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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Seaforth News, 1947-07-10, Page 2To Gain Confidence of Indians Scarlet Coats Adopted by RCMP The adoption of that most strik- fng detail in the Mounted Police uni- form, the "red serge", was not a piece of empty swagger, nor was it merely. another ` expression of the strong British ;sentiment in this country: It'resulted from sound dip- lomatic forethought. To trace the :- aeason to its origin.. one must turn the clock back to the frontier days of the West, when a rifle regiment garbed .in green replaced ' a red- coated line regiment. at Fort. Garry. Perhaps further than that, for the British military scarlet, worn as long ago as 300 Years, came to this continent about the beginning of the 18thcentury. About the time of the transfer to Canada on July 15, 1870, of Rup- ert's Land and the Northwestern Territory from the Hudson's Bay. Company, the Government at Otta- wa was receiving vigorous corn- plaints that the Indians of the plains were being debauched and robbed by whisky traders, The lawless con- ditions in the West coupled with the need for maintaining more rigid sov- ereignty there, led to the formation sn 1873 of the North West Mounted Police. Soldiers of the Queen The previous year the Govern- ment had sent out Col. P. Robert- son -Ross, adjutant general of the Canadian Militia, to make a general reconnaissance of this untamed realm with a view to ascertaining what constitutional lines the pro- posed force should take. Accom- panied only by his 16 -year-old son, one guide and an Indian lad the col- onel left Fort Garry on August 10, 1872, for the Rocky Mountains. Before he had gone 60 miles, he met three large camps of Sioux In- dians—part of the band which but 10 short years before had sought refuge in Canadian territory after participating in the bloody Minnes- ota Massacre—and on another oc- casion when far out on the prairie his small party was ridden down by 10 mounted Sioux who "became quite friendly in mariner, shaking hands with us hearily" upon learn- ing that the colonel was a British Officer. Not once during the whole 0,000 -mile trip were Robertson -Ross and his three companions molested, a fact which is attributable to the Indian's respect for a soldier of the Queen. Tradition of 1846 In the light of today's tradition, the colonel's most interesting ob- servations were based on his own experiences during that trip, and they concern the uniform to be worn by the new force. "During my inspection of the • North West", he reported, "I ascer- tained that scertained-'that some prejudice existed amongst the Indians against the color of the uniform worn by men of the provisional battalion (militia in Manitoba), for many of the In- dians said, 'Who are these soldiers at Red River wearing dark clothes? Our old brothers who formerly lived there (meaning HM's ath Regiment of Foot) wore red coats. We know that' the soldiers of our great mother wear red coats and are our friends'." So, riends."So, on grounds that it would gain the confidence and respect of the Indians as nothing else could, the militia commander suggested that the proposed mounted police should be provided with the time-honored scarlet coat. He doubtless had in mind the tradition already :estab- lished by the troops in 18.46 and the natural fondness of the Indian for bright colors, but he was also well aware from personal knowledge of the power the red coat held over the unrestrained Indian of whom there were at that time some 25,000 on the prairie. No Fuss and Feathers On May 23, 1873, the North West Mounted Police carne into exist- ence and in police matters were modelled partly on the Royal Irish Constabulary and partly on a system followed in India; however, the sim- ilarity of the conditions under which they and the army would operate di;tated that they take after the lat- ter in dress and interior economy. But even here the Prince Minister stressed that he wanted -a plain, mobile, purely civil force suited to the rigors of the country with "as little gold lace and fuss and feath- ers as possible". Above all, he in- sisted, there was to be no ostenta- tious display. Thus was the traditional red coat of the British soldier introduced to the plains of Western Canada. Tea For Britons Anxious Britons, whose cup of tea has hung in the balance during negotiations with Indian merchants and government officials, learned re- cently that supplies are all set for next year Britain will get £301,000,- ($1„236,000,000) worth, enough for her rationed needs. There She Blows!—Residents of IIoojubana, japan, ,launch this huge 15 by 12 -foot kite, probably the largest in the world. They made it for the resumption of kite flying contests, sus- pended for the past ten years in Japan. Weight of the kite and string to control it totals 1430 pounds. Some 850 sheets of paper, 20 bamboo poles, and five gallons of ink were used to make it. MOPSY ,10',GLADYS PARKER MADAM, WILL YOU r LEASE MAKE U0 OURIND, DEFOt EI THEY ALL' GO ®LiT OF_ STYi_E..® alres Vacation Time Again—The Russian child is no different, than Canadian moppets or young people: in any country in the world—he's happy to wave goodbye to school when summer holidays come. School ended for the first th ree grades in Moscow early this year and 'at !loon of May 19, the children cheerily ,waved goodbye to "pencils and books and teachers' looks.":. .?, r✓LCb6A� r Is�s try Y®iG1➢f Elude By GLORIA FRRSCIIT Danny Dale, his teeth still chat- tering from the wet chill of the night, twisted his head on the- soft warm pillow - in an effort to 'speak. "Mont, I'm sorry, honest 1 em. I couldn't help it." The tall blonde boy pulled the waren covers more closely around him. TWO dimples, which lie had not outgrown during his 15 years, were even now visible in his cheeks among several scratches and a deep gash slightly below his right eye. It was not unusual for Danny to wander off by himself, especially when he was angry or disturbed. Ile often spent the entire day swimming or boating hs the lake, but he was never gone overnight. At one hour past midnight, Mr. Hale and a small searching party had found Danny lying on the beach, cold and wet. Dr. Scott spoke softly to Danny as he applied an anesthetic to the boy's bruised face. "Are you warm, Danny?" There was a curt reply. "Sure." The experienced country doctor could see at once that Danny was straining himself to keep the tears back. "What's the matter, son? You can trust old Doc Scott, and surely you have no secrets from your parr encs. Where have you been? What have you been doing?" Danny pulled himself up and leaned against the bedstead. His natural color was slowly- coming to his checks, but his eyes showed, fright. He slowly parted his lips to speak. "I loved her so much." The doctor showed no sign of surprise; he remained silent, it was Danny who did ail the talking now. "Ivlont and Dad tried to keep it a secret from me. They wanted to - take me to the city. They knew I loved her, just as I loved the coup - of grief. " Dad said I couldn't see of grief. `Dad said I couldn't sec 'her again. Jeanne has always been so good to me; I couldn't live with- out her. We always have picnics to- gether, and she can swim as fast ss I can. I loved to go bicycle riding _ with her too. Going to the city is bad enough but losing Jeanne is the' worst." Doctor Scott .began to see clearly the whole situation. This 15 -year-old youth knew what he wanted. Jeanne had been his constant companion. Mr. and Mrs. Hale had very sud- denly decided to inove'to the city in order toopenup a small bush ess. They knew, however; it was out: of the question to have Jeanne with them. The small apartment which they had rented was no larger than a cubbyhole. Dr. Scott motioned Mr, and Mrs. Hale to leave the room, and, "after opening the window for some fresh air, he followed. Danny was falling asleep, but the old physician knew that it, was a troubled sleep, a rest- less one, which might haunt the'boy for many months. "Doctor Scott,"Mrs. Hale began, - "My husband and I were Wrong, I see it all now," She spoke slowly, a faint smile came upon her lips. "Danny's instincts are healthy, sound. He loves the woods the lakes, the open fields." There was a short pause and then she added ntoirrnfully, ''And he really loves Jeanne. I did not think a 15 -year- old boy could possibly have so much love for anyone." There was a sudden (tush in the loom and then a movement of feet. Mfr. Hale, who had been silent all this time, now jumped up. "Doc- tor, in Danny's roost, that noise." "Quick, I left the window open. He is climbing out," the doctor re- plied. Mrs. Hale was the first to, openthe door. She saw the long curtains flut- tering in the open window, which framed a full moon and myriad stars. One glance in the bed explained the noise and the black footprints which covered the neatly polished floor. Closely snuggled to Danny lay Jeanne, dripping wet and covered with mud. The dog had loved her young master enough to swim back across the lake and find the way home. Danny's eyes were filled with tears, big tears, full of love and joy. , Scientists Find Pill Makes Child Bright Now a child can take a pi11 three times a day and grow morc intelli- gent. ' The pill, it was learned, is gluta- mic acid, a common chemicalthat you can buy at the corner drug store if you' have a prescription. It is one of the amino acids which are the building blocks of proteins such as you get from near. 'In an experiment, 30 children were given the acid. After_ a year of treat- ment they had ed up to 17 points in intelligence quotient and their mental age had gone up two years. The improvement affects not only intelligence but personalities, the meeting of the American Psychiatric Association learned iron the ex- perimenters The children got along better with others after the treatment, If a child is not bright even after he has taken the acid for a year he might just as well give nip. The greatest improvement, the re- searchers found, takes place in the first sit months. By the end of the year the ceiling of improvement seems to be reached. Work For Thousands The Canadian National Railways has ordered 5,100 freight cars and 48 Diesel-electric locomotives. The orders mean work for thousands in various industries in building the cars and locomotives and in sup- plying the necessary material. Used as Museum The Nazis' Oswiecim (Auschwitz) Extermination . camp was opened by Premier Josef Cryanlciewicz as a national museutn,dedicated to the 4,000,000 persons said to have been_ killed- there. What is Red Tape? It's Red Tape—Plus Well, now, in all seriousness, what is red tape? - - The newly published Callaway. Textile Dictionary, a 400 -page vol-• time published by the Callaway- Mills allawayMills of Lagrange, Ga. defines It ' thus; Red tapc—a cotton tape, dyed red, originally used to tie up offi- cial papers in English law offices -- in . the days of the Old Middle-, Temple." - . That, of course, is the technical. meaning, and the dictionary con- tains only the textile vocabulary,. says the Christian Science Monitor. Nevertheless, the authors add at' the bottom of the definition: "The term covers much, more than this now," • The comprehensive dictionary,. the first of its kind, is a consolida- tion of the works of three men, be- gun separately, sonic years ago. Only half of all hones in Canada have a Private bath or shower. iTOP0611TClizz;':. Quick! Stop itching of insect bites, heat rrrsb;_ eczema, hives, pimples, scales, scabies, athlete's foot and other externally caused skin troubles. Use quiek•aeting, soothing, antiseptic PRESCRIPTION. Greaseless, stainless, Itch• slops orour money back. Your druggist: stocks D.0. D,. PRESCRIPTION. flan Battles Gasoline Blaze To Save Lives of Two Bogs MS DOW AWARD JAMES GRA IT OF OTTAWA averts tragedy by cool The action A he car had been in storage and Jrlmes Grant was having trouble getting it started. Watch- inghim in the garage were Morris Evraire, 9, inthe'rear scat of the car, and Donald Finnessy, 11, standing nearby. Grant decided to pour gasoline into the carburetor. Donald,. wanting to see more clearly, struck a match. In a second the gasoline had burst into flames . and fort flashed menacingly into the interior of the car. Quickly, Grant grabbed Donald, whose clothes had caught fire, and pulling a windbreaker over the boy's head, dragged him out- side - .. beating out the flames with his hands. Then he opened the back door of the car and tried to rescue Mortis. The 9 - year -old boy was in a state of panic and "froze" in the far corner .. , his clothing and the seat cushions burning. Grant was forced to enter the car and pull the youngster out ... once again using. his 'bare hands to beat out the flames. All three required hospital treatment, bus no lives were lost. .just as Grant started to port, gasoline into the carburetor, young Donald, unaware of the danger, struck a match.- Immediately, the gasoline and fumes.. burst into Jl rnres. • We are proud to pay tribute to Pulling his windbreaker over the boy's • • the bravery of James Grant, of head, Grant led hien from the garage, Ottawa, through the presentation beating out the flames with his barer of The Dow Award. bands. THE DOW AWARD is a citationforoutstanding hero. talc and includes, asca.tongible. expression of epprecMuon, a ,;Ston Canada Savings Bond. Winners are selected by the Dow Afuard Committee, a group of editors of leading Canadian daily newspapers. V r,•� �rOW PPV POP—Running Comment By J. MILLAR WATT t�Ai 1 3 .).gin 14', WHA -r DO VQIJa:.., P "' CAW.L.A MARL WW0'S B8Et4 UiGKY IN i y s f a '.'`'.;_1.--=, 7 4 1 0Gv.._.°f .c'� _ -� �� � ,i �� 't, ��r• By J. MILLAR WATT