ATAUGA DEMOCRAT
ESTABLISHED IN 1 ?N
rUBUSHED EVERY THURSDAY ?Y RIVERS POINTING CO HP ANY, INC
m r* DNivDC TD rniTAB AMn Uivirvt)
m
*? C- WVEUS, JR., JEOITQR ANn uimx..
?TCAN WVERS, ASSOClZZ,!^**
M Indepeadent WmU? Ne*
? -
Publlsbed /or DTYears by Stabert C. Ely era, fe/T
SUBSCRIPTION HATES (EFFECTIVE FEBRUARY A, 1863)
IN NOBTH CAKCL1NA
One Time $3.09
Six Months $1.80
Four Months $U0
OUTSIBIE NORTH CAROLINA
One Ymt
SI* Months - $2.40
Pour Month! ? 12.00
All Subscription* Payable in Advaac*
NOTICE TO SUSSQBIBEB6? In raywitiu change * aUm. it is important to
mention the OLD, as well <i> the NEW mklreaa.
filtered at Hie postoffice at Boone, N. C., as second Class matter, under the act of
Congress of March 8, 1879.
MEMBER NATIONAL EDITORIAL ASSOCIATION
NORTH CAROLINA PRESS ASSOCIATION
The basis of our government being the opinion of the people, the very first objective
should be to keep that right, and were it left to m* to decide wbeth r we <iould have
a government without newspapers, or newspapers without government, 1 should not
hesitate a moment to ehooae the Utter. But I should mean that every man should
receive these papers irl be capable of reading them."? Thomas Jefferson.
Grandfather's Gold
A - ? / <1 TT O r> 1 _ _i 1 . _ 1 _?. A l. r it *
t\ ic(juii ui uie u. o. ueuiugicai
Survey, relayed to us through llir
iam Rabb, State Travel Editor, says
that gold exists in four places on
Grandfather Mountain, where the
formations are said to be one billion
years old.
And now a new flurry of activity
is expected at the mile-high tourist
center, when the rock-hounds begin
to gather in the region.
Over fifty years ago when Tom
Williams and his family and some of
his nephews came down from upper
New York State to live in Boone's
Yellow house, to engage in hard rock
mineral prospecting, they centered
their activities on the slopes of the
Grandfather. Precisely where we do
not know, but it seems to us it
must have been around on the Foscoe
side of the lofty hill. Their spon
sors after a year or such a matter
withheld further investment and the
Williamses disposed of their barrows,
their picks and shovels, and other
equipment and returned to New
York.
im me mgni oeiore weir depar
ture, as was the custom in thoee days,
our daddy went down to say goodbye
and wish them well. As a child we
went along, and recall Mrs. Wil
liams' remark: "If I had a million
dollars I wouldn't hesitate to sink it
in the vicinity of Grandfather. The
ore is there, and can be found with
money enough.'' And Charlie Wil
liams, who called on us a few years
ago, echoed his aunt's and his uncle's
conviction that the innards of the
great mountains were laced with the
rich yellow fingers of gold.
And ao the geological engineers
find out through scientific methods
what an old prospecting family found
out by pecking around with chisels
and picks and a little powder more
than half a century ago. Besides
gold, there is copper, feldspar, iron
mica and lead. But the wealth of
the old mountain is in the people
who come to anjoy the resort Hugh
Morton has created next to the
clouds.
Brotherhood Foundation Of System
President Kennedy ffie ilonorary
Chairman of Brotherhood Week,
which is to be observed in Boone
and throughout the country next
week, says, "Human brotherhood is
not just a goal ? it is a condition on
which our' way of life depends." The
President continues:
"The question for our time is
not whether all men are brothers.
That quesition has been answered
by the God who placed us on this
earth together. The question is
whether we have the strength and
the will to make the brotherhood of
man the guiding principle of our
daily lives. Can we match our ac
tions to our words?
"We look for support and brother
hood tp millions, hundreds of mil
lions of Americans of different
creeds, of different colon, who share
our aspirations hut sometimes are
not convinced that we believe strong
ly in the doctrines that we preach.
I believe as a nation we must be
committed to these goals.
"The Brotherhood of Man under
the Fatherhood of God is a basic
principle which has directed this na
tion through many years and I am
confident will direct it with increas
ing vigor in the years to come. I
urge all Americans to join a nation
wide observance of Brotherhood
Week."
Of Valentines And Hearts
Valentine's Day with its hearts in
spires most lads to think of love,
courtship and dainty morsels of
chocolate candy.
But to Robert Janus, the heart
means an organ that does enough
work in 12 hours (obviously a non
union heart) to lift a 65-ton tank car
one foot off the ground.
Not content with such an unhappy
comparison, Janus goes on to re
port that the heart pumps blood
through about 100,000 miles of blood
vessels ? a distance equal to five
round trips between New York and
Sydney, Australia.
A man's heart is only about the
size of his fist, yet it pumps approx
imately 1,800 gallons of blood
through his body each day.
In its first stage of development,
the human heart is like the heart of
a fish ? only a simple tube. Then
it resembles the heart of a frog,
then that of a snake. When it's fully
developed, it * resembles the heart
of a bird.
Janus should know. He's science
editor of World Book Encyclopedia.
Mrs. Janus doesn't care ? she'd bet
ter get her heart-shaped box of
candy, or else.
Bye, Bye Bluebird
(Charlotte New*)
The bluebird of Thoreau carried
"the sky on his back," winging in
then as be does now to herald the
coming of spring, a symbol of hap
piness for men, a thing of joy for
little boys and girls who find those
pale blue eggs nestled in some tree
or post.
?Tragically, though, our "happy lit
tle bluebirds" are diminishing ra
pidly In number.
The current issue of Audubon
Field Note* reports that the eastern
bluebird, which suffered severe
losses in 1058, continue d*wn the
pathway to extinction.
{to jwpulatwB now is ieai than fO
p*r cent of aormal, git "lowe* ewer
recorded." 1
<5ereWwfltter storms have been
t.
blamed by some naturalists for the
demise of these lovely feathered
friends.
But in something of an ironic foot
note, the Audubon publication points
out that pesticides also are suspect
Long plagued by passer domesti
cus, the imported house sparrow
which usurps their nests, the blue
birds are now called on to battle
the weather and mankind.
Few creatures can survive such
an on si aught, and K is rather wd
commentary that men, who value the
- bluetoM most far Ms beauty and its
a a? elation with the end of winter,
maf share ta Mi destruction.
Look long at th# aext bluebird
ypu see. The memory may soon be
all thafs left.
From Early Democrat Files
Sixty Years Ago
February It, 19M.
Now that we have asked for
a special tax for the purpose
of building bridges in aome
parts of the county, is it not
time for our people to build
roads thereto. A bridge without
a road leading there to is an
awful failure. Did you ever
think of that?
J. W. Todd of Todd, who has
been working in the coal fields
of Virginia was badly hurt by
an explosion of dynamite some
days ago, but has sufficiently
recovered to return home,
where he it expected this week.
Mrs. John F. Hardin left yes
terday morning for Greensboro,
where she will spend some time
with her daughter, Miss Mary
Lillington, who is now in school
in that oKy.
We are t<dd that application
will be made to the board of
1 managers of the World's Fair
at St. Louis for room to exhibit
our historic old court house,
erected by the pioneer settlers
of Watauga. A committee of
three will be sent to St. Louis
to look after a suitable site and
should it be put on exhibit it
will prove quite a curiosity to
civilized people.
Prof. B. B. Dougherty and
Capt. Lovill are off to Raleigh
in the interest of a Training
School for Teachers in Western
North Carolina, that was to
have been argued on Tuesday.
As we are determined to keep
the old courthouse as an "heir
loom" how would it do to re
pair the fence around the pub
lie square. You know historic
buildings are always kept up
and beautified by taxation.
Think of this; and remember
the duty you owe to our old
hull, erected by our fore-fath
er*.
Prof. L. G. Maxwell of River
aide, brought ? three of his
daughters up Monday and en
tered them at Watauga Aca
demy.
Four men who make it their
business to crack safes at the
midnight hours were run down
and caught with bloodhounds
near Monroe last Saturday. This
is the kind ot news we like to
h?ar.
Yes, it seems that the man
who promised us the wood on
subscription is still waiting for
the roses to bloom.
Thirty-Nine Ywrs Ago
February U, 1924.
Mr. A. K. Moore, a student
at Trinity College was forced
tO ahnnHnn hiq on aC
count of eye trouble, caused by
a powder burn be received in
one of the battles in France. He
is bade at the A-T.S. where he
graduated last year. He hopes
to be able to take some course*
there, studying about half the
day, that will be of great ad
vantage to him when he returns
to college.
Mr. and Mrs. G rover Robbins
gave a birthday party at their
home in honor of their daugh
ter, Lena Miller, when she
celebrated her second birthday.
Just One Thing
By CARL GOEHCH
"Hello, Jim; how are you
feeling?"
"Pretty good, Frank; and
you?"
"Oh, I'm feeling all right"
And that's the end of the
conversation. When we inquire
into the health of one of our
-friends we do so in a casual
manner and without any great
degree of interest. It's mostly
dkpe for the sake of making
conversation. This wasn't true,
however, with the late Sher
wood Upchurch of Raleigh, who
was a nigged individual In many
ways. When you asked him ?
question he regarded it as his
bounden duty to answer it, snd
he always did. With Sherwood
the conversation went something
like this:
"Hello, Sherwood; how are
you feeling?"
"Not so good, Tom. I had a
rather bad night last ngiht and
couldn't seem to go to sleep.
Something is wrong with my
stomach and my food doeen't
agree with me. I went te the
doctor last week and had a
thorough - examination made.
Sometimes, when I do any great
amount of shading. I get ? split
ting headache. Maybe 1 need to
have my glasses changed. An
other thing?"
By this time the Mend would
?be beginning to aquirm, but
Sherwood wouldn't 4urn him
loose until he had completely
exhausted the subject of tie
personal health.
We were pcesent an one ?e
e?ian when he want through
this procedure and asked hia
why lie went into such detail.
'When folks ask me hew I'm
feeling,* he replied, 1 take *
AFTER ANOTHER
for granted that they want to
know, so I tell them. If they
don't want to know, they've got
no business asking me."
A little story about the Um
stead family.
About forty years ago, John
Umstead and the late Governor
Bill Umstead went bird-hunting.
After having walked a consider
able distance, they sat on a rail
fence to take a brief rest. In
seating himself on the top rail,
Bill dragged up his gun and ac
cidentally discharged it
The shot fanned John's face.
They stared at each other for
a moment and then went home.
John didn't shoot another
gun for fifteen years, and. Bill
never fired a gun again.
Poor Colonel Kinnel
The Colonel is stationed at
Fort Bragg. While on foreign
duty he got bit by some kind
of s bug and had to tike a lot
of shots at Walter Beid Hospital
when he got back hone.
They gave him all sorts of
medicine and finally cured him.
But here's what happened.
Prior to becoming ill, the
top of his head was as dmi
of hair as a billiard-ball. In
recent months, however, it has
started to sprout and he now
has a good growth which stead
ily la becoming thicker.
V ?V Colonel Just knew
whether it was the bug that
caused this at whether it was
acme combination ef *ots that
lie took, he undoubtedly could
make maap millions of ddQars.
As It is, lie has to be satisfied
with Ms own pe?on? impreve
I
Mr. T. Hill Farthing returned
from the nurkcti the last of
the week where he bought
heavily for the spring trade.
Hill is a good buyer and a great
caterer to values. Goods from
his shelves are always depend
able.
Dr. and Mrs. G. H. Jeffcoat
were guests in the home of Mr.
L. C. Norris on Tuesday night
of last week. The home of Mr.
Norris is truly a hospitable one.
Miss Nannie Rivers will close
her term of school on Sampson
the last of the week and is ex
pected home Sunday.
Kit. F. A. Linney who harf
?pent several days with rela
tives beyond the ridge, return
ed to her home the last of the
week.
Mr. T. H. Coffey of Blowing
Rock, who recently returned
from Charlotte" Wfie#e" ie\4ok ?
htfrftrt treatment for a few
dlys, was in town on Monday
and Tuesday looking after the
interests of the Peoples Bank
and Trust Company. He and
some of the directors were
checking up notes in that in
stitution.
Fifteen Years Ago
February 1*, 1M8.
Mrs. A. J. Ragan is ill with
Influenza at Watauga Hospital.
Mr. John W. Hodges has been
iU for the past week at the
home of a son, Mr. John W.
Hodges, Jr.
Mrs. L. H. Smith suffered a
severely fractured hip in a fall
on the streets of Blowing Rock
Monday. Alter receiving emer
gency medical attention at the
Watauga ? Hospital, she was
taken to Charlotte Memorial
Hospital for treatment by a
bone specialist.
Mrs. J. L. Goodnight return
ed home Saturday after spend
ing a month visiting with her
ions in Gastonia. She was ac
companied home by Mr. and
Mrs. Neil Goodnight, who spent
the week end here. ?
Mr. Clarence Trexler has re
turned home from a Charlotte
hospital, where he was treated
for a complicated fracture of a
leg, which was Sustained some
time ago. He is well on the way
toward recovery.
Mr. and Mrs. Clyde R. Greene
spent Sunday at the home of
Dr. and Mrs. W. O. Bingham
in Elizabethton, Tenn.
Mrs. L. L. Norris of North
Wilkesboro, spent the week
eod with her daughter, Mrs.
Carl C. Norris.
Mr. and Mrs Harvey Owens
?f Gastonia, spent the week-end
with Mrs. Owens' parents, Mr.
and Mrs. J. C. Cooke. |?|
Mrs. Ralph Winkler, Mrs.
Wiley Smith and Mrs. A R.
Smith are spending a two
weeks vacation in Miami. Fla.
Mr. and Mrs. Meri Long
spent Sunday with Mr. and Mrs.
James Ceftey at their home in
Sh tills Mills.
Mr. and Mr*. Paul Nave have
?loved here from Franklin, N.
C. Mr. Nave will be manager of
Coble's Dairy at Sugar Grew.
Mr. Ben Miller of the Merch
ant Martee. is spending soeae
time with Mrs. Miller at their
home here.
Mr. and Mrs. Ctrl Lewis and
daughter, Alice of North Wll
ke*oro, spent th? week end
Vitfc relatives 1* the county.
KING
BY ROB RIVERS
fy.' ' ? f X -'S
Of Skunks . . There's A-Pienty
Skunks, the dainty-stepping, odiferous little i
which are better known as polecats, have about taken
over Alleghany county, we hear, and a crash program is
being undertaken to deplete the ranks of the little
stinkers for the protection of the small game of the
county. . . Lawyer Floyd C rouse says over MO skunks
were killed on his farm one night a while back, and
automobiles are crushing them, but they continue to re
plenish, and feed on the young quail, grouse, rabbits, etc.,
left un tended while the mama creatures do their foraging.
. . Trapping and poisoning is expected not to eradicate
the creatures but to get their hordes back down to toler
able numbers.
Night Hunters . . Scarce
And an old pole cat and
possum hooter would opine
that change* In the hahiti of
mountain men have been large
ly to blame, and the improved
economic status of the country
has worked to the advantage
of the nlght-prowllag creatures
of field and forest. . . Vied to
be a lot of fan to get with a
good group of boys and hound
dogs and go out for the pos
sums and the polecat* on the
clear, crisp night* of early
autumn, and to come back in
dawn'* early light with a pos
sum or two in a sack and a
polecat maybe. In the latter
ease one had to get hi* clothes
off In the woodshed, or the
barn. . . And besides the fun
in .these night-time foray*, a
good po**um hide would fetch
a quarter sometimes, and a
black skunk skin could com
mand even a couple of dollar*
?even if the hunter did *poil
twenty dollars worth of dothes
and shoes and stuff.
Nowadays . . A Difference
But long ago the old kero
sene lantern was hung on
the peg, its smoky chimney
never to glow again, the pos
sum dogs are baying at the
moon, and the guys who coan
ed up the slim sycamores and
shook out the grinning pos
sums and waded into a polecat
with a lethal frail, have be
come bankers and lawyers and
doctors and merchants. . , And
a lot of them have followed
the yapping perps into the
misty chill of the last long
night. . . v few I?jil
Groups . . Like On links
And on this possum hunting
and pole cat circuit, there
were groups who followed the
swaying beam of the lantern
and dreamed up dreaan of pos
sums bigger than a big. M#
groundhog, and they were like
foursomes on a golf course. . .
Coot Halgler, whose black and
wholesome countenance would
bust open In hilarious laughter
at the slightest provocation,
and who didn't like far time to
be mentioned on a nighttime
hunt, has shaken off the mortal
cares. . . He vowed that the
polecat stink would cure hi*
colds, and loved baked possum,
and yams. . . Cooge Lovill, one
of the molt faithful of the old
hound dog hunter*, who made
about the best company around
a warming Are you ever law,
gave up the struggle some
years ago. . . Carl Payne who
could climb up a forty foot pop
lar without a limb in sight,
like a squirrel, to shake the
grinning critter from his perch,
and who found that the least
possum always climbed the
highest tree, died year* ago,
and Jim Rivers, whose patience
when the trails were cold, and
there was nothing to eat,- was
like uatp that of Job himself
looks out from his desk, where
he heads a corporation in the
city, and we sometimes think
of chill nights in the trackless
forests and in the evening can
Imagine that the lantern is
trimmed and burning, that the
dogs are ia good voice, and that
the old friends are still around
with tele* of the hunt
And the skunks aad the poo
sums have multiplied no end,
and they stink up the high
ways, before the whirling
wheels literally grind them in
to nothingness. . . Folks dont
need the money from their
pelts anymore, and good roast
beef has taken the place a i
browned possum. . . Only
trouble about skunks is that
the game's been neglected, and
folks who used to hunt them
are driving Cadillacs to gay
parties and dance* and bridge
games.
ys * * *
He Stopped . . And Flipped
A Tone
?anker Alfred Adams stop
ped at Walker's Jewelry Store
to hay himself a Jaw Harp. , ,
The mum thing Mte ton ?
? Jew'i btf,ul which actual
ly always cum Mt "fake"
oi^? of
the itm|t little e? traptlam
which aritti him, strum
m4 at eff a lew bar* of
"Groundhog," with profession
ai eaae, pocketed the little
glaaaa aai ptnmM down
the ataim! talking over the
world of finance and business.
. . For ? little relaxing, there's
nothlnf to heat a little Juice
harp mnfic, this is if one doat
pick nothing. . . Hhe a haajer,
that is.
Uncle
Pinkney
HIS PALAVERIN'S
DEAK MISTER EDITOR:
You will recollect that here
awhile back the felers at the
country store was in favor of
reducing each state to one
Senator and cutting the. House
members in half. It was figger
ed that this move would pay
off the national debt in about
10 year.
Well, Mister Editor, I got
some powerful new fodder fer
this campaign. It is a well
knowed fact that Senators and
Congressmen has got to git
votes, and to git votes they
got to spread the gravy on
pritty thick back home. Hie
figgers has just been released
on how thick the gravy is
irtttw*- ?( ltt.
The item I got here *?|ys that
in, 1962 we had 2,538,390 civil
ians ' working in Guvernment
ofice*. This is ? increase of
46,049 over 1961 and they is
estimating that in this year of
1963 the number will go up an
other 20,000. This piece says it
is now taking over $14 billion
to pay these Guvernment work
ers.
Congressman Earl Wilson of
Indiana says when he first
come to the Congress 20 years
ago, he was in a state of shock
the first week from watching
Guvernment secretaries polish
ing their nails, reading movie
magazines and writing letters
to their boy friends. And he
says it is twict as bad now.
He claims that today, in addi
tion to all them other things,
they is busy working cross
word puztles, walking around
in the halls with transister
radios hung around their neck,
and some of 'em is even knit
ting sweaters.
It looks like the gravy is
gitting too thick to stir and
about the only way the tax
payers can thin K down ? bit
is to thin out them Senators
and Congressmen.
Farthennore, I aee by the
papers where, while the Con
gress was adjourned, we had
27 U, S. Senators and Congress
men, some of 'em defeated in
the last election, taking tours
at Guvernment expense. They
call 'em "fact finding" trips,
but it seems they has to take
their wives and relatives along
to help git the facta.
And I have took note. Mister
Editor, that right now daring
the cold weather, most of the
facts that need finding out
about is to the South where
it's warm. In the summer time
the facts shifts to the North.
Senator Harry Byrd said last
week that the 46,045 civilian
workers the Guvernment add
ed last year coat the taxpayers
1297 million extra, and that
the 20,000 they was fiwering
in aiding this year would coat
another $112 million. That's
nighty hard ap the taxpayers
but I reckon it's aood jar the
transister radio folks.
We got ? heap af fine and
bone* men in Washington,
and we jot some that ttm't so
fine. The felkra at the atorc
is maintaining that if we cut
the number in Mlf, we can
kaap a bqttar watch an which
is Which
VMM truly,
Dncle PMkney
{MscKtrtght "Syndicate)