The Exeter Times-Advocate, 1974-07-04, Page 4Rally around the garage
Looks like a great season
To be truly helpful,
By ELMORE BOOMER
Counsellor for
Information South Huron
For appointment
phone: 235-2715 or 235-2474
OUR POI T OF VIEW
The population problem still is referred
to as the world's biggest time bomb of all.
And there is some justification in presen-
ting such• an image, although the explosion
of population will be gradual rather than
sudden,
Nevertheless, leading statesmen and
demographers around the world, as well as
concerned groups and individuals, keep
sounding various warnings. The United
Nations estimates that the world's popula-
tion was one billion in 1830, and took 100
years to double.
By next year, world population will
have doubled again to four billion, and by
the end of the century, an additional one
billion persons will be added every five
years.
Mankind cannot afford an overcrowded
planet. In Bucharest, Romania, there will
be a world population conference, spon-
sored by the United Nations, to discuss
Mankind's puzzle
problems of overcrowding, as well as possi-
ble remedies. It will be held in August.
What kind of remedies on humanity
seek? The main weapons are world-wide
population control programs designed to
educate many millions of people. It simply
is not enough to tell a mother she should not
have any more children. The education
process has to be thorough, and preferably
gradual, if there is to be success.
Better world population education
programs will have to be devised. Around
the world, and particularly in poorer
nations that cannot afford widespread,
health care, more maternity and post-natal
centres will have to be built. With careful
planning and cooperation, the population
control programs now under way can be
speeded up.
And with imagination, mankind's
ticklish population puzzle can be solved,
thus bengfitting all of us who live on this
planet.
Actions speak louder
You could swing It
"For 111/2 months we really look forward to our holidays
when we get to spend 2 glorious weeks in a house,"
Despite the obvious lack of interest in
the federal election across the nation,
Canadian voters will be going to the polls on
Monday to choose their next government.
The lack of interest in the campaign is
expected to reflect in the turnout at the
polls and it may well be that a minority of
Canadians will in fact be choosing that
government for the majority.
In the riding of Huron-Middlesex, the
outcome is almost a certainty. There
appears to be no strong opposition to
Robert McKinley and it would be an even
greater upset than the last 'provincial by-
election if he was beaten.
The Liberals have presented only a
"token" candidate in the person of John
Lyndon, He's not well known in the riding
and the lack of interest in the campaign has
adversely affected any chances he had of
getting the Liberal supporters to work ex-
tra hard on his behalf.
The NDP, of course, are almost non-
contenders. Shirley Weary is making her
third attempt and will probably not garner
any more votes than she did in her first two
attempts when she finished a well beaten
third.
The outcome across the nation is not as
clear. Polls indicate that the Liberals under
Prime Minister Trudeau will be returned in
another minority situation, but there are
enough "close" contests that the PCs could
turn the trick.
Unfortunately, there appears little
doubt that Canadians will be faced with
another minority government unless some
strong issue appears in the eleventh hour to
turn the tide.
While there has been a lack of interest
in this election and it has. been hampered
even more by its early summer date, it does
not mean that electors should abdicate
their responsibility to get out to the polls
and support the candidate of their choice.
As noted, a predicted— small turnout
makes each vote that much more important
and does set up conditions in which upsets
are not uncommon.
The winner may-not be the candidate or
party which can swing the most number of
uncommitted voters, but rather the can-
didate or party which can get the maximum
turnout of its committed vote.
That may well be the key to the results
on Monday and your vote could be the one
that turns the tide. Try it! •
Occasionally, something in-
teresting or unusual comes 'along
to brighten the daily routine, just
when it seems to be getting
dreary. A couple of these hap-
pened to me recently.
First, the good Samaritans.
The story really began one night
last winter.
I have an ancient and
venerable wooden garage, which
bears on both sides of the en-
trance the honorable scars left by
my wife and daughter as they
tried at various times to get the
car into the garage or out of it.
My wife is the only person of
my acquaintance who can try to
back a car out of a garage and get
it wedged kitty-corner across the
building. On several occasions I
have almost had to have the
garage demolished to get the car
out.
Anyway, on this night last
winter my wife and a friend were
trying to close the garage door.
This door is as old as the
garage, which will probably
never see forty again. The door is
not exactly electronically con-
trolled.
It is a massive thing, about six
inches thick, of hardwood. It
would cost about a thousand
dollars to build today. The chap
who installed it was quite
ingenious.
He installed a couple of rails,
some pulleys, and two huge
weights at the end of some heavy
wire, While the door could not be
raised and slid back with a couple
of fingers, like those in a modern
garage, a strong man, with a
good heave, could get it up and
sliding back along the rails.
I am not a particularly strong
man. In fact, I am a weak one, in
more ways than one, as my wife
could tell you.
As a result, I usually left the
garage door open. I couldn't see
the point in all that heaving and
hauling.This annoyed my wife. In
the fall, leaves blew into the
garage. In the winter, snow blew
in. Neither bothered me, but you
know what women are like.
Well, on the night in question,
the two ladies decided to close the
garage door, because the snow
was blowing in. They gave a
great heave, the wire came off
the pulley, and the door came off
the rails.
Fortunately, the car was not in
the garage, or I'd have been
looking for a new car. The door
weighs about six hundred pounds,
It did not come crashing right
down, but hung, suspended by the
wire, at a forty-five degree angle
in the garage. You couldn't have
driven a kiddy car in there.
I was going to organize a work
party and get it back on the rails,
but it was stormy, and then I got
the 'flu and time went on and
things cropped up, as they seem
to.
A couple of times, I went out
and looked at the stupid thing,
and once tried to get it back on
the rails, which almost gave me a
double hernia,
Well, time went on and my wife
nattered away about getting that
door fixed and the neighbours
dropped a few hints but I became
sort of fond of that crazy thing
hanging there, as one might get
fond of a cross-eyed cat.
One fine evening recently, I
was sitting in the back yard,
enjoying my preprandial apertif,
when an old truck pulled up and
a sweaty, dirty young man came
through the gate.
Under 'the grime I identified
Jamie Hunter, whom I taught
last year. Grinning, he an-
nounced, "Mr. Smiley, I'm going
to do something for Canadian.
literature." I was baffled. He
went on, "When are you going to
get your garage door fixed?"
"Oh, that. Any day now Jamie,
as soon as I can find someone to
do it. Why?
"Well, every time Mike and I
drive by and see that door, it
bothers us. We're going .to fix it
for you."
"Great!", enthusiastically,
"How much?", cautiously.
"It's not going to cost you a
nickel." I insisted I would pay the
going rate. He refused. They
were doing it for Canadian
literature. Jamie said they were
pretty busy, and asked when I
wanted it done. I said whenever
they could get at it. I thought he
meant in a couple or three weeks,
I went in to dinner, delighted at
this display of gratitude or
whatever. After dinner, I heard a
bit of a din out back, and there
they were, four young men,
AntaflOME.W.WW:
Amalgamated 1924
We were among those who
enjoyed the premier of the third
season of the Huron Country
Playhouse this week.
The musical "I Do, I Do" was
most enjoyable and the degree of
excellency in all aspects of the
performance speaks well for the
coming season.
It has been an uphill battle for
managing director James
Murphy. and his hard working
Playhouse directors, but in-
dications are clear that they are
"coming of age".
The facilities at the Playhouse
have been spruced up again, and
while some may look askance at
attending a theatr,e adjoining a
barn, the atmosphere does lend a
unique flavor to this project that
tends to "grow" upon those who
ave become periodic patrons.
After all, the occasions on
which one can sip champagne in
a former pig pen are few and far
between and really doesn't ap-
pear to deter from the bouquet of
the champagne. At least .our
three female companions' on
opening night didn't have. any
trouble quaffing their limit at:the
writer's expense.
As stated, the play itself was
most delightful and we imagine
that most married men ended up
with badly bruised ribs as their
wives kept nudging them as the
two performers went through a
life of marriage.
Our stiffest belt from the better
half came when the leading
lady mocked her husband for his
practice of standing in the middle
of the living room in his un-
derwear asking who had stolen
his socks.
There are still seven more
plays on this year's schedule and
we can honestly encourage all
our readers to reserve a seat now
for an early performance.
It's professional theatre with
that comfortable country at-
mosphere a stuffy Broadway
theatre can not equal. Not only
that, the price is a heck of a lot
better, and there are no muggers
preying in the bushes near the
parking lot.
+ + +
As we hinted last week, the
Batten crew headed off for the
weekend Into the Huronia
District again, and similar to our
first short trip, found it aboun-
ding in places of interest for a
family outing.
Our first stop was to the
Wasaga beach zoo. Despite the
financial problems being ex-
perienced by the operators of the
getting that ridiculous door back
on the tracks.
I was almost overcome with
something or other. All four were
former students of mine: Mike
Laurin, Mike Dragoman, John
Sachs and Jamie Hunter. At least
two of them had been working
since eight o'clock that morning,
and here they were, twelve hours
later, slugging away at a brutal,
awkward job for their old English
teacher. I was touched. They
absolutely refused any payment.
I was just as astonished as I
was moved. Here were four
young guys who, instead of
moaning around about no em-
ployment, or living on welfare,
had formed a loose partnership,
and were doing construction,
painting, anything they could get.
They were immediately offered
the job of taking off my storm
windows and painting my house.
And that's how you get ahead in
the world, which does NOT owe
you a living, young man.
In addition to this lucky strike,
I have Dan St. Amand, another
student, and the best cornet
player in the whole area, cutting
my lawn, so all in all, it looks like
a good surnmery
zoo, it is a well-stocked showcase.
Monkeys, elephants, pythons,
buffaloes, tigers, panthers,
wolves, ' mountain goats, boa
constrictors, reptiles, rhinos,
deer, cougars, tropical birds, bob
cats, etc., etc. are well displayed
in a wooed setting.
Unfortunately, the mosquitoes
tend to outnumber the caged
exhibits, but that appears to be a.
problem that goes unnoticed by
children as they bound from one
cage to the next to see animals
that one doesn't meet face to face
too often.
The tropical hotise was of
particular interest as you can
walk amidst parrots, giant tor-
toise and a host of other birds,
flowers and lizards from far off
lands.
If you're in that area this
summer, we can recommend a
visit to the zoo.
It was our first visit to Wasaga
for some time and the town ap-
pears to be growing by leaps and
bounds. However, we noted that
every other commercial outlet
appeared to have a "for sale"
sign on it, whatever the reason
may be. A trip along the shore of
Georgian Bay through to Midland
shows cottages in every nook and
cranny and• we can well imagine
it is not a road to follow on a busy
holiday weekend.
+ + +
Our next stop was at the Indian
Village located in Little Lake
Park in Midland. This village,
museum and park are operated
by the Midland YMCA.
Naturally, the Indian Village
was a real treat for our tribe of
lads and they scurried about
through the longhouses and up
the ramps to the lookout towers
50 Years Ago
The village council passed a by-
law authorizing the appointment
of a pound and a pound keeper for
Exeter.
On Wednesday afternoon last,
hundreds of people assembled at
the Thames Road Park to take
part in the opening exercises.
Addresses were given by Mr.
Stanbury and Mr. Cameron and a
prayer offered by Rev. D.
Fletcher.
Quite a number of local
Orangemen attended the walk in
Goderich on the 12th.
Mr. Thomas Mellis of Hensall,
who had carried on the black-
smithing business there for over
forty years died last week.
Investigating a drunken brawl,
reported at Grand Bend recently,
officers Fellow and Whiteside
discovered one dozen bottles of
wiskey, thirty-five dozen bottles
of 9 percent beer buried in the
sand.
25 Years Ago
In a simple service Bishop G.
N. Luxton of Diocese of London
dedicated the newly-built church
of England at Grand Bend 'Saint
John's by the Lake' Sunday
evening.
The fifth annual Kirkton
Garden party drew the largest
crowd yet — between four and
five hundred attended Wed-
nesday evening,
Members of the PUC and the
village officially "christened"
the new well and pumping station
in a Ceremony at William
Moody's farm three miles
southeast of Exeter,
Climaxing a crime wave which
swept over this district since
December, provincial police
arrested Seven youths and sent
Out a warrant for an eighth, all
from the Parkhill district,
peering through the cedar walls
of the village.
Not being an expert on Indian
lore we don't know how authentic
the village actually is, but one
could well imagine that he
stumbled upon the home of the
Hurons while all the natives were
out visiting.
Fish and herbs were drying in
the long house while the pungent
odor of smoke billowed up
through the holes in the roof.
Deer hides were stretched on
frames outside and we expected
at any minute to walk around a
corner and find a warrior waiting
to greet us.
Some deer heads and limbs had
been tossed near a back wall to
decay and the stench added an
authentic, element that does not
promote a good appetite.
A movie helps explain the lives
of the 30,000 Huron Indians who '
once lived in Huronia and the
note that not one member of thiS
band now lives sets one to
thinking.
The Hurons were primarily
farmers and hunters and were
decimated by the Iroquois. Great
numbers also succumbed to the
diseases brought to them by early
white settlers.
The museum at Midland is also
well stocked with artifacts of
those days in the 16th and 17th
centuries as well as some that
depict early life among the
settlers in the 19th century.
+ +
From there we travelled the,
short distance to Sainte-Marie
— Please turn to Page 5
15 Years Ago
Lloyd Hodgins, a former guard
at Guelph Reformatory will join
Exeter's police force at the end of
the week. He was sworn in
Tuesday.
A 16-year-old Exeter girl,
Marilyn Hamilton, was chosen
Tri-County Youth for Christ
queen at a banquet in Wingham
United Church, Saturday night.
Huron MPP C. S. Mac-
Naughton and Mrs. MacNaughton
attended the Province of
Ontario's civic dinner in honour
of Queen Elizabeth and Prince
Philip in Toronto, Monday night.
Cpl. Tony Aquilina, Andrew St.,
Exeter, as a member of the
RCAF Training Command Band
has seen the Queen five times
already during her Canadian
tour.
At the graduation parade at
RCAF Station, Centralia,
Thursday seven men received
Canadian Forces decorations for
long and meritorious service and
79 graduates were presented with
diplomas by G. C. Kenyon.
• 10 Years Ago
Paving began this week on the
newly constructed section of
Highway 4 south of Exeter, while
rain hardpered progress the work
has been completed to just south
of the Derby Dip,
it is expected under favorable
weather conditions the workmen
will complete close to one mile
each day.
Only 202 Huron County chicken
farmers turned out to cast their
ballots for the plan to set up a
provincial egg marketing board.
However, while the number of
voters was low, they did
represent about one-third of the
total chicken population, While
less than 10 percent cast ballots
"Fine Christian lady, that!"
stormed a clerk about her pious
employer who had torn into
another employee stripping her
of her dignity in front of several
customers,
She continued, "If anyone is
going to talk about their religion
as much as she does, they'd
better be prepared to live it,"
I guess the old adage is true, 'I
can't hear a word you're saying,
your actions are speaking so
loudly'.
It's a shame and frightening
that many people gather most of
their ideas and impressions about
Christianity from those who
profess to be Christian. We don't
usually judge a whole family by
one member who may not turn
out too well, but for some reason,
people who aren't Christians
judge Christianity by what
Christians are like,what they can
and can't do, what they believe or
don't believe. It never occurs to
most of them that Jesus Christ
himself has something directly to
do with being a Christian. Instead
of looking at the Central Person
and what He offers and teaches
they look to the fringes to see and
condemn the weaknesses of those
, who follow Him.
However, there's no doubt
about it that those of us who talk a
lot and make our stand known
publicly for ChjriStianity are
always in jeopardy of being
criticized more than most people.
The non-Christian world scans us
searchingly to see how we stand
up in the nitty-gritty of life and
not on how well we talk, preach
or write,
And perhaps this is how it
should be and what Christ wants.
After all, we talk a lot about being
renewed or born again and surely
this would indicate to anyone that
the old persons we once were with
"Oh, he's no good. He can't be
helped." Sewe.washour hands of
him or again:we seek to force him
into shape by punishing him. We
cut down on his pension if he
won't come round.
Some brave soul valiantly
keeps helping when most of us
give up. "Water wears the rock
down, you know!" We exhort and
persuade and give advice and,
make directives.
It has been thought that if those
helpless people could only learn
to like us, then they would
change. We become extra nice
and certainly non-judgmental
and very friendly.
So often when we help, it is
merely to be thanked, or to give
us the opportunity to control, or
to ease our conscience. Often we
cater to our own needs.
This is not to say that such help
does not help. No doubt many
have received aid from such
helpers. A sort of crisis in-
tervention giving a lift until the
next trouble arises! A band-aid
kind of aid!
What does it mean to truly
help? If a person needs help, he
needs to change.' The helper
offers that person the opportunity
to change. In times past and in
the present we have offered
people money and or services
and we wonder why this does not
help many people. Any proffered
money or service is helpful if it is
offered in such a way that the
helpless can choose to accept it or
reject it.
Now, of course, such a choice is,
very difficult. It means leaving
certainty, however un-
comfortable and risking all we
are to the unknown. The hope is
that things will be better but the
way is unknown and results are
not guaranteed.Such a choice is
terribly personal and truly
dangerous. It means an
acknowledgement of failure, a
placing of one's self in the power
of another, much hard work, and
embracing the unknown.
Such a choice is so hard that
in Ontario, the plan received the
necessary two-thirds majority.
About 350 former and present
pupils and residents attended a
reunion at Lumley School. It
Was the last reunion to be held in
the school, which was built in
1904, The building will soon be
sold and the students will attend
the new central school being
erected in Usborne Township.
The committee in charge of
organizing the area's first con,
servation schoothave termed the
effort "successful" and will
perhaps eyed be Carried on next
year and perhaps to an even
greater measure, • Area
elementary school students at-
tended the conservation school at
Camp Sylvan last week,
all those temper tantrums, the
biting tongue, the greed, the lying
and cheating etc, have been cast
out forever. Indeed, with God's
help, they can be, too,
However, most Christians, with
their human fraility, find it a
battle they fight every day. For
most there is not juyt one great
laying aside of these damaging
habits and characteristics. It's
more usual that these have to be
turned over to God many times
before they are finally brought
under control. Unfortunately,
some Christians never get them
under control (even partially)
and these are the ones who do
irreparable damage to the name
of Christianity,
Here's a little poem that says
something of what we're talking
about:
Religion
Religion is telling the truth in
your trade
Without even counting the cost,
And having the courage to
stand by the right,
Though fortune and friends may.
be lost.
Religion is thirty-six inches per
yard,
And sixteen full ounces per
pound;
And sixty whole minutes of other
men's time . .
Not watching these minutes roll
'round.
Religion is giving a bright word
or two
To those whose dark clouds hide
their sun,
If you've got the kind of religion I
mean
You'll find your day's labors well
done.
(Anon.)
many people remain where they
are. If • a choice, is made even
though it is a bad choice it in-
dicates a step forward.
What is helping, then? Helping
is so setting the situation that the
'helpless feel free to make 'a
choice. Secondly, helping is
allowing the helpless person to
make the choice. It cannot be
made for him. Thirdly, helping
the helpless is leading them to a
knowledge of themselves
especially of their limitations.
The positive feelings in any
person usually receive much
support, but many people have
not been free to speak of painful
weaknesses.
It surely follows that the one
helped must be free to talk of his
feelings of unworthiness "without
fear of blame, anger, sorrow, or
loss of face."
The helping process becomes a
struggling together between the
helper and the helped. There can
be no superior and inferior,
adjusted and unadjusted. To be a
helper something of one's self
must be given to another. A risk
must be taken. A certain humility
must be the equipment of one who
helps. One of the axioms to be
kept in mind is simply no one
knows what is best for someone
else.
Helpfulness is made more
helpful then if the helper is
careful, not to minister to'his own
needs so much as to encourage
another to help themselves.
Helpfulness requires a certain
resilliency. It is not for the
"sissy". One has said most aptly,
"It takes toughness to face
reality, to risk anger, even to
court it, to strip the polite veils
from sorrow . . . to endure .
doubts and despair."
The true helper says by word
and attitude — "I will stand by
you to help you if you want me."
June 27, 1974
The Editor
Times-Advocate
Dear Sir
In reading the coverage of the
death of my son, Bruce Vincent,
that appeared in your paper, I
wish to inform you the story is
incorrect.
He was hired to sweep the
pavement after the gravel had
been spread, but was put on
watching the hopper being filled
from the gravel truck,
Therefore he couldn't be wat-
ching overhead when he was
looking down at the hopper.
' It seems unfortunate that your
information was ao fat front the
truth, I trust the facts of the
Matter will come to light in an
inquest.
Phone 2331331
SCRVIW
Times Established 103 Advocate Established 1881
SERVING CANADA'S BEST FARMLAND
C.W.N.A., o.W.N.A., CLASS 'A' and ABC
Editor — Bill Batten — Advertising Manager
Assistant Editor — Ross Haugh
Published Each Thursday Morning
at Exeter, Ontario
Second Class Mail
Registration Number 0386
Paid in Advance Circulation,
March 31, 1972, 5,037
SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada $9.00 Per Year; USA $1 1,00
_1XL
CVMAION
Sincerely
Gloria Vincent