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editorial page state ef recreation are there enough recreational facilities in acton is the recreation program adequate these and other questions asked by grade xi high school students in a survey conducted at the towns three schools and from parents came up with some surprising results the most revealing fact was that there were 55 programs listed under recreation which people were participating in and there arc others which werent listed in spite of all this activity it is apparent however there are some deficiencies young people especially were very strong in their answers for the need of jn indoor swimming pool movies dances football and gym classes adults favored an indoor swimming pool tennis and a new school that track at the high order the most surprising answer to the survey came from the public school when 21 boys suggested family billiards would be an ideal recreation adults will recognize that the younger people in town and district no longer have facilities like a movie theatre and numerous public dances at their fingertips acton was only half the sie it u now indeed only a third wlieir these amusements were located m town since they are commercial ventures no one can be blamed for this deficiency but the public which failed to patronie them the survey did show that recreation is in a healthy state m town but there is no room for complacency forfar j peer here canadian drivers will probably be astonished to learn their counterparts in the united states arc better drivers than they arc by any standard of measurement if canadian death rates based on number of vehicles or miles driven could be reduced to us levels about 1800 lives would be saved each year in canada and 400000 injuries avoided a major factor in the difference between two countries with comparable traffic conditions must be the large proportion of u s drivers who took driver education courses in high school believes the ontario safety league driver education is growing rapidly in ontario but the number is still minute compared to the u s the statistics latest available from the years 1 66 and 1967pomt out there is something wrong with driving in canada when it is stacked up against other western countries here they are death rate pe r 10 000 100 000 100 million vehicles population miles driven cmidll 7 6 2ft 0 84 usa s 3 2ft 8 s5 sweden best europe so 16 8 not available last germany 5 2 10 1 not available great hritun 52 14 0 6 5 france 70 24 6 not available weil germany 12 6 28 3 not available portugal yugoslavia word lurope 24 8 11 1 not available 48 0 10 not available order gooje bob cratclut would have a hard time finding that christmas goose this year of course if you axmiunbe dickens a christmas carol the goose existed only in the vision shown to scrooge by the ghost of christmas present after scrooge reformed he sent the cratclnts an immense turkey for their c hnstmas dinner 0 the cuffl the new math may not be suited to modern needs for mathematical skills suggests canadian university in its report on a recent mathematics conference in ottawa curt moser head of mathematics at algonquin colleges school of technology in ottawa maintained that high schools are graduating students with a low mathematics skill they cant do things like simple interest percentage and fraction problems even though through some of the techniques used in the new math they have high abstract mathematical skill turkey is what you probably will have too poultry production breaks down into about 5 per cent chickens and four per cent turkeys with the remaining one per cent consisting of ducks geese guinea fowl pigeons and other birds so if youre planning on goose for christmas youd better get your order in right now if you are a win at writing poetry in trench you could make s300 a month writing verse for greeting cards or as the manufacturers call them now social expression products the cards arc- already a s55milhona year business and still growing the 250 million cards canadians are expected to buy this christmas season will account for 40 per cent ol the sss million one big worry the card makers face is whether the recent increase in postal rates will cut down sales ot christmas cards pkette frw the paat the eramosa river plunge over the mill pond dam at eden mills creating artistic designs with ico formations be fore continuing along to ioin the speed in guelph the abundant wator supply was swelled by copious autumn rains staff photo sugar and spice b y smiley tm mmhv km the automobile wai included in this group portrait the people are not identified the print wh made from a thick old glass nega tive 11 inches bv 14 inches in size every blade of grass and each leaf show clearly the care acton photo grapher took with thii one well is that old c hnstmas spirit just bubbling inside you do you chuckle away with sheer brimming love of your fellow man as you do your shopping are your eyes gleaming with glee as you took at your christmas card list what it isnt you dont theyre not whats the matter with you anyway have you organized your doortodoor carol singing group for christmas eve have you made plans for a family of eight on welfare to share your christmas dinner you havent you say you grunt and bunt and sweat and curse as you stagger through the stores your eyes are sinning with pure hatred as you look over your christmas card list welcome to the group were growing with increasing rapidity one of these years well have a majority and will nse up with one might shout christmas dab humbug and if the current tiny tim that creature one sees these days on television shakes back his long curly locks opens his made up mouth and starts warbling god bless us everyone hell probably get it right between the eyes with one of those castiron christmas tree stands that never work but we mustnt carp the great day will arrive when christmas is torn out of the grasp ol the hucksters and returned to the people after all hnstmas is a tune of good cheer 1 veil though much of it comes out of a crock and after all tis a season to be jolly and most of us are jolly well sick of the whole business by the time the sacred day itself arrives o one ol the founding members of acsa the antit hristmasspiritassouation was king wencesluus the good was lacked on by the court minstrel on the explicit orders ol wencesljus himself who was trying to improve his unjge for the history books he looked out one- night and shuddered within his ermine robes the snow lay round jboul deep and crisp and even a great night lor skiers and snow mobile friends but wencesljus was neither and he had the gout he saw a poor man gathering fuel though the frost was cruel and what he actually said wjs get out lousy bum ffetej no wonder christmas comes only once each year the country would go broke it it came oftener girls who have not yet snagged their man could get in touch with the rcmp they are famous for always getting their man not much time left leap year ends on december 31 at the stroke of 1 2 dont frown days start the slow cycle back to more daylight after dec 21 off my property hes stealing chnstm is trees and so a legend was born another prominent member of acsa was charles dickens dickens really hated christmas because he always had a wretched struggle getting the tree up and when lie did his wife invariably said sweetly its crooked dear its leaning so he wrote a sardonic pjrody of the whole starryeyed christmas mush he cast himself as scrooge a jolly old gent but one who didnt believe in santacjausjiob cratclut scrooges semiliterate clerk was stealing from the petty cash so that be could get bombed on christmas lvc and go and watch ins son tiny tim the one with the phoney limp play his ukclclc and sing for pennies at the slap and tickle a sordid london pub in the original version kindly old mr scrooge said torget it bob gave him a christmas goose and added realist that be was but the fuzz will be around for you on boxing day dickens editor however a grasping flinthearted old skinflint knew his victorian readers would never accept such realism he made he author rewrite the story into the sloppily sentimental a christmas carol which has nauseated all acsa members from that day to this dickens got his revenge he re wrote the character of scrooge js j cancjture of his editor then he hit the punchbowl the editor and the road he wjs bitter he disappeared until after new years they found him dragging a yule log soaked in kerosene into the basement of his publishers plant just a couple ol examples out of thousands to show you that you are not jlone join acsa no membership fee no annual meeting nothing required except a resounding humbug when the signal goes out the acton free press phone 8532010 butint and editorial offtc ruua4d m ii swt taufclttaavj m wtfdmuuy l m uitllute eu alio tamu uttblwr ol uw aud1 suratu ol cmuulua llur cwua uj ouna ajtvriiujij tun on muhi luiucrt- luuta mw jjw mm tat cmavl tm ui ejj louiiifu other iu cuucu iwju r k uk awikutwd m ir rl cuu uu hml oatc oaffuf lul oalaut ahrtumu oil iks ciwuiium i kit i tw ivivlwrkhl mw tlui fottuui ol ilur ietiuunuu mi if j ibat fhmuouaj tuml itfllav wit jjauuuatu jlfmuc for lift totu su hat kfwj itu lull ik tuueu w tie ftahwtimmam oi w pu lor am tfm iltfiui nu u ike hmi of l l j4ri4luj fc a unic u a uioauj pic tosu v tawvlem ui km tat uu ashemtttlnf u tahwllf mw 10 wit utd h aw ttukkfivatme l mw itmat dau ii ouu inakuaw mautwy colt da ftjxw utwy col u4tf cotwrtjjkj mi 20 years ago 1 jken from he issue of the i rce press thursday december 23 1048 robert mcdougall i l of r r i rockwood was killed instantly early last thursday morning when the bicycle he was riding crashed into a cur driven by wilhert met iltcbeon ulso of r r i rockwood on the sixth concession of lrumosj the new scout clubhouse is entirely sheeted in llilf the north side of the roof lias been shingled ice on the roof deljycd the roofing of the east helf of the roof i hose helping included llicrou jones hill coon i ills rognvaldson sun snow george ritchie bill benson jackie davidson dave duis and charlie wilson ray mason and grant allan also issislcd the sfiow came in plenty of time for christmas in this district md it added a needed spirit did impetus to the bristnids season mister james ttirnbull jged three und a half son of mr and mrs james turnbtill of r r i campbellville pjssed away i ndjy evening in milton private hospital his mother had put him to bed for an afternoon sleep and while the mother was away at work the child climbed out of bed and took an overdose of abs pills the natural ice arenas have not li id a very early season this year however the artificial surfaces in the district are numerous enough to give ill the opportunity for curly winter skating and hockey never since 1 872 when an acton band started blowing for acton did any group appear more smartly dressed or provide belter music than did the acton boys and girls band last sunday evening under the leadership of mr c w mason in their sparkling new uniforms they made a fine looking group of 10 young musicians 50 years ago taken from the issue of the tree press thursday december 26 1918 lsquesing councils members received for their services during the year the following sums alex joe reeve 135 80 j l standish deputy reeve 105 15 john jjingham 108 00 j llholt h6 80 w j l hampshire 80 so the record breaking turkey of the christmas trade was sold at mel ncry and evans meat market on saturdjy it weighed 30 pounds and at the prevailing price of 40 cents cost the customer 1 2 00 the sum of 216 50 was paid to farmers who had built wire fences on the highways of lsquesing during the year as a bonus by the township council pansies in full bloom were picked in moorecroft garden on monday dec 23 miss catharine roszell left a couple of weeks ago for regina sask to visit friends there back issues mr i red secord is spending the holiday with ins brotherjohn at orillia mr und mrs logan of paisley were guests of mr and mrs u herbert switzer during the week f mr and mrs adam hall and three children were up from toronto for the llcardmore hnstmas tree und were guests of mr and mrs neil mcdonald murricd mjinpne mcdonald at wyvilc on 1 hursd ly december 26 1018 by rev w mel wen h irry mainpric sou of mr and mrs willi mi muuiprie of acloi to mirth i jlitighler of alexander mellon lid 75- years ago taken from the issue of ihe i rce press 1 hursd ly december 21 i kh dread is selling in town for eight cents the sheds at the brick church ihove acton were levelled by the weight of snow after i ndays storm the iruin service was badly disarranged telcgr iph wires were down in all directions i ire on tuesday night considerably damaged the japanning and polishing rooms al the raymond sewing machine factory in guelph the ex ict amount of the losscinnot be ascertained hut it is fully covered by insurance george havill hasjiecn appointed clerk and john lawson v sc bailiff of the i ourth division court of llalton the appointment of new officers was necessary owing to the resignation of james ii matthews and william hemsirect russia has declined i ranees offer of a naval station in the mediterranean as admiral avelan told the c7ur he could not guarantee the loyalty uf his officers and men if they were to be permitted to visit i rench ports regularly 100 years ago taken from the issue of the canadian champion milton december 17 1868 milton as usual at this season of the year is astir with the municipal i lections parties arc so nearly balanced that there is always a pleasant uncertainty which adds a est to the contests we arc happy to perceive that the contests arc likely to be conducted in the best of humor and with little personal rancor men should be selected tccording to their merit for the various offices but in many cases it is invidious to distinguish between gentlemen equally meritorious and fitted for the office to which they aspire we know of several instances of this nature and where the qualifications personal friendship or party preference will decide the choice of the electors salf and pepper by hartley coles- christmas will be tinged with sadness for me this year a good friend whom ive never seen or talked with has died knowjhworldwidc as an author and plulosoplflet my friend s name was thomas merton he was over in thailand when he touched j faulty fan cord and was electrocuted i became friendly with him through his books starting with his best known the seven storey mountain spiritual odyssey of his ov he was a man of peace and tranquillity but paradoxically lived in the midst of strife and turmoil most of his life he sowed sonic wild oats in a manner which few of us could afford or will ever have the opportunity to emulate son ot a well known lnglish painter and an american mother merton attended school in trance england and the united states including those well known universities cambridge and columbia he rubbed shoulders with the elite of new york society and famous people in the arts and letters at one lime in ins life fed up with the emptiness of his life he tried communism as a panacea for the dls of conscience which gnawed at lum free to indulge his appetites and with an income to match mhqh didnt hesitate to try anything wluclieemed to give pleasure he describes the burning issues of the day during the 30s in his biography students would you believe motivated by the communist party organizers picketted and staged mass campus demonstrations chanting books not battleships and no more war tamilur ring eh war according to the communist party line was an exclusively capitalist amusement the line changed when the spanish civd war broke out it then became popular to enlist m the loyalist cause who were being represented by some sections of the v s press as saviors of democracy the switch completed in the twinkling of an eye completely disenchanted peacenik merton he went back to the dissolute life convinced it made more sense the fruitlessness of his life depressed him however and eventually his nervous constitution collapsed under the strain of contemporary civilization he became a hypochondriac obsessed with his own ills imaginary and real and in his confusion looked for a port in which to weather the storm bventually he found peace of mind alter much soul searching and some teaching experience at various colleges he entered the trappists an order of monks who hue rigidly to a simple frugal life it was his cup of tea as a postulant the inspiration to write began to flower he turned out several books including some magnificent poetry tics with canada included a brother john paul who joined the rca f during the last war and was kdled on a bombing mission the poem thomas merton wrote to commemorale his brothers death was one of the most beautiful of his early works the first two lines sweet brother if i do not sleep my eyes are flowers for your tomb completely captivated me i read everything merton wrote that i could get my hands on after his first book huv wnting cuts through to the heart of the matter and points out many of the absurd things we conuder necessary in life merton was on a million to thadand when he was accidentally killed what a tragic ending for a man who searched all hu life for peace and wrote to well thomai merton is dead but his ideas and philosophy will live on ill mill him so will millions of his readers