STAR EDITORIAL TOPICS ~~ Avthiitis_ Month - In every generation men have said 'Never has humanity. made such great progress". We say it, we hear it, every day! Perhaps no previous generation could . make the statement with such abundant evidence to back it .up. Man appears, in our times to have become * capable of controlling all things . . . almost! In the health sciences, as perhaps in few other .areas of human endeavour, fis this so evident. The "killing" diseases of yesteryear have largely been brought into check-< . . and we tend to become complacent, even a little careless! The degenerative diseases . . . the ills of "old age" are with us. . . and so much more evident now than formerly. They are more common now, we say ... so many old people have arthritis . . . for example. Unfortunately, too many young people have arthritis and related diseases . . . and really so much can be done to help them. But we, all of us, need to be made aware of this... and we must make that awareness felt more widely and fore forcefully. . "September is designated "Arthritis Month", although arthritis is always with us. During this month attention will be focussed upon arthritis . . . who may be its victims . . . where are they usually found . . . what do they or their families do to get help . . . what can be done for them ... can they be cured, or even helped . . . or must they get worse to the point of total disability? These and many others are the questions we will hear and perhaps ask, during Arthritis Month. What is our role . . . the role of every one of us. . . of society as a whole? All of us can help and should help ". . . because all have concern for the sick and disabled. But remember arthritis may strike any one of us; fon even selfish reasons we should want to know. I commend to your attention the splendid work done by The Canadian Arthritis and Rheumatism Society. urge you to seek out your local chapter'during Arthritis Month . . . learn' what they are doing. . . to what object: ives they are striving. You may want to become involved -- . You may want to help them . . . help others. Name Required! 'If the writer who signed a letter "also a ratepayer" would kindly forward his name to this office, the Star will be more than "open minded" to publish the contributor's letter. } It is the policy of this paper, as it is with any other paper to request the name of any contributor, before such letters can be published. This, however, does not mean we will print the name, but we must have it on file for our own protection. , The letter is pertinent and the theme is the controversy over the gravel pits in Reach Township a reply, to the letter published in the Star last week. For the writér's information, the 23 ratepayers ment- ioned are not nameless. The editor of the Star has all the names in his possession, and the only reason for not mak- ing the names public was to save space. If the writer would so desire, he or she may come to this office and we will be more than happy to make the names available. Ih the 'meantime, perhaps the "nameless" writer would be kind enough to provide us with his or her name so we may have the privilege of publishing the letter sent us. "PORT PERRY STAR - COMPANY, LIMITED Serving Port Perry, Brooklin and Surrounding Areas P. HVIDSTEN, Publisher ~ WM. T. HARRISON, Editor Member of the Canadian Weekly Newspaper Association Member of the Ontario Weekly Newspaper - Association Published every Thursday by The Port Perry Star Co. Ltd, Port Perry, Ontario. 8econd Class Mail Registration Number 0268 J Subscription. Rates: In Canada $4.50 per yr., Elsewhere $6.00 per year. Single Copy 10¢ RRA a on Hoy BILL SMILEY KICS GETTING ROUGH DEAL Have you noticed what has happened to all those tense, harassed, haggard, harried, hysterical women who. were around all summer? ey've suddenly turned into fat cats, smiling. relaxed. ready to turn the other cheek rather than belt you on yours. " Know why? Because their kids are back to school, that's why. Not that they don't love their children. No, no no. 'All mo- thers love their children.. Bit they can't STAND them after two months' holidays. Paradise on earth is not the Isles of Greece, or two cars, or four credit cards, It's sitting down with a. or a mink stole. cup of coffee after the kids are off to school and realizing that you wont see them for anywhere from three to six hours. Silence. Golden. No more of, "Jane's mean. * "Billy won't give back my bike. When are we going for a swim? I wanna popsicle. There's nothing to do. It's hot outside. How come we never have any cold pop?" And so on. Lucky ladies. No dirty bare feet track- ing through the house. No whining. No demands for the impossible. No fighting. Nothing but an hour of blessed solitude, with a cup of coffee and maybe a cigarette for the depraved, and nothing to listen to except Jolly Jack, the dice jockey. 'Even getting at the dishes and the washing is a pleasure, when there's nobody there sni- velling, "I fell and hurt my knee, Mum, Mum my knee hurts, Mum." Well, girls, I hope you enjoy it. You deserve it. But while you're lolling in this sybaritic splendor, let me remind you that I and all the other idiots who teach school are stuck. with your rotten kids for ten months, six 'hours a day, Keep 8 in mind when you scream at your horrendous education taxes. It's not that I don't enjoy getting back on the job in September. If I did, I wouldn't be right in the head. It's a pleas- ant change after two months of my wife and daughter driving me crazy, singly' or in tandem. i Instead of two women yattering and scolding and nagging and cajoling and conning me, all I have to face is about 165 kids doing the same. But there's safety in Sugar and Spice numbers. ' . And I have some authority at school. If a kid bugs me too much, I can threaten him with all sorts of dreadfiil punishments, like being sent to the principal's office, . which terrifies him about as much as be- ing attacked by a bunny rabbit. Or I can resort to the final edict, "Look, if you're 16 and yoft don't like it here, out, vamos, raus, get lost. There's the door. You're free." This is fairly effective, es- pecially in winter, because they don't want to-go to work. 2 } } Another delightful aspect of getting to work is meeting all my old friends on the staff. There's the cut-and-thrust wit of the staff room at lunch hour, much like the atmosphere of the French salons of the 18th century. "Who's got the crossword puzzle? Gawd, my feet are killin' me. Jeez, I wish it was Friday." : And there's the genuine thrill of staff meetings, where the real, gritty business of education is discussed with a dignity and decorum that would shame the Senate. Sometimes, in only 40 minutes, we decide whether gum-chewing is allowed daily, or only during exams, to relieve tension. And often, with remarkable dispatch, say half an hour, we decide, within four inches, how long a boy's hair or how short a girl's dress must be. i However, | do like kids, and it IS re- 'warding to watch them grope, then cope. And a few week ago a couple of former students, now at university, who were real hellers when | taught them, asked me out for a game of golf. And then a little girl called me up, and asked if she could be in my English class. 2; And Jerry, a boy of 'whom I rather des. paired, but a good lad, asked Kim what I wanted for a gift last June, when he gra- duated, magna sans laude, - : ' She replied, rather intelligently, I thought, "Give him something he likes, and some- thing useful." All on his own, he hustled - downtown and bought me a bottle of good - Burgundy and three golf balls. When a chap" shows judgement like that, you can't help feeling you've succeeded, somehow. ~Toronto Telegram Syndicate § Gatenby. .came along to help. 50 YEARS AGO » Thursday, September 11,1919 [Three good buildings are being erected in town. Two of them 'are houses being built on the old skating rink 'lot on Lilla Street by Dave 9 Carnegie and the third is an office and storehouse' put up by Messrs. Hogg and Lytle, Rk toreplace the building burned' on the 4th of August. Every- one of these buildings-is a valuable addition to the P town. At the fair this year for the ladies there will be a "hitching contest'. Any lady who intends taking part in this event should remember to do the job properly. Don't leave a buckle strap out of the keeper, or a tug end hanging loose. Correctness is the thing in this contest. 25 YEARS AGO ° Thursday, September 21,1944 Port Perry High School opened with an attendance of 109; three less than last year's opening. This year Miss oo Aileen Parker, B.A. of Camp- * bellford, joined the staff. : A number of members of Fidelity Lodge, A.F. & A.M. - were the. guests of Temple Lodge, Oshawa, Tuesday night and assisted with the degree * work. It was District Night. O.S. Harold "Tim" Gatenby RCNVR of HMCS Cornwallis, N.S. is spending furlough with . his parents Mr. and Mrs. H. 15 YEARS AGO Thursday, September 23,1954 The Memorial Gardens is having a complete paint job from top to bottom which will look very nice for the opening 'night when the Toronto Maple Leafs and Pittsburg Hornets play here. - Highlighted by the efforts < of Bill Gibson and Ruby Leask our local Coronation Track and Field Club of Port Perry made a very impressive showing at the Oshawa Sham- rock Meet, Saturday. The Port * Perry athletes brought home > twenty two small medals and two large trophies. 10 YEARS AGO Thursday, September 24,1959 We had a good camp with 28 cubs and 6 scouts who The lexders present ' were Stan Plo:ghman, Reg Armstrong, E John Pickard, Geo. Mahaffy, Peter Sweetman, The fathers » who assisted ug Mike Stephens Dave Rollo, Lloyd Wakeford, with Doug Hillier spending considerable time with "us, Many thanks to all who helped make our camp the success it was. * . Roy Smith has had except- ionally good luck 'catching lunge in Scugog. He caught a 10 pounder in his boat, August 27th and while accom- panied by his son Donald on September 20th he caught + a twelve pounder, It was 37%" in length and 16%" in girth.