The Brussels Post, 1975-03-12, Page 2The hero, if he can be called a hero, of John
Osborne's play The Entertainer is Archie Rice, a
worn-out, middle-aged, English music hall -
comedian. At one point in the play Archie discusses
With his children the shabby mess he has made of his
life. He sketches himself in these words of self-pity
and self-criticism: "Old Archie, dead behind the
eyes, sitting on his hands, he lost his responses on
the way."
"He lost his responses on the way." There are
tragic undertones in that confession. Old Archie tells
his children that as he went through life he lost his
ability to respond creatively to those things which
put meaning and purpose and fulfilment into a
person's life. Most of us who have advanced even as
far as the vestibule to middle age will acknowledge,
when we are honest about ourselves with ourselves,
that we, too, have lost some, at least, of our
responses along the way.
And you who are younger, you who are now just
coming into maturity and see the future in terms of
opportunity and challenge and_ great hope, should
take warning , that very early in adult life
circumstance and chance will enhance your capacity
to respond creatively to that which life puts before
you:
It takes determined effort for a person to keep his
or her responses to all the good things that life can
offer. When we lose our responses it is usually
through carelessness and casualness — or because
we are so busy that we let many good things be
crowded out of our lives. Perhaps the authentically
mature person can be described as one who, through
openness of mind and heart, has not lost his or her
responses on the way.
(Contributed)
"Why; no, I didn't fall, I JUMPED tug here"
ESTAKIONNED
15,2
Brui-wsels Post
WEDNESDAY,, MARCH 12, 19M
Serving Brussels and the surrounding community.
Published each Wednesday afternoon at Brussels, Ontario
by McLean Bros.Publishers, Limited:
Evelyn Kennedy Editor Dave. Robb - Advertising
Member Canadian Community Newspaper Association and
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.CIRCULATION •
BRUSSELS
ONTARIO
CO
Ruins
Losing your responses
Amen
By Karl Schuessler
I feel like awarding a medal today.
Alvin Elligsen, will you please step
forward? Let me pin this gold medal on your
chest. For great and gallant service. For going
way beyond the call of duty.
Now don't shrug your shoulders. Say it's
nothing. It's all in a day's work..
I know. I suppose it seemed simple enough
to you.The call of duty was ordinary enough.
Come on over to our house and fix our dryer.
That's what my wife asked you when she
phoned you today.
You told her right off that your normal call
of duty didn't include dryers. You're more the
electric and wiring end of the partnership
business.
You admitted. You're not the patient
kind.Tinkering around with all those little
bolts and metal screws. Adjusting this.
Adjusting that. Trying this. Testing that.
You don't like all the fussy kind of stuff.
"I like something I can horse right into"
you said.
You take to barn wiring. House Wiring. The
electrical end of the business.
You said you didn't know that much about
dryers. Oh, you'd fixed a few before. Watched
your partner do a fair number. But as you said
dryers aren't in your line of work.
"nut I think it's something fairly simple,"
my wife said, "It sounds as if something's
stuck. The drum isn't tumbling around like it
should."
"Well, I suppose I could come over," you
said. You were hesitant. Wondering if you
should bother. You had refused other calls like
this one. You turned away lots of bUsitiess.
You had to. Now that your partner was in the
hospital.
"All that dryer needs is a little uniph" she
coaxed,'it goes alright. It turns a little:
juSt not picking up speed."
And to prove her point, she told you how
she thought she might fix it herself. She
pulled out the dryer away from the wall. Took
all the screws off the back. Had a look inside
herself. But she couldn't find any slipping
belts. Or clogging lint.
"Well, okay;" yon said, "Ill get over then
to your place".
'`Sometime next week then?" she said.
should she? She's never in much of a rot
herself to go to the telephone and dial u p
repairman, She usually waits at least ttiT
weeks before she does anything, Just b,
chance the dryer might fix itself.
Her two weeks were up. The dryer hado
fixed itself. And now she was ready to woi
another week before y ou came. She knot
that repair men are always so busy. They
got millions of other things to do. Big job
More profitable jobs. They'd go bra}
trapsing all over the countryside a
answering these little detail jobs.
She's learned patience. Why the last (Int
repairman took six months to find his Way
our house. But it was summer. The cloth
could all hang outside. Nothing that pressing
Not that we didn't press him of course. A
not that we didn't try another repaint
either. But as I say, they all seem so bits
Especially with promises. Promises. Proinio
"Next week for sure," they'd say.
Those Weeks came and went. But th
never did.
So my wife almost went into shock, Alrb
When you said you'd try to make it out today
tomorrow:
And then when you knocked On Our
Only two h ours later, she did go into 8110‘
Arid she's not over it yet. She can't get u
to the idea.• You fixed her &yeti Within th
hoUrSl
Only three hours from telephone 011ie,
high 'speed hot dryer!
Goodbye stiff wash cloths. Hello
towels., Goodbye hard underwear. Hello fl
socks. Goodbye wrinkles. Hello sa
smoothies:
Alvin, you deserVe this Medal; Aity 111,a°
;rho can Make this tough old world a I
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