The Exeter Times-Advocate, 1975-03-20, Page 4A dedicated servant
We get more than a little tired of all the
arguments against tighter control of guns.
With the crime rate mounting by the day
and firearms as the key to violence we still
have this groat howl whenever any form of
control is suggested.
The big argument from the gun-lovers
is that controls would be useless. The
criminals would still be able to secure guns
when they wanted tn. That is about as sen-
sible as leaving your doors unlocked
because a smart burglar can pick it open.
One night recently there were seven
crimes in the City of Toronto alone — all
perpetrated at gunpoint. Detroit's murder
rate is appalling, and guns figure in nearly
all cases. What's more, the murders in that
American city are largely the result of
family and neighborhood quarrels, not the
The entire community lost one of its
most valued citizens this week with the
passing of former deputy-reeve Helen Jer-
myn,
She was the first woman to enter
politics in this community, and the con,
scientious and enthusiastic manner in
which she conducted herself quickly won
admiration from the gentlemen who work-
ed with her during her all-too brief stint on
municipal affairs.
As this newspaper noted before, Mrs.
Jermyn brought a new sense of decorum to
council meetings, but her male cohorts
quickly learned she could hold her own in
any of the heated debates that were
generated and on many occasions she
emerged the victor in discussions because
of her tenacious desire to see that the cor-
rect decisions were made.
She displayed a comprehensive ap-
titude for the work, making her one of the
most respected and dedicated members on
council in almost all areas of concern.
Mrs. Jermyn was never satisfied to
pass over a task in which she had little
knowledge or experience. Instead, she
assumed the task and then set about
Lot of hog wash
reading and debating to gain the knowledge
required to make the decisions required.
Her concerns were for all residents,
regardless of age or position. She fought for
improvements at the local school and was
one of the prime backers of the senior
citizens complex now nearing completion.
Mrs. Jermyn never side-stepped con-
troversy. She was always willing to listen
to complaints or criticism and always went
out of her way in an attempt to understand
another's position better. She always had a
sympathetic ear for those who thought they
were being unfairly dealt with and on many
occasions she was noticeably anguished at
not being able to do more things for the
people she served.
Other people in the community will
remember Mrs. Jermyn more for what she
did for them as students or as members of
her church, or simply as a friend.
In whatever capacity she served, Mrs.
Jermyn was compassionate and dedicated
and therefore naturally to be sadly missed.
Hopefully, those who were challenged
by her courage and desire will step in to
carry on the service she dutifully fulfilled,
acts of hardened or professional killers. If
guns were harder to get many of these
tragedies would end in a broken jaw rather
than a dead body.
What in the world is the objection to en-
forcing the registration of firearms? If you
happen to be a hunter or a marksman you
would be permitted to own a weapon,
provided you had a good character record.
That is precisely the case at present for the
owners of hand guns, all of which must be
registered in this province.
The need for a permit would eventually
prevent the possession of firearms by those
people who have no need for them other
than the possibility of use against another
human.
Wingham Advance Times
Need to clean up the act
moomommomser• •
IF NE PIPN'T 1,4P XT t 50xRIPTIoN To MACLENfs, A SoOtENtr map SUFFICE
Collen Townsend Evans in her
book,A New Joy,suggests that the
sixth Beatitude, 'Blessed are the
pure in heart; for they shall see
God', might be interrupted as
"Blessed are the transparent
people .. ,
Sometimes when speaking of
another person, we say, 'I can see
right through him' which often
takes on a derrogative slant,
meaning we're on to his devious
plans.
However, this is not the kind of
transparency of which the author
Evans speaks, She's talking
about that person who is without
guile, has no shadows or double
meanings, one who says what he
means and means what he says.
She means people who don't play
it cool, but who are willing to take
the risk of expressing themselves
honestly, exposing themselves,
being vulnerable. They may get
taken advantage of, they may get
hurt, they may be misun-
derstood . . . that's part of being
transparent .And nobody, says
Mrs. Evans, said it would be
easy.
As Jesus moved among men he
emobodied the principles of
honesty and openness. He
revealed himself in terms of his
hearers' needs and un-
derstanding. He identified
himself with everyone. He dined
so often with the outcast and the
despised that he was called a
"glutton and drunkard'. He went
where the action was, sensed the
interests of human beings and
talked their language.
Lee Whiston, another author,
points out when Jesus was with
the common people he didn't
often quote scripture or invite
them to join him in the
synagogue on the Sabbath. He
told stories of sowing seed, lost
money, tending sheep, using
illustration to which his listeners
could relate.
However, when with his
Transparent Christians
Others have 'em
City council spent much of its time this
week talking about dogs. A lady had
written quite a good letter complaining of
the dangers of dogs on the street (and a
whole lot more in the letter) and, of course,
this set up a general hullaballoo about dogs.
This Alderman -Editor said lie would
not give a nickel for a "while truckload of
dogs." And this statement will probably
come back to haunt him forever.
People feel extremely one way or the
other about dogs. Most dogs are just family
pets, but to those who feel they are about to
be attacked. the dog becomes a vicious
adversary.
Be that as it may, Council has raised
the fine for dogs running at large. This
might help. It has also taken the need for
more manpower and a truck (and perhaps
a tranquilizer gun) to the budgets.
All in all, it is going to cost the average
taxpayer more just because some dumbo
has not enough sense to keep his dog on a
leash.
We deplore the billion-dollars spent
annually in feeding pets, anyway. It is
criminal that some mutt laps up food that
could feed a starving baby in Bangladesh.
Sarnia Gazette
The Ides are upon us
This is the time of year that
everybody wishes somebody
would do something about, but
nobody does. The Ides of March.
Some people think the Ides are
little creatures like leprechauns
who bore holes in your rubbers
and whisper into tots ears that
that 18-inch puddle won't go over
the tops of their six-inch rubber
boots.
Others, like my wife, think they
are malevolent beings who enjoy
scaring the liver out of you. The
other night, there was a great
rumble, a crash and all the lights
went out. I thought it was maybe
the second coming. She leaped a
foot. "It's the Ides of March," she
screamed.
As a matter of fact, it was the
ice off the roof, which tore away
the main cable into the house. But
it could just as well have been the
Ides.
Around the first of March, we
decided we'd start cross-country
skiing. Bought two sets of
skis,boots, the works. It rained
for the next week. That was the
Ides.
It's been going on for at least
2,000 years. Its first victim of any
import was Julius Caesar.
Now, Big Julie was no slouch as
an emperor. He had, in his day, a
bigger empire than Queen Vic-
toria had, although he wasn't as
fat.
He had a penchant for over-
running and over-hearing. He
over-ran the Spaniards, the
French, the Germans, the British
and the Belgians, not to mention
the Slobs, in the east.
And he over-heard. It was his
custom to prowl among the
campfires at night, and listen to
his disgruntled veterans. He
didn't bother much with the
gruntled veterans.
He did it, of course, incognito.
He wore a kilt, extra-long, to
cover his pot and his knees. On
his head, to mask his baldness, he
wore a German helmet, captured
in the epic battle of
Scheissinkellar. His chest was
disguised by a chest-disguiser,
captured from an Amazon
chieftainess who had joined
Women's Lib and decided to go
braless.
(It is tempting for the
dedicated historian to disgress
here, but I will make only two
concise points. One, the kilt was
stripped from a Scot who had
strayed south to found the Bank
of England, had been conscripted
into the army of the Ancient
Britons and had died gallantly,
shouting "Usquebaugh and
Andrew Carnegie!" The helmet
had been torn from „ a dead
squarehead and was rather
uncomfortable until Julius
discovered that the cow's horn on
the front unscrewed, was hollow,
and contained 13 ounces of
schnapps. From that time on, he
found it comfortable. Of the
Amazon breastworks, I will say
nothing. There's enough
sex and violence in history,
without dwelling on it, Besides it
is, or was, pointless.)
At any rate, strolling
anonymously (Oh! Oh!, here
comes Himself!") he over-
heard the rumblings of
discontent among his troops. It
was rather difficult to distinguish
them from the other rumblings
associated with the rude and
licentious soldiery, but he had a
Trained Ear as well as a Roman
Nose.
He and his legions had just put
down the seventh uprising by
some Belgian tribe.
Onme grizzled veteran was
heard to say: "Belgians,
Belgians! I'm sick of looting
Belgian towns, All they got is
gloves and tapestries. My old
Trouble 'n Strife back 'ome 'as 32
pairs of kid gloves an' enough
tapestries to make a shawl for the
Sphinx."
Another veteran, equally
grizzled, agreed. "Me too, And
them Belgian broads; I swear
they got fetlocks, In another 1,500
years, they'll be callin'
cm Percherons."
A third veteran legionary even
more grizzled than the other two,
concurred. "Right. An howbout
that there Belgian beer. So
watery ya gotta drink it in the
latrine or yer caught short. I'd
give my eye tooth to get a whack
at some Limeys or Frogs or
Xrauts fer a change, Wooden
even mine goin' backta Iddaly
and wipin' up somma them
Wraps we're workin' for."
(It might be noted, in the in-
terests of historical accuracy,
that the third legionnaire, like so
many of then, was not an ancient
Rorilan.He was an Old Pole, who
had been conscripted after he had
been shot out from under his
— Please turn to Page 5
dais. We appear to have some
rather dubious practices of our
own right at home,
Come now, ladies and
gentlemen. Let's clean up the
act!
+ + +
This newspaper received some
encouragement last week
regarding our practice of
covering local court news from
County Court Judge F. G. Carter.
As chairman of the Goderich
police commission, Judge Carter
cited lack of publicity surroun-
ding trials of people found guilty
of offences in Goderich as a
factor in the recent upswing in
deliquency and crime.
"'rile whole process is a
mockery if the public is not made
aware of the outcome of trials,"
Dear Sir:
Women around the world
regarded the diagnosis of breast
cancer in Betty Ford and Happy
Rockefeller as a fearsome
tragedy but this is not entirely so,
says Dr. Boris Ragula, because
their cases compelled countless
other women to face the realities
of a disease that is frequently too
frightening to .even think about.
"The real tragedy", adds Dr.
Ragula, "is that too many women
can't bring themselves to think
abo4 kt, even• when they, think
they may have breast cancer".
'FPL-TV's inquiry program
marks the start of Cancer Month
across Canada with a serious, but
informal examination of the
facts, the myths, the fears, the
pr'bblems - real and imaginary,
that involve the form of cancer
that so many women dread more
than any other. Dr. Ragula, a
distinguished family physician, is
joined by Surgeon John McCredie
and an audience of concerned
women seeking answers about
breast cancer.
The program emphasises the'
simple technique that can lead to
early diagnosis and vastly
greater chances of a cure. The
personal counselling and help
available to breast cancer vic-
tims, and the nature of the
surgical measures necessary if
they are to survive will also be
discussed.
Air date for this special Inquiry
is Sunday, March 30 at 3 p.m.
Moderator and host for this sixty-
minute program Jack Burghardt.
L. J. Shaunessy,
CFPL-TV,
London
50 Years Ago
During the first electrical
storm of the season, the bank
barn on the pasture of Sherwood
Hunter, on townline between
Usborne and Biddulph townships
was struck by lightning and
totally destroyed.
Nelson Vale, aged 42, an em-
ployee at the Exeter flax mill,
died from blood poisoning. He
removed a flax sliver from his
hand with a knife and blood
poisoning S'et in.
Thos Acheson last weekpur-
chased the fine red brick house of
D. Mack, Main St., for $5,500.
25 Years Ago
Pupils from the nine public
schools in Usborne Township
presented a program Wednesday
evening, the first to be put on in
the gymtorium of the new Exeter
District High School. The concert
was staged with a view to raise
money for the proposed new
hospital. The proceeds were $178.
Inspired by the work of the Boy
Scouts Association, S. M. Sanders
of Exeter has donated a plaque to
the Exeter District High School.
Stuart McBride, a student of
Exeter High School, has won a
$1, 250 scholarship at the
University of Western Ontario,
Twenty three OLS members
motored to Detroit the 'latter part
of the week and were guests at
Samson Lodge atantnternational
13irthday Party.
he stated, adding' that sentences
lose their deterrent effect if the
public is unaware of sentences.
In the area of young persons
who break the law, he said,
publicity "and the printing of a
family name in the paper" will
prompt parents to better
discipline their children.
Judge Carter said judges
usually consider the deterrent
effect of their sentences to
prevent recurrence of the crime.
The Judge's comments may
help readers understand why this
newspaper covers court
proceedings.
However, we are concerned
about the fact that some area
residents are allowed to have
their cases shifted to Goderich.
This action is taken primarily to
avoid having their names printed
and it is obviously most unfair for
those who do appear in local
court and have to suffer the
consequences.
If other court officials are of
the same opinion as Judge
Carter, then hopefully they will
realize that moving cases out of
the Exeter court for certain in-
dividuals is unfair and im-
prudent.
+ + +
Which comes first, the chicken
of the egg? Or which comes first
in preparing a budget, approving
the expenditures or the receipts?
That appears to be a con-
sideration for Exeter's RAP
committee in their budget
deliberations.
The committee has come up
with proposed expenditures of
$137,200 for the current year and
are now in the process of altering
rates for program and facilities
to gear their income to that
figure.
Unfortunately, that, type of
approach is bound to be in-
flationary, and it may have been
wiser for the committee to go
through their anticipated
revenues in the first step and then
gear their expenditures to that
figure.
Some increases are to be ex-
pected, but certainly nothing in
the order of 50 prcent. And, no
matter how they slice it (in-
creased rates or increased mill
rate) the money still has to come
out of the same pockets basically.
There appears to be little
question that the expenditure
columns have to be reduced
considerably before the final
tabulation is completed.
15 Years Ago
Ihor Orenczuk, Exeter won a
holster set in the ATD Christmas
contest at Beavers Crest Hard-
ware,
Spring floods in town
threatened to drive families out
of their homes and water rose
rapidly Wednesday afternoon.
Walter Creery, son of Mr. &
Mrs. Theron Creery, Usborne,
has been awarded a Canadian
Council pre-master's scholarship
of $1,200 for studies in philosophy
at theUniversity of Western
Ontario,
A well balanced, beautifully
costumed carnival-on-ice was
staged at the Exeter arena when
an audience of 531 viewed the 1960
Exeter Figure Skating Club
presentation.
10 Years Ago
Although organized for some
time, the Dashwood Boy Scouts
finally received their charter,
Rev. M. J. James accepted the
document from Jack Gallant,
Bayfield, District Commissionen
As their mothers had done 19
years earlier, Cindy Parker and
Debbie Smith joined the HenSall
Brownies, Their Brown Owl is
,Mrs, Bob Cook.
Council Monday accepted the
resignation of Constable Lloyd
Hodgins from the local police
force because they felt they could
(from an essay of the same title
by Miss Hazel Thompson for-
merly of Information South
Huron)
"The key ingredient of
helping!" That's the tribute paid
to empathy by one jeading
educator,
Here is a word often used whfch
begs-for definition.
Let us call on Websters - a
helpful, if not empathic volume -
for help. Empathy is "the
capacity for participating in, or a
vicarious experiencing of,
another's feelings, Nolitions or
ideas and sometimes another's
movements,"
When we notice the similarity
of the last two syllables - pathy -
with the word passion and realize
that both come from a common
source, we -gain some "feeling"
for the word "empathy". It
seems to mean roughly a "feeling
in". One feels with another in his
very being.
Carkhuff, our leading educator,
confirms this thought. "Empathy
involves crawling inside of
another person's skin and seeing
the world through his eyes...
Empathy and help got
together. Empathy does not
directly mean help but certainly
where empathy is experienced,
help has been given.
Empathy is the ability of the
helper to understand the other
person's inner experiences, to
integrate this understanding with
his actions, and to communicate
the depth of this understanding in
a warm, accepting and genuinely
helpful way.
The one being helped knows
quickly that someone'is listening,
listening not only to his words but
to himself. The helper is in-
terested in him and seeks to
understand him in order to help
him.
What are 'techniques beside
such empathy! Techniques are
effective only so long as they are
glorified by the empathic glow,
To be a technician is one thing. To
be a helper is a matter of per-
sonal discipline, a discipleship, a
learning.
Again our friend Carkhuff
comes to our aid. "The facilitator
is a person who is living ef-,
not meet his demands for an $900
pay increase and a five day week.
Chairman Ted Wright said the
$4,000 salary of Constable
Hodgins was in line with the other
two men in the community.
disciples who were deeply
committed men, or with the
scribes and Pharisees, who were
religiously oriented people, he
often quoted Scripture and spoke
on a highly intellectual level.
Again, his method and manner
were determined by the needs of
people.
Jesus allowed himself to be
vulnerable and defenseless and it
was these very qualities that
made him approachable,
We, too, are drawn to people
who take that costly risk of
transparent openness in their
lives. In time of deep trouble,
would you seek help from
someone who admitted to no
problem in his life, who was
coldly critical of anyone who did,
and who had all the pat answers
for everything? Of course, you
wouldn't.
You'd go to someone who had a
similar experience to yours, who
would be willing to let"you walk
into the openness of his heart
where you knew you would find
love and comfort.
Whiston also says, 'wherever
there is loving self-disclosure,
God is set free in the hearts of
men, to be rejected or adcepted,
thus the doctrine of the Incar-
nation leaps to life in our midst
today.'
God seeks transparent people
in whom He may live and through
whom he may reveal His love. He
wants us to be people through
whom He can communicate to
others.
Our manner and language may
have to be dictated to by the
needs of those around us, and
above' all we have to be com-
pletely transparent . . . that is,
honest with ourselves, with
others and most of all with God.
It is then that God's love in our
lives becomes apparentto others
and we are able to channel it into
their lives.
fectively himself and so discloses
himself in a genuine, con-
structive fashion in response to
others." A helper uses himself
helpfully in order to help the
troubled.
To help is to respond. Most
know how to react. Reaction is
like jumping on a horse and
riding off in all directions.
Response is different.
The responder is free enough in
himself to respect the person
before him, to sense em-
pathically the need expressed by
that person, to relate his un-
fettered self in a vulnerable
fashion to the tied-up one.
To begin to help then, one
listens actively. Such a one faces
fully the face before him,
maintains eye contact, is at-
tentive and alert. The helper
must hear not only the verbal but
the nonverbal.
The active listener is a good
waiter. He talks little and learns
much. When he does respond it is
a careful. response from prac-
tised stillness. In such an at-
tentive presence the tied-up one
begins to explore his tie-ups. Self-
exploration leads to self-
awareness and this increasingly.
When the helper sees the tied-up
one exploring his problems ever
more deeply, he knows the
helping process is begun, And
where it will end, no one knows!
,The seasoned helper turns from
advice and does not seek to
persuade. That may come later.
Now he listens without words.
And the tied-up .one shares his
deep feelings with the accepting
person.
The active listener, the ac-
cepting person, the empathic
helper thus lays a base of trust.
We have the advice before us that
"if you have just fifteen minutes
to help, you must use five
minutes or so in facilitative
responding."
Why is empathy so important '
then? The tied-up one comes for
help, knotted and entangled. His
behaviour needs changing for it is
tying him up tighter. But before
he can• change his behaviour, he
must understand himself. And'
before he can understand himself
he must explore himself.
Now, pray tell, how can anyone
explore himself when he is so
unsure, feels so unsafe, is sinking
under his own dead weight, and
every motion drapes him with the
sticky web of his own 'making?
Only empathic, active listeners
can help then! In such is strength
and rest whereby the flounderer
comes to himself.
Phone 235-1331
ixeferZimesaiworafe
'SERVING CANADA'S BEST FARMLAND
C.W.N.A., O,W.N.A, and ABC
Publisher Robert Southcott
Editor -- Bill Batten — Advertising Manager
Assistant Editor — Ross Haugh
Plant Manager — Les Webb
Composition Manager — David Worby
„V.VI:CIMMEMS"..61,11Z.MOMMITEZES
Times Established 1873 Advocate Established 1881 Amalgamated 1924
Published Each Thursday Morning
at Exeter, Ontario
Second Class Mai(
Registration Number 03 86
Paid in Advance Circulation
March 31, 1974, .5,309
'SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada $9.00 Per Year; USA $11.00
catelninat&V....aagEWEIC.Z"7:::
In case you missed it, the
Huron-Perth Separate School
board voted last week to pay
themselves 16 cents per mile
travelled on board business.
That, of course, is a rather fair
price considering the cost of gas-
oline, cars, upkeep, etc., but the
rather surprising aspect is that
members receive the mileage
allowance whether they drive
their own vehicles or not.
So, if the board members
decide to form car pools to get to
meetings or attend board events,
each member in the car pool
receives the 16 cents per mile,
despite the fact only one has the
expense.
It wasn't a unanimous deci-
sion, as half the board members
felt it unfair, but the deciding
vote was cast in favor of
providing the allowance
regardless of how members
travel.
What justification there can be
for such a decision is beyond our
comprehension.
We wonder what board
members would do if teachers
decided they should get paid
regardless of whether they teach
or not. It's about the same situa-
tion,
However, before you
Protestants start laughing up
your sleeve, we should point out
that this has been a common
practice among county council
,members for some time.
They too get paid for mileage
regardless of how they get to the,
meetings and, several of them.,t
travel together and each gets the . mileage allowance.
In addition, we've been told
that recently some members of
county council have been work-
ing out a deal whereby they, get
paid for one and a half meetings
per day (night not included.)
Members decided that to get
the full daily stipend, the
meetings had to last past 2:00
p.m. So, now they start their
sessions later in the morning so
they can continue past the magic
hour.
They are then adjourned and
some members take off for com-
mittee meetings for the balance
of the afternoon where they
receive pay for attending
another half-day session.
So, it would appear that
residents of our area com-
munities don't have to look to
Watergates and dredging scan-
Our response to now
By ELMORE BOOMER
Counsellor for
Information South Huron
For appointment
phone: 235-0560 or 228-6291
Empathy