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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1939-12-15, Page 2rry ,.J it M1 45 t,; DECEMBER 15, 1939. 'Huron Expositor Established 1860 Keith McPhail McLean, Editor. iablished at Seaforth, Ontario, ev- e Thursday afternoon by McLean Eros, Subscription rates, $1.50 a year in advance; foreign, $2.00 a year. Single copies, 4 cents each. SEAFORTH, Friday, December 15. DoingTheir Best These are perilous times. We are at war and don't know much about We don't know what Germany may do, or try' to do. We don't know what is in Russia's mind. We hope the submarine menage has been ov- ercome, and that the British block- ade will prove a speedy success, but we don't know much about that either. All of which tends to form anxiety in people's minds and spread a feel- ing of depression over the land. But things are not as bad as they might be, and often have been in other wars. There is really no cause for depression, and anything that light- ens the shadow is doing a fine work in our midst. If you look about you, you will see that every Main Street -in the Prov- ince is fighting this feeling of war depression, and instilling in every mind the Christmas spirit instead. - In this the Main Streets are doing their part and doing it well too. It is hard to keep the mind feeding on war and rumors of war when every- where one is faced with Christmas trees, Christmas lights, Christmas decorations and the prospect of good Christmas cheer. No doubt it causes the Main Streets a lot of work and costs them a ,lot of money as well, but if they only knew how much sunshine they were bringing into a cold dark world we don't believe they world be- grudge either. In fact, we don't be- lieve they do anyway. • Boards of Education Boards of Education which com- bine the functions of Public School and Collegiate Institute Boards are not, by any means, new in Ontario, although they have largely existed in the larger centres of population. There are, however, some excep- tions. Fergus, for instance, which is the largest village in Canada, has had a Board of Education for up- wards of seventy years. Collingwood, a good sized town, has had one for thirty years, and there are many other places of varying size and pop- ulation who prefer that system of directing their educational affairs. The newest recruit to the combin- ed Board system is our neighboring town of Clinton, which at the munici- pal elections of last week, voted by a very substantial majority to form a Board of Education to replace the two former Boards which had 'exist- ed. Just why the two Board System of governing came into existence is not bard to visualize. In the early days of settlement few villages and towns had other than a public school, with its attendant board of trustees, and that was as far as education extend- ed to the rank and file among the youth of that day. With changing times and large in- creases in population, however, a higher system of education was deemed desirable, which led to the fol matioxn' of high schools and Col- legiate Institutes. Apparently, at that time, it never occurred to the ratepayers of these communities to enlarge their public schools suffici- ently to house this new system of higher education. Rather was this gher education looked upon as a separate and distinct form of educa- tion, which necessarily required ..not only separate buildings, but separ- ate boards to govern them. And it has been that way ever since. But there is another way of look- ing at it, Why are public schools and !Collegiate Institutes looked upon as -ftwe distinct forms of education, When as a, matter of fact, a boy or g r ys edtteationJroxn the kindergar- ten to matriculation is a single irse 7 And if a single course, why 'cO;e Mty. of tWe separate school t*o separate board's of kere is this to contend Cit tion of .an =alga-, mated system of school buildings. The two schools are already built and in operation, and to discard them and build a new school •which would accommodate both, could only be done at a prohibitive cost to the rate- payers. There is, however, no such ob- stacle placed against a system of am- algamation of the two school boards. When two separate boards with two separate overheads are each expend- ing:the public money, there is bound to be additional expense to the rate- payers, an additional expense that is not at all justified by the return it brings. But established customs are hard to break. We complain of hard times and high taxes, and very justly too, but when /a community has an op.- portunity`of reducing the taxes, and at the same time improving the stan- dtard of education, the possibility is that personal propaganda combined with indifference or the fear of mak- ing a change, will defeat the ends of progress every time. • Make Baste Slowly We noticed the other day that out of a total of thirty-eight Norfolk County residents, who had applied for naturalization papers, twenty- eight had been accepted as Canadian citizens. Of those accepted, eleven were Hungarians, four Belgians, three Polish, three Austrians, two Ruman- ians, two Slovakians and one Ger- man. Canada, of course, has living room for many millions of new citizens, but just the same the test of citizen- ship, particularly at this time, should be a very severe one. We have too many of the undesirable kind now without adding to their number. Nor •is there any objection to a European born individual becoming a Canadian citizen. But there are European countries and European countries, and the native born of some have neither the mentality nor the moral fibre that are found in the native born of others. At best, all are different from our Anglo-Saxon and other first pion- eers. So different, in fact, in their ways of living, views, of govern- ment and in their understanding of . the responsibilities and duties of our citizenship, that it often requires years of residence in Canada before they can, as it were, be born again. But if a man comes to us from any foreign country with no other inten- tion than that of making this' his Permanent home ; of !learning our ways and abiding by our laws, it is only right that he should be granted citizenship. That is the kind we wel- come, but, unfortunately in the past, we have welcomed far too many of another kind. Fortunately the granting of citi- zenship is not a political privilege, but Iies solely in the hands of the Canadian Judiciary, and Canadian Judges are very impartial, independ- ent and competent observers of hu- man 'qualities and can, at this time, be trusted to make haste slowly in the matter of adding to our popula- tion, foreign or otherwise. 7 1•• ' Could You Believe It ? Looking about you to -day and see- ing the thousands of cars that travel our country roads, and the speed at which they travel, could you believe that just thirty-five years a g o an automobile on a country road was just as much condemned and un- popular as a horse and buggy with or without a light at night, is on our roads to -day? But, nevertheless, that was the. situation, and was a situation which called forth endless discussion and condemnation at the hands of our municipal and county councillors. In fact the county council of Mid- dlesex went so far as to pass a un- anitnous resolution to petition the Ontario Legislature to amend the Act which regulated the speed of automobiles on township roads so as to give county councils the power of settling such spend limits. One councillor gaid that the high rate of speed at which automobiles were run --they were not just cars then --was exceedingly dangerous. That although they were not allow- ed to run in London and other cities at a greater speed than ten miles an hour, and the Act fixed the speed at fifteen miles in the country, they of- ten went at double that speed. Another councillor went so far as Years Agone hitea ve:leg items picked front The Expositor of fat,, mad twenty -Arne rears ago. 'From The Huron Expositor December 25, 1914 The American Road ,Machine Co., of Godenich, has received an order from the Government for over a hun- dred army Wagons The order will total about $15,000. The new Salvation Army Barracks in Seaforth eras formerly opened on Sunday last. The cost was about $2,500 and we understand the whole has been phid. The halo' was filled to capacity. Mr. James Beattie presid- ed and the various churches in town were represented, while Revs. Brown, Larkin and Barber occupied seats on the platform. M. Matthew Thompson, of Hen- sali, was in town a few days, ago and has jest returned from Scotland, where he had spent the summer. He says there is less excitement and tallk about the war in Scotland than in Candie Mr. Thos. Pierce, of McKillop, was kicked by one of ids cows on Mon- day and .had his leg broken. In the doll contest for the large and beautiful doll offered by Mr, Mil- ton Ortwein at . Hensall, for the one having the most votes, the little daughter of Mr. Charles Farquhar, of HiIIsgreen, was the winner, craving 30,000. The s'econri was Mr. Dioinde's daughter and Dr, Malloy's daughter was third. At a recent meeting of Court Sher- wood Ancient Order of Forresters in Seaforth, the following nnen ibers were elected to office for the current year: W. D. Hogg, Chief Ranger; J. T. Fell, Sub -Chief Ranger; Ed. Daley, treas.; E. L. Box, secretary; G. Fraser, Sen- ior Warden); A. Stobie, Junior War- den; George Reeves, Senior Beedle; A Daley, Junior BeedIe; Dr. J. G. Scott, Court Physician. On cine day last week the tax col- lector in Brussels took in over $6,- 000. There was only $330 left to col- lect. The boys of Clinton are giving a big ten -cent show in the Town Hall, in that town on• Christmas night. Howick township had the distinc- tion of giving more produce than any other township in the county and with considerable less expense. • From The Huron Expositor December 20, 4889 A meeting was held in Duff's Church, McKillop, on Friday to es- tablish a branch of the Woman's For- eign Mission Society. Mrs. George .Hableirk was elected' president of this branch. Mos. T. Flair, of Clinton, con- ducted the meeting. Mr. Hugh Ross, of the Leadbury Line, shipped a car load of very line Iambs to Buffalo last week. The Grand, Trunk Railway Com- pany is putting in a fine new bridge about three-quarters of a mile south of-Henselt. Mr. and .Mrs. William Muir, . of 'Os- borne, have moved to near Oil Springs in Laanbton County. They will be much. massed and especially Mr. Moir, from Carmel Church choir, Hensall. Mr. 1. Bowerman, of Exeter, was enjoying a day's sport last Saturday with this eon, C. Bowerman, teacher of No. 8, Grey. They bagged a part- ridge and ?oar rabbits. Miss Lottie Lattimer, daughter • of Ed. Latti•mer, who secured a first class grade 'C' certificate last sum- mer, has been engaged as assistant teacher in Elora High School. Mr. Harry Beattie has accepted a situa- tion in the Brantfond Collegiate Insti- tute. Mins Cecelia Calder, of Grey Township; has secured a school in the neighborhoods of Blyth for next year. Mr. D. D. Wilson entertained the teachers of the Collegiate Institute and the Board of Trustees at a social supper at his residence .last Friday evening in his usual 'hospitable and open-hearted style. Mr. Snaith, of the Broadfoot & Box Furniture Company, left here Wed- nesday for Brandon., where he takes charge of the business there. Mr, John Irwin has •purchased the farm of Mr. S. Burrows on the 13th Mr. Osborne, of Clinton, was lifting board off a hand car the other day when a bar of iron dropped on his foot, breathing several bones. to say that the only cure for the automobile danger was their total prohibition, be- cause he did not believe it was in the interests of the public that they should be allowed to run on the roads promiscously. And another expressed the firm belief that automobileswere a curse to the country and the day would soon come when they would be driven out of existence. Pretty strong language that, but., not nearly as strong as would be used to- day against the man who would limit his gait to fif- teen miles an hour on our country roads or against the man who would tempt Prov- idence rovidence by driving along the same roads at night, with a horse and buggy. Time has a way of effect- ing changes, but in the last thin years or so, there is no, c ange so great as that which has been effected in the speed of transportation on our country. roads. Phil Osifer of •. • Lazy Meadows • (By Harry. J. Boyle) • • WINTER MORNING What could be grander than a win- ter morning? It's' true that a great many folks grumble about the winter and the fact that the county doesn't keep the .. concession roadie open for cars, but just the same they must en- joy a morning such as this was. There was a fine white blanket cov- ering the bleakness of the earth and shingled roof of the barn and topping the stack in the barnyard, so that it resembled a, monster toadstool out of a fairy tale. Suchansuch, our Collie pup, went romping down the laneway, and with a burst of speed, sent the gossipy odd bene fleeing from where they had. been standing rather be- wildered that "their scratching ground was covered by a silken white cov- er. The air was clean and fresh and the great blossoms' of white snow that were tumbling down so lazily grazed your cheek and half melting slid off down to the ground. Smoke frown the kitchen chimney went dodg- ing slowly upward as if evading the smothering fall ,f the snowflakes, A slithering rush of snow toppled from the barnyard gate estI opened it and plumped down into the feathery bed afforded by the snow blanket on the ground. Across the Big Meadow there came loud and clear the strand of Neigh- bor Higgins as he shouted instruc- tions about feeding the .calves to his hared want. Down the gully behind his barn ran the younger boys, find- ing the snow to the right constitu- ency for ammunition they had a full sized war already under way, and their war whoops ,echoed and re-ech- oed, a happy and glorious welcome to the winter that may or may not stay with us. The wheelbarrow that I had care- lessly left behind on the night before was a weird looking contrivance cush- ioned with snow. Grunter, the dis- contented parker, as usual having managed to escape her pen, was wan- dering down around the far end of the baanyard completely bewildered by the snow that had covered her favorite mud hole. Tabby, our feline mouser, rose lux- uriantly from her bed among a pile of horse blankets as I opened the door, hopped ,dbwa to the floor, yawn- ed sleepily and arched her back for the customary moaning scratching ex- ercise. The horses stamped in their stalls, the cattle moved restlessly waiting for their rations. But it was peaceful and comfortable as if even the Stock sensed the quietening effect on the earth that first real fall of slow brings. Then back to breakfast I went and to the cozy kitchen. --where the slivery sticks of hard'w'ood, that caused so much muscular exertion to be pre- pared and stowed away in the wood- shed, were shedding out dry 'heat that chases the chill of morning from my bones. Then down the road from my chair at the kitchen table, I sa'w that first hearse and cutter, and actually raced to the front door and threw it open to hear the merry "jing jong" of the first cutter bells of the year. I can't understand why so many people complain about winter. They start in late fall worrying about how soon the snow will come. When it daIIies as it did this year then they worry about winter edging Spring out altogether. When 'winter actually does come they worry about when the roads will be blocked and start wholesale agitation to have the coun- ty plow out the concession roads. Winter never was intended as a time for grumbling. I believe it was given to farmer folk in compensation for their hard summer work. They were to enjoy to the fullest the com- panionsthip of arm -chair chats before a blazing fire, sleigh' rides over vir- gin white road's, pleasant parties with the neighbors, the happiness of Christmas time . . . and above all that gentle peace that seems to des- cend on the earth on the first morn- ing when you awake to find snow blanketing the ground, :JUST A SMILE OR TWO Some people's idea of having a cus is making a show bf themsel • cir- ves. 'Va- nes and Frew "How do you afford such long cations?" "Easily. One month on the sa and, eleven on the rocks." "Movies are educational." "Yes, I took my wife to one she learned that she needed dresses." Son: "What is meant by the bone of contention, Pop?" Pop:, "I'd say it was the jaw bone, son." • Professor: "Give me the name of the largest diamond?" Student: "The ace." • "Is the head of the house in, son- ny?" "No, sir. There's nobody home but Dad and mea" Finland and Russia : AContrast (By June A. Mayer)• • • • Oa the desk before me lies a :•e- celipted hotel hill from the Hot el Kamp in Hels•ingfors. It recalls a series of experiences which are fresh in my memory today. On my way to Finland, I crossed the border from Leningrad — that border where we were so thoroughly searched both incoming and outgo• ing, when a,Ll curtains were hastily pulled down and rolled up, mirrors and pictures were taken fray the wails, and cushion, seats as el] as baggage were taken out and examin- ed with minute care. The very trains marked the difference between the two countries. '.The Russian train was antiquated and upholstered in leather none too clean, but the same class in the Finnish tnain had rest- ful green 'plush and smelled fresh and newly swept. From a fair acquaintance with tare two totalitarian nations, Germany and Russia, I can say that the great dif- ference between their system of government and that of democracies Ties in 'their lack of consumers' goods. • They promise, of course, more than can be obtained under less cen- tralized economic control, but prac- tical observation forces me to con- clude that whatever their intentions, totalitarian governments have Attie time to devote to consumers' goods because more pressing matters, suoh as i'n'ternal control and, military needs, persistently claim their energies. The size of the Finns' Little coun- try gives no indication of the shock- ingly dds'pro,portionat.e level of pros- perity which the visitor remarks be- tween it and Russia, Russia has in- calculable mineral wealth; Finland' has only her trees'. Russia has fifty times Finland's populatuon• available for industrial work, yet the, striking difference between the t*o neighbor- ing countries is the far higher stand- ard of living which has been d'evel'op- ed in the smaller one. The things' whish struilk me most forcibly after my arrival in Helsin.g- fors were, first, the country's name, Suomi (swamp), for in Finland the. name of Finn is used only in describ- ing the people and their coin,- the Finnmark; then the darkness, which conies early, for at three in the af- ternoon, dusk was already with Us and the downtown.' Rights bad begun to twinkle. But of all the changes the most noticeable was the presence of well-to-do ,pennons' of riper years. Having just left Leningrad and Mos- cow, where the only older folk I re- called were a group of nondescripts cleaning a Leningrad; tee -covered street, rush browns in hand, Finland's prosperous residents brought me back to my senses. My world did exlst after all! Here as in the Unit- ed States, were many fine fur coats 'n the shop winches, and on the streets •were matured, dignified men and • women• wearing similar fur ts,, or. • the men often a broad fur collar, The Janie Tor coat Pod, seen in Russia, aside from my own, was a gray squirrel worn by an elaborately dressed Negro woman's Mose ow. ,had missed the prosperous mtiddle-ag ed class more than at first appeared possible. The well-being of these sil- very -haired Finnish people could not be mistaken. The shop windows along Nevsky Prospect in Leningrad had made a dreary impression upon me. Nearly twenty years had gone by since the Revol•utio'n, yet plate glass windows on this main thoroughfare were still cracked and mended with great iron bolts, or boarded up from within. A bloody revolution had occurred in Helsingt'ors, boo, after th e World War, yet no grins reminders were visible now. In Moscow 1 had grown used to the khaki serge Russian blouses worn by party members. Its hotels and streets had' a uniformed unified air. Here in Hebssingfors that uniformity had vanished and the Finns were clad. In that freedom of color which civilian dress permits. The Hotel Kamp was th,e accepted meeting place of HeIIsingfors' bls•i- ness elite and many of these men brought their wives in to luncheon. In the dining room's center was a. table crowded' with delicious hors d'oeuvres and a five -course, highly ap- petizing meal •was served for about 35 tents A,nnerican.. money, including the tip. It was quite observable, in the faces around me, that the upper class in Finland has much Swedish blood, a fact apparent, too, in their habits and food, which are patterned. after Sweden., a night's ride away ov- er the Gulf of Bothnia, rather than after adjacent Russia. I walked around Heis'i.ngfors, down to its wharves, saw the modern mus- eum and gazed at the magnificent new, red railway station, the forest is Northern Europe, recently a tar- get for Russian, bomber That evening I talked with the manager of an English, bank who confirmed my ob- servantiong. Butter, eggs, Bax and rye were abundant; food was cheap and taxes were low becaus'•e the Finnish Government, Idlre the Swedish, pur- sues a wase policy concerning the de- velopment of its nationally -owned tim- ber forests, supplying, in some mea- sure, its own income. THE ALGONKIANS The Algonkien peoples have inhab- ited Eastern Canada for as far back as we have been able to trace. They were divided into the fallowing tribea —Beothuk, Micmac, Malecite, Mont- agnais, Naskapi, Oreer Aigonkin and Ojibwa. Moat numerous, were .the, Cree and Ojibwa who together may have numbered 50,000. The Beothuk of Newfoundland, who numbered only about 500, were exterminated early iw the 19th century. The Micnnacs were located in the' Maritime Provinces, the Naskapis. north of the Gulf of St. Lawrence,. while the territory of the Algonkins was north of the Ottawa River, west of the St. Maurice. The Montagnais and the Mabeoites were east of the St. Maurice, the former to the north. and the latter to the south. West of the Algoakians axed to the north of Lake Superior, all the way to Lake: Winnipeg dwelt the Ojibwas, while to, the, worth of all these tribes were the Crees, &tretchaxig not tlr until they met the Eskimos. In short the Algon- kians inhabited all the uplands of Eastern Canada from Lake Wiunipeg. to the Atlantic. They were often called the Birch -Bark Indians. Some scholars maintain that the Algonkians were of partly white des- cent andi that they entered America. from Northeastern Asia long before most of the Indians of the New World. However, during the last four. centuries they have intermarried ex- tensively with French and British. colorists, se it is difficult to tell ex- actly what they looked like prior to, European settlement. It is conject- ured that they were taller and slight- er than the Iroquoian tribes. The earliest artists give them a very Eur- opean -like appearance, so that their complexions must have been quite' fair. The A•Lgonitians did not cultivate the soil; they were skilful hunters - They we're continually on the move and their dwellings were portable - wigwams, domed and conical, cover- ed with skin, bark or • rush mats - Taney were often short of food in win- ter; at times whole families died or starvation. Their favourite food was, the flesh of the moose, For fishing: they used lines with bone_ hooks, wooden spears with bone hooks, nets of nettle fibre, and wicker traps. They did night fishing with torches blaz- ing in the bows of their canoes, Very few tools were needed. From the Algonskilens we learned- the use of snowshoes and other to- boggans; their birch bark canoes., were the models for our canoes. The Ojibwa canoe, with its rounded bow and stern, was the most graceful. Every Algonkian tribe consisted of a number of small •band's, each of which occupied a definite Minting ter- ritory. Neither the tribe . nor the band recognized a real chief. At ir- regular intervals' the bands united irr, festival. They had no enemies ex- cept the Iroquois south of the St. Law'i•en.ce. They believed in a Great. Spirit, but deeming him too remote• to trouble greatly about human af- fairs, they generally pinned their faith to Iessetr deities, to the spirits of nature—the sun, points of the cora- 1 pass, mother earth and *there—ani. _ I to an even greater extent, to the - sprats of birds and animals Every hunter carried with him a charm_. There was only one religious organ- ization, the Grand Medicine Society of the Ojibwa. Three centuries ago all the ALgon- i kian peoples decorated their clothing with porcupine -quill or moose -'hair embroidery, but this disappeared rapidly in favour of silk -work and. bead -work. The next day I rode the railroad to Abo where I hoaxed a thousand -ton steamer for Stooleholm•. The Finnish customs, on. leaving were absurdly perfunctory in contrast to Russia's severe ones. We passed through a turagahe and no one examined our bags. When I registered at the Hotel Syljan in Rattvik, North Sweden, I was placed at a table with another,, American woman, whose home was in Helsi,ngfors.. We talked a goods bit about the Finns and she told me how dleslighted ,her family was to bare been transferred to this coun- try up north, where they could share Seen in the County Papers New Frigidaire Counter Mr. Harvey 'McCallurw has instalied' a new Fzigidabre meat counter in his butcher shop, which adds greatly to the appearance of the place, and w111L be a service to the public. Mr. Mc- Callu.m will be in a still better posi- tion than ever to serve the publics with good meats—Myth Standard. Fifty Years Married Comsgratiullations were extended tee Mr. anal Mrs. Thomas FL Cook on Tuesday on the occas'i'on. of 'their 50th wedding anniversary. Mr. and Mrs. Cook were married in Clinton on De- oemtber - 5, 1889, by Rev. J. Living- stone in the presence of Joshua Cook. and Mary Miller. They have con - tinned to live in Clinton and. have ex- perienced their ehaare of the ups and - downs i,n life do the time that has elapsed, but continue young in. spirit- and piritand enjoy fairly good health.—Blyth.. Standard, Red Cross Shipment imports from the local headquar- ters of the Red Cross Society reveal the fact that the lad'l'es of Exeter and district here not been idle shoe this organization • was ion ed+, Already the society have shipped 150 pairs • of (Continued on Page 8) in the Finns' :happy' and highly com- fortable mode of. living. Alli my •sub- sequent contacts deepened these or- iginal impressions that the Finns, in their economic development, closely, resembled the Swedes. Now when I read of the Russians warring upon their land, I ask myself if it can be possible that in this enlightened. era the brave and progressive Firms can be forced back again by the domina- tion of a s'tro'nger and less advanced nation, Into political' dependence and. a ni eh lower standard of Mving. 2;