The Lucknow Sentinel, 1981-02-04, Page 7I ! Studio Woq
4, 19M
The
•
JOCELYN SIiRIEa Publisher
SHARON J. DIETZ.- Editor
ANTHONY N. JOHNSTONE - Advertising and:
General Manager
PAT LIVINGSTON - Office Manager
MERLE ;ELLIOTT - Typesetter
JOAN :HELM, - :Composition
gni
iummerfest
-Busint ss and Editorial Office Telephone,528-2822'
Mailing Address P.O, Box' 400. Lucknow, NOG 2H0 ;
Second Class Mail, Registration Number -0847
ur vanishing farmlane
To The Editor:
At the conclusion of Summerfest 80
the Kinsmen Club were subjected to
criticism for lack of anything for,, the
Children. Now that plans are being laid
or Sumnierfest 81 on June 19 - 21 we
turn to the public for their suggestions
as to where we can improve in the'' area
of our weekend. 'Although , manpower
is always a problem we will, consider
all _suggestions.; Please mail , sugges-
tions to Box 382, Lucknow, or . contact
any Kinsmen member,
A series of editorials in the Toronto Star last week
outlined > the serious nature of two problems faced by
Canada's farming community: our vanishing farmland,
and 'farmers leaving the farm.
The editorials cited some frightening statistics.
'*1n the ten years.. between 1966 and 1976, Ontario alone
lost more than a million :acres : of farm land, much of it
not only the best in Canada, but among the best in the
world.
*Nationally, during the same period, 100,000 acres of
"resource" land that is land so rich, and climatically,
advantaged that its agricultural use ` is . virtually
unlimited, rather thanrestricted to a few specific crops
-went out of production.
*And in those 10 years ` between 1966 and 1976, more
than 130,000 farms across the countrysimply ceased to
exist:
Encroaching urbanization, foreign.interests investing
in land for lucrative projects and an increasing number of
domestic corporations and speculators buying'. landas a
hedge against inflation are major reasons Canada's
national„ resource is threatened. The inflated value 'of
farm land increases the threat because it also `entices
farmers to sell their land for a' -considerable bundle of
to the
I would like ' to . see the writer of
"The Good Life" write another article
under the '.heading,* ?Two Hundred
Years of Success and now a Great
Social Challenge". In this article. I.
would like to see the writer briefly
trace the 200 years of successfrom the
arrival of the steam engine to the
magnificent achievement of landing.
men on the moon and bringing thein
back safely.
Constitutional problems are bound
to make this a difficult year for
Canada. The editors of weekly news-
papers all across Canada could serve a
useful service by informing their
readers about this great social. chal-
lenge. I'm thinking especially of the
western provinces as they seem to
think the federal government is giving
them a raw deal. One change that
would result from an understanding of
the great social challenge is that
luxurious living would not be as
attractive as it is now.
* With best wishes, 1 am, ''
Yours truly,.
Rod McDonagh,
President.:
To the Editor:
I' would like to mention three items. I
found of interest in the Sentinel issue
of January7th.(1) The editorial page;
(2)
(2) The 50th wedding anniversary of
Noma and Bill Campbell. IN once went
to school with .Bill; (3) The district
co-operative group. Director Bill And-
•rew is a nephew of, mine.
"The Good Lite" was we wr e
but it didn't go far enough. There was
no mention of the fact that we are now
a world community and . that this.
community was developed by our own
western world. There was also : no
mention of the fact that in this world
community we have the alarming
statistics . that, (1) During the Inter-
national Year of the Child in 1979, 12
million children under the age of five
starved to death; (2) 800 million
people to -day live in absolute poverty.
If you wish further information on
these statistics you could write to Jim
Schroder M.P., the Liberal .member
for the Guelph' area.
Yours truly,
Art Andrew
Guelph, Ontario,
cash.
The editorialspropose .a land use policy which would•
preserve and protect our agricultural lands and .policies
for farmers, to protect them from the economic pressures
which cause such despair that they will leave the :land:
The editorials also propose a crown Corporation which
would buy agricultural land as a last resort to prevent it
from being sold to a buyer who would take it out of
agricultural ,production. '.If a buyer cannot be.. found, to
farm the land, the corporation would farm the land until
it can be sold to a farmer. While state farming: is not.
preferable . to the highly successful private farms, it
would preserve the farm land and keep it in production
until a buyer is found who will farm the land.
It: is encouraging that - a daily , paper recognizes that
farmers' concerns are valid. Such :a series of editorials
, will help enlighten the city population to the seriousness ;rx�'
.of the problems facing our farming communities.
Whether it will persuade the governments to take action
is unlikely but it is a. step., .in the right direction.
II
N5:
By Don Campbell
Whilst Elora Fraser worked as a chambermaid in the
?Southern ' Cross" tavern, she had lost touch -with her
immigrant companions. - She rarely left that part of the
establishmentwhich served as a hotel and avoided any
direct 'contact . with the owner or its 'patrons. The,
imminent departure of the Skye people for Upper Canada
was notknown to -her and she worked hard at her tasks,
trying to forget all the bitter circumstances' which had
forced her intQ this type of employment.
One morningshe was scrubbing the stairs and landing'
adjacent to the guest rooms. Fromtime to time she
paused and, sighed heavily. There was a dull pain from
her rib injury and she wiped the sweat from her brow
with the cuff of her sleeve, whilst her hand still held the
dripping brush. When there was a thick gray scum in the
bucket, she rose from her knees 'and carried' it down the
stairs and out through the, back door tothe yard.. She
slopped the dirty water into an open drain and -walked
slowly, With her head down• in thought, towards the well:
Flora'' did not see the than who. sat on the ' cireular
stone structure. He had been there for smile time, hoping.
that eventtially'she would appear. She was almost on top
of him when she became aware of his presence. Flora
Was startled bit her fears quickly turned to pleasure. She
smiled, and blushed all the way down io the collar of her
blouse.
"Oh! Mr,, MacCrimmoni Ye startled me, S�rl
Whatever brings ye here at this hour of the day?"
Neil told Flora about the eviction of the SkYe people
from the church basement. How they had found refuge
onthe schooner "Kingston Lass" and their intention to
sail with the slip to Toronto. She avoided his eyes and, a
look of sadness replaced her smiley •
"So I take it, yell be away wi' the others," she said
softly. `
MacCrimn on didnot answer immediately He
dropped the well bucket into the dark" depths and wound
on the handle to lower it to the water. It was'not until he
had brought the full bucket to the top and . poured the
contents into her scrubbing pail that he replied He drew
himself up to his full height and faced her squarely.
"I'll no leave ye, • A man must keep his word.
promised I would bide, wi' Ye and bide" wi' ye :I will!"
• Flora looked at the handsome embarrased face and the .
hair which was a tangle of black burls. This MacCrlmmon
was all. man. , One which any woman would be proud to
call her own. His eyes were blue and sincere but did she
have the right: to hold him , to his promise?
"I have a roof, food' and a bed now, Mr:, MacCrimmon.
Ye have already been more than' kind, rano be keeping
ye. Away ye gae wi' the rest o' them and find ye fortune
in Toronto."
Neil suddenly realized that 'he stood at the cross-
roads of life. it was no use pretending to himself
anymore. He loved thiswoman and needed her: If he left
now, perhaps he would never see her again. Overcoming
his intense' shyness ' he took her handy It was soft and
wrinkled. through ;being. immersed in water. Impulsively
he raised the fingers to his lips.
"Oh, Mrs. Fraser - Flora! I canna leave wi' out ye. I've
been meaning to speak to ye but wi' all ye grief an' saw
soon after ye man's death, it didna seem the -Christian
thing to do."
now the
truth
emerged: Flora had secretly
hoped that one day
So nN it would overcome hire .shyness.annd
speak the words she longed.to hear. tier heart raced with
joy and excitement, but she . told herself that a
respectable woman must behave delicately and be
• dignified in her response. Such was the pattern of correct
feminine behaviour in the nineteenth century, •
"Do I take it Sir, that after a respectable period of
mourning; ye would: want me to take the male of
•MacCrimmon?" x
"Aye, that I would," Neil quickly assured her. "Ye
would do me an honour Mrs, Fraser.'.' .
Flora smiled happily. "Then perhaps we will do me the
honour of calling me Flora, so that I might tall ye Neil."
Even .in. the happiness. of the moment, Flora's mind
flashed back to another place and another•time when she
had promised to become a man's wife. It was different
then. Life was so full of romantic dreams and oblivious to
cold reality. There was talk of love and of living happy
ever after. It was easyto be romantic with the moon
shimmering on the surfac4 of the loch and' two young-
people
oungpeople strolling hand in hand across the heathered slopes
of the glen, ' •
40,
:Chola "withhis, blanket, thl
tended %a place of elotbinge
,ny area cldldren tang
arena Moonday ottomans.
young miter gets some_
ally Stevenson 1a Otte of tom'
lessons at the LuelitoW