Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Citizens News, 1971-10-14, Page 4PAGE 4 ZURICH CITIZENS NEWS The changing times! (from the Durham Chronicle) One of the few remaining daily newspapers of its size, which still published births and deaths as news items, the K- W Record, announced to its correspondents last week, that as of October 1st, this practice would be discontinued and only paid announcements of births or deaths would be published. Reasons given for the newspaper's decision, were that an in- creasing amount of editorial department time was being expend- ed on obituaries, and also that some funeral directors had indic- ated a preference for the paid announcement, as it permits the family of the deceased to insert the notice in the form it prefers. Can all this mean that people are becoming less and less important in modern day society? We can well recall some of our own experiences in reporting obituaries. As a combination "printer's devil" and "cub reporter" one of our jobs was to call at the homes of the newly -departed of the community and collect information for the obituary. A job which we frankly detested. In those days, especially in the smaller communities, the "departed" rested in the living room or a front downstairs bedroom of the home. A crepe was hung on the front door to let passersby know that a body rested within. In most cases, especially in the winter time, and it seemed that most deaths occurred in the winter time, this was the only time the front door was used. The tearful interview usually took place a few hours before the funeral, and almost invariable in the presence of the depart- ed. Frankly, we often wondered what the "family" thought of the gangling teenager barging into their home at a time like this, and asking a lot of personal questions about their departed loved one. To meet the demands of the weekly editor of the day, and to ensure a future good relationship with the family of the depart- ed, when they recovered from their grief, the obituary itself had to be a masterpiece of detail and composition. It included a biography of the departed, his birth, his education, his occupat- ion, his involvement in sports, church or lodge, community activities. Information about his parents, his brothers and sisters and rrembers of his family, his marriage, his sickness, his death etc. In addition the obit had to contain the names of family mem- bers, living and deceased, organizations and individuals giving floral tributes, the names of ministers and excerpts from their funeral sermons, along with musical numbers, organists, soloists, etc. And, oh yes, an important part of the write up was the names and addresses of all relatives and friends attending the funeral from out of town. The length of the obituary, depended on such things as life -time activities, numbers of friends or rel- atives and floral contributions ---and of course on how much information the cub reporter extracted from the bereaved ones. While it has been suggested that weekly newspapers adopt a similar policy to the dailies, any such move is far from popular, and weekly newspapers do continue to publish obituaries as news items. True times have changed, and recalling our cub reporting days, we can't say we regret it. Seldom now does the weekly reporter call on the bereaved family for information. Instead, brief factual information is usually obtained by the funeral dir- ector on a printed form, and passed on to the newspaper. True too, the long, colorful obituaries of a few decades ago may be found now, only as yellowed clippings among the pages of the family Bible. But, it's also true, friend reader, that your WEEKLY NEWS- PAPER is still interested in you ---interested in you as a person, and as such, an integral part of the community we serve. Yes, your weekly newspaper will continue to record the happy events in your life, and the sad, because your weekly paper is you, of you, by you, and for you. It's garden cleanup time once again, remind horticult- urists with the Ontario Depart- ment of Agriculture and Food. Besides caring for individual plants, clean the general gard- en area thoroughly. Cut off the tops of perennials to reduce plant diseases next year. Remove them from the garden area to prevent disease spores from overwintering and attacking new plants next spring, Remove and destroy the dead tops of annuals. Remove all leaves, weeds, and debris from the lawn before the snow falls, If left over winter, they can form a mat on the turf which tends to smother the grass. Rake up and burn the fallen leaves on rose beds. ZURICH Citizens NEWS PRINTED BY SOUTH HURON PUBLISHERS LIMITED, ZURICH HERB TURKHEIM, Publisher Second +Class Mail Registration Number 1385 4,134 Ir ti Member: New 0111111114Caaeadiart 1Meekiy Newspapers Association O tario Weekly Newspapers Association '�,.FNa> ZUkse iptiora Rates: $4.00 per year in advance in Canada; i i United States and Foreign; single copies 10 cents THINGS TO DO IF ONE YEAR TO LIVE Don't worry. Not me. I hope to live for at least two or even three years more. But I sometimes wonder what I would do if I were told that I had exactly one year to live. And I'd like you to think about what you would do. This is not a new theme, but it's always an interesting one when it comes up in fiction or philosophy or just a plain gab- fest. Let's suppose. Suppose you have been to the doctor and have learned that you have a fatal illness (make up your own mind) and will die in approx- imately one year. You won't be sick or in pain until the last hour and you'll go out quickly. How would you spend that year? What you would do would certainly reveal very clearly what sort of person you really are behind that facade that most of us wear daily. There would be the initial shock, of course. Humans have some weird idea that they are immortal, until they finally are stricken by some deadly illness. But after the shock wore off? Then we'd see a separation of the men from the boys, the sheep from the goats. Some people would become constant whiners. "Why does God have to do this to me? I've contributed to charity." And so on. Some of these would become so bitter they would turn against God, their friends and relatives. A pretty sour way to go. Some would be so depressed they would crack up mentally and become vegetables. Others would adopt a fatalistic epicureanism (if there's such a thing). "If I'm gonna go, I'tn gonna enjoy it. " They would escape into alcohol, drugs, sex; not necessarily in that order. Some people would become instant Christians or whatever. They would be filled with a terrible fear of the after -life, and would spend their twelve months on their knees, in church, and desperately doing Photography D• Children • Portraits • Weddings • COLOR or BLACK & WHITE HADDEN'S STUDIO GODERICH 118 St. David St. 52447!17 "good works" in an effort to make up for all the bad works they had done in the rest of their lives. Now, not one of us, gen- tle reader, would fall into any of those classifications. Quest- ion is, where would we fall? First decision I would make would be not to waste one sec- ond of that year. If every sec- ond in the year were used fully, the one year could be more rewarding than all the previous ones put together. Next, I would make a superb effort to love my neighbour as myself. This is a tough one. In the first place, it's extrem- ely difficult to love oneself. Most of us seem to, but many of us secretly despise ourselves, In the second place, some of us have appalling neighbours (we don't), But I'd have a good whack at it, not as a "hedge" to make sure of getting through those pearly gates, but because I believe in it. Good old love. My first action would be to divest myself of all material possessions, except a toothbrush and a few clothes. Would even get rid of my razor. The proc- eeds? I wouldn't give them to the poor. The hell with them. They can go on welfare, and it would be only a drop in the bucket anyway. And I wouldn't leave them to my family, either. They could go to work for a change. I'd quit my job, take the whole $500 of my estate in one -dollar bills, and burn them, one at a time, to the screams of anguish from on- lookers. That would be cutting THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14, 1971 the umbilical cord of the sys- tem and I'd be free for the first time in many years. Then don the knapsack, pick up the begging bowl (a wooden salad bowl) and take off. I'd see every inch of Canada I could see. And I would sav- our every sight, sound, taste, touch and smell (even whiskey - breath and onions) I could come in contact with in this most wonderful of worlds. Might die in a ditch, but what'sthe difference? How about you? Put down carefully and briefly what you think you would do with a year to live. Send it to your local editor. I'd like to reprint some of your ideas. Hey, I might even get a divorce, remarry, and make some other woman's life mis- erable for a year. Just an after- thought. 0 Cream puffs discuss milk (by Martha Neeb) The Cream Puffs of Zurich III held their third meeting at the home of the president, Diane Klopp. The discussion was on "milk and money, " and the advantages of using skim milk powder in some recipes. It is cheaper than fluid milk but just as nutritious when used in cooking and baking. Margaret and Mary Ann Groot made corn chowder while Mar- tha Neeb and Diane Klopp made peanut butter custard. Everyone enjoyed their lunch. The fourth meeting was held at the hone of Sally Dietrich, the assistant leader. "Various ways milk ca n be used in a . day's menu was discussed. Sally Dietrich and Sylvia Neeb made hamburg stroganoff and Theresa Lansbergen and Barbara Dietrich made butterscotch fudge, which was enjoyed by all. Business and Professional Directory OPTOMETRISTS J. E. Longstaff OPTOMETRIST SEAFORTH MEDICAL CENTRE 527-1240 Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Sat- urday a.m„ Thursday evening CLINTON OFFICE 10 lssac 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 Robert F. Westlake Insurance "Speciallzing In General Insurance" Phone 236.4391 — Zurich Guaranteed Trust Certificates I Year 2 Years 6% I 6170 3 & 4 Years 7% 5 Years 8% J. We I ERER ZURICH PHONE 236.4346 AUCTIONEERS PERCY WRIGHT LICENSED AUCTIONEER Kippen, Ont. Auction Sale Service that is most efficient and courteous. CALL THE WRIGHT AUCTIONEER Telephone Hensall (519)262-5515 FUNERAL DIRECTORS WESTLAKE Funeral Home AMBULANCE and PORTABLE OXYGEN SERVICE DIAL 2364364 — ZURICH ACCOUNTANTS Roy N. Bentley PUBLIC ACCOUNTANT GODERICH P.O. Box 47$ Dial 524-9521 INSURANCE For Safety . • . EVERY FARMER NEEDS Liability Insurance For Information About All Insurance — Call BERT KLOPP DIAL 236.491111 --. ZURICH Representing CO-OPERATORS INSURANCE ASSOCIATION