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The Wingham Advance-Times, 1972-03-02, Page 90 p Who Should Judge? ,Last week the Huron County Board of Education grappled with a problem which is indeed difficult of solution. It was a question ,of morals—and they were in deep water ---•far deeper, we would' suggest., than they were willing to concede. 'The vice chairman of the board took ex- ception to certain passages in a book which had been selected, by a teacher as suitable for English study. The vice chairman's son had been asked to read selections from the book which contained words he felt embar- rassed to use before the class, According to the story The Advance -Times received from its reporter at the meeting, the boy had to be asked three times before he felt obliged to read the passage. We have no knowledge about the actual words which made the youth hesitate, nor are they of particular significance, except for the fact that in his opinion they trans- gressed a moral standard which was ap- parently a part of his family background. Hundreds of courts in the Western World have attempted to deal with the specifics of morality during the past 20 years, and, to say • the least, the decisions have been anything but consistent: All of which points to the fact that moral values do not, and should not, comform to a prescribed pattern. According to the centuries-old taboos of some African tribes it is a gross sin to eat with the left hand, but it is commendable that a girl baby should be left to exposure and death on a barren hillside. Moslems would never even ,+1 think of walking^ into a place of worship be- fore removing their street shoes but they find - nothing wrong with co -habiting with ten `mor a dozen wives. In other words it is a daring person who ca.n tell someone else what 1s morally right or. wrong. Because our secondary schools and uni- versities now attempt to educate the chil- dren of wide-ranging cultural •and religious backgrounds, the teachers who select the text books have been charged with a grave responsibility. Their task should be to choose the books which are offensive to no' family standards and heaven knows the English language is sufficiently rich in valid ma- terial to obviate the, use of anything faintly obscene. We have at least five centuries of glorious language on paper and any young teacher who believes he must include the questionable literature of the past 20 years is unworthy of the high calling he has accepted. No high school student's education will long remain out of balance for the lack of morally questionable reading material. He can pick it up in every pool room and pass it along to his girl friend if he rhooses to do so We pass no judgment about whether this sort of reading material is good or bad for the younger generation. Our only contention is that school teachers have no right whatso- ever to decide what is morally acceptable for their students. That decision lies 'solely with- in the right of parents. Mothers and fathers may be innocent,' misguided and dull', but they are the persons who have been given the task of setting moral standards and no teacher, whatever his or her training or background, has any justification for usurp- ing that responsibility. We are only sorry that the .student in question didn't throw the text book in his teacher's face and walk out of the class, Language Not Always a -Barrier Recently Premier Davis of Ontario was recorded as favoring an Ontario -Quebec axis in order to pressure the federal govern,- ment for a more generous share of the tax dollar to be turned over to the provinces. Neither the two -nation concept nor bi- lingualism seemed important • as long as there was -a dollar premium for co-operation. Mr. Davis, of course, is right. There is no justification for Ontario and Quebec, as Can - 1q4,16 two largest p►'oV11`tPgs to retrain from joining forces to impress an important point on the Ottawa government. • In ,recent years wet have heard a great deal about the 'divisivness which exists in Canada because we are to two -language na tion. A tremendous effort has been put forth A in military; government and business circles. to enforce bi-lingualism even in the areas where a second language is, never spoken. (Note the words "Bureau de Poste" on the front. of bur own post office.) ,English -speak ing Canadians have a deep-rooted feeling" that the effort toward bi-ingiialism is sup- posed to be entirely on their part. Perhaps French-speaking Canadians have the same suspicion. ' • . Certainly it' will do us no harm at'all to * learn the other fellow's tongue, even though. there is little point in the exercise if one hap- pens to live in apart of .Canada where there is no opportunity to practise the language after it has been learned. It might be helpful, however, to take a look ata country like' Switzerland, if we have become convinced that our nation will fall apart if we fail to become totally'bi-lingual. (That small European nation has not two but three commonly -u ed national languages. The majority of Swss; people speak German and the rest of them yse French and. Italian. i=iespite what wemighf judge to be a fatal 'lack of common language, Switzerland has 'maintained its nationality, and its freedom uninterruptedly since the first day of August, 1291. Nor is Switzerland tied together by su- preme court rulings and oaths of allegiance. 'It is nothing more than a voluntary federa- tion of entirely free and independent can- tons, any of which can withdraw from the al- liance on short-term notice. Good sense and practical common interests have united this prosperous nation for 680 years. It would ap, pear that Canadians of all cultures should stop harping about rights and privileges and think instead of common interests. As a,, sidelight, national unity seems to pay off. Switzerland had 128 unemployed at August first last year. That's not 128 thous- and—•it's 128 Incentives Don't Work The Glengarry News comments that make-work incentives, provided by the gov- ernment are less than totally effective. The editor, Eugene MacDonald, who was' the winner of the prize for best editorial page at the recent Ontario Weekly Newspapers As- sociation convention in Toronto, writes 'this: Another of those communiques from`Ythe federal department of regional economic ex pansibn reached our desk on the weekend in A its important -looking huge brown envelope. To help create 19 new jobs at ,Barry's Bay, Hon. Jean Marchand is pleased to announce' his department is supplying $87,000 to Ad, - venture Charcoal Enterprises of Toronto. That sum represents 15 per cent of approved capital costs, estimated at $202-,000 plus , $3,000 for each job created. We doubt the new jobopenings created by these regional development incentives * would come anywhere near approximating the number of workers losing their employ- ment as established' industries close down. And yet the economic factors forcing so many industries to suspend operations in- * elude high levels of taxation required to fi- - nance Mr. Marchand's incentive grants and other questionable government make-work pt;ograms. The pulp and paper industry is among the hardest hit and there have been mill *closures in Quebec, New Brunswick and Newfoundland, 'and most other paper com- panies are cutting- back on production and closing whole sections of plants. Rising rates of taxation by all three levels of government are"progre'ssi,vely reducing the general abil- ity tocompete in world markets and the paper makers are now asking both the federal and provincial governments for re- ductions or exemptions from present taxes that would keep their mills 'competitive with' those,. of less heavily taxed countries. An entire company town in northern Quebec faces extinction with word last week that Canadian International Paper would close one of its oldest mills, ,throwing some 800 men out of work. Its production is no longer competitive on world markets, in part because ofhigh taxation, and so its entire work force faces unemployment. Yet some of the taxes imposed on existing industry is be- ing used by Mr. Marchand's department to underwrite a big, new paper mill in another area of Quebec. Somehow it doesn't make sense when existing industry is priced out of employ- ment, to pay taxes that are used by govern- ment as make-work incentives. If those mil- lions Mr. Marchand is dispensing were turned back to private industry by way of lower taxes there might be no need for a de- partment of regional economic expansion. THE WINGHAM' ADVANCE -TIMES Published at Wingham, Ontario, by Wenger Bros. Limited. Barry Wenger, President - Robert O. Wenger, Secretary -Treasurer Member Audit Bureau of Circulations Member Canadian and Ontario Weekly Newspaper Associations. 0 Subscription Rate: Subaeription $10.00 a year, $5.25 for six months, in . United States $1250 in advance. Second Class Mail Registration No .0821 Return Postage Guaranteed "110141 CONE roc/ PAY, FE ACL THIS STUpfi' IV1TH A C4ED wir f 14DS NAME OA) /7 t " J /4'0 .f0,44.4:.444.1.' 0, /. LETTERS T°.' EDITOR' y,r Mississauga, Ontario:# Advance -Times, Winghani, Ontario. Dear Editor: Please convey my personal- thanks, and that of the Cooksville' parents, to those individuals and, TV Station CKNX for an enjoy- able weekend of hockey and Wingham hospitality. As you are now probably aware, plans are being made to reciprocate on March 4th and 5th, including a Junior hockey game at Maple Leaf Gardens. Mr. Jim Wild, who is no stran- ger in the Wingham area, is handling the arrangements. Yours truly, Mel Harty, President, Cooksville Hockey Assoc. A WORD OF APPRECIATION Wasn't it with a genuine thrill to see' the clock in the old post office lighted and, keeping time once again? To ;me it is .a clear sign that all is not 'forgotten and that there are people who care about preserving some of our town's background for the benefit of all the citizens today and for future generations. - I am Sure the older citizens are proud and grateful and those too. who will soon grow old them- selves will be grateful someday. Preserving and cherishing the past is just as important to Wing - ham .as preserving the name of the "Royal Canadian Mounted Police" is to Canada. And right here let me say a word of appreciation to those re- sponsible for keeping the roads in such an excellent way and the never -fail garbage collection, regardless of the snowy weather. Winters in these parts are usually difficult and although most of us are unable to express our appreciation for jobs well done, yet our appreciation is none the less sincere. —George Allen Registration forms in this issue The Huron -Perth Tuberculosis and Respir tory Disease. As- sociation is panning a children's respiratory disease workshop on Wednesday, April 12.. Dr. C. Collins Williams, direc- tor 'of Allergy, Sick Children's Hospital, Toronto will address the workshop which is being held in Central United Church, Avon- dale Avenue, Stratford. Registra- tion, which is free, begins at 10 a.m. and the workshop is expect- ed to continue until 4 p.m. Ar- rangements are being made for Manch. 'riatet sons interested are invited - to complete and forward a regis- tration form, which appears in an announcement in this issue. A man embraces to girl before marriage, and ' afterward she puts the squeeze on his wallet. TODAY'S CHILD BY HELEN ALLEN - NEEDS A HOME SOON Here is Tony, I an appealing fi%e sear -old of English and Italian descent. Tony is a slight, solid Is built boy with lovely dark blue eyes, brown hair and fair skin. He is healthy and active, loves rough and tumble play and is a good traveller. There is some urgency about 'finding adopting parents for Tony very soon. A change in his foster family is making it necessary for Tony to leave thaat home within a few weeks and the Children's Aid Society hopes he will have only one move — to a permanent home with a mother and' father of his own. Tony is a lovable youngster with a delightful personality. He is shy at first, but soon makes friends anis very affectionate. He enjoys music and likes to beat time with a drum or tambourine. He is fond of books and television, esp ec'iall Sesame Street and Galloping Gourmet. He likes playing outdoor — loves the water and plays happily with his tricycle or scooter. This lad is not expected to be academically minded and he has been slow in speech. However, he is progressing with speech therapy, which Will likely be needed for another year. Tony needs an affectionate, active family who will want to help him with his speech difficultiesis there a family with those qualities needing a dear little son'' To inquire a bout adopting Tony, please write soon to Today's Child, Box 888, Station K, Toronto. For general adoption information ask your Children's Aid Society. RATHER REMINISCENT of the dear old southland and mint juleps, these stately pillars add that certain air to the home on Diagonal Road which, will soon be occupied by Dick Bray and his family. Staff Photo ' ingbam 2thbancteZinte Wingham, Ontario, Thursday, March 2, 1972 SECOND SECTION Verdict In: Jalna's a Mess Well, what do you think of the CBC's widely -touted Jalna series? Please don't answer that aloud. There are ladies present. Ah, with what hopes we looked forward to a truly ' brilliant, all - Canadian grand slam in the world of- television. Ail -Canadian cast, all -Canadian material, and a decent budget.. It would astonish the world, dazzle the screen, and all of the world's great networks ' would beat a path to the CBC doer, clutching millions of pounds, francs, dollars and lira, begging and pleading for the right to re- produce 'it. So much for hopes. The result merely shows that you can have on. hand champagne, caviar and filet mignon, but if the cook doesn't know what he's doing, it ends up as watery, limp and luke- warm hash. We have the champagne in the shape of gorgeous sets. We have the caviar in a collection of first- rate acts. And we have the filet in the rare beef of the original Jalna novels. But what emerges on the screen is the most ham-fisted, club-footed; distorted, downright dog of a series anyone ' could dream up. Or nightmare up. The champagne has been watered, ..the caviar has been fired from a shot -gun, and the rare beef has been minced into hamburg. I warned the 'CBC, before the series began, that I would roast it if it weren't at least reasonably good. It's not even reasonably bad. Can you roast hash? I watched the first episode with. a mixture of disbelief and horror. The second was a little better, and hope sprang eternal. The flame was quickly smothered by the succeeding wet blankets. I thought I knew the Jalna novels inside out But the series is so baffling ,that, were it not for the names of the characters, I'd be willing to admit that it wa's the Bobkisey Twins 'series I wa's thinking of. The most coherent parts of the Sunday night show are the corn- mercials. But even here you have to keep a. waryeye, because you're not quite sure they aren't part of the plot, so dense and un- wieldy is the latter. Those faint ' screams you hear from your set are not static. They are Miss Mazo de la Roche, author of the novels, shrieking epithets at the CBC, the director and everyone else connected with the mutilation of her manu- scripts. Perhaps the most appalling as- pect of the whole dreary business is that the CBC has actually sold the series to some retarded Brit- ish network, on the understand- ing that it (the CBC) will produce another 13 episodes in the series. This is not just flogging a dead horse. It is giving castor oil to someone who is dying of dysen- tery. You may have picked up the' misconception that I don't like the Jalna series,. Quite wrong. I love it. It's the best comedy -mys- tery hour on the ,air. • Mind you, the comedy is on the black variety. It's rather like making jokes as the British Em- pire, on which the sun never set, sinks slowly into the sunset. But the mystery, though there is Obviously no solution; is''fas= cinating. Sorting out .the char- acters alone is more fun than reading a Russian novel. Who is married to whom? Why? When? Which are brothers, which cousins? Is Rennie's sec-' ,and wife Eden's first mistress? When is Rennie going to get a new nightie -gown? - The, ramifications are endless. And hopeless. It's a soap opera with.a schizophrenic at the helm. I wish they'd sell the dam' es- tate and put ° Gran in a nursing home, and give 'Ed Sullivan, a ring. VERNON HEWITT Vernon Hewitt, RR 1, Wing - ham, added balance to the Talent Hunt presentationast Thursday with his rendition of several western -type songs. Staff' Photo CSF gives information Dougie is a little boy vq•ho used to see vultures in. his ' bedroom at night, and sinister men telling him to do bad things. Dianne used to smell smoke and see fire, and hear voices. At the age of -22, she was heading for a life of chronicity. Both are normal people today. Dougie is doing advanced work in grade four. Dianne is a busy mother of, two and an enthusiastic member of ' Schizophrenics Anonymous. Both were helped by proper, modern • treatment methods for schizophrenia, a bio- chemical illness which puts more people in h' spital ''than all physis cal illnesses combined, and ac- counts for one out of every four hospital beds. There, are many people like, Dougie and Dianne who were for- tunate enough to find help,' but there are many more who are not so fortunate. These are the men, women .and children who suffer_ symptoms which, no one under- stands, and which they cannot cope with because they do not know what they hare. They are always,- tired, ' depressed, and anxious «'hen there are no rea- sons why they should be. Often .they are told there is "nothing. wrong with them, and that it is all in their minds. They may see visions or hear voices. They may. believe people are watching them or talking about them. Not so long ago, badly designed - mental hospitals and high drug costs loomed large in their lives. Today, thanks to the Canadian Schizophrenia Foundation, a new organization dedicated to helping schizophrenics' in Canada, they are learning what their future , can hold—recovery and normal living. This is a new and exciting standard never before dreamed of in psychiatry,. The CSF gives° badly needed information to fill a gap in public knowledge and understanding, and to destroy popular myths surrounding schizophrenia. It depends entirely on voluntary donations. You can help restore schizophrenics to health by send- ing in a generous donation to ,the Canadian Schizophrenia,;Eounda- tion, 200A Brent Building, Regina, Sask. All donations are income tax deductible. New AIgonquin-anoe .route Two students were hired by the department of lands and forests during the past summer to mark and cut out portages on the Am - able du Fond River from Kiosh- kokwi Lake in Algonquin Provin- cial Park to the Mattawa River. The whole route was first cov- ered by canoe, and portages around the 12 carrying places on the 25 -mile stretch of river were marked out. The original mark - outs_ were then improved a•nd the portages brushed out, Total portaging distances aver- aged out to 800 paces per port- age: the shortest being 100 and the longest 3,1000 paces. Nine miles of portaging Ire- quired to cover the route, are the ardent canoeist who chooses to travel over it will not only feel a sense of achievement ,but will be rewarded visually by' the rugged and scenic sections. The experienced white water canoeist will, during some per- iods of spring and early summer, have the option of running some of the rapids. For organized groups of canoeists the establish- ment of cleared portages over this section of river offers an im- proved opportunity to , depart, from established Algonquin Park canoe routes. They may travel via the Amable du Fond to its mouth at the Mattawa within the bounds of Samuel de Champlain Park, then east nine miles over this historic stream till its entry into an equally famous Ottawa; downstream to other rivers (the Petawawa, Bonnechere or Mada- waska ) then south along these water -courses to re-enter Algon- quin Park and end of trip.