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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Seaforth News, 1962-01-04, Page 6]- z lY 1. i>• A. an e9- o. pr• yr te: ee in he '.Lie oil. tin, po; thi. inir yea' olut Titls. r,. Television Has A Birthday it was a dank day in Novem- ber, typical for London, The year was 1930. While many Britons were playing darts in their local pubs, a handful of adventurers crouched before some 300 lbcker- ing "goggle boxes" and presided at the uncertain birth of the world's first regular television service. What they saw on the screen was a grab-bag assort- nient of Chinese jugglers, Ameri- can comedians, a tennis star, and a Movietone newsreel, This was BBC -TV, now a staid old monolith which on its 25th anniversary this month attracts 23 million Britons daily, BBC's coups have been many, from the world's first televised play (El- eanor and Herbert Farjeon's "The Two Bouquets" in 1936) to its memorable coverage of the Coronation in 1953. Despite its royal charter, the BBC is entirely free of govern- ment control, Supported by gov- ernment - collected license fees levied on all set owners, it also spares its viewers the pain of commercials, This autonomy led M an attitude of prim moral up- lift which earned the network the nickname "Auntie," BBC's credo is still not so much to give the public what it wants as to provide what it feels the public ought to want. As admirable as this might be, such autocracy led Parliament in 1955 to authorize rival commer- cial TV, Pessimists then feared the BBC would have to retaliate with dancing girls and jugglers. Optimists were not afraid, feel- ing that competitive scrapping would enliven things. As it turned out, BBC -TV to- day, in the favorable words of NBC's Robert Sarnoff, is "a wily and vigorous competitor" of the new independent Television out- fit. BBC attracts more than 37 per cent of Britain's viewers not only by offering hours of adult fare but by matching ITV's more popular programs. "Wyatt Earp," for instance, on the commercial nework, was matched on BBC by another U.S. import, "The Lone Ranger," While relinquishing decorum, however, BBC -TV also acquired a taste for bold programing. Formerly squeamish about con- troversial issues, the network sharpened news coverage to pro- duce such incisive, tough-minded programa as its reporting of the Notting Hill race riots in 1958 and, more recently, a vigorous clobbering of police for manhan- dling anti -bomb demonstrators. BBC -TV Director General H. Carleton Greene thinks that his network's aloofness from "the Pattern Bonanza Gy.'lAW A JUMBO pattern of 12 pot - holders, 2 mitts. It solves many gift problems in one swoop. Use seraps for potholders or buy 3/4 yard of fabric — makes 2 potholders. Pattern 784: trans- fer 10 holders, 2 mitts; direc- tions, charts, 2 crocheted holders. 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 Toronto, Ont. Print plainly PATTERN NUMBER, your NAME and AD- DRESS. FOR THE FIRST TIME! Over. 200 designs in our new, 1962 Needlecraft Catalog — biggest ,ever! Pages, pages, pages of fashions, home accessories to knit, crochet, sew, weave, em- broider, quilt. See jumbo -knit hits, cloths, spreads, toys, linens, afghans plus free patterns. Send 250, Ontario residents must include 310 - Sales Tax for each CATA- LOG ordered, There is no galea tax on the patterns. tyranny of ratings" is one 00 its strongest assets. "The role of a national service like the BBC is not to worship a Big Audience," he told a reporter recently. "If' the cash register came to be regarded as the test of success, one could say good -by to minor- ity interests. "More people are going to school longer, The more eau- cated• the public becomes, the more it watches us." Smiling calmly, he added: "In the long run, time is on our side," —From NEWSWEEIC Some Kind Words For School Teachers We confess to a weakness for school teachers. Theirs, it often seems to us, is as difficult a task as society has contrived. It is complicated by the fact that in no area of American life is criticism' from the outside so rampant. Some of the criticism is unjust and stems from failure to understand what is demanded from modern American schools, Some is wholly just and has its birth in the commendable desire for constant improvement. Admiral Rickover emits cries of anguish because his personal standards are not met in all cases. Minority groups, in some instances, want their cases pre- sented in out -of -focus relation- ship to the magnitude of their problem. Parents who haven't read a book in 20 years suddenly decide their children can't read as well as they can. One group thinks they overdo control. A faction decries lack of imagina- tion in schools, says they are afraid to experiment. An op- posite faction says they experi- ment too much. The list of plaints and complaints is end- less, Is this bad? Not necessarily. An encouraging aspect is that it is an indication that while Amer- icans may be cosnplacement about many things, the education of their children is not one of them. Niggling criticism, and there is a good deal of it, is certainly bad. Based upon ignorance it can only extend ignorance. Constructive criticism, a n d there is much of .that, too, can only help educators to do a job which most of then want de- sperately to do well. For the balance of criticism to remain on the constructive side, there must be continuing understanding be- tween educators and parents. A way to achieve that understand- ing is to heed the invitation of educators to visit the schools next week and talk with those who are teaching your children. You will make teachers parti- cularly happy if you add a ques- tion to the one you are sure to ask, "How is Johnny doing?" Ask it, certainly, but try adding this one, "What do you want from Johnny and from us?"—Need- ham (Mass.) Times Now They Hope To Wipe Out Measles For five to seven days, the child writhes and coughs with a 105 -degree fever, while a rash spreads over his body. After ten days the child, sick with mea- sles, will probably recover. But still measles kills more children (estimates run up to 4,000 yearly) than any other major childhood disease, Now, finally, the U.S. Public Health Service is preparing to license a vaccine to fight mea- sles. At an international measles conference in Washington last week, the data gleaned from more than 10,000 tests convinced PHS officials they had a live measles vaccine (combined with a shot of gamma globulin to eliminate uncomfortable side effects) that would work. "(We have) a safe and effective vac- cine," said U.S. Surgeon Gen- eral Dr. Luther Terry. Before the vaccine can be marketed (at up to $5 a shot) the Public Health Service must set up rules for its manufacture, then car e f u l l y test sample batches from the drug makers, Tests with children have shown the vaccine 100 per cent effective against measles. Will this wipe out the disease? "It won't be long now," Dr. John F, Enders, Nobel Prize winner and father of the vaccine, in- sisted recently. SALLY'S SALLIS QOWeII,. Madame, ego surds dill give you a moat cent:Monte* look.1° WHAT A DOLL—Soreen starlet Deborah Walley, left, gives her autograph to Lola Lucas, 7, of St. Louis, national poster child of the Muscular Dystrophy Association of America. Lola's doll is covered with signatures of famous persons who support the March for Muscular Dystrophy. RONICLES 1N R.FAR? Guaddol42 I suppose it's a case of "once a farmer, always a farmer". Any- way, first thing this morning Partner was awfully confused because be thought a virus infec- tion 'had got into his cows, cut- ting down the milk supply — and also the cash receipts! He want- ed to sell the cows but the au- thorities wouldn't let him. They wanted them kept around for re- search purposes — to discover the source of the virus. Of eourse it was all a dream but for an hour or two Partner felt as if a lot of his livestock worries had come back to plague him. Dreams are queer things. You would think with all the recent talk about nuclear war, fallout shelters and so on, it would only be natural to dream about thein. Instead of that Partner's "sub- conscious" returned to the farm and the sort of problems he was wrestling with ten years ago. Maybe what brought it all back is the fact that friends of ours have recently had to give up ac- tive farming entirely as they no longer have the health and strength to carry on. They solved their problems by selling all their stock and implements, the barn and most of the land but retain- ed the house and enough ground for a good kitchen garden. They knew, with their limited income, it would be impossible to buy a house in a built-up area and live as cheaply as they can in the country. Maybe what they have done could be the solution for other farm couples under sim- ilar circumstances. Last Saturday I had an experi- ence that was quite new for me. Our W.I. was putting on a rum- mage sale with which I had prom- ised to help — somthing I had never done before. Friday after- noon the convener and her com- mittee got together, sorting and pricing the stuff as it came in. We were at it again for an hour Saturday morning. Then the doors were opened and the peo- ple rushed in. And how they rushed in! It was like Bedlam for awhile. I noticed one woman just grabbed up stuff from each table as she passed until she had an armful, I said to Mrs. A. — one of our helpers "See that woman — she didn't even look at the stuff she was taking!" "Don't worry," said Mrs. A., "she'll look at it. That's what some of them do grab an arm- ful of stuff so no one else will get it. Then they go to the back of the hall, sort it out and throw back on the tables what they don't want. These rummage sale customers have a technique all their own," i watched and saw that Mrs, A. was right. I had charge of a rack of "better dresses"! One dress I thought was too good to be there at all, There wasn't a mark on it anywrere, To one customer I said — "This is a lovely dress — if you can wear a sixteen." "Yes, it's all right — but look at the price. A dollar! That's too much to pay for a dress at a rummagesale," I didn't argue the point but in disgust I re- duced the price to seventy-five cents. In another department there. was a rack of men's suits and topcoats and I wondered' if there Were children in any of the homes where those suits came from. If so there was plenty of good material in them that would make -over for little boys' pants and windbreaker's — the way I used to do for our children. But I suppose few mothers do that any more. They grumble at the price of children's clothes — but continue to buy them — some so shoddy they almost fall apart during the first week's wear. On the variety table there was costume jewellery, fancy dishes, pots and pans, paper -back books and toys. Nearly all the things were sold. It seems there is al- ways a market somewhere for what someone else doesn't want. Maybe the buyers might change their minds after they got home — and in that way some of the stuff may turn up at yet another rummage sale! Sunday night I forgot all about rummage sales and so on as I listened to Dr. Brock Chishohn on TV. Or it could be there was a connection as Dr. Chisholm was talking about the pattern of human behaviour. He also said he is not against Santa Claus so long as he is presented as a myth and not as a person who really exists. He said we cannot expect truth and honesty from children if we are a party to any kind of mass deception. I agree with Dr. Chisholm. Christmas will soon be with us once again. How shall we answer that age-old question — "Is there really a Santa Claus?" A child who is old enough to doubt is old enough to be given this explana- tion. Santa Claus is part of the spirit of Christmas. We, too, act the part of Santa CIaus when we give surprise gifts to each other. The spirit of Christmas is loving and giving — and in showing appreciation for what we are given. In that way we can all play Santa Claus. Modern Etiquette By Anne Ashley Q. I have received a very fine engagement ring, and I should like to have it insured. Is my fiance supposed to pay the pre- mium on this policy? A. The ring's safekeeping is entirely dependent upon you, and you should pay the insurance costs. After you're married, your husband, of course, assumes this expense. Sweaters ,Have A Colorful History• Contrary to popular opinion, Lana Turner didn't "originate" the sweater. Its early histbry is more adventurous than glamor- ous, And like the development of most articles of apparel, the sweater is more concerned in its early stages with men than wo- men, Its origin goes back some 400 years to the time of the first Elizabeth and the Isle of Jersey in the English Channel, It was then' and there that the wives of simple fishermen used their new- ly acquired art of knitting to devise a jacket which would withstand the icy blasts of the North Sea. But their invention was re- garded as such a humble garment it wasn't even given a name for 300 years. When, referred to at all, it was usually called a jersey or a fisherman's knit, The type of stitch used was called stockingette, since it was the same employed in the island's principal industry, which was hand -made hosiery. Knitting was a popular pastime among Jersey men and children as well. Re- cords remain of a local swain's being forbidden by the Royal Court from "knitting in company with young women, to put an end to the gossip caused thereby on pain of punishment." However, the people of Jersey lost their corner on the stocking market when knitting machines became widespread in England about 1840. Toward the end of the last century when such sports as foot- ball, bicycling, lawn tennis and yachting became popular, their enthusiasts discovered that the jersey or fisherman's" knit pre- vented chills by absorbing per- spiration. They promptly dubbed it the SWEAT—er and the word entered the English language, About the same time in France, garlic vendors or marchands d'ail, who sold their pungent flavoring in Paris' open market place, le Marche des Hanes, also discovered the warmth and flexi- bility of the fisherman's knit. Soon customers were referring to the marchands d'ails adopted garment by the abbreviated name of CHANDAIL. Later, when internationally known sports figures such as Bobby Jones and Helen Wills Moody won matches while wear- ing sweaters, it wasn't long be- fore Fashion lifted the garment's strictly utilitarian connotation. Love Threatens Sponge Shortage Stand by for a shortage of sponges. Reason: young' Greeks are afraid of losing their girl- friends, Even when belonging to old - established sponge - fishing families, many young men are refusing to follow their country's 2,500 -year-old trade. - In past years, 200 calques set sail each season from Kalimnos, the great sponge -fishing base in the Aegean. And, in the late au- tumn, they returned with a har- vest of 200 tons of top-quality sponges. Now, instead of 2,500 Greeks taking part in this annual exped- ition, the number has dropped to barely a thousand. Experienced divers can earn better money ashore, with no risks, and keep their wives comfortable all the year round. So next month, when the caiques unload their catches, the total harvest is not likely to exceed eighty tons. "We simply can't get recruits," says a Greek sponge merchant. "Six months at sea, in this com- fort -loving age, means too long a spell away from borne for our young men, Village girls won't wait, They tape new sweethearts in the spongemen's absence. "The divers diseeise, the bends, is crippling inexperienced men, and they are also being killed by their clumsiness," ,Sponges, once believed to be plants; are really a low form of marine animal life, As larvae, they attach themselves to rocks and form colonies. After wrenching the sponges from the sea-bed, the divers hang them up on the ship's rigging, to dry in the sun. The animals' black, gelatinous flesh decays, leaving the skeleton which we use in the bathroom. In ancient warfare, Greek sol- diers padded their helmets with sponges which acted a shock absorber against enemy blows. And Greek mothers used sponges soaked in honey as infants' dum- mies, Easy -See Diagram PRINTED PATTERN 4828 SIZES 2-10 11/4..ta.1444 $ See the diagram—even: a be- ginner can stitch up this pretty jumper in a day! Curved neck reveals blouse beneath, back has' inverted pleat and half -belt.. Printed Pattern 4828: chil- dren's Sizes 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, Size 6 jumper takes PA yards 54 -inch; blouse takes 1 yard 39 -inch. Send FIFTY 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, New Toronto, Ont. FALL'S 100 BEST FASHIONS — separates, dresses, suits, en- sembles, all sizes, all in our new Pattern Catalog in color. Sew for ycursclf, family. 31b. Ontario residents must include lc Sales Tax los each CATA- LOG ordered There is co sales, tax an the patterns. LS'SUE; 481 — 19&1: A FIRST PHOTO—Jacqueline ;Kennedy cuddles John F. Kennedy Jr. who celebrated his first birthday on Nov. 25. This is his first official picture since his .christening. 1