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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1990-04-25, Page 2litir 1. lINlt. > >, Incorporating The Brussels Post Published In Seaferth, Ontario Every Wednesday Morning fa. ugh The Expositor Is brought to you each week by the efforts ofe Pat Armes, Paula Elliott, Terri -Lynn Dale, Dianne McGrath. sob McMillan, Susan Oxford and Linda Pullman.. ED BYRSKI, General Manaair HEATHER kOBINET, Editor Member Canadian Community Newspaper Assoc. Ontario Community Newspaper Association Ontario Press Council Commonwealth Press Union International Press Institute Subscription Rates: Canada '20.00 a year, in advance Senior Citizens - 47.00 a year in advance Outside Canada 160.00 a year, in advance Single Copies • .50 cents each Second class mail registration Number 0696 Editorial and Business Offices - 10 Maln Street, SeafoMh Telephone (519) 527-0240 Mailing Address - P.O. Box ¢9, Seaforth, Ontario. NOK TWO Successful It is with difficult) 'that 1 wrltc this editorial as I have, never written one before. Tere is so ,much I can -tell You difiaboutcl• ttlut it wait bnkfor Iueoyg°wri eoue ahisbout isuhowe ofOhre edipaper tor, #teathet°,is away having a baby and':alMady;I greatly mdse her help and: knowledge, ,I've hid to Write, -edit and de computer' Operations t0 my stories all on MY ower with' very little help.. Story deadline for me is: eight hours from when I am writing this story and. I mightmake it with a few hours to spare. `Photo, deadWie is a little later than that, and that's another story I must,have upped three rolls•of film before the oyster! was discovered last Friday Someone (probably;me) had mix. ed together the wrong filo► ° chemicals, causing • about seven rplis ',of film to bis destroyed; It caused an uproar in the of hies and' sent "drier scurrying ali- over"' Seatoi th :and they countiyslde last weekend to find more photographic opp rtunities. "Earth ;Day,".I thought. „l71eao °e's bound to be alt kinds of activities going on that I can photograph andmake huge full page spreads ham." With friends in my car we drove all day looking for sings of Earth Day around paper to es good STJT- T I by Susi Oxford: every in .the far A lnity. if there was an390g going on them it wasn't hap- ening'outaide We Grove; tbroughtowrrg. and villages looking for people pjlanting trees or gathering garbage We :;spotted ,. nobody doing anything other than iuet.en- joYing the warmth. of the beautiful day. I drove along country and town roads look- ing for :anyone and accomplishing nothing more than the burning of fossil fuel. Actually, the whole day was, :not a photographle less for me because,welia pend a unity event of a dif terent '' titan E ' Day that had loads oof great. photo •potential,- and -was-.a: good time as well. Alsd, I bought an old push- la*nmower," that seems to be working well, at a pretty good price. My six roils of film are in and ready to be printed. There are about six more rolls of film shot by other members of this paper and I think we overcame this emergency -in pretty good shape. Of course, there are some $ome, people` were expecting can, only say tbiit I'm soihly to those Int ,plc For this first week on my own I did the beat,I could and I'm thankful no else my wentWeekyetandt'smstiAltm not dodo all; possible I could loose it all while doing my anis in gopera- tions on the computer. The.iill in editor is m the darkroom noiv. making contact 'awe* from our later Photagr'aPhY attempts and,Fm awalting'the word on them. I Weal 00114031 you what happened to her 12 hours before story Susan Oxford was born and raised in. Toronto. She studied Journalism -Print at Conestoga College, Doon, and the Huron Expositor is her first newspaper reporting job. Susan lives in Seaforth and she looks forward to meeting and working with the people in. the Seaforth area. Driving the message home early Do we applaud the creation of a cartoon television show that's aimed at teaching very young children about the hazards of drug usage? Or do we rage against a society that warrants, and jusitifies, the ex- istence of such a program? It would seem that we have to do a little bit of both if the desired ends are to be achieved. Last weekend, television networks spanning the Western Hemispere broadcast a special half-hour Saturday morning cartoon show featuring animated favourites crusading against drug use. It was a particularly well- done program and from all accounts is was well received. No doubt many a family gathered around the set to watch it, and possibly discuss the pro- gram afterwards. But the e were probably just as many children who watched the show alone, turned off the television and walked away unaffected. The creation of the show was a quantum leap, socially and morally, for the networks to take. The problem of juvenile drug abuse has grown to the extent that it has come out of the closet. We can talk about it, we can teach our children about it and we can make a cartoonabout it. Os this a good or a bad thing? There are deeper and darker issues lurking beneath this that are very disturbing to dwell upon. The fact that the show is needed to reach very young audiences is unsettling in itself. The fact that a good many kids will not have had the opportunity to discuss the show with' an adult is tragic. And the fact that the show may be reaching an audience that is too young to grapple with the issue is also something to think about. Bugs Bunny and Alf crusading against drug use is one thing; the sway that this will have over older pre -adolescents is another issue altogether. But the fighting has to start somewhere, and if battle lines can be drawn up in the primary school levels, and values instilled before it becomes tpo late to instill them, so be it. For many children, especially those in small r towns and cities, watching.a prismvrr;aboutdrug use may be introducing. , them to a world that they,`know noth ilg, of, anti many may argue too,SCom1_. Unfortunately, though, the issue is not going to go away. it's going to' creep closer and closer to our very doorsteps while we're not looking, if we're not careful. It's time to face the facts, and to, encourage our children and young peo- ple to face them with us. If we look the problem in the eye, we'll know what we're up against. And if a cartoon show can make it easier to do this, let's hope that they make them a regular thing. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR • • wI a•, • (JELL, j ONLY HOPE OT'$ NOTA 'FAREWELL PARTY • aansa Old Boys® Association ties To the Editor: I would appreciate the following being inserted in your 'Letters to the Editor' sec- tioe at a favourable opportunity: Huron Old Boys Association of Toronto I am researching an article for 'Huron Historical Notes' (the Huron County Historical Society's annual publication) and would very much appreciate hearing from anyone who was either involved with this organization, is aware of someone who was, or would know where any books or records of the organization may be held. The organization was formed in 1900 and sought was apparently active until at least the 1940's, although I am not aware of when or why it ceased to exist. My home address is recorded below. Larry J Mohring, 59 Queensdale Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M4J 1Y2 "ENGLISH ONLY" can't be Iustified Dear Editor: Congratulations to Councillor Bill Teall, Turn to page 4 • In Balance with Nature eat. RURAL ROOTS ; by Jeanne Kirkby *42•1-741:: A Sad 1 The English language is dying a slow death, but if I have anything to do with, it'll die kicking and screaming. Over the past years, I've gotten into my fair share of heated discussions over the demise of the art of language. And it is an art. People no longer know how to write, speak or spell anymore and the very groups who should be upholding these skills are working to snuff them out. I'm not talking about the illiterate population, who due to circumstances out of their con- trol have never learned to read or write. In fact, their heroic efforts to obtain these skills - often not until middle age, and after a lifetime in the darkness of illiteracy - are to be loudly cheered. No, I'm talking about people who should know better and who can't be bothered: students, graduates, businessmen and educators. A colleague came back to the office the other day with a horror story to tell. A local schoolteacher glibly noted that in a few short years computers will eliminate the need to teach spelling or grammar in the classroom. Spell -check, thesaurus and grammatical functions on the machine will make them obsolete. I blanched. And the more 5 listened the grislier the tales got. For instance, gone are the trus- ty 'spellers' of my own school days, and the twice weekly spelling dictation and grammar quizzes that were a part of life from Grade 1 right through to Grade 8. In- stead, students are given creative writing assigmnents on a wide range of topics, and marks are handed out for originality. By one teacher's own admission, correcting acy to lose ROUGH NOTES by Paula Elliott spelling errors is seen as hindering a stu- dent's creativity. Well, I'm all for promoting creative writing and originality, but I've seen copy submitted to a London business newspaper by businessmen - including consultants, CEO's and company presidents - peppered with so many spelling errors and flawed grammar that it took over an hour to get the submissions to sound half intelligent. The writers didn't look creative; they look- ed like idiots. The cry is going out that 'Johnny can't read', but how actively are we encourag- ing him to? It's simple. We're not. And the less that he reads, the less he com- prehends that language is a written thing. It's just sounds that are spewed out of television set, and as long as he can hear it and comprehend it, there's no need for the learning to go any further. This is a sad error on the part of society, and on the part of educators, and sadly it's begin- ning to take its toll. Fact: One of the tests that any student entering University must take in their first year is called the English Language Pro- ficiency test, whereby an essay is written and graded according to style, grammar, punctuation and level of written English. A student need only score 50% to pass. Fact: Any student who fails the test can rewrite the test at any time over the next three to five years of his study, and if they enter a science, math or computer science field of study they don't need to pass it at all. This means that there's an awful lot - and I mean a lot: a frightening number of people that I knew failed the test and thought it was a real hoot - are waltzing through University gates with a diploma and a Grade 8 grasp of vocabulary. And rather than fight the problem at its 4 root, educators at the lower levels seem to be buckling under and designing cirriculum and "learning tools", such as computers, that eliminate the need for language skills. The art of speaking and writing is dying, and I'm afraid that we're all going to pay dearly unless someone fights back. The elimination of English education in lieu of 'creative learning' crap and advanced com- puter literacy is a sad evolution, and perhaps the best argument for at-home teaching that I've heard in a long time. Dear Reader: I did not write this. I wish I had, because I think it's good. May I share it with you? In Balance With Nature In the beginning There was Earth, beautiful and wild; And then man came to dwell. At first, he lived like other animals Feeding himself on creatures and plants around him. And this was called IN BALANCE WITH NATURE. Soon man multiplied. He grew tired of ceaseless hun- ting for food; He built homes and villages. Wild animals and plants were domesticated. Some men became Farmers so that others might become Industrialists, Artists, or Doctors. And this was called Society. Man and Society progressed. With his God-given ingenuity, man learned to feed, clothe, protect, and transport himself more efficiently so he might enjoy Life. He built cars, houses on top of each other, and nylon. And life became more enjoyable. The men called Farmers became efficient. A single farmer grew food for 28 in- dustrialists, Artists, 'and Doctors. And Writers, Engineers, and Teachers as well. To protect his crops and animals, the Farmers produced substances to re' •1 Or destroy hisectis,. Disease, or Wks, e were nailed l it1de00', g?udiild : i1 substati'eeg *eiie'rade* M tal. to' pia, tect humans. These were called Medicine. Afigf The Age of Science had arrived and with it came better diet and longer, happier lives for more members of Society. Soon it came to pass That certain well-fed members of Society Disapproved of the Farmer using science. They spoke harshly of his techniques for feeding, protecting and preserving his plants and animals. They deplored his upsetting the Balance of Nature; They longed for the Good Old Days. And this had an emotional appeal to the rest of Society. By this time Farmers had become so efficient, Society gave them a new title: Unimportant Minority. Because Society could not ever imagine a shortage of food. Laws were passed abolishing Pesticides, Fertilizers, and Food Preservatives. Insects, Diseases, and Weeds flourished. Crops and animals died. Food became scarce. To survive, In- dustrialists, Artists, aid Doctors were forc- ed to grow their own food. People and governments fought wars to gain more agricultural land. Millions of people were exterminated. The remaining few lived like animals. Feeding themselves on creatures and plants around them. And this was call- ed IN BALANCE WITH NATURE. %kitten by the late lohn fort lest ehaitiman ole the,Hog,..y ....,, 1Separtrrietit'at`Mlch gen State'Ititiveiaii First published in 1970. Seaforth woman falls from balcony APRIL 29, 1985 Construction of the new Seaforth Com- munity Hospital is well advanced and should be brought into use in June, members attending the Annual meeting of the Scott Memorial Hospital were told. Mrs. Orville Oke was installed as presi- dent of the Seaforth Home and School Association at the public school this past week. H.H. Stang, clerk -treasurer of Usborne Township, is in St. Joseph's Hospital, Lon- don with a broken leg, suffered when a tractor tipped on him at his home at R.R. 1, Hensel!. Linda Somerville, of R.R. 4 Walton, and a student at S.D.H.S., won top honors in the IOOF-llebekah public speaking contest and received an all -expense paid trip to the United Nations. The Seaforth Minor Baseball Association is once more making at attempt to orgardse ball `for the youth of Seaforth for the earning was by the , Last year tan appeal peal or three occasions, but there was little response and as a result baseball was dro here for the first time in a IN THE YEARS AGONE from the Expositor Archives of lady's artificial teeth under some trees which overhang the mill pond at Rockwood, near Guelph. Inquisitive people are curious to know what the lady was do- ing in that particular spot and how it hap- pened that she did not take her teeth along with her vlhen she left it. The Blyth Council have decided to send all tramps to the Goderieh jail. There is still no trace of the three Matheson brothers of Goderich, drowned in the recent gale, although the beaches have been carefully Watched for miles. A subscription is being taken up on behalf of the parents: who have been deprived not only of their sons but of their means of ob- twining their' daily bread. in the Methodist Choreh in Clinton last Sunday, Rev.-Uvbigatone took as the sub- ject of his sermon. "Do the Methodists tire congregation rose to its feet. Asking for those who did drink to stand up, there was no response. APRIL 23, 1915 During the thunder storm of Sunday, the barn of Mr. Thomas Adams of the 9th Con- cession of Hullett was struck by lightning. Mr. and Mrs. Adams were in Clinton at the time but their nearest neighbor Mr. Scoles noticed the fire and hurrying to the scene succeeded in extinguishing it. Three young calves and a number of hens were killed and the building was considerably damaged but the wonder is that it was not completely destroyed. A maple syrup and pancake social is a new and novel innovation in the public entertainment line. A very successful social of this nature was held at the Ethel Methodist Church last week. - l ,)(191Alex Mulr came to Mown Tura topage 3• • p'4: b :s,c fti v•,'Fj1�„ . i �K" li'pi t 4dt°