The Brussels Post, 1974-10-09, Page 2;
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1172
ssels Post
BRUSSELS
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1974
ONTARIO
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) Canada $6.00 a year, Others
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Telephone 887-6641..
Sugar and Spice
By Bill Smiley
Last rose of summer
'1;
russels is lucky
Quite a large proportion of the residents of
Brussels are Senior Citizens. Brussels has always
seen a nice place to retire to, and the lack of industry
-mar the village has meant that many of our young
people automatically move away in order to follow a
career when they grow up.
So the village has a good number of citizens who
are over 65.
All of Brussels should be happy, as we imagine
that most of our older residents are, that the new
apartment building for, Seniors is soon going to be
ender construction here.
It's good to see a small village like Brussels
iharing in the rent assisted housing that has been
available for years to people in the big cities. 14 will
be good also to see our Senior Citizens living in
modern, easy to' care for apartments at rents that
they can afford.
Most Senior Citizens Apartments have common
rooms where all residents can have group activities.
Vlany older people who move into these buildings
find themselves busier and happier than they've ever
been.
Lots of young married couples would give their eye
teeth to qualify for an apartment unit like the one in
the Senior Citizens buildings.
It's thanks to the work of our council and the
councils of neighbouring Morris and Grey that this
large new apartment complex is coming to Brussels.
Let's all enjoy it.
We're all violent
Most of us, unless we've been in a brawl, raped or
knocked over the head for our money, don't relate
personally to violence.
Violence is something editorials deplore,
television showcase, and theatres exploit. Were
insulated by distance from far-off wars, revolutions,
racial demonstrations and labor unrest. Or are we?
What about the violence around us in which we
wittingly or unwittingly take part? The salesperson
who puts one over on the customer, lawyers who cut
ethical corners, stockbrokers who "pump up"
stocks, executives who squeeze competitors,
advertisers who misrepresent, politicians who
convert half-truth to truth, teachers who ridicule?
What about the thousands ,of thoughtless social
violences an alcoholic's effect on the family,, the
review Which demolishes the artist, the person who
never quite makes it into the club or social group she
yearns for, parents too busy and tired to hear a
child's plea -- the violence men do women through
heedless paternalistic practices and attitudes -- the
hurt caused by not sensing, seeing other's needs?
Violence is intensely personal. It begins with
individuals and it can end through individual action.
Can any one of us look into our soul and plead
immunity?
This week, I'm going to make two
predictions. For too long, I've b een hiding
my light under a bushel, when it comes to
forecasting, and it's time to come out from
under the bushel and reveal that I am
somewhat of a seer, when it comes to the
future.
Years ago, I came out against capital
punishment. It was done away with. I said
we should let Red China into the UN. It
was done. I said the trout were disappear-
ing from our streams, because of pollution.
They did. I suggested I would never be
rich. I'm not.
• But nobody paid any attention. Only
within the family did anyone realize that I
had the gift of prophecy. I told my son, "If
you don't stop goofing around, you're
going to flunk out of college." He did. I
told my wife, "If you dont stop worrying so
much about everything, you'll be a nervous
wreck." She is. I told my daughter, "If you
pick that baby up every time he utters s
whimper, he'll be spoiled silly." He is.
You see, even my own family didn't put
much faith in me, even though I'm always
right. I'm somewhat like Cassandra, the
lady from ancient Troy, who was given the
gift of foreseeing the future, and, at the
same time, the curse that nobody would
ever believe here.
O.K. It's time to gp public. If I'm right,
I'll have politicians mid poets, actors and
authors, beating a path, to my door. Will I
win? Will I be famous? Will I wow them?
Will I write the great Canadian novel?
I've decided to take on an assistant,
though it's only to keep his mother from
starving in a cock-reach-ridden apartnient.
He will be Nikov Chen, my grandbabby.
He's. half fey Irish and half romantic
German and Walf blunt. Canadian. That
makes him 150 per cent. A natural. If he
chortles. I'll tell my whining clients "Yes".
If his face wrinkles and he starts to
Whimper, as he dOes give My
customers a blunt, "No."
,
We shoUld make
I
million, With the new child labour laWs,
111 probably have to give hip-teti per cent.
Well, here's my first prediction. This is
being written after the first half of the
Canada-Russia series. They are all tied tip.
With that group of tottery Old then, who
have given a great account of themselves,
and those unknown young players, make
up the WHL team, it takes a lot of courage
to come out with a blunt forecast of the
final result.
But here it is. I predict — and if I'm not
right on the nose, I'll drink a bottle of
Vodka on the town hall steps — that 2,400
of the 2,500 Canadians going to Russia for
the games there will be drunk sixty per
cent of the time, and hung over the other
forty per cent.
As for the series itself, what does it
matter who wins? It's only a game, though
rather entrancing combination of ballet and
mayhem.
Besides, Canadians are the biggest
sports cry-babie; in the world. If we lose,
we were robbed. If we win, it's a victory of
free enterprise over authoritarianism. This
is a nation of Monday morning
quarterbacks and late Saturday night
referees.
We're a nation of experts, especially in
hockey. After all, for several generations,
all that the world knew Canada was any
good at was producing maple syrup, rye
whiskey and hockey players.
I've heard women who wouldn't know a
shift from a nylon slip castigating the
Canadian players for all sorts of sins.
I've heard mature men, who couldn't
even skate on their ankles when they were
kids, shouting obscenities at our players
because, "They're not hitting enough,
fergawsake. ' '
I've heard teenagers of both sexes cheer
when some Canadian ape rammed his stick
into a Russian's teeth.
Second is that I'm going to
Well, that's my prediction. The
win Mayor
Drapoo's lottery.First prize. A tool millions
tax free.
This prediction is based on a
combination of prophecy
a wild hunch,
Look. In the •past two years, I've broken
illy toe, my nose, two ribs, and the kW. rai
not saying that the Lord is picking on me.
just don't think lies been keeping his eye
on this little sparrow, when he falls.
It's time for a different kind of break,
and
cult s
the law of ges suggests to the
ocide of the
avet4
, that it's going to be the
Big
and logic, noting