Tillsonburg District High School - Tatler Yearbook (Tillsonburg, Ontario Canada)

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adults. In my estimation, something of this sort is much needed, for a majority of our citizens are well intentioned, but cannot be called good citizens when they do not use their votes. Now let us turn to Communism. Com- munism is often called the Iron Curtain or the Black Curtain. This is because life behind the Iron Curtain is hard and cruel, and the people lose their civil liberties, and become slaves for the state. In a communist country the people exist for the benefit of the state, instead of the state for the benefit of the people. As soon as I mentioned the word Communism, I can well imagine each one of your thoughts turned to Russia, the greatest upholder of Communism. I would like to describe briefly for you the life in Russia. Scarcely anyone in this country owns his own business or property. It is nearly all government-owned. The people are not paid in cash as we know it, but in credit notes. It is almost compulsory for a farmer to sell his goods to government- owned stations. Here he is paid in credit notes which are valid only at government- owned stores. These stores may buy their goods only from the Government and not from individual citizens. Scarcely anyone born in Russia is al- lowed to leave the country. Those sent out on government assignments, it is made sure, have at least one parent alive in the Soviet. You will probably all remember the heart-stirring stories of G. I.'s who in this last war married Russian girls, and then, because their brides could not leave the country, had to return home without them. The main reason for all this is that the Stalin Government is afraid that these people, upon seeing the freedom allowed to everyone in a demo- cratic country, will voice aloud their dis- approval of the Stalin Government, and spill the story of the common life led behind the Iron Curtain. There are today at least fourteen million slaves in the forced-labour empire of the Soviet Union. They live in corrals surrounded by stockades topped with barbed wire, watched night and day by ritlemen in turrets with powerful search- lights and pack-dogs to pursue runaways. They do the heaviest, roughest, most gruelling labour -- mining, lumbering, 64 forest clearing, construction of roads, rail- roads, canals, airdromes and factories. Their labour-power is cheap, constant, controllable, indifferent to climate. The slaves can be transported in freight cars in unresisting droves like cattle, and can be used without worry over capital in- vested. These Soviet slaves cost nothing to their owner, the state, whose agents simply pick them up from the streets or drag them from their beds at night. When a person reaches the age of seventy, his rations are immediately cut. This is because the Soviet government believes that when a person reaches the age of seventy he is no longer of any value to the country. Need I say more? Really there isn't much more to tell because not much in- formation about the ordinary life is al- lowed from behind the Iron Curtain. Thus, life in a Communist country can be summed up in one short sentence, The State owns you body and soul. If you do not believe my words, perhaps you will believe the words of a Russian, who, after a year in Canada and after seeing the freedom we are all allowed, turned against his country. I would like to quote you a paragraph written by him in his book, pertaining to the big break, Yes, fate has been kind beyond all expectations. If I had to do it all over again, with no hope of financial benefit or even security for my family, I would make the break again. The greatest gain is deep down inside, that I have done my duty toward millions enslaved and voice- less in Russia today. You all know him as Igor Gouzenko. I would like to ask each one of you here, if you have not already done so, to read his book, This Was My Choice. It is obtain- able by the students at the school library or by the adults at the local public library. If you know the harm, and not the good Communism can bring to Canada, there will be no need for the barring of Com- munism from Canadian shores. Thus, I ask you, the citizens of Canada and the future citizens of Canada, to remember, when voting, to cast a ballot that will make you and me proud to be supporters of Democracy and not of Communism. THE TATLER

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DEMOCRACY VS. COMMUNISM by Lois Law, 10B Uzmior Orntorir-nl Contest Prize-Wivming Spccchj Mr. Kirkwood, honourable judges, ladies and gentlemen, the topic on which I have chosen to speak is Democracy versus Communism , for I believe that each one of you should know more about Democracy and its greatest rival, Communism, if our Canadian Democratic Government is to last. We often use the terms, Democracy and Communism and usually associate them with forms of government. Now, you may ask, What is government ? Government is the machinery by which any community, state or country exercises control over its public affairs. As you know from history, ofiicial oversight of all the public affairs of men, and many of their private undertakings has been necessary since men first came into contact with each other. It is the duty of the government to ensure domestic tranquility, provide for common defence, promote the welfare. and secure the blessing of liberty. Govern- ment has developed, grown and changed with the advancing times. All countries do not apply the same means of putting their policies into effect. In a democratic country the government exists for the benefit of the people, who choose representatives directly or in- directly by their votes. Plainly speaking, it is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people! In a truly democratic country each citizen is a member of parliament, but because the country has to be so small to make this possible, there are very few who have it. Two examples, however, are Andora and San Marino. In a country as large as Canada, it is not possible to have each citizen a member of our government. Therefore, we must elect our intelligent and well-informed citizens to our parlia- ment. Upholders of this policy are the United States, Great Britain, France and Canada. Since Canada is governed by a Responsible Government, I shall try to explain it more thoroughly. THE TATLER A Responsible Government is a govern- ment in which the executive may hold oflice only as long as they keep the support of the people behind them. Our country is divided into constitu- encies and a representative from each constituency is elected to vote in parlia- ment on the bills, for the people of the constituency, which he represents. it the base of our government are certain liberties-Civil Liberties as they are often called. The four basic ones are Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Religion, Freedom from Want, and Freedom from Fear. However, two liberties which must not be overlooked are Freedom of Edu- cation and Freedom of our Courts. Education is more necessary today than it has ever been, for how are we to know our government and how to elect it, if we have not been educated? To you students I say, welcome the chance you are receiving for an education today, because it will be a great asset for you tomorrow. To you adults I say, grasp every bit of education you possibly can, either through educational books or by attending night classes at your local school. Anyone in Canada, accused of breaking the law in any way, is subject to be tried in court, and is innocent until proven guilty. The accused is defended by a lawyer and may produce witnesses. He is judged by a jury of independent citizens who are approved by the accused before being sworn in. Anyone imprisoned and not given a trial within a certain time limit, may obtain a writ of Habeas Corpus , and then if not tried immediately may be set free. . About the greatest danger our Democ- racy faces is lackiof interest, and the fact that people take our Democracy for granted. What we must have are people who understand and believe in the prin- ciples of Democracy - such principles as our civil liberties, our freedom of edu- cation: freedom of our courts, and, above all, the freedom to vote and to vot-e the way we think best. We must have citizens who have an understanding and sense of responsibility and who are willing to work and co-operate. Courses in citizenship are now being started as experiments for D. P.'s, or whom I prefer to call New Canadian Citizens, and for any interested 63

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?1'3 i 'Q-i ,- -,QA-... A-V. Q . -. 1, Q i ' 4 , s,-1-s R pic I 'XNKKN-N f Z 7 4 E f X -uxlsf , c illmlllllllllilfl 1 'l HUM K HU '51 l' L If L Ta.. Q ff - .-5fc Tg v . l -l . SFF45? 'i-55.9 ..:. ,X , L. 1 'alfwgk Q. NZ E7 'xr 'ghfsl,,f' ' GJ - fc' 9 ff, 'Y 'V ' Vi if ggi-ek-rd f OXGJQQ ' 'I f 5' l. My Xgigqf E7 CO1 7- .E i J 'V .. Q ws. f ,, .. V A .u T . 1 , 1 xgoyg. 9? -r fi ...ta Q5 ff. . 4 ly fl ww? Ifdff' ' S' -, - mu XJ I 0 Hwicisflwfggd it A will :Nz A .4 . a- ll- - Lf , ' f ' - .a G--' a...J G..-D - ' lfvjl x A 2 H i 1 F. I -at ,, ,s - . 2 H' 9 AN oven-cRovJDEO RooM AT' TNS- Befisf Gm, HA PRIZE-WINNING CARTOON OUR MODERN f?J SCHOOL by John Fody, XII As we come to school each morning we are confronted by an old, grey, brick building which has done more than serve its purpose. The narrow hallways of the school are veritably jammed when periods are changed. The ancient stairways have gouges in them. Obviously many feet have trod upon them, and tripped. However, the odd case of someone's tumbling head- long downstairs and breaking his neck relieves the monotony. When one is possessed with an insa- tiable thirst, usually a bunch of girls who know no better than to do their quibbling there, bar the way to drink . . . water from the fountain, that is. At least four more of these thirst quenchers are needed. The lighting system is so inadequate THE TATLER that students have to wear thick-lensed bifocals for the rest of their lives. The suffocating ventilation system works very well also. Students are con- stantly gasping for breath, and someone usually has a brain-storm which results in opening the windows as far as possible. Then the teachers and girls freeze. Oddly enough, we men try to stick up for our rights, but the windows are closed. Apparently modern man is being subordinated into meek obedience. When four o'clock rolls around, a few innocent bystanders are crushed by the stampede. Students swagger-er-stagger home. Books, you know! Around ten o'clock our homework fans, looking out of red-rimmed eyes and from beneath dishevelled hair, call for a pot of black coffee.-Who wouldn't? Thus ends my serious point of view about our illustrious school. 65