THE PILOT
Published Each Friday by
THE PILOT. INCORPORATED
' Southern Pines. North Carolina
1941—JAMES BOYD. Publisher—1944
KATHARINE BOYD Editor
VALERIE NICHOLSON ..... Asst. Editor
DAN S. RAY General Manager.
C. G. COUNCIL Advertising
Subscription Rates:
One Year $3.00 '6 Months $1.50 3 Months 75c
Entered at the Postoffice at Southern Pines. N. C..
as second class mail matter
. Member National Editorial Association and
N. C. Press Association
Too Many Guns
The South has a reputation for belligerency
of which it has always been proud. And with
a good deal of reason, though whether the rea
son itself is good is another matter. When it
forms the basis for the apparently generally
recognized and tolerated custom of gun-owning
and carrying, there is room for doubt.
Two stories of crime in our leading universi
ties are filling the papers; in both cases the
young men involved carried guns. Perhaps they
didn’t carry them all the time but they owned
revolvers and had them in their rooms. Ray
mond Hair and Roy Coble were allegedly strug
gling for possession of the pistol when it went
off: Leon Smithey, said to be a mental case, shot
his friend, George Bennett, and then himself.
A war lies in our immediate ptist in which
thousands of young men handled guns and be
came more or less accustomed to taking violent
action. It is not unlikely that its aftermath will
haunt us for some time to come. That these
crimes happen is not surprising. What is worth
thinking about, however, is the fact that these
young meh, and certainly many others of their
kind, have guns in the first place. Why should
they? Why should two Wake Forest or Chapel
Hill students possess revolvers? Somebody
must have known about it: why was it allowed?
A woman from a midwest state, coming to the
Sandhills to live alone, not long ago, reported
that seyeral of the women she met exclaimed
over her courage and all added: “But of course
you have a gun!” When she Scdd that she didn’t,
they were almost aghast. When, several years
ago, an unfortunate incident occurred in a riear-
by town and a large crowd assembled in a mat
ter of minutes, it was noticed that almost all the
men were armed. Some had shotguns, but a
good many had revolvers.
The old fear and its answer, violence, is still
haunting Southern society. Those guns are a
sorrowful response to it. That is probably inev
itable and, in the hands of mature and reason
able people, may do little harm. But when
youth is involved, when college undergraduates
are allowed to have guns, nothing but trouble
can result.
When we come to ask how it happens that a
man who was a mental case, recently released
from the Fayetteville Veterans Hospital, came to
possess a gun, the matter demands an authori
tative answer. Where did he get it and from
whom? The public has a right to insist that the
man who sold or gave it to him should be
brought to account..
Winning the Cold War
During the last few weeks. Congress has been
engaged, among a good many other things, in
debating various phases of the Marshall Plan
and ECA.
Thus far, its opponents have not succeeded in
effecting too serious damage, due to vigilance
on the part of the plan’s supporters. But they
have tried. They have done some harm and
they will probably do more. Its opponents will
keep on trying to sabotage this program for
world recovery and peace, and it is up to the
public to encourage thfeir representatives in
their fight for it.
On the second anniversary of the start of the
Marshall Plan, which occurred last week, its
author spOke to the people of America. He gave
them his estimate of how well his plan was
working and of what the future might hold.
General Marshall has often said that the present
cold war was a contest between twp opposed
theories of life, and a struggle for the minds of
men. In his review of the Marshall Plan to
date, he stresses this point again, and speaks
words of tremendous import to aU Americans.
We quote, below, excerpts from General Mar
shall’s speech.
I never consider the European Recovery
Program without recapturing in my mind
the tragic state of western Europe in the
spring of 1947. .. . The debates on the ques
tion of continuing the program, it seems to
me, are confused by a variety of motives.
An appraisement of the requirements of the
day is befogged by a failure to realize that
we are now engaged in a great struggle. . . .
Winning this struggle is as vital to the peace
and prosperity of the world as any military
campaign in history. ... But your job is
only half done.... To those who assert that
our targets cannot be reached within the
short span of two years more, I would say
that perfection of accomplishment cannot
always be expected. But we have seen a
close approach to that perfection in these
past two years. . . . Looking again at the
spring of 1947, and again considering the
situation at this moment, I can only feel that
one near-miracle has been accomplished.
We must work for, and expect, another mir
acle. ... We are engaged in a perilous strug
gle with an implacable foe; we must carry
this battle to the finish.
What We Have Here
Several letters have been received by this
paper relative to the recently printed Chamber
of Commerce booklet. While they give it praise,
each notes a regrettable omission of one or an
other town asset. One mentions ithe library, an
other the Civic Club, another the school, as not
receiving notice in a publication designed to list
the town’s many fine points.
It should be noted and emphasized that the
booklet was gotten up under great pressure. In
order to havedt ready for the spring season, it
was necessary to act in a matter almost of split
seconds. Its authors are aware, better pgrhaps
than anyone else, of its short-comings. In fact,
the booklet was looked on as more or less of'an
experiment to see just what sort of publicity
was needed.
The booklet was made up, it is said, princi
pally with the idea of answering questions
which have been written in to the Chamber of-
Commerce relative to Southern Pines. Most of
them have had to do with hotel rates, sports
facilities and the climate. ■
It is considered probable that if funds’ permit
a larger and more detailed booklet will be pdb-
lished later on. When this happens, it is to be
hoped that all the town’s assets will be given
the place they deserve. Because that is the sort
of publicity needed, but there is another reason,
too. There are a good many people here who
have, during the years, worked hard and given
generously toward building up the. cultural life
of the town. They would not want, we feel sure,
personal publicity, but it is only right that their
accomplishments should. receive deserved rec
ognition. The Civic Club, the Library, and cer
tainly the schools are town assets made possible
through such devoted service.
Other organizations which might be listed ^
for their advertising worth, as civic-minded ^
and of high cultural value, are the Moore Coun- |i
ty Historical Association, which holds most of
its meetings here and has brought many dis
tinguished speakers to town, the Garden Club,
sponsor of the amazingly successful tour, and
the Music Association which is bringing the
state symphony here in May. Towns which can
boast of such groups ought to boast.
Then there is the Shaw House, an important
tourist attraction and the town’s only (tearoom'.
It is unique in this section and we imagine
there is nothing to compare with its old world
charm or tea delicacies for many miles up and
down Route 1. It is the project of the Historical
association.
Doubtless there are other such organizations
which deserve recognition. The point is, how
ever, that it would have been impossible to list
them all in the Chamber of Commerce booklet,
but that sometime they ought to be listed, for
their own value and for the encouragement of
those who work hard at making them a success.
Meantime, the present brochure ranks as a
good start in the right direction.
Spring Migration
These are the days when the birds are starting
to fly north. You see the flocks overhead circ
ling around, you hear their little high guiding
cries: “Hi! Here’s a good place! Come on,
folks!” And down' they come with an excited
twittering to settle in the old sycamore. 'They
look like a lot of big fat persimmons clustered
all over the branches. If you train the glaisses
on them you see they are cedar waxwings or
swallows or little warblers, fluttering their
shadowing wings.
The birds stop here on the way north and so
do the human winter visitors. If you drive along
route 1, these days, you meet them coming up
from FJorida. All along the road they come in
their little-cars with the lolloping trailer hooked
on behind. The small arks on wheels sway and
bounce and the big luxury jobs grind majesti
cally along, dwarfing everything else on the
road. Exasperated drivers, plugging along be
hind them, poke their car noses out, every now
and then, trying for a chance to pass.
Some of these traipse on through town, or
draw up at the trailer park between here and
Aberdeen, pulling in under the shady pines.
They stake out their claims, hook up to nearby
water lines, and start getting dinner. The little
j ones have a gypsy caravan look, but with the
big ones it’s all solemn: the Grand Moguls of the
road, tending strictly to business. Our pine
trees are honored by their presence under their
branches: so say their lofty stares from the
trailer-doorstep.
Both these groups call the Sandhills a good
stopping-off place, but beyond that and the fact
that both are moving north, there is not much
in common between the movers in the air and
the ones on the ground. No, perhaps that’s
wrong: there’s a sense of adventure, too, and a
sense of accomplishment.
It shows up when both crowds start off again
on their trek. The ones in the air start to twit
ter at the first sign of dawn, and their carryings-
on get louder and louder, while the branches
are fuU of restless youngsters and their elders
hopping about, arranging the line of flight, ad
vising caution to the over-zealous and prodding
qp the late sleepers. Finally, and it must be at
a signal, a few leave the perch and swing around
the tree, the clamor growing till at last everyone
is set and the whole flock takes to the air. They
make a few practice loops, to get the night kinks
out of their wings and the direction in their
feathery heads, and off they go.
- With the trailer people, the excitement is
more restreiined, and, as most of it takes place
indoors, not so arresting to spectators. Sudden
spurts of soapy water, gushing forth unexpect
edly, a red and dishevelled countenance popping
out the door to wave a dishrag in the sun, is
about all that is visible till the final moment.
Then the activity is terrific. Doors burst open,
people dart in and out, stairs fold up, cars back
up, stall, grunt, back up again, dust flies, as the
hooking up is accomplished. Then with a final
leaping into place and banging of doors, they
start off, engine purring, trailer bucking over
the rough ground to the main highway again.
Do the two crowds look back for a last cheery
view at their pleasant resting-place? Do they
say: “We’ll see you again next year?” Who
can doubt it!
Mrs. Barkley Uses Easter Seals
Cheryl Ann Chisholm, 6, who has had cerebral palsy since birth,
presents the first sheet of 1950 Easter Seals to Mrs. Alben BarUe^
wife of the Vice-President. The 1950 Easter Seal campaign, winch
runs from March 9 to April 9, is sponsored in this state by the
National Society for Crippled Children and Adults through its state
society and local afflliated units.
Fields Plumbing & Heating Co.
In the Mailbag: A much appre-’drawn especially by a
ciated Easter greeting from the
Guryn family, at Whitehall.
Thanks, Guryns! We hope you
had the happiest Easter of your
whole lives, and that there will be
many more of them for you and
the other new friends who have
come to us from Poland and other
lands during this year just past.
You have brought us much that
is good—among tother things, an
added appreciation of what we
have here in our own land.
While we are promoting the
safety campaign for children this
month, let’s think about the little
dogs too! We all love them and,
though we have heard one com
plaint about dogs running loose
in Southern Pines since we came
here to live, we feel that most
people here like the dogs to have
the freedom of the town. They
are well-behaved and friendly,
and as far as we can see don’t
make themselves annoying to
anyone. (Exceptions: the dogs that
turn over the garbage cans!)
Dogs do have a way of running
out into the street without look
ing and, no matter how smart they
are, don’t pay much attention to
traffic lights. We’ve noticed time
and again how considerate most
motorists are in watching out for
them, and have appreciated it.
Sometimes, though, a sad accident
happens—two of us here at The
Pilot have lost beloved pets in the
past coujile of years.
Recently we have heard of sev
eral pets being killed by speeders,
and it has grieved us mightily.
One of them was Tillie von
Coughenour, smart and aristocrat
ic dachshund of the Calvin Burk-
head home. There were others
A hit-run driver killed Tillie. Of
course we know Tillie ought not
to have been out in the street, but
the thing is that Tillie didn’t know
that—she trusted everybody, and
that trust was her undoing.
Children and dogs act in much
the same way when crossing a
street. They plunge ahead, un
aware of menace, and forgetting
to look. Whenever a dog is killed
by a speeding driver, it could just
as easily have been a child.
Let’s watch out for the children
—and for the dogs too.
The overwhelming success of
the garden tour last week, also of
the opening of the Beckwith Gar
dens on Easter Sunday, should
fire up our pride in the beauties
we have here in our home com
munity.
With only some posters and
some newspaper stories for pub
licity, the garden tour brought
hundreds of people from all cor
ners of the state, and from other
states. The Fairmont Garden club
came en masse. One young cou
ple was observed taking copiouj
notes. Inquiry elicited the fact
that the wife was a member of the
Kings Mountain Garden club, and
desire to
see the Shaw House. A lady in
the group was wearing an espe
cially lovely camellia. When one
of the hostesses on the tour ex
pressed admiration for it, she took
it off and gave it to the hostess.
Wearer of the camellia turned
out to be Mrs. Kemp, whose hus-
bamd is a noted grower of camel
lias and authority on them, a
judge at camelia shows throughout
the state.
While opinion was unanimous
on the whole beauty of the tour, it
was divided as to the prettiest
garden, with most agreeing, how
ever, that Mrs. Audrey K. Kenne
dy’s was a fitting climax. Placed
last on the list of a dozen, it com
bined in' one. perfect, peaceful
scene the outstanding charms of
all.
Robert Youngman. of Youngs
town, Ohio, played his ball from a
bunker near the fourth green of
the Pinehurst No. 3 course the
other day. Ball struck against
the rim of the cup, bounced high
in the air and came down on Mr.
Youngman’s head. “Statisticians
trying to estimate the odds of this
happening,” reported the Pine
hurst Outlook succinctly, “shot
themselves.”
The Public
Speaking
To the Pilot:
Those residents • of Southern
Pines who were fortunate enough
last Sunday to hear Arch Cole
man’s radio program, “The Edi
tor,” on a local station, were in
vited to speak their minds on a
question of importance to all of
us: whether or not to encourage
the establishment of industry in
this vicinity.
This is not a new question. It
has been heard many times be
fore. What is unique about its
present, appearance is that it
seems some constructive action
might be taken on it this time.
Of course, it would be ill-advis
ed to permit anything to destroy
the unique charm of our village,
which has attracted many thous
ands of visitors in years past and
will, we hope, continue to do so
in the future. Smoking, dirty,
noisy factories must certainly be
discouraged.
However, there are many small
industries, clean and worthy,
which should, after the approval
of a competent local committee,
be invited to locate here.
Every year we lose a goodly
portion of one of our most price
less assets—^the group of boys and
girls who complete high school or
was going to give ^ program on [ college training, and are forced to
the Southern Pines gardens to her ’ ’
home group. j
One Rockinghann lady, visiting
Paint Hill Farm, restored antebel
lum rustic home, kaid she had not-
realized before tfte potentialities
of beauty in the cild. “We let our
old home go and built a new mod
em one,” she sai(a. “I’m sorry now
we did!” '
A group fromj' Greensboro was
i
/
PHONE 5952
PINEHURST. N. C.
All Types of Plumbing, Heating.
(G. E. ^1 Burners)
and Sheet Metal Work
Photography and Custom Framing
HENRY H. TURNER Studio
675 S. W. Broad St. Phone 6452
Southern Pines, N. C.
seek a livelihood elsewhere be
cause of a local scarcity of jobs.
The circumstances indicate that
we in Southern Pines should
adopt a middle course between a
wholly industrial area and an un
compromising resort town. Only
in this way can we have a well-
balanced community. Sincerely,
RUSSELL E. POWELL.
NOW OPEN
PINE GLEB
Formerly Pine Valley Inn
On old Pinehurst Road
A Bit of Old France in the Pines
LUNCHEON DINNER
ENGLISH BRIDGE TEA SUPPER
MIDNIGHT BREAKFAST—WITH MUSIC
Cosmopolitan Cuisine with Wines
For Reservations Call Blanchette
Southern Pines 6864
■ V:
DR. DAVID W. WHITEHEAD
OPTOMETRIST
EYES EXAMINED GLASSES PITTED
Hours 9 a. m. to 5 p. m. daily except Saturday
(Wednesday afternoon, close at 1 p, m.)
Telephone 6982—Hart Building—Southern Pines. N. C.
TYNER & COMBS
CONTRACTING
Painting and Wall Papering
SOUTHERN PINES. N. C.
O. C. Combs
Pinebluff 313
G. W. Tyner
Southern Pines 5804
ANTIQUES
ALLIE McINTOSH
Southern Pines
675 South West Broad Street
Telephone 6452
DRY CLEANING SERVICE
PROMPT
MODERATE
WHY NOTED
NAaNE CONNER
CHANGED TO CAMELS...
"WHEN I SMOKE, I HAVE TO THINK OF
MY VOICE. I MADE THE CAMEL 30-DAY
MILDNESS TEST, it proved to me
THAT CAMEU AGREE WITH MY THROAT.
THEY'RE MILD-THEY TASTE FINEl'i*
• inacoast-to-coasttestof
hundreds of men and wom
en who smoked Camels —
and only Camels —for 30
days, noted throat special
ists, making weekly exami
nations, repotted
Not one single cose of threat
' irritation due to smoking CAMELS