upon the Lord, they would be better off, This can only be learned by prayer, singly and in groups, Lord, teach us to pray! Just today I talked with a nurse in a mental hospital. She commented on the increased number of teenagers who were coming for treatment, I asked for her explanation, She said, "You'd think I was catering to you." I urged her to express her- self. erself.. She said, "We're getting too far away from what we know is right. I think most of the blame is with the parents. These are the children of the war years." It's time we turned to God in prayer. The supper, the bazaar, the bridge party and the dance in the church hall won't; fill the place of the prayermeeting. When trouble came in the early church, the people prayed. They didn't have to learn to pray in the hour of crisis. Prayer was a daily prac- tice. When Herod put Peter in jail, planning to slay him, "Prayer was made• without ceas- ing of the church unto God for him" It was past bedtime. Peter and the guards were asleep but the church kept praying. And God heard and sent an angel to bring Peter forth. God often answers .prayer in very 'un. expected ways. These people, praying in the home ' of John Mark's mother just couldn't be- lieve that Peter was at the gate. They were astonished when they saw, him. Oneof the reason for the suc- cess uccess of the Billy Graham meet- ings has been the emphasis on prayer. Hundreds of prayer - meetings preceded the opening of a crusade. There are usually one or two all night prayer meetings. God answers prayer today. The judgment upon Herod is a lesson to all the proud. Let us not seek the glory of men but the glory which cometh from God. David said,"Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray," Psalm 55:17. Prayer is a fitting benediction to the day, a good preparation and a source of strength in the midst. In a few years," said the art- ist to his landlord, "people will look at this miserable studio and say: 'Jones, the famous artist, used to work here.'" "If 1 don't get the rent by to -night, they'll be able to say that very thing to -morrow." Upsidedown to Ptevar,t l"eraing L71© 0030©-U00 ©• F7 WLO�C' MUUMi0 JIiJEI©®u ' MGM {n WOi j UM ©u� ©UTH©00MW©0 WO UJlug© ©©W1 NWO MOH MilUtualUMILIMUO ©O M0p��C1fi1u0• iLJ 000 - OQO ©wM MUM .'1WD0©© ©MD ISSUE 51 - 1959 FAMILY PORTRAIT - Roy Maas of Remsen,' holds high the heaa of his prise winning steer shortly after theanimal was armed champ of the 19.59 International` Livestock Exposition in Chicago. Other proud members of the family are, from left: Mrs, Wayne Maas; father Frank, brother Wayne; 'mother; and Roys' girl friend, barlene Hansen.