The Exeter Times-Advocate, 1959-12-23, Page 2Page; 1 Th. Times -Advocate" December 23, 1959
Editorials
This newspaper believes th
right to express an opinion in
public contributes to the pre -
grins of the nation and that it
must be exercised freely to ,pro-
serve and improve democratic
government.
Guest editorial
a.. r
.1•
MAI 11
•
•
By REV. S. ERNEST LEWIS, M.A., B.D.
James Street United Church
Once again Christmas has brought
us its own special happiness. We see it in
the faces of men and women. We see it in
the excitement and expectancy of little
Children. It finds expression in our Christ-
mas philantrophies and in the cards and
gifts which are given among friends. It is
reflected in the bright windows and lighted
trees. It is everywhere.
Christmas is not a fairy story set in
the more stolid prose of the rest of the
year. Its truth and its spirit are for all
the year.
We worship at a cradle which was
really a manger and therefore all the or-
dinary things which make up ordinary
human life are seen with new worth and
dignity.
We celebrate God's gift to .man and
a purer generosity is born in our own
hearts. This past week or so it is what we
are going to give away that has filled our
thoughts. It is what will please our friends
which has been our concern. It is the
pleasure which we want to give our family
which is our own joy.
Through one medium or another the
angels sing again for us: "Peace on earth,
goodwill to men," and we are very dull
indeed if the gong sounds far off and un-
real, For this goodwill is like a stream in
flood which at every turn overflows its
course, causing old prejudices to give way
a little to a greater tolerance, pushing old
animosities aside 'so that they are forgot-
ten, overflowing old barriers so that they
are there no more.
The happiness and goodwill that
Christmas brings is no seasonal intoxica-
tion. It is a cleansing redemptive flood for
all the year.
fie Exeter Ximesabbocate
Times Established 1873 Advocate Established 1$81
Amalgamated 1924
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Published Each Thursday Morning at Stratford, Ont "
Authorized as Second Class Mail, Pest Office Dept, Ottawa
0el6D, IN., Fea4ur.i
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putt. ennt. 5te.a GQOUitbtt: tQ r ... ..<n >.
"My foot's asleep."
Beteeeeeeeeeeeeeere '-
Sugar
AND
Spice
Dispensed by BILL SMILEY
When you write a weekly
column, and Christmas is upon
you, and you are just getting
over the 'flu, and it's too late
to do anything sensible except
hit the sack, Satan lurks. "Ah",
he smirks, "why don't you re-
print one from last Christmas?
They'd never know the differ-
ence".
* * *
Shortly after Old Nick has said
his piece, and the sinister sweet-
ness of the idea is soaking in,
another advocate speaks up.
From the bottom of the stairs,
the Old Lady suggests: "Why
don't you reprint an old Christ-
mas column? Aren't you ever
coming to bed? Nobody has
time to read it, anyway, around
Christmas. Besides, they'd never
remember they'd read it before.
After all, it's not exactly death-
less prose, you know."
* * *
I ani proud to say that I sent
them both on their way, Not
that it wasn't a fine idea, if I'd
had it myself. But I'll frequent
the company of Old Nick when
I feel like a fling, not when he
does. And I'm too stubborn to
admit that my wife has ever
had a good idea in her entire
existence.
It's difficult . to write some-
thing sincere and original about
Christmas, because there is one
story, repeated every year, that
makes every other piece of
literature about Christmas look
feeble in comparison. So this
year, I'm going to make it
simple, and just say "Merry
Christmas" to a whole lot of
people.
JP I
AWARDS 14. E. Rice Trephy, best spot news 'picture
(Cainida), 1959; Prank Howe Beattie Shield, belt front peso
,(Canadi)', 19571. A. V. Nolan Trophy, general excellence for
4Ilwspapers published in Ontario towns between 1,500 and
500 population, 195$, 1957,1956t J. George Johnston Trophy,
finstsgraphical excellence (Ontario), 1957; E. T. Stephenson
"Trophy, best front page. (Ontario), 1956, 1455; All•Canhde
insurattte Federation national safety /wird, 1953.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada $4.00 Per Year; USA $S.oe
Pafd.in Advenre Circulation, Sept, 1, 1939 -- 3,250
e r
* « * •
At a rough guess, there are
about 250,000 people who read
this column. At a dime each for
cards, and tuppence apiece for
stamps, it would cost me $30,000
to send you all a card. After
careful study, I decided not to
do it. It isn't that I don't have
the money. It's just the thought
of licking all those stamps.
• * *
Obviously, it's pretty cheap to
drop from $30,000 to a mere
"Merry Christmas to one and
all" in my column. So I'II have
to single out a few, with the
hope that they'll repeat it to all
their friends, and all their
friends will repeat it to all
THEIR friends, until the whole
English-speaking world is one
great booming "MERRY
CHRISTMAS".
* « *
So it's "Merry Christmas" to
all my friends in the weekly
newspaper business. Just for
example: Fearless George Cad-
ogan of the Durham Chronicle
and his wife Elda; Gene Mac-
donald of the Glengarry News,
the last of the big-time spend-
ers; Pete and Leila Hvidsten .of
Uxbridge, the night -owls who
publish the Timcs-Journal; Don
McCuaig of the Renfrew Ad-
vance, biggest hunting and fish-
ing liar north of the Rio Grande;
Rev. John McNabb and Alison
of the Alliston Herald, a clear
case of the pupil's gain being
the newspapers' loss. And all
you other characters.
* * * a
To all the public relations
boys who have suffered my
prese ice . with amiable, slightly
frozen smiles, on occasion. Just
for example; Ron Everson,
whose poetry is as impeccable
as his manners, as witty as his
talk, as piercing as his eyes;
t
Colin Haworth, whose drawings
are as shaggy and interesting
as his eyebrows; Tommy Lee,
the last soft-spoken payor in
Canada; Paul Gormley, the most
elaborately -disguised be a t n i k
north of the St. Lawrence Sea•
way, And all the rest of you
characters.
Jottings by JMS
0 01 'C O IPRO O,ll i COQ ' ii
"And there were inthe same
country Shepherds abiding i11 the
fields keeping watch over their
flocks by night."
Thus begins the age-old .Christmas
Story ..,
A story as wondrous and beautiful
today as it was two tllousandyears
ago,
ooalwili must match
generations progress
"Peace on Earth, Good Will
to Men" is the keynote of this.
Christmas season and has been
for generations. To Spread this
news the president of tee United
States for the first time in his-
tory has made a record trip
around the world and his mes-
sage has been overwhelmingly
cheered in every country be has
visited. It is an indication that
peoples of all colors and nation-
alities are one in the hope that
peace may come to the world,
* * *
To those retired gentlemen
whose letters are a great plea-
sure to receive, whose criticisms
and encouragement are salutory
and warming, Just for example:
William Graham, retired rail-
roader, of Winnipeg, for his
blasts of fresh air; Hugh Fergu-
son, former newspaperman, of
Florida, for his clippings and
comments; Andrew Galloway,
retired banker, of Toronto, for
his 11 v e 1 y reconstruction of
things past.
During one generation there
have been two wars that have
left desolation, misery and starva-
tion in their wake and no nation
has completely escaped the ter-
rible toll that these wars have
imposed,
And yet in this same genera-
tion the world has seen greater
strides in the raising of living
standards, in the realms of dis-
covery and in progress, than in
all the generations preceding it.
.In one generation the world
has gone from coal oil lamps to
electric lights and nights have
been turned into day and the
great white way of towns and
cities is a wonder to behold.
In one generation steam pow-
er, the great discovery of the
eighteenth century, is giving way
to the diesel engine and electric
power that turns the wheels of
industry and runs our factories.
By the push of a button electric
appliances have taken the drudg-
ery out of the home and off the
farm.
The woodbox and the coal -
burning stoves and furnaces have
been largely displaced by gas
and oil -burning appliances and
the little outhouse with .its il-
lustrated catalogue is fast • dis-
appearing. .
The bicycle as a means of
transportation was followed by a
self-propelled gas buggy that has
developed into a luxury limosine
with speeds up to and exceeding
one hundred miles an hour.
In one generation the sailing
ship has been replaced by pow-
er -driven luxury liners; by pow-
erful merchant marines and
navies that not only ride the
waves but plow beneath the sur-
face as evidenced by the recent
voyage beneath the Arctic ice,,
In one generation the tram -
mission of messages has advance
ed from the telephone and the
telegraph to the first reproduc-
tion of the human voice on the
c-'linder phonograph, then the
disc records and the jute box
and the hi-fi radios with their
perfect reproduction of the fin-
est music.
In one generation the first
sound to come over the air
waves have developed in to uni-
versal coverage and added to
the transmission of sound and
picture so that today we can sit
in our homes and see and hear
the important events that are
transpiring all over the world.
In one generation the Wright
Brothers astounded the world
with their air -borne Kittyhawk,
the forerunner of the giant air-
craft that streak the skies at a
faster rate than Aurid.
In one generation the atomic
age was ushered in, to be fol-
lowed by the nuclear age with
its airborne missiles encircling
the globe and rapping at the
moon.
In one generation the popula-
tion of the world has increased
at a rate to overcrowd some of
the older countries and create
an ever-increasing problem of
providing food and sustenance to
the backward nations.
In one generation wars, •pes-
tilence, famine and disasters
have wiped out pillions of the
world population. Medical re-
search and scientific discoveries
have aided in the reduction of
the death tall and at the same
time aggravated the problem of
feeding and caring for the un-
told millions living in poverty
and degredation,
As men and nations cannot
stand still, then what of the fu-
ture? Can the next generation
produce greater achievements
than the present?
I am happy to say that I have
lived through all of this and I
still hope to see the day when
the backward nations of the
world will enjoy the peace, the
flieedoin and the good things of
life that we as Canadians enjoy
today.
To all the odds and sods every-
where, with whom I've consist-
ently r e fuse d to exchange
Christmas cards. Like Punchy,
nice English lad who was in my
squadron overseas, Got a card
from Cornwall three years in a
row and never answered. Like
Tony of California, with whom
I shared a hilarious and hazard-
ous journey from Poland to the
lovely sight of a Canadian tank
and crew, complete with Sweet
Caps, in Western Germany. And
all the rest of you characters
in Australia and Alberta, Bel-
fast and Bulawayo. I never was
much of a card -answerer.
* * *
To my brother, in Paramari-
bo, South America: "Deck the
hall with houghs of mahogany,
old boy." Haven't got around to
answering your last four letters.
Haven't got around io getting a
present off for your son, my
dear nephew. But we'll be think-
ing of you, sweating and racked
by fever, as we sit down to our
turkey in the middle of our
crisp December day.
• * *
Finally, to. all of you, who
read this column: may you
know peace and joy on this
Christmas, may you remember
why you are celebratine this
day, may I wish you. with all
my heart, a merry Christmas.
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News Of Your
LIBRARY
By MRS. JMS
The Desperate People
This book is written by Farley
Mowat and I hope you find it
under your Christmas tree; if
not, borrow it from your library.
Farley Mowat, in June 1947,
went to northern Canada known
as the Barrens looking for a tribe
of Eskimo who called themselves
the Ihalmiut, the people of the
Little Hills.
• In the next two years he be-
came friends with these people
who are the 4e survivors of. a
tribe which once 'numbered in
the thousands. He lived with
them and learned their way of
life, and their spiritual and
physical dependence on the cari-
bou. Out of his respect for these
people he wrote a book "The
People of the Deer” in which
the description of them mounted
almost to a plea for their sur-
vival.
In 1958 Mr. Mowat again visit-
-Please turn to page 5
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"TIMES
Go By
11
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50 YEARS AGO
Warden Peter Lamont of Hay
was presented with a cane by
the County Council in recogni
tion'of the able manner in which
he presided over the meetings.
Messrs. Weekes and Sweet are
making much progress in pre-.
paring their skating rink which
is to be opened in the drill shed.
Misses Lulu Martin and Ida
Rowe are home from St. Marys
High School for the holidays.
A friend this week handed to
the Exeter paper a copy of an
invitation to a Masonic Ball and
supper at Robert Bissett's Hotel
on December 27 with Bro. Mich-
ael Eacrett as master of cere-
monies and Bro. H. G. Brode-
rick as floor manager; supper
at 12 o -clock. Tickets $2.00.
Dated Dec. 19, 1864.
Miss Nellie Russell of Toronto
University is spending the holi-
days with her father, Mr. Thom-
as Russell.
25 YEARS AGO
Twelve hundred invitations to
the 1935 reunion of Exeter and
Community Old Boys and Girls
went out Monday, December 10
and at least 100 new addresses
have been handed in since.
Misr James Bowey has a unique
display in his window of an old
fashioned fireplace and beside it
are a spinning wheel and a loom
for winding yarn. He also has
snuffers that belonged to the
pioneer days. But the moat in-
teresting is a small piece of
wood split into many pieces and
made into matches with sulphur
top. When a match vas wanted
it was broken from the stick.
This was the first match to fol-
low the days' of flint and tin-
der box.
Miss Hazel Woodall, who is en-
gaged as public school teacher
in McGillivray,. was injured last
Tuesday evening. While arrang-
ing some Christmas decorations
with tee trustees she moved a
step ladder and a hammer fell
and struck her on the head. She
was 'rushed to Parkhill, where
Dr. Racey discovered an artery
had been se'.•ered,
The pupils of the Exeter Pub-
lic School had deposited in the
Penny Bank at the end of Oc-
tober 1934; $1,033.20.
The Exeter Branch of the
Canadian Legion have a beauti-
ful Christmas t ee neer the li-
brary.
• 15 YEARS AGO
Cpl. Caffrey Cann who, has
been with the RCAF at Uplands,
near Ottawa has received his
discharge from the airforce and
returned to his hone in Exeter
last week.
Mrs. William Fraser received
some beautiful gifts from her
son, Allen Fraser, who is in
Italy, He purchased them while
on .a holiday in Rome.
Leading F i rem a n William
Chambers who has been over-
seas with the Canadian firefight-
ers is on his way home.
The Exeter Band under the
leadership of Mr. Ted Walper
entertained the citizens of Exe-
ter Thursday evening by the
playing of Christmas carols
marching from the north to south
end of town.
Alonzo McCann was '•again
elected reeve of Stephen Town-
ship.
LAC Fred Ford of Ottawa is
home to spend a vacation with
his parents, Mr. and Mrs, Will
Ford. Fred plays the bass with •
the Central RCAF band and is
leaving Obtawa with the band
for the Pacific coast playing in
the•larger centres.
10 YEARS AGO
The Centralia church cholr
under the leadership of Mrs. G.
F. Penwarden presented its can-
tata "The Chorus in the Skies,"
The Exeter Wolf Cub pack
held its annual Christmas party
on Wednesday evening in Trivitt
Parish Hall. The cubmaster is
Eric Sutherland and assistant,
Mel Alderson.
A 19 -year-old student pilot on
Thursday confessed to low flying
over London and St, Thomas
thus freeing the entire training
class at RCAF Centralia who
were confined to barracks until
—Please turn to page 5
IMApgME WAWA SEANCES
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e feel; a'IAe reakn 4yn.jaeif:, lml,. World Hthfii reee'rveil. P 'm-
�'xt ....you contact .'him, aaka hire where fie hid the
Ifauranee policiesl"i
4
*It's not the punch. She waxed the floors:
"Wise men still seek Him"
Silvercrest Poultry Farm
EDGAR, MURIEL & ALVIN CtJDMORE
tient ig
"All is calm, all is
bright." And
the radiance of
Christmas fills our
hearts with rejoicing.
May the blessings
of the season be yours.
•
PHOTOGRAPHER
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incerest Wishes
that your holiday be filled
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'MY BANS"
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