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ZURICH CITIZENS NEWS
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1970
Helping the Poor is Real Progress
The ugly horsehair sofa gave way to the comfort
and beauty of the chesterfield, the ice -box to the
refrigerator. Technology has given us an amazing
improvement in things. But improvement in the numan
condition lags far benind. Where poverty is concerned,
we still live in the horse and buggy age of thinking.
"The poor are a lazy, worthless lot, " it is said.
"They have only themselves to blame," is frequent
comment. Regarded as second class citizens, they
receive second class treatment. This dark age spirit
of charity, the crumbs -from -our -table approach must
forgo.
Studies, case histories - the cool logic of statistics,
explodes the hoary myths of worthlessness. "The poor
by and large do not want to be parasites, " states Reuben
Baetz, executive director, Canadian Welfare Council.
Dr. Albert Rose, professor of Social Work, University
of Toronto maintains, "Few of the poor are lazy or
wasteful and those so described, suffer from profound
emotional sickness, like drug addiction or alcoholism.
And assistance should be given to the non-employables,
without the stigma of poverty, says the Economic Coun-
cil. But studies show 75% of poverty is avoidable, but
not hard core.
Let's clear away the cobwebs. "The poor" is not
an act of God and immovable, it results from an in-
equitable distribution of the national income. For too
long, plush apartments, ski-doos, power boats, etc.,
have taken priority. The production of sufficiency,
beauty and comfort in the lives of our 4, 000, 000oor
is the great urgency. Here is the true meaning ofp
progress, equality and freedom.
titter
No creature fouls its habitat more than man. The
evidence is everywhere. It is not just the filth that
hangs like a cloud in our polluted air. Nor the oozing
waste that poisons our waters.
It is also the litter, the debris of our new, improved
way of life, that most of us, at one time or another,
have been guilty of spreading.
The Ontario Department of Highways, for example,
estimates that it costs $55 a mile a year to remove
broken glass, waste paper, cigarette packages and other
junk from 13, 000 miles of roadside, The total costs,
$700, 000. in 1969, will soon exceed $1 -million annu-
ally. •
Our lakes and streams, for example, the ones in
which no chemicals or effluent are deposited, are
littered with bottles, broken glass and other signs that
say man hass passed this way.
In one northern community, members of a sports-
men's club collected 20 hampers of man-made and
man -distributed garbage along a quarter of a mile of
stream. Multiply this by the thousands of miles of
streams and lakesides in the more popular areas across
Canada and you have one big mess.
Unfortunately, all levels of government have only
lent an inattentive ear to the problem of litter. Al-
though litterbugs may be fined, there are not enougla
policemen to enforce the law.
It seems that now, especially with the new throw-
away bottles and cans and all the other disposable
wonders of our technology, it is time to educate and
to enforce against littering. For if we fail to do this,
the outdoors and the city streets will become a pigsty.
(Unchurched Editorial by the United Church)
ZURICH Citizens NEWS
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Oh, the frustration of working
I've been thinking seriously
about giving up my job as a
teacher, and settling for a lot
less money and a lot more
peace of mind. And I'm not the
only one.
Colleagues, right and left,
are unhappy. One would like to
go into the hotel business. An-
other dreams of buying some
rough land on Manitoulin Is-
land, and raising sheep.
Others, who have been teach-
ing a long time, are planning
to quit soon and take a re-
duced pension, rather than bat-
tle it out to the full term. They
can't face another five years of
teaching apathetic, lazy and in-
solent kids,
Another friend, who has
taught' happily for 23 years,
says he used to look forward to
every day of it. This year, he
admits, he faces each day with
a sort of vague horror. Still
another is socking every nickel
he can spare into investments
so that he can get out while he
retains his sanity.
Had lunch the other day
with a chap who this year,
after some . years of running
his own business, came into
teaching — in the technical
department. On his own, he
worked 10 or 12 hours a day.
At this lunch period, he didn't
stop talking for half an hour.
From the outside, he thought
teaching was a snap. The pay
was good, and the holidays
looked great. Now, he's ex-
hausted at the end of a teach-
ing day, though he's done no
physical labour. He said: "I
never knew there were kids
like these."
Perhaps we sound like a
bunch of old fogies who are
getting tired. Most of those
I've mentioned are in their
40s, not quite in the old -fogey
class. And they've enjoyed
their teaching for years.
But another colleague is
talking about going to the
Northwest Territories. Another
is thinking of taking a job in a
steel plant. His wife, also a
teacher, wants to get out and
do social work, at less money.
They are all in their 20s.
All of us are making quite
reasonable salaries. It would
be quite a wrench, financially,
to quit, especially for those
who have roots in the commu-
nity, a mortgage, and growing
children to educate.
But the malaise is there.
And it's difficult to put your
finger on the trouble. Our
wives are getting worried
They ask, "What is wrong, spe-
cifically?" And it's difficult to
give an answer that doesn't
sound. trivial. It's a host of
little things which add up to
one word — frustration.
What is the trouble, then? I
think there are two major
sources. First, the pendulum
has swung too far from a
system that was archaic to one
with ned permissivences. Eve-
ryone is supposed to do his
own thing. Sad truth is that a
majority of teenagers hasn't
got a "thing" to do. They want
to be entertained, not learn.
They'll sit happily through a
movie at school, chewing gum.
But try to get them to talk
about it, express their ideas,
relate it to their own lives, and
they groan with boredom.
They're mentally lazy, as 'most
teenagers have always been
Their favourite comment on a
thought-provoking, stimulating
movies, is "Stoopid."
I've never believed in cor-
poral punishment, either as a
disciplinary deterrent or as a
spur. But I'm beginning to
wonder. I am hurt and alarmed
at the increasing lack of cour-
tesy, the "who cares?" atti-
tude of the kids, and the in-
crease in plain, dirty talk. (The
language you can hear in a
modern high school, especial-
ly among girls, would curdle
your blood.)
You can imagine the joyous
rapture of my wife to any pro-
posal that I quit. Like the good
little wife she is, she said she'd
go anywhere with ane, and do
anything, as long as I was hap-
py. She made up a great list of
where and how we could save
money, without the salary.
But the reaction has set in,
and in 100 casual, little hints
she is revealing the utter folly
of it all. But I was prepared
for that, and I'm going to keep
her thinking about a shack,
and a pot-bellied stove, and
potatoes, and porridge for a
while yet. It'll do her good.
0
VARNA
A pancake supper is being
held on Tuesday evening, Feb-
ruary 9. at the United Church.
The sympathy of this com-
munity goes out to the family
of the late Sherlock Keyes in
their recent bereavement.
The February meeting of the
U.C.W. is being held in the
Church on Thursday evening of
this week.
Mr. and Mrs. Bob McClymont,
Michael and Shannon, of Guelph
spent the weekend with relatives
at Clinton and Varna.
May Eliminate
Because of increased enrol-
ments at teachers' colleges dur-
ing the past few years teaching
on letters of permission in ele-
mentary schools may be entirely
eliminated in the near future.
An Ontario Department of
Education directive states that
regulations covering the issuing
of letters of permission will be
tightened during the 1970-71
school year.
While there may still be a
few centres where certificated
teachers are unavailable there
is generally an adequate supply
of qualified personnel from other
areas, and is should be only in
the most unusual circumstances
that a school board would find
it necessary to apply for a letter
of permission for an unqualified
person to teach in an element-
ary school, the directive states.
The directive, sent to region-
al directors of education, dir-
ectors of education and superint-
endents of separate schools,
states that any board applying
for a letter of permission must
provide documentary evidence
to show that a qualified person
is not available.
FOCUS:
One Moment of Time
Our camera records a child's
First Smile . . . makes an
official report on the bride's
radiance . . .
Commemorates a trio posed
for Dad's birthday surprise.
Moments like these can never be
recaptured unless they are per-
fectly preserved by HADDEN'S
STUDIO.
Your family's pictorial history
should be in qualified hands.
Contact
Hadden's Studio
GODERICH
.118 St. David St.
524-8787
Business and Professional Directory
OPTOMETRISTS
J. E. Longstaff
f
OPTOMETRIST
SEAFORTH MEDICAL CENTRE
527-1240
Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Sat-
urday a.m., Thursday evening
CLINTON OFFICE
10 Issac Street 482-7010
Monday and Wednesday
Call either office for
appointment.
Norman Martin
OPTOMETRIST
Office Hours:
9 -12 A,M, — 1:30 - 6 P.M.
Closed all day Wednesday
Phone 235-2433 Exeter
ACCOUNTANTS
Roy N. Bentley
PUBLIC ACCOUNTANT
GODERICH
P.O. Box 478 Dial 524-9521
HURON and ERIE
DEBENTURES
CANADA TRUST
CERTIFICATES
J. W. HABERER
Authorized Representative
eV% for 3, 4 and 5 Years
8%% for 1 and 2 Years
Minimum $100
DIAL 236-4346 — ZURICH
FUNERAL DIRECTORS
WESTLAKE
Funeral Home
AMBULANCE and PORTABLE
OXYGEN SERVICE
DIAL 236-4364 — ZURICH
AUCTIONEERS
ALVIN WALPER
PROVINCIAL
LICENSED AUCTIONEER
For your sale, large or small,
courteous and efficient service
at all times.
"Service That Satisfies"
DIAL 237-3300 -- DASHWOOD
INSURANCE
For Safety . .
EVERY FARMER NEEDS
Liability Insurance
For Information About All
Insurance -- Call
BERT KLOPP
DIAL 236-4988 — ZURICH
Representing
CO.OPERATORS INSURANCE
ASSOCIATION
Robert F. Westlake
Insurance
"Specializing in
General Insurance"
Phone 236-4391 — Zurich