PAGE 4, THE HERALD, Tuesday, April 18, 1978

EDITORIAL

No more roses _

This Is definitely the last year I shall grow
reses. My father - as have ‘Perhaps half the
fathers of the world loved roses.
Yorkshireman, he was raised in the memory of
the terrible ‘‘Wars of the Roses” — the bloody
battles between the Houses of Yorkshire and
Lancashire — symbolized by red roses and white
roses. Stili, the unrdvished beauty of the pat-
terned petals of an unfolding rosebud, bejewelled
with the diamond-clear drops of morning dew or
nectar evéning mist never failed to catch at his
heartstrings,

My early years, which saw me attending over
a dozen schools on three continents never per-
mitted me the luxury of rose-gardening, had I so

Came the War. Fate allowed me the sensation
of viewing at first hand the wild Irish rose, the
varied blooms of tree roses, bush roses, clirnbing
roses, floribunda, tea and hybrid species to be
found throughout the United Kingdom — and on
the Continent.

Once passing hurriedly in a highly vulnerable
wireless vehicle, as a signalman with the
Canadian Armed Forces, not far from Flanders
fields, immortalized and blooded in an eartier
war, I marvelled at the still deeper hue of
velvety roses vying for attention beside’ the
papery shells of the poppies, and pondered the
words of twelfth century Persia's poet, Kyhham:
“T think there never bloomed the rose so red, as
where some buried Caesar once has bled...’’ _

Then, the War over, back to Canada,
University, and a life of 30 years in the sub-arctic |
where, six inches beneath the surface, ice-hard
permafrost and the harshest climate known in
the northern hemisphere made roseculture
unthinkable.

The self-imposed penance of life on the tundra
over, a new life in the Pacific Northwest at last

‘made rose cultivation possible — and I hurried to
lay in a variety of the loveliest roses the labelled
cartons could promise.

So began, what for the past five years has been
a traumatic experience,

Merely taking the purchased rose bushes
tenderly out of their cardboard wrappings
resulted in punctures of skin and vein, spurting
blood and oozing capillaries as the thorn-
stepped stalks nettled my fingers and hands.
Later, bending over the growing branches to
spray the myriad insects intent on devouring
every leaf and bud and stem, the prickly ar-
moured limbs would rend mercilessly trousers,
sleeves or whatever article of my clothing fell
within snagging distance. © .

. Plucking worms, caterpillars, earwigs, snails,
Slugs — the creeping, crawling slimy micro-
populations of the nether world out to harm my
rose-deyeloping bushes meant submission to
butchery to my fingers, scars from my wrists to
my elbows and beyond. My rose shrubs, rather
than welcoming the tender loving care; the
fortunes in sprays, powders, pellets and in-
secticides I sought to protect them with;
ignoring the fortunes in fertilizers, “rose foood”’,
root, stem and leaf nourishment I lavished upon
them, seemed rather to lie in wait, jabbing me
with their vestigal ‘hardware’ of innocent-
.. looking but terribly destructive thorn weaponry.

~- Likewise, I dreaded the surgery of pruning. I
tried to convey the idea “this hurts me more than

- it hurts you” as I snipped off the new grown
branches one by onew to cut back the rosetrees
the my new library of rose-culture books
depicted. a

The annual operation always ended up with
thorn-filled fingers, thumbs, clothing - and
tears in my eyes from the sharp pain of battle-
punctures. There would be bits of thorny stems
and pieces clinging to my clothing. I tried to
gather the snippets of branches in garbage bags
and other containers, as I pruned to be hauled

‘away by the weekly garbage collection service,
All else. was duly picked up, but invariably the
rose prunings would be left behind, would
scatter, and have to be painfully gleaned from

the ground. , ;

Last week, as I waded in for my annual Spring
preparation ritual, amid the fertile bounty of a
ong Winter’s contribution from the neigh-
bourhood’s dog and cat population I again had
proof that most roses will not survive a cold

- winter, Only five out of twenty-five rosebushes
retained their green stems, indicating survival.

The other twenty were dry, blackened and dead

-—but still, in death no less lethal than in life,

Life, I decided, is painful enough, without the
self-inflicted hurts attendant in growing roses...
roses that would die with the first hard frost of
Winter, anyway.

The butter-bright daffodils a kindly neighbour
gifted me with last fall are already brightening
my life with their bell-like blossoms, I can ap-
preciate their own delicate beauty without

; painful memory. Let others, more horny-
ded and more hardened than I fight their
personal Wars of the Roses. As for me and my
ouse, through with regret, we shall shower our
labours of love on less thorny issues. Life is far
too short - and I don’t think the roses will even
miss me.
The welcome signed latiers to the edifor but
reserves the right to select and edit tham fer brevity,
Ubel, taste and appropriateness. Publication does not
mean editor, staff or publisher of the HERALD share
the views of the writers or accept responsibility for
thelr accuracy or statements, or associate themselves
with the causes espoused by ihe writers. The Letters
columns ara provided as a neadedpublic forum, wholly
without charge, to enable persons from all walks of
Hife, races, religions and levels of education te exprens
thelr peraonal convictions on matters of general tn-
terest. Publication of their letters does not absolve
them from legal action If they are libellous, slan-
derous, fradulent or outside the bounds of decency.

Yellowhead
inter-
provincial
highway
report

ACTION REPORT NO.32

VIA&THE
YELLOWHEAD;

VIA the umbrella
structure new operatin
Canada’s two nationa
railways, will be running
one transcontinetal train
to Winnipeg, then one
train will branch off
westward paralleling the
Trans- Canada Highway
and the other’ the
Yellowhead. Federal
transport officials have
obviously recognized that
in the West, economic
and population trends
generally point north-
south, therefore the need
for two lines.

it's high time the same
federal officials applied
this logic to highways,
thereby identifying the
Yellowhead as a vital
rt of Canada’s national

ghways system, backed
by a cost-sharing
upgrading program
designed to bring ‘the
Yejlowhead to a uniforni
quality, commensurate
with the present- and
future needs.

“EXPLORE CANADA'S
YELLOWHEAD* .

That's the challenging
masthead on our 100,000
map-brochures soon to be
off the press. The 1978
issue will be distributed.
from our office to ap-
proximately 250 outlets.,
In addition the Canadian
Government Office of
Tourism and the four
provincial tourism
departments will reach
out across the borders
and beyond. »

To change the mileages
to metric and to update
the hard surfaced roads
has necessitated a sub-
stantial change in

oduction format. We
ope you'll like it.

YELLOWHEAD
OFFS:

‘Hon, Fred Peacock,
former Alberta cabinet
minister, had been
elected president of the
Western Transportation
Advisory ouncil
(WESTAC). Our
Association is a member.
-Effective next month the
Saskatchewan Highways
Department will com-
mence converting
Yellowhead’s numbers
and installing new route
markers, Numbers 5 and
14, will become NUM-
BER 16!

-Mid-term Board Meeting
will be held in Ed-
‘monton's Chateau
Lacombe on Saturday,
June 0.

-Put a circle around the
weekend of Novemember
3-4. That's Convention
time in Edmopton’s
MacDonald Hotel.

-With the completion of
this year’s road building
program the Manitoba

SIGN-.

’ portion of the Yellowhead

will be upgraded to the
accepted load-limit
maximum of 110,000

pounds,

And with that en-
couraging note we sign
off for another month.
Cheerio!

‘TODAY IN HISTORY
By THE CANADIAN
‘PRESS

Manfred von Richthofen
whose use of bright red
fighter alrcraft gained
him the nickname The

Baron, was shot
down and killed over the
‘Western Front 60 years
ago teday—in 191b—by

‘Capt. Roy Brown of

Carleton Place, Ont,
Australian gunners also
claimed to have been re-
sponsible for shooting

down von Richthofen's
Fokker Triplane, parts of
which are on private
display at the Royal
Canadian Military In-

stitute, Toronto,
1823—The first
steamboat service

started on the Mississippi
River,
1836—Texas won in-
dependence from Mexico,
1910—American author
and humoriat Samuel
Getnens— Mark Twain—

_ By Richard Jaoksen

Ottawa — Forgive, Forglve,

But who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of
men? °

Stanley Knowles. ;

Yep, that’s how bad things are here in these
parliamentary parts that even the jokes smell.

But ail.is not lost. .
i tidings filtering back here to Pierre
the West Coast where Keith Spicer is said to be
shopping for a nomination in the oncoming
election.

You'll remember Mr. Spicer, former Com-
missioner of Official Languages whose annual
reports to Parliament. on the progress of the
government in “Frenchifying” — his very own
word, that one — the country were largely a
diatribe against what he saw as English bigotry.

M. Spicer, now a Vancouver-based columnist
unhappy with his low profile —‘after years of
enraging English Canada with his abusive

party that will have him.

The trouble is — surprise, surprise — that none
of the three major political organizations are in
the bidding.

Even the Liberals, confide West Coast
parliamentarians, will only go so far as to
grudgingly agree that if he can find a con-
Stituency he can go for it, but without any official

support. i

That's gratitude.

And after the outrageous lengths to which he
went in his efforts as Commissioner of Official
Languages to “stuff French down your throats,”'
as he denied ever trying.

If he’s serious about looking for a constituency,

| he might try Quebec’s Montreal riding of

Westmount, whose constituents he once branded
as ‘‘Rhodesians.”

“Westmount Rhodesians,” he called the
largely-English residents of the riding, meaning
dit, of course, as an insult,

How regional can regionalism get? ‘

Ask Liberal MP Hugh Anderson of Comox-
Alberni. oe

There he was, busy meeting with some of his
constituents at a gathering in Port Hardhy when up
popped a lady to complain he was spending far
too much time worrying about “eastern in-
terests.” . 7

Well aware, as are most MPs, that politicians

track Ottawa tend to get out of touch with the
“real Canada”, he was a bit taken aback.

_ Atsome length he explained that almost all his
efforts and work in Ottawa were directed to the

-terests and well: being. =»). -- Lo
- “But I'm not talking about Ontario or even
Quebec,” the woman retorted patiently. “I’m

talking about the ‘rest’? in terms of Vancouver,”

But it’s the same all over. .

In Parliament, to each his own.

Classic examples of federal political
regionalism or provincialism was provided not
by the Atlantic provinces, Newfoundland,
Quebec, the Prairies, or even supposedly
“remote” British Colurnbia, crouched on the
Pacific shore on the “other side” of the Rockies.

It came from Ontario, From Sudbury, to be

, precise.

Where a former MP, bored to death with
seemingly endless debates by Prairie politicians
on crops and prices, rose to reply in one of the
best basic getting-to-the-polnt-of-the-thing heardl
before or since in the Commons.

‘I’m so sick of hearing about wheat,” he said,
“I’m swearing off bread.”

Letters to |

the Editor:

Grateful for sports
-rec. helps

sponsoring the ski lessons
for school children and

Dear Sir:

May I use your
publication ,to openly
ank the. Terrace Lion's

the School District and
Recreatlon Department

Ottawa Offbeat = | |
eau's bilingual capital of Ottawa-Hull from —

reports — is reported to be ready to run for any

atm K ee ea,

p.m. each evening.

: pi
Z RTs sie

Denise Brochw and Lori Rudd star in “Babel Rep” one of three plays to be
presented this week on Wednesday and Thursday, April 19 and 20, by the
Caledonia Players '78. Performances will be at Terrace Little Theatre at 8

Pies pia “4 |
eats Cea

isolated from the main stream ‘in off-the-beaten- "

preservation and protection of ‘West Coast in-

Club for the tennis courts,
Our family are enjoyin

'_ the terrific facillties an
German air ace Baron:

look forward to the future
courts beittg built by the
Rotary.

At the same time I'd
also like to thank the
Regional District and
School District for

for
‘skating programs.
Terrace is a great place
for families when we
have such great Co:
operation between these
departments,

incerely

Mrs. G. Jeffrey

_ Thinks schoo! board

won't answer

Dear Mr. Editor:

You really must be a
neweomer if you think
you Can get an answer out
‘of the School Board!

The lat few qandidates
have made a big thing out
of informing the public"
when they wante
elected, But since getting

in: there, they are even

worse than the former
Board. When Harrison
had her “hot line’ on
CFTK every day, she
knew everything and
promised everything, but

4

to be ha

we sure don't get a word
on anything at all since
she got in there almost 2
years ago, and others
Sneak in without any
contest, Sure js too bad
that no one takes any
interest at all in what
\ppenis there.

ours truly
Joannie

“Raw pedple do business
well who do nothing alse,”
_ Lord Chesterfield

the swimming and -

Sir:
In response — to

“Christian Educator” let

me add a few words.

There is already a

school. in Terrace. that..

reflects many of the
concerns that the writer
of the letter suggests. His
(her?) comments
regarding the public
school system are ac-
curate. Indeed the
redominant view of life
in society and therefore
reflected in the public
sehool system is
humanism.: Man is

1 Supreme; he is his own

od; he serves only

imself. This view of

‘course is in direct con-

tradiction to the view of
Bible-believing parents
and thelr children.
Therefore the alternate,
independent, Christian
school is a necessity for
this segment. of our
society.

The Centennial
Christian School has-been
established for this
purpose. A group
concerned Christian
parents got together
about 20 years ago with

. the vision that such a

school should be

‘established in Terrace. °
’ In 1987 that school was a

reality.
In this school God is

” recognized as the giver of

of -

In this school the
revelation of God in the
Scriptures, through His

. Son, and in His Creation

is recognized as being

crucial: for education...

Subjects ‘are taught and
studied from this per-
spective Norms
established by God and
revealed by Him are to be
followed for a full and
rewardinglife, Failure to

follow these norms
_Tesults in spiritual death,
This is illustrated

especially in such sub-
jects as History and
Social Studies. —
Moreover, it is clear that
there are also norms
established for the
sciences, (the search for
truth in the humanistic
school), for the use of
language, for
mathematics, as well as
for behaviour,

All of life is seen as ©

being under the
sovereignity of God,
There is noarea of life, no
activity that is outside a
rson’s responsibility to
of service to his God,
The student learns what
that means in hia
academics, , physical
activities, social ac-

‘tivities, emotions, ete,

He learns how to exercise

-his responsibility by

coming to an: un-
derstandin of =the

Replies to “Christian Educator”

Should
have suc

renis wish to
an education
for their children, take a
good look, at what is
already available. A new
“Christian academy. may .-.
not be the answer, .«
Denominationism has -
already split the
Christian Church into too
many fragments. I
believe ‘that Christians
can work together in
unity in the field of
education,

The cost are high
sbecause government
funding is limited, The
parents of-children going
to the Centennial
Christian School know the
cost is worth it, They are
rewarded by have their
children become
academically competent,
ready to do service to
their Lord,

Sincerely

Bert Seinen -

SUICIDE BID FAILS

KOBE, Japan (Reuter)
+ Two teen-age lovers
who jumped from the roof '
of a O-storey building {na
suicide pact suffered
minor injuries after .
crashing through the roof
of a Shinto temple, police
said, The boy and his
girlfriend, both high

school students, had left a

all of life. itis He whois various subject areas as letter saying their
seen as the source of all they are taught from a relationship had bean
truth, Christian perspective, opposed by their parents,
. . _ a a .

Centennial Christian School.

gga | . a

not affiliated with a Church

Batter: Terrace Daily school age children such Educator’, Janna

Inresponse to the Jetter °°

Friday, April 4, by a
“Christian Educator’ I
wish to make clear that
the Centennial Christian
School is not affiliated to
the church. [t is indeed

’ separate from the church

even theugh it is
physically adjacent to it,

t is true that many
parents that support the

hilosphy of the Christian

hoo] also attend the
Christian Reformed
Church. The Word of God
speaks to us as Christians
to obey and serve Him In
all of life and worship
Him together.

Though there is surely
room for another such
school in Terrace,
presently there is a lot of
room-in the Centennial

Christian School For -
Christian parents of

General Office - 635-6357
Circulation - 635-6157

pald In cash, return

permission of the Publisher,

PUBLISHER,,,Den Cromack

MANAGING EDITOR...Ernest Sentor
REPORTERS...Conha: Vallleras
REPORTERS..,Scott Browes (Kitimat-Kitamaat)

_Publishad every weekday at 3212 Kalum St,

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you, ‘Christian Seinen,

TERRACE/KITIMAT

_daily herald

Published by
Sterling Publishers

(Terrace-Thornhill)

Terrace,
Authorized as

without the written