POSTING #132

Arthur's Blind Newspaper Editor

Years ago when we lived in the Glebe in Ottawa, our boys used to shovel snow for homes on our street and on Clemow, the street behind us. One day, when Pat was driving along Clemow with one of the boys, Pat pointed to a house and said, "Celia Franca lives there".  (Ms Franca was a famous ballerina and founder of the National Ballet of Canada---and one of Pat's idols when she was studying ballet.)

Our son contradicted her, '"That's not Celia Franca's house, that's Mrs Morton's house. I shovel her driveway."

Of course, Celia Franca and Mrs Morton were one and the same. Our son just didn't know that the woman who paid him for shoveling snow was a celebrity.

I feel a little like our son when I think back to Rixon Rafter, the editor of Arthur's weekly newspaper, "The Enterprise News'. When I was young, I knew that Mr. Rafter was blind. He wore frosted glasses and carried a white cane as he walked along our main street.

I remember marveling at how he seemed to know---to have memorized---the location of curbs, and steps. And how he knew when it was safe to cross intersections. 

Rixon Rafter in his office, talking to his clerk. Photo is from "Memories of Arthur and Area" by John Walsh.

But to a young fellow, he was just another interesting person in a village full of fascinating people---a grocer nicknamed 'Jigger' because he was always on the move, a butcher who also played goal for the Arthur Tigers hockey team, Letty who drove his Model T Ford to the cemetery whenever a grave had to be dug, and on and on.

It was when 'outsiders' started making a fuss about this blind editor of a newspaper that I started to realize that Mr. Rafter was someone special. The Toronto radio station, CFRB, featured Rixon Rafter on one of its regional programs with the interviewer (Gordon Sinclair, I believe) marvelling at how a sightless person was able to edit and publish a newspaper. Newspaper articles appeared saying that Arthur had the only blind newspaper editor in all of Canada.

It dawned on me that he was special.

Someone to be proud of.

And he was one of ours.

Rixon Rafter was born on a farm outside of Arthur in 1885, one of 9 children. (For this background information I am indebted to John Walsh, an Arthur pharmacist, who has written two wonderful volumes entitled "Memories of Arthur and Area". Incidentally, John coached hockey and baseball teams that I played on.)

At age 5, Rixon lost the sight of both eyes because of a farm accident. He was enrolled in the Brantford School for the Blind (now the W. Ross MacDonald School for the Blind), "where he excelled in his studies, especially Braille and typing and developed the memory skills that were to be a great assistance in his later career." He was apparently greatly influenced by the story of Helen Keller, who although blind, deaf and unable to speak had graduated from an American university the year Rixon finished his course at Brantford. 

He entered Queen's University in 1903 and graduated with a BA in English and History in 1907. The following year he bought the Arthur Enterprise News and operated it until he sold it in 1953.

For most of those years the office consisting of Rixon, a skilled typesetter, and a clerk (one of his sisters was his first clerk). The typesetter and clerk were his 'eyes', reading him articles from newspapers and magazines.

Rixon was the paper's reporter. He would go to council meetings, and in an era before tape recorders, memorize the discussions and decisions. Then he would go to the office and type a report on the meeting (his typewriter is preserved in a local museum).

He was also active in the community, serving for a number of years on the board of the Arthur High School, on the Arthur Board of Trade, and on the Public Utilities Commission.

Beyond Arthur, he was President of the North Wellington Conservative Association, served on the Board of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, and at one time was president of the regional organization for the Boy Scouts.

Rixon Rafter was also a keen, skilled and competitive bridge player, with the players using a Braille deck of cards. His phenomenal memory allowed him to keep track of which cards had been played, and which had not.

And through two world wars and a depression he kept the newspaper afloat, fueled by a very modest annual subscription and advertisements for local businesses, house and auction sales, government announcements and so on.

In 1954, Mr. Rafter was chosen Newspaper Editor of the Year by a group of writers meeting in London Ontario.

One wit has said that in a small town no one reads the weekly paper to find out what is going on---they already know that, thanks to the intricate and highly effective gossip networks that always exist. Instead, they read the paper to find out how (and sometimes, whether) the editor will deal with 'delicate' news. Mr. Rafter was particularly skilled at dealing with accidents, arrests, fights, illness, suicides etc. in ways that protected the affected families from additional stress and pain.

In the fall of 1958, I was working on a BA thesis on the United Farmers of Ontario (UFO), a movement that governed Ontario from 1919 to 1923. One of the founders of the movement was a farmer from south of Arthur, J.J. Morrison. Unfortunately, when I started doing my research I found that little had been written about the movement---several books have been published since---and I had to spend a lot of time doing original research, reading dusty copies of the Globe and Mail, perusing family archives, and talking to people who were involved in the movement.

I thought that Rixon Rafter might be able to offer me some insights so I phoned him during a visit to my parents and asked if we could meet. He agreed to meet the following evening. He was 70 at that time and  as I have mentioned above, was retired, having sold the newspaper in 1953. I hadn't really had any conversations with Mr. Rafter up to that point---just brief contacts as I handed over my parents' annual subscription fee, or submitted advertisements from a store where I worked after school.

It was in December and the sun had long since set when I walked over to his substantial brick home. The house was in total darkness and I wondered if he had forgotten about our appointment. I rang the door bell and a few moments later the porch light came on and then a light in the hall.

I can still remember being struck by the realization that he didn't need lights---that he lived in the dark.

Mr. Rafter opened the door, wearing the usual frosted glasses and looking courtly in a suit and tie. He held out his hand and I grasped it.

He invited me in, and led the way to the parlour, turning on lights as he went. He pointed to an upholstered chair and settled himself in a chair beside a table piled high with papers and magazines in Braille.

I took out my notebook and scribbled away as he gave me a fund of invaluable information and interpretation about the factors that led to the election of a UFO government and about how it had performed in office---its successes and failures. His memory of names and dates was flawless. He smiled sometimes as he inserted into his account amusing anecdotes about some of the main participants in the UFO.

I tested some theories I was toying with for my thesis about what can happen when social movements decide to get actively involved in politics. He seemed to enjoy discussing those theories.

After an hour or so, I thanked him. He showed me out.

When I got to the sidewalk, I looked back at the house, and found that it was once again in total darkness.

Mr. Rafter, who never married, died in 1963, after a short illness, aged 75.

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What to make of this man who I---and perhaps other people in Arthur---took for granted?

When I tell people about Arthur's blind newspaper editor, they look at me in disbelief. How could someone do that?

And then I say that he did it for over 40 years.

He had a remarkable intelligence and great personal determination, qualities that were obviously recognized by the School for the Blind and by Queen's University.

And he had the example of Helen Keller. She would certainly have been proud of him, and thrilled that she had inspired him to become the first blind newspaper editor in Canada.

But in the end, his success, I think, comes down to one factor.

An unbelievable amount of raw courage.

And that courage meant that although he lived in the dark, he spread light for all those around him.

Postscript

A scholarship has been established in his memory. Here is an extract from a website about the scholarship. Please note the last three words, which I have highlighted. Mr. Rafter would certainly have agreed with that requirement.

"Rixon Rafter Scholarship Fund

Named in honor of a graduate from the Ontario School for the Blind (now the W. Ross School for the Blind), this scholarship is available for Canadian students who are legally blind and who are pursuing post-secondary studies.  Candidates should demonstrate strong career aspirations."

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See you on December 11th for Posting #133 with more stories from our family’s universe! If you have comments or suggestions, please leave a comment at the bottom of this posting,  or email me at johnpathunter@gmail.com.

Note:

Have you read the latest Posting on The Icewine Guru blog? You can read "Are Canadian Politics Dull?" at http://theicewineguru.blogspot.com/