The Wingham Advance-Times, 1965-12-23, Page 9ea
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Merry Christmas Everyone
The greeting is so old and worn in our
language that it is a miracle it still has
any meaning, But it does. Every suc-
ceeding Christmas the familiar words ex-
press what is best in human hearts,
Somehow, at Christmas time, we are &I
quite ready to accept the good wishes of
our acquaintances and neighbors in the
precise spirit of goodwill with which they
are extended,
What, we wonder, would a truly merry
Christmas entail? Certainly freedom
from personal unhappiness --health and
good nature for &I those near to us; fi-
nancial security and enthusiasm for the
daily round of tasks which we often find
burdensome or boring. In addition, most
of us would like to know that our fellow-
men could be freed of the horrors of
war, the pains of hunger and the yoke
of tyranny.
If we stop and think about the basic
ingredient for a truly Merry Christmas
we would probably come up with a need
which lies deep within every one of us
-- the need to be freed from our own
weaknesses and shortcomings; to be able
to step forward confidently without the
limitations imposed by our own failings.
It is for this deeply personas reason
that we are completely sincere in our
good wishes to others. We know instinc-
tively that every one we meet is striving,
no matter how subconsciously, for the
same goal.
Easter, with its specific promise of
hope means much to Christian people,
but at Christmas we are made aware that
the birth of the Saviour represented man's
first opportunity to unload the burden of
his own weaknesses and to start afresh
on his journey with peace in his heart.
We know, of course, that illness,
poverty, fear and suffering will not dis-
appear with the magic words, "Merry
Christmas." But somehow the weight of
their presence is made more bearable by
the unconquered moments of joy which
are brought to succeeding generations
through the birth of the Child of Beth-
lehem.
Need Is Recognized
Recent announcement by Ontario's
minister of public welfare, Hon. Louis
Cecile, that the province will institute
and participate in a plan for the con-
struction of "rest homes" for the aged is
encouraging.. The homes, which would
accommodate not more than 30 persons,
would be designed for those who no
longer need regular hospital care, but
who do need a supervised place in which
to live. Essentially, such homes would
care for those older people who fail into
a category between hospital care and the
care offered by homes for the aged, such
as Huronview at Clinton.
It is particularly interesting to note
that the homes will be built in smaller
Ontario centres "in reasonably close
proximity to a resident's lifelong place
of residence." Thus the department of-
ficially recognizes the crying need which
was pointed out by this newspaper when
the question of an addition to the county
home was being discussed by Huron
Council,
The rest home plan proposed by the
Department of Welfare suggests the con-
struction of such homes on a cost shar-
ing basis similar to that now used for the
construction of homes for the aged.
Whether or not this same division of costs
will be applied to towns and townships as
well as counties is not yet clear.
In any case it is evident that the de-
partment has recognized a long -felt need
and is going to make sure that our pro-
vision for the well-being of older people is
as broad and comprehensive as possible,
Voice of Reason
The appearance of Britain's prime
minister, Harold Wilson, on television as
he addressed the United Nations and
again as he met members of the press
in Ottawa on Sunday proved an enlight-
ening and encouraging experience. Mr.
Wilson projected a calm, determined and
reasonable attitude which is badly need-
ed at this particular time in the world's
history.
Before the United Nations he calmly
delivered one of the finest addresses we
have ever heard. Despite the affront of
the African nations, most of whose rep-
resentatives walked out as the Prime Min-
ister began his address, he stated the
need for negotiations in the Viet Nam
question and concluded with Britain's
stand on Rhodesia.
He made it very plain that the British
position is based solely upon his nation's
determination that the rights of the col-
ored peoples in Rhodesia shall not be
sacrificed to a white minority — and
equally clear that Britain is not going to
use troops and cause bloodshed because
the Africans demand that the matter be
settled immediately, at whatever cost.
Mr. Wilson's oratory is of a very plain
variety, almost Churchiliien in its adher-
ence to the unvarnished truth. He does
not speak with the imaginative command
of English which was the Churchill trade-
mark, but he does voice the opinions of
his government with complete clarity and
with the courage of deep conviction.
It Won't Work
Some bright soul in London has pro-
" posed that a tax should be levied on the
city's cats, He pointed out to city coun-
cil that there is a tax on dogs and that
there is no reason why cats should not
be subject to a similar levy.
Surely that man has never had much
to do with cats. To compare a cat
+ with a dog is a hopeless exercise. They
don't fall into even remotely parallel
categories,
The average dog, loving beast that he
is, doesn't have enough thinking capacity
to keep himself out of the tax brackets.
He loves his master blindly, whether he is
pampered or pushed around. Regardless
of the treatment he gets, he comes right
back for more. If his master decides to
defy the tax collector his faithful canine
slave will wait on the front walk, with
his tagless neck extended in the breeze,
until the dog catcher arrives. As a con-
sequence a dog tax works. Not all, but
a great majority of dogs cost their
masters 'several dollars a year, and the
animals themselves submit to carrying a
jingling tag on a frustrating collar for the
rest of their lives.
Not so with the cats, Though they
manage to arrive regularly at meal times
and find, their way home on cold winter
nights, the cats don't admit to having
masters. True, they know that it usually
pays off to purr like junior tigers and
rub their pelts against a friendly leg in
the kitchen, they live their own lives,
unhampered by any feelings of loyalty
or dependence on humans.
Towns like ours and no doubt cities
like London, find some difficulty in lo-
cating dog catchers. Imagine the time
they would have finding cat catchers!
And think of the problem cat owners
would have in persuading their charges
to wear collars and tags. We've never
seen the cat yet that couldn't get himself
out of a collar in five minutes. When you
put that strap around his neck he some-
how manages to expand himself prodig-
iously so that the collar will choke him if
the feast bit too tight. Turn your back
and that same neck shrinks by 50% and
the cat shakes his head. Away goes the
collar.
Of course some other proof of tax
payment might be used, such as a tat-
tooed ear, but catching the cat and put-
ing on the tattoo migh be awkward, par-
ticularly for the cat catcher who would,
probably be torn to ribbons in the pro-
cess,
It seems highly likely the cats will
remain tax-free for some time to come.
WWI". IN..NINIH,I,I,,,11IIU,IU,I1/1I I,III I,1„1..
THE WINGHAM ADVANCE - TIMES
Published at Wingham, Ontario, by Wenger Bros. Limited
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REMINISCING
DECEMBER 1915
A pleasing event took place
at the home of Mr, and Mrs,
James Darling, Belmore, on
Wednesday, Dec. 22nd, when
their daughter, Maggie, was
united in marriage to Mr. Ro-
bert Jeffray.
Misses Norma and Alice
Hibbert are spending the holi»
days with their grandparents at
Harrietsville.
A pretty wedding took place
at the home of Mrs. M. Robert-
son,
obertson, Francis St., on Wednes-
day afternoon, Dec. 22nd, at
four o'clock, when her young-
est daughter, Ruby, was united
in marriage to Mr, Orval E.
Taylor. Rev. D. Perrie, pas-
tor of St. Andrew's Presbyterian
Church officiated.
Mr. and Mrs, L. H. Dos -
man have returned from Toron-
to to their old home on the
boundary near Bluevale. Their
many old friends will welcome
them back home again.
A large and enthusiastic
crowd met the London train at
the G.T.R. station on Monday
evening to welcome home Pte.
Fred Groves who was wounded
on the 23rd of April at St.
Julien. Fred is the oldest son of
Town Clerk and Mrs. Groves.
DECEMBER 1929
Canada's prosperity and op-
timistic future have strong con-
firmation in the activity around
C. Lloyd & Son's door factory
in Wingham, one of the largest
in Canada. A year ago they
added a one -storey cement
wing, which practically in-
creased their capacity by 50°/0,
and this year additional build-
ings and modern labor-saving
machinery have made an ad-
ditional increase in production
possible. At the rear of the new
addition, the firm has justcom-
pleted the erection of dry -
kiln, so arranged that as the
lumber is loaded on cars pass-
ing to the kiln it moves right to
the factory ready for the dif-
ferent processes of manufactur-
ing.
Mr. Frank Field of Chicago
is spending the holidays with
his parents in town.
THE HOME OF FRED PORTER on Leopold
Street is something to behold this year.
He has the widest collection of lighting
and ornaments on any home in Wingham.
Along with the decorations, Fred also op-
erates a record player which plays Christ-
mas music outdoors during the evenings.
--Advance-Times Photo.
oan AbbancteZimit
Wingham, Ontario, Thursday, Dec. 23, 1965
SECOND SECTION
DECEMBER 1940
Together with his many
friends and acquaintances we
extend congratulations to Mr.
T. K. Powell, who on Satur-
day, Dec, 21st, celebrated his
94th birthday,
Harold Wilfred Cantelon,
son of Mr. and Mrs. Roy Cante-
lon, left on Monday for Bran-
don to take up duties in an air
crew in the R.C.A.F.
The local curling club was
represented at a London speil on
Wednesday by one rink, Joe
Evans, O. Haselgrove, Jim
Carr and Donald Rae, skip.
They won two of their three
games.
Miss Mary Elizabeth McKib-
bon, of Macdonald Institute,
is spending the Christmas va-
cation with her parents, Mr.
and Mrs. J. W. McKibbon.
A. D. Smith of Sky Harbor
Airport, is at home here until
after Christmas.
DECEMBER 1951
Mr. and Mrs. W. A. Heug-
han are spending Christmas in
Durham with Mrs. Heughan's
mother, Mrs. J. A. Aldred. The;
following day they will go to
Port Credit where, on Dec. 27,
they will celebrate their 40th
anniversary with members of
their family.
On Wednesday, Mr. and Mrs
Hobden entertained the staff of
the Canadian Bank of Com-
merce at a Christmas party. A
train case was presented to Miss
Irlma Harrison who has left to
accept a position with the Wing -
ham General Hospital,
The Wingham General Hos-
pital was the recipient of a use-
ful gift from the John Cornyn
Currie Estate last w3ek when
twelve portable fluorescent
lighting units were donated for
emergency use when powergoes
off.
Mrs. Charlie Lloyd had the
misfortune to fall off a kitchen
stool on which she had been
standing Tuesday morning and
break her leg in two places.
Beneath The Tinsel
Are you one of those birds
who goes around in a perpetual
grump at this time of year?
Whether we like it or not, the
celebration of Christmas has
changed drastically in the last
generation or so.
Many people resent this and
regret it. They feel that com-
mercialism has taken over the
festive season, that the true
meaning of Christmas has been
smothered in a swirl of electron-
ics and gimmickry, of advertis-
ing and noise and vulgarity and
pure greed. I don't agree.
Admitted, Christmas is no
longer a simple observance of
the birth of Christ. In a complex
and neurotic age, it has become
complex and neurotic. Physical-
ly, the holiday is exhausting,
and financially it is crippling.
But it's a little too glib, and
certainly naive, to suggest that
the spirit of Christmas has been
lost.
Certainly, Santa Claus and
Rudolph are pagan figures. Cer-
tainly, some of the "Christmas"
songs are nauseating. Certainly,
many Christians are utter glut-
tons at this season. Certainly,
many of the decorations and
cards and gifts are in the poor-
est taste.
But these are only material
things, the outer trappings of
the great festival. Beneath these
gaudy robes, the bones of
Christmas — the grand old car-
ols, the simple, enthralling story
— are as strong as ever, And
the great heart of Christmas —
the real desire for peace and
goodwill — beats as warmly as
ever.
Brownies and Cubs go carol-
ling to homes for the aged.
Service clubs and church groups
Keeping in Step
BY C. J. HARRIS
Television, bowling and
movies, complains a Canadian
labor union official, take prior-
ity over job retraining in the
minds of the very workers who
face the greatest need to up-
grade themselves. This dis-
turbing comment was made in
a speech to the recent conven-
tion of Ontario Federation of
Labor by James l3rechin, a mem-
ber of the education committee
of Local 1005 of the United
Steelworkers union in ilamilton.
"Many workers in the 40-
plus age gtoup, ” Mr. I3rechin
reported, "are unwilling to up-
grade themselves. Many of our
people would rather watch hoc-
key or go to the movies." And,
he added, when they find their
wages are slipping, they do not
blame themselves; they blame
the union.
This lack of interest in in-
dustrial training was confirmed
to the convention by another of-
ficial of the Steelworkers, M.
J. Fenwick. A survey of per-
sons employed in plants from
Ontario to British Columbia in
which the union represents the
workers, he stated, showed that
only 899 workers of a total of
97,000 were enrolled in skill-
improvement
killimprovement programs, There
ate adequate training programs
offered raider the federal -pro-
vincial co-operative plan, he
said, but governments, em,.
ployees and unions are drag -
ging their teet in making use'or
them. "The government, Mr.
Fenwick said, admitted failure
of its policies when Immigra-
tion Minister John R, Nicholson
had to poach on the European
labor market in his search for
150, 000 skilled workers, " the
press report concludes.
Union members may blame
their unions and unions may
blame the government in all
this, but surely the responsibil-
ity for keeping in step with
changing times is primarily up
to the individual. Neither un-
ions nor governments can guar-
antee lifetime jobs at high pay.
Any person's security and pros-
perity must rest mainly on his
own self-reliance an old,.
fashioned but still valid phil-
osophy that has not been much
heard of lately, particularly
from unions and governments.
a n d women's organizations
hustle around with boxes of
cheer for the sick and the poor.
Firemen and legionnaires re-
pair toys and wrap gifts for
under -privileged chi 1 d r e n.
Almost everyone, however
temporary it may be, begins to
glow with a genuine desire to
give, to love, to be one of a
great human fellowship. No,
don't tell me the true spirit of
Christmas is disappearing.
Come. now, all you Scrooges.
Admit it. You enjoy giving at
Christmas, even though you
grumble a bit, and even though
you have to do without things
yourself. Until next June.
And one of the great things
about Christmas, the real
Christmas, is that the gifts that
reallycount don't have to be
wrapped, and don't cost a cent.
What finer gift can we give
our children than the teaching
of the lovely carols, the telling
of the thrilling story? And what
greater gift can they give us
than the look of wonder and de-
light in their eyes?
Think of all the other incom-
parable gifts for which no
charge account or credit card is
involved:
An invitation to Aunt Martha
to spend Christmas Day with
you, even though she's 86, deaf
as a stone, belches like a Hot-
tentot, and always carries a
crock in her purse.
A warn, smile for your hus-
band on Christmas morning,
and the heart -felt statement that
von always HAVE liked Christ-
mas trees leaning at a 45 -degree
angle.
A warm smile for your wife
on Christmas morning, and the
fervent remark that she's never
looked lovelier, even though she
resembles a camp -follower in
the Crimean War.
A simple announcement from
your wife on Christmas morn-
ing, in the twentieth year of
your marriage, when your kids
are in high school or college.
"Guess what, dear. We're going
to have a baby."
A sincere, sympathetic phone
call to your neighbor on Christ-
mas morning, when you discov-
er that his front -lawn display,
featuring Santa Claus and the
Seven Dwarfs, has blown down
in the night. Interspersed, of
course, With a few jolly "Ho!
Ho! Ho's! ". in the spirit of the
season.
These are the gifts that give
real joy, whether you're giving
or receiving, if you have the
true spirit of Christmas. Now
wait a minute. Don't rush back
to the stores with your wife's
mink stole or your kids' toys.
Just in case ... ,