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B2 The Acton Free Tues December God bless us all God bless us every one The children who have been so happy at the Christmas parties The adults who arranged them The clergymen and the people who go to church all times of the year not just holidays And the people who just go at Christmas Eve The bandsmen and women for the lovely annual concert Sunday The town men out sanding and grading all night as well as all day Our councillors speaking up for Acton and all year and helping make regional government come true Our teachers who t on strike Our post office staff who arent either All our volunteer workers for all causes All our paid workers in industries who take pride in their work be it tanning extruding saw making Our service workers restaurants hairdressers taxis bakers florists cleaners we need you all Our housewives To all women in International Womens Year Something must have been gained in the struggle for recognition God bless us every one Heres a happy statistic for Christmas time there are more people attending church on any given Sunday than people watching Canadas national sport on tele vision on a Saturday night The world is full of Christians and whats more many of them go to church regularly In their different churches of course How many people will take the opportunity this week to attend a candlelight service or Christmas Eve service in a church they have never attended before And would they reeeive a hearty welcome if they did The fact there are so many denominations seems hard to And the past year has been marked by more failure at efforts for churches to unite Some day surely all Christian people will feel denomination makes no difference in their faith or method of worship Thanks to our librarian Congratulations on a special anniversary for Mrs Watson On January she celebrates the 50th anniversary of her hiring as librarian And before that she has worked as an assistant librarian while a young girl Her work in the library has been a labor of love all ot those years She enjoys the books and she enjoys the people She is one of the dedicated people A big New Year thank you Mrs Watson Christmas jottings Some letters to Santa Claus sound as if the writer would be handy to have around on a union executive A few of them send Santa quite a list of demands rather than requests Merchants were too busy to arrange a special Christmas shopping promotion this year The Trip to Nassau draw was popular when it was on But there has been no draw for the past two years now A challenge and celebration Christmas comes to a world that wants peace on earth goodwill to men But the desires of much of the world including our own strife torn and uncertain Canada stem more from wean than from love This world expects more from the flights of Henry Kissinger and the vres of Pierre than from the flights and singing of angels What then are we to make of Christmas this year To many it is but a pleasant legend that takes us for a day or two from the daily drudgery of trying to make ends meet a chance to forget how powerless many of us have become To others who treasure the celebra tion of human experience Christmas is a bonus an extra occasion even an extra reason for celebration But as Christians understand it is neither an idle legend nor a happy plus It is a challenge to our human existence It is an uplifting of our human exis tence It calls for celebration not because we need a party but because Chnstmas in reality up sets the life we have designed and changes the reason for celebrating Unlike most of the mystic that are flowering today in the midst of our disillusion Chnstmas faith proves that God does act in human history in unex pected ways and calls on a community to join his action As realists we know that the home of a friend or relative is bricks and mortar wood and nails It is a functional place ornamented and often filled with comfort but still a functional place that has no real feeling But all that is changed and takes on meaning when we realize that a loved one or an old fnend lives there The silent walls speak a language of love Something like that happens to human history when we remember that Jesus Christ lived here The cosmos consists of matter and energy as always People and communities continue to act with mixed motives Possibly peace among nations is a little more likely because of Christ but we cannot be certain of that Yet when we remember that Christ lived here the walls and ramparts of the world speak a different language We can say and believe then that we are about to enter the year of our Lord Unchurched editorials Of this and that Youngsters keep writing letters to Santa Claus right up until the last minute The post office has been diverting them to the Free Press and from here theyre diverted to the North Pole naturally When you are in low spirit and discouraged remember that the lowest ebb is the turn of the tide i MRS ROSEMARY BLACKS kindergarten class at the Robert Little school tell their teddy bears what Time to worship separately they want for ChristmaB There were closing concerts at the school last week daughter and family arrived a couple of days after Christmas it was still leaning there In the corner What happened to tree Dad she queried In horrified disbelief Ah it was loo dry needles were foiling off Decided to take it down throw it Brusquely There is something terribly wrong around our house this year as Christmas looms t have a disturbing feeling that a catastrophe is in the offing What bothers is that everything Is going too well Two weeks In advance the turkey was ordered special fresh killed not one of those frozen eviscerated straw tasting morguelike pallid blobs we usually pick up the last minute Christmas cards were dispatched on time after those rotten postlcs ended their strike just a little too soon Christmas gifts were actually bought wrapped almost a week in advance instead of that mad lurch through the stores on Christmas Eve snatching up broken toys soiled sweaters and other junk a drunken lumberjack t buy and bundling it into last second wrappings that were too skimpy We even knew two weeks in advance who was going to be here for Christmas Many a time and oft our kids have come popping in from hundreds of miles away as late as Christmas morning without warning This year it Just Pokey and his mom and dad the old Battle Axe and yours truly Grandad is going this one out at home alone Son Hugh won t be here Hell be dining on roast llama in the highlands of Paraguay if he not in jail We even have a plum pudding all ready You see what I mean It is not only all wrong for the Smilcys It is virtually frightening It has never happened before its got to be the calm before the storm Something eerie is going to happen my wife is becoming convinced were going to get it in the groin or some other vulnerable spot What has convinced me that l roof is to fall in the final piece of evidence the Christmas tree Not only was it purchased two weeks in advance but its a beauty blue Spruce about feet high that even looks like a Chnstmas tree You know it has branches all around instead of just one side This is ridiculous on all counts My usual tree is bought the day before Christ mas It is one of the last four trees on a lot that held It is covered with snow and ice It is either eight feet tall and one foot wide or it is humpbacked or it is one half of a pair of Christmas tree Siamese twins totally devoid of anything on the side you re not looking at I have had trees as bandy legged as a cowboy I have had huge White Pines so vast I had to cut a couple of saw logs off the bottom to get them into the house One year I had a tree with so few branches on It that I had to drill holes in the trunk and insert bra from another tree to make it look less skeletal I have had trees so crooked that when they were finally raised after much sweat and many maledictions it was like standing in Ihe presence of a man with two wall eyes one pointing west the other ast My wife used to leave the house when I was putting up the tree It was better that way This time she came home after two hours ready to help me decorate our hand some Spruce She gave a shriek the moment she entered the house She thought it was on fire Clouds of blue smoke were pouring out of the living room She heard the sound I of weeping Her heart almost stopped She rushed In fighting her way through the blue air In the corner the fine bushy Spruce was lying on its side There was no sign of me She started to get sore Has he lually had I hi gall to get into the Christ mas spirits already Then she heard the choked sobs mingled with moans of pain and rage She looked at the tree at one end And there I was Under it Face scratched and bleeding One thumb mashed flat by the hammer A chunk torn off the knuckles where the screwdriver slipped An expression of utter despair on the tattered countenance That was the year nobody was coming for the holidays until after Christmas I finally got off the floor stood the beast up in the corner and took a hockey stick to it That was the year the tree never was put up Never decorated When my Needles It even any branches left Oh well this year it s going to be dif fcrent Usually we have two trees one small and one big This year just one be cause of Pokey I figure that if we mount a hour guard in shifts we just might be able to prevent him from trying to climb And my son in law claims to be artist So the tree is ready and your faith correspondent is going to sit in a big chair reading the Ives of the Saints while the artist not only erects the tree but decorates it All is golden for once And yet and yet I have this sense of unease Things are loo golden A lump of lead is going to come of somewhere and get me right bet ween the eyes And may you too all of you have a Merry rather than a hairy Christmas OUR READERS WRITE Cites conjuredup power To the Editor How much of this diet can we take before throwing up It isn t enough that the Hilton Board of Education bleeds us for 500 for school but now Chairman Alexander says the board has to wait for Ministry approval to close the deal Is this the same Ministry Judy that has no power over board programming Is this the same Ministry that has no power over our board money expenditures Is this the same Ministry that when asked to enforce section of the Education Act Tom Wells says No one has said these are laws to be obeyed They are principals to be Is this same Ministry who when invit In to defend the people of Norval in their fitjht to keep their school open along with Bill Davis had no power to influence the dictates of the Board of Education in this matter Is this the Ministry who has no power over the actions of members of boards of education Is this the Ministry who so far has no power in influencing teachers strikes Is this the Ministry that has chosen to hide behind the skirts of Federal Government when this power is questioned Aren t boards of education tonomous And now Judy would have us believe that this very same Ministry of Education all of a sudden has power to make its own deci on a real estate transaction of school It would appear that this is a classic example of facesaving on the part of the board because they have come to the half respectable price of a school that they didn pay a red cent for in the first place Docs Mrs A take us to be complete idiots All of a sudden the Ministry has eon up power or a reasonable facsl mile Mrs Judy Alexander will represent res parents and taxpayers of Halton as chairman for possibly yet another year It enough to make me regurgitate all the way to the board meetings Christine Louth Committeechalrman HEAL Hills Daring to be Daniel To the Editors Re the folowlng statement made by Meyer purveyor of the moral education The past few weeks and the past few years In has certainly reinforced my that moral values education is more needed than ever especially on the part of certain individuals We are deeply concerned about the expression of Values Dec 12 It is quite obvious from this statement that Meyer has no faith In the Judeo- morals or values Therefore when he remarked in reply to a question put to him that during the time of the tradition al values we had two world wars I was not surprised or even perturbed because I had heard it so many times before Therefore in spite of Ken Campbell s let tcr It seemed a little ridiculous that the Board of Education should make such an is sue over it for they must know that this philosophy abounds in the educational world We are always being told that the world has changed that the old values don t count any more and the very fact that The Free Press Back Issues 20 years ago Iimuf of the IB55 A surprise gathering was held at the home of Mr and Mrs It I Davidson on rlday evening to celebrate their vcrsary The family Tom Munt forced from their small homo near last week when fire raged through the destroying it all their Furniture and personal belonging found many spirit of and sympathetic to plight Two mosses will be in St Josephs church Sunday beginning New Years Day Rev father V J Morgan announced on the wtekend f over crowding has necessitated the new arrangement The Masses will be held it and plates for 1950 will go on January and must be purchased by Jin Ontario motorists month grace on their IMS plates it was learned this week firemen were roused from their beds early Monday morning to answer i call to the Mill St home of smoke filled the house but little da mage was caused after blare wis traced to air foam mattress in n ment room occupied by a roomer Some bedding in addition to the mattress wis damn Red Mr and Mrs lean Marcoux and Mary ranees are spending and New in Quebec it the home of mother 50 years ago Taken from the Issue of the December Just one day more for is shop ping Merchants of Acton have out done themselves in securing stock thil is new and most accept at this seison of the year No effort has been spared to provide attractive goods A large number of bands are of work in Milton The loss of work at the brick yards will be serious for them and their families Acton Post Office has been one of the busiest places in the community during past ten days The mails hive been crowded with matter and Post master Matthews with his Deputy Miss Brown and their assistants hive indeed been hard worked civil servants A meeting of the Public I ibnry was held at to consider the applications received for the position of Librarian rendered vacant by the resig nation of Miss Scott Mrs Perry Watton was chosen from the five ipph cants all of excellent character dent that the fact Mrs Watson was assist ant for several yeors prior to her marriage had weight with the members The salary was fixed at the same paid to Miss Scott Mr A T Brown has been favoring the public on Mill St with Chmtmis carols They have been remarkably clear and distinct Some Georgetown citizens are so en amoredof dancing they are even doing it on Sundnvs 100 years ago Taken from the Issue of the Press of Thursday December Ifi IN75 The many friends of Mrs ft I will be glad to learn she is rapidly recovering from the severe affliction with which she has been prostrated the last two weeks A fruit and oyster business has Just been opened by Mr Geo Stoddard We hive no doubt he will receive a good share of patronage We learn from Mr J Lloyd that he purposes opening a night school in Mit thews Hall a week for Instruc Hon in wriUng arithmetic book keeping orthography and elocution He will also give lessons in Latin and We hive no doubt a large number of our voung men will avail themselves of his services We the undersigned have agreed to close our places of business James Matthews Christie Henderson and Co Secord Bros J W Mann Ki nnedy Bros Scott Dickson and Chas T Hilt Robert Morrow A large number of petitions signed by women were presented to Legislature in favor of further restriction in the liquor traffic The of Milton also got up i petition to limit the number of lie to one per thousand of the and to abolish saloon and store censes Six pairs of Craig curling stones have been ordered the Milton curling club Guclph Armory manufacturers and importers of breech and loading rifles shotguns etc Revolvers description always on hand gallery on the premises they are so anxious to foist the secular and intellectual reasoning philosophy has taken the place of the traditional values under which we did have two world wars So why all the fuss Isn t it fashionable to downgrade war Isn It fashionable to say w the last generation were to go off and fight Our prime minister is one of the intellectuals who was not so foolish he avoided the conflict and he came out on top Isnt it fashionable to quote the trials at every time someone issues on unpopular order Isn it fashionable to see intellectual farces made of the innocence of lads who went So Ken Campbell got mad because he felt that somewhere along the line the tradition al Christian values which were the back bone of English speaking world have been clobbered good and hard And not many people least of all the Christians themselves Dared to be a Dan iel In ardor to circumvent the insidious so cial philosophies which have crept into our society Even those people who don t go to church but profess to be Christians by virtue of Continued on page THE ACTON FREE PRESS PHONE 2010 Editorial Office