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May Be Worthy Of Study
Eight of 43 defendants scheduled
to appear in Warren County District
Court Tast Friday failed to
appear to answer to charges filed
against them. Of the eight whofail-"
ed to appear for trial five were •
charged with violations of the motor
vehicle laws.
This, we believe is just about
par for the usual session of the
district court, and has become quite
a problem for the court. Many of
those who failed to appear will be
tried at a later session, unless
they live outside the state, after a
capias is issued and bond set for
their appearance in court. But not
before the court has been put to
needless expense and delay and many
witnesses and court officials have
been Inconvenienced. We would like
to see more contempt charges lodged
against those who fail to appear in
court for the sake of justice and
the good name of the court.
Some of those who fail to appear
in court to answer charges
of violating the motor vehicle laws
are from outside the state and
forfeit their bonds rather than
make a special trip from along distance
back into the county.
A suggestion of The (Whiteville)
News Reporter may hold the answer
not only for local violators
of traffic laws, but to local persons
failing to appear in court to
answer to violations of traffic laws.
The Whit^ville paper relates:
A major prpblem arises-in our judicial
system when a case is set for trial and
the defendant does not come to court. District
Court Judge Ray Walton attended a
recent conference in Alabama and brought
home a good idea to correct this injustice.
Instead of instructing the violator to appear
in court on a certain day, the arresting officer
would coUect the offender's driver's
license and issue him a temporary permit,
good until the day of the scheduled court
appearance. When the defendant paid his
John Mitchell's
The Smithfteld Herald
What Attorney General John Mitchell says
about the U. S. Supreme Court is refreshing.
He reminds us that the Court, in the 19th
as well as 20th century, "has found Itself
in the center of almost every significant
and social issue." From the early days of the
Republic, be tells us, the Court has been
accused "of arrogating powers reserved to
other branches of government and of substituting
partisan political bias for neutrality
and fairness."
And this Cabinet member, who has been
described as the toughest conservative in the
Nixon administration, goes on to make this
forthright statement (in an article in the juneJuly
issue of Trial magazine):
"The lesson we should draw from history
Is that extremist critics of the Court have
vastly overreacted and that most of the basic
principles enunciated by the Court have proved
to be the best course for the nation."
Much of the popular dissatisfaction with the
Court, Mr. Mitchell says, seems to be "illfounded
or maliciously motivated." He says
be does not believe that any responsible
lawyer or responsible citizen disagrees with
the fundamental principles of the Court's
antl-segregatton decision of May 17,1954.
Nor do responsible lawyers and citizens, he
says, disagree with the decisions guaranteeing
equal treatment to all criminal defendants
regardless of their financial status.
H> these and other major decisions of recent
years, the Attorney General says, the court
has stood "lor principles of our societyprinciples
of equal protection, of the right to
counsel, and of freedom of speech and religion."
Disagreements over application of principles
enunciated by the Court are inevitable
and proper, but the principles themselves are
sound, Mr. Mitchell says.
He cites a random CBS poll of 1,1J« adults
showing "that perhaps many people really
with the Constitution and not with
For example, 76 per eenl of the
tervlewed said Citizens should not Be
fine or was declared not guilty, he could
get his license back.
Under the present system, a North Carolina
resident Is cited to appear In court
with no bond. He will appear, but often not
before the court, law officers and prosecuting
witnesses are called to court, only to
find the accused person did not bother to come.
Under the new system the burden would be
on the defendant: If he wants his driver's
license back, It Is his responsibility to get
it — either by paying his fine or appearing
In court as he is required by law to dp.
The plan seems to have considerable
merit and we hope that it receives
consideration from those in
authority. Should there be some legal
reason why it cannot be adopted
in North Carolina, we would like
to see a law along similar lines
adopted for North Carolina by the
next session of the legislature.
Another change we would like
to see is a change in punishment
for those who violate traffic laws.
ttDrunk, drivers usually have their
licenses revoked for a year, hence
the efforts to change the charge to
reckless driving which usually carries
a fine and court cbsts. If we
had our way, all defendants found
guilty Of violations of traffic laws
would have their licenses revoked,
the length of revocation depending
upon the gravity of the offense,
from one week to forever. A careless
and reckless driver can be
just as dangerous as a drunk driver,
and it does not make sense that
he should get off with only a fine
while the drunk driver loses his
license for a year. To many drivers
a fine and court costs, totaling
from $25 to $40, is but a slap
on the wrist. But a loss of the privilege
of driving for a period of
time is something else. This type
punishment also has the virtue of
falling on rich and poor, the influential
and the non-Influential
alike.
Sobering Words
the (tebale Is always calculated to increase
public respect for the Court rather than to
undermine it." The Court deserves public respect,
Mr. Mitchell says, because the sincerity,
scholarship, and devotion of the Justices
"to this generation and future generations is
beyond reproach."
What the Attorney General says so well
needs no additional comment. The fitting response
to his sobering defense of the Supreme
Court is a resounding "Amen."
Human Relations
CARL GOEKCH in The SUte Magazine
I was driving along U. S. 64 between Farmrtlle
and Greenville. An elderly man, driving
a light track, turned out of a country lane,
and we almost had a collision. My car skidded
and for a moment I was afraid it was going
to turn over.
When I finally brought it to a stop, 1 got
oat and started walking toward the truck.
The other individual also alighted from his
fehlcle. As we approached each other, he
raised his hand and said. "Walt a minute,
(Bister, before you say anything, I've got a
question to ask you."
"What is it?" I demanded gruffly.
"Ain't you never made a mistake in your
life?" he Inquired.
* was so unexpected that 1 couldn't help but
laugh. We chatted in friendjr fashion for
a couple of minutes and then went our different
ways.
Quotes
The worst sin toward cmr fellow croataroo
is not to hate them, bat to be Indifferent to
thorns that's the essence of inhumanity. George
Bernard Shaw.
Moot Ignorance is vincible Ignorance. Wo
don't know because we don't want to know. —
AldOus Huxley.
There la nothing, aboolutely nothing which
needs to be more carefully guarded against
than that one man should be allowed to bocome
more powerful than the people. -DettoeAvoid
membership In a body at persona
pledged to only one aids of lythtog -Henry
Mostly
Personal
Rj B1GNALL JONES
The Carnegie commission
study of the puUic schools, In
essenc*, ssys that learning and
teaching ought to be a Joy arising
out of Informality and
spontaneity, but that public
education today Is largely
"oppressive" and "Joyless."
D "oppressive" means discipline
and "Joyless" means
lack of fim, It seema to me that
the commission has spent
$300,000 to find out something
that la as old as education
Itself. Based on my own experience
of many years ago
education was largely oppressive
through the student's eyes
and filled with joylessness and
was something to be endured for
its ultimate rewards.
When one contrasts the
modern school with the schools
of my generation, one may be
amazed that the schools with
larger student participation and
all kinds of study aids, extracurricular
activities, and playground
facilites, one may wonder
that today's school may be
Joyless and oppressive, but human
nature remains largely the
Letter i
To Editor
FADING SUMMER
n> The Editor:
It was /ery early la the
morning. The sun was not yet up,
although the sky was awash
with rose In the east and the
first sleepy bird sounds jroke
the silence. The lake lay stUl
and mysterious as if guarJlag
secrets not for the light of day.
and night's dark shadows still
held the woods la thrall.
We woke early, half hoping
to see a repeat performance
of something strange and wonderful
we had seen the morning
before when we had awakened
to the sound of a great stirring
outside. Looking out, we
saw to our amazement a tremendous
rush of dart birds
pouring through the undergrowth
of the woods, not more
than thrae feet above the ground,
going at great speed, yet never
once colliding with tree or
bush. On some mysterious
errand, perhaps the first leg of
their lmmen'sa Journey to some
far distant southern land,
they rushed on for about ten
minutes, performing one of
those Incredible rites bymean.i
of which the world Is kept In
balance.
# is early October now,
bright and hot, yet we know by
unmistakable signs that summer
is Just about gone. The
maroon spearheads of sumac
are slowly turning crimson.
Bouncing bet makes alavender
mist among the dark green
roadside grasses, the sunflowers
and even the black-eyed
Susans are' gathering up the
(olden glory of the sun and the
filmy Queen Anne's Lace flings
Us lovely veil over the countryside.
There is anew coolness
In the evening air, and a few
dry leaves are rustling over
the grass which only yesterday,
tt seems, flaunted its radiant
spring green.
We look forward to summer
through all the long fall and winter
days and the lingering
springtime. We dream of all
we shall do, but there is never
time enough, and before we
know tt, the leaves are turning
the frost Is on the pumpkin and
winter is near. .
It's rather 1U» that with life.
In youth tt stretches ahead Into
the infinite years. So much time,
unending. We dr,ao, and plan.
The years pass slowly, then
more quickly and then they
st*rt »o race, and before we
k:ww U, life's spring and summer
are over, the leaf turns
sere and the wind blows
chill.
Does it not Mem that we
muiit realize that NOW is the
accepted time? Now If the time
to make dr»ama come true. Now
is the time to do our real work.
Now Is the time tor decision,
tor action.
Now la the time, tor there la
no tomorrow. The new day
brings It* own opportunities,
Its own challenge, Its Joys
and sorrows R to enough tor
us to live each day as we are
able, finding new mercies, new
blessings, new opportunities for
giving afcd sharing and loving,
new evidence* to our own experience
of God's presence and
love.
We w»l to begin each sch ml
day with a lovely hymn, one of
whose verses says:
The trlval round. the common
task
WOI tarnish all w aeed to
■nam to deny ourselves, a road
To bring ee dally nearer to Ood.
W. PRIOR RODWEIX. JR.
MUM over the years and to a
child discipline U oppressive
and compulsion U Joyless,
to other words I think th«t Is
nothing new or particularly
alarming about the findings of
the commission.
When I waa a child there
were two excellent private
achoola at Warrenton, Miss
Lucy Hawkins' School and the
John Graham Academy, and
a rather Inadequate public
school. But all three schools
had two beliefs In common, one
was the authority of the teacher
and the other was that to spare
the rod spoils the child, which
was a carryover of the discipline
of the home.
I was fortunate that I was
never whipped In school, but
many of my classmates and
friends were, and the school
whippings and the whippings in
the home were accepted as a
part of the discipline to which
children were exposed. The
children, I hope, learned that the
school discipline would be found
later In the business world
and that worthwhile things seldom
come without effort. If a
rather long life has taught me
one thing, it is that in this
world there is no easy way.
I suppose that there must have
been Joyous moments In my
school days and a certain satisfaction
In accomplishment, but
by and large I never 'really
liked school and was glad when
the school day was over and I
could do what I wanted to do
instead of being told what I
must do, and I have found business
much more fun. From time
to time I have dreamed that I
was back at the old graded
school In Warrenton and
awakening was a Joy.
boy* thai war* really tough.
On* of tham once thraw an Ink
wall at the principal and later
cut the principal'* coat with
a knife before ha waa expelled
with no thought of whatexpulsion
might have on hla life.
Many Of us war* mischlevious,
and to dip the long dangling
hair of a girl Into an ink
well was not an unheard of
thing; neither waa It uncommon
to hurl chalk across the
room when ateacher's back was
turned, nor to carve a desk with
a pocket knife and to play railroad
with a pencil In the carved
grooves of the desk when we
should have been studying.
Perhaps things are different
now. I often have wished that I
could have attended the John
Graham public school. I think
that. I would have enjoyed the
carpentry tools, the chemical
laboratory, the organised
sports, the gymnasium, the
sense of participation through
student organization, the excellent
library which would have
gratified my love of books.
We had no playground worthy
of the name at the old graded
school, not even a baseball diamond
at a time when all boys
played baseball. We had no
organized sports in the school
and none of us had ever heard
of a cheerleader.
We had a few excellent teachers
whom we remember with
gratitude for what they drilled
Into our unwilling minds and
for their character and dedication.
But while I may have respected
and admired my teachers
I never loved a school
Our fourth frade teacher was
Mica Willie Macon. She waa a
good teacher and an axoaUaot
disciplinarian and we admired
and respected bar, perhaps
partially because atoa ao often
outwitted us. Site could have
her back to bar daaa aa she
worked on the blackboard and
yet dated a pupil as be burled
a piece of chalk acrosa the
room. * took a long time
(or us to figure It out, but we
finally learned that the action
of the pupils were reflected
In ber eyeglasses.
Occasionally we would skip
school, whether out of boredom
or out of devilment, I have
never determined. But I remember
sitting all the school
day In the woods with Edward
Davis when we were supposed
to be In school, and Just sitting
In the woods Is not my
Idea of fun.
Our school was heated by
stoves and our water supply
was contained in a water bucket
and fromtlmetotimetheyhadto
be replenished. We considered
ourselves lucky when called
upon by the teacher to go outside
and get a bucket of water
or bucket of coal to relieve the
tedium. Strange how different U
was at home when we were
told to get some coal or wood
or bring In a bucket of water.
When I think of bringing In a
bucket of coal I often think of
Mr. J. Edward Allen who was
my teacher in my senior year
of high school. Among the subjects
he taught was chemistry,
which I liked. I soon learned
that coal and kerosene are derivatives
of carbon. But one day
meant the chemical difference,
I told him that Idid not know. To
which he replied, "You would
be a poor man to eend oat (or a
bucket of coal."
Although corn grows u high
as >0 feet, It Is a form of graas
and sometimes U called "giant
grass."
WARREN
THEATRE
WARRENTON, N. C.
Phone 257-3354
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