The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

hf 7 we stoorrytue tribune twvfey dewier 72 i960 editorial sloppy selection no one could be impressed with the manner in which marfcham town ship council chose their representa tive for the stouffville district high school board last week this is not meant to be any reflection on the party whose name was inserted in the appointment bylaw but on the manner in which such an important post is filled there have always been demands that the members of the high school boards should be elected not appoint ed and making the appointment in such a sloppy manner as was done last week could do little but strength en this demand apparently little thought was given to the selection of who could most ably fill the post and the lady who was selected had never given any consent that she would act in addition to school board appoint ments this idea of any name will do is not good enough for council appointees to other positions as well this is not a fault peculiar to mark- ham township alone as visiting many councils we have seen count less other appointments made in just such a careless manner sovr that the new year is ap proaching and the time when a great many appointments are made it might be well if councils would give just a little more thought to whom they put into positions of responsibility a compliment wellearned a sincere compliment was paid to outgoing reeve gar lehman by a member of the i960 council on thursday evening when he remark ed you have done as much work in the interest of stouffville as any previous reeve to say that reeve lehman was conscientious concern ing the duties of his position could almost be considered as the under statement of the year accustomed to the physical labours of his own business he displayed much of the same energetic enthusiasm at his municipal post no job was below the dignity of his office a clogged culvert a faulty sewer line or a flooded base ment were among the hundreds of complaints that would receive his personal attention if one wished to criticize the reeves handling of the towns business during the past two terms we could only suggest that he was too ambitious this however could hardly be classed as a fault while veteran councilmen were toppled from office during the past district election reeve lehman re tained his popularity at the polls although he has relinquished his grip on the gavel for the 1961 term he will still perform a very import ant function as a member of stouff- villes governing body if past records are any measuring stick one may be assured that he will shoulder his share of the load regardless of his position on the municipal ladder an old warrior returns an old warrior in the sense only of municipal service has been returned to a council post in the township of markham charles hoo per of buttonville was elected to fill the position in ward 2 made vacant when lawson mumberson moved up to successfully contest the deputy- reeveship the electorate will be watching mr hooper with considerable inter est during the forthcoming term his fiery oratory which has featured many nomination meetings in the past was noticeably subdued this year and many ratepayers are won dering if time and tide have softened his approach to the everpresent problems that lie ahead we must agree that both the township and its governing officials have changed since the day when mr hooper occupied a seat at the council table we do not speak dis paragingly however when we sug gest that we do not feel mr hooper as an elected candidate has been converted to a followtheleader rep resentative he has enjoyed too much experience in the municipal mill to merely sit on his hands for the next twelve months the tribune has not always been in complete agreement with mr hoopers thinking on specific matters of township business but as a news paper we have admired his willing ness to express an opinion on any subject a bump on a log member is of 0 use either to his ward or to the municipality as a whole the charles hooper of old was not one of those we trust that the charles hooper of 1961 will be little changed yes there is a santa cfaus what is perhaps the nations most reprinted editorial was written in the year 1897 in response to a school girls simple question about the validity of the santa claus le gend virginia ohanlon then eight years old sent this question to the editor of the new york sun dear editor some of my little friends say there is no santa claus papa says if you see it in the sun its so please tell me the truth is there a santa claus the answer to this question penned by an editorial writer named francis pharcellus church has be come an american classic here it is in full dear editor some of my little friends say there is no santa claus virginia your little friends are wrong they have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptcal age they do not believe except what they see they think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds all minds virginia whether they be mens or childrens are little in this great universe of ours man is a mere insect an ant in his intellect as compared with the boundless world about him as meas ured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge yes virginia there is a santa claus he exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy alas how dreary would be the world if there were no virginias there would be no childlike faith then no poetry no romance to make tolerable this existence we should have no enjoyment except in sense and sight the eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished not believe in santa claus you might as well not believe in fairies you might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on christmas eve to catch santa claus but even if they did not see santa claus coming down what would that prove nobody sees santa claus but that is no sign there is no santa claus the most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn of course not but thats no proof that they are not there nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world you tear apart the babys rattle and see what makes the noise inside but there is a veil covering the un seen world which not the strongest man nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived could tear apart only faith fancy poetry love romance can push aside that curtain and view and pic ture the supernal beauty and glory beyond is it all real ah virginia in all this world there is nothing else more real and abiding no santa claus thank god he lives and he lives forever a thou sand years from now he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood ip ioufftnlb frtintn fcstamjslbed iso a v nolan son publishers member of the canadian weekly newspaper association and the ontario weekly newspapers association authorized u scon3sa rnao rostosc dpt otuwm member of the audit bureau of circulations issued every thursday at stouffville ont in canada 5350 elsewhere 450 c r noun pcbfabo us thomas kto us mtkean adrertmag amxaasssscffxseaboss raabaesxsxsabaarssbsrocbsasxassxkrsxsab for office supplies business machines see the stouffville tribune phone 152 management and staff 0 j vs bert jackson james mckean a g thompson c h nolan publisher jas thomas editor mrs heatheringtor glenys mckean margery mortens stan schmidt reuben brown wilbert gower ron mcgrogan frank thorneycroft ken lefevre jgaasbabassi amsusmutesumimaaeassessssbs gift giver has different names the christmastime giftgivcer has many different names in the various lards of the worid and even in russia youngsters an nually await the arrival ox two legendary benefactors kolya nicholas is supposed to go about russia on holy night leaving tiny wheat cakes on the windowsills and in addi tion there is babushka who also gives gifts to little boys and girls in repentance a leg end says for supposedly mis directing the magi on their trip to bethlehem italian children await the ar rival of lady befana a fairy queen who presents gifts some spanish children believe the gifts come directly from the child jesus el nino jesus another christmas is upon us and were acting as though it were a fearsome monster advancing to engulf us from all sides come the annual lam entations and laehrymations of the spoilsports most of them are in or near middle age at every turn they bewail the pa ganism and the commercial ism of our modern christmas and wonder plaintively whats happened to the good oldfash ioned christmas i can tell them the same thing has happened to the good oldfashioned christmas that has happened to he good old horse and buggy and the good old saturday night hath in a tin tub in the kitchen and the good old twohour sermon on sunday morning most of the people who do the wailing about our manner of celebrating the occasion to day would have to bo tied hand and foot before they could be dragged back through the years to their good old fashioned christmas because it wasnt all that good what they think they remem ber as the good oldfashioned christmas is a nostalgic dream hey have concocted out of vague and distorted memories stories hey have read and heard and he tendency ofhumans to deplore today and see yesterday through a rosy haze the trouble is they try to convince their children that this phantasy theyre describing was infinitely superior to the crass materialistic christmas of to day i know the story pretty well perhaps because i have told it quite a few times it goes something like his christmas was a much happier occasion when we were children von kills all you can think of 6y bill smiley mom would have hot soup and homemado bread for us and wed have a jolly time decorat ing the tree and so on this little story is typical of the rest of it half fact half fancy my father for one had more sense than to go flounder ing around in the bush up to his waist in snow he had a much better system he simply told me to go and get a tree and i cut it and dragged it three miles home and arrived exhausted and half frozen and my mother decorated it as mothers have been doing since the first christmas tree was cut parents of today say they are appalled at the sophisticated greed of heir children when it comes o chrislmas presents the kills arent satisfied with a pair of skates or a big doll they want a portable tv set or bongo drums or a transistor radio according o he good oldfashioned chrislmas fairy ale when we were children we accepted with shining eyes and hide squeals of appreciation anything hat we found under he rce well i am here to tell you hat this is pure piffle and pop pycock greed is relative i cov eted a pair of real hockey skates as furiously as my son covets a tape recorder and if my eyes were shining when the new skates turned out to be a new suit of long underwear it was because there were tears in tiiem another hallucination abont ho good oldfashioned christ mas is iiat gifgiving was much more simple for parents in thoso days i disagree one christmas i eavesdropped on my parents as hey talked aliout presents for heir five children it was during he depression and ho conversation was hcar- vertising too many phony san tas too many christmas songs dinned at us for too many hours each day too much eating and drinking but its equally true that todays christmas retains the best things of the old spirit of christmas 9 9 our cars throb and onr stom achs heave at such musical abor tions as jinglo bell rock but good king weaceslas is still with us and im dreaming of a white christmas shows no signs of pushing silent night into oblivion we spend far too much on gifts and cards but we still shop with the idea that it is more blessed as well as more fun to give than to receive and every time we send a card we are sending a little piece of ourselves and there is a mo ment of warmth and pleasure for the recipient when he opens it whatever your way of life your future depends upon your heart no one is immune to heart disease canadians every where are learning that cardiacs can resume their places in their communities as useful and pro ductive citizens heart disease is an enemy that takes more lives than all other causes com bined christmas lights how bright are the lights that shine at christmas the col ors of the rainbow the forest and the lake they shine and they beam they blink and they beckon their reflections ara captured in plate glass and pass ing car windows but where are they brighter still capture if you will the re flection in the eyes of the very young eyes so alive with excitement and anticipation so full of joy and brimful of hope and eagerness christmas lights the eyes of the young but it is not a mere reflection it is a light that comes from deep within from the realization that there is something deeply wonderful about the season of christmas that there is a significant mean ing about to be grasped and yet to be realized this is the light that shines in the eyes of the young it is hope it is anticipation and eagerness to grasp the mean ing of christmas completely fully may the true spirit of christ mas come to each and every one editors mail richmond hill ont dec 12 1960 mr c h nolan publisher the stouffville tribune dear mr nolan this is tc express the grateful appreciation of the campaign committee to yourself and staff for helping us in the recent drive for funds for the thorn- haven school for retarded chil dren the ample publicity and news coverage given by your paper was a great help to the can vassers in making their calls in your area the response from stouffville area was terrific and we feel that you were mainly instru mental in bringing the cause of retardation to the attention of the public for the excellent cooperation throughout the campaign by your paper we extend our heart felt thanks yours very truly george r sweeny publicity chairman ps will any canvasser for thornhaven schoohfor re tarded children who has not turned in their receipts please forward them to their area cap tain or to thornhaven school box 333 richmond hill ont for parents only by nancy cleaver unless a child is ill and run ning a temperature or unless is what youre going o get breaking even for a fairly vou dont liave any real fun out ough 10yearold they were of christmas the rce for ex ample nowadays we just boy a tree why when we were young wed all go out to the bush with dad and cut our own j tree and vhci we came home deep in despair because there was no money for gifts m its true that todays christ mas has attracted some un desirable features too much ad- our children arc just as ex cited about santa claus and he christmas tree and the mys teriously wrapped parcels as ever we were and hey know and love he story of he christ- child as well as ever we did and hey sing and enjoy the lovely old carols as much as ever we did for those crabs who cant en joy the christmas of today be cause they never stop talking about the good oldfashioned christmas i have a suggestion wake up forget the dream it never was like that really stop throwing cald water and start dispensing warm love for un derneath the ballyhoo and the bad taste christmas is still a time for joy and love for giv ing for sentimentality for re newing our faith in the miracle at bethlehem out with gloom and carping im going to do my very best to have a merry christmas and or all the readers of sugar and spice i want the same even the crabs anybody who is trying to attain longevity should on week ends and holidays stay out of anything that has wheels on it the weather is extremely dis agreeable a period of play out doors is a must for a pre school youngster a child reeds brisk exercise when he can run and shout using his big mus cles and filling his lungs with fresli air he has a sense of joyous free dom which is almost impossible in a modern house where the living quarters are none too large even in late autumn and winter a child benefits from sunshine outdoor play pro motes a keen appetite a regu lar bowel movement and sound sleep mothers can save themselves a lot of trouble if they put more time and thought and if neces sary spend a little money on play clothes they should be comformtable not difficult to get into warm enough without being too hot children love bright colors the gay rods and greens and blues in snow suits delight their eyes bright shades also make it easy for mothers to see them when they glance out the window or go to look for their children essential clothing caps or helmets mitts and galoshes should also bp easy to put on have one place in the house for all articles needed for the childs outdoor play if he asks for assistance give it to him but do encourage him to dress and undress himself praise him for this really big accomplishment for a little child orce a child is past the play pen stage an enclosed back yard is a great boon to a family with small children ii the home is on a busy street where a child may be killed by a passing car or truck it is absolutely essen tial inexpensive snow fences are used with posts as a tem porary safeguard by some fam ilies these are to be preferred to tethering a child with a long rope if a preschool child goes to visit a neighbors youngster mother must take time to im press on him lie rulp do not go on the road streets are not good places to play because a little youngster may forget his mothers warning if ho runs out from behind a parked car after a ball or a toy his life may be in danger sleigh and shovel out door equipment should be varied enough to keep a child interested in his play a big ball a wagon a tricycle a slide large blocks are all good fun when the snow falls a sleigh and a small snow shovel pro vide many happy hours outdoor play makes children healthier and happier it should come at a definite time in the day every day and not be ne glected when mother is very busy with other duties this regular time outdoors saves the house from rack and wear and it prevents mothers nerves from becoming frayed by noise and the constant requests of a small child cooped up inside in recent months canadians have been warned that their boys and girls should le in bet ter physical condition observ ers claim our youngsters do not have enough strenuous outdoor exercise and they do have too long a time sitting watching tv outdoor play in winter for a pre3choo chiid fcelpt to build a sound health foundation be sure to fit it into your boys or irls schedule