North Carolina Newspapers

Ti PAGE TWO ILOT _ .. V J' North Carolina Southern Pmes —x—^ “In tok.ing over The Pilot no changes are contemplated. We will try to keep tWs a good pape? to Si= riitttn.one7 tor .11 oono.m^i. m.to th.™ ri<m to uai o»p Ipfluepc tor the public seed we toy to do it. And we will treat everybody alike.”—James Boyd, May 23, 1941. Vigilance Required At County Homes In its efforts to help improve conditions at the Moore County Home and to save money for the taxpayers of the county. The Pilot is 'aware that simply changing ftom the old-style “poorhouse” home to a licensed boarding home win not solve all problems of such a charitable or semi-charitable institution. Governor Umstead recently expressed doubt that the increasing number of boarding homes in the state are being properly inspected. It seems that state law now requires inspection only twice a year. That is not often enough. Constant vigilance by state emd county offi cials and, we would add, interested individuals, is a necessity in connection with any public in stitution of this type. The people for whom the establishment is set up are almost always with out the power or ability to make their own complaints. It was through the interest of a private individual that unsatisfactory condi tions at the Moore County Home were brought to light. The recent discharge of the superintendent of the Lee County Home, for alleged miscon duct with a mentally retarded young woman placed there under his care, .illustrates the kind of danger that is more likely to be found in the old system than with boarding homes. The Lee County home has had wide publicity as a shining example of the best in old-style county homes where the management and in mates were compared to a happy family. While we do not doubt that this in many ways has been true, the recent incident shows how de pendent the system is on trustworthy person nel. It might be added that at the Lee institu tion, the superintendent’s wife, who had been co-superintendent, is continuing to operate the place in a presumably satisfactory manner. Information from the county commissioners indicates they are making a sincere study of the Moore County Hofne problem and are not too far from a solution. They have studied the operation of other old-style county homes and also boarding homes and are reported nearing a decision in the Moore County situation. The Lee County incident and Governor Um- stead’s doubts about the condition of nursing homes should seri^ as guideposts to the Moore officials in choosing their management for whatever plan is set up in this county. A wise first choice and vigilance in inspection there after will be needed for successi in the home in the future, whatever system of operation is set up. Cold Figures Tell A Success Story From a $20,000 accumulated deficit to a $28,- 000 accuinulated surplus in one year is a re markable achievement in a town the size of Southern Pines. Such is the story told in cold figures by the audit of the town’s books for the fiscal year ended June 30. In the matter of expenditures and revenue for the fiscal year, the town administration also shows up amazingly well. Both in the general fund and in the water fund, revenue exceeded expenditures by about $14,000, whereas expen- ditiures had exceeded revenues in the preceding year by about $5,500 in the general fund and $1,200 in the water fund. Throughout this first year of council-manager government in Southern Pines the council has initiated several measures which have been des cribed as “designed to put the town on a more businesslike basis.” Such were equalization of water rates, the sewer service charge, the fire service charge for out of town residents and other new policies, not to mention such efficiencies and money-savers as competitive bidding, quantity buying and improved office procedures. ' Now, lookng at the audit, we know what the council and City Manager Tom Cunningham were talking about when they used those words “more business-like basis.” These methods have paid off in a manner of which any business could be proud—^wiping out a deficit of long standing and returning a handsome excess of revenue over expenditures for the year’s oper ations. The city manager’s capable administration Of the town’s affairs, guided by policies directed by the council, is well shown in the audit of the 1953-’54 fiscal year. And the remarkable re versal of the town’s position from the red to the black was achieved not by reducing, but by in creasing and improving, services rendered by the town to its citizens. Not only that, but the tax rate for the cur rent fiscal year was cut from $2.20 to $1.75. If all this doesn’t spell success for a town government, we don’t know what does. The Pilot advocated council-manager govern ment before it was voted in here. We have gen erally approved the policies and procedures of the new administration and we believe that the list of their accomplishments for the good of the town is by no means completed. While the financial situation reflected in the audit report is only part of the story of council- manager government here, we feel that the audit reveals a situation that should inspire confidence in the town administration. Should School Boards Be Elected? Should members of local school boards and committees be elected? We’re inclined to think so. If elections were held today fo-r school trus tees in the Southern Pines and Pinehurst city units and in the districts of the county school system, we might or might not end up with bet ter school boards—perhaps we’d end up with all the same folks in the offices they now hold —but the cause of democracy would be served and the average citizen would feel less remote from school administration and would probably be more interested in the schools. Members of the county board of education are elected—at the time of the Democratic primary—but are subject to appointment the next year by the General Assembly. Wlhile this method is cumbersome and might also be al tered, what we are talking about now are dis trict school trustees in towns and rural districts of the county. Trustees in districts of the county systemi are appointed by the county board of educa tion—which gives this latter body sweeping control over school matters throughout the county. Trustees in Southern Pines are ap pointed by the town governing body which is, so far as we know, the manner in which they are named in Pinehurst also, although Pine hurst is not an incorporated town. Local school board members are thus one step removed from the electorate: they are named by officials who were elected by the people. This is not a wholly unhealthy situa tion, but is ceirtainly open to debate. The matter was in the news lately at Chapel Hill where machinery was started to make membership on the school board there elective. On this development the Raleigh News and Observer delivered the following to-the-point comments with which we agree and which we hope will stimulate thinking about the matter by readers: “No aspect of life in America is so essential as a foundation of democracy as the public school system. It should be tied as tightly as possible to the democracy of the people. In many cases where school boards are appointed by other officials it has been said that this “takes the schools out of politics.” Maybe it does; it also takes them Out of democratic con trol. And often it puts them into the politics of a few who want to control the sdiools for their own purposes. There is no way in America About Struthers Burt ’The death on August 28 of Struthers Burt—novelist, poet, Ws- torian and for over 30 years a resident of Southern Pines during much of the year—brought newspaper editorial and other com ments in North Carolina and elsewhere. Some of these comments which have come to the attention of The Pilot appear below, illustrating the high regard in which Mr. Bmi; was held in the two areas of thfe nation where he spent most of his life—North Carolina and the Far West, where Mr. Burt and Mrs. Burt, who is now in Southern Pines, had their Three Rivers Ranch at Moran, Wyoming. IN NORTH OAROUNA (From The Pinehurst Outlook) Struthers Burt played a prom inent part in the upbuilding of the Sandhills in general. South ern Pines in particular. His gift ed pen often turned to praise of this section of the South in ar ticles he wrote for the Saturday Evening Post and other periodi cals. He never let an opportunity to advertise.us slip by him when he addressed northern audiences, as he did frequently, or to herald our assets in private conversa tions with friends throughout the North, East and West. He loved the Sandhills, and wanted others to share in what we have to offer here. With the gratitude of his Southern Pines neighbors goes deep sympathy to his charming wife and two fine children. (From Daily to take any public institution or agency out of politics without taking it out of democracy. “Undoubtedly some products of politics are bad. Some politicians are evil. There is no guar antee, however, that those who control public functions without direct responsibility to the people will always be good and wise. Further more, when the people have no right to elect officials, they may become less vigilant about officials. If they have no right to choose them —or reject them—they may feel a lack of re sponsibility about them. “As the foundation of our democratic hope for the future, the public schools more than any other aspect of government should be un der clear democratic control. It is not much of a lesson in democracy to the children in the schools to say that the schools themselves can- ,not be trusted to the democracy of the people. “Other communities should follow the ex ample of Chapel Hill and see to it that those who run the public schools of our children should be directly chosen by the public. Any other course is to teach the civics lesson that democracy is a system which cannot be trusted to deal with its most democratic institution.” The Pilot would be pleased to hear readers’ opinions on this matter. Thb Greensboro News) The death of Struthers Burt in Wyoming at the age of 73 brings a sense of loss to North Carolina which was proud to claim him as one of its authors together with his wife Katharine Newlin Burt who is a distinguished nov elist in her own right. A man of intellect, sympathy and artistry, Struthers Burt lived a full life. He was born in Balti more, reared in Philadelphia and educated at Princeton and Ox ford Universities; he was the au thor of a number of books which were not only popular but excel lent in the fields of both fiction and non-fiction, including Pow der River, a history of Wyoming, and Philadelphia: Holy Experi ment. Mr. Burt taught for a time at Princeton, one of his students be ing James Boyd, the historical novelist. Not long after that both moved to Southern Pines and with their families made their homes there. Mr. Burt also had a summer home in the Grand Teton mountains, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, but Southern Pines was his domicile. He was more than a good writer; he was a fine man with a rare combination of wisdom, culture, courage. Charm and wit. He was also a born reformer, a tough fighter against what he be lieved to be stupid or wrong; he had the gift of indignation. He loved his adopted state. North Carolina, and was keenly inter ested in its needs and problems, with particular emphasis on pul^ lie libraries and highway beauti fication. Our sympathy goes out to his friends and family. North Caro lina was proud of him and will miss him. (From The Salt Lake City (Utah) Tribune) The dude ranch country of the West serves as a summer retreat for many eminent and gifted per sons who are able to find tran quility with near-anonymity amid the pines apd along the rushing mountain streams. Struthers Burt has been a Wyo ming rancher for 47 years, spend ing summers at his cattle ranch in the Jackson Hole area and most of his winters at Southern Pines, North Carolina. The emi nent writer and poet died after a long illness at 73 last weekend and services were held at Jackson Wednesday. Mr. Burt, a native of Baltimore, came west on an antelope-hunt ing trip in 1908 and was so de lighted with the Jackson area he acquired a ranch and went into the cattle business. His ranch home has been the scene of many gatherings of celebrities in the world of art and literature. The author of at least a score of books, some of them in verse, and innumerable magazine arti cles, Mr. Burt also found time to take part in local affairs. He was ENOUSH COlOlilES PIWT ENGLISH in new WORLD. IS85'7-BIRTHPLACE S.U'Ko’fM TMg rNG-LISM SSTrLSMeNT IN AAAGRJCA - ON ttOANOIce island, NOe-TH CAROLINA, WMeR/C OL-OeST OUTDOOR^ ORAMA RORTRAVS THE AivsTEfty Of* rue “lost cotoNV'eAcrt summer Tmese famous pmSTS AREOM NOR.TM CAROLINA^ n^UlOUS OUTER.BANKS, oescAisEO IN -rtiE "vARierv vacation LANO^BOOICyFREf UPON QEOuesr TOrwe: Oe<»T. CONfBttVAXION £/ oevetoPMENr, ral&oh/lc. IN THE wesr COLONV LOCATIOWISTHC WSISHr IMEMORIAL, MARK INS THE PtACEOFTHE ist FLISHT AT Kltt DEVIL Mll^ ^EAE. KlTTV HAWK^ active in the movement to pro tect the Jackson Hole scenic values by creating a national monument, has championed the cause of conservation many years and has otherwise worked for the public interest. It would be dif ficult to pick out his best works for mention, but perhaps “Pow der River,” in which the incred ible cruelties to the Western In dians are described, is best known. The Burt family is unique. Katharine Newlin Burt, the au thor’s widow, is a famous nove list in her own right, and their son, Nathaniel Burt of Princeton, N. J., is also a poet and novelist. Mr. Burt’s loss will be felt not only by the many thousands who were inspired by his writings, but by his many friends throughout the region, several in Salt Lake, who knew him aS a kindly, sen- PREVIEW—Herp is a look at one of the “In North C^olina” series of advertising cartoons to be used in the 1955 edition of “The Tar Heel State” booklet which win be circulated largely out of the state. This Sandhills resort area is one of the section of the state that benefits from the extensive advertising that is carried in out-of-state publications, prepared by the Advertising Division of the Department of Conservation and Development. FEET NOT ONLY PROBLEM Letter Garrier Is VersatileJMan The letter carrier must be gift- to memorize the forwarding ad- ed with an accurate retentive memory. He must assimilate for instant use the postal rules and regulations which are contained in a book of over 900 pages. . . He must know how to detect obscene mail, dxmning notices and all oth er prohibited kinds of mailing matter and be prepared at all times to answer the queries of the public. . . The letter carrier. . . must ar range his mail in an order of se- dresses so that he can write on the envelope without recourse to the log book, the new address. The letter carrier is also a sort of a secret service man. He is frequently called upon to bb-- tain information of a strictly con fidential nature, elicited by the several secret service depart ments of the government both within and without the postal service. He is called upon to give clues to the whereabouts of al- The Public Speaking learn the scheme of distribution for his route, which consists in ^ . . . , , ,, memorizing upward of several sitive and fair-minded gentleman, names of patrons of the quence for delivery, he must leged criminals, of seditious per- ” sons, of smugglers, bootleggers, post office robbers, of fraudulent schemers making use of the mail Now A Reality When the Rev. E. E. Whitley arrived in Southern Pines some months ago to help organ ize a Methodist Church, we pointed out that formation of a new church was a great devel opment for any community, as well as one in which only a few pastors and relatively few lay individuals are privileged to take part in an established community. That process Of organization has been com pleted and congratulations are in order for the new congregation. Now formally set up as a part of the North Carolina Conference, after special services last Sunday, the church as yet has no buildings, but plans to* build as soon as possible. We shall follow with interest further progress of this new church of a major denomination. With its enthusiastic membership of over 70— a membership we know will continue to grow— and with its active young pastor, we are sure that the Southern Pines Methodist Church will play an increasingly important part in com munity life. Letter To Mayor Clark To The Editor: The following is an open letter, the sixth of a series, to the Hon orable Lloyd T. Clark, Mayor of Southern Pines, N. C.: Mr. Mayor: In May of last year we voted in a new form of town government called Plan D. What did we get? Just what the “little boy shot at.” “How come and why?” you ask. The answer, we believe, is sim ple, straight and factual. When the newly elected coun- cilmen met to select a mayor from among their number, ac cording to Plan D, Mr. Patch, a “carry-over” councilman who re ceived the least number of votes, promptly said, before the council had time to even cross their feet imder the table and without any discussion whatsoever, “I nomi nate Lloyd Clark for mayor.” Instantly, Mr. Blue, another carry-over” councilman, said, “I second the nomination.” This in effect with our “sympathetic” Mr. Clark, who was also a “carry over,” was WHEN and HOW our Plan D ship of state was torpe doed. The “old gang” was in con trol again. Mr. Gilmore, the councilman who received the greatest number of votes emd who should have been our mayor, was not even considered. And this in spite of the well-known fact that he is better qualified to be our mayor than all the other councilmen combined. Gosh all hemlock, I have never seen a greater disregard of the wishes of the majority of the pe(> pie or such clearly outlined mani festation of jealousy, petty spite, selfish interests or what-have- you! The foregoing, for the good of all the people, should cause you to resign as mayor at once. I A. R. McDANIEL. Southern Pines. (From The Charlotte Observer) When Struthers Burt died in Jackson, Wyoming, a week ago Saturday, The New York Times carried an obituary notice that was almost a column long. No where in the extensive biography WEIS there a mention of Mr. Burt’s association with North Carolina. “Mr. Burt called himself a ‘Philadelphian, bone of the bone,’ ’’ said The Times last Mon day morning. But Mr. Burt also felt himself to be a Tar Heel. Several of the Associated Press stories on his death originated from Southern Pines. And this was natural and appropriate. For he loved the state of North Caro lina and did much for it. He worked dliligently for the beautification of highways in the state. In 1932, says the Associated Press, he was elected a director of the North Carolina Plan, Inc., which sought to develop the state economically and beauty-wise. That year, he also served as vice president of the board of the Moore County Hospital. What The Times did not report was that Mr. Burt and his wife divided their time between Southern Pines and the Bar B. C. ranches in Jackson, Wyoming. They had spent the winter and last spring in Southern Pines, and had planned to return there in a couple o-f months to build another home. During the winter, there were several stories and pictures about the writing Burts in North Caro lina newspapers. This was when postsd service and Eissociating those names with the labeled pigeon-holes in the post office distributing case. . . The carrier must keep a log book in which are recorded the removal addresses of former pa- service, of deserters from the Army and Navy, of counterfeit ers, illicit distillers and other revenue dodgers. ’The letter carrier must be a mechanic and chauffeur, as all classes of mail are collected by motor vehicles and large parcel trons of his route. . . The log' post packages and registered par- book contains hundreds of names and the letter carrier is required their son, Nathaniel Burt, of Yar- mouthport,, Mass., joined them after his first novel, “Scotland’s Burning,” had been published and generally acclaimed by the reviewers. Naturally, this success was gratifying to the senior Burt. Richard Walser, head of the English department in N. C. State College, wrote two years ago in North Carolina Authors: A Sel ective HEmdbOok; “ . .. though he never wrote a book with a North Carolina setting, few writers have exerted a more wholesome liter ary influence upon the state than Struthers Burt. Before the early 1920’s there was no , center for writers in North CEurolina; but after James Boyd and the Burts settled in Southern Pines, the radiations from these vibrant novelists began to be felt beyond the borders of Moore County. Soon Chapel Hill and AsheviUe prominence “Struthers Burt had taught English for a while at Princeton, one of his students being James Boyd. It was Boyd who came to Southern Pines first; the Burts arrived for a visit, liked the quiet village, decided to stay, and then built a beautiful home ‘HilDernia’ on the ridge overlooking the town. It was a good place to write, a good place to live. Struthers Burt took an active in terest in the state. In 1930-40 he served as president of the State Literary and Historical Associa tion. The University of North Car olina conferred an LL. D. upon him. Though he was always away during the summers at his ranch in Wyoming, in the autumn ‘Hibernia’ was thrown open again, and there Struthers and Katharine Newlin Burt entertain ed their vast circle of literary ac quaintances. “But after the death of James Boyd and after the two Burt children grew up and married and moved away, ‘Hibernia’ be gan to seem larger than it was when it had been built. It was inevitable that the house would have to lae sold, and in the spring of 1952 the Burts disposed of what had been their home for 30 years. Setting out for the Wyo ming ranch, the Burts promised that if the weather turned dis agreeable, they would come back to the SandhiUs of North Caro lina. The state could ill afford to lose for good, one who had been so active in its literary life.” That was what Mr. Walser wrote for a bulletin of the Library Extension Division in the University of North Carolina. And it was probably not the weather that turned disagreeable out there and which figured in the Burt’s decision to build in Southern Pines in a couple of months. They had too many good friends and too many good mem ories of North Carolina not to come back. It is reaUy sad, and The PILOT Published Every Friday by THE PILOT. Incorporated Southern Pines, North Carolina 1941-tJAMES BOYD—1944 taught on, and then the three a loss, that he can’t come back, spots became ‘rivals’ for literary —w. L cels are delivered by motor ve hicles. He is used as a collection agency in delivering COD par cels and unpaid mail, and is re sponsible for all moneys en trusted to his custody as well as for the mail and packages. He must be a sphinx in respect to knowledge acquired by him in the performances of his duties, imparting to no one under penal ty for violation thereof, confi dence received by him in his em ployment. He must be a trained diplomat in handling all classes of people, the irate, the quarrelsome, the complaining and the “knockers.” He is the buffer between the pa tron whose grievance is not re- dressable and the department, charged with responsiblity for rectifying the complaint of the aggrieved. He must be honest, loyal, industrious and sober at aU times, as well as neat and cir cumspect in his attire. In summation, a letter carrier serves in a dedicated position. His job is one of great impor tance to all citizens of our coun try. He is truthfully Uncle Sam’s contact man with the general public and, therefore, is often re ferred to as Uncle Sam’s Ambas sador. * Katharine Boyd Editor C. Benedict News Editor Dan S. Ray Gen. Mgr. C. G. Council Advertising Mary Scott Newton Business Bessie Cameron Smith Society Composing Room Lochamy McLean, Dixie B. Ray, Michael Valen, Jasper Swearingen Subscription Rates: One Year $4, 6 mos. $2; 3 mos. $1 Entered at the Postoffice at South ern Pines, N. C., as second class mail matter Member National Editorial Assn, and N. C. Press Assn.