The Rural Voice, 1993-10, Page 30Electricity is all
about us, but it was
not always so. Those
who were born into its
plenty must wonder
sometimes what it was
like to see it emerge in
a way that was
frightening to some
older folks.
Such a person was
Ebenezer.
It was
Ebenezer
friend.
neighbours
a fine
1916 and
was my
The
called him
upright
gentleman and all that
sort of thing, but to
me he was just my
friend. He lived next
farm to us, no one
would suspect we
were so close, me
with my ten -year-old
curiosity and
Ebenezer with the
bushy white hair and
whiskers of old age.
But, the glint in his
cycs and the warmth
of his laughter belied
his 70 -odd years.
We sat in the cow
Power to the farmers
Oldtimer Ebenezer discovers the
magic of electricity in times past
by Wally Armstrong
Electrical equipment ranging from a circular saw to a washing machine
was carried on a three -ton truck, part of the Adam Beck Circus.
stable doorway, listening to the quiet
of the gathering autumn darkness.
Ebenezer spoke so softly I almost
didn't get it.
"I'm skeered" he said.
"Skeered?" I asked. "Like really
frightened?"
"It's this thing that just might
happen."
"Thing?"
"Ee-lec-trissity."
"Oh, yes" I sympathized. "That!"
The great new power was coming
to us from the north and from the
south. We were a strip in between
that had not yet been electrified, and
the Hydro people were after us to let
these two sources connect. They said
it would reduce the cost for all
concerned. The present flat rate was
30 cents per month per outlet and
each farm would start off with 16
outlets. Most of the neighbours liked
the idea. I knew all about it because
it had been talked about so much
lately. I wondered why my friend
was so afraid.
"I read," Ebenezer explained, "that
26 THE RURAL VOICE
when two ee-lec-tric wires meet
there's fire and brimstone — the wrath
of God is on you!"
"But," I questioned, "isn't that sort
of different?"
"Don't know for sure," shaking
his head, "and I'm plain skeered
about these two lines meeting right
over us —"
A soft "Moo-oo" reminded us that
it was past milking time. With an
"Okay, Betsy" we got up to do our
duty. Ebenezer lit the oil lantern,
very carefully. It hung high from the
ceiling, no danger of upsetting into
the straw of the floor. Fire was the
great fear of every farmer. It could
start from an upset lantern and engulf
the whole ham in moments.
There was something special
about the old cow stable at milking
time. The hands got a bit tired from
squeezing the teats, but that soon
passed. The "squitch, squitch" into
fast filling pails had a rhythm all its
own. It was a quiet, thoughtful time,
like a lot of farm living. I looked
forward to next Sunday.
We were neither
wealthy nor important,
but Sunday afternoons
there always seemed to
be some of the
neighbours sharing
Mom's tea biscuits and
discussing things. The
man from the Hydro
company was coming
next Sunday. Most of
us had been to see the
Beck Circus" which
demonstrated the many
things electricity could
do for us.
Sunday afternoon
our place was full.
Mom had to bring
chairs from the parlour
and put on another
batch of biscuits. Dad
was sort of welcoming
host, reading pieces
from the city papers
telling us that history is
being made right now
on the battlefield and in
industry. "During the
past fifty years," he
read, "there has been
more progress than in
all of recorded history."
Dad put down the paper
when it seemed everybody that was
coming had arrived. He looked at the
Hydro man.
"One of the great achievements of
our time" Dad said, "is this new
power — electricity. I have invited
this gentleman from The Ontario
Hydro Electric Power Company to
tell us all about it, what it is —
everything."
Our guest smiled around on us.
This young college man had the looks
of a person who not only knew but he
would tell it straight.
"If you ask me what electricity is"
he started, "we could get involved in
a lot of physics and scientific
rigmarole. Enough to say it is very
old but has been a long time coming
to us."
... A thousand years B.C. before
the Holy Books of our Bible had been
put together, people found that
rubbing a piece of amber with fur
created a force that made things stick
to it. (Amber is a substance like the
gum that exudes from pine trees.
Aflter many years it hardens into a