Cape Breton's Magazine

The Housecar stuck in sand, oxen pulled it out, 1929; Pioneer troop camped out, 1932; Housecar on the Sydney Road in 1931. j'!"? ried the international Sunday School les? son at that time • and we got that too. % mother taught Sunday School in the Baptist church. (Did she disagree with your fa? ther?) Yes. Nevertheless, she entertained what we spoke of as the Pilgrims at that time. They were travelling speakers, trav? elling ministers • all Bible Students. And she started reading the books to show my father where he was 'Arrong. The more she read, the more she saw that she was the one who was wrong. (She became a Jehovah's Witness?) Indeed she did. Rod and I were married in 1930. We met in this work. Then I took up the Pioneer Ser- vice--the regular work, going from house to house • and Rod was already in that. He went in in 1928 and I went in in 1929. And we were in the same town, Yarmouth. (Were you doing anything else to earn a living?) No. (When you were doing this work, how were you supported?) We were not supported by the society. We never took up collections. We never solicited money. But we always had enough to eat and wear and what-not. (You were a full-time Pioneer?) Rod; That's it. Rheta; You can work part- Time, a little on the side, in order to buy your bread and butter, pay for your room. What they call Special Pioneers • they get a very small allowance from the society. Rod; Today they get 50 dollars a month. Way" back then, it was 30 dollars. But we weren't supported by the society, and we never solicited money. Rheta; But we were able to keep going. We lived very frugally. We got along very nicely, always managed. Some of us have relatives who are Jehovah's Witnesses, and they certainly wouldn't see us wanting. And some of us had a little income on the side. As far as Pioneer work is concerned, a lot of young people do housecleaning and office clean? ing • enough work to keep them in clothing. And some of us don't require as much clothing. And sometimes other people's clothing fits us very well. (Rheta, would you call it hardship?) Well, we got along with a lot less than other people would. A woman said today, "You wouldn't leave enough to feed the squir? rels." People throwing away things, it al? ways bothers me. We weren't wasteful. We were very careful. (But you are both bright, attractive people. It seems to me, if you had decided to put your energies into earning money, you'd have succeeded.) I worked for the C.N.R. railway for years as a private secretary, and I gave that up because I believe that this is the most important thing on earth. We lived in one room mostly. We had a housecar, and we lived in that in the sum? mertime. But it caused a whole lot of work Plan your Ski Weekend or Summer Vacation around the Tartan Terrace Inn Tartan Terrace Inn COMFORTABLE COUNTRY INN Ideally located at entrance to National Park - overlooking Lake and Ocean. GOLF, FISHING, SWIMMING, TENNIS, SKIING NEARBY. • EXCELLENT HOME COOKING • TASTEFULLY DECORATED ROOMS • REASONABLE RATES Ingonish Beach, Cape Breton Phone Ingonish 285-2404 Choice Red Brand Beef laMiiY Gentleman Jim Fully Licensed Restaurant 7 DAYS A KEEK at Sydney Shopping Mall n