Loading...
The Seaforth News, 1962-06-28, Page 2Twin Births Are On The increase In a small French village of twenty-one houses, twelve sets of twins were been in twenty- fiye years, The place became known as the village of twins. Said an inhabitant: "Doctors cannot explain the phenomenon. There are no twins in any other nearby village. Some people say our soil. must be radioactive! But the birth of more twins is reported from many parts of the world, The proportion of pregnancies which res u 1 t in "double births" is rising yearly. Twins are more popular, too, Many more mothers are long- ing for them, but this trend is confined to civilized countries. Why are twins increasing? One geneticist suggests that pro- gress ro- gress in medical science and better living conditions are re- sponsible. But ''the medical profession is largely baffled by the boom. In Britain about one mother in eighty gives birth to twins, compared to one in ninety in 1947. Who is the most likely mother to have twins today? .A woman b e t w e en thirty- nine with a family of eight, re- ported researchers who, o v e r ten years, studied the incidence of 3,000 British twins, The next most likely mother of twins is the woman of the same age with seven children, then with six children and so on, Then comes the woman be- tween thirty and thirty-five with eight children, and then with seven, and so on. These discoveries relate only to fraternal twins. These may be two boys, two girls or a boy and a girl, What about identical twins? These ere always of the same sex — either two boys or two girls. They occur about one in every three sets of twins ane a mother has an equal chance of having them at any age, say the experts, Nobody really knows exactly why twins and other multiple births happen at all. But we do knew that frater- nal twins may be poles apart in looks, build, character and in- clinations, while identical twins usually have the same interests and the same ambitions. Superstitious belief s about twins are dying fast, but even Britain has some. In parts of Aberdeenshire a superstition ex- ists to the present day that, if twins marry, only one will have children. It is said that they "see dou- ble" in what has become known .as "the little street of twins" in Kingsthorpe, Northampton. In ten months, three mothers there had sets of twins. An Irish woman of County Down who, at the age of forty, gave birth to her fifth set of twin s, w a s approaching the world record. But, in fact, the greatest re- corded number of sets of twins born to a mother in modern me- dical his t o r y is eleven. The SALLY'S SAL/IES 'How am I doing? I'm just doubling for my twin sister tonight," -woman is a Sicilian and her dart pair were born in 1947. Do twins live long? ,A good many die y o u ng, but an in.. stance of girl twins surviving to their hundredth birthday was reported in 1958from Michigan. A pair of British twins born in 1931 achieved a different kind of fame, One arrived in Durham and the other in Nerthureber- land, writes Norman Inglis in "Tit -Bits," And in 1918 one .twin was born in United States territory and the other in Canada, during a train journey. Another set of twins was born four days apart to a forty -year- old mother in Canada. The first twin made her appearance and the doctor thensat down to wait for the second girl.' Four dawns and four sunsets later, she ar- rived. Apart from unexpected com- plications, delays of this, kind are due to differing weights of the babies, a doctor tells me. Identical twins often seem .to have a strange link. A pair of twin brothers died on the same day, hundreds of miles apart. Psychologists find it hard to explain why there are so few great names among twins, Per- haps, says one, it is because twins often depend so much upon each other that they lack individual initiative, Many twin brothers take to• sport together. The famous Gut- teridge twins were both fine boxers in their day. Both were wounded on the Somme in 1916 on the same day. A pair of Cumberland brothers were so much alike when they played for ICelis United Foot- ball Club that even their parents could not distinguish them on the field. The referee once warn- ed one of t h e brothers three times in the same match and finally ordered the other broth- er off the field — believing that he had transgressed the rules a fourth time. The farrious Surrey cricketing twins, Alec and Eric Bedser, an- other identical pair, were won- dering whether King George VI would be able to distinguish them when he met them at the Oval in 1946. The King made no mistake. Afterwards it was revealed that he had spent some time study- ing t h e brothers' photographs before attending the match. Machines To Teach —And Also Learn? What will the university of the future be like for students and faculty? Writing in WU, the magazine of Washington University in St. Louis, Dr. Harold Taylor, once the president of Sarah Lawrence' College and now the roving gad- fly of American higher educa- tion, offered an educated guess —in the form of this academic fable: "There Ince was a professor who was so important and so mixed up with helping run the country . , that he coulen't give a weekly seminar for twelve stu- dents, his only teaching respon- sibility, He went to the dean and said, 'Dean, I'm afraid I can't make it—I've got to run the , world and all these things. I will tape what I have to say to the seminar, and the tapes . can be. played each week at the appro- priate time.' "The dean agreed. Some four weeks later, the professor found himself inadvertently on his own campus. He thought it only de- cent to go along and see how the class was making out. He went to the appropriate room at the appropriate time and opened the door. Thera, on the front desk, was the tape recorder transmit- ting his voice. There, on twelve chairs grouped around the table, were . twevle other tape record- ers." SILVER WEDDING ANNIVERSARY—The Duke and Duchess of Windsor are all smiles in New York before sailing on the liner United States for France. They celebrated their silver wedding anniversary June 3. et et HRONICd.ES 1NGERFARM Gv,,cz,n.dotin.e P. Ctaxlk,e If you are not interested in W.I. activities don't read my column this week because most of it concerns that very worth- while organization. Last Wednesday was the day of our District Annual and the branch to which I belong was hostess to the other seven branches in the district. It was an all -day affair — from 9 a.m. to around 6 p.m. t- with time out for lunch, of course, cater- ed for by the W.A. of the church in which the meeting was held. There were about . eighty ladies altogether, all listening with avid interest to the e re orts es presented by the district con- veners. It was busine s and still more business from start to fin- ish. Sounds dry, doesn't iti But it wasn't beceuse each member was interested in the reports, mentally comparing what her branch had done with that of the other seven. Some listened with a glow of pride, others with dissatisfaction, Where there was dissatisfaction you can be quite sure the delegates will report back to their branch in such a way as to create more enthusi- asm for the coming year, All the reports were interesting but it fell to the reaolutions convener to lighten the clay with laughter. Several resolutions said in ef- ieet they hope by the time the next District Annual rolls around the district officers would see to it that a loud speaker was installed as, from the back rows, it was impossible to hear the speakers. I was in sympathy with that resolution as I couldn't hear either — that is, until I moved up front. Well. a micro- phone sounds like a good idea but it is an expensive piece of equipment and I imagine would be of no use unless the hall were equipped to receive it. It would be more to the point if conven- ers would remember to speak slowly, distinctly — and to the point. It canbe done if a per- son will only take the trouble. 'HOLE IN BERLIN WALL --� West German police, foreground, and fast German police lore at each other through o hole in the Berlin wall after a series of explosions ripped Me barrier. There were other resolutions that led to plenty of discussion. It is really funny what ,tomes out in the open when people are given an opportunity to express their opinions freely — and very seldom is there any resent- ment. A thunderstorm came up an the middle of the afternoon causing considerable uneasiness. First one and then another of the ladies would run outside to roll up the car windows. But. we needn't have worried — it hardly rained at all!! Soon after I got home 1 sat down to read the news of the day when the telephone rang. It was a long distance call in- viting me to the 25th W.I. An- niversary Tea at Campbellville that coming Friday. Believe me I accepted without hesitatien— for several reasons. Pleasure at being invited, the fact that I knew most of- the members; it not being far from "Ginger Farm" and last. but not least my good friend Ethel Chapman was to be the guest speaker. Other branches had been in- vited so there were about 150 ladies altogether. The afternoon was purely a social affair and we all enjoyed ourselves im- mensely. there was good mu- sic and an amusing skit was given representing the first a- 'reeling cf the Campbellville W.I. 25 years ago. Officers were elected and the lady appointed as first president almost fainted when her name was drawn out of the hat. Then came the guest speaker who was greeted by a burst of applause. Miss Chap- man is particularly dear to the people of Campbellville as it was there she was raised and attended the little red school house along with many of these present at the meeting. Itwas also in Campbellville where she first taught school and became interested in W,I. activities. Naturally her talk was a mix- ture of the past, the present and the future. Even an outsider could sense the warm, friendly feeling that existed ,between the speaker and those who came forward to greet her. It is a wonderful thing when a per- son can be away from a district for a good many years and yet be sure of a warm welcome any time he of Atte returns. It was a meeting I wouldn't have miss- ed for anything especially as it also gave me an opportunity to meet old friends I hadn't seen for several years, And do you know what? When we turned on to the -main street of the 'vil- lage the first thing I- saw was a horse and buggy! I was simp- ly thrilled — I hadn't seen a horse and buggy in normal use for years. It took me back to the days when that was our only means of transportation at the far — and the pride with which I used to drive nigh - stepping Prince into town, Quite a contrast to what we encoun- tered on the way home The Dundas Highway is in the pro- em of reconstruction. Century old trees have been felled to make room for a new clever - leaf, Earth -moving machines ere gouging into the hills, There are detours here and there but as ply one-way traffic is poss'bla et often means a wait of ten minutes be:ore one is waved on, Great Comic Comes Out Of Retirement In the world of movie comedy, Harold Lloyd has Bong been something of a man without an image, Chaplin was always plac.eable as the little tramp; Keaton was always the great stone face, Lloyd's appeal was partly that he was the nonentity supreme, the All-American fall guy whose exact nature shifted front film to film; it was an ap- peal not likely to beremember- ed. Of the great y comics, Lloyd is the only one with no real following among later, generations. All this, however, may be changed by "Harold Lloyd's World of Comedy," a fine, funny survey of one of America's most skillful comedians, culled train eight •of his pictures, .which last month received a joyous wel- come at the Cannes Film Fes- tival, As an actor Harold Lloyd was known for his feats of daring, but in real life it has been a Iong time since he took any chances an anything. Twenty- three years ago he retired from acting with several million dol- lars and the exclusive rights to almaost all his pictures, He has saved the millions and only rare- ly released the pictures to. TV or into theaters. Except for the ill-fated "Mad Wednesdwy" in 1947, he has firmly resisted chancing a comeback—until now. Even now he does so with some trepidation. "I've lost two generations," the 68 - year - old Lloyd told Newsweek's Mel Gus - sow recently in New York. "The kids are not my fans. They say: 'Who's Harold Lloyd? Is he in pictures?' They're my guinea pigs. If I can get them to pay their money at the box office," he added hopefully, "then I may put together more films Iike this." "Harold Lloyd's World of Comedy" has actually' been thir- teen years in the compiling. Since his retirement from me- vies, Lloyd has been an active hobbyist (show dogs, abstract painting, bowling) and fraternal- ist. His fraternalism led directly to "World of Comedy." In 1949 he was national head of the Shriners and was called upon to stage an entertainment. "I put together clips from my movies," Even so it is hazardous, We saw one huge machine drop side bank, from s over a bat swaying g to side as it went. How it miss- ed landing on top of a waiting car I'll never know. It is all in the name of progress but comparing what we saw with the reminiscences of Miss Chapman and the erstwhile peaceful lit- tle village of Campbellville I was conscious of a sigh of re- gret for the days we shall never know again. he explained. "It got big laughs But It was just a variety show 1 decided to round it out." For the past thirteen yeah Lloyd has been gradually round ing it out, and for the past year he has been painstakingly testing it before audiences, reading pre. view Bards, and molding a file that he considered representative of" his 'comedy. "Being a comedian," he 000.. tinned, "I've had to .analyze to find out what audiences laugh at. Myself, I'm kind of hard to make laugh. I think audiences laugh at me because I'm in a dilemma. I've had people say about my character that he Wasn't funny, but that he did. funny things. We just tried to make things believable, My char acter didn't go in for any funny. clothes business, He still did ludicrous business, but always within the realms of possibility. "Most of my pictures were character comedies, Charlie (Chaplin) represented the down- trodden man. Elis was a broader type of comedy, Keaton the au- dience never really believed, 1 represented the average man, the fellow with glasses. You pass s million of them." Lloyd's freeh, frivolous antic. in the "World of Comedy" prove that the average man can none- theless live in a world-apert. Ar a rich young ninny landing in c Caribbean country at the stun or a revolution, he wanders cheer fully down a deserted street, 1 body hurtles out of err alley ons drapes itself in a low bow aeras a fence: Lloyd bows politely iv return. A man rs conked on lhr head and shoved fits the street where a girl scoops up his totter ing form and leeches rhgtlirr e cally aveep with it in' her arms Lloyd delightedly applauds the dance. And so it gees unit: shouting soldiers lead him, off fi prison Lloyd, mistaking then for an honor guard; stridin; blissfully along patting their backs, waving at the angre crowds. In another long se, quence, Lloyd dangles from at awning frame, gets picked up by —and dumped frcm—a painter': scaffold, and winds up et the end of a rope, whooping for help He turns out to be dangling one foot above the sidewalk. "The type of comedy we al, made was pantomimic," Lloyd said. "It was based c -n a piece al business more than on a story. It was loaded with action. Every two or three scenessomeone had' to be knocked on his can. It didn't need sound, Now comedl'es run 75 per cent to dialogue. none the visual viewpoint, they've lost the formula. They don't know how toace rt. time ft or sp A. When applesauce. Is served' with pork, should it be eaten, with the spoon or £brkT A. It is better ta use the fork. ISSUE 24 — 1962 BI(THDAY PRESENT — President Kennedy, beaming with pride, watches his son, John Jr, display his newly acquired skill — the, ability to wrlk Eig'itnen monis old now, John Jr unveiled' his totilerin3 iu;.t for Ills famous dad's birthday.