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The Goderich Signal-Star, 1986-06-18, Page 19• Entertainment • Features :e Religion • Family • More SECTION , nommo POSTSCRIPT By Susan Hundertmark As part of Colborne Township's Sesquicentennial celebrations, the staff at Colborne Cen- tral School developed a special pioneer unit so students could experience the ways of their ancestors, first band. On Friday, June 13, a special guest day was held at the school. Students dressed in pioneer attire and were treated to an up -close look at many pioneer Studentsembrace pioneer life • activities by members of the community. Sheap shearing, old tyme fiddling, crosscut sawing, spinning, weaving, and sausage -making were all part of the afternoon and students got a chance to partake in each activity. (Photo by Paul Hartman) Colborne kids go Colborne Township is celebrating its Ses- quicentennial this July 18, 19 and 20. In order to prepare the children from the township for this 150th birthday celebration, the staff of Colborne Central School have developed a special pioneer unit. The children have been divided into eight elective groups and have been experiencing pioneer activities with the staff, including pioneer school, corking, quilting, making • whimmy diddles, churning,butter, baking Johnny cake, making apple head dolls and spinning. Each group involves children from each grade to add to the pioneer spirit. Some of the older pupils have been working on a haat for the parade and decorations for the school. Field trips this spring. have also been ar- ranged to complement the pioneer theme. Some groups have visited Fanshaw Pioneer Village, other groups have visited the Huron County Piooheer Museum. One group learned how to survive in the bush. On Friday, June 13, the school had a special guest day. Mike Rogers came over to the school and demonstrated sheep shear- ing. Alberta Driver demonstrated old tyme fiddling.Leonard Fisher showed the groups how to use a crosscut saw, the Press Gang from Goderich came and fired their cannon. Mrs. Tony Vos from Blyth demonstrated spinning. Mrs: Dorothy Williams from Seaforth made sausage while the Huron back in time County Pioneer museum demonstrated rope making. Jim Wallace from Benmiller work- ed with his forge and Mrs. Gerry Zurbrigg demonstrated wood carving. The excited children, dressed in pioneer. costumes, cer- tainly enjoyed the afternoon of activity. On Thursday, June 19, the whole school will be involved in an old fashioned box social. Half the children will bring enough lunch for two pupils wrapped up in a fancy box. At noon, these lunches will be raffled and the lucky purchaser will get to eat with the person who prepared the lunch. Proceeds from the box social will be used to help pay for the materials that were pur- chased for the Pioneer Unit. The final activity that has been planned by the staff is a Pioneer Playday. This is planned for the afternoon of Monday, June 23. The activities featured will include horse shoe pitch, tug of war, hoop race, marbles, three legged race, egg on a spoon relay, an obstacle course and of course a chuck wagon that will feature olde fashioned hot dogs and sausage that was made on special guest day. All in all, the Pioneer Unit has been a very worthwhile learning experience that has in- volved many people from the community. The children have worked together, the way the pioneers had to, and have learned to ap- preciate the hardships that were an every- day occurrance for their ancestors. Rope making was tougher than it looked Teacher Al Sanders was dressed in period costume ' Mike .,Rogers demonstrated the ,art of sheep shearing Pornography legislation goes too far It really wouldn't break my heart if magazines like Playboy and Penthouse were banned from the country. Women valued solely for their naked anatomical parts like prize livestock is not my idea of the truth. I might even let out an audible cheer if magazines like Hustler were prohibited from polluting the shelves of our local variety stores. If there's anything our '! society doesn't need it's pictures of nude, female torsos being made into ham- burger by giant meat grinders. Such violence not only puts you off your Big Mac, it's also been shown to promote real violence against women by people who can no longer distinguish between a sick fantasy and reality. Even so, I cannot support amendments to the Criminal Code announced by Justice Minister John Crosbie last week- which eekwhich includes everything from lactation to vaginal intercourse to sexual violence in a new definition of pornography. As I've written before in this column, there is a distinguishable difference bet- ween pornography and erotica. While pornography degrades, abuses and shows physical harm being done to mostly women and children for the sex- ual gratification of its viewers, erotica depicts sex between two consenting adults who both appear to be enjoying themselves and to care about each other. In pornography, power is wielded over victims while in erotica, power is shared by adult participants. Crosbie's definition of pornography en- compasses the two lumping nudity and sexuality together with mutilation and violence. (Could it be possible the man hasn't read my previous column on the subject? I'll have to send him copies.) It's incredible to read his list of "degrading pornography" when lacta- tion and rnenstration follow bondage and defecating on another. It's a farce to mention two natural body functions with such obviously abnormal acts. Is there no middle ground? Is there no room for a celebration of the human body is and mutually -enjoyed, adult sexuality- if we're to rid our society of women- and child -hating materials? It appears not if we follow Crosbie's definition of pornography. It's especially hard to understand how lactation (breast-feeding), could be in- cluded in the, list at all. It is, afterall, the primary purpose of a breast, naked of course, to nurture a child. How could that everbe linked to breasts being bound in piano wire or similarly mutilated as is found in pornography? And, to suggest that sexual inter- course, ejaculation and masterbation are on the same level as bestiality, incest or necrophilia is absurd. Again, there is a clear line between adult sexuality and sex with animals, children and dead bodies. While I find it easy to agree to censor child pornography and violent por- nography, I would not agree to censor what I've outlined as erotica. While the firstencourages physical and psychological harm and domination over its subjects, the second reflects loving and healthy human behavior between equal adults. . To my mind, the distinctions are clear and obvious. But, to Crosbie and the others who wrote the proposed amend- ments to the Criminal Code, the distinc- tions are obviously fuzzier or even non- existant. The groups of feminists who lobbying against pornography had nothing like the proposed legislation in mind when they were looking for a ban against what they called "hate literature about women." As one of their supporters, I'm beginn- ing to realize that as distasteful and dangerous as violent pornography is, legislation may not be the best way to rid society of it. That's because it appears that in order to get rid of the snuff movies, the physical mutilation of ;, women and the exploitation of children, we must also lose the visual expression of healthy sexuality. It's all or nothing, ac- cording to ,the federal government and that's too high a price to pay. Since it seems there is. no middle ground, instead of pressuring the govern- ment for legislation, feminists might do better to continue to educate themselves and the public about the lies pornography tells about women and children. Instead of being anti -pornography, they could place a stronger emphasis on their pro -erotica stance. They could pro- mote their approval of loving sexuality which depicts and even celebrates adults who are both caring, vulnerable and emotionally -involved. Feminist artists, photographers and writers could work against the por- nography industry by continuing to tell their truths about sexuality. The idea of education may seem idealistic and slow -going against a multi- billion dollar industry such as the por- nography empire but it's the only route we can go if we don't want to return to the "all sex is dirty" days of Queen Victoria.