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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1939-03-24, Page 7..11ARC •• ' Postboys of Old Erg land One hundred and fifty million let- ters a week, and hardie'ever a hitch! For this amazing record our thanks are due to an 'lengejeamen who, a hun- dred years ago with a stroke of his pen ended' the absurdly high charges previously put on letteascarryieg and brought in the penny Postage. That man was Rowland' 'Hill, whose bill to reduce the postal rate obtained royal assent on July 17, 1839. Actually, British postal services came Into bedingeduring King John's miserable reiga-1199 to 1216 -but they catered' for Royal Dispatches' on- ly. The mail -Coated horsemen who carried these precious documents up and down the country to the nobles' castles, were styled "King's Messen- gem" Today, if you addressed 'a King's Messenger, entrusted with vital diplo- matic or Foreign Office correspond- ence, as "Postman," he would be pro- foundly shocked. Yet that isall this name once implied. With King Henry VIII on the throne Sir Brian 'Puke, who held the office of "Mester of the King's Posts,' en- gaged red-cheeked, sturdy • limbed boys for this tservice. At that time, and throughout Queen Elizabeth's 'reign, post .boys were available for the use of royalty only, or for those courtiers' in royal. favor. Queen Bess's Orders Queen Elizabeth scoffed at the idea' of allowing the common people to communicate with each other by let - iter. "Are they so lazy that they can- not ride to greet each other?" she asked. At her commands the luckless post - boy was bidden, to ridS in summer at the rate of seven miles an hour. and in winter et the rate of five.Ho was also charged to "blow his horn, so oft as he meets companie, or pas,. seth through any towne, or at least thrice in every mile." Pity the lad! Not only had he to gallop over miry and rutted track, the mud in winter -time enveloping his horse's knees, but he rode always in peril of prowling ,highwayman and cut -purse. His master, moreover, chivvied, bullied, and goaded him re- lentlessly. In "Merrie England's" heyday, phrases such as "Haste, Poste, Haste!" or "Ride villain, ride, for thy life, for thy life!" were freely scrawled on packages. As late as 1715, Scotland hadn't even one horse -riding post -boy, but relied on runners tOcoavey the mails,' ileet-footed lads who, however, were often waylaid by robbers in glen and. cerrie 'while loping their way over mountain tracks with their bulky mes- sengers' bags swinging from their shoulders. The First Mail Coach For scampering with mails from In- vernees to Loobicartene-a 50 -mile irtvetc-12 over craggy bill paths, in Mist and storm alike -and braving 'high- waymieni who haunted tits borders, the doughty boy runner was paid five s.hil- lin,gs a week, which in his eyes seela- ed a fortune. Entirely devoid of sympathy for these lads was John Palmer, proprie- tor of the Bath Theatre and after- wards Compteolier-General of the Post Office, who scathingly said it was shameful for the nation to entrust its correspondence "to some idle boy without character, mounted on a worn out hack." Under his direction, the first mail coach in' Britain's postal his - LONDON and WING HAM NORTH A.M. Exeter 10.39 Hensall 10.46 Kippen 10.52 13rucefield 11.00 Clinton 11.47 Londeaboro 12.06 }Myth 12.16 Be'grave 12.27 Wingham 12.45 SOUTH P.M. Winghafn 1.60 Belgrave 2.06 Blyth 2.17 Landesboro 2.26 Clinton 3.08 Brucefleld 4 3.28 Kippen 3.38 Bewail 3.45 Exeter 3.58 C.N.R. TIME TABLE EAST A.M. P.M. Coderleh 6.35 2.30 Holmesville 6.50 2.62 Clinton 6.58 3.00 Seaforth 7.11 3.16 St. Columban 7.17 3.22 Dublin 7.21 3.29 Mitchell 7.30 3.41 W EST Mitchell 11.06 9.28 Dublin 11.14 9.36 Seaforth 11.30 9.47 Clinton 11.45 10.00 Goderieh 12.05 10.26 C.P.R. TIME TABLE 'EAST Goderielt Menset McGaw Auburn Math Walton McNaught Toronto, Torohia 8.30 IVIeNtuight 12.08 Walton 12.13 Math 12,23 Auburn 12.32 McGaw 12.40 Menset 12.46 Goderteh 12.55 WEST P.M. 4.20 4.24 4.33 4.42 4.b2 .06 .16 9.00 A.M. tory lift Bristol for London on Aug, 2, 1784. Success instantly crowned this 'mature, and then began the era of frenzied) road competition, encoun- ters with masked highwaymen and' re- cord-breaking journeys. Those passen- ger* Who travelled, on, mail coaches were guaranteed a plateful of advena tare! "Coachman!" cried an outside traVeller, as the vehicle pounded over a mountainous road, "have you no consideration for our lives . a n d limbs?" "What are your lives and limbs to me?" was the crisp reply. "I'm be- hind my time." Scarlet and Gold Braid • Thanks to a first-rate system of 'relays, the coach mails thus took a better from Loudon to Edinburgh, a distance of 900 miles, in 45% hours, in contnasit with the six whole days needed by the snail -crawling post -boy mail to complete the same journey. It was a romantic city scene when, each evening, the black -ribbed coach- es, with guttering oil lamps, paraded at their central termini, their bewhis- kered drivers' magnificently attired in beaver hats and scarlet uniforms with lashings of gold braid, and rumbled out into the darkness, not caring a rap for Dick Turpint or roads notor- ious for their pot-holea and bumps. How crazily they went, frequently chreering along et 10 and even 12 mites an hour. Meantime, independent of the pub- lic post., many industries and towns -an their own private services man- aged for the. most part, by sareesi business men. Among the most rn- iable of these private posts was that founded by Peter Williamson, In Ed' •inburgle As a boy of ten, 'this pin - leer hadebeon kidnapped, and sold as a Slave to work on an American plan- ation. 'But back 'he came, undaunt- ed, to the Scotch capital, to start a Penny post there in .1777, which ylekl- edsuch fat profits that twenty years later when the Government seized control of it, Williamson was award- ed an official pension of £25 a year. Then, just as dramatically as it had blossomed forth, the old burly -burly, exciting mail' coach life; so beloved by Dickens, petered out. The new fangled' railways, in a night almost, ,stole its thunder and it was their Peed, safety and reliability, togetheh with their cheap economic power, that allowed Rowland Hill to put forward is revolutionary scheme, thus ending all rival postal services, stabilizing charges, and, incidentally, driving the highwayman off the heath. An Adventure In Human Dividends Throughout England, as, in other nations, there are many adventures in happy relationships between capi- tal and. labor. Numerous employers have undertaken to provide their workers with satisfactitone beyond the mere rate of pay and hours of la- bel.. Nowhere is this trend more pro- nounced than in the collieries, where Governnnent and employers alike show new enlightenment in their concern that the miners shall be happy above ground. And the A s hi n.gton Coal Company Is typical of such social pro- gressiveness. Consider a town of 30,000 people, all ,of whom depend Upon the coal pits or a living. They live in. senried rows Of houses, many of which have no gardens. And up to 1920 the facilities afford- ed these men and boys for playing outdoor games consisted of one small cricket field and -a football ground. What did. the majoilly do for recrea- tion? Chiefly they assembled at eor- ner-entiS and geetliiiined,'or they went after rabbits. The men spent most of their evenings at the clubs, which, in the majority of cases, were mere drinking dens. The development of welfare work In industry altered all this. The Ash- ngton Coal Company was asked to experiment with a welfare scheme. It was a purely private affair spon- sored by the directors of the company who financed it, gave all the land needed, and erected the necessary buildings. in 1921, the National Min- ers Welfare Fund was established, but the Ashington recreational scheme has remained the private concern of the company, receiving no assistance from the National Fund. Why start with games? Because the foundation of industfial welfare schemes in places as primitive as a mining town 20 years ago would be best laid in the provision of adequate recreati on a I facilities, particularly among the young people. Nowhere Can the team spirit be inculcalted. so rapidly and successfully as on the playing fields, "Playing the game" and "Playing for the side" thave passed into pro- verbs, but. their applicability to the problems of the day has not lessened with age. It may be that the bottling up of energies, mental and physteal, which, in ,youth at all events, should find a natural outlet in 'outdoor recreation, has resulted in that warped outlook on' life which has seemed' to isolate the extermiet and set his hand against everybody. And quite a number of juvenile delinquencies may be attri- buted' to a Tack of opportunity ler the free' use of youthful vigor in outdoor sports and pastimes. Ashington Started with a football !eagle, with divisions for men and boys. 'lilitie met with such response that 25 teams were organized. To- day, football is still the m,oel popular game, and the Ashington League still functions with three di- visions and about 27 teams. Cricket was added and tennis' start- ed; and, in turn, hockey and rugby football. There are now about 70 acres of laid -out playing malteds in four centers, comprising 13 football pitches, 4 cricket and hockey grounds, and 35 tennis courts. Today, games are as important to Ashington as to any other more fav- ored community in England. Today, the playing fields are ablaze with col- or from the blazers of the different sports groups. Very different from the drab picture before '1920. When the cricket team was started in the Welfare Department, one of the earlier matches Was a few miles away, and it was intimated to the boys that they should dress in white flannels before going out to the ground. "Ho'way," said one of the lads., "do ye fancy we're daft? "They'll think we're guising." ("Guising" is the word for dressing -up at Christmas). But 'they finally dressed their' game in white. The Welfare Sports Club has a membership of about 3,600 and as a rule there are more players than spec- tators. On three of the grounds, in- stitutes, have been erected and two of them have well-equipped. gymnas- iums with a properly qualified physi- cal training instructor. Indoor games such es badminton, "table tennis and' darts are popular, There are twenty- two teams in the table tennis league. 'Membership in' the Sports Club, which means participation in every game and recreational activity provid- ed, if desired, costs 2.d. per week. In 1922, Ashington installed a can- teen. Now there are six. They do not provide a large number of full meals. Most of the men live close to their work and can' easily get home for meals. Surface workers who live at any distance, however, bring their own food, which is warmed for them. Perhaps the most useful function of the canteens is performed at night. Prior to their existence, thousands of men and boys either began or fin- ished their work during the night, and it can be imagined what work was entailed on the part of the women by the necessary meals and washing required by their men folk. Now those who wish may take their food to the canteen:. After cleaning up at the pithead baths, they can go home to bed- without disturbing the household, The first baths at Ashingten were erected in 1924. The money accruing from the Miners National Fund has been spent by the Ashington joint committees solely in the provision of pithead baths, of which there are four installations, in a swimming bath, in a technical school, and in an extension to the local hospital. The Ashington Collieries Magazine, which has a considerable circulation, national and even international, as well as local, is in no sense a public- ity organ but is a works' magazine. Begun in January, 1921, the maga- zine's function is mainly to co-ordin- ate all the welfare activities of Ash- ington Collieries. Most of the maga- zine copy is contributed 'locally. The Ashington Coal Company in 1920 granted a building and facilities for a continuation school, which should accommodate about 120 of its boy werkers..liThese were selected ac- cording to ability and character and quite irrespective.,.' of their fathems' positione. Each pupil goes to school on two days a week, drawing full wag- es for those days. The course, which is nonvocational, lasts for three years and those who do well, are assisted to pursue a further course of study with the idea of fitting themselvesfor of - theist positions with the company. The company owns quite a few miles of coastline, and facilities have been afforded then and their families for cheap camping. , Bungalows' and tents are available for hire. Dining the stoppages of work which occurred for 14 weeks in 1921 and for seven months' in 1926, all the wel- fare activities were allowed to go on, although no contributions were forth- coming during 'those: periods, and the magazine was distributed free of charge. When the mere returned to wank no arrears' were asked for. "Olf, I expect, they'll be all eight' They took plenty of food with them when they left the inn. They won't come to much ham."--Newepaner We know those alleged sandwiches, -Humorist. elate leieetett eiaaaaaaaeaaiefae.. In the Garden Variety Variety may well be the spice of life but it is also the thing that makes gardening so interesting. Not even in landscape painting is' there such a wealth of cater at one's command. And gardening does not end with col- our. There are varying hues impossible to describe, three are different tex- tures, heights, seasons' of blooming. In the tiniest plot one can have an enormous range. By adding a few stones and easing up on the ihos, in one cornier one may have a rock gar- den; by excavating a hole, lining with concrete or by merely sinking a crock flush with the surface of the soil, lo! we leave a lily pool. One can do wonders with flowers alone, but still more amazing results will follow where we combine flowers skilfully with grass, winding walks, shrubbery and bits of 'stone work. In this combining, however, 'we must take care not to reproduce a jungle. Flowers and shrubbery must not be so crowded, that they become spindly and weak. Little flowers must not be hidden bytall things like full-size marigolds, cosmos or zinnias. Beds must be so arranged that we can keep down weeds and remove fading foliage. Above all, we must remember that unless we are very skillful, it is best to use a fair amount of lawn as a foreground for our flowers. Lawns are almost vital in creating garden pictures. Intensive In the average 'private vegetable garden one has about the most in- tensive form of agriculture it is pos- sible to develop. The smaller the amount of space available the more intensive is or should be that produc- tien. , eget% For instance, in the large farm gar- den', where an acre or two may be 411.' 'f41,q feePlakialtr aatpakato:partalt,:1;'11:twiet4'.0174°41110d:1!.1400, andl" PhelaVtatlf::4 .1e817e0i6eF%°:14011%,A1:,4414' temente% We bane two arepai certain things like radialt Pi a allagle season, and we ;pugh geowth quickly with fertilizer, carefully apPliedt Shrubbery and,f lowers In the general platy the taller shrubs, such as the common spirea, honeysuckle, forsythia, syringe, or li- lac are placed farthest beak. In front go the smaller shrubs, like the barberry, in different shades of foli- age, the low spar,ee.s, the deutzia or similar things that never exceed three or four feet in height at maturity; In this class, too, will come many of the pereaindal flowers, ids, phlox, peon- ies, plants of 'medium height and, which like all perennials when once Planted and established, will come up each year and flower with very little further attention. Vines Where the garden is hedged around with fences or walls, vines will come into the picture. These are obtainable in both perennial and annual assortment and they come in the self -clinging type such as Boston Ivy and Virginia Creeper or those Like the climbing roses., cleinatie, Dutch- man's Pipe and Trumpet vine, which are best given support. Even the most attractive stone wall is improv- ed by the addition of a vine. There is a mistaken notion that clinging vines will harm masonry. In England where houses and churches have ,areen so covered for centuries, such an opinion is ridiculed. On stone or brick or stucco walls, they will do no damage and their foliage keeps out oppressive heat in summer because the wall is always in the shade. Nursery Stock Shrubbery, fruit trees, roses, and vines come under the general head- ing of nursery stock. Like seed it is important to secure such stock from a reputable source and one that is familiar and caters to Canadian con- ditions.. Good stock is pliable, green and shows plenty of live buds. Roots are moist and well wrapped to exclude the air. Such will grow readily when planted. Brittle wood, wrinkled buds or none at all and exposed. dry roots are an indication of inferior, usually cheap stock. If it grows at all it will take years to make a real show- ing. Nursery stock should be planted as soon. as the soil is fit towork and if purchased before this time or df in- convenient to plant, roots should be temporarily covered with moist earth or plants should' be stored in a cool dark cellar and roots kept moist. NEXT WEEK - Garden,. screens, soil hints, first vegetables. IT IS EASY et Results TO BUY OR SELL Position Wanted. Help Wanted House to Rent Coming Events Farm For Sale Live Stock For Sale Grain For Sale Personal TELEPHONE 41 with HURON EXPOSITOR Classified Ads. A Classified Ad in The Huron Ex- positor will get you what you want or have, to buy or sell "out from under the bushel basket." Us- ing The Huron Expositor's classified columns is the most direct and inex- pensive method of making Wants known. Our rates are only 1 cent a word (less for more than one inser- tion). All you need to do is pick"up your phone and call 41. • THE HURON EXPOSITOR McLEAN BROS., PUBLISHERS Established 1860 • t, When You Require Letterheads Envelopes. 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