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The Huron Expositor, 1979-02-08, Page 3cl ed The Huron County Beard of Education was servednotice Tuesday that the battle of the .beekS is far from over, The board received a letter from the Heron Freedom of Choice Society asking that Margaret Laurence's novel The Diviners, removed front the board's list of approved English literature books, be reinstated, The letter also asked that anytime a trustee is invetved with a decision to approve a textbook that the trustee be made to reed the book before making that decision, . The board shuffled the issue off refusing to re -open the debate on approving or disapproving of books for classroom Use county schOolshe nevels became the centre of a bitter and emotional contrie ersy in 1978 and resulted in the hoard taking The Diviners out of the classroom, The Huron chapter of RenaisSance Inter- national, headed by Blyth resident Lloyd Barth, started the issue boiling last year when it asked the board to ban three novels, The Diviners, John Steinbeck"S Of Mice and Men and J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye. The request brought book supporters and opponents to the field of battle and culminated in ahighly emotional public meeting in Clinton that attracted about 500 people. The board reacted to the issue by taking The Diviners off the list of approved , texts. That meant that the book could not be used in classrooms but would be left in the school libraries. The board did not consider the move a ban on the novel. Freedom ' of Choice members fele differnt. The group' formed a few moths ago with the idea of fertning an organization similar to Renais- , sanee International, but with opposite aims. Member S hoped to gain enough repre- sentation to have the same impact on trustees as Renaissance supporters, Some of the members of the Freedom of Choice were wilhng to leaveThe Diviners off the approved lit of texts and concentrate efforts on future ' issues. But in its January meeting the gretth decided to ask the board to re instate The • Diviners. . Beerd chairman John Ell,ott. was. not interested in ieopeningthe honk issue and Asked the board for a metion. to receive and file the letter' from Freedom of Choice. Mr. Elliott indicated later that his intention was to have the request dealt with according to . board policy, policy adopted after the last book fiasect. ' The chairman said the board had adopted. definite policy to handle such requests and he felt that policy should be followed He said English department headt, superintendents Of education and some teachers4will be meeting with the board's education commit.' tee in June to approve textbOoks and the board will look at a reccommendation from the that committee at its August meeting. Mr. Elliott said If freedom of choice members wanted to Meet With the education committee to make a presentation they could request such a meeting. Zurich trustee Herb, Turkheim felt that the letter deserved more than that, H,"." asked. Mr, .PlliOtt if the heard intended to acknowledge the letter er "completely ignere" it. Mr, Elliott pointed out that the board acknowledges -every letter it receives. He Said he felt • the board policy adequately covered the situationand that action to aeknowledge the suggestions from Freedom of Choice wee an "adeqeate rePlY". 'When the bet* banners came along we ' gave them two audio et,4 and now the other side comes-eut and we pm saying no, thanks,. we're not interested saie Mr, Turkheim. Lucknow trustee Marton 'Zinn said all she got from the ,Freedom of Ch °ice letter was that the group was asking trustees to read books before taking any action. "There's a lot of storroy days ahead we should be able to read a lot of books," she quipped., Goderich, trustee Dorothy Wallace sug- gested that the board's action was "giving • an impression of being a fairly autocratie beard". She pointed out that a group of citizens is making a request and the board is "just filing it". Exeter trustee Clarence MeDe !laid asked ..that when a letter of reply is sent to Freedom of Choice that it be explained that "the book is not banned it is de -listed", Mr. McDonald said the word banned is not the , proper, expression and asked that the letter explain Margaret Rivers, author of the letter, said she was disappointed with the board'S action. She said she did not think the board would re instate the novel but she did think the matter Would be sent to committee. Mrs: Rivers said she did not know how • Freedien of Choice would react to the • board's move Adding that the group is meeting liter this nientband further action will be planned. She said She understood the board's action adding that in a way it was her. She .coneeded that the issue can't be debited over and oVer''. • , "I feel it's time the board put its foot down and said this is the way we are going to deal with this but it didn't do that the lasttime,"'" . . said Mrs. Rivers. 2 She pointed • out that the Renaissance • , group was given an opportunity to address the board the last time it brough the matter up. She said the board discussed the matter with the Renaissance group adding that it "irritated" her that")that opportunity was denied Freedom of Choice. • Lots -of information. on CooneyWeiland coming in The response to the. request for in- also sent a quantity of material about the formation on Ralph "Cooney"' Weiland, the • man Who played for the Boston Bruins, the Egtnondville native who is a member of the . Detroit Red Wings, and then coached the Hockey Half of Fame, has been encouraging. •-"' - Bruins before moving to Harvard University,. A number of local residents have told us where he coached student hockey' players for ' about their memories ofgrowing up with the 21 years. future hockey player. and we've even been Anyone with additional information is provided with photos of Mr. Weiland when invited to call Alice Gibb at the Expositor. he Was a boy. ^ ' The first article on Mr. Weiland will The Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto has appear in an opcoming edition of the paper. Amen .by Karr'S•Ch tjeS,sler • A Boston saint kdrove all the way to Boston to check out the saints. Not that Boston has a monoply on sainti. Let's face it. Very few placesteem in perfect people, A good man is hard to find nowadaysanabsolutely geed men or woman'. that IS. • • I must confess. I didn't lied any. Of course, I really knew that from ,the beginning. But 1 had to find out for sure on -my upcoming radio program for CBC's Morningside.. ' • And it's just as 1 suspected. There are sinners galore, but nary a saint in stere. But wait a minute, Things aren't all that black and white. • You see, I grew up On a phrase ihat's never stepped ringing -in my mind. My own preacher father used it all the time. And he must have thought it sounded better—more true.and profound in Latin: Simla Justis et peccator. Saint • and _siener—both at the same, time. I give credit where credit's due: Martin Luther said it first, and my father'repeated it ever after, A person's not either a Saint or a sinner. • Black or white. Getod or bad. He's both *at the same time. • - Probably we all like to think of ourselves as a decent Color of grey. A middling, Certainly not at novelist Graham Green would have it -black or grey. Periple in his .inventory never ceitte in White, I Suppose to him the only good saint is a dead one. I den't think Luther would Want to stir the , pot that Vay. He!ri- keep The plitadoX. BlaCk and white.both at the sante tithe. That's what I was testing out in the program. Trying to find out if that's really to, NOW, don't get Me wrong, 1 Wasn't looking at the before and after kind of variety: Sinnei one day and saint the net& This world teems with these kind of reborn'. Wateli religion On television and that's WharyOu MOO often get. And I wasn't looking for all the whites, either the born from scratch kind of saints, Si. Teresa, the Little Flower, St. Elizabeth of hungary, St. Nicholas and St. Patrick. , No, I was looking for the both And variety. That's what the program was all about, Along the way; I got some new twists on saints. My picture of them as praying hands, haloed heads and bo ed knee S• didn't hold up, In factone of the Most popular of all saints St Francis of Assisi came in for a .. drubbing. , Leslie Fiedler, author and critic. said he. didn't think much of a fellow who talked to the birds and bees and the stars and the universe. And someone 'else reminded me that if St. Francis was the patron saint of the animals he was also patron of lice. Evidently he didn't keep Soap, toothbrush and Crest in his medicine cabinet. A Ltitheran Clergyman in Boston admitted it Was difficult to name a saint living in our time. But if he had to hc'd probably choose • Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German; theologian implicated in a plot to murder Hitler, The Nazis iteprisoned and later executed him. His writingS, especially his prison letters. have become standard and Classic reading for our day, This clergyman reminded 'mt,. though, that Bonhoeffer Wasn't your typical picture of a taint -someone who breathes warmth4 alarm and good feeling into his fellowt,He Said Bonhcieffer was ,Prussrati and aristo: cattle. Sometimes aloof, Cool, maybe even arrogant. . • The best story of a modern day taint Came from 'USW Fiedler. He reminded me that Jesus had said, "Call no One good but God," Hesitant to name a saint, he finally talked about his grandfather, his Jewish graad, father in NewJersey. And WS hissleirkabout that hero saint, tellyou next time. Soit,te: Whit • Well I'M not sure if we Seaforth are hypocritiCel Or not (I suspect we are, but -neither more nor less than other Canadians bp- they Atral Or Urban), But one think I know for: iure is that WC arerk't r9mantie. - Yes folks, les my sad duty to wort to those oyett WhO were st, qcking our 'lips- at 0 - ay • the pr0spc3. thate have not reCfraVed anigje vaitatinc, ADM tair$ or otherwise, for •ouspecial valentine elasSified woon. • 1 can't figure it out tvcrv year rcadulg the Toronto - Globe and Mall's “dentine - greetings. pages and pnes of thetj. brightens up February for me immensoy. The un -uptight and . for PITY WILMA OICE •Members of Meicillep council this year will receive $20 for each municipal meeting they attend, other than the regular council meeting. The decision was made Tuesday to increase the rate, for each meeting from 515, to 520. At the January meeting couecil agreed to 515. However, before •the by-law covering the rate was 'passed at the meeting Tuesday, Marie Hicicnell, the new member • on council, -said the rate was low compared to that paid by other municipalities. She made a motion that it be raised to $20. The monthly rneeting of the Hospital Auxiliary will be held on Tuesday. February 13 at 8 p,m., in the, Board Room, Seaforth Community Hospital. Ever4one Welcome. You're invited to the Seaforth Horticultural Society Meeting on Feb, 14 at 8:00 p.m, at the Scalorth Public School. Slides and comments on the eacedingly loving citizens of Toronto greet each Other with gorgeous. 4lasorted valentines, Some are funny, a few are kinky aed a few are heirt breakers. Lots are just from plain ordinary people SaYTg, Thanks or Love you' .to other plainerdinarY people. The odd one is excel _Realer And rattles; around in •Ttf HURON EXPSiTGR ft.BRU.A1.Y your brain for days, 1 leaSer that would Make a -good , opener for at ,rnystery story. Most of diem use fir0; names or initial* only. You 'know "John $.: 1 love yoo • .404tiy. vplease be Mine. That's why I'M paying for this Valentine. Yours in passion,Nabet T." Perhaps, that element of Iliors up special meetings • This will be paid tu council members 'when attending special council meetings, hospital board meetingsfire board meetings. and ..other meetings. . • Council also approved a motion ,giving.all member& of council, the Clerk and the road superintendent, an allowance of $200 each plus registration fee tor one convention if they attend it during, the year. - Council approved- payment of the membership fee of 550 to the Association for Clerks and RT-qrs*. -• - Commissioners seminar at Guelph from April 4 to 6 and the clerk from April2 to 4. • A grant of $15 Will be paid to Huron Codnty Historical Society and a grant of 550 to Huron lPiowmansMsociation • Approved for payment were road •accounts !1,41.-a2;7r4e. . ameueting to 517,166.41 and • general accou nts of ported that tax arrers are abut 0,000 Microwave which is About the same as last year at thiS time. Mrs Hiekeell gave a. detailed account of her attendance at the seminar for first-time members of council, As well she gave reports oe the tour She was given'of Seaferth Community Hospital, as a new board member (she is McKillop's representative certhe board) and of the first meeting she attended of the board:, , pancillor ' Hg iekrntelrisked - •- ' - E' gsper to lnee. sent. te the Drainage , , ime nt invited Intermational Peace Gardens will be shown. Everyone Welcome, The regatar_ meeting rtf the ,Seaforth Women's Institute will be held at the home of Mrs, Lorne Dale On Tuesday,. evening Feb. 13th. Lunch committee Mrs. D. Hugill. Miss 13elle Campbell, Mrs., M. McNair. Mrs. R. J. Doig. Paul Carroll will -show pictures of the Van Egmond House, • ouick, easy and conven- Microwave Oven", which • lent -that's the reputation of 'microwave cooking. And what better food to cook in your microwave oven than nature's own ecinvenience food -eggs -I - The Versqtile egg is an important part of many de- lightfol microwave dishes Inducing soaps, sandwiches, qUiche, crepes, casseroles, sitaeune:s., desserts 'And baked The Canadian Egg Mark- eting Agency has a new boOklet available called 'Eggsperimenting with your Sugar and spice By Bill Smiley The anti metric brigade After about 10 days of solid blizzards and bad driving, tow temperatures and a• lower temperAmeitt my soCial, intellectual -and emotional life hovering around zero (1'ahrenheit), I wondered what to write about this Week. • - Cattle home from work, picked tip the Mail, and there was a fat package from something called AMC, Ottawe. I turned it over a couple of times, wondering whether the initials meant Ancient Military Curmudgeons, from some veterans' outfit, .or All Men Cowards; from some rabid women's lib crowd. Net to Worry. Democracy is still rearing its bruised and battered head here and there in this our native landthe package was from Anti-Metrie Canada, its single and avowed purpose the stamping out of the metricatioh of our fair white 'country., • it contained: an honorary membership card; a bumper sticker which shoots, Pound. Our Metric"; a newsletter With a: number of spelling , and granuear errors; a , personal letter from the preeident; A petition to send to My M.P.; a full page of anti -Metric propaganda; and a quiz% or survey loaded with, questions along the line of, When did you stop beating your wife?" Sample question. "Do you realize that Under the metricsystem that (tie). the farmers will lose (si.,:) money and the dairY cartel win?" Answer yes/no. • How can you answer a question like that? With a yes Or ne? Personally, I think it's high time the farmers were pried loose from some of their money, and the whole thing is putting the cartel before the cow. Another sample: "Do you believe that people come before computers?" VVell. yes and no. We were here before the coniputers. but when it comes to arguing with one over-tiboo-boo on your charges, it's obvieus that they come before tis, And I have a secret hunch that they'll be here long after the human race has disaPpeared, chattering and giggling away among themselves about how they so finally, and s9 easily, got rid of us, Just one More sample. "Do you wale the CAnadiatt public to pay t2,00 a gallon for gas?" Answer: depends on whether you think a gallon of gas is more important tit • pound of beef. If the Ay-ra6S can get 52 a gallon for itand you 'deth't have'aitY,' that's what yeu'll pay. If the beef farmer tan get SI a pound for sirloin, and you don't heel:we le have a steer tied tip in the garage; that's what You'll pny. Elentental. These questions Are beihg sent to M.V.'s. tyligoci, I hereby resign my honorary membership in the Anti.Metrie Canada organization, I am much more sympathetic with their Aims than their Means'. (But I wencler wtie they were wheti I was carrying on a lonelv. singlehanded, but valiant fight against metrication a year or to ago?) 1 detest metricatiOn and all it stands fort conformity, unification, anonymity, and confusion for everyone over thirty year's of age. Ask any shopping housewife what she thinks of it? She will "prebably, if she has thought about it, reply that its a lovely - opportunity for the food • barons to rip everybody' off, except those equipped with a pocket calculator and- endless time on their hands. A gram here and a millilitre there add up to mill -ions-. over a year. And now -let's hear from • industry. ., According to it, changing to the metric system was. going to make Canada much more competitive in the world market. VVe are about as competitive as Greenland, and our single biggest customer, the U.S., has not gone metric though it is toying•with the madness. When I want to know how cold it is. I tune in to an American TV weather report, get it in Fahrenheit, subract anotherjen degrees for the,difference inlatitude; and say to nty wife, "Holy Motet, woinan, no wonder the pipes froze. It was 12 below last night." And she knows I don't mean Centigrade. Math and science teachers to the contrary, the World got along very Well when every nation had its Own terins of currency, measurements and weightsin the days when the snit never set on the British . Empire, the British pound had A solid ring to ' it, anywhere in the world. They didn't give a diddle about changing it to annAs, or yen, or Markt, Sante tvith the Ameriean dollar, for a century or $0. It wat worth- e dollar, not whatever the SWiSS and Germans and Japanese decided' it was worth. • There was a quaintness and a difference and gh individuality about currencies and measures and weights, that is being lost in these days of international conformity. If a British horse ,stood '40 hands high and weighed 14 or 44 stone, in a British novel: that ea,. good enough for me. He was either a big horse or a little horse, I didn't have to get out my calcelater, If Bastanio wanted to borrow three 3.066 ducats from Shylock, 1 knew that WAS no S78.50, and was satisfied. ' 1 knoe, I have nottoreeltanee of.reversing the metric thing than I had or another of my lost cl'itises: that pale pink marle leaf on a - dirty grey background that Is Canada's national, flag, ' Put I vvish the AMC luck. And I'M going to riNe my, bUttiper sticker, if only to annoy my • nel,ghbour, a niAth teacherwho has been flaunting 'A "Think Metric" sticker for s0Vera1 yearS. My sticker is bigger, 'white :priming on red, with a big hammer pounding down en the slogatt. 41)011140 OtJT METRIC," The organi•zation also has a' stubborn little war.ery I rather like. "We won't MOO oar feet an inch." features a variety of .appet- izing and attraetive egg , recipes that an be success- fully prepared in your micro- wave oven. Since all micro- t.vavre ovens` vary, particulary in the wattage they deliver, the recipes Were tested in a cross-section of ten manu- facturers' ovens to establish the range of caOking 'times required to gook a recipe in sour Own oven., This free booklet may be obtained' b writing to 'Eggsperirnentiog CEMA, Suite 507, 116 Albert Street, OttaWa, Ontario KIP . SG.3. • USE EXPOSITOR WANT -ADS Phone 527-0240 oanotonity i4 the TelfsQlli *Iv we at the Expositor are not meting with a great deal of success in OW CstrnPaign $91 get Seaforth art4 FC4.p.09.Plel to run valentine* in he el44Sifie4S- - •• A valentine hke the ahe-VP' in this week's Espesiter would send one third of Expositor readers 'running for their phone books and, thence to their street maps, to try and figure out who • John and Mabel were. Because if John and, Mabel were'maieied or legitimately - linked to each other in some way, it's unlikely that they'd be abandoned enough to prerpote ' sante in° the classified pages of thg gabositor. No, if we're romantic around here, we're quiet about it. There's nothing wrong with that mind you, but it's a little boring, Especially when. 1 was expecting creative, sensual and humourous offerings for the classified pages, "They're supposed to be secret", my husband said when I disguised Seaferth's valentine, reluctance with him, that was his German propriety speaking rather than his Irish romanticism, I imagine his "hnunroffl" on the subject was echoed in many Seaforth homes where someone was so bold as to broach the subject of ranning a valentine in the paper. "My husband has just gotten Over me putting a Christmas greeting in and one staff ,member here when I pleaded with • het- to write up •a valentine that we'd run for free. On behalf of my fellow: romantics who Would have liked to run a" valentine ad this week but were a little toe shy to do so, I've composed a few valentines to the special or otherwise memorable people in my 'life. ' Neighbour Donald: You're a busy man, but you never say eo. When we call you up with a tale of woe: "We're stuck again" you often hear But you bap out, every morning year ;after year. Oer,..drive'S always plowed without any fuss But I bet you sometimes wonder 'Why'd they move actoriS the Toad front oaf Happy Valentine from Your towing services beet CusteMere Sunday night yen' get us unstuck When thought we Were mit tdiuck. 'Thafs one of the reasons we- .• love you • Just as rotes are red and violets are blue. • Signed. Your • Immediate fa• mily Neighbour Larry; We -dragged you out Of your house that was vvateri • To fight the elements in that awful stern Mewing Us_ home WAS terrific thing to do And we've got a special • valentine thank -you, • , Signed, Your road running eeighbours To the MeKillop $newptow Operators: The we never say thankt,and don't talk to you We appreciate everything you do. We can set our clocks by yOur morning run . It makes all of our driving a little more fun, Signed, Your friends on Con, 6 & 7 • To Gaby's Babysitter: "She's so good humoured", • peopie say, We can't understand how she got that way". "It's really'siinple"; her dad and I state. She's got a babysitter who's really great. Yoa already are our Valentine signed `-,Gaby's parents. - And finally, to the people I work with at the Expositor:, •Though deadlines are tough and we're all under pressure You all add to working here things I can't measure. • The main.thing that keeps Us from throwing a gaff Is that all of us still re-. member how to laugh. And yeat won't likely get so 'much praise until next Valentine's Day, . Your friend, the editor. There they are folks, with apologies to poets every- where. From now on you'll have to wait, with me, for , next Wednesday's Globe and Mail. u 11 ubscrt and beat price hike The ,FlOrOn Expositor subscription prices will soon. be -going up, But not before. our readers have a chance to sign up for up to 3 years at our old rate. You can send in the coupon below for either a new or renewal subscription. The increase will be to $13 from $12. 3, Years will soon cost 3 Years- novi costs only .30 Save 1 year ,wili ioan, cost *la t year now. costs Only .12 Save 2 years will soon coat 426 2 years now costs only .24 Save *2 Senior citizen subscriptions will increase from $11 to $12. Out of Canada subscriptions will be $25 a year: Subscriptions at the old prices will be accepted until Friday, March 2, 1979. ••••• •••emi •••••i Yinimm• • 4,1•1 roirmo imowir mm6 I• Mail for brief)] this cotipon fa The Huron Expositor. 1,Yes' Put nie down for the 'savihg; Checked below, i enclose S. I" I THE. 3 YEAR DEAL FOR 536 (111,Save 53,) . I• The 2 Ydar deal for $24 ' The 1 year deal fOr $12 1 - This 18 a- renewal subscription I This , is a""new subscriptiOn.; 1 Natile"'";1. -.I—. ''''"''''' • V r it 1 Rd. Of I ' - I City y ormii ' „ , , — 1.4 , ..POSIal Cod tHis orER Exp — IRES FR DAY, MARCH 2, 1919 4. 4 40* i•ii• •