Loading...
The Wingham Advance-Times, 1983-06-29, Page 4EADV Ti A page of editorial opinion June 2 1983 abe ingljatn fibbance®Mimeo Published at 1 ing:ham. Ontario. be %% comer Bru,. 1 United Barry Wenger. President Henry Hess. Editor Kobert 0 Wenger. Sec. Treas. Audrey (urne. Adverustng Manager BtuE P BBON A,SARD Member Audit Bureau of ( trculatiuns Member — Canadian Community Newspaper Assoc. Subscriptions 520.00 per year Second Gass Mail Registration No. 0821 Ontario ( ummunny Newspaper Assoc Six months SI 1_50 Net urn ptKiage guaranteed Investment in health care A newspaper editor's office is a great place to seek information about any community. Over the years we have had quite a flew prospective resi- dents drop in for a chat while they were in the process of making a decision about moving to our town. Frequently these folks have been former city dwel- lers who think they would like to live in a smaller and quieter place, for a variety of reasons. When we have been asked about the amenities which are available in Wingham we have always spoken of the number and variety of churches, the excellent schools, the beautiful parks, the busy sports programs. But the clincher, as far as we have been con- cerned was the excellent health and medical care available on a few moments' notice. Especially the pres- ence of a first-rate hospital. Those among us who have lived here for many years may tend to take the hospital and the services it provides for granted. The fact is, the local hos- pital has been an outstanding institu- tion for a long time. It has become, over the years, quite unique for several 01 of Hom reasons. Long before other hospitals in this area were providing comparable services the local hospital operated a weekly clinic at which specialists from the city hospitals were available for expert diagnosis and opinion. For many years the only regularly -oper- ated cancer clinic between London and Owen Sound has been located in this same hospital. And the list could be continued. Last week's Advance -Times re- ported that the consultants hired to assess the possibility of raising funds locally for yet another addition, was somewhat lets than optimistic. How- ever, when the canvass for the neces- sary local funding actually gets under way, we predict that the people of this area will respond well. Most of us are aware that at some time in the future that hospital, its staff and facilities will be very important to us personally. There is only one way to guarantee the hospital will be ready for us when we need it. It must be kept up-to-date and our dollars invested in its future will be among the wisest expenditures we ever make. Papal stand is clear It is not surprising that the Societ- influenced government of Poland anti- cipated the visit of the Pope to his na- tive country with certain trepidation. Nor did Pope John Paul disappoint those officials. Those who hoped the Pope would soft-pedal his remarks misjudged his courage and determination. The au- thorities tried their best to prevent a meeting between John Paul and Lek Walensa, the leader of the now -banned Solidarity labor movement. They hoped he would not refer to Solidarity in any of his speeches, but he pronounced that forbidden word quite clearly. The Pope is not only the spiritual leader of millions of Roman Catholic people, the faith of which Poland has always been one of the strongest bul- warks. More importantly John Paul is also Polish himself and anyone who knows the characteristics of that na- tionality realizes that stubborn adher- ence to their own beliefs is paramount. It has been reported that the Pope told the Polish authorities before his visit that he would renounce the throne of St. Peter and return as a simple priest to Poland should there be re- taliation for demonstrations during his visit. True or not, such an action would not be too surprising in a man so de- termined to seek the freedom of his country. Spectators a It is, of course, human nature to rush to the scene of a possible catastro- phe, such as a fire or an accident. How- ever, curious spectators and their ve- hicles can and often do, pose a real danger to human life. A recent fire in this area; in which a five-year-old child died, proves the point. Fire fighters and their equip- ment were delayed in their efforts to reach the scene because of cars parked along the approach route. A similar situation developed recently when police vehicles and ambulances had great difficulty in reaching the scene of a fatal car accident in which five hazard people were badly injured. Curiosity is understandable. In- deed, some of the spectators who rush to these stens may be more than curi- ous; they may be genuinely ready to give whatever assistance they can. But no person driving to such a scene should leave his or her car in any place where through traffic might be block- ed_ If there is no place to park a car well off the traveled portion of the road it should be driven away as fast as pos- sible. Don't be surprised if the police be- gin to lay charges against those drivers who create this unnecessary hazard. • Thomas Gregory House, By Ernest Eaton The Thomas `Gregory house, at 277 Centre Street, was built by Mr. Gregory in 1873. It is a two-storey brick house which was copied from the Sextus Kent house at 251 Centre Street, but with the plan reversed and the, bay window omitted. It is especially remarkable for the neo-classical porch, which was added later, with its multiple pillars and dentillated pediment at the front entrance. This (design is reflected at the north side porch as well. 'The feature was much admired and set the style which was emulated in many other fine homes in Wingham. The eaves are supported by ornate brackets, mounted in pairs. According to John Pattison's book, Museum Musings, Thomas Gregory came to Wingham in 1862 at the age of 29 and purchased the upper dam in partner- ship with his younger brother John. Thomas later became a grain merchant and builder. The Gregory 277 Centre Street Block still stands at 245 Josephine Street. He also divided and set back his tenement house on Frances Street in 1894, to form the present 197 and 203 Frances Street houses occupied by Bob Campbell and Stuart Beattie. These houses also display the pillared and pedimented porch. Mr. Gregory is listed in the Canadian Census of 1881 as a householder and grain miller. It is reported that Henry Ford visited at his house on Centre Street in 1900 and they sat on the porch while Mr. Ford tried to talk Mr. Gregory into investing in a car manufacturing venture. Mr. Gregory, an experienced and mature businessman of 67, recognized that Mr. Ford's scheme was intended to replace the horse as a means of per- sonal transportation and accordingly dismissed the plan as being impractical. The house presently is occupied by the Gordon Buchanans. Mrs. Buchanan is a granddaughter of Thomas Gregory, the original owner of the house. e s from Old Files JUNE 1936 Robert Weir, son of Mr. and Mrs. Vlhhn Weir, left immediately after con- vocation for Edmonton where he had accepted a position in the University of Alberta. He will also con- tinue his study of genetics in plant breeding. Safecrackers visited the office of Crerar & McDonald, lumber merchants in Brussels, early Friday morning. Thesafe had been drilled and the door blown completely off at the hinges. This is the first safe -crack- ing at Brussels since the post office safe was blown about 25 years ago. Murras Rae, son' of Mr. and Mrs. Donald Rae, has accepted a position with the local branch of the Canadian Bank of Commerce. Mr. and Mrs. A. J, Wilson and Mr. and Mrs. E. R. Harrison attended a mixed twilight bowling tournament in Mount Forest and were successful in capturing first prize. E. L. Stuckey has been engaged by the High School board as teacher for the new commercial course that is being instituted at the school for the fall term. Leander Slosser of London has purchased George Day's barber shop. Mr. and Mrs. Day have moved to the farm of the late Peter Hastings on the ninth of Turnberry. JUNE 1948 Erland Gregg of Gorrie, among 61 girls competing, was the top scorer at the annual Achievement Day of Huron County Junior Far- mer Clubs and Girls' Homemaking Clubs held at Bayfield. Miss Gregg will represent Huron County at the National Congress of young farm people to be held at Chicago next November. Eileen Elizabeth Dark and John Kenneth Clark ex- changed rings at Colborne Street United Church on June 5 in a pretty setting of spring bouquets, palms and ferns. Mr. and Mrs. Clark will live in Auburn. The Wingham Tennis Club .a has been reorganized and elected Tom Lockridge the new president. Harry Scott is vice president and Lois Lockridge is secretary - treasurer. The board of the Wingham General Hospital presented R. H. Lloyd with a beautiful wrist watch. Mr. Lloyd was chairman of the board for 12 years and during his term of office, many improvements were made, the crowning achievement being the erection of the new wing. Several prenuptial show- ers have been held in honor of Miss Norma VanCamp, bride -elect of this month. . Donald Watt, who has finished his year's work at Toronto University, has been visiting with his parents. Rev. and Mrs. W. J. Watt of Whitecnorch, and leaves next week to spend the' summer months as a junior intern at Queen Alexandra Sanatorium, London: Arabs falling apart Only 10, years ago the Arab world shook the living daylights out of those who live in the western civilizations. They demonstrated the immense pow- er they can wield by joining forces as they doubled and tripled the price of the crude oil on which so many of us depend. Unity was the answer. United ffiey held a very big stick. But that was 10 years ago. Since that time they have fallen into dis- agreement over the price of their one and only exportable commodity. The cartel which was OPEC began to fall apart as the more moderate countries were undercut by their greedier allies. Much of the Arab cohesion centred on the question of Israel and its oc- cupation of lands which had been solidly Arabic until 25 or 30 years ago. Widespread sympathy for the cause of the displaced Palestinian Arabs (PLO) and a commonly -felt desire to pressure the Israelis formed a central objective. Now, however, many of the Arab na- tions disagree with one another and there is outright rebellion in the PLO itself. As has been the case so often in recorded history, the Arabs simply cannot stick together. ' Those of you who are familiar with the saga of Lawrence of Arabia, the young Englishman who led the Arab rebellion against Turkish rulers of the Middle East during World War I, will recall that his success lay not in any particular ability as a soldier, but rather because he understood the Arab mentality. It was his ability to unite the Arab world which was the secret be- hind the overthrow of Turkey. Although we may react with quiet relief to the evidence that we will not have to face a world-wide Islamic tidal wave, it is sad to realize that the trem- endous potential of the Arab world is likely to he dissipated amid feuding and dissension. The people who gave us the basics of our mathematical system surely deserve a better fate. TODAY'S CHILD BY JUDITH ADAMS New Books in the ' Library Best of neighbors We are all inclined to stereotype peoples of other nations or provinces. Perhaps it is nothing more than envy which engenders our willingness to Classify all Americans as brash, loud and swaggering. True, most of us have encountered this type of person from across the border, but we also forget that there are many Canadians who are no less offensive in the very same way. One of our most pleasant ex- periences in recent years came last week when we attended the annual meeting of the Suburban Newspapers of America, held in Toronto. Members of that association come from as far afield as the New England States, Florida, California, even Hawaii. As we mingled with these visitors at the seminars and joined them at meal- times, the overriding impression was favorable in the extreme. There were no loud -mouths; we didn't run across any braggarts. We found intelligent, well-mannered business people and their wives. We also found they were interested in Canada, in the City of To- ronto and highly appreciative of their host city. Just a very nice group of people with whom we hope to visit in the fu- ture. Marty is the sweet - natured, sunny little five-year-old his pic- ture suggests. A patient youngster, he doesn't become easily frus- trated and he's quick to sense the moods of peo- ple he is with. Marty is catching up from ap deprived early child- hood which left him with gaps in develop- ment, especially in speech. He has really shot ahead in the last two years from a sickly little boy who hardly spoke at all, to a robust, cheery young person with a good vocabulary but some problems still with dic- tion. He's very eager to learn, and needs an adoptive family that can continue the good work his teenage foster sisters have been doing with him, and with grandparents too. Marty has shown a very special attraction and understanding for elderly people, and would love to have a grandmother and grandfather of his own. He'll be in kindergar- ten next year. It has appeared from tests that his intelligence was limited but nobody is giving him any labels at this stage as he has been progressing so well with stimulation and encouragement. Parents for Marty should have the time and skill to fill his very real needs, for he has missed a great deal in early life and needs to make up for it now, both in terms of love and caring, and intel- lectual development. To inquire, please write to Today's Child, Min- istry of Community and Social Services, Box 888, Station K, Toronto. Include your telephone number and describe your family and way of life as fully as you can. THE WORLD 1S MADE OF GLASS by Morris West This tale is founded on fact: a case history recorded in the autobiography of Carl Gustav Jung. Morris West's version of an encounter between Jung and a mature, p beautiful, depraved woman seeking his help is a fascinating blend of truth and dramatic speculation. Jung and the unnamed woman are two destinies on a collision course and Mr. West has come up with, once more, a powerful master- piece. THE STREETBiRD by Janwillem Van de Wetering For Van de Wetering fans here is another story featuring Grijpstra, Renus de Gier and the Commissaris in the solving of a complex and sinister murder in PRESS COUNCIL The Advance -Times is a member of the Ontario Pass Council which will consider written com- plaints about the publica- tion of news, opinions and advertising. If a com- plaint can't be resolved with the newspaper, it should be sent to the On- tario Press Council, 151 Slater St., Suite 708, Ot- tawa, Ont. K1P 5H3. Amsterdam. As the un- savory business is unraveled, it leads them by different paths to a, denouement infinitely more shocking than the crime itself. JUNE 1959 Glenn Berry, president, has announced a change of name for the corporation he heads. Effective June 1, Steel Door Corporation became Berry Door Cor- poration. A meeting of the swim- ming pool committee ad- journed to the Maitland River at the north end of town to look over the possibilities of cleaning up the section of river bank from the Howson dam to the McKenzie Bridge, to provide temporary swimming ac- commodation for the children of the community. The Right Rev. Dr. Alexander Nimmo, newly - elected moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Canada, will be heard over the CBC Dominion Radio Network on Sunday af- ternoon. Dr. Nimmo will speak from St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church. Six Brownies have passed all tests qualifying them to move up to Girl Guides. They are Vana Rosenhagen, Ruth Ann Hamilton, Wendy Cronkwright, Brenda Hall, Nancy Ducharme and Lynda Reavie. Members of Sacred Heart Church, Wingham, learned with regret that Rev. R. J. Durand will leave Wingham to go to St. Patrick's Church, Dublin. Succeeding Father Durand here will be Rev. H. VanVynckt. The results of the election in Ontario returned the Progressive Conservative government to power,with 71 of the 98 seats. Locally, John W. Hanna of Wingham, Progressive Conservative, was returned for the sixth time when he defeated Rae J. Watson of Lucknow in the Huron -Bruce riding. JUNE 1969 George Cameron and Ron Lee spent a few days in London attending the spring reunion of Mocha Temple. During their stay they were initiated as members of the Shrine. Membership in the Shrine is a high achievement in Masonry. Danny Grummett and John Lee, operators of restaurants in Turnberry and ,Wingham, have been notified that their ap- plications for dining lounge licenses have been ap- proved. Cam Proctvr of Belgrave was senior class winner in a bicycle rodeo held in Wingham. Intermediate champ was Ruth Anderson and Shan Smith was first in the junior class. About 80 friends of Mrs. Stewart Forsyth met at the Legion Hall for a farewell party. Mrs. Forsyth will leave for Walkerton in the near future, where Mr. Forsyth was transferred with Ontario Hydro when the local office was closed. Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hibberd moved their household effects last week from Fordwich to the home they recently purchased in Beigrave. INEY SCUTTLE. FAHRERiH( IT, FEET, POUt4T AN' GALLONS NOW THEY'RE NON <EViNG AROUND WITH PAW A A