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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Citizens News, 1972-12-21, Page 4PAGE 4 ZURICH CITIZENS NEWS THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1972 The Christ as Lights Are Shining All over Canada, the Christmas lights are shining. Blue, green, gold and red, they sparkle, their radiance displacing shadows here, highlighting them there, both within doors and without. Nothing could be a more significant symbol of this season, nor, after the shock and fear of our unhappy fall, more welcome. How we need light! Christmas, of course, can be mere escape - for some even an orgy - but for the thoughtful this returning cel- ebration of the Birth helps to restore our sanity and our humanity. Machines may be everywhere, but Christmas reminds us that it is man who makes and operates them. Laws may rule us, or try to, but it is men who make the laws. Every new thrust forward, every dream that lifts us even briefly from our sorry ruts, begins in some human heart. Here lie buried the seeds of our hope and our despair. For a few precious weeks, thank God, hope is once more ascendant. We dare believe that better and more significant tomorrows may even now be lying in the cradles of Canadian homes, as once they lay, for all men, in a Bethlehem manger. The T•°,°': o •Christmases Decrying the commercialism of Christmas has be- come a popular conversational sport. The door is hardly shut on Thanksgiving before the big stores start ushering in Christmas„ The decorations go up, sale fever sets in and the rush and the panic begin to build. Take away the Santa Claus parade, the rivalry to have the best display of outdoor lights, the biggest turkey, the most lavish presents and what is there left of Christmas anymore? Those Three Wise Men certainly didn't know what they started that night so long ago! They brought their most treasured possessions, gold, oils and spices, commodities of great importance in the trading econ- omy of the day. They gave their best as an act of worship. Whatever happened to that idea? Or to the Christ's mass of early centuries? Or the celebrations surrounding the Bishop of Asia Minor, Saint Nicholas, patron of sailors? Imported to the North American continent by the Dutch, the venerable ecclesiastic be- came Santa Claus and his day was marked as a child- ren's holiday. The changing times have brought us a long way from those celebrations and Iron' the unsophisticated family fun which marked the yule season of 50 years ago when there were skating parties, taffy pulls, carolling and parlour games. Sometimes it seems as though Christmas has degenerated into a grab and grasp season of over- spending, overeating and credit buying, an excess of tasteless, frenetic ugliness. But sometimes the decrying of commercialism is just a cop-out from the whole Christmas scene by those too uncaring or insensitive to explore and re- discover Christmas as the happy, sharing experience ft was meant to be. Christmas in the NOW? Different for sure, but is that all bad? It's up to is which of the two Christmases we celebrate. Z ;' RIC Citizens NEWS PRINTED BY SOUTH HURON PUBLISIiERS LIMITED, ZURICH HERB TURKHEIM, Publisher Second Class Mail Registration Number 1385 a�ot a ,'aPtip F�'�4 Member: � 0/11191 Canadian WeeklyNewspapers Association U Ontario Weekly Newspapers Association iR. t;Q4;r 51z cri;ption Rates: Y4.00 per year in advance in Canada; In United States and Foreign; single copies 10 cents. LIKE, WHAT'S NEW, PUSSYCAT? By Bill Smiley One of my wife's students brought in some old newspapers and I found them fascinating. FOR GOD AND HOME AND NATIVE LAND VOTE OUT THE SALOON AND THE LIQUOR STORE Thus cried the Globe of Tor- onto on October 18, 1919. It had 24 pages. Count the liquor advertisements in your today's big city newspaper. Things were not so much dif- ferent sixty-two years ago, aside from the booze question. The Irish had two front-page stories. There was "nearly a settlement on the Irish prdblem." "Hands were extended but they were never gripped,"and the Sinn Fein political prisoners were released from Mountjoy Prison as the outcome of their hunger strike. Like, what's new? START WAR ON DRUG TRAF- FIC read another headline. There was to be a $1, 000 fine for improper use of narcotics. Apparently the opponents of prohibition were scattering a leaflet purporting to show that since Ontario went dry "the use of drugs has increased to alarm- ing proportions." But the only drugs they were concerned with were those oldies, opium, cocaine and morphine. Apparently our granddads were not acquainted with pot, hash, horse and speed. Or perhaps they didn't use slang terms. Anyway, what's new? Another headline stated: LITTLE FIGHT LEFT IN REDS. The whole article revealed that the revolution in Russia was just as good as over, and the "reds" had had it. I wonder if Stalin or Kruschev read that, and what they thought.. There was an election on. The Globe, as it still does, tried to tell its readers how to vote. On page 1, there is a box, with a facsimile of the ballot, and the paper urges every read- er to vote No to every question on the referendum. About booze, that is. Every story about the election is slanted toward the tories, against the Liberals, and against booze. So, What's new, except the booze adverts? In a desperate four -column twenty -inch advert, the Liberals try to separate the political is- sues and the booze issues. Not a Hope. What's new? The rest of the front page could have been primed yester- day. Trouble all over the world. Gold -dust galore from the Yuk- on. Lloyd George carried to his university chair by students, led by a ragtime band (except that today he'd have been hum- iliated and led by a rock band). Somebody's wife, with a cert- ain lack of novelty, had pres- ented him with his third set of twins. And similar garbage. THE WEATHER. Same old jazz as we get today. "Prob- abilities: Fair weather; station- ary or higher temperature." In other words, it's going to stay miserable or improve. What's new? But the real fun of an old newspaper is the advertisements, as they are today. Even then, the auto manufacturers took a lot .of space, You had the choice among the Gray Dort, the Frank- lin, and something called the Lexington. But the copy hasn't changed much. Instead of power brakes, you had the "one -finger emergen- cy brake. " Instead of anti- freeze you had the Franklin's "Direct air-cooled. No water to boil or freeze." Wonder what happened to that one? And in- stead of the 120 per cent perf- ormance promised for today's cars, the Gray Dort ad said it would take care of 80% of a motor car's work. Wonder what happened to that copy writer. But among the names are many old, familiar ones. Mas- on & Risch. Phonographs? Kellogg's Corn Flakes. Shirriff s Marmalade. Horlick's Malted Milk. Red Rose Tea. And the all -too -familiar ads in tiny type for aids with dand- ruff, piles, underarm hair rem- over for ladies, kidney pills, liver pills, rheumatic remedies. What's new? There isn't exactly an enter- tainment section, as such, but the King Edward Hotel offered a dinner deluxe for $1.50, with music by Romanelli's orchestra. The Alexandria was presenting ROADS OF DESTINY with Flor- ence Reed. And the Princess suggested La La Lucille, with music by George Gershwin. Evenings, $2.00. Matinees, from 500. This was live theatre. At Shea's there was a nine - act vaudeville show. Prices? 25¢ to 50¢. What's new? I should tell you? And in a coloured supple- ment of the time, there are full-page ads for such things as chewing gum, Bon Ami for whitening your shoes, Borden's Milk, and Pebeco tooth -paste. Can you believe? In a recent Macleans, Canada's "nation- al magazine, " there were 126 pages of writing and just over 20 pages of liquor advertise- ments. So what's new? 0 Victoria at Grey rep: rt income Victoria and Grey Trust Company reports for its year ended October 31, 1972, a net income of $5, 322, 700 or $1.82 per common share. This in- cludes the Company's 99 equity in the earnings of its subsidiary, The Lambton Loan and Invest- ment Company and compares with a restated 1971 pet income of $3, 608, 718 or $1.20 per com- mon share after giving effect to the 2 for 1 split effected February 16, 1972. The net in- come includes gains on the sale of securities of 2 cents and 3 cents per common share in 1971. Trust deposits and guaranteed investment certificates of Vic- toria and Grey Trust totalled $622, 080, 000 at October 31, 1972, which is an increase of $111, 576, 000 from the Comp- any's position October 31, 1971. Victoria and Grey Trust's investments in mortgages in- creased by $10'7, 991,000 to $546,100, 000 during the same period. Estates, trusts and agencies reached $88, 835, 000 in 1972 against a restated $69, 521, 000 in 1971 for an increase of $19, 314, 000. Business and Professional Directory OPTOMETRISTS J. F. .Longstaff OPTOMETRIST SEAFORTH MEDICAL CENTRE 527.1240 Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Sat• urday a.m., Thursday evening CLINTON OFFICE 10 Issec Street 482.7010 Monday and Wednesday Call either office for appointment. Norman Martin OPTOMETRIST Office Hours: 9.12 A,M, — 1:30-5 P.M. Closed all day Saturday Phone 235.2433 Exeteo INSURANCES Robert F. Westlake Insurance "Specialising In General Insurance" Phone 236.4391 --. Zerlsh For Safety . . EVERY FARMER DEEDS Liability Insurance For Information CAbout All -- Insurance all BERT KLOPP I21AL 236490 — :DJ z 1efpl RopkraaantIns CO.OVECIA�+7�O�RS1 8€A7M t44r... Q3 (r�sid�iU•(glI[�f U�i-0'N'D I AUCTIONEERS PERCY WRIGHT LICENSED AUCTIONEER Kippen, Ont. Auction Sale Service that is most efficient and courteous. 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