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~ OPINION Classified Advertising: 845â€"2809 Circulation: 845â€"9742 or 845â€"9743 Ian Oliver Publisher Robert Glasbey Advertising Director Norman Alexander Editor Geoff Hill Circulation Director Teri Casas Office Manager Tim Coles Production Manager The Oakville Beaver, Sunday, Wedi and Friday, at 467 Speore Ad.. Gatartie: is one of the Metroland Pmiing, Publsting Lid. group of suburban newspapers which includes: Ajaxâ€"Pickering News Advertiser, Barrie Advance, Brampton Guardian, Burli onPost,CoI'nm Connection, Etobicoke Guardian, lown Ii Acton Free ; Kingston This Week, Lindsay This Week, Markham Economist and Sun, Stoutfville/Uxbridge Tribune, Mitton Canadian Champion, Mississauga News, Newmarketâ€"Aurora Eraâ€"Banner, North York Mirror, Oakville Beaver, Orillia Today, Oshawa/Whitby This Week, Peterborough This Week, Richmond HilV Thomhil/Vaughan Liberal, Scarborough Mirror. All material published in the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyrimi‘.“Any reproduction in whole orâ€"in part of this material is strictly forbidden witl the consent of the publisher. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of the advertising space occurisd the enuneou:qnem. together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be p!gd for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize and advertising. In the event of typogr hap_gl‘erfp eb ifi d cce id d ind h n nb > wrong price, goods or services may not be sold. Advertising is merely an offer to sell and may be withdrawn at any time. But the deâ€"Christianizing of our culture seems to be getting support from our provincial government. The Management Board of Queen‘s Park, the body of bureaucrats that look after policies affecting all aspects of the provincial government, sent out a memo to civil servants informâ€" ing them to desist from putting up any kind of ornamentation that might be classified as being related to the Christian faith. After the internal memo was leaked to the press, the instructions were scrapped. The memo said that any decorations should only reflect a neuâ€" tral seasonal theme in keeping with our ‘multicultural society‘. In the past, there were no such guidelines at Queen‘s Park. istory is one of those words that can be used to justify a variety of positions or causes. In law, the word is revered along with the word precedence and when dealing with a nation‘s fabric, the word is often trotted out with nostalgia and often longing. As far as Canada is concerned, our history is based on a few facts upon which most scholars agree. Aside from native north american Indians, Canada had two founding groups, the French and the English and one religion...Christian. There were other groups who followed and with them came different religions. But one thing cannot be changed, the nation and that includes Ontario, was and still is a Christian country. In the past decade and especially the past three or four years, there has been a concerted effort on the parts of school boards to deâ€" Christianize our culture in keeping with the rising ethnic mix. But in trying to appease the minority, these boards and other bodies, have only served to offend the majority. For most Ontario schools, the Christmas Pageant or play, is a thing of the past. Instead, many producâ€" tions are presented under a variety of euphemisms. Some favorites are: winter or holiday festival, winter celebration or simply winter break. It‘s all really sad. Here we have our children taking Christmas holiâ€" days (errr break) along with their teachers, yet few schools in the province are explaining why the kids are getting two weeks away from their studies. And what about the presents under that piece of foliage with lights? Perhaps we should call it a holiday tree. A more reasoned approach to all of this religious controversy is to celebrate Christmas as the majority do in this province but also use the season as an opportunity to teach children about other religions. After all, isn‘t that what education is all about? The basis of the memo lay in the fact that apparently some people complained to the government about a nativity scene in one building that they deemed offensive to their religious beliefs. Similar complaints were lodged concerning the Christmas tree that has been traditionally erected and decorated for the season outside the lecislature. In no other jurisdiction in the world would you find religious minoriâ€" ties complaining about the way in which that nation‘s religious majority celebrated certain holy days. It is the ultimate in ironies that by being one of the most tolerant nations in the world when it comes to personal and religious freedoms, that we are increasingly being subjected to a kind of reverse religious persecution in our own country. There‘s a word for that, no matter what religion you happen to folâ€" low...it‘s called intolerance and it‘s an ugly word in any language. Keeping the faith 467 Speers Road, Oakville, Ont. L6K 3S4 845â€"3824 Fax: 845â€"3085 ‘\QUESTION OF THE WEEK Do you think the punishment meted out to the two boys who killed two yearâ€" old James Bulger in Britain was propâ€" er? A sampling of the best answers will be published in the next Weekend edition of the Oakville Beaver. Give us your opinion on this topic by calling §45â€"5585, box 5012. All callers are allowed 45 seconds to respond and must provide their name, address and phone number for verification. h, the Last Will and Testament. Was there ever a legal proceeding that caused more friction, fright, and fractiousness? Okay, not counting marriage. There have been some wild and woolly wills written ever since â€" well, I like to imagine that it goes back to the first primeval solicitor operating out of a storefront cave in prehisâ€" toric Mesopotamia. I see him as a smiling devil with meticulousâ€" ly combed eyebrows, wearing a threeâ€"piece pinstripe of Mastodon worsted. I can visualâ€" ize my Stone Age solicitor wedging a charred stick between the stiffening fingers of an expiring client, positioning the poor wretch in front of a stone tablet and urging him to "remember his friends" in writâ€" ing. Charles Dodgson â€" better known as Lewis Carroll â€" author of Alice in Wonderland was more concerned with how people handlcd kis sendoff. "I request" wrote Dodgson "that An awful lot of legal ink has flowed under the litigational bridge since those early days, but wills still make for some fascinating reading. Take the case of Henry, Earl of Stafford â€" an 18th century English gentleâ€" Words revealed from beyond grave speak volumes of the dear departed And thus, creating the first Last Will and Testament. Well, not much of a gentleâ€" man perhaps...but a plain speakâ€" er. Part of his will reads: "To the worst of women...unfortunately my wife, guilty as she is of all crimes, I leave fiveâ€"andâ€"forty brass halfpence which will buy a pullet for her supper." Silverdene Emblem O‘Neill left a will at least as interesting as the name of the subject. "I have little in the way of material things to leave" says the will. "There is nothing of value I have to bequeath except my love and faith." That‘s right, Silverdene Emblem O‘Neill (‘Blemie‘ to his friends) was a Dalmatian owned by the American playâ€" wright Eugene O‘Neill, who also wrote up.the will, on his no Pall may be employed...Also that it may be a walking funerâ€" al...and generally that all details be simple and inexpensive, avoiding all things which are merely done for show." The will of the great magiâ€" cian Houdini is more remarkâ€" able for what it did not contain. Contrary to hints he gave out while living, Houdini did not reveal his professional escape secrets in his will, but he did bequeath his collection of books on magic to the U.S. Library of Congress â€" and made sure that the rabbits he customarily pulled out of hats all found good homes with the children of his friends. "These I leave to all those who loved me...Perhaps, it is vain of me to boast when I am so near death, which returns all beasts and vanities to dust, but I have always been an extremely loveable dog." At 35 pints a week, he should be alongside any day now. Which brings us to the Last Will and Testament of Terry Oxley, recently deceased farmer near the town of Goole, in northeast England. From his hospital bed, Terry dictated the terms of his will, including a clause that instructs his solicitor to drop into the nearby British Legion Pub in Goole once a week to pay George Carkwell‘s bar bill. George, you see is (was) Terry‘s drinking buddy. The Oxley will states that George is to get "one thousand pints of bitter...on a basis of 35 pints a week." B Thirtyâ€"five pints a week, ch? Well, cheers to you Terry...and whichever bar you‘re bellying up to these days, be it celestial or infernal, I suggest you make room for your pal George. 4 pets behalf. J. Edgar Hoover â€" the eccenâ€" tric, if not downright kinky â€" head of the FBI for several hunâ€" dred years, left the bulk of his estate to, not surprisingly, his ‘constant companion‘ Clyde Tolson. There is no provision in the Hoover will for disposition of his fine collection of ballroom gowns. Speaking of party girls, the late great Janis Joplin left a typâ€" ically Joplinesque will to remember her by â€" money for an allâ€"night party for 200 pals at her favorite saloon in San Anselmo, California "so all my friends can get blasted after I‘m gone." For one night, all the Southern Comfort, tequila, vodka, and beer was on Janis.