HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1980-12-24, Page 2BI.LA
BB1N
A ARD
1980
Sine 1860, Servid9 the coo,imynitylirSt
Published at EA,RPFITH ONTARIO every Thursday morning by
,..Mci-eee Oros. PublisherLtd.
Andrew. YeMeheart, PnbIleher
SusakWe hite, ,Editor
Alice pipo'; News Editor
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SEAFORTH, ONTARIO, DECEMBER 24, 1980
The Christmas Story
Luke Chap. 2 Verse 1-20
And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from
Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing
was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to
be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up frpm
Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth into Judea, unto the city of David
which is called Bethlehem; (Beeause he Was of the house and lineage
of David.)
To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, beinp great with child.
And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished
that she should be delivered. And she brought forth his first-born son,
and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger;
because there was no room for them in the inn.
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field,
keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord
came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone around about them:
and they were sore afraid, And he angel said unto them, Fear not: for,
behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all
people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David A Savior,
which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye Shall
find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And
suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host
praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth
peace, good will toward men. And it came to pass, as the angels were
gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another,
Let us now -go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come
to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with
haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying
which was told them concerning this child. And all they had heard it
wondered at those things which were told'them by the shepherds. But
Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the
shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that
they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
Good will to people
And from the old old story, we turn to some thoughts on what
Christmas can mean in ti O lives ot ail of us. It's a time for reflection,
after all, and we invite you to reflect with us on the words of Gloria
Stetnem, one of the editors of Ms magazine.
Her short essay was written for 'the magazine's first Christmas
issue, back In 1972, and reprinted in the current magazine. Ms.
Steinem says:
"We wish you what we wish for ourselves -a .holiday of
thoughtfulness and rest, of -assessment and compassion. A time to look
back on the year just passed and sort out wastefulness from growth A
time to plan a new year of work informed by respect for each person's
worth and by love for one another. A time of realizing that time is all
there Is -and it is not too late to change our lives.
We wish for all of us the courage to hold on to a vision of a world in
which children are born wanted and loveicle with enough food and care
anti shelter to grow up whole. The visiori of all people as perfectable
and transcendent -free of social prisons of sex and race -and remarkable
for the hopes and dreams and capabilities that exist in unique.
unrepeatable combination in each of us.
It is too late to justify suffering with the promise of rewards in some _
other world T00 late for nationalism, for racism. for violence or for
belief that one can win only if another has truly lost. Too late even for
the brotherhood of man because it has excluded the sisterhood of
woman -and therefore the humanness of us all.
At last we begin. We look into the god in each of us, and say yes
We celebrate the world outside us.
We say peace on earth: good will to people "
A minister's message
Christmas brings
a deeper joy
BY REV. JAMES R. BROADFOOT,
ST. THOMAS ANGLICAN CHURCH
This is Christmas Time, arid we are once
more reminded of that dimension that God
played in our human affairs. It is that time.
whet we cati celebrate the great truth of
God - that God so loved ehis war-torn
asorld, that He gave as his only begotten
Son, who was to be born on this earth of a
woman - born of Mary.
"Behold, I bring you good tidings of
great joy. which shall be to all people,"
said the angels to the shepherds on that
holy night, so long ago. When we know the
true joy cif Christmas, we will Aiscover that
this joy is quite distinctive. If is that same
jay that Jesus spoke about over and over
nein, in his parables. it is something like
that joy that the woman shared with her
friends and neighbours when she found her
lost coin. It ie a joy that knows no bounds.
and signifies that the Christian has been
enriched in his life in knowing Jesus, the
Christ, as his Lotd and Saviour.
Bethlehem is then, our open invitation to
come, to worship, and to adore the hrist
child. "Let is go unto Bethlehem and see
We too can go to the manger to
worship God, in all simplicity and alt truth
And,. a.s. we do, our lives are filled with sae
°
•DECEIVOE1,24, 1880
Oa Wednesday evening last, a span of
horses Owned by Michael McArdle 'of
McKillop which were tied to a post at the
side of Kelloran and IVan's store, broke the
Post end ran away. They came out on the
Main Street end wheeling around in front Of
Jamieson's store started up the street. They
ran against a team belonging ' to John
Quinlan of Hibbert, which was standing in
front of Killoran and Ryan's store. The
tongue of the sleigh attached to the
runaway team struck one of Mr. Quinlan'e
horses on the hip and made a wound about
twelve inches deep and, throwing it oven
broke its leg. As nothing could be done for
the relief of the animal it was killed. The
runaway team was immediately _stopped
without doing further injury. Main street at
this point was crowded full with people and':
teams and it is fortunate no more serious
—damage-was.sione.
The Queen's Hotel in Seaforth was sold by
auction on Tuesday and was brought by Mrs.
Thomas Stephens for the sum of $8,650.
Money is now a drug in the market.
Several capitalists are looking for invest- •
ments at 7 percent and can't get them. Last
year the difficulty was to get lenders, and
how the trouble'is it find borrowers.
Donald McKinnon has purchased the farm
of Hugh McDonald on the I I th concession of
Tuckersmith: for the sum of 52,600. The
farm contains 50 acres. It is an excellent lot
of !and and it lies convenient to Mr..
McKinnon's homestead farm. We congratu-
late our old friend on his purchase. He has
now 200 acres of as fine land as there is in
Ontario and what is better he has it all paid
for and when he came to Canada about 30
years age he had only half a crown. This
shows what an industrious, steady man can
There's
•
do in Canada. Mr.wcteinnon thinks it More
profiteble to invest his surplus MeneY in
Ontario than to send it off to Manitoba, and
we cjo not know but that he is abort right.
, Alonzo Leech, who has been cheese maker
in the Seaforth eheese factory, left for his
home ineite county ot'Wellington this week,
Mr. Leech is alit criss cheesE maker and
gave the highest satisfacfion to the patrons
and proprietors of the factory this year and
we hope he will be re-engaged fee "text year.
DECEMBER 22, 1905
Mrs, R.B. McLean of Kippen ha's diSposed
of a batch of turkeys thie week which
averaged $1.75 each. It is evident from this
that Mrs. McLean is as good a poultry raiser
as her husband is efficient as a farmer.
The recent hard and slippery roads have
-beers' tte gondhtleinglaritiffpeirtilaCli-Smith-S
and have kept them busy sharpening up the
shoes pf the horses.
Wm. Pepper of Tuckersmith recentlysent
a dozen dressed spring chickens to Montreal
which weighed 85 pounds and for which he
received 15 cents a•pound.
Last week, R. Peck of the G.M. Baldwin
'Co., Seaforth sold a•piano to Robert English
of Greenway, Stephen Township and an-
other to Mr. McDonald, °Mount Carmel, in
the same township.
Mr. and Mrs. John L. Brown and child and
Alfred Brown,alkif McKillop,left On Monday
for a trip to New York. They will be Flway till
after Christmas and will visit with Dr. sand
Mrs. Campbell and their father's cousirte,
who have made their home in the big city.
DECEMBER 26, 1930
• Louis O'Reilly, of Hibbert, is have a radio
installed in his home for Christmas.
something missing
I suppose by the time this appears in print
I will finally have struggled down to buy a
Christmas tree and put it up.
For me there seems to be something
missing about the ritual of putting up the
Christmas tree these years. Our family
hasn't succumbed to the comfort, con-
venience of an artificial tree yet though
sometimes, looking at the price of natural
trees the temptation grows.
I almost always get to pick from the dregs
of the Christmas tree lots. Some people are
standing there, impatiently waiting to buy
their tree while the truck is still unloading
about Dec. 3 but I usually get there only a
few days before the big day. I could blame it
on a busy schedule but you're not supposed
to tell lies before Christmas pr Santa won't
Come.
Invariably it's a far from perfect tree 1
come home with. In fact. I usually make very
little effort to chose the perfect tree on a lot.
I go to the nearest one that seems to be
about the right height (or the right price),
pick it up. shake it then. just to look like a
reasonably astute consumer. pick up a
second tree. I then go back to the first onc
and stuff it in the trunk and pay a price that's
enough to make you say "Bah! Humbug!"
That isn't the way I remember the
were forced to fight a 24-hour battle'.
Thro.„,„„,, Monday the fall Was so heavy
On iiturday afternoon while playing. on,
the ice with a number a boys, Fergus
Cumming o, f Dublin' had the irriisfortune to
fall and break his wrist.
Edna Bremner nurse.in-training at Sea -
forth Mernorial Hospital visited at her home
in Brucefield last Sunday.
The Christmas tree at the Town Hall in
liensall, arranged • by the Firemen on
Tuesday afternoon, wile the naost larg
attended and most successful one held in
years. ' Santa was presenf and came in,
reindeer state, driven by James I3engough.
The speakers wereReeve Higgins and all the
Councillors. In addition, Mr. Parker: and
Mr. Sinclair gave splendid addresses. -Mr.
Mclroy was unable to be present.
Fire of an undetermined origin at an early
-hour Wednesday morning cFile-
stroyed the general store of J.W. Bernie, in
the heert of Walton, together with house and
sheds occasioning a loss of about $15,000 on
whictithere is but small insurance coverage.
The Bernie store, better known as the Neal
store, is one of the oldest in the village and
one of the landmarks. For Many years it has
served the citizens of the village and district
but today it's a mass of ruins and the large
stock is a total loss.
DECEMBER 23,1955
Determined that there would be a white
Christmas, the weather in Ihe district got a
head start on the calendatethis year and
ignored the fact winter didn't arrive officially
until Wednesday.
Snow, which fell steadily over the week
end by Monday night had piled high and
brought traffic to a standstill on all but main
travelled roads. Even here snowplow crews
.thatvisibility WAS reduced to a minimum and
driving, even in town$ was hazardous.
Snowfall was reported as much as 15 inches.'
That night the temperature dropped, _With
near -zero weather Continuing until ThtiredaY,
Motorists, Unprepared for cold weather so
epic's' in the season found that they 'were in
chfficulty with frozen radiators.
chool buses NO difficulty with heavy
s w on Monday on certain routes but all
rips were completed. .
When the storm settled late Tuesday,
Seaforth street ,department crews, under
forerntualarold Maloney, began the task of
clearing Main Street and intersections of
snow. After working throughout the night,
the removal of the tons of snow was
completed early Wednesday morning.
tirne was spent at the
very p
—fiTniemor-tv-If.saTid-
recently, when the staff of the *Seaforth
Co-op Egg Grading Station gathered le
honor Mr. and Mrs. Walter Stuart Mr.
Stuart resigned recently as manager ef the
station.
A joint Christmas concert was presented
in the Walton Community Hall on Wednes-
day evening by the schoolof Jessie Little
and G. Willis.
Ross Faber, who is attending the Agricul:
tural College in Ridgetowp, is spetaeleeg the
Christmaseholidays with his parents, Mr.
and Mrs. Rochus Faber Of Kippen.
Rev. Bruce Hall of Norfolk United Church,
Guelph, is coming to Norttiside United
Church Seaforth as a Supply minister
effective January 1, 1956, it was announced
last week. The move follows the resignation.
of Rev. John Stinson, who some weeks ago
accepted a call to Londrin.
in the Christmas tree hunt
Behind the scenes
by Keith Roulston
Christmas tree ritual.
We didn't have any evergreen trees on our
farm when I was growing up but my uncle,
who lived with us, had a farm about three
miles away in the hills we jokingly called the
Kinloss mountains and it had a good
plantation of seiruce trees not to mention
cedar and hemlock hat grew in the nearby
swamp.
It became a mid-December, ceremony in
our home to drive over tp my uncle's farm
and pick a tree. Usually this also meant
•a walk from the road back to the bush
to where- the' trees grew although some
remarkable years we were able to drive back
a disused sideroad, as yet unplugged by
snow, to within a few feet of the plantation.
Then came the task of choosing a tree.
Somehow we were always more critical there
than I am on the tree lot of today. We'd walk
back and forth through the bush looking for
the best tree, stirring low -hanging, ever-
green branches that would drop bushels of
snow down our necks. There was not onlv
shape to consider in these trees, there was
height. Somehow a tree looked shorter when
it was in the bush than in the livingroom.
The children would always want the tallest,
most impressive -looking spruce. Father or
uncle were more worried if it would fif in the
door. Often it would be k saw off: we'd pick
one halfway in between what adult ahd child
wanted.
Cutting down the Christmas tree was . far
more than just a formality. Ever try to cut off
a low growing evergreen tree? You slide
under on your stomach or your back and try
to rnaneuvre the saw back and forth until the
tree falls oeer or you pass out, whichever
comes first. With every pass of the saw the
tree shakes, dumping snow on your face,
your neck and any other piece of exposed
flesh which turns first to a very Christmassy
red, then to an un-Christmassy blue. usually
resulting in some exceedingly
unChristmassy language from the tree
cutter.
But at last the tree fell down. . well not
It's harder to get revved up
Do you find it harder and harder each year
to get revved up fur Christmas? You have
comparn
When the adverhsing begins right after
Thanksgiving. awl the Santa Clauses
hecorne ubiquitous hs med-lernember. and
the carols are mere cliches ir, mid-December
it's hard to reach that peak of emotion that
combines Christian Joy for the brith of Christ
and pagan revelry to celebrate the equinox,
by the time Christmas itself rolls around.
One of the tr7te remarks of modern life is
that Christmas has become commerciali7ed
But don't blame the merchants. Blame
ourselves W, can call this a plastic age, but
0 is we who ise the plastic. whether it be in
the form of eoeds. ideas or entertainment
It is ee u.,ho erunw madly through those
iwerheated stores, going slightly paranoid
over the business of buying gifts for people
who don't need them
It is w e 'ho eat and drink too much at
Christmas whichif the truth were told.
wonder; our hearts are at peace because
we have beheld the glory and countenance
of God.
Christmas brings an ever deeper joy into
the hearts of every man. woman and child
This is not a surface joy; but a deeper joy
that reaches deep down into the very core
of our being. All through the week that
preceeds Christmas, we will hear the music
of the carols that tell the story of the first
Christmas. Pageantry and displays will
repeat the nativity scene of Bethlehem.
Good will rises to new heights in the hearts
of men and women. There will be the
giving of gifts, of sharing with others, and
a time of making merry. Human relation-
ships will become m e brotherly: and no
matter how low ti,e thermometer dips
outside, there is a warmth to be felt
everywhere. The fires of faith are once
more rekindled and life is made anew
Our lives are filled with wonder and nur
hearts are at peace with the world. We can
thank God for the peace and quiet of
Bethlehem. that eorries to us in the -midst of
the FMCS; and hectic days. We can thank
God for the simplicity in the complexiti,
and the confusion of the world in which we
live. We can thank Gad for that light that
came into the world. that shines and
illuminates our pathway in a world that is
full of gloom and darkness. Finally, we can
thank God for the joy that lifts our sadness,
that lightens our burdens. and removes the
sins that weigh us down.
This is what Christmas is all about. A
time when we can once more boldly
proclaim - "Joy to the world; the Lord is
cornet
Sugar and
By Bill Smiley
spice
'should be a time of fasting and purification.
until our heads were as light as our hearts.
Wouldn'ttbe much more appropriate if. on
Christmas Eve. instead of having peopte itt
for eggnog and goodies. we threw out that
pagan image, the Christmas tree, turned off
the lights. enept for a candle or two, turned
the furnace right off, and sat around in the
cold and dark. transferring ourselves to a
stable in Bethlehem on• a winter night?
No? You don't think much of Ihat idea?
Neither do 1. It's like saying that in the face
of the coming energy shortage we should all
blow up our cars. stop using hot water and
deodorants, grow our own .food in the back
yard. mild chop down all the trees in the park
for firewood.
Whether we like it or not, we are caught
up in the headlong race of the human species
toward its goal. whether it be suicide or
glory. and there's no turning back.
So get that tree up. buy a fat turkey. spoil
your children rotten with an over-whelm of
gifts. and stuff yourself silly as a Roman
senator at an orgy.
This year. we have nut resident, or
non-resident. guru, son Hugh. 1 don't know
whether he'll be here for the Great Occasion
or not, but in the meanwhile, he is stuffing
me with exotic health foods and drinks to
cure ray rhe umatism, 'flu, senility. bad
temOr and anything else that lies around.
There are quite a few of th,em. Lyiog around.
Today, 1 drank a pint of wales brewed in
something called "Devil's Claw." it tasied
horrible. but it's supposed to cure my
arthritis in three weeks.
Tomorrow 1 start drinking a brew of
eucalyptus,. which is supposed to do
something else to me. Probably make me
impotent, or a ferocious lover.
My old lady and 1 almost gave up on
Christmas this year. We thought of all the
work to get ready and flinched. I suggested
going south for a week to play some golf,
letting -our daughter and her brood take over
our house and have their Christmas here.
She was all for it.
Then we had The Boys for a week, and
hastily revised our plans. We realized that if
those two were allowed to run unchecked for
week, we might as well put the house up
for sale when we got home. Or set fire to it. if
these was enough left standing to make a
blaze.
If it weren't for that mob, going away
would have been easy, both physically and
emotionally. I could enjoy Christmas dinner
In a hotel in Texas just as much as Ido at
home,.where j have to stuff the bird, mash
the turnips and wash 8,000 dishes far into
the night.
1 think 1 might just possibly be able to
forego having to find a Christmas tree.
dragging in covered in snow. and spending
four hours tyring to get the dam' thing to
stand upright.
It would be a wrench. but 1 might even be
able to stand not watching my grandboys rip
the paper off 48 gifts and go right back to
beating each other 00 the head seith,a Couple
of drumsticks. Real ones. not the 'turkey
kind. It's one of their favorite games.
However, as the hired man said in Robert
Frost's poem of that name. "Home is where,
when Sem go There fhey have to let you
stay.- And it looks as though that's the way
my daughter feels.
So we're stuck with the kids. and be
happy if I see the New Year without being on
my hands and knees.
With that wrapped vp, there's nothing left
to do but send my best wishes for the holiday
season to all sort6 of people, through this
colurne.
To my old friends in the newspaper
business: hope you all got that big Christmas
issue out without being hospitalized with
total exhaustion.
To my teaching coileagues everywhere:
hang in there: it's only six months until
June.
To the prime minister dear Pierre. hope
that other turkey doesn't turn up and spoil
your Christmas.
To all the people to whom we used to send
Christmas cards: it's the thought that
counts, and we think of you every six or eight
months.
'To all those people who want a baby so
badly: hope you get twins twice in the text
two years.
To all those people who don't want a baby
at all: hope you don't get pregnant, not evert
a little bit.
And to all the people who bother to read
this coTurth at all, whether you agree or not,
a merry, merry Christmas, with a special
thanks to those who write. God bless us, one
and all.
exactly fell because the plantatien was so
thick that there was no where to fall. There
was also no room to drag the chosen tree
between its brothers to get it to the, car.
After escaping the eperuce prison there was
still a half -mile to walk dragging a tree- th-al
yard -by -yard seemed to be growing until it
was a 60 -foot monster weighing several tons.
The snow also seemed three times as deep
on the way home as it had on the way there.
When we got home and we're to put the
tree in the house of course it seerned as if it
had indeed grown on our trip home. Our
saw -off now had to be sawed off because the
top two feet were trying to protrude through
the ceiling into the bedroom above. If the
tree looked bigger in the house. it also
looked less perfect. There seemed to be too
manybranches here, too few there. But the
&condoms seemed to cover up the
imperfections. When the decorations came
off In early January the tree seemed %ore
forelorn than ever because hell the sprtice
needles had fallen off. By the time the tree
was out the door it was naked and the tiny
needles were in hiding places from which
they, would only emerge in May or July.
Looking back coldly. realistically, there
should havebeen no pleasure in that kind of
excertist. But there's something about the
spirit at Christmas time that makes it seem
wonderful. Maybe if I had to go cut a tree
myself wilh three kids tagging along these
days I'd quickly forget those fond memories.
But I haven't had the choice in recent yeats
and somehow 1 long for the day when we did
go through all that fuss fin' a tree, an
imperfect one at that.
CfiRistmas
To the editor:
Reader says
cable should
be supported
The attached registered letter has been
sent to CRTC. Ottawa. Ontario KIA 0N2
with proof of delivers that a copy has been
given to the applicant
Expositor readers who share my con-
cerns are urged to send similar letters
whenever the CRTC reviews communica-
tions' services in our community.
Residents of Huron County %arrant the
same access to the media (eg radio. TV.
print media. etc.) as urban Ontario. This
will be a crying need as soon as the Ontario
government TV facilities add the "Teti-
don- services to the OECA TVO network
and when similar commercial services
become available to cities in Ontario.
P. Carroll
re: CRICAPPLICATION 801(362100
Dear Committee Members:
Please accept my intervention on behalf
of John C. Ward (Mitchell-Seaforth and
area Cable TV) in their application to add
CTTY-TV to their service.
We (the residents of Huron County) live
in a communi itions' shadow, often
ignored by the various communications'
media. Access to Various communications'
services to our area can be enhanced by
expanding our cable service. This ie one
small step. The cable service is to be
commended for its local programming
Worts and diould l nnnortatel, jag Mao
comended tOT its local programming efforts
and should be supported in its endeavour
to broader the selections available. This
winter would urge a Much closer analysis
of this "problem by the CNTC.
Paul Carroll
1 i
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