The Brussels Post, 1974-03-06, Page 2WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 1974
t..4,Wst v •
Sugar and Spice
By Bill Smiley
Serving Brussels and the surrounding community.
Published each Wednesday afternoon at Brussels, Ontario
by McLean Bros. Publishers, Limited.
Evelyn Kennedy - Editor Tom Haley Advertising
Member Canadian Community Newspaper Association and
Ontario Weekly Newspaper Association.
Subscriptions (in advance) Canadal$6.00 a year, Others
$8.00 a year, Single Copies 15 cents each.
Second class mail Registration No. 0562.
Telephone 887-6641.
In recent weeks the Post has been chock full of
news. It has been so full that sometimes we've had to
leave out news which has been sent to us or hold it
over for publication a week late.
The problem is partly one of deadlines. Much of
our contributed news does not arrive in the Brussels
Post Office until late Monday or Tuesday morning.
Readers may think this gives us lots of time to get
everything into the paper. After all the Post is dated
Wednesday and arrives at the post office that day.
But what readers may not realize is that the paper
has to be completely composed and laid out and
ready to go to Goderich where it is printed by 4 p.m.
Tuesday afternoon.
By the time stories which have been handed in at
our Brussels office late Monday or Tuesday morning
this gives us only 2 or 3 hours to get the information
from rough form unto a completed page. If y ou don't
think there is a lot of work involved, drop into any
newspaper office in this area on a Tuesday or
Wednesday and observe the rush.
In a couple of hours news has to be edited, typed
up, corrected, laid out on a page and have a headline
written. Lately it's pretty hard to transform many
pages of written copy to the printed page at the last
minute on a Tuesday.
We realize that some news happens at the last
minute and can't be sent to us any sooner than
Monday or Tuesday.
But if you are a club secretary, or someone else
charged with letting the Post know of your group's
activities and your meeting happens on Wednesday
or Thursday, take or phone your account into the
Post on Thursday or Friday. These are the slow days
for a weekly paper and we can get your news ready to
print before the rush material comes in on Tuesday.
The sooner you get your account in to us, the more
care we can take with it. That way y ou'll be sure of
reading that account you sent in in this week's paper.
We like Canadian shows
We watched "Images of Canada" on CBC the
other night and were intrigued to see film of some
little-seen beautiful and historical parts of our
country.
Such programs should be available to all
Canadians as a matter of course, but until recently
they weren't.
A part of the problem of living with American
domination of our economy is that the neighbouring
giant also dominates Our communications media.
Our images of ourselves were shaped by America.
The historical figures, the places and heroes that
most of us saw on TV when we were growing up ten
or fifteen years ago were mostly American.
We knew all about Davy Crockett and George
Washington and we'd all seen the Alamo,
Disneyland and the Statue of Liberty on the tube.
But we'd never seen Louisburg or the Klondike
and Laura Secord was a name on a box of chocolates.
Thank Heavens we're starting to think Canadian
and realize that our history is just as entertaining and
More important to us) than American history.
A TV program like "Images of Canada" which
Managed the other night to touch lightly on many
exciting incidents in our history — from Simon
Fraser's trip down the Fraser Diver to the 'WO Arctic
sea voyage of the RCMP icebreaker "St. Roch" is
invaluable.
It's a shock and it's fun to See that there actually
were interesting even earthshaking things
happening in Canada's past too„
Some days you can't win a nickel. Today
is one of them.Outside, it's bucketing
down wet snow to clog my driveway.
Inside, I'm getting the 'flu, and my jaw is
aching from a going-over the dentist gave
me.
And downstairs, two women are
squabbling about how to bring up my
grandson.
Yes, the little chap is paying his first
visit to the old family home, and he's the
only bright note in the day.
Think I'll sneak down and have another
look at him and 'try to cheer myself tip.
There, I did. And I feel better. He's a
dandy little fellow. He's fat, and he smells
like a baby, and he produces the occasional
lopsided grin, as though he finds the world
amusing. He doesn't know the half of it.
It's not only amusing; it's ridiculous.
And two of the more ridiculous aspects
of it right now are his mother and his
grandmother. One has had ,a baby for six
weeks and thinks she knows all about
babies. The other hasn't had a baby for 22
years, and she thinks she knows all about
babies.
My role is to try to apply some common
sense, but it's about as effective as
throwing oil on a fire to put it out. They
both turn on me and assure me that my
knowledge about babies is about as'
capacious as my knowledge of heaven.
In fact, I know all there is necessary to
know about infants: keep them warm and
dry and well fed, and they'll be—happy.
They're just like human beings in that
respect. •
This little guy is certainly getting that
treatment. If his mother puts a fresh diaper
on him, his gran has got it Off and put
another on before he has a chance to wet
the first one.
And he's certainly not suffering in the
groceries department, He's gulping great
quantities of the pure, unadulterated stuff
nature intended for him.
There have been rhapsodies written
about the beauty of a child nursing at its
mother's breast. And I must say it's
something to see her cuddling him up to
one side and reaching with her free hand
for her bottle,of beer. She got that out of a
To the editor
I received the paper today and I look
forward to it. Glad to see the y ouriger
people are taking an interest in the present
and future aspect of the village.
Having left Brussels over 40 years ago,.
I found a great change when we attended
the Centennial. The parade •was just
wonderful and you wouldn't sec any better
ui some of the larger centres. It means a lot
of work, but it is gratifying when your
efforts produce a great success.
For your consideration here are some
suggestions
1. At the village limits have attractive
signs, "Welcome to Brussels", "We're
glad you came."
2. Clean and tidy main streets with
crossings well marked.
Well painted store fronts with
attractive signs.
4. Your merchants could have drawings
baby book, which, so help me, suggested
nursing Mothers have a bottle of beer to
break the monotony or keep the flow
coming, or something.
This is a little digression, but I was
almost fully grown before 1 learned that my
basic idea about nursing mothers was
wrong. Another kid told me, when we were
about six, that there is porridge in one
breast and milk in the other. That's why
they switch the baby over.
Yep, there's nothing like a baby around
the house. That kid just don't get to cry.
Someone snatches him up the minute he
bleats once. Even I.
And my wife is having a great time
getting out all the pictures of our kids when
they were babies,_ to see whom he "Takes
after." The latest notion is that. he looks
like his Uncle Hugh at that age. I think he
looks like Churchill. For once we're in
agreement, because Hugh as a baby looked
much like Churchill as an elderly man.
And his granny is away ahead of-the
game on clothes. She's bought him a white
summer suit, and a blue bunting bag for
next winter. ,Next winter, already.
I haven't bought him a thing,' but I have
a furtive forebod ing that that, urchin is
going to cost me plenty, over the years. If
the cost of records and fishing tackle and
hockey equipment keeps going up, I'll be
beggared before he's into high school. I
seem to be the only one in the family
making a buck these days.
His mother and father have great plans
for him. One is a musician and the other an
artist, so they think he's going to be some
kind of genius. That's what I thought about
my kids too. One is a waiter, the other is a
young mother.
However, if I use all my craft, perhaps I
can lure him away from the decadent
artistic life, and turn him into a pretty good
angler, or something useful like that.
It doesn't really matter what you plan for
a kid, of course. In this crazy world,
nothing is clearer than that the best-laid
plans nearly always go agley.
All I hope for little Nikov is that he gets a
charge out of life, allows himself to love'
and be loved, "and is healthy.
Oh, yes, and one other thing; that he's
twice the man his grandfather is.
which always bring business. And when a
person comes in to fill out a chance, he or
she normally make a purchase.
5. No doubt the village has a vacant lot
with overdue takes. Sent to Toronto and
order assorted trees - Scotch' Pine, Spruce,
Balsam, etc. You have the Lions Club,
Optimist Club, etc. You would have
Nursery Stock for the home owner, and in 5
to 10 years you would have Xmas t tees.
The cost' is small. The profit will surprise
you.
These are only a few suggestions for
what they might be worth.
Thotigh I wasn't born there, nor started
to school there, Brussels will always be
home.
Continued success to the village, the
"Brussels Post" and with personal regards
to yourself and Roy,
Lawson Clouse, Livonia, Michigan.
The earlier, the better
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