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Bill Smiley It seems to me that kids dent have much fun anymore Today I was reading a short story with a group of olds It was about a any spinster out on first public date with a widower who was courting her They went to a dance She tripped and fell and her man came tumbling down on top of her It was funny but pathetic and the kids who are sensitive to humiliation exuded sympathy especially the girls We talked for a bit about the things that make people shy or awkward or selfconscious acne obesity a colostomy Fine A good dis cussion But then I asked If any of them had had the same experience falling flat on the dance floor Horrors no Of course the way they dance now adays its almost impossible to measure your length on the hardwood Most of them dance by themselves and its pretty hard to topple unless youre blind stoned On slow pieces those rare occasions they are so tightly that it would take a bull dozer to knock them down Most of the time in fact they dont even dance just listen to the clangor and thump And Its pretty hard to fall down on a dance floor when youre not dancing I mean Its the sort of thing you have to work at Anyway 1 Just sat back looked them over and shook my head You ktds havent lived Nobody has really lived who hasnt gone sprawling on a dance floor preferably bringing down his or her partner In the process Theres nothing like it to pare the ego down to size And it helps If you do It before a large and appreciative audience can recall at least two occasions on which it happened to me Once was at the Cascades of fond memory The second was at the legion hall in Tobermory And I have living witnesses My wife doesnt know about the second one so keep it quiet But I can well recall the sensation One moment you are gliding about leaping and pirouetting a veritable Rudolph in Swan Lake The next your pas deux somehow turns Into a pas des trois you dis cover that your partner is not Margot and youre flat on your back head spinning from the thump on the floor and a broad who a moment ago was light as thistledown sprawled aero you like Lewis the deciding fall Theres only one thing to do Leap to your feet laughing hollowly and so quickly that the spectators might think it was all part of the performance They never do of course And its pretty lonely out there In the middle of the floor when your partner who has been shamed for life gives you a look like a cold shower and stalks away forever What Dont you people ever go to a country dance and get hurled about I badgered my students Nope So had to tell them what it was like When was their age we used to strike off many a Friday night Usually for Wemyss where they had the prettiest girls Jo and Vera Dewitt Ursula Brady and the best music Lome on the piano and Mr on the fiddle There was no question of taking girls We couldnt afford it But there was always the hope that youd get to take one home However they always seemed to have several huge brothers or cousins lurking about It was about one dollar for the evening Fifty cents for the dance eightyfive cents for a mickey of gin split four ways and the rest for gas for somebodys old mans car Have you never into a square dance and been literally swept off your feel I questioned my girl students None But some of them looked as though they rather liked the idea And I thought of those burly farm boys getting into the spirit of things and whirling the girls around until the latter were ac tually flying Occasionally sweaty hands spelled disaster and one of the girls would go flying off into the lunch the ladies were organizing The lunch was part of the ad mission fee of fifty cents And I thought of occasions when I had got into a dohsedoh with a particularly en thusiastic and buxom farm wench and because I couldnt foot it like the farm boys been swung around in circles with both feet three inches off the floor A couple of belts of raw gin and a couple of dances like that and you were ready and willing to go out into the snow and gaze and greenly at the moon for a half or so Inside the hall with a wood stove almost red hot and a hundred or so bodies steaming it was always jibout degrees And this was in the days before ultradry deodorants But I dont remember anybody smelling any thing except hot and perfumey Eventually be a fight or lunch would be served then it was into the Model A and shiver home through the winter night No heater But Ob what a night wed had and Oh what stories we regaled our less venture some schoolmates with when we fore gathered at the pool room on Saturday Voters opt for the familiar Should I or shouldn I THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY of deciding whether a trip up a posted hill is worth the danger of being caught or the fun going down again on a sled Is a dilemma modern children find more and more in town and country Guess what this young lad decided WThomson Photo Editorial Page JJ2 The Acton Free Press Wednesday December MiniComment Unlike the City of Toronto where voters elected a socalled radical slate to electors in this district seemed content to depend on those who have served in office over the last term in preference to new names and new platforms There were exceptions In some of the townships but in most cases those returned to council and other elected posts were mainly veterans of the political scene In Acton for instance the mood of caution was prevalent In acclamations for mayor reeve and deputy reeve Elections for council on Monday produced two new faces to replace Reeve Frank Oakes and Councillor Jack Greer who arc retiring this year but the nucleus of last years council was returned intact New councillors are Barry and Bill gave Reeve Tom Hill a few frightening moments before they decided they would return him to office instead of challenger Russell Miller an able candidate with a lot of support Voters also returned Councillor Len Coxe to the deputy reeves post vacated by Miller in an easy win over challenger F Pat Patterson InNassagaweya the same mood was prevalent when electorsdecided Anne McArthur was the most able of three candidates to hold the townships highest elected post Anne is a lady the voters respect and opponents too The deputy reeves chair went to an experienced councillor in the face of a threat from newcomer Hugh- Mac- Council seats went to Did you know toe federal govern ment has given a grant of for the installation of artificial turf at the Canadian National Exhibition stadium in Toronto The Minister indicated the installation would result in expanded use of the stadium but certainly the people who will benefit most are the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League To our way of thinking it is partly a grant to a profit- making institution Some Christmas lighting is already sparkling in homes around Acton and the next few weeks will see the town lit up as it never has Been before All homes are in the running for Acton Hydros Christmas lighting contest which will have some worthwhile prizes Rene and the Parti must be distressed by the federal election results since Frenchspeaking voters ignored the separatist partys appeal for a boycott of ballot boxes The fact is that per cent of voted as against per cent of eligible voters nationally It seems to be a clear indication that most people in Quebec want to stay in Canada des pite propaganda to the contrary Finding it hard to get time to do your Christmas shopping Thats a good reason for patronizing local and district stores where distance wont eat up time and money fun Poor modern kids Do they have any THE ACTON FREE PRESS PHONE Business and Editorial Office Copyright Incumbents and Art Gibson with a new member In Russell Powudiuk A similar situation In saw sitting members Dick and Wilfrid Leslie lead polls and elected newcomer George Moltby to replace wholllte Jim Watson had gone higher to the post Acclamations in Erin township for reeve and deputy reeve followed the same pattern with Incumbents Bert and William McLean being returned at the head of the polls One interentlng sidelight to the Erin township election was the defeat of veteran Harold Griffin a councillor who has given many years of faithful and thoughtful service to the com munity His seat on council went to newcomer John K Reid who also has an impressive background and a native sons desire to assist the township in years ahead In Eramosa township the present deputy reeve Duncan McPhedran chalked up a goodsized margin over challenger Don Gordon making his first try at political office again following the trend Councillor Bill was returned to office by a whopping margin but the next two scats were a surprise Former deputy reeve Jim Milne took the second council seat and Betty Lou Clark an attractive woman surprised some electors in a maledominated body by latching onto the third and final council scat knocking off present councillor Ken Fair in the process And so the pattern went Milton returned Mayor Brian Best the kingpin who has been preparing the town for great expectations Georgetown returned Mayor Bill Smith by acclamation and contentious reeve Morrow It is a case of the electorate putting their faith in the tried and true instead of taking a chance on new faces Wc were disappointed that not even 25 per cent of the voters in Acton thought it worthwhile to turn out to mark a ballot If there is any criticism of council in the term ahead it should emanate from those who took the time and effort to brave the inclement weather and register their choices for council If there was any special surprise In the Acton election it was the defeat of Bob who has proved in the past as an able and capable ad ministrator However both successful candidates Barry and Bill have demonstrated a willingness to tackle the municipal job and we are sure council will benefit from their experience in other fields and make full use of their talents on appropriate committees Perhaps the imminence of regional government has something to do with the poor turnout in Acton but it does not excuse electors from exercising their franchise following as it docs on the heels of less than per cent turnout on the liquor questions Hamilton can take a bow While Acton is discussing fixing up the community centre Georgetown is probing the possibility of building a second arena and community centre Lets hope we see the result of the Acton effort before Georgetown completes that Those who insist that it was French power which kept the Liberals in power in Quebec must also be distressed by the fact that the Libs were returned heavily in the Englishspeaking Quebec ridings Those who have sat down and attempted to analyze the results of the last federal election have found that the more they interpret the vole the more confused it becomes Next week is Snowmobile Safety Week a time to reflect on the number of snowmobile accidents which have resulted in death and injury to several people already this season Machine operators might take into account that over threequarters of all fatal ac cidents in Ontario occurred on public thoroughfares where snowmobiles are often hard to steer or stop It is also noteworthy that drunken operators were involved in a high percentage of snowmobile accidents in Ontario in The lessonf rom these statistics is that if snowmobilers want to eliminate over 75 per cent of all snow mobile accidents they should stay off public thoroughfares and quit drinking when driving machines A writer from the Financial Post spent a week in an oldage home and found that many of his ideas about old people were complete misconceptions Society he says has prostituted the word senile to suit the needs of a population suspicious of old people we use it to cover the gamut from can tankerous to cynical to stubborn to anything that old people do which doesnt fit in with the way we want them to be We do not treat them as human beings be claims The way to do that is to slop riding them away and to realize they have as much if not more to give us as we have to give them To this we say a loud Amen Hamilton may be one of the smaller cities in the Canadian Football League but football people there showed the larger and most sophisticated centres in the country that they know how to run a Grey Cup festival that ranked as one of the best if not the best ever The weeklong program had some thing to appeal to almost all segments of the community at home and across the country culminating in a gigantic parade Saturday and finishing up with the spectacle everyone was waiting forUheGrey Cup game There are those of course who will think anything Canadian ranks inferior to shows which emanate from south of the border where the climate cir cumstances and cash all collaborate to stage lavish and costly productions An unbiased observer would have to give high marks to the Hamilton game and parade as equal to or surpassing many of the shows which give football much of its gloss You dont have to be a patriot either to sec that the Grey Cup game and its attendant celebrations have grown into the countrys biggest sporting event bar none Canadian football may be a reflec tion of the US brand as has been said many times by many experts as it was once said it was a pale imitation of English rugby but it has evolved into something peculiarly Canadian It should be nurtured and protected until it is hale and hearty enough to operate without expanding into the bigger US market as has been proposed Its for the birds Ive got a brand new feeder now To keep wild birds alive With sunflower seeds and other weeds I hope that theyll survive Of course I now must pay more tax To the Government for my Food The birds and would surely die If we didnt get some food For the sake of Conservation And the environment Ive soiled A little feed for those in need Might pay for some Ive spoiled The woods and fields once their home Weve overrun with wheels To get around weve cleared the ground For our precious automobiles Each day we do our very best To fill the air with planes And in our greed we tax the seed To add to all their pains Our jungle life is vicious On everything that breathes We poison air leave none to spare We are Natures greatest thieves So Ill best to save the birds And try to play the game Ill buy some snacks and pay the tax May God forgive this shame Victor Smith Football people who are eager to crack the US market with the Canadian product should keep in mind the object lessons the National Hockey League expansion taught Canadians Hockey may be our national game but professionally it is controlled by big money from the United States Take the case of Bobby Hull who was ordered by a US judge to refrain from playing for the Winnipeg Jets until a US court cleared him from the Chicago Black Hawks We realize this has many controversial overtones but at the same time we think it ridiculous that an American court should decide the disposition of a Canadian citizen playing a Canadian game It proves that our national sovereignty has been eroded in more places than the industrial field We would not want to see the same thing happen to Canadian football in spite of the fact many citizens play the game here So bouquets are order to both Hamilton organizers and the team for upgrading the annual Grey Cup festivities to new levels We hope they can be matched and improved on as the years go by making the week a national celebration of interest to the entire country Back Issues of The Free Press 20 years ago Taken from toe issue of the Free Press of Thursday December A raging fire destroyed a building in which sawdust and shavings were stored at Engineering Tuesday at The fire threatened the plant and huge piles of lumber Prompt action of the men in the plant and the fire brigade kept the ire from spreading Canadas largest producers of quality refractory special shapes the Acton branch of A P Green Ltd inaugurated production this week just four months after the devastating fire wiped out the year and a half old branch Marking the occasion the plant was represented by local and United States representatives when members of Acton council Rotary club Acton Fire brigade Mens dub Green employees and representatives of Smith and Stone were entertained at the plant on Monday evening Acton manager George said he felt the first products would be passed though the kUn by Wednesday of this week Climaxing many months of negotiating and planning Acton signed an agreement providing for the establishment of a Rural Fire Area to cover Northern sections of and The Mens Annual turkey draw was held after their bingo in the town hall Winners Mr A Kentner E OE Robins J Wilson J Wood J Benton Winners were asked to contact Lorraine Farms and J Wolfe will make arrangements for deb very The YMCA boxing class under Don Clayton has grown so large it has to split into two groups 50 years ago Taken from the issued Free Press of Thursday December 14 For years Acton has been the home of David Henderson a native of the county of Halt on who for 30 years was an outstanding character as a member of the House of Commons Last Thursday the noted career of this prominent man quietly ended when he peacefully passed away The shock of Mrs Hendersons tragic death in 1914 materially lessened his activities in public life He was born in near Mdton the son of an esteemed pioneer He and his wife Alison Christie moved to Acton the year it was incorporated 1873 Having formed a partnership with Mr Christie they bought the mercantile business of and J About years ago the fust banking business was organized In Acton under the Dim name of Storey Christie and Co and Mr Henderson was the manager When the Merchants Bank opened a branch here this private bank which had been a great convenience dissolved its business and closed its doors He was council member and Reeve and began his parliamentary career in as conservative member from Halton Mr Henderson was always loyal to Acton The splendid government building tn which the Post Office and Customs House have commodious quarters is a monument to his loyalty to his adopted home The funeral was quiet and unostentatious The 22nd ball and supper of the Ore brigade was well attended in the town hall Our county jail at Milton is practically empty now Billy a Georgetown man who makes tail a bouse of refuge in the winter and spends his time painting Is the only man there He is king of the castle going in and out when he lutes 75 years ago Taken from the Issue of the Free Press of ThursdayDecemberS 1897 Christmas will soon Come and sit for that portrait Two dozen photos H Photo artist Mr Fred Ryder has been promoted to a on the road for Messrs Storey and Son He is working east this week Fred is a very worthy young man and deserves his preferment The annual concerts by the member of Acton Fire Brigade have become a feature of the fall entertainments Standing room in the town hall was at a premium There were choruses by the united church choirs and many vocal and instrumental numbers There has been considerable talk about wide tires here They will soon be required in California Public examination was held at Ijmehouse school by Miss Ford with parents and friends attending The people of have cause to congratulate themselves on the absence of crime and litigation in the county When the general session opened there was not a single case This is a marked contrast to a number of other counties especially the half dozen where murder trials have been heard On the of September Miss Annie Forbes was united in holy wedlock to Mr McPhail This afternoon her mortal remains will be laid in the tomb at cemetery After great suffering the spirit took its flight from the earthly day on Tuesday Lieut Peary was presented with models for flying machines submarine boats and other devices to be likely to facilitate his explorations of the polar regions