The Rural Voice, 1993-10, Page 32"I'm for it, Dad."
Ebenezer nodded
slowly, "Then, so be
it. But I'll be doing
a heap of praying."
Soon tall poles
were being sunk in
the ground, in a
hurry to get done
before freeze-up.
The wires seemed to
be joining the farms
together. Ebenezer
was very quiet,
answering my efforts
to prove the safety of
it all with a
"Maybe".
And so it went
until our whole
neighbourhood had
been wired and
power was going to
be turned on.
For farm women, the attraction of electricity was home appliances like the
electric stove.
Ebenezer's place was last, because it
was in the middle of the area. There
was a bit of a celebration.
"This great achievement has been
completed," exulted the Hydro man.
The township councillors had their
say. The preacher had his say. I
looked up into Ebenezer's face as the
bulbs lit up with a great cheer from
everyone but Ebenezer.
He had closed his eyes, his arm
across my shoulder, holding a
handful of my shirt real tight. I could
feel him tense, waiting for the
heavenly blast.
When the cheering
was over he
opened his eyes,
stared at the
brilliant bulbs and
took a long breath.
Later, when it
was time for
chores, he picked
up the oil lantern
by force of habit.
Stroking it
affectionately, like
an old friend, he
hung it in the far
corner of the
stable. "Turn on
the switch," he
called.
"We won't have
to worry about
starting a fire," I
laughed.
He nodded. The new light shone
brilliantly in his white hair and
whiskers, found an answering glow in
the old face as Ebenezer smiled.
"'Tis kind of wonderful," he said,
softly. Ebenezer had landed safely —
into the Age of Electricity.°
We need a national food policy!
John believes:
• A country without food security is a country that will lose its
national security.
• Because farmers in Perth -Wellington -Waterloo produce
$250 million in food a year, it is the largest agriculture riding
in Canada.
• Farm families are a major part of the economy of our villages,
towns and cities.
• Because of high productivity and efficiencies, farmers have given
Canadians the lowest food prices in the world.
• Canada needs a national agri-food policy to support farm families
with long-term programs so they can continue to provide
Canadians with the best -quality food in the world and ensure
a fair return for their labour and investment.
• We need stronger trade negotiators! Tarrification would be a
disaster for our dairy and poultry sectors.
It's time for a change!
111+1-41,
on October 25
Vote John Richardson
in Perth -Wellington -Waterloo
(Authorized by the Official Agent for John Richardson)
28 THE RURAL VOICE