and
alljr Highland fHorottiatt
WEIMAR JONES
Editorial Page Editor
THURSDAY. DECEMBER t), 1959
NO. 1 NEED
Might Get Both
When the combined choirs of the churches here
presented Handel's "Messiah" at the Franklin
Methodist Church ten days ago, every pew was
filled, chairs placed in the aisles were all filled, and
a hundred or more persons had to stand.
The very next night, at a P.-T. A. program, held
in the Franklin School cafeteria, the experience
was repeated ; many had to stand throughout the
program.
Lack of room, at two different type events, on
successive nights, underlined a long-time need of
this community ? an adequate public auditorium.
Nowhere in Franklin is there a place suitable
and large enough for a well-attended musical pro
gram, dramatic production, or even public speak
ing.
An auditorium, designed as an auditorium, that
is large enough, seems to us the No. 1 building
need of this community.
It's even worse needed than a new courthouse ?
except for one thing: Fire-proof vault space for
the. public records stored at the courthouse is a
must.
If we build a courthouse, we'll still need the
auditorium ; for a courtroom is neither suitable
nor large enough for a public auditorium. More
over, if we build a new courthouse, we'll have all
our financial eggs in one basket. It's highly un
likely we can build a new courthouse and an audit
torium.
That situation suggests a possible way of meet
ing both needs.
If a good architect finds it practicable to re
# model the old courthouse, but finds there isn't
space for all the county needs, why not use the re
modeled building for court sessions, with ample
vault space, and the offices of those officials whose
records are most important, and then build an
auditorium at another location, with space in that
building for the offices of other public officials?
That way, we could take care of both needs ?
and probably do it for approximately the cost of
a new courthouse alone.
"Most people today .wouldn't have such fat wal
lets", says The Chicago News, "if thev removed
the credit cards". Nor such fat under the wallets if
they sat on 'em less.
I
Welfare And Stupidity
When welfare funds are allotted for the aid of
dependent children, it would seem reasonable to
assume that the money is meant to be spent for the
welfare of the children. Yet some people in author
ity appear to feel that is of little consequence.
There is abundant evidence that many parents
or guardians of dependent children draw these
funds and then either spend them unwisely or
squander the money on themselves, sometimes for
such thing's as liquor.
In an effort to cure that situation, the last ses
sion of the North Cafofina General 1 Assembly en
acted law giving county wfelfare departments
authority to supervise the spending of these funds
for children, in cases where the money appeared
to be misused.
But the federal government, which provides the
bulk of the money, said no. If there is any super
vision, in any case, announced the federal Depart
ment of Health, Education, and Welfare, the feder
al share of these funds will be withheld from this
state. North Carolina officials made a trip to
Washington to explain the situation, but the de
partment was firm. Either there'll be no supervise
ion, the .state officials were told, or there'll be no
federal funds.
No matter how sound the sociological theory on
which that decision was based ? and we aren't sure
it's even sound sociology ? it doesn't make practical
sense. Furthermore, it isn't just, for it tends to de
prive some needy children of money set aside for
their welfare.
We don't pretend to have either an explanation
for the reasoning behind that decision nor a pat
solution of the problem it creates.
i '
North Carolina might, though, do something like
Indiana did a number of years ago. That state,
taking the attitude that welfare funds are public
tax money, and that, therefore, the public is en
titled to know who gets the money, made its wel
fare rolls public. The federal government promptly
withdrew its share of the funds. Indiana stood firm.
And, ultimately the federal government backed
down.
This latest impasse, it seems to us, suggests too
dangers :
First, if you give great power to non-elected of
ficials, sometimes you'll get a fool in power, whom
the people cannot reach directly.
Second, where there is federal aid, there is likely
to be federal control ? a control that is no less firm
because it is used, as in this case, in a way that is
^ obviously stupid.
Nearly every community in the Nation has a water prob
lem. Most problems of water shortage, poor water, or flood,
trace back to the land ? to the small watersheds on which
rain or snow falls. Farmers and ranchers who control our
farmlands, rangelands, and woodlands control to an impor
tant degree the movement of water that falls on their prop
erty. Public lands, Including the National and State Forests,
are equally important to the watersheds of which they are
a part. ? Agriculture Secretary Ezra Taft Benson.
Keeping Control Of Your Car
(Greeley, Colo., Booster)
Best way to keep control of your car Is to keep up the pay
ments
'Enrichment'
(Charlotte News)
DO YOU REMEMftfcR?
made It Impossible to con
to do with their money
65 TEARS AGO THIS WEEK
(1894)
Mr. and Mrs. J. Lee Barnard gave a sociable and supper at
their home on Iotla last night.
Deputy Collector C. C. Smith came in on a visit home last
Thursday to remain over Christmas.
J. A. Porter, of the grip brigade, came home Wednesday of
last week and will remain till after Christmas.
"Mrs. V. A. Redding, of Forsyth, Ga., a sister to Mrs. F. S.
Johnston, arrived Saturday to spend the holidays with Mr.
Johnston's family.
35 YEARS AGO
(19t4)
Mrs. Elsie Franks, now teaching at Holly Springs, was a
visitor to Franklin last Tuesday.
Clerk Frank I. Murray has been giving the old Confederate
soldiers their pension money this week.
Mr. W. J. Berry, of Holly Springs, killed a hog on the 16tli
that weighed 420 pounds, dressed.
15 YEARS AGO ' 1
(1944)
Zickgraf Hardwood Company gave its sixth annual Christ
mas dinner to its personnel and employes at The Tavern
Friday night, with 84 out of a total membership of 96 at
tending.
The Macon County Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol, an
auxiliary of the Army Air Forces, is being organized.
5 YEARS AGO
(1954)
Old Man Winter arrived over the week end, handing out
doses of ice and snow, the snow measuring from a half inch
to ten inches.
STRICTLY
PERSONAL
By WEIMAR JONES
How many people here, I won
der, still use mistletoe, when they
decorate their homes lor Christ
mas?
And how many of today's young
HO pie know the dtfMous secret
of mistletoe. when It's hung over
head among the Christmas greens
? that a girl caught under mistle
toe becomes fair prey to any boy
to kiss?
(I still wonder, too, what I did
at the time: How often the girls,
who seemed so surprised, really
were unaware that mistletoe was
hanging above them?)
Well, if that old custom of
ftdfcttatlng with mUMMpe is gone,
or going, most of Mm others re
main; most of tibm. happily,
remain, in spite of at the changes
that have taken place in the last
oentury, or even the last decade.
That's one of the wonMrful things
abottt Christmas.
How great the changes have
been is well llhnrtrkted by the
story, beloved by all children,
that starts " Twas the night be
fore Christmas".
That poem Is filled with words
and phrases that, though they re
ferred to things that were in
everyday use at the time it was
written, have little ot no mean
ing to the children 01 today.
Yet "A Visit from St. Nicholas ',
written by Clement Clarke Moore
for his own children, was first
published In 1823, only 136 years
ago.
Even the .title Is a bit ana
chronistic today. "St. Nicholas''
Is rarely heard; to the modern
child, the jolly old elf is "Santa
Claus".
And you have to go no farther
than the third line of the poem
to find a reference to something
that is hardly used now: "the
stockings were hung . . Who
wears stockings any morel No
woman who even attempts to be
in style would be caught dead
in stockings; she wears, instead,
sheer things called "hose". And
boys and girls, as well as men,
wear socks. I'd guess few families
would have stocktings for the
children to hang unless they went
out and bought special ones made
for that purpose.
Then, a little farther down, the
poem refers to the "visions of
sugarplums" that danced through
the children's heads. Who knows
today what a sugarplum Is? How
many adults, even, ever saw one?
And listen to this one: "Mamma
In her kerchief and I In my cap'V
What man today wears, or ever
wore, a night cap? And what
woman gets herself into a ker
chief (I'm not positive whether
it's a headdress or a sort of dress)
before she goes to bed?
And try to imagine, in this
atomic age, anybody ever having
thought of a sleigh, drawn by
tiny reindeer, as the acme of
speed- Today's informed child
would be likely to wonder how
Santa could get around, in a
single night, even in an atomic
powered plane.
And, for children in this area,
what does the word "sleigh"
mean? Most of them have seen
and ridden sleds; but a sleigh is
something else again. Too, a
sleigh brings to mind sleigh bell&
ringing across the snow. But who
in Macon County ? well, who
under 60. say ? ever heard a
sleigh bell?
Then there's that reference to
Santa's looking like a peddler
just opening his pack. The time
was when the peddler, pack on
his back, was a part of the land
scape in rural America; his visits
were eagerly looked forward to by
the country housewife, who rarely
got to a store ? and probably
found less variety in the store,
once she got there, than in the
humble peddler's pack.
No child today ever saw a ped
dler. It would be my guess thafe
that word, like so many in this
poem, is just a word to the child,
completely meaningless, as far as
his personal experience is con
cerned.
Still, "The Night Before Christ
mas", as most of us erroneously
call this poem, remains a favorite
with young children. They insist
that it be read to them, over and
over, until they know It by heart,
without being conscious they are
memorizing. What a tribute that
is to the author!
Though many of the words are
out of date now, Clement Moore
told a story that stirs the wonder
of children ? and that, it seems,
never changes. )
I
ONE VERSION
How Santa Claus Originated
PITTSBURGH PRESS
"Hundreds of years ago, after
the lifetime of Jesus Christ, there
lived a saintly little old man
named Nicholi Nicholas. He was
eo beloved hy the people for his
acts of kindness that he became
known as Saint Nicholas."
That's the beginning of a neat
ly-wrltten story that appeared on
my desk a few days ago, wrapped
up in blue paper. It went on to
say that ?
"Every year, as the time ap
proached the date of the birth
of Christ, Saint Nicholas went
among the people spreading good
cheer, telling them the story of
the birth of Christ and of thp
three wise men who came to see
the Holy Child and gave him offer
ings of gold and beautiful presents
in celebration of His birth.
"Where Saint Nicholas lived it
was very, very cold. The people
were cave dwellers, and the en
trance to their cave homes was
through a hole in the top of the
cave called a 'chimney'. As the,
ground was continually covered
with snow, sleighs drawn by rein
deer was their method of trans
portation.
"On Christmas Eve, Saint
? Continued back page 1st Sec.
Story Of The First Christmas
Good Tidings Of Great Joy: Unto Us A Child Is Born
AND there shall come forth a rod out of
the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall
grow out of his roots: and the Spirit of the
Lord .shall rest upon him, the spirit of wis
dom arid understanding, the spirit of counsel
and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the
fear of the Lord.
But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though
thou he little among the thousands of Judah,
yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me
that is to be ruler in Israel: whose goings
forth have been from of . old, from everlast
ing.
Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a
son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son
is given : and ?he government shall be upon
his shoulder: and his name shall be called
Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty Clod, The
everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
? ? ? i
THE angel Gabriel was sent from God unto
a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a
virgin espoused to a man whose name was
Joseph, of the house of David; and the vir
gin's name was Mary. And the angel came
in unto her, and said, "Hail, thou that art
highly favored, the Lord is with thee : blessed
art thou among women."
And when she saw him, she was troubled
at his saying, and cast in her mind what
manner of salutation this should be.
And the angel said unto her, "Fear not,
Mary : for thou hast found favor with God.
And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb,
and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name
JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called
the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God
shall give unto him the throne of his father
David: and he shall reign over the house of
Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there
shall be no end."
Then said Mary unto the angel, "How shall
this be, seeing 1 know not a man?"
And the angel answered and said unto her,
"The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and
the power of the Highest shall over-shadow
thee: therefore also that holy thing which
shall be born of thee shall be called the son
of Cod. And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth,
she hath also conceived a son in her old age;
and this is the sixth month with her, who
was called barren. For with God nothing
shall be impossible."
And Mary said, "Behold the handmaid of
the Lord ; be it unto me according to thy
word." And the angel departed from her.
? ? ?
NOW the birth of Jesus Christ was on this
wise: When as his mother Mary was
espoused to Joseph, before they came to
gether, she was found with child of the Holy
Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a
just man, and not willing to make her a
public example, was minded to put her away
privily. But while he thought on these things,
behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto
him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, thou son
of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary
thy wife: for that which is conceived in her
is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring
forth a son, and thou shalt call his name
JESUS: for he shall save the people from
their sins" . . . Then Joseph being raised
from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had
bidden him, and took unto him his wife: and
knew her not till she had brought forth her
firstborn son : and he called his name JESUS.
? ? ?
AND it came to pass in those days, that
there went out a decree from Caesar
Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
. . . And all went to be taxed, every one into
his own city.
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out
of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the
city of David, which is called Bethlehem,
(because he was of the house and lineage of
David), to be taxed with Mary his espoused
wife, being great with child.
And so it was, that, while they were there,
the days were accomplished that she should
be delivered. And she brought forth her first
born son and wrapped him in swaddling
clothes, and laid him in a manger; because
there was no room for them in the inn.
And there were in the same country shep
herds abiding in the field, keeping watch
over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel
of the Lord came upon them, and the glory
of the Lord shown around about them; and
they were sore afraid. And the angel said
unto them. "Fear not: for, behold, I bring
you good tidings of great joy, which shall
be to all people. For unto you is born this
day in the city of David a Saviour, which is
Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign
unto you; ye shall find the babe wrapped in
swaddling clothes, lying in a manger."
And suddenly there was with the angel a
multitude of the heavenly host praising God,
and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and
on earth peace, good will toward men."
And it came to pass, as the angels were
gone away from them into heaven, the shep
herds said one to another, "Let us now go
even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing
which has come to pass, which the Lord hath
made known unto us."
And they came with haste, and found
Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a
manger. And when they had seen it, they
made known abroad the saying which was
told them concerning this child. And all they
that heard it wondered at those things which
were told them by the shepherds. But Mary
kept :>11 these things, and pondered them in
her heart.
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and
praising God for all the things that they had
heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
? ? ?
NOW when Jesus was born in Bethlehem
of Judea in the days of Herod the king,
behold, there came wise men from the east
to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is he that is
born King of the Jews? for we have seen his
star in the east; and are come to worship
him."
When Herod the king had heard these
.things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem
with him. And when he had gathered all the
chief priests and scribes of the people to
gether, he demanded of them where Christ
should be born. And they said unto him, "In
Bethlehem of Judea: for thus it is written by
the prophet, 'And thou Bethlehem, in the
land of Juda, art not the least among the
princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come
a Governor, that shall rule my people
Israel.' "
Then Herod, when he had privily called
.the wise men, inquired of them diligently
what time the star appeared. And he sent
them to Bethlehem, and said, "Go and search
diligently for the young child; and wheh ye
have found him, bring me word again, that
I may come and worship him also."
When they had heard the king, they de
parted; and, lo, the star, which they saw in
the east, went before them, till it came and
stood over where the young child was. When
From The Bible
they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceed
ing great joy.
And when they were come into the house,
they saw the young child with Mary his
mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: _
and when they had opened their treasures,
they presented unto him gifts; gold, and
frankincense, and myrrh.
And being warned of God in a dream that
they should not return to Herod, they de
parted into their own country another way.
And when they were departed, behold, the
angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a
dream, saying, "Arise, and take the young
child and his mother, and flee into Egypt,
and be thou there until I bring thee word:
for Herod will seek the young child to de
stroy him."
When he arose, he took the young child
and his mother by night, and departed into
Egypt: and was there until the death of .
Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was
spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
"Out of Egypt have I called my son."
Then Herod, when he saw that he was
mocked of the wise men, Was exceeding
wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the chil
dren that were in Bethlehem, and in all the
coasts thereof, from two years old and under,
according to the time which he had diligently
inquired of the wise men. . . .
But when Herod was dead, behold, an
angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to
Joseph in Egypt, saying, "Arise, and take
the young child and his mother, and go into
the land of Israel: for they are dead which
sought the young child's life". And he arose*#
and took the young child and his mother, t
and came into the land of Israel. . . . And he
came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth.