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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Seaforth News, 1961-02-09, Page 6Encore Didn't Get As Much Applause Whatever you do, you should do it with all your might. One time years ago when we were on a camping trip my wife and I ;o'rove out of the woods to the' 'first town for a few supplies. and we found it Was Grange night, So we wound up in the assembly, watching a bay and. girl get the first and second', and afterward assisting with all our plight in the ruination of a beau- tiful collation, which is the high. goint of all regular and well - overned Grange attendance, Now during the Literary Pro- gram, which was under the direc- tion of Worthy Sister Lecturer, we were called upon for remarks, as is customary, and I expressed pleasure at being present while my wife expressed keen delight at the quality of the work, The Grange is founded upon the esoteric precepts of agriculture, and has a laudable morality 'Which its members seriously in- culcate in new members, and it is always inspiring to see the candidate marched around and instructed properly, But after we commented brief- ly, the Worthy Sister Lecturer seemed to take on a mild attitude of despair, and In a lengthy in- troduction she gave the impres- sion that what she was about to do was against her judgment, but that there was no way out, She didn't say this — she offered it by way of an undertone, by inflection and gesture. What she actually said, if deprived of the undertone, was that the Grange was privileged, once again, to be entertained. by the great talent Of a popular Worthy Brother, and so on and so forth, and we would now hear a violin solo by Brother Thaddeus W. Toothaker. Wild applause burst forth pt this, but we could see it was torsed, Everybody was looking sad, but they were clapping gay. Tt looked "Oh, No!" but it sound- ed "Oh, yes!" In the tumult an elderly gentle- man, brisk and unstooped, carne from behind the wood -stove in the corner (not operating that warm evening), strode forward and reached a violin case down off the piano. It was an odd-• looking case, about half as wide and twice as long as common ones, and we could tell it was a homemade. This gentleman, many years back, had decided without any previous inclination to make a violin. The hairs on the bow, even, he had plucked from his own white horse's tail. nd haring made it, he next earned to play it, without a leacher. Placing the case on the table Where Flora, Ceres and Pomona ustomari1y function, he opened t, drew forth the bow, and with Make a last-minute gift! These hats are such easy crochet and cost little to make, Crocheted hats are top fashion. These take only 4 ounces of fingering yarn. Use 3 strands for the fluffy loops. Pattern 869: directions: fit all headsizes, Send THIRTY - FIVE CENTS (stamps cannot be accepted, use postal note for safety) for this pattern to Laura Wheeler, Box 1, 123 Eighteenth St„ New Tor- onto, Ont. Print plainly PAT- TERN NUMBER, your NAME and ADDRESS. JUST OFF THE PRESS! Send now for our exciting, new 1961 Needlecraft Catalogue. Over Iv..5 designs to crochet, knit, sew, em- broider, quilt, weave - fashions, homefurnishings, toys, gifts, ba- zaar hits. Plus FREE - instruc- tions for six smart veil caps. $furry, send 25e bowl deft finger action screwed the . hairs taut, Next he lifted forth a beautiful green felt bag, with a puckering string, and untying it found his violin, It was magnificent, The bright spruce, which he had cut on his own hillside, shone handsomely, and the bird's-eye maple of the neck had a high gloss. He folded the bag, put it back in ,the "box, snatched a hankerchief from his pocket, and lovingly wiped the violin all over before he tuned it. The violin' like the, case Was long and lean. Whatever the rea- son, lie had made it narrow. When, he tuned it, entirely, by ear, it, seemed to have a fine tone. Then he put the handker- chief under his chin, threw the violin up, placed the bow across the strings, and began tapping. his foot to establish the rhythm. He preceded himself by about ten taps. Then he drew the' bow down and there began the wild- est rendition of "Turkey in the Straw" you ever heard, The pace Was terrific. He jerked and jumped, chang- ed keys, played his own obbli- gato as he went. And he con- tinued in this manner for about 20 minutes, all on the same re- curring tune, He then stopped abruptly, for such tunes seem to have no beginning and no end, and bowed gratefully as the Grange threw itself into another frenzy of applause too clearly manufactured to be genuine, Mr. Toothaker then loosened the strings, . loosened his bow, tied the violin in the bag, put the bag and the bow in the case, snapped the case shut, and laid the case back on the -piano. — after which he returned to his seat behind the stove. The ap- plause continued, so after an interval lie arose, went to the piano as before, took down the case, took out the bow and tightened it,'. got the violin from the hag, tuned the strings, tap- ped his toes, and played his en- core of "Turkey in the Straw" violently for another 20 min- utes. But this time, when he ended, the Grange gave a truth- ful and unfaked flapping of re- luctant- hands for all of three seconds, and Mr. Toothaker again laid his violin away — this time in silence — and took his seat. Wefound out, by asking, that Mr. Toothaker, as a young man, was sad that he had no talent to offer at Grange. Everybody did something when • called on except himself. He decided to learn to play the fiddle, which meant making one first, and "Turkey in the Straw'' was the only tune he ever learned to. play. That covered his need, His friends and neighbors, and fel- low Grangers, properly recogniz- ed his ambition and accomplish- ment, and dutifully perminitted him to play whenever he came to Grange. Although they had heard him many times before, and had long since tired of "Turkey in the Straw," they loyally affected enthusiasm in a brotherly gesture, and never "let on." He certainly mastered his talent with all his might It was nice to hear him. Once. By John Gould in The Christian Science Monitor. This Girl's Hobby Carries A Sting "There is nothing dangerous about a scorpion - if you know how to handle it," claims 24 - year -old Dr. Ann Joy Alexander of Inchanga, Natal. While other girls of her age take interest in the love life of celebrated film stars, Ann stu- dies the dreaded scorpion. She has been .doing this work for three years, and has been stung several times, but still regards the creature as "a darling," Her main difficulty has al- ways been in getting enough specimens for her studies and lectures, and this had an amus- ing sequel when she was sett to Trinidad to carry out research for the New York Zoological Society, On the morning of her de- parture, she went out into the veldt frantically digging for scorpion specimens that were re- quired to prove a point in her thesis — and had a job finding them ! Her 'plane flight had to be delayed until Ann arrived, breathless, with her box of "dar- lings." WASP K.O.S LIGHTING SYSTEM While driving his truck along a road near Miami Joe Smelter noticed a wasp fly into the cab. After buzzing around for a while, the insect alighted on Joe's leg, Although the wasp did not sting the driver, his reaction was so violent that he swung the steer- ing wheel hard over and the lorry crashed full tilt into a pole carrying cables for the commun- ity's electricity supply. The pole snapped and over 20,000 custo- mers were without electricity for some hours until the dam- aged pole was replaced and wires connected up. The Wasp flew out of the cab unharmed, A CENTURY APART AND STILL TOGETHER Bow -trimmed cream satin gown, left, wasworn at Abraham Lincoln's Inaug- ural Ball in 1861. Its influence on the ballroom gown at right is apparent. The bow -brimmed absinthe' green satin dress was worn at John -F. Kennedy's Inaugural Ball. HRONICLES INGERF ABM ensondotts+e Cts.ake Last Wednesday was the Jan- uary meeting of our local W.I.— a meeting of which I was sup- posed to have charge. So. what happens . I stay in bed and leave all the details to our pres- ident and entertainment . com- mittee. It wouldn't have' mat- tered attered so much had it, been an ordinary meeting 'but I had al- ready arranged for a guest speaker and •had suggested that other branches in thedistrict be invited. However, you know how W.I. members help each other out in atime of emergency —and this time was no excep- tion. Our president is capable of handling any situation. She is a woman with most original ideas and I think her scheme for decorating the hall was the best' yet. It being the month of January she based her ideas on Janus, the legendary' Roman god from whom the month, of January got its name. Janus, as you may know, was a god who had two faces, one looking back the other forward. To illustrate this point our president had obtained a. great number of large and beau= tiful calendar's, some' for 1960, others for 1961. Those for 1960 were placed at the. back of the hall; 1961 at the front. Thus members and guests at the meet- ing would be like the god Janus, able to look back to the pest year and forward to the present. The meeting was also supposed to be historical in character — why not, it was the anniversary of the birth of John A. Mac- donald? As a roll' call members. had been asked to bring a "con- venience" belonging to the early days. So there were sad irons, candle moulds, coal -oil lamps,. washtub and board and various other items belonging to the days before we knew what it meant to have.electricity and all the comfort and convenience it. has brought to our homes. Here again 'our president showedher originality. She produced a fac- simili of curling papers or rags, the kind we women used to wear at night time to curl our hair before permanent waves were invented. She told this amusing story about herself, Just before she was about to be married she began to worry about what her husband -to -be would think of her when he saw her hair done up in curling papers at night So she decided to put him to the test —`baye-woman! One night when.he;ieskr4e..to call she greeted him wit) is _hair tightly twist- ed in cotton rags! Well, she fi- nally married him so I presume he survived the shock. I remem- ber my sister and I used to be called "tails and snails" as her hair was braided into a long tail while mine was twisted up in papers and looked like snails all over my head, Later on at the meeting there were outstanding musical Selec- tions, violin and vocal solos, gen- erously contributed by non-mem- bers in the district who so often make our meetings more enjoy- able. Then came the highlight ofthe meeting — an address by ow own Ethel Chapman, editor of "Home and Country" that de- lightful little magazine that keeps us so well-informed at every level of W.I. work — national, provincial nad local, to say nothing of the ACWW Whose activities are known in many parts of the world. The theme of Miss Chapman's address was our standard of liv- ing — or rather what we mean when we, refer to our standard of living, Miss Chapman pointed out that it can be measured in so many ways. By material things, such as cars, televisions or electrical conveniences; by our development of, a cultural background — that is, our abil- ity to appreciate the best in mu- sic, books or evena good picture. Or by our moral and spiritual .. background and through it the standards we place before our families — of the importance of good living; -of emphasizing the satisfaction that' can be gained from things other than material possessions. Miss Chapman, as always, drove home her points with clar- ity and from what I have been told from those at the Meeting, her address was a delight and in- spiration to those who heard it. How I Wish I bad been there. However, the day was not a to- tal loss for me as Miss Chapman was here for a short visit before bus -time. Apparently she was as well pleased with the meeting as the, members and visitors were with her "so a good time was had by all", Four branches were represent- ed by guests at our meeting as well as visitors from a district where W.I. branches formerly existed but had now disbanded, torn apart by modern develop- ments. It could be that some of them, with the ability of the god Janus to look forward and back, may have been conscious of a certain nostalgia for a standard of living that, while lacking the amenities ofthe present day, yet had its compensations in a ser- enity' of purpose that is not so - easily acquired in this day and age. Well, next week I hope to be on my feet again in which case. this column may be a little easier to write - and type, One's bed doesn't make the best kind of typewriter table. Long Titles And Short Books One of the longest titles ever given to a new book is arousing great interest in American liter- ary circles. The title consists of forty-three words. The•subject of the book is how to write best-sellers in one's spare time. About the shortest title ever given to a novel published in' Great Britain was "B," This work, published many years ago, consisted of 'three bulky vol- umes. What about short books? Some time before the last world war a prize of 10,000 francs was of- fered by a French newspaper for an original book. It was won by a Yugoslav author with a book entitled: "Who Rules the World?" He submitted a manuscript containing the one w o r d, "Money." The newspaper des- cribed his entry as unique, paid the author the prize money and published the book. It ran to many editions andbecame a best-seller! Another odd book was written by a retired admiral' who died some years ago; He spent some time in China and was given a dinner by some residents there before he returned to Europe, He rewarded his hosts by pre- senting resenting each with a book bear- ing his' name as author. It was entitled "What I know about China" — every page in the slim volume was blank! q, Should the napkin be WWI 104' !removing some particle tff food from the mouth, such as a= bpne as' inedible portion of meat'? A, Never, This is time with the fingers, and then, of course, the napkin is Used for wiping those fingers. For Half -Sizes 4 ise.144414 Shorter, fuller? These new skirts are perfect for ' you! They're shaped to slim you smartly, to fit without alteration . atwaist, hips, in length. Printed Pattern 4595; For half sizes 29, 31, 33, 35, 371/2, 40 - inch waists. Size 31 slim skirt 111a yards 54 -inch;. flared 17/2 yards. Send FORTY CENTS (stamps cannot be accepted, use postal note for safety) for this pattern. Please print plainly SIZE NAME, ADDRESS, STYLE NUMBER. Send order to _ANNE ADAMS, Box 1, 123 Eighteenth St., Nea Toronto, Ont. SEND NOW! Big beautiful, COLOUR-IFIC Fall and Winter Pattern Catalogue has over 100 styles to sew — . school, career, half -sizes. Only 35¢1 ISSUE 5 — 196] How Bingo Was Abolished From the Old Folks' Home By WARD CANNEL Newspaper Enterprise Assn. New Rochelle, N.Y, — It had to happen of course. The police have finally cracked down,-ex- posing own;ex- posing the New Rochelle Wo- men's Club and the Colburn Memorial Home for the aged for what they really are. What looked for all the world like long afternoons of fun, games and jelly beans among the ladies and the old folks in this proper New Yorksuburb has turned out to .be at least a viola- tion of penal law section 1388. At least that's what some law enforcement authorities claim. And this reporter is mighty suspicious after listening to confessions wrung from mem- bers of the Women's Club. As police. piece it together, the whole business started sever- al years ago when the junior section of the club voted to ex- pand its clNic activities. They were already taking care of a Korean orphan, help- ing at a local centre for the handicapped, collecting food and money for the Salvation Army and doing 'Coluntessr work at a hospital, So it was just a case of one thing leading to ,another when the ladies turned their civic eyes toward the Colburn Me- morial Home for the aged. What jolly fun it would be, they agreed, to have a monthly bingo game at the Home with socks and ties and writing paper for prizes and with homemade cookies, soda pop and jelly beans, for refreshment, What jolly fun! Well, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. And bingo, according to the state's Lot- tery Control Commission, is one of the biggest paving blocks. According to the commission chairman, Judge Richards (cq) Hannah, mingo'has become such big business and entertainment and the temptations to defraud have become so great that a half dozen states have already passed regulatory laws and more will probably have to do so in the very near future. In New York state alone, bingo accounts for about $40 million worth of gate and prize receipts annually. With that much at stake, infractions of the regulatory ,laws are frequent enough • to keep the commission's 18 -man staff overworked while trying to help local police de- partments uphold the law. It was, therefore, many months before lottery control 'investiga- tors tumbled to what was going on in the New Rochelle old age home. The first break in the case came, as it often does, from an oversight by the guilty. The Women's Club posted an an- nouncement in ' the local paper that its next bingo game would be held on . Following this flimsy clue, in- vestigators discovered all sorts of ' violations.. There were no posted rules of playing. Finan- cial statements of the game' were notfiled with the commis- sion. No $10 license to play had been obtained, "Ten dollars?" one club lady wailed., "Why, we don't spend that on a whole afternoon's bingo." Nevertheless, the law is the law (which. in this case equals more than a half million dollars in $10 licenses per year). New Rochelle police were alerted. The crackdown began. "I sure hated to do it to them," Detective John Murray said. "But it was section 1388 of the penal law. I had to." The Women's Club took it gracefully, consulted their law- yer on the law, and changed the monthly game at the old age home to another individual card - and -counter game called Pokeno. The old folks seem to _like it quite well, according to civic committee chairman Mrs. Wil- - Liam Allard, although there is still some confusion at the Home. Winners usually call out "Bingo" instead of "Pokeno," "Yes," says lottery control commissioner Hannah. "How- ever, what people say when they play the game does not fall un- der our jurisdiction." "And please stop calling them 'The Unlouch.ables, "