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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Citizens News, 1971-01-14, Page 9THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 1971 ZURICH CITIZENS NEWS PAGE NINE Did you read recently of the little fellow who carne to Mont- real from Peru and at the age of four years is able to astound the university professors with his knowledge of the arts and music? As I read this article I couldn't help but think to myself, "Poor little fellos. Only four years old and already he's got the mind of an intelligent adult. Before long he'll have all the problems and the heartaches of an adult and he'll never have known what it is to a child." I guess the reason I think like , this is because I have a four- year- old. Maybe I'm secretly jealous that my child isn't a prodigy and yet I sincerely doubt that's my motive. While it might make me some kind of a heroine to be the mother of a genius I'm willing to bet a pot of macaroni that my son is hap- pier as he is and would miss out an a great deal by being an int- ellectual. I read that story about the little Peruvian who answers questions about history, literat- ure, geography and philisophers without batting an eye and then I watched my very normal son as he struggled to recall where he left his shoes from the night before. I know my son has far less worries but does he have to be this stupid? You know, I thought my little fellow was coming along pretty well. He won't go to kindergart- St. Peter's Lutheran Church Rev. A. C. Blackwell, B.A., B.D. Pastor SUNDAY, JANUARY 17- 10:00 a.m.—Worship Service 10:45 a.m.—Sunday Church School Everyone Welcome CHRUIPMEINNIXAMINIMUSIIIIr Emmanuel United Church ZURICH Rev. John Huether, B.A., B.D., Minister Mrs. Milton Desch, Organist SUNDAY, JANUARY 17- 10:00 .a.m.—Morning Worship Messengers for Boys & Girls 11:10 a.m.-dun. Church School WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20- 8 p•m. —Congregational Annual Meeting ERINIZIONMINIMINNIMINEMZUESIONZSMUMOn Zurich Mennonite Cyril K. Gingerich, Pastor SUNDAY, JANUARY 17- 9:45 a.m.—Worship Service 10:45 a.m.—Sunday School FRIDAY, JANUARY 15- 8 p.tm. Adult Fellowship at MYF Hall Fear not! Dismiss your doubts and feelings "Stand still',' and see it through The God who fed Elijah Wdl1 do• the same for you. Everyone Welcome orareaussmesmomannesi resemesseunnewimmeseses LAKEVIEW CONSERVATIVE Mennonite Church Formerly SS 4, EAST STANLEY SUNDAY, JANUARY 17- 10:00 a.m.—Sunday School 11:00 a.m.—Worship Service 8:00 p.m,—Evening Service Every Wednesday Evening — 8:00 p.m.—Bible Study and Prayer Meeting We invite you to worship with us POOR LITTLE FELLOW en until September and already he can recite the alphabet, write his name, count to 50, do some simple number facts and cut and color with admirabl dexterity, Now I find another lad of the same age is dazzling the educ- ators with his wisdom and the handiwork of my lad looks dul- ler and duller. Where did I fair. Reading on on the story, I find the little genius has a two- year-old brother who plays clas- sical music on the piano. My son is two years older and can only make deafening noises on that infernal set of toy drums he received form Santa Claus. Surely being the mother of a child prodigy would be easier on my sensitive eardrums. And then I note that the father of these unusual boys is a pian- ist -composer. Well, that expl- ains it. My husband can play God Save The Queen with one Shirley Keller finger on the piano (if you give him enough time) and about the only thing he has ever comp- osed is a bad brew of homemade wine which still sits in the base- ment awaiting the right moment for uncapping. If you have to be a genius (or near genius) to produce a genius, there is little wonder that our children are just ordin- ary kids with their share of ord- inary problems and difficulties. I really wonder if I would want it otherwise. I note from the article about the Peruvian child that he learned everything he knows about the arts and music from a five month reading bout with a multitude of books. It is bad enough to drag my kids away from a television to get them into bed at night at a reasonable hour, Think what it would be like to have to pull your son's nose out of a text book about metaphysics so that The International Scene (by Raymond Canon) The other day somebody brou- ght a bill to me and asked me what is meant, "The Bank of Canada will pay to the bearer on demand five dollars." Five dollars in what? That is a good question and I had to explain that this statement is an anach- ronism, and really doesn't mean anything, since we are no long- er on the gold standard. This brings the next question. What's the gold standard? It is at this point that I am not as ancient as sometimes I feel, because I don't remember what it was like when the gold standard was in force. However, my economics teachers in Switzerland made sure that I learned all the ins and outs of it, so here, for those who are as ignorant as I was, is what the gold standard is all about. Basically it used to be a mone- tary system which allowed any holder of money who lived in one of the countries on the syst- em to exchange the money for gold at a fixed price. They could do this at any time they wanted, and $5 gold pieces used to be a special present on a boy'. birthday or at Christmas. This system worked between countries as well. You could, for example, buy gold in Can- ada at a fixed rate, ship the golc to some other country and have it exchanged there for the cur- rency of that country. It was in the field of foreign trade that the system was sup- posed to work most efficiently. The amount of gold which a country held wai closely tied in with its money supply, and if a country had an excess of imports over exports, this excess could be paid for by shipping gold to the countries concerned. This would, in theory, reduce the country's money supply, which in turn would result in a lower- ing of prices. This decline in prices would tempt foreigh countries to buy more, which meant that, at the same time that the people could buy less, because of the reduced money supply, foreigh countries could start buying more. Gold would start flowing into the country and trade would, in effect, be brought into balance. The gold standard never work- ed quite that smoothly but it was the most efficient way at the time. What wrecked the system was the First World War when a great deal of gold was shipped to the United States for safe keeping. The European countries simply couldn't afford to pay for the war without res- orting to an increase in the money supply. The United States had far more gold than usual, but didn't want to incre- ase their money supply for fear of inflation. The net result of all this was that, at the end of the war, the nations who had been on the gold standard, never did get back on the standard. For some unexplainable reason, the little note that the bank would ex- change paper money for gold remained on the bills, although no bank would ever do this. The new $20 bills do not have that statement, and so the last vestige of the gold standard has disappeared. he could have an afternoon nap. It would be something like ask- ing the chief engineer at Ford to stop what he's doing to play marbles! Embarrassing to say the least, and just how do you justify it? Frankly, I'm happy with things just as they are at my house. My kids may never startle anyone with their great brains but then I don't have to go through this business of being totally inferior to them. Believe me, it is bad enough with norm- al kids. You really begin to wonder when it was you becam( so doggone dense. Imagine what it would be like if you really knew you didn't hold a candle to them as far as brain- work was concerned. I still say the little Peruvian is in for a rough life despite his tremendous mind. I'm glad my son lets me do the reading and is growing up with an ordin- ary kind of understanding mech- anism, He may even be better adjusted because of it. We have a Limited Supply OF SEED CORN STILL AVAILABLE!! HENSALL DISTRICT (0 -OPERATIVE HENSALL I3RITCEFIELD ZURICH 262-2608 482-9823 236-4393 THE MAN IY/JODOfS'X'd GQ/PE4BOvr rA.VEs g: -s eime-RAWFUL RMCNN, OR AwFUL POOR... 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