BEE

OMEN’S

news and views

BUBB BREE:

OTT tr Tn |

«

Children’s books festival topic

Children’s Books.”
&@ puppet show for children.

One of the highlights of the Book Festival being sponsored by the
People’s Cooperative Bookstore Association at Hastings Auditorium
here this weekend will be a talk by Bette Fee, “What’s Worthwhile in
Also on the Saturday afternoon program will be

A FEW weeks ago I told of a,
very young lady who sent a letter
to the Scott-Bathgate Company
asking them to exchange an Am-
erican flag which she hadi received
4S a prize in her popcorn for a
‘Canadian one. Here, in part, is
‘the reply:

“The flag that you received was
One of a collection of flags that
We have been using as prizes in
9Ur popcorn and we had thought
that perhaps some girls and boys
Would like to save the flags of
the various nations but we do in-
deed admire your loyalty to the
Canadian flag, which all of us
Should be very proud of.”

Apart from the fact that we do
hot have a Canadian flag of which
to be proud, and which was of
Course not sent, the youngster’s
feelings were quite assuaged when

Ox of assorted prizes which are
Used in their popcorn. The only
atch is, I’m afraid she will be
Teady to do battle with any com-
Pany on the drop of. a peanut.

* * ae

A VERY interesting article in
'® recent issue of the New Yorker
dealt with the history of a 20-
Year old American youth who had
Just committed murder during a
holdup. Dr. Fredric Wertham, a
Psychiatrist who has done ‘consid-
rable work on the psychology of
Murder ard who at one time was
€ Director of the Psychiatric
inic of the Court of General
Sessions asked permission to in*
_ terview him. The examination
: lasted four and a half hours, and
™M his report Wertham attributed
© Young man’s abnormal mental
Condition to his lifelong desire to
‘ind his mother and to his being
“onditioned to violence by a
_ Steady diet of comic books. The
Teport states in part:

ieee

7

She received from the company a’

“In addition, I have come to
the conclusion that B——’s read-
ing of violent crime comic books
at the impressionable age of
ten to fourteen has been an im-
portant contributing factor in
leading to his profound emo-
tional maladjustment and moral
confusion.. This influence of
comic books I have often found,
especially in children who are
emotionally neglected and ex-
posed to the insecurity of brok-
en homes, unsuitable foster
homes,. and prolonged institu-

* tionalization.”

No wonder the Soviet. Union is

~ accusing the United States of us-

ing a dangerous weapon in West-
ern Europe — American comics.
Moscow Radio said Americans
were “flooding Europe with -ideol-
ogical and moral poison in an at-
tempt to corrupt the younger gen-
eration in France, Britain and
other countries to prepare them
as cannon fodder.”

In Canada, County judge A. G.
McDougall convicted and fined the
National News Company on each
of a number of charges of dis-

‘tributing obscene literature to Ot-

tawa news stands. Unfortunately
none of the books or picture mag-
azjnes was a comic book, yet to
my mind they are worse than any
of those dealt with at the hearings
and should be banned in our coun-
try -BiGi

CONCERNED WITH GOOD CHILDREN’S PROGRAMS |

Private TV proposals alarm
Congress of Canadian Women

B.C. PROVINCIAL Council of
of the Congress of Canadian Wo-
men this week went on record in
support of CBC-controlled TV as
opposed* to uncontrolled private
television stations, i

In a letter to CBC chairman A.
Davidson Dunton, the CCW presi-
dent, Mrs. Hilda Scott, and secre-
tary, Mrs. Agnes Jackson, con-
gratulated the CBC on its televi-
sion plans. Their letter, read, in
part:

“We were particularly interest-
ed in your plans for good child-
ren’s programs, for use of Cana-
dian talent and Canadian writers,
and to keep advertising to a mini-
mun. aie

“As an organization whose dear-
est desire is to see Canadian child-
ren grow and develop in a world
free from the evil influence of
crime comics, crime radio plays,

crime movies and all other debas- '

ing and degrading forms of so-
called: entertainment that try to
dominate today, we most sincere-
ly wish you and your assistants to
know that you have our support.

“We are sure that you also have
the support of the overwhelming
majority of Canadian mothers and
fathers who are finding it more
and more difficult to cope with
the evil influences that beset our
children today and which mainly
emanate from south of the bor-
der.”

» Another letter from the CCW
sent to the Vancouver Sun “view-
ed with*alarm” the attacks made
by that newspaper on the,CBC as
well as its advocacy of uncontroll-
ed private TV stations.

“We feel that the efforts being
made by the CBC to see that our
country has the best in television
both technically and as to con-
tent, is something deserving of

CCW holding

annual bazaar

IT’S TIME to begin thinking
about Christmas — and, unfortun-
lately, to worry about how you’re
going to stretch those precious
‘dollars to cover everything. One
way you can buy inexpensive gifts
and at the same time help a
worthy cause is/by dropping in at
the annual bazaar sponsored by
the Congress of Canadian Women.
It’s being held this coming Satur-
day, November 29, at Hastings
Auditorium, 828 East Hastings. ‘

Among the articles on sale will
be baby garments, novelties, bulbs
and plants. And there'll be a good
selection of home cooking. You'll
be able to get lunch and afternoon
tea there,too.

gratitude on the part of all Can-
adians who are interest in seeing
the growth .of an independent
Canadian culture,” the letter said.

“We have read a number of
reports from prominent American
educators and others on the very
harmful effects the. majority of
TV shows in America have had
upon the physical and mental

health of American children Vis-
ual education has proven the most
powerful means of impressing the
minds of children. We therefore
feel that it is our responsibility
to see that it is used in the best
possible manner, with the aim of
deepening and enriching the cul-
tural life of our people, especially
our children.”

BRIDE WHO REFUSED TO STAY BEHIND

Riel's grandmother first
white woman on prairies

IN THE YEAR 1807 if a young
women was not married at the age
of twenty-fives there was a great
shaking of heads and’ murmurings
of the poor thing becoming an old

maid. But Marie Anne Gadboury 2
of Three Rivers, Quebec, who was-

noted for her beauty, couldn’t see
herself marrying one of the local
farmers and settling down to an
unexciting life. She would rather
marry one of the coureurs de bois,
the bush rangers, who were wild

and reckless but romantic.

Marie got her wish when Jean
Baptiste Lajimodiere came home
to Three Rivers bringing with him
the sights and sounds and smells
of the prairie. In April, 1807, they
were married. Soon the young
husband began talking of return-
ing to the Northwest to make
their fortune.

It was the custom for the wives
of these adventurous men to stay
at home, but Marie Anne would
have none of this. She decided
she could make certain of her
place out'in this wild region and
prove to the men of Three Rivers
that women too had courage and
enterprise. Her good husband
was horrified when she announced
that her bag was packed and that
she was prepared to go along — a
thousand miles into the wilder-

* ness where no white woman was

known to have gone before. Des-
pite his protests and those of
family, friends and priest, she had
her way.

And so it was that the gfand-
mother of Louis Riel became the
first white woman in’ the North-
west. Travelling by canoe with
the fur brigade they finally made
their way to Pembina, where on
January 6, 1808 the first white
child in that area was born in

' tipi, while the prairie wind whip-

ped the taut skins of the Jodge
and the “snow pattered against
them. Three Indian and Metis
women helped the new mother,
and the white girl from Three

’

‘Rivers never forgot the kindliness

of her sisters of the wilderness.
Many years later when her hus-
band was dead and the children;

. dispersed she did not go back to

Three Rivers but went again to
live among the Indians.
* * tee

MARIE HIAD.A number of —
children including another daugh-
ter, Julie. Julie grew up among
Indian and Metis children and
spoke Cree and French as _ the
Metis did, and in 1843 she married
one. He was Louis Riel, a rest-
less ambitious man who did not
like farming and who finally set
up a flour mill, and there, at St.
Boniface, young Louis Riel was
born. ,¢ x

~All during young Riel’s turbu-
lent life, his mother and grand-

mother helped him and gave him
refuge when necessary. When
the province of Ontario posted a
reward of $5000 for Riel, armed
raidérs burst into the Riel house,
threatened Louis’s mother and sis-
ter and ransacked their little cot-
tage. During his trial in Regina
they did everything possible to
free him and his mother never
gave up hope that her son would
escape. Louis’ wife Marguerite,
dying of grief in St. Boniface,
was unable to visit him. (She died
2 few months after he was hang-
ed.)

In_ Riel’s last testament he
thanked “ma bonne et tendre
mere” for her unfailing love, his
wife for her goodness and affee-
tionate patience, and begged : the
latter’s forgiveness for the suffer-
ing he had caused: her. To his
children, he wrote, he could leave
no gold or silver; he could only
pray that God would accept his
sacrifice and give them a father’s
blessing. : :

And so Louis, Riel found his last
resting place beside his grand-
parents, Jean Baptiste Lajimiod-
iere and Marie Anne, the pretty
bride who refused to wait in Three .
Rivers as brideq were supposed to
do.

Castle Jewelers

' Watchmaker and
_~ Jewelers f
Special Discount to.
all Tribune Read-
W\ ers. Bring this ad

. with you
4X 752 Granville St.

Ee

A

consumption,

of jim crowism.

~ Pause that nauseates

COCA-COLA is sold wherever free enter-
prise holds sway, a potent factor in the politics
of many countries. In Italy, women found they
could get “mutual aid” Coca-Cola when they
could not get milk for their children. In France,
it threatens the wine industry with ruin. In both
countries it has become the hated symbol of —
American domination. Vace

But the policy pictured here is for domestic
This vending machine, photo-
graphed in an Alabama gas station, with its sep-
arate. taps for “white” afd “colored,” is a symbol
It’s worth remembering next
. time you buy a soft drink.

ees

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — NOVEMBER 28, 1952 — PAGE 11