Trinity College School - Record Yearbook (Port Hope, Ontario Canada)

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Law and Order In the fall of 1974, both major Toronto dailies, the Globe and Mail and the Star, published a series of articles about alleged unprovoked beatings being adminis- tered by members of the Metropolitan Police Force to innocent citizens. I live in Toronto and I believe that these charges can do nothing but harm. Being a citizen of Toronto means being able to say that I live in a city which is an urban paradise compared to many cities of its size. A visitor to Toronto is amazed to see people walking downtown after sunset without fear of being at- tacked. The lack of crime in Toronto can be attributed to two things: the public’s confidence in, and support of their police force; and the police force’s knowledge that they have this supp ort. To illustrate this point, one can compare the jobs of a policeman in Toronto and in Detroit. If the Detroit policeman is responding to a call he knows that it might be a trap set for him by a psychopathic killer or it may be a harmless old lady lonely for company. Worse, however, is that he knows that no matter where he goes, people will stare and sneer, yell pig , and ignore him if he is in trouble. The Toronto policeman on the other hand knows that he can obtain assistance from citizens if he needs it. I realize that I might be paint- ing an exaggerated picture of the Toronto citizen fighting his way through a hail of bullets in order to save the hard-pressed man in blue. But this is not far from the truth. When ugly incidents such as goon squads of policemen used to subdue violent prisoners, and harsh methods of questioning are disclosed to the public, I think this mutual trust and confidence is undermined. There are over thirty-two hun- dred men in the Metropolitan Police Force of Toronto. The media have told of the deeds of at most twenty men in this force and the “crimes they have com- mitted. What of the countless lives the other 99.6% have saved and the peace and order they have maintained in Toronto? In other cities, riots are quelled with brutal stormtrooper-like tactics, whereas the Metropolitan Force have on many occasions attained the same results by orderly means, relying more upon the powers of reason rather than violence. They are the finest police force in North America as they have proven time and time again. I was relieved to see in the Globe and Mail the other day, an article which told of a gang who dragged policemen from their cars and beat them on two occa- sions. The news was disheartening, but the fact that the incident was noted and the following public outrage was immense gave me the feeling that the Toronto public are still in full favour of their police force. They are not going to be hood- winked by sensationalist, scandal-hungry newspapers which allow ' rumours and innuendoes to occupy the front page. It has proven that the public trust and have confidence in their officials and upholders of the law. Several years ago, there was a great deal of talk about “Law and Order across North America. Today much of this talk has died away but the spiraling crime rate persists, and has reached critical levels in many urban ghettos. Toronto is indeed fortunate to possess such a fine police force, and in order to ensure that the ideal of “Law and Order ’ remains a reality, we must continue to give it our utmost support. 18

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Just as the Pilgrims must have felt upon sighting Plymouth, my bow man got a bit over zealous, and in a liolent swing of the paddle, pointed to the dimly lit cabin, and exclaimed, “Hey look, over there!” All you dlow canoeists will know that any quick movement made in a canoe, if not completely counterbalanced by In equally quick movement in the opposite direction, will cause an upending. Newton’s Laws were certain- ly not suspended on this occasion, and my friend and I promptly found ourselves bobbing in the water be- tide an upturned canoe. For those who have not had the distinct pleasure, the water in Algonquin Park is [specially cold at 1:30 in the morning! Despite our efforts, neither the mysterious person in the dimly lit [abin, nor the campers who were busily sawing logs on White Rock heard our laments, and we were forced |b swim our cold way back to the tent. Over the years, I have derived many pleasures from canoeing, but none perhaps more ‘ennobling’ than on bat memorable night in Algonquin Park. It may not have had the drama of “The Cremation of Sam McGee ”, I: or was it the first time I’ve been warm , but it did nothing to reduce my love of a great sport. Look fast Look fast Look fast. People Look Look Don’t waste Waiting for It may never come. m the blossoms bloom, Let the smiles bring laughter. Don’t look now, It’s too late. Now you look straight up, As you fall right down . . . They’re laughing but don’t look now. 17

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The Younger Generation vs. Richard Needham In a recent series of articles in the Globe and Mail, Richard Needham openly accused the younger generation of being generally lazy and gutless ! He implied that the younger generation, my generation, would not and could not fight if there was a real challenge put to them. Because of this basic failure inherent in the younger generation, he says, the par- ents of the world, at least in the North American context, can be divided into two classes. There are those who admit that their children are failures and those who do not. What I object to most in these articles is the basic, and I think unsupported, negative gen- eralizations that are put forward. It is simply not possible to condemn the young people of North America in one simple sentence, especially when it is not true. In answer to Needham s accusations I would like to answer with my own generalization, a generalization I feel I can show to be basically true I think that there are a lot of young people around who are extremely resourceful and energetic and whose parents are proud of them, think they re making a success with their lives, and are only too willing to admit it The younger generation is more tolerant of others and we are more inventive than our parents, who were brought up in a world of rigid social structure and prejudice. As to Need- ham s suggestion that we eouldn t and wouldn’t fight if faced with a challenge, I reply, “Just try us and see what happens. ' Thanks to our parents the younger generation is generally more aware of the world situa- tion, the way others live, and how we affect them. The result is such organizations as the stu- dent operated and conceived “Pollution Probe in Ontario, the massive student clean-up of the polluted California beaches, the highly successful CUSO profram for university stu- dents, and the countless other examples of student involvement in the world community. The Canadian Government “Opportunities for Youth program is another example. I admit students are taking advantage of this program but then there will always be people, young and not so young, who will take advantage of a good thing. For everyone who takes advantage of the program we can point to a hundred who made productive use of it. In answer to Needham’s articles I do not mean to portray the younger generation as a bunch of latter day saints. There are many young people, as indeed there are old people, who are lazy bums, who don t care about anyone but themselves, and are authentic failures in the eyes of society. What I’m saying is that the younger generation is by no means what Need- ham says they are. Frankly, the fact that Needham is single and has no children of his own seems to show through here. At this moment it seems the whole world is moving toward social and economic crisis. With the emergence of the Third World OPEC countries as major economic powers, the ever- increasing world food shortage, and the fast-decreasing resource base, the world is head- ing towards some kind of revolution that must change our present political, economic, and social way of thinking. The Club of Rome predicts this will come before 1985. In order to deal with this, the major powers of the world are going to need strong, inventive leadership. It is my generation that must accomplish this. I have, unlike Needham, seen enough good in the younger generation, — in the leadership structure of my school, and in such enterprises as the provincial debating seminars of this country, to know that my gen- eration has the potential to fight for what they believe in. The world and its leaders face per- haps the greatest challenge of our history in the next fifty years. In order to meet that chal- lenge we will have to be strong, and more co-operative on a world-wide basis than ever be- fore. I think my generation can do it. 19