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The Wingham Advance-Times, 1963-06-13, Page 9fel irk This is This Is An Important Week This week is of tremendous import- ance to hundreds of thousands of high school students all over the province. They are in the midst of final examin- ations for the 1962-63 term, On the re- sults of these examinations will depend not only the futures of the young people themselves, but, to a large extent, of the nation. It is a rather strange time in which to reach the age of responsibility. Never before has there been such an urgent demand for personal initiative and drive —and never before have there been few- er conditions to create the characteristics of forceful leadership. During the depression years many young men and women emerged from high school to enter a business world which was far from promising. Never- theless every young person in those days was fully aware of the penalties involved in failure. They knew from bitter ex - perience that only the agrressive and in- telligent would survive. Today, however, youngsters, through no fault of their own, often have the impression that this old world is a very free and easy place and that the dollar will always be there, regardless of in- dividual effort. None of us who are parents would want to educate our child- ren in the bitter school of a depression, but we could wish for the ability to in- still a greater sense of responsibility. The need for advanced education is ever so much greater now than it was in the thirties. Employers are seeking young people of higher standards, and the .very unsettled condition of world affairs creates a need for previously unheard-of mental capacities. We wish these youngsters well as they struggle with examination papers. They have a big task before them. More Fortunate Than We Realize In this community we have concen- trated for so long on our desire for in- dustrial expansion that we have, at times, overlooked our present good fortune in this regard. Talking with a prominent Toronto business man at the Trade Fair on Friday evening we were awakened to this fact when he remarked with some astonish- ment, at the number of local industries which were represented. He mentioned many towns in our own area where total industrial payrolls are well under 100. It is true that Wingham has a fair proportion of industrial firms for a com- munity of this size, the loss of any one of which would be a serious blow to the economy of the town and surrounding district. This does not mean, of course, that we should settle back into a com- placent attitude and cease all efforts to attract more sound industries. far from it. Speaking at the Trade Fair dinner in the Legion Home on Thursday evening, Mr. Holland, of the Department of Eco- nomics and Development, pointed out what he believed to be the greatest single factor in the securing of industry. He emphasized the importance of local ef- fort where industrial expansion is con- cerned, and said that basically the answer is up to ourselves. He did not elaborate on the specific methods which should be used to bring more industries to town, but rather intimated that the towns which display the greatest imagination and energy in this regard will reap the fruits. All we suggest here is that in the course of our concentrated efforts to bring more business to town, we should not fall into a pessimistic belief that without it we are going to starve to death. Takes A Little Courage For as long as we can remember there has been a continuing dispute about a distinctively Canadian flag. Governments of every stripe have declared that they would provide Canada with its own na- tional flag — and not one of them has had the courage to do so. IThe Royal Canadian Legion has taken the bull by the horns and come out open- ly for the official use of what is common- ly known as the "red ensign." This is the flag with which all of us are familiar, carrying a Union Jack in the upper staff quarter and the Canadian coat of arms in the opposite quarter. We agree wholeheartedly with their choice, since the coat of arms itself car- ries the three lions of England, the lilies of France, the lion of Scotland and the harp of Ireland, thus paying suitable tri- bute to the four races which provided the settlers in the first centuries of this na- tion's development. Of course this flag does not indicate that all Canadians came from France; nor does it suggest that none came from that country. Neither does it give any indica- tion that there are Chinese, Ukrainians, Germans, Dutch and a hundred other na- tionalities represented in our present population. If we were to include them all the most accurate symbol might be a pot of stew rather than a coat of arms. What difference does it all make? If the government would screw up the cour- age to declare the red ensign the official flag, the whole question would be over and forgotten in a few months. Those who didn't like the flag would, in all probability, refuse to use it, which is just what they do at the present time — but those Canadians who do regard the flag with some respect would at least know which one to fly. Familiar Spring Flower "Rackets that Bloom in the Spring" is the appropriate title of a booklet issued by the Better Business Bureau, says The Exeter Times -Advocate. The booklet out- lines some of the many unscrupulous sell- ing activities undertaken by itinerant salesmen at this time of the year. This district has had its share of tra- veling repairment, building material sales- men and other opportunist ventures (or vultures) who charge exhorbitant rates, do inferior work, and commit a few crimes on the side, Not all transient repairmen and door- to-door salesmen are untrustworthy, of course. But there has been enough evi- dence of the unscrupulous ones to make most residents view with suspicion every smooth -talking "pitch man." Home -owners should be especially wary of the people with the wonderful of- fer that's available only if they sign the contract immediately; or the line that "we're selling you this at less than cost in order to encourane sales among your neighbours." Then there are the chaps with a host of verbal promises which are never found in the written contract. And the ones with the line that you've been selected for a valuable free gift. But these are old approaches. Per- haps this year they have concocted some- thing new and more enticing. THE WINGHAM ADVANCE - TIMES Published at Wingham, Ontario, by Wenger Bros. Limited W. Barry Wenger, President - Robert O. Wenger, Secretary -Treasurer Member Audit Bureau of Circulation; Member Canadian Weekly Newspapers Associ- ation; Member Canadian Community Newspapers Representatives Authorized by the Post Office Department as Second Class Mail and for payment of postage in cash Subscription Rate: One Year, $4.00; Six Months, $2.25, in advance U.B.A., $5.00 per year; Foreign rate, $5.00 per year Advertising Rates on application A TIME EXPOSURE caught a few of the indoor exhibits at the arena during the Trade Fair while there was a lull in the traffic through the building. Some 5,500 to 6,000 people saw the annual show.—A-T Photo. bilance&Ei Wingham, Ontario, Thursday, June 13, 1963 SECOND SECTION g111111IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIllll111111111111111111111111: • d!ill1E111111111111 4 1:IIIIIIIIIIITI;1111111111111111!IIIIIIIi1llll111111111111IIIgB11111111111IMIIIIII!!III111'i17111ll1111111p SUGAR and SPICE s; z° 0111111111111111iiiiiiiiiBy Bit) Smiley Surely Father's Day is the most insignificant occasion on the calendar. Everybody knows which Sunday in May isMother's Day, but there's a gojd deal of confusion in the minds of most people about the other one, and were it not for our good friends the mer- chants who urge us nbt to forget "Dear Old Dad, " it would prob- ably slip by as quietly as Whit Sunday. It's not difficult to un- derstand this vagueness. Not. too many years ago, every day was father's day. But in the symphony of to- day's family, father is the lost chord. The family circle no longer centres on father. It has become an arc, the pendulum swinging between Mom and the kids. From the time we can lisp "momma", we are fed a lot of pap about mother- hood. Mother can do no wrong; Mother is a brave little soul; Mummy knows best; Mom works too hard; Mother is always there when she's needed; nobody can cook like Mom; Mother's nerves are bad; what could we do without Mama; and so on. There's a certain amount of truth in it all, but what I object to is turning Mother into a bushel basket under which father's once -bright light is well hidden. Oh, for the good old days, when Father was head of the house, and everybody knew it. When he sat down at the head of the table, there was a re- spectful, if not fearful, silence. The kids sat in rows at each side, silent until spoken to. The wornen scurried around with prop- er humility, fetching the steaming dishes, holding their breaths while Father tested the carving knife, sighing with relief when he waxed benevolent under the charm of food. * * * In those golden days, Father's comfort, well-be- ing, and peac" of mind were the prime requisites of a happy hone. His light- est opinion was gospel. His wrath was awful to contem- plate. You didn't need household gods; you had Father. If Father said women shouldn't be allowed be- hind the wheel of a car, they shouldn't, and that's all there was to it. If he declared there were no fish in that "crick," there weren't. If he believed that the Grits (or Tories) were "a pack of damned thieves," they were. If he told you to get to bed, you got. By what subtle and f i e n d i s h alchemy has Father been transformed from a giant into a figure of fun, a national joke, a stooge on third-rate family television series? By what foul trick of the fates has that magnificent man been turned into the cringing creature who can be seen wiping the dishes while his wife is out at the bingo? How hath the mighty fall- en, is all I can say, and I say it not in seorn but in sorrow. Bullied by his spouse, relent- lessly heckled by his children, his only places of refuge are the garden, the golf course or the trout stream. Not for him the mighty roast to carve. He is allow- ed to spoon out the meat- balls covered with mush- room sauce, or the maca- roni and cheese. Not for him the hushed silence as he voices an opinion with ringing authority. The only opinion he voices is, "Well, I'm inclined to agree with you, dear." * * * Where Father used to have a fine paunch, an acknowledged symbol of his success in life, Dad has a mean little pot belly that merely suggests he doesn't get enough exercise. Where Father kept the children in line with one hard look, and the occasional clout on the ear, Dad whines that he'll cut off their allow- ance if they don't do what their mot her tells them. Where Father used to dole out the housekeeping money, with demands for stringent economy. Dad turns over the pay en - I REMINISCING JUNE 1913 On Thursday evening of last week some fifteen lady friends called on Mrs. C. G. Van - Stone and presented her with a silver flower or fruit basket and the following address: Dear Mrs. VanStone: --It is with deep regret that we con- template your intended remov- al to Toronto. While we re- joice at Mr. VanStone's prefer- ment, we are deeply conscious of the fact that your place among us cannot readily be filled and that when you leave us, we shall miss you exceed- ingly. You have always been a most charming hostess and have always taken a keen in- terest in the social life of Wingham. On Friday evening last at four o'clock, the students and teachers of the high school ga- thered in the Assembly Hall for velope, intact, and without a murmur accepts the glad tidings that mother has just bought a new re- frigerator on the never- never plan. Where Father used to read the Bible to the family be- fore bed, Dad coaxes mother to let the kids stay un and watch Quest. Where Father used to rumble curses as he patched the fourth blow-out on a forty -utile trip, Dad grumbles complaints because he has to buy a new set of tires after 20,000 miles. * * * Oh, it's bitter, but we've brought it on ourselves. Just an example of the awe in which the ex -head of the house is held these days: This week I suggest- ed to the Old Girl, very subtly that some new fish- ing tackle would be highly acceptable on Father's Day. She looked at me coldly. "You're not my father ," she said. Anyone care to join me in a movement to convert dithering Dad back into firm Father? Grow beards, get rid of the blubber: take away the wife's set of car keys, cut the kids down to size, do some bellowing around the house? What's that Mac? You're sorry, but you have to go out and bring in the clothes? Well, I'm a little busy myself. I have to take the kids for a swim, the dog for a walk. and the storm windows off. the purpose of expressing in a tangible form their apprecia- tion of the worth, of the mem- bers of the staff, who are this year severing their connections with the High School Staff. Mr. A. Shaw, Pres., of the Lit. Soc. , occupied the chair and Mr. J. C. Smith having been called to the platform was presented with a gold chain and locket, the address being read by Mr. E. Linklater and the presentation made by Mr. A. Shaw. Mr. H. A. Percy was then presented with a gold -headed cane by Mr. W. Buchanan and Mr, J. Currie. In a few well chosen words, Mr. Percy thank- ed the students for their gift. Miss C. E. Brewster was then presented with a leather purse by Miss Dean Geddes and Miss Gladys Spindler. Mr. Will Simmons, who has been in the employ of the Bell Telephone Co., here, for some time, intends leaving for Bran- don, Man, , where he takes an excellent position as assistant wire chief. 0--0--0 JUNE 1926 Our esteemed young friend, Mr. John Quirk, commences on his 94th milestone on Thurs- day, Weather seldom keeps him from taking his daily walk about town and to the C.N.R. depot to see that everything is going along on schedule time. Mr. Quirk served the old Grand Trunk as conductor for almost half a century and many married couples of those years can still remember th? jokes he often played on them while 011 their honeymoon. At the close of the Pre -Com- munion service in St. Andrew's Church on Friday evening last, the ladies of the congregation presented the minister, the Rev. Dr. ferric, with a very hand- some Geneva gown. Mrs. Win. Elson and son Jack, of Winnipeg, are visiting Mr. and \lrs. Robert Powell. Mrs. Fison is a granddaughter of Mr, C. K. I'owell. u--u--o JUNI. Mrs, John Weir attended the graduation exercises of her daughter, Elizabeth, at St, llilda's College, University of Toronto, last week. Scoring Itis third successive victory Constable T. W. Platt, of town, went the Watt Trophy, ertlhleinatic of the open cham- pionship of the Ontario Police Association revolver tourna- ment, in competition with the pick of Ontario's police marks- men at Guelph on Thursday.