Zurich Citizens News, 1961-12-14, Page 2PAGE TWO
ZURICH CITIZENS NEWS
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1961
ZURICH Citizens NEWS
PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY MORNING at ZURICH, ONTARIO
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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1961
The Night Before Christmas!
There is hardly a person living today
who wouldn't like to have had a peep into
a certain New York professor's home just
139 years ago this Chrismas Eve.
That home was as spacious, comfort-
able and inviting as a dwelling could be.
It stood on a bluff with a pleasant view,
on what was then the outer fringe of the
city, around it were woods and green fields
that ran down to the Hudson River. Inside
were fine books and pictures—sure signs of
wealth and culture.
On this night before Christmas the
head of the household, Dr. Clement C.
Moore, was working in his study. His
little daughters went about on tiptoe, for
fear of disturbing dear Pa -pa as he pursu-
ed his scholarly studies.
But Dr. Moore's mind had wandered
far afield from weighty tomes. Work on
his big Hebrew lexicon had been pushed
aside, and even his Oriental language re-
ports were forgotten. Dr. Moore was writ-
ing a poem, and the subject—of all things
—was Santa Claus!
He must have chuckled to himself as
he began it:
"'Tomas the night before Christmas,
when all through the house,
Not a creature was stirring, not
even a mouse ..."
He gave his fancy free rein. In roll-
icking rhyme he worked up a happy pic-
ture of old St. Nick, complete to the last
detail. Unlike the stolid German Santa
Claus best known in that day, Dr. Moore's
saint was a most happy fellow. How did he
get to so many homes in a single night?
Dr. Moore gave out the secret: Santa came
in a sleigh drawn by "eight tiny reindeer."
Even their names were supplied.
When the poem was finished, the
smiling professor was so pleased that he
was tempted to read it aloud at once to
his little girls. But all children have to
wait till Christmas morning for a happy
surprise, so Dr. Moore decided to postpone
it until that time.
When the family had taken seats
around the breakfast table, the head of
the house arose and from an inside poc-
ket drew forth a mysterious paper. Clear-
ing his throat, Dr. Moore asked everybody
to give him their closest attention. He had
not read a dozen lines before his fascinated
daughters recognized that their father was
describing their own home—
"The stockings were hung by the
chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon
would be there;
The children were nestled all snug
in their beds,
While visions of sugar -plums danc-
ed in their heads;
And Manana in her 'kerchief, and I
in my cap
Had just settled our brains for a
long winter's nap . .."
But the best part described the ap-
pearance of Santa Claus, and how he went
merrily about his business of filling the
stockings.
"He had a broad face, and a little
round belly,
That shook, when he laughed, like a
bowl full of jelly .. .
He spoke not a word, but went
straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then
turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his
nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney ,
he rose .. .
And I heard him exclaim, ere he
drove out of sight,
'Happy Christmas to all, and to all
a good -night!' "
When Dr. Moore had completed the
reading, his daughters clapped their hands
in delight at this "Christmas surprise"—
probably one of the most thrilling gifts a
father ever gave his children for the Yule-
tide.
Dr. Moore did not take his poem ser-
iously. He thought it a mere trifle, possess-
ing no literary merit whatsoever, and it
was 22 years before he would admit its
authorship.
But another person at that Christmas
breakfast table, Miss Harriet Butler, the
daughter of a Troy clergyman and a house
guest of the Moore's, liked the poem so
well that she got the Doctor's permission
to copy it into her album.
When Christmas came around the fol-
lowing year, she dug up the gay lines and
sent them to The Troy Sentinel where
they appeared anonymously on December
23, 1823. From the newspaper, the poem
found its way to other publications and
even into school readers, and speedily be-
came a favorite all over the country.
Thanks to Miss Butler, millions of
happy readers, grownups and youngsters
alike, now get as much fun from "A Visit
from St. Nicholas" as did Dr. Moore's little
girls on that Christmas morning many
years ago. -
(Contributed)
Getting Ready For Christmas
At this time of year, there seems to
be an air of secrecy around the home—
oodles of pretty Christmas wrappers, tapes,
seals and what have you. The only one
around the house who is calm and serene
is, (you guessed it) good ole "Pop."
Mother is excited about her son com-
ing home from college; the kids are busy
looking through the pages of the news-
paper and circling the items they want
Ma and Pa to pay special attention to.
The daughter's boy friend is helping
Ma with the Christmas parcelling, and
with any chores that are needed—he's
probably seeking moral support when he
approaches Pa about a wedding or some-
thing next year.
But dear old Dad just sits back in his
easy chair, puffing on his favorite pipe,
•
amid the wreckage of what used to be
home sweet home before the Christmas
season rolled around. No sense asking
him what he wants for Christmas. No siree!
He's just as tight lipped as a Chicago gam-
bler at a crime investigation.
All this of course leads straight to
one thing—someone is getting a great
thrill out of doing something for someone
else. Yes, even "the old man." For beneath
that air of nonchalance Pop is privately
plotting to get Mom something special for
Christmas,
Behind all this is an even deeper sign-
ificance—but few have had time to think
of that angle yet—the rush and bustle of
preparations is holding sway—Christmas
will be here in a few short weeks.
This is only the Christmas Season.
(The Grenfell Sun)
One Day At A Time!
An elderly woman with heavy house-
hold cares saw the day when she could
,carry on no more, The burden became too
great. Her strength was waning day by day,
and each new day the duties for which
she was responsible seemed to mount high-
er,
One day the physician called, and
seeing how little strength she had, told
her she would have to give up for a little
while, and she became a patient in a hos-
pital. Only then did she realize how ex-
hausted she was.
After a few days, she thought of the
affairs at home, and became restless. "Doc-
tor," she said, "how long will I have to
lie here?" The answer was, "Only one day
at a time." That was all he said, but it
served to strengthen the virtue of patience
in her.
What a lesson those six magic words
teach us! "How long shall I have to pore
over books before I can go out and make
money," "How long shall I have to slave in
order that I may provide a livelihood for
the family?" "How long shall I have to
bend my back to pick and shovel to build
highways?" "How long shall I have to
stand before the flaming forge to create
machinery for the world's work?"
It is not a day's work that breaks us,
but a week's work, and a month's work, and
a year's work—all crowdedinto one day.
The answer to all these questions is the
same: "Only one day at a time."
(The Morden Times.)
40 YEARS AGO
December 1921
A very sad accident happen-
ed on Saturday to Mr. Abra-
ham Geiger, one of Hay Town-
ship's pioneers, when he fell
off the couch and broke his
leg at the hip, Medical aid was
summonsed at once, and the
fracture replaced. Mr. Geiger
is in his 94th year, and it will
be some time before he will be
able to be up and around again.
The Exeter -Zurich hockey
club. was re -organized at a
meeting in Exeter last week,
and plans were made .for the
coming winter to have both an
intermediate and a senior team
entered. Clayton Hoffman, of
Zurich, was appointed as man-
ager of the teams.
Mr. and Mrs. N. E. Cook, of
Hensall, are quite comfortably
settled in their new home on
King street.
Richard Blanchford and J.
C. Clausen, both of out west,
who are visiting in Hensall at
present, are both pioneer busi-
nessmen in the village of Hen-
sall, about 45 years ago. At that
time there was only a black-
smith shop,' a store and a har-
ness shop located in the village,
with only two or three houses.
, Miss Lylyan Rader, of Zur-
ich, is the recipient of a lovely
certificate of honour awarded
by the minister of agriculture,
for the greatest number of
points in the Zurich Public
School, SS no 7, Hay.
25 YEARS AGO
December 1936
The Eckel family, of Platts-
ville, who have purchased the
Haist bakery in Zurich, are
moving to th Y1"ee in the
near future, ha+6und suit-
able living accomodation.
Recent cold weather has re-
sulted in excellent ice skating
in the rinks throughout the
area, probably the earliest in
many years.
Master Billy Mickle, of Hen-
sall, remains quite seriously ill
at his home.
For the second time in the
last 36 years, the County of Hu-
ron has been called upon to
-OF-
YEARS GONE
-BY-
pay a bounty for a wolf which
was shot. Kenneth Stewart, of
Stanley Township, was success-
ful in bagging a female wolf
on the bank of the Maitland
River, and claimed the $15
bounty which the county of-
fers.
Mr. and Mrs. Ed Broderick,
of Hay Township, have left
their farm and taken up resid-
ence in the home they purch-
ased from Mrs. S. Hardy, in
Exeter.
A community party was held
in the Bayfield Town Hall to
honour a new bride and groom,
Mr. and Mrs. Ivan Steckle, of
Stanley Township.
Mr, Melvin Brown, of Zurich,
while out hunting the other
day, was successful in shooting
a silver fox, which has a hide
worth at least $35.
10 YEARS AGO
December 1951
The Unique Farm Forum,
holding their meeting at the
farm home of Mr. and Mrs. Del-
bert Geiger, heard Mrs. Carl
Oestreicher speak on the topic,
"Folk Schools for Farm Peo-
ple."
Donald Dayman was elected
president of the Hensall branch
of the Canadian Legion at the
annual meeting last week. Past
president is Bryan Kyle.
A delightful affair was held
in SS 10, Hay, last Friday night,
when friends and neighbours
gathered to honour Mr. and
Mrs. George Armstrong, Jean
and Betty, prior to their mov-
ing to Hensall, where they
have purchased a home.
The Sisters of St. Joseph had
their school children present
the annual school concert last
week, and they are to be com-
plimented for the fine enter-
tainment. The Parish Hall was
filled on both Saturday after-
noon and Sunday evening for
the program, and the master
of ceremonies was Master Na-
poleon Denomme, a pupil of
the school.
The Zurich intermediate
hockey team opened their sea-
son on Friday night with an
impressive 8-6 victory over the
Seaforth Juniors, in an exhibi-
tion game.
AT THE BOWLING LANES
Weekly Team Point
Team High Triple Points Standing
ZURICH MEN'S BOWLING LEAGUE
Tail Twisters (Leroy O'Brien) 2 18
Globe Trotters (Bill Wagner 549) ___._._ 5 23
The Angels (Fred Bradley 537) 7 75
Car Penters (Whitney Brokenshire 513) 0 41
Pepsi (Louis Schilbe 546) 5 66
Ink Spots (Cameron Witmer 507) 2 51
Butcherettes (Clare Geiger 562) ._ 2 29
Blowers (Gerald Martini 555) 5 51
Hornets (Tim Bedard 583) _._ 2 82
King Pins (Maurice Finkbeiner 580) 5 45
Bull Dogs (Bill Pollock 545) __ 0 40
Hot Shots (Earl Horner 548) 7 41
Questionaires (Harold Stade 687) 7 '72
Pearson Kings (Bob Haye 477) 0 47
Trotters & Pacers (Bill Noakes 579) 5 45
Knights of Columbus (Geo. Sweeney 613) 2 58
High Sinple, George Sweeney, 320; High Triple, George
Sweeney, 734; High Average, George Sweeney, 203.
ZURICH LADIES BOWLING LEAGUE
Dashettes (Vesta Miller 529) _ _
H.L.A. (Mrs. Mary Taylor 396)
Ups & Downs (Flora Webb 479).
Dreamers (Alice Masse 497)
Nighthawks (Marj. Schilbe 484)
Varieties (Irene Hoffman 445) _________
Huronettes (Irene Flanagan 448) _____
Hi-Lites (Irene Davis 415) ---- _____.___
Lazy Six (Theresa Starke 507)
Jokers (Barbara Sauder 486)
Dominionaires (Tootle Johnson 494)
Star Tones (Daisy Bates 524)
7
0
2
5
79
34
42
42
5 66
2 37
0 27
7 41
2 31
5 34
2 46
5 67
High Single, M. Rader, 315; High Triple, A. Ouch, 668;
High Average, M. Kraft, 169.
*
ZURICH MIXED BOWLING LEAGUE
Guys & Gals (George Sweeney 579) ___
Tops (Dan Trushinski 553) _. _.____._ _
Hard Rocks (Harvey Clausius 454) ___
Flying Frenchmen (Jim Bedard 572) ___
Boo Boos (Reg Black 581)
Busy Bees (Hugh McEwen 581)
Luck Strikes (Len Bates 506)
Alley Cats (Bill Siebert 492)
Hi Los (Isabel Gascho 501)
Hensall Hornets (Dorothy Mosseau 525)
Kippen Trailers (Margaret Lovell 659)
Imperials (Peter Bedard 478)
4
3
0
7
6
1
7
0
2
5
7
0
32
51
17
74
33
51
39
47
49
51
68
35
- Ladies High Single, Janet Moir, 275; Ladies High Triple,
Margaret Lovell, 659; Men's High Single, Bruce Moir, 338; Men's
High Triple, Dan Trtishinski, 731.
Do you know something?
We haven't any national char-
acter. There's no such thing as
a "typical Canadian." We're
just a vague, unformed glob of
human beings who happen to
live in the same vast hunk of
geography. Isn't that a fine
state of affairs, with Christmas
coming on and everything?
I learned this while reading
a couple of new books about
Canada this week. The authors
seemed not only disturbed but
displeased because they were
unable to put down a list of
adjectives, point triumphantly
and say, "There you are! A
typical Canadian."
This search for a Canadian
identity has become a regular
parlour game among writers
and intellectuals. I find the
whole problem remarkably un -
disturbing. I'd rather be a typ-
ical human being than a typical
Canadian. Have you ever not-
iced that when people say,
"He's a typical American" (or
Englishman, Frenchman, Ger-
man), they don't mean it as
a compliment?
However, in the interests of
pure truth I thought I'd look
back through a number of fr-
iends, and acquaintances and
see whether I could come up
with a typical Canadian, after
more than 40 years of consort-
ing with the species.
There was a huge, happy,
lively -tongued, quick-witted fel-
low with whom I once trained
as a pilot, in the dead of a
typical Canadian winter. He
didn't have any special advant-
ages of wealth, schooling or
social position. But Jake Gaud -
aur, president of the Hamilton
Tiger -Cats football club, is do-
ing all right these days. A
typical Canadian?
There was a skinny, starved -
looking little guy at college
who was so shaky, physically
and financially that I didn't
think he'd graduate. But he
had a wicked wit and a won-
derful way with words. His
name was Jamie. As Professor
James Reaney, poet, play-
wright, novelist and editor of
a new magazine, he's doing all
right. A typical Canadian?
There was the French-Can-
adian kid who worked with me
as bellhop on the lake boats,
before the war. When he start-
ed that summer, lie knew only
three words of English, all of
them bad. I couldn't help hoot-
ing when I saw his name in
the paper the other day — a
distinguished member of the
clergy in Quebec. A typical
Canadian?
There were a couple of young
screwballs who wrote and play-
ed in comedy skits when I was
at university. Next time I'
saw them was in a troop show,
overseas. They had improved.
I saw them on television the
other night. They're getting by,
as Wayne and Shuster. Typical
Canadians?
Then there's Dutch, Once
a wild and woolly Australian,
he taught me to fly Spitfires,
in England. He came here after
the war and is happy as a trout
hotly pursuing his first million
in Toronto. A typical Canad-
ian?
And Chuck. His old man was
a Ukrainian. We were in prison
camp together and when the
Russians were getting close he
taught me to say, "Don't Sh-
oot!", in Russian. He was a
first rate cartoonist and last
I heard he was in Vancouver.
A typical Canadian?
And three Georges. One was
a quiet student, who bought a
Belgian pistol from me after
the war and paid me $10, more
than it was worth, because I
needed the money. He's mana-
ging these days between direct-
ing plays at Stratford and on
television. A typical Canadian?
Another George repaid the
Yanks for burning York in the
war of 1812. He went over to
Wall Street, made a million be-
fore he was forty, and carried
(continued on page 3)
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PROVINCIAL
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For your sale, large or small
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"Service that Satisfies"
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DENTISTS
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L.D.S., D.D.S.
Main Street Exeter
Closed Wednesday Afternoon
Phone Exeter 36
INSURANCE
For Safety
EVERY FARMER NEEDS
Liability Insurance
For Information About All
Insurance — CaII
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CO.OPERATORS INSURANCE
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Liability, Casualty,
Sickness and Accident, etc.
An Independent Agent
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Phone 161 Zurich
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J. E. LONGSTAFF
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SEAFORTH: Daily except Mon-
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Wednesday: 9 a.m
to 12 noon.
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