Fi This uiîusual brick building aI ftic corner of Brock and Elni Streets in downtown Whitby stands ouI as one of the înost interesting architeQïtural landinarks of the town. To those unfamiliar with l9tli century architecture ils original tise may seem a my/stery, but thie architectural style ciearly indicates that it xvas bîiît as a bank. The buiding, uîow occupied by a gift shop and apartm . nts, xvas buiit in 1867 as the Whitby branch of .istorical itby by firian Wintjer Miss, Mrs. or Ms. AIl three îîean fundamcntally thie samne thing - vornian. Last year nîany of thern wore lapel buttons imprinted "Why Not". Some people are stilI wondering what it meant and 1 guess I'one of tlicm. I'm stating now what 1Ive believed for a long tiine. Woman is esscntiaîly the niother of life. And as frcquentîy claimed by so rnany women, she*has been taken for grantcd as ' destined to becomne not only a niother but cook, nurse, house-keeper, baby-sitter, lover, friend, and in so many cases demure and subdued by thîe demiands, whiiîs and wislies of men (maray. but not aIl). Regretfuily, the ads using sucli termnîology as "You've Corne A Long Way Baby", iii this writer's opiniioni, merely debase thme role of a womnan in life today. May 1 suggest Iliat woîîîeî try a little uiidcrstanîding too tîat for centuries thîe role of nian and wvoîîaiî have bccîî prcdetermnined bothi by churci aîîd state. Thîe uîîtying of' stucli a powvcrfuI kuiot cauînot be accoiliplislîcd overniglit. 1've worked with wouien of ail ages and found maîy (il' theîîî with fine acadeniic îîiîîds and othiers vwith auîîazing physical prowess. (I honcstly believe that uîîder simîilar circumnslaîces, giveil the sanie opportuuiity plus thue sainie assistanîce, there are as îîany wouîîeu withî fine ids as thîcre are men). In 1965 at the Royal York I otel, Toronto, 30 couples were assembled ini the I lotel Library for a special political celebration dinner. 1 was the last person invited to miake a short address. Every other speaker had received prior warning of a speech -- except niyself. Whien 1 started 1 made il clear that cverything tiat could lie said liad miore or less been said and there was orily one thing left tw add. 1 requested that nlliche men stand up and give a toast Io the people whio had stood beside themi and mnade, it possible l'or thenî flot only to lîe present at tlhe dinner but who stood shoulIde r-to-shoulIder with them îthroughi eighit grucîling wee'.s of puliical activity. My toast was: "Gentlemen, A Toast ToThe Ladies, The Men's Champion". Needless to say, the lad ieso, within seconds, gave thundering applause and thIm îen were fIa bergasted. But, very quickly they joined in 100 but after tlhe dinner several nien cailne over 10 mie and 1 %vas criticized. Too bad. I long silice gave np ftic idea tlîat nien werc placed on this carth to domninate woîîien. As far as l'ni concerned wc werè al] created eclual and meni should îlot only accept womcen for whiat Ilhey are (the saine way as somne judge their own sex) but tlîey slioiîld try and recognize that tlîey are missing sorne of' the miost rewvardiîîg experiences in their lives, perlialîs wlien they nicet a womian botliî in business and on a socil lîasiS Occîually. The re are mnany mii nvtomn otlier mcen caiino t siaiîd. I caiî no t stand nmen wi tii oud voîces iu regtauraii s or îîusly iy îeiî ilmusiness I ryiîîg t o makc t hiîîiselves 'cct inmporta nt by t oîgue PI slîing a iii licr ofI thle staff i n trount of others (particu larly a voinîan ). Bu t I cannot stand woiîien wîîo ac t thli sainie way cfltic r. I1ailiuire a wvounci whol( cnjoys bciing liersel t arnd Ibel jeve, very ni tci1 . as îîîaiy ofier mii do t oo (beicleve it or iîot ). tlîa L. [lie temniniîîc nîystiqîîe is a woiîdert'ul gif't anîd not sonmctIliiî to be latnntcd or cxploitcd. Aîiy reasoîiablc îîîan will agreceIla t, in ihis iime ii 15of 'J-ý SIDING Coi! for f res estimates VINmYL ALUMI'NUM COLOFKOK MITCHELL BROTHERS Building SUP'plies Ltd. < Brookhin. 6554991_ despair, tlîcre is no grcater comforter than a woman. Suireiy, tlierefore, women must agree the same thing about meii. But then it's a question of one's personal experieîîce in life. 1 tlîink I understand to a degree why sontie wmnîeu clîoose to cal] themselves Iiberated. Pcrhaps one reason is tlîey've been held in bondage. But women iist face tîhe fact that not al]nien look upon women as being unequal to thcmselves; il sim-piy is not truc. One tlîing is truc. Many womnî, according to wliat they have said b îîmen, not onîy detest other womcn but consider tlîeîî beneatti theniselves! How long wiil it be before woîîîeîî wilI f iid what they believe is their rightful place in society? 'W'hen, I look back, according to lîistory, it seemns that mîen and womnen accept ecd other as being equals when a calarnity takes place. And the most recent evidence we have to support this fact are the records of how men and wornîeî worked side by side during Worîd War 1l. Heaven forbjd that it shouîd take a war to bring about the dloser undcrstanding of the two sexes. For whiat it's wvorth, 1 once worked under the supervisioni of a wvornauî and found ber to be dominating and sarcastie. Slîe ini bru vas respoîîsible to a mani. Bu t tlîe sainie attitude is frequently found in men SuperIviSOr-S and ilIl probably alwvays be that wav. Ladly tridge-builders. astroliauts, eîectriciaiîs, carpeîlters, plIn îlers --Wl»' Not'! Lady Mayor of tdeei ownsliip --Wlîy Not'? Lady Primîe MÎiîiste r ot* Canîada -- Why Not? Woîîd 1I\vort 'or- a Woiiîan Presideîît -Wliy Not? 11, WHITBY the Ontario IBank, a inancial institution which began 10 years earlier with its head office in Bowmanville. Chester Draper, a wealthy entrepreneur who was the owner of Whitby harbor, built the Ontario Bank building in what was described as the "composite orçier" of architecture, with the corners decorated with cut stone quoins, and a cast iron balcony extending over the inain entrance. On the ground floor was tlîe counting room of the banik, tlie manager's office and a fire-proof archcd vault, 10 feet square, with dbuble iron doors. This vauît îîîay stili be seen iii the gift shop wlîich occupies the building today. The vault was built on a solid fourîdatioîî, a mound of earth for its base being left for tlîat purpose when the bank's foundation and cellar were excavated. During construction this nîound of earth was surrounded. by solid masonry. AIl the windows on the ground floor were provided witlî cast iron shutters wlîicli were raised and Iowered by a craîik, and in the upper floors tliere were woodcn shutters on tlîe iîîside of the windows. AIl the glazing was of the best Englishi sheet glass. The second loor was divided i,îto tlîre moinîs, and the tîîe tlîird floor coîîtaiîîed fouir roomns intended as a resideîîce for the batik mlanager. A private door on tlîe norîli side of the buildinig providcd access 10 ttîe îiîaîager's apartment by nîcans of a staircase. The On;tario Bank was coîistruictcd by Wîitby corîtractors; George Corîîîack, whiolIîad hie carpýcîtry contract, and Duîîklcy anîd Wceks, wlîo were contractors for flhc brick and stonie work. The stoîîe l'or tlîc ornaîiîental work on1 the buildinîg vas iinported froîn Ohio aîid Georgetownî Ontario, anîd the couniters of the bank werc îîîade of oak aîîd surîîîounted by stained glass screeîîs. Aniinner door at the entrance of the batik vas lined 'witlî red liaize. llie total cost of counstructionrinI1I867 was S6,000. *FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY. AUGUST 25,1976, PAGE 7 K. F. Lockhart was the manager of the Whitby branch of the Ontario Bank and he succeeded by Thomas Dow. The bank suffered badly in the depression of the 1 870s, but managed to continue in operation. Some time Shortly after 1890 the,, Ontario Bank branch in Whitby closed, because of competition provided' by the Dominion Bank, established in. 1871 and the Western B3ank of Canadai established across'the Street in i1882. In the early 1880s a telcgraph and ticket agcncy was opcned on the second floor of the Ontario Bank build 'ing by Edmuîîd Stephenson, and it is likely he moved his agency to the first floor when the bank closed. Mr. Stephenson was a teiegraph and express agent, sold life and fire insurance, and acted as a travel agent, booking passage for Whitby residents on various ocean going steamers. Oni the south wail of tlîe building can still be seen a faded sign painted in black and white on the bricks, whiclî reads "Stephcnson's Express, Telegraph and Ticket Office". Also, the observant onlooker can stili sec on this soutlî waIl ail old Coca-Cola sign and another sign advcrtisiuîg soap. These signs were painted at lcast 75 years.ago. Mir. Stephenîson retircd in 1913, and for îîany ycars tlîe oîd Outario Bank building was used as apartrnents. in the 1 890s the third floor was occupicd as lodge moinîs by the Sons of England, a fraternal organization wluiclî was pron>inent in Whitby at tlîat time. >The Ontario Bank building is a rare example of Couifederation-era bank architecture in Ontario, and ranks witlî the structure occupicd by the Chalet Restaurant as one of Wlitby's finest downtown buildings, despite soi-ne structural aîtcrîîations to the windows on the north wall. As a miat ter of interest, the Ontario Bank's head office iii Bowianville, an even finer example of this type of archîitectture, was dcmolished about 10 years ago.