The Brussels Post, 1972-04-19, Page 2WEDNESDAY; APRIL 1909721
4000 . PROSE0
W04114110
/1"
Serving $russels and the surrounding community
published each. Wednesday afternoon at Brussels, Ontario
by McLean Bros. PubliShers, Limited, j
Eielyn Kennedy - EditOr l Tom Haley - Advertising
Member Canadian Community Newspaper Association and
Ontario Weekly Newspaper Association.
Subscriptions (in advance) Canada $4.00 a year, Others
,$5.0Q a year, Single Copies 10 cents each.
Second class mail Registration. No. 0562.1
Telephone 887-6641.
Tell "Why we like the Post"
Centennial involves work
The success of any venture de-
pends on the work and thought that
goes into it.
Since this is true of centennial
celebrations as it is of everything
else the activity of the Brusselsi
Centennial Committee during recent
months is a guarantee that the July
1st weekend celebration in Brussels
is going to be an outstanding event.
Unless one has been personally
involved in planning such an event
it is difficult to appreciate the
amount of detail that arises and
about which decisions must be taken.
Yet if such detail is neglected the
most carefully planned program can
quickly fall apart.
Centennial Committee chairman
Hugh Pearson and the dozens of
Brussels people working with him
understand this and that is why they
are spending many hours of their
time attending meetings and consider-
ing suggestions for the once in a
hundred years event.
In the meantime the task of the
- committee can be made easier in the
knowledge that the members enjoy the
full support and co-operation of all
the people and organizations in the
village.
The following letters have been
received as entries from readers of
The Brussels post in the Canadian Weekly
Newspapers Association. C4ntest 'Our
,Ho1netoWn PaPer".
The contest is open to readers of
each, CWNA weekly and entries will be
judged by a committee of the association,
In his renowned ',Neighbourly News',
broadcasts, Andy Clarke once said rlIf
you want to get close to the heart-beats
of the banner Province of Canada, scan
the weekly newspapers".
And truer words were never spoken.
They abound in rugged Philosophy, pathos, advice, and interest. Their
columns are' filled with news items
gathered, sifted, and rewritten by people
who are concerned in the day -to -.day
events of the communities in which they
are located. Our triumphs are extolled,
our failures receive consolation, our
sorrows and anxieties receive
sympathy, and our endeavours receive
appreciation, (even if they aren't succes-
sful) because we have been thinking "in
the right direction".
In the pages of our weekly newspaper,
the problems of our small community are
discussed and explained. We are told in
advance of improvements to public build-
ings,additions to equipment, and the hopes
and dreams of our village council for the
good of the village. We have the privilege
of writing a "letter 'to the ,Editor" and
giving our suggestions for something they
have overlooked or expressing disapproval
of their plans. We even have a choice of
remaining anonymous while we voice our
opinions (except, of course to the Editor).
A few months ago, a neighbouring
editor called the weekly newspaper "the
biggest single salesman" for the town.
Each issue brings news of the items
our business men have to offer for sale.
Their products are near at hand, mostly
within walking distance. We don't need
to spend gallons of gasoline and hours of
time to reach our shopping centre. Their
overhead is reasonable, compared with
city rents and taxes, so moderation in
prices must be reflected.
Appreciation of the efforts of the
editor of the local weekly are very evident
among our former citizens, who have
moved to new areas, but who continue to
renew their subscriptions to their "home"
paper. In spite of the fact that, through
the years, strange names have crept into
its columns, they still look forward to
the arrival of the paper - just to
"keep in touch".
Even the pesky little “gremlins" -
the bane of all editors - contribute their
gleam of humour to the stories of the
week, although it is doubtful It the editor's
sense of humour appreciates his efforts,
Many times we have been told that our
interest and support are necessary to the
success of our local news Paper. So let
us do must that, by sending in items of
interest to our editor. They will be
accepted graciously and you will have
the pleasant satisfaction of having a part
in a good community effort.
Mrs. C. Matheson.
Our Home Town Paper is to me a
friend, a network of information, a
condensed version of the happenings in
and around our district.
Through our classified ads and ad-
. vertisements by our different businesses,
It is a guide for those in the surround-
ing villages, our town and our new corn-
ers.
There are interesting articles for
the young and old and in between. For
the sports enthusiasts, it publicizes their
abilities in the sports field, making them
look forward to the coming events in
our next edition.
We are proud to see the accom-
plishments of our children printed in
our paper. "Their activities" in the
school column written by the students,
shows us the interest our young have
in the district and fellow students.
By having a weekly paper it unites
a circle of small towns and villages,
making it a large friendly community.
For the shut-ins and aged it means a
quiet time to read and keep up with
the news without leaving their home,
whereby they can feel like they are
part of all that is going on.
With the bits of humor tucked be-
tween the editorials, it makes one's
week a bit happier and of course, the
Sunday Church Services schedule, of our
local churches.
So we have, personal news, council
activities, church services, sports, police
reports, entertainment notices, lodge,
School and farm news, plus advertisements
from the different shires and businesses,
with even a touch of sadness such as
area funerals in our publications. What
more could one ask for?
I know what my 'tweekly" means to
me. Since I moved to the city it has kept
me in touch with my neighbours and
friends I left behind. I look forward to
my next week's edition of Our Home
Town Paper, in my mail box. No town
should be without one.
Mrs.Ruth Hinton,
45 Regina Street,
London, Ontario.
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Sugar and Spice
by Bill Smiley
There is a growing philosophy among
young people that goes something like
this: "Work? Who needs it?"
The theory has a number of foster
parents. One of them is the exceeding
ease with which one can get on the
welfare rolls these days, Why work when
one can draw enough welfare for a pad,
however humble grub and smokes?
Then there is unemployment insur-
ance. This is even better than welfare
to fall back on, though it does require
the occasional stint of that four-letter
word we're talking about. Work for a few
months, get yourself fired on some pre-
text, loll back on the mattress of un.
ins. until it runs out, work again for a little
while, and repeat the process. This is
a way of life for some young people,
and they make no bones about it.
It doesn't occur to them that it's
merely a refined form of stealing, and
in most cases, I don't think they'd care
if it did.
As an aside, I think you'd be apalled
by their attitude toward stealing. I
conduct regular surveys in my classes
on such subjects - what used to be
known as simple honesty. I ri most
cases, the majority believes firmly that
it's ad to steal from a friend, but it's
perfectly all right to steal, or "rip-off"
from any large institutions; chain stores,
insurance " companies, the government.
I wonder where they got that idea?
It couldn't poStibly be from hearing their
dads talking about beating the tax col-
lector, or their moms exaggerating an
insurance claim. Could it?
Back to the subject. What else in-
fluences this comparatively new non-
attitude toward work? One is purely econo-
mic. They are completely frustrated by
the free enterprise system under which
they have ,been raised. It still offers
great opportunities for the few who have
enterprise and luck.
Well, how many of us have both?
You can have all the enterprise that's
lying around, but if you haven't luck, you're
a perpetual bankrupt. You can be a real
Tucker, but if you don't have any enter-
prise, all you do is win a few bUcks at
bingo or on the horses.
Their real beef against the system,
of course, is that it does not work. It
does not create enough jobs. Therefore,
why get an education, why even bother
looking for work, if there isn't any?
Another influence, or lack of it, is
that of the church. It used to have two
firm allies in the establishment and the
work ethic. The church hasn't been able
to cope. It is tarnished by its association
with the other two, and the young people
have turned their back on it, though I
don't think they have lost the faith. They've
merely lost respect for that massive
body of rules and dogma and "an honest
day's work for an honest day's pay"
and the insistence that while life is pretty
rotten, everything will be groovy in
heaven. They are young, impatient, and
simply will not buy that.
As you may have expected, or hoped,
or given up on, I am trying to make a
point. I'm not against the attitude. If
I didn't like work, I'd quit tomorrow.
But the re is nothing ennobling in work
itself, It's an utter drag, unless you
like what you are doing.
The other morning, I was driving
one of my students to school. He's
a big, husky lad who has shovelled out
my drive at times of stress. Asked
him what he was going to do when he
finished school.
"Well, I'm going to work for a year,
then maybe go to college."
Asked him whether he couldn't get
a student loan. "I don't want one. I
don't wanna owe anybody anything."
He continued, "My parents would give
me the money to go to university, but
I won't take iL They've worked hard
all their lives for it. Why not let them
enjoy what's left?"
At this point, I ran off the road,
and killed two girls from middle-class
parents, who were Confident that, des-
pite the fact that they have no brains,
their parents would Send them to college
and that they would there find a husband,
and one boy who had told nie he was going
to extort every penny he could front the
government in loans and grants, and never
pay them back.
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