I WATAUGA DEMOCRAT
m
Published Every Thursday by
RIVERS PRINTING COMPANY
BOONE. NORTH CAROLINA
R. C. RIVERS, JR. 1 Publisher
An Independent Weekly Newspaper
Established in IMS and publkhed for 49 years t
the late Robert*. Riven. Sr
!';y M SUBSCRIPTK?r RATES
la Watauga Outside Watauga
jfijy County County
Sis Month! 1.S0
Four Month* UN)
I Six Month* 1 .73
I Four Months 1 25
NOTICE TO SUBSCRIBERS
U requeuing change of address, it it important to
mention the OLD. ai well as the NEW addreu.
Entered at the poetoffice at Boom, N. C, ai second
class mail matter, under the act of Congrats of
Hard) t. 1879.
mot rrtorx a ir t a %t> r a mr n < aw
New Auto Tags
Both Fore And Aft
For the first time in many years the De
partment of Motor Vehicle* has come through
with two auto tags for each vehicle, so that
one can tell from which state the car ha Ms,
be it coming orv going, and that is an im
provement.
But the ceaseless rotation of black and
yellow between the numerals and the back
ground grows more monotonous to those of
us, who in summertime especially, take note
of auto tags as a sort of check on the tourist
industry. Once, we believe, during Governor
Scott's administration we had a beautiful red
and white license plate, but next time it
switched right back to the old colors.
We hope that gay new license tag colors
will show up sometime, both for the sake of
change and for its esthetic value.
Lame Duck Sessions
Should Be Relegated
The so-called lame duck session of Con
gress, which likely came about in the day
when newly-elected representatives had to
have a few weeks' time in which to reach
Washington, appear to us to have served
their day of usefulness.
It used to be that a new administration
took over the fourth of March. That was
changed to January 20th in the Roosevelt
administration, as to the Presidency.
The spectacle of Senators and Represent
tatives carrying on the business of the Gov
ernment, when many of them have even been
repudiated by the voters, isn't a happy one.
A case in point is the recent investigation of
alleged election frauds in the ninth district.
The thing had to be rushed through by Jan
uary 3, and a report made before the com
mittee died. A minority member of the com
mittee who had nothing to do with the draft
ing of the report, is the new chairman.
In this day when a man can reach Wash
ington from any section of the nation in a
matter of a few hours, newly-elected repre
sentatives should be able to take over quickly
and assume the responsibilities to which they
were elected.
The Gate Of The Year
(New York Times)
January was named for Janus, the two
faced deity who could look in both directions.
He was a god of gates and beginnings, and
the choice of Janus to symbolize the first
month after the Winter solstice was neither
whim nor accident. This is a time when man.
since the ancient days, has looked back as
well as forward and drawn a kind of tally
line aAd made his summations. Man, being
the creature he is, needs comparisons and
summaries. He needs this figurative gate of
the year.
This season in our hemisphere, of course,
is the time of fundamentals. The trees, the
hills, the river valleys, are stripped to their
essential selves, revealed in their stark real
ity. The softness of Summer, with its leaf
and shade and benevolent growth, i$ gone.
Even the mildness of a friendly sun and its
consequent weather are largely absent. With
the world around him stripped to essentials,
it is perhaps easier for man to face his own
essential self and make an honest summary.
But fundamental to any such thinking is
the plain, stark fact of continuity, of a future
rooted firmly in the past. No day stands
alone, nor any season. There is no conse
quence without some reason behind it, any
more than there is sunset without sunrise.
The sequence is immutable, planting, and
growth, and harvest, night after day. Spring
after Winter. So no summary can be com
plete, no day more than a marker on the end
less cord of time?
A new year, which is but ? continuation
of yesterday and all the yesterdays, with
change the only eertainty. And change, if
we are wise, lTyeans growth; and growth
should bring understanding
Stretch's
Sketches
? ???mgr jS>
fcr ?
"STRETCH" ROLLINS
Grain of Stilt, Anyone?
Confidence is the keynote for 1955
For the grocer, the baker, the butcher, and the
candlestick maker, for the Wholesaler, the ret ailer,
the farmer, the builder, and the automobile maker,
a good year i* predicted. Even the consumer will
have it pretty good, the forecaster* insist, so as not
to leave anybody out.
"Business Thumps Oh est. Swaggers Into 1955."
trumpets a headline. "Business will wake up. and
certainly the direction until mid lSSS will be up
ward," staunchly maintains Roger Babson, world
famed statistician. And so it goes, as a tidal wave
of unprecedented optimum engulfs the land.
And this time, the prognosticating is not left
to the economists, as in former years. Everybody's
getting into the act. Rome of the crystal ball gazers,
not content with one measly year, are getting carried
away with the game?, and even predicting to what
heights the average income will soar by I960
Confidence, too, has been called the keynote of
success, and a lack of it can sometimes spell failure
You probably know the story (told during tho last
depression) of the man who had a thriving hot dog
stand in a busy location, and was doing fine until
his son came home from college and told him there
was a big depression on. Thinking his educated son
should know, the old man took down his highway
sign and sold it, stopped all his promotion and ad
vertising, cut down hii meat and roll orders, and
prepared to try to weather the hard times. As a
result, his business dropped off to nearly zero. So
the next time Junior came home for a visit, his
father told him. "You were right, ton, we certainly
are in the middle of a great depression!"
There's another story of a man who became
lost while hunting in strange territory. He came
to a river which was frozen over, and although he
didn't know how solid the ice was, he decided to
cross it. He got down on hands and knees so as
to distribute hit weight as much as possible, and
began a cautious advance, fearful of breaking
through the ice at any moment.
Halfway across, he heard a commotion hehiml
him. Turning, he saw two large draft horses plod
ding over the ice pulling a wagon loaded with heavy
logs. And sitting atop the load, his face lifted
skyward, was an old colored man, singing, "How
Firm a Foundation!"
Yessir. confidence, as the man who works cross
word puzzles with a fountain pen remarked, is a
wonderful thing.
Our Early Files
Thirty-Nine Yeart Ago
January 6. 191?.
Jesse F. Robbing la off for a few days visit to
his mother in Packard, Ky.
Another baby boy has taken up his abode at
the home of Regiater of Deeds W. R. Gragg
The dry, windy weather since the hard rains
has greatly improved the conditions of our roads,
and an occasional machine may now be seen on
the streets.
Mr. Walter Johnson of Ashe county. Misses
Pansy Kincaid and Annie Sherwood, and Mr. Lar
ney Bingham, graduates of the A. T. S. of the class
of 1915, have again entered the institution for the
purpose of taking post graduate courses.
The Christmas holidays in Boone passed quietly,
and the best of order prevailed. On Christmas eve
a community Christmas tree was given in th>?
courthouse, which was a great success, much en
joyed, and every little child and aged person in
the community was remembered
Fifteen Yeart Ago
January 4, 1940.
Miss Annelle Beach returned to Philadelphia
Saturday, to resume her work at the Franklin
School of Art and Science, after spending the holi
days with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. M. W. Beach.
Rev. J. C. Canipe returned the last of the week
from a hunting trip in Person county. The min
ister brought back with him two fine wild turkeys,
the largest weighing twelve pounds net.
J. Decab Coffey, aged resident of the Foscoe
neighborhood, died Saturday morning after a short
illness. He was 77 years old.
Funeral services were conducted from the Ad
vent Church at Foscoe Sunday afternoon for James
A. Aldridge. aged 88. who died at his home there
Saturday, following an illness which began Christ
mas day.
Thfy Say . . .
DR JULIAN P. PRICE, pediatrician: "The
physical and mental health of our people is relative
ly good, but there it evidence of spiritual disease."
DR. RICHARD E. LENTZ, administrative di
rector of the family life department of the National
Council of Churches: "Psychiatry now recognizcs
that religion is the motivation even for psycho
therapy.
MEDICAL REPORT, submitted to American
Medical Association convention: "You have a Rood
chance of living to be 100 ? if you first hurdle a
curious invisible barrier at ages 60 to 73."
RONALD COLMAN, staee, TV and screen ac
tor: "Blanket indorsements have a way of falling
off during cold nights."
DWIGHT D EISENHOWER. President "Any
man that has been married as long as I have doesn't
underrate the persuasive powers of a lady."
DR HERBERT E. STOTTS, religious educator:
"The rural community is the heartbed of democracy
and will continue to be."
CHARLES E. POTTER, U. S Senator from
Michigan: "Of the 1,100,000 miles of hard-surfaced
roads in thla country (exclusive of streets), only
half is suitable to support modern, high speed traf
fic."
THE OSKALOOSA (Iowa) TRIBUNE: "Perhaps
if we could forget our troubles as easily aa our bless
ings we would live better."
9 NEW ENGLAND EPITAH: "Here lies an ath
eist. AH dressed up and no place to go."
King Street
(Continued from pace out)
latently at Uw New EagUader,
opined: "You might consider
Dinner*! siding!''
filFT FOR MR. PARKER
Rev. J. K. Parker, Jr., pastor of
the Presbyterian Church received
a (rand gift this Chriitmas, a
brand new automobile ? bought
and paid for by members of hi*
congregation, and the minister*!
smile is broader than common as
he motors about the town behind
the wheel of the shiny bright vehi
cle .. . It'! a high tribute to Rev.
Mr Parker that the members of
hi! congregation no handsomely
remembered him at Christmas
time . . . And it's likewise a tri
bute to the parishioners? in that
they know a good man when they
see him, and fully appreciate his
splendid ministry here.
Farmers Asked
(continued from page one)
needs of an ever increasing popu
lation, making possible a more
abundant living for more people.
The initial sign up period is now
in progress and will close Janu
ary 25. Call at the ASC office and
request those practices needed on
your farm.
Berra is voted most valuable in
American League.
Paul Said
To Mr. Ed:
PAUL
Our 1955 pledge to the people
of Watauga eounty is that every
policy will be written as if a loss
would occur.
1. Policies placed in strong non
assement insurance companies.
2. Careful appraisal of property
to give th? assured adequate pro
tection.
3!tSecure lowest rates to comply
with North Carolina Rating Bureau
of Raleigh, N. C.
4. Free adjustment service on
all losses for policies written by
our Agency.
5. Estimates on insurance cost
and appraisals are free without
obligation to our policy holders
are anyone interested in securing
their information.
6 To trade at home and help
promote all worthwhile projects
for a better Watauga county.
WATAUGA INSURANCE
AGENCY
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Service Is =
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<7W^ JERRY COE
Our target is your complete fi
nancial protection. Whether
you need fire ? burglary ? auto
mobile ? liability insurance, (top
In for the right policy. Do it
this week.
con INSl RANt E A(.f NCY
-4
L. F. Ragan, 85,
Succumbs Friday
Lewi* Franklin Ragan, 89, of
Boone, Route 2, died December 81
at Watauga Hoapital, where he had
been a patient for the paat six
weeki.
funeral aervicea were held at 2
p. m Sunday, January 2, at the
Hopewell Methodlat Church, con
ducted by the Rev. Mr. Lock ridge
and the Rev. A. E tloretz. Burial
was in the Hopewell cemetery.
He is survived by five sons,
John, Princeton, W. Va? James,
also of W. Va., Joe and David,
both ot Boon^ and Kenneth.
Cleveland, Ohio; five daughter!,
Mrs. Grace May, Jefferson. Mrs.
Bynum Norria, Mrs. Arkie Bryan,
aad Mr*. Margaret Crew, all ef
Boone. Mr*. Dee Grafg, Lenoir;
and two brothers. Jim aad Bud
Rafan, both of Boone. *
NAME CHANGED
Wicklt. Falls, Tes? Mot satis
fied with bis name -Victor Edward
|Cuhl ? Kuhl, a 22-year-old airman
at Shepphard Air Force Baae, had
his name legally changed to: Vy
tauta Edvaroas Kulikauskas.
TRADE AT KOMZ ?
SMMfKMUrtlM)
LOW RATES ON
MfTOJNSMUMCE
m aSTiatilhtf 1
Clean Sweep
JANUARY SALE
ONE LOT OF
DRESSES
* ONE LOT OF
SHOES
HATS
SLIPS
TOYS
1
ALL X PRICE!
THE CHILDREN'S SHOP
|| ? ?tji. . n < ? n . ir
E. MAIN ST. '? ""^nro BOONE, N. C.
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