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The Exeter Times-Advocate, 1974-08-01, Page 4Whatever happened to the Exeter Hor- ticultural Society? That's the question that comes to mind as stories about successful flower "shows are related in some of the neighboring newspapers. The absence of such flower exhibitions in this area is obviously not from any lack of good gardeners. A drive around town and through the neighboring countryside shows an abundance of colorful flower gardens. Probably many of those who work diligently to foster their blooms would welcome the opportunity to test their products against those of their neighbors in a friendly competition that would, as an added benefit, provide a show case for those who enjoy seeing the area's best flowers in one location. While the local fair provides an oppor- tunity for displaying some varieties, perhaps a mid-summer show would also be a worthwhile project for some local group to undertake. The amount of time and expense to organize such an event appears to be minimal and is one that a ladies' organiza- tion could undertake more from the stand- point of a community service than as a money-making scheme. Any takers? The gossip game Most of us take delight in discovering the follies and sins and shortcomings of others and in chatting knowingly about them. Gossip does bring us some cheap comfort, giving. us nice feelings of superiority. Our weaknesses and failures do not seem so serious when we can compare them with the monstrous ones of some peo- ple we know. We like to gossip because it generally makes us feel much better about ourselves. Behind much of our gossiping is the mechanism the psychologists call "projec- tion", There is the tendency to attribute to others our own reprehensible attitudes and feelings, A London psychiatrist, Dr. J. A. Hadfield, has commented on this tendency: "In judging others we trumpet abroad our secret faults. We personalize our un- recognized failings, and hate in others the very faults to which we are secretly ad- dicted. Like the lark fluttering with agita- tion over her nest, we exhibit most flagrantly the very thing we would hide." Think about that the next time you are tempted to assist in the distribution of malicious rumors about someone you know. Censorious gossip generally tells more about the person who does the gossiping than about the victim. In Albert Camus' novel, The Fall, the narrator gives this 'war- ning to his companion: "People hasten to judge in order not to be judged themselves . . . The judgment you are passing on others eventually snaps back in your face, causing some damage," Contributed Compassion fatigue From the newspapers and from radio and television we learn a great deal about suffering and distress at home and in all parts of the world. In recent years we've had so much of this that many of us are now suffering what has been called "compas- sion fatigue". Our hearts have been prodded so fre- quently and so insistently that they become fatigued, developing reluctance to make compassionate responses. Our compassion fatigue drives some of us to cultivate a • converiient,ignoraae:, If' we don't know too much about the suffering of others, we will not be made feel uncom- fortable about it. Life can be much pleasanter for us if we don't know too much about suffering and deprivation in the world's under-developed regions, in other parts of our nation, in our own communities and neighborhoods. Compassion fatigue and the cultivation of convenient ignorance nourish us in a mood of indifference, the kind of in- difference that easily says, "Charity begins at home", and then adds, "and that is where I intend to keep it". In one of his plays Bernard Shaw said this: "The worst sin toward our fellow creatures is not to hate them but to be in- different to them". Shaw then described in- difference as "the essence of inhumanity". The complexity and 'confusion of our life today, with the compassion fatigues it engenders and the convenient ignorance it encourages, causes indifference to settle rather easily on our hearts. Perhaps in- difference, the couldn't-care-less attitude, is the great sin of our day. Contributed Fun-filled weekend on tap Social morality Need a showcase Vacation days Travel plans get brushed Well, I thought this column would have a fairly exotic date- line: Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Rue de Something-or- Other in Paris. That's what I had in mind for the summer. My young brother has an apartment. with ots of sleeping space, in the Black Forest of Germany, or the Sch- warzwald, as we jet-setters call it. He offered it to us as a base for bashing around western Europe. It was ideal. About five hours from Paris, the same from Switzerland, Denmark, Belgium, Berlin. A day to Sweden. A mere bagatelle to Holland. I had it all worked out. A one- day trip to Zurich, a two-day spree in Paris, a smash at a Munich biergarten (that's a coffin where you have to keep your socks up), with the oc- casional foray into Frankfurt or Hamburg. Unfortunately, most of our forays this summer will be into hamburg. That's all we can af- ford and that only once a week, There's an old nursery rhyme, Phone 235-1331 which doesn't even rhyme, "For want of a nail, the shoe was lost; for want of a shoe, the horse was lost; for want of a horse, the battle was lost; for want of a victory, the kingdom was lost." Or something like that. I'm quoting from memory. I read it in the Book of Knowledge when I was eight. And along with all those nails and shoes, a good bit of my memory has been lost. At any rate, you get the message. One thing leads to another. Or something. That's why I'm not writing this column from the Eiffel Tower in Paris or God's Badburg in Germany. It all started with the Good Samaritans. You may recall that I wrote a column a few weeks ago about some former students who came around and fixed my garage door for nothing. They absolutely refused to accept a cent. It gave me quite a warm glow at the time. That glow has, over the in- tervening weeks, turned into a blazing ulcer. ' Not their fault. It's my wife's. • She's been saying for about two years, "Bill, we've got ta,get the house painted." I always agree. "Yep. Sweetie, next summer for sure." Now, our house is not something you paint on a holiday weekend, buy a case of beer and get some of your old buddies to come in and help. It's a two-and-a-half storey edifice of brick. Driving past, you might say, "Hell, I'd paint that for $85,00," There's just the trim that needs painting, you see. But that is some trim. There are thirteen storm windows, thirteen screens, eleventy-four shutters, two French doors, and at least twenty-seven blackbirds in a fir tree. That's before you start painting the trim. Well, in a burst of sen- timentality, my old lady suggested we give "the boys" the job of painting the trim. I would have given them a case of beer and felt I was all even. The "Trim" is costing me $500. Fair enough, in these days, I could have done it myself, but I'm not going to climb a fifty-foot Amalgamated 1924 TOry HOT In Mont NOMIE0.- WS TX ?Rat! If area residents were thinking of spending a quiet, holiday weekend at home, they should forget it! They're in store for some great entertainment and fun at two area communities as Dashwood marks its annual Friedsburg Days revelry and Ailsa-Craig observes its centennial. A look through the ad- vertisments quickly notes there's fun galore at both communities for all ages and we can well imagine that the roads leading between the two villages will be well travelled. Parades, sports, contests of all descriptions are being featured. And there's extra good news for mother - or father if he happens to be doing most of the cooking these days on the backyard barbecue as yours truly is. Barbecues, breakfasts and meals throughout the day will be available at both locations, so you can make a full weekend of it. + + + Commendation should go out to the members of the Ausable- Bayfield Conservation Authority for their fine new picnic area on Lake Huron at the end of High- way 83. This has long been a favorite weekend swimming and picnic area for many area residents and the new park provides the type of accommodation that makes those butings even more enjoyable. Tours through the nearby Lake Huron water treatment plan can also be included at times, just in case the weather turns a little for the worse. In keeping with the Authority's policy, an admission charge is required for park patrons, and as we noted in a previous column, this is to he expected in most parks these days due to the in- creasing costs of development and maintenance. + + + Judging from recent comments by members of Exeter council, those expensive new garbage containers on Main St. haven't helped to any great extent in cutting down on the litter problem. For some strange reason, ladder unless there's a mighty fair damsel at the top. And all they found was a hornet's nest. Next. The boss, who still calls me "Mr. Smiley" or "Sir", bless him said, "Sir, you've got troubles with that roof." My heart sank. I've been through it before. Well, I don't have to go into detail. Any home-owner knows the rest. The roof is shot, everything is rotten, though it hasn't leaked a drop since we came here, The only thing leaking is the downstairs toilet, just after we've spent $16 having it "fixed." Farewell, Amsterdam, Farewell, Copenhagen, Hello roof, Hello bank manager. I shouldn't complain, I guess. Suppose those boys hadn't come to fix my garage door. I might have been lolling around in Copenhagen saying, "Pas de nuit, cherie," instead of an- swering the door ten times a day to loan the construction gang a screwdriver, It's going to be a $2,000 summer holiday. At home. It turns out that the garage has to be painted too, and the back porch. Rather bitterly, I asked one of the "boys" if they shouldn't paint the woodpile as well, to go with the decor. And with a nice twist of wit, he Said, "Would you like US to paint the cat, as well?" He sleeps there. Why not? Green, Shutter green. With a high gloss. people still think that the gutter is the place to deposit garbage and obviously some stringent action is required to change this habit. Reeve Derry Boyle suggests passing motorists must think we're a bunch of pigs in view of the debris on the streets on some occasions. A few charge's laid by the police have been suggested by some as a type of action that could be initiated and no doubt that would make a few people consider the consequences before carelessly tossing something onto the street. Perhaps rec director Jim McKinlay and his playground leaders could come up with a scheme whereby they had their youngsters strategically stationed on the street to go up and tap someone on the shoulder if they saw a culprit in action. Such a scheme would have a two-fold benefit in that it would also make the youngsters more aware of their own habits and in that regard kindle better prac- tices in the younger generation. If a plan, of this nature was 'considered on a trial basis for a couple of hours some day, it should be unannounced so people wouldn't be on their best behaviour in an effort to avoid chastisement from some youngster. The kids would probably have to be prepared for some abuse, but on the whole we think people would react kindly to the youngsters if they acted in a diplomatic manner. If readers have other suggestions, we'd be most happy to have them aired in our letters to the editor column. + + + Speaking of letters, we've been pleased at the increase in this manner of communication in recent weeks. One issue con- tained four letters from readers on topics of interest and it is our hope that others would use this vehicle as a means of airing their views. Authors of such letters often feel a deep sense of ac- complishment in publicly stating their opinions and the forum is much broader than merely spouting off over the hack fence or on the street corner. Give it a try one of these days! 50 Years Ago Mr. J. Passmore Hensall has recently installed adarge radio receiving set in his store. You are invited to drop in and hear this outfit. A monster sturgeon fish was captured by the fishermen at St. Joseph measuring nearly six feet in length and weighing 137 pounds. The wine factory at St. Joseph was torn down last week. Mr. George Layton and Mr. John Laporte were elected as Huron representatives to the new Ontario Bean Growers Association at an inaugural meeting in Zurich last week. The editor of this paper is on tour with the Canadian Press Party in England and Europe. 25 Years Ago B, W.Tuckey former reeve of the village, christened the new pumping system at the Moody well Thursday by using a well- known soft drink which, by an odd coincidence is distributed by Tuckey Beverages, Loreen Venner, Iris Tomlinson, Barbara Brintnell, Olive Petrie, Marilyn Skinner, Jean Thomp- son, 1<athleen Armstrong, and Shirley Harness are attending Getting back to the subject of littering, this was an item that came to our attention while at- tending the joint convention of the Canadian Community Newspaper Association and the National Newspaper Association in Toronto over the weekend. While walking down through the Yonge St. mall with Clinton's Jim Fitzgerald, he remarked that the city was much cleaner than his home town. Refuse was almost non-existent along the street, despite the fact it was crowded with thousands of people taking advantage of the sights and sounds of the poplar mall. Could it really be that residents of rural Ontario are less proud of their surroundings- than their city cousins? As noted, the mall is a hive of activity throughout the day and night and pedestrians stroll leisurely along the street without the normal nuisances of cars or buses. Musicians give im- promptu recitals and loud speakers softly lure customers into the strip joints and massage parlors. A story in The Star revealed there are about 80 such massage parlors in the city at the present time, but unfortunately the busy schedule prevented the writer from providing readers with a first-hand account of the amenities of such establish- ments. (Actually the better half wouldn't let him out of sight long enough). The thought came to mind that merchants in Exeter should welcome any announcement that a bypass is being built around this community so they too could provide a mall for shoppers. It would probably he a real boon ... with or without massage parlors and strip joints. + + + Members of the NNA from across the USA were in at- tendance at the convention and it was most interesting to hear their responses to a speech given by Father John McLaughlin, an aide to President Richard Nixon. He is a most powerful orator, and while we did not agree — Please turn to Page 5 Girl Guide Camp at Kitchigami. Cal Fahrner, Sarnia, Bob Pryde London; Mel Gaiser Shipka, Ray Wuerth and Douglas Pryde Exeter motored, to Washington last week. James L. Hendry, manager of the Bank of Montreal branch in Exeter has received word that he is being transferred to the branch at Owen Sound. 15 Years Ago The hot summer has given Tuckey Beverages Ltd„ Exeter its "biggest season to date," according to manager Ross Tuckey. The 11-year-old firm, has increased its staff to SO to handle the demand. A new church, the tolkn's eighth will be built in Exeter soon. Tentative approval was given to the local congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses to erect a hall in the north-west Section near No. 83 highway. Blaring of the plant whistle Saturday marked the end of the pea pack at Canadian Canners Ltd. here. The corn pack is ex- pected to start on August 24, A land judging competition for Grade 12 students at SHDHS Will be sponsored by the AUSable Authority this fall. Over 50 Today I'm vacationing at the lake, This morning as my companion and I ate our break- fast we looked out on the vast expanse of Lake Huron with its placid waters rolling and parting on the beach below the cliff. The wind blew strong and fresh, Hungry seagulls crying plain- tively swooped and dived behind a sturdy fishing boat trawling slowly for a catch. The great sun shone down warmly from an infinite motionless sky and the peace of what my eye captured washed over me to bathe me in a deep serenity I always feel when I'm here at our tiny lakeside hideaway. Then, with no warning the wind blew stronger, The lake darkened, its waves becoming ominous. From across the horizon a menacing black cloud approached with amazing speed. The rain lashed down and we were in the centre of a storm with pealing thunder and lightening streaking around us. One sharp crack brought my friend and I to our feet wondering if we'd been hit. Making a survey through the cottage to see if we were still intact she called reassuringly from the back bedroom, "It's OK — the sun's still shining in the east!" The storm soon spent its course, and as the wind died down we were once again in sunshine and quiet. As I write this, I'm watching the neighbor's children float lazily on water that sparkles and dances but which, only a short time ago, was heaving and rolling in wild waves. How like life it is. Just when everything is blissful, when there seems not a care in the world, By ELMORE BOOMER Counsellor for Information South Huron For appointment phone: 235-2715 or 235-2474 On May 30, 1974 three clergymen were fined $10 or a day in jail. They were the Rev. Howard Mills, the Rev. Van Samuel Mather and a seminarian Mr. Vincent McGrath. They were charged with trespassing at a Dominion Store in Toronto in March. On the same night they were back on a picket line outside the same store protesting the buying of California grapes and lettuce not harvested by the United Farm Workers. This time they did not go inside the store urging people not to buy the "tarnished" produce but sang pro-farmworker and anti- Dominion Store songs from the sidewalk. In the Globe and Mail report of May 31 Judge Robert Dneiper is quoted as saying, "Obedience to moral law has led to most of the genocide in the world. Adolf Hitler obeyed his moral law . . . Moral law does not override the law of the Legislature of Ontario." According to the same report the clerics in question made the following statement. "We believe no court or legislature has the right to require . . . such ultimate obedience to any statute. We cannot give ultimate students are expected to take part. 10 Years Ago Officials of the Exeter Industrial Development Cor- poration and members of council were on hand Wednesday to welcome Exeter's newest in- dustry. Custom Trailers Ltd. The Corporation executive spearheaded a drive to raise funds for the building which will he located on the Keller property on Highway 83. Between 25 and 30 "interested citizens" using donated machinery, money and materials erected a new ball screen at the girl's diamond in the Exeter Community Park over the weekend. RAP refused to fix the dilapidated structure, although at their meeting Monday, they passed a motion authorizing interested citizens to do it! The SHDHS board received approval from the provincial government this week for"' the proposed vocational addition to the high school. Approval from Ottawa is still needed. Included in the entensive addition will be seven classrooms, a science laboratory, a carpentry shop, drafting shop and a motor mechanics shop. Workmen completed con , struction of the sanitary sewers on Sanders and Andrew Streets yesterday and the pouring has also been finished by Hammond Construction on William St. from Huron to Sanders, suddenly on the horizon looms a storm with such ferocity and swiftness that we are almost overcome with its sudden fury. Sometimes, like today, there is still a bit of blue sky or sun to encourage us and let us know that ' the storm will soon be over. But often the sunshine of our lives seems completely blotted out. There are days when the sky is black all the way around; when the rough waves beat us down and we are buffetted by winds that seem too strong for our feeble frames. Then we cry to heaven, "How long, 0 God, how long?" At times like this we must look to God for that ray of hope and sunshine. It's then that it's good to recall that Jesus tells us in the Book of John, "I will not abandon you or leave you as orphans in a storm . . ." He also said that though we might ex- perience many trials and sorrows to be of good cheer and trust Him. Writing to the Corinthians, Paul assured them that God would never allow them to be tempted or tried beyond their endurance and that He would gf've them the strength to endure and provide a way of escape for them. And God is faithful to His word, In our everyday lives we need vacations to rest, days that are filled with laughter and relaxation so that when we go hack to our work and the mun- dane duties, we have the strength to carry them out. So it is with our spiritual lives. There are those who say that tribulation times are good for the soul (and they may be right), but our 'S'pirits also need 'vacation days' of rest and peace and joy. It seems to be God's good plan that we get some of both. loyalty to any human law." In a letter appearing in the same newspaper shortly after this report E. H. Pereira com- ments on the Judge's remarks quoted above. "This I consider to be a dangerous statement to go into any Canadian record of law. For it is precisely because Hitler did not obey moral laws that he was able to rewrite the law of Germany which then was obeyed by the law abiding citizens who ended up on trial in Nuremburg." Ironically he adds, "It is the written law that allowed the abuses at Fort Erie." With such issues laid so squarely before us we can leave them to be worked out by each of us, There are a number of questions raised which require hard answers. Perhaps Mr. Pereira's parting advice could be considered positively by us. He writes, "Rather than condemn men and women who act according to the dictates of their consciences, the judicial system should he alive and at- tentive to what they have to say." At least if judges cannot, because of their positions, pass over such occurrences, nor we, because the written law is basic to our society, we can at least. listen, learn and be ready to act. The Rev. Mr. Mills grew up in a home where social issues were the subject of their table-talk. The needs of people who came for legal aid to lawyer father Ralph Mills were weighed and measured according to the then current insights. In Mr. Mills maternal line was one intimately connected with the founding of the Canadian John Howard Society, According.to the United Church Observer Mrs. Mills herself "has devoted boundless energy to people in need, most recently Canadian Indians". It is not strange then that one with such a background should be exercised for the rights of people. No doubt there are many besides this United Churchman and his Catholic fellows who would echo his words. "We know something " about what personal repentance means, though we do little enough about it. It means a turn- about in our attitudes and way of living to a new way of life," "The Gospel is about the power for that kind of repentance, But we know almost nothing about what I would call corporate or social repentance. How do whole societies do a turn-about, and renounce values and ways of living which exploit other people and foul them up?" The costly nature of the Whole process is emphasized by Mr. Mills when he refers us to "that great city, Nineveh" whose people spontaneously entered in upon a sack-cloth and ashes experience. Times Established 1873 Advocate Established 1881 ecefeRrimesabuocafe SERVING CANADA'S BEST FARMLAND C.W,N.A„ 0.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 0384 Paid in Advance Circulation, March 31, 1972, 5,037 SUBSCRIPTION RATESt Canada $9.00 Per Year; USA $11.00 "It was rather naive of me to think that was the cost of the house."