Zurich Citizens News, 1975-11-26, Page 24Page 4 - Citizens News, December 3175
A Mem
SAO
How merry can Christmas be in the face of current inflat-
ion, unemployment, strikes, sagging investments, rising
crime and similar woes?
That will depend largely on our response to the joyful
aspects of the Yule season which are too often taken for
granted. Maybe we should look at its traditional observances
with fresh appreciation.
Consider, for instance, all the heart-warming personal
encounters that go with the season. Joyful family home-
comings and gatherings, parties, get-togethers with old
friends, fellow -workers and various other groups give our
spirits a needed lift. So do Christmas cards.
True, in this year of strained budgets gifts may be more
modest. But they'll still be offered "with love" and that
gives one an inner glow.
Everywhere, too, colorful lights and decorations spread
cheer and beauty. And anyone can enjoy the various plays,
pageants, ballets and movies designed for holiday moods.
Even TV mixes in some Christmas specials for relief from
the surfeit of crime shows.
And ah, the glorious Christmas music! How it can inspire
us with great works performed in church and concert halls.
While carols and popular Christmas songs take a merciless
beating from repetition on the radio and shopping, plaza
sound systems, at least they add to our festive feeling.
Above all, the ideal antidote to today's tensions and anx-
ieties is to open mind and heart to the original Christmas
message of hope and joy.
Violence .on television often sparks the most violent of
debates when discussed by ordinary viewers. People, dep-
ending on their viewpoint, damn it, ignore it or insist it has
no long-term effect on our lives. However, recently, an emin-
ent Canadian man of letters, Dr. Northrop Frye of Toronto,
has advanced the theory, which we suggest has some valid-
ity, that it is not the act of violence itself which is always
wrong, but the enjoyment of watching --and thereby particip-
ating in --an act of violence.
In fact, suggests Professor Frye, some of the acts of viol-
ence which were portrayed throughour television screen
actually have had civilizing and positive effect on the public.
An illustration of this would be the way in which the report-
ing of the real horror and evil of the Vietnam war did so much
to bring the average American to hate that war, instead of
becoming complacent or inured to it.
Violence is a real part of our society. We live in no parad-
ise and to ignore it, or anything else that is dehumanizing, is
to live like the proverbial ostrich. Newsmen in all the media
have a duty to report violence whenever it occurs and so do
creative novelists, dramatists and television producers.
The reporting itself becomes violent when it is slanted by
headlines or overdone by dramatists so that people see
violence as an acceptable option. Yet the prevalence of viol-
ence is part of the unpleasant reality of life today and the
only way that concerned people can fight it, whether it be in
the streets or on the battlefield, is to know what it is and to
take courage by facing that reality.
The enjoyment of violence for the sake of violence is a
sick reaction but to demand that the acknowledgement
of its existence be legislated from our television screens is to
deny reality. It would also make it more difficult to strive
for a more humane, more peaceful ai,d, eventually, less viol-
ent society.
On the other hand to inflict programs of violence upon
children can have deep consequences on their lives, say
some experts. Parents and concerned citizens could do more
to end violence -for -entertainment than any censor by exp-
ressing their disgust and horror at such television by refus-
ing to watch it and by refusing to purchase any of the prod-
ucts manufactured by its sponsors. That is the most effect-
ive form of censorship.
T
y
We are only eight years away from that fateful year depict-
ed by the English novelist, George Orwell, who saw the
forces of technology exerting full control and authority over
our minds by 1984. Indeed, some people would say that
1984 is upon us and that the fundamental processes of our
society have broken down already.
That may be. We have not achieved a very good record
in dealing with human goals and most people in the industr-
ial west feel threatened and powerless in the face of major
computer networks, genetic engineering and nuclear age
technology. Underdeveloped nations are almost equally
hopeless in their attempts to catch up to the industrial west.
But, without for a moment diminishing the extent of the
technological flood, it may well be that we use this new
science to hide our inability to understand the essential
human .dimension of society's needs.
Youth is
top stui 4i,ent
John Noakes, son of Mr.
and Mrs. Leonard Noakes,
Hensall, has graduated from
Radio College of Canada in
Toronto as their top honours
student.
Now a senior engineering
technician for a communications
equipment company in London,
he attained an average of 94.3%
in the electronic engineering
technology course at RCC.
Are girl
is honored
Karen Ford, 19, of RR3 Dash-
wood, is one of 54 university
students awarded entrance
scholarships to Brock University
this fall.
Ms. Ford, who, achieved
an average of greater than 80%
in Grade 13 at Exeter High
School, is studying History.
There are about 750 first year
students at Brock this year.
The scholarship is valued at
$500, and is financed by the
Founders' Find of Brock Un-
iversity. Entrance scholarships
are awarded to all first year
students who have an 80%
average in Grade 13, and to top
students in Brock's unique
summer program for students
who wish to enter directly from
Grade 12.
Lighted free
The Hensall United Church
was beautifully decorated for the
beginning of the Advent season
with a lighted Christmas tree,
evergreens, poinsettias, a
Nativity scene and the Advent
candles on a wreath. The service
was conducted by Rev. Don Beck
who explained the old Norweigan
custom of "Lighting the Advent
Candles".
The candles are purple, a
symbol of royalty and penitance,
and the first Advent candle was
lit by Sandra McCurdy. Mrs.
John Turkheim was at the organ
and the choir sang the anthem,
"How beautiful upon the Moun-
tains",
The subject of the sermon was
"The Real Light". Next Sunday
the Sacrament of the Lord's
Supper will be observed, Unit 4
of the Hensall UCW meets on
Thursday afternoon, December 4.
T11:;.
e
st
(by Ted Roweliffe)
I don't know beans about beans and so it was a new
experience for me to attend the annual meeting of the
OntarioBean Producers Marketing Board, district
five held at the Zurich arena on Monday.
While the meeting ate up most of a normally busy
day which is spent soliciting advertising and gathering
other news, it was well worthwhile because it isn't often
I, as a consumer, get to hear the farmers position in the
marketing business.
A news report elsewhere in this edition carries the
details of the meeting but basically it was a showdown
between those farmers who were satisfied with the pre-
sent system of marketing beans through dealers and
those who want the bean producers to take a look at the
possibility of marketing all their own beans including
foreign sales.
Those in favour of marketing`all the beans' through
the board rather than through the dealers seemed to
win the upper hand and it will be interesting to see
what develops. Chairman Phillip Durand said he'd
been looking at other marketing boards such as the
wheat producers which -sells all its own crop and he said
it was doing quite nicely and probably cutting out a lot
of unnecessary costs which eat into the profit for the
producing farmer.
Opposing this line of thinking was Bob Allen, an act-
ive member of the board for many years. There were
some heated words expressed by both sides and a few
incidents of name calling. When the dust settled and
the `radicals' who want to sell the beans through the
board got the upper hand and Mr. Allen was defeated.
The meeting expressed its appreciation for all the work
Mr. Allen has done on behalf of the bean producers.
A tip of the hat this week to the town fathers and
others responsible for getting the snow off the streets in
Zurich. The white stuff barel had time to pile up dur-
ing the two days we received some snow during the
past week than the machinery was busy clearing it
away.
The Grand Bend Recreation Committee is selling
tickets to the big Christmas Dance to be held at the Ye
Olde Theatre Hall (or is it the" Ausable Centre). Any-
way, it looks like it should be a good night with Phil
Murphy's new eight piece band providing the music.
The big bash at the Chalet on the weekend wasn't a
celebration marking the end of the postal strike but
rather a gathering of all councillors, employees and
other officials of seven area municipalities and two
telephone systems.
We popped in early in the evening to grab a few pic-
tures and it looked like the night was warming up well.
From all reports it was a good time and besides the 'fun
and games, it's good to get together with those from
neighbouring municipalities once in a while.
Most of our readers are aware that the News is
printed at a central web offset printing plant in Goder-
ich along with about 25 other weekly newspapers which
originate from as far north as Wiarton to as far south as
Forest. The plant there has recently received a new
press and is in the process of setting it up. It's a rather
intricate beast and it is not expected to be running until
Christmas. Once it is, we will be able to present you
with a 48 page paper all in one section if the need be.
In the meantime they're having their problems.
If you've noticed ink coming off on your hands, it's
due to a shift of the present press in order to provide
room for the new one. Bear with us for a few more
weeks.
RLIGiwyo
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