PAGE 4, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4,1980, WHITBY FREE PRESS whitby PÇised every ensa by M.B.M. Publishing and Photography Inc. Phone 668-6111 The Free Press Building Voice of the County Town Michael lan Burgess, Publisher - Managing Editor 131 Brock Street North, 'be only Whitby newspaper independently owned and operated by Whitby residents for Whitby residents. P.O. Box 206, Whitby, O OFF-lt dto Ik nt Production Manager Mali SUUO AdvertIsing Manager -Karen Thfopso g, nt. UttM ,flsm ' 4tt'aNoT-160 VMhItil k t ol th Letter to the editor.... Parents should be aware oftheir rights Dear Sir: Thank you for your article on the new Family Life Program which will begin in our schools next Septem- ber. Parents need to be alerted to the fact that their rights as parents to determine the education they want their children to have are slowly being removed and the government is taking over more and more the raising of our children. Principal number three from the Declaration of the Rights of the Child adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations states, "The best interests of the child shall be the guiding principles of those responsible for his education and guidance and that responsibility lies in the first place with his parents." Parents can no longer accept unquestioningly the programs the Board of Education puts out just because they are the "professionals." We must investigate our- selves and see if they are in keeping with the education we want for our child. The state exists to enhance and protect individuals and families. Families doe not exist to be subser- vient to the state (from The Report on the Family, by Dr. Shaw). The Family Life Program, in particular, conflicts with the morals and values many parents are teaching in their homes. But many others are unaware of what teaching will take place. One friend I spoke to had never heard of it. Children in grade 9 are already being told that abortion is the an- swer to an unwanted pregnancy, not adop- tion. I would urge all parents to get involved and find out exactly what will be taught, in- cluding resource material, books, films, kits, transparencies, etc. Sincerely, Mrs. G. Mclntosh, Brooklin, Ont. Reader says sex education is a stick of dynamite Dear Sir: Your article "Bet- ween You and Me", by Ruth Chambers was commendable to say the least. This article has appeared in the Free Press May 14. I agree with Ruth, sex education taught without moral training as well, is like setting fire to a stick of dynamite. If anything, I believe this kind of presentation of sex education could be a great detriment to our young - causing arrousals prematurely and an awareness or- dinarily not experien- ced at a very young age. Our child is an adult now and we do not have young children in our home, but we are taxpayers and we are concerned about the programming of the minds of those who will be our future leaders and administrators - not only for this but for their own personal stability in life. Some educators have only their education and prin- cipals to go by - but we do have a criterion which has lasted the centuries and is still the only standard or measure by which we can safely administrate judgement in a positive sane way and that is the teaching of the principals and concep- ts laid out in the scrip- tures. These basic simple principals if followed make a healthier, hap- pier society - I would love to see the Scrip- tures taught once again in school and let's just see what these can do to the lives of our children. Put first things first, then the right way will follow. Sincerely yours Mrs. Helen M. Gulliver, Brooklin, Ont. P.S. -I also appreciated the article.on the stand Gerry Emm is taking. A big thank-you to helpful Whitby merchants Dear Sir: i would like to say thank you to a generous group of people in our com- munity. Last week I had the opportunity to meet the merchants of Whit- by in a new way. As a volunteer worker for Family and Children's Services, I was asking store owners if they would care to donate items for our f lea market which raises money each year to send in-care children to summer camp. I soon realized that ours was not the only cause that asks our merchants for support. They are solicited by many organizations, ranging from those that help the needy in our area to those who corne from out of town and some whose very legitimacy may be questioned. Having learned this, I was both surprised an delighted by their charity. My immediate reaction was that I wanted to share with all Whitby residents my new-found knowledge that, for a good cause, Whitby merchants are truly generous. I wan- ted to publicly say thank you to each one for his/her support: Agnes Disney's, An- drew Shoes, Angel Hut, Beaver Lumber, Chez Eve, Children's Market Place, Courtice-Allin's, Fashion 126, Go Natural, Jay Tra's, Jury & Lovell, Kameka Shoes, K-Mart, Mid- dleton's, Pat's Place, Peacock Sports, Shirley's K-9 Klippery, Shoppers Drug Mart, Towne Flowers, Weall & Cullen, Whitby Dominion Hardware, Whitby Free Press,- Whitby Mail Fashions, White Rose. This year our flea market raised ap- proximately $900 which is close to being a 30 percent increase over last year. This increase was realized mainly because of the generosity of our local merchants. In the name of the in-care cnildren of our region, I want to say thank you. With si, cere preciatior, Jean Enuight, Whitby, M I ,yOO //060..- P/ERRE. ap- le