' THE^^JSjyPlLOT Southern Piam -> -Jl3^ Nortn Carolina **Xjr toXing over The Pilot nc changes we contemplated. We will try to keep this a good . paper. We will try to make a little money for all concerned. Where there seems to be an occa sion to use ou influence for the public good we will try to do it. And ws wi'J treet everybody alike."?James Boyd, May 23, 1S41 w QU^IM Thanksgiving ? A Great Heritage The Fourth oi July may be the mcpst patriotic holiday observed thi- nation but Thanksgiv ing is the most typically American. Docs any other nation 01 the world have an annual national observance in which simple thankfulness is the main purpose? We don't re call hearing of such a holiday. America's Thanksgiving Day should be potent propaganda material for this nation. What a spectacle Thanksgiving is in the United States? seen from the outside! Here is the richest, strongest and most favor ed nation on earth?loaded and running over with material prosperity, allowing it3 citizens to live with a greater share of freedom, health and happiness than almost any other people? yet this lucky, carefree giant of a nation hum bly bends its knees in gratitude yearly for the blessings Providence has bestowed upon it. That picture is idealized, exaggerated, we know. Full freedom, full justice, full prosperity, full health and full happiness are denied many persons in this nation in greater or less degree. But the picture is true In eesence-?even the feet that we are thankful. Ves. we utile e that Thanksgiving d?s have a meaning in millions of jiaiericaa homes. In spite of all our waste, extravagance and super ficiality, we believe that in the vast majority of Americans there is a deep instinct of gratitude and humility?an instinct that harks back to our common origin in people who sought the shores of America in hope and faith and reached them in thankfulness for a new chance, a saw home, no matter how hard, crude or inhospitable the new home might be. Whether this happened to our forebears fifty, one hundred or one hundred and fifty years ago, a pattern was set'which has never lost its sig nificance. It behcoves us not to let tfcis sense of grati tude, this dependence on Divine guidance, grew j weak It is one of the great glories of our beri- I tage. We want the world to know we are strong. We should also let the world know we are thankful. Worthy Holiday Season Projects Two annual activities associated with the Christmas holidays are now making their ap peals?one county-wide, the other largely in Southern Pines. The 48th annual Christmas Seal Sale of the National Tubereuksis Association is start ing this week throughout the nation, with the Moore County Association setting a goal of $6, 040 for the county and $1,400 in Southern Pines. On the local scene, the Veterans of Foreign Wars are asking for repairable toys, to be left on the porch cf the post home, which members of the post will fix and paint and include in Christmas baskets going to needy families. Moore County's response in the seal sale has always been good. Especially noteworthy in the past several years, has been the response of the Negro division of the sale?a recognition that ill Negroes have consistently obtained needed1 care and assistance in this county through the Moore County Tuberculosis Association. The VFW Christmas Cheer program will in clude later donations of food items of all kinds, as well as cash contributions needed to purchase a variety of articles and foodstuffs for the Christmas baskets. We urge generous support of these two cam paigns?the seal sale that, year by year, brings closer the conquest of tuberculosis, and the pro gram of local giving that will brighten the Christmas of several dozen families. Irrigation Takes The Spotlight Interested Moore County farmers will meet at the courtroom in Carthage Tuesday afternoon of next week to hear a discussion of farm ponds, irrigation for crops and irrigation equipment. Several times in the past year, we have noted rising interest in irrigation m Moore County farming, as well as increasing attention throughout the state on water problems?mu nicipal, industrial and agricultural. Our guess is that next week's meeting will be among the best attended of any farm subject discussion that has come along in some time. County Agent E. H. Garrison says that the time may not be too far distant when irrigation materials will be standard equipment on farms of the county?yet he warns that farmers should not rush headlong into irrigation, that proper surveys of their needs should be made and that they should purchase equipment suit ed to those needs. It is interesting that, while we suspect most farmers are thinking of irrigation in terms of increasing the yields of their chief money crop?tobacco?the farm agent also sees irri gation as offering great promise in the continu ing effort to have more diversification in the county's agriculture. It might make possible, for instance, truck farming that hag hitherto been too uncertain a gamble in this area be cause of erratic rainfall. The irrigation meeting at Carthage next week will help to set the stage for important devel apments in Moore County farming. It may some day be referred to as an historic occasion. Congratulations, Blue Knights The Pilot congratulates the Blue Knights of Southern Pines High school and their coaches, Irie Leonard and W. A. Leonard, on winning the Eastern Six-man football championship. At the same time, we proffer our best wishes in their try for the State championship in a game being played this week. A relatively young and inexperienced South ern Pines team has stood up to the toughest opposition that Eastern North Carolina hrs to offer and has proved its worth. Looking ahead to 19S5, the outlook is even brighter: most of the members of this year's squad will be re turning, some for one more season with the Blue Knights, seme with two or more years in prospect. While it doesn't mean that anybody can take it easy, this is a pleasant prospect for coaches and fans alike. The 1954 season has been remarkable not only for the stalwart performances of the players, but for the installation of lights at Memorial Field after a fund-raising campaign that was among the most successful and heart-warming community efforts made here on any project in many years. Looking back on the 1954 season, friends of the Blue Knights have much to be thankful for. Looking forward, they can be equally enthusi astic. N. C. Ranks 38lh In Voting The Greensboro Daily News takes cote of an other Tar Heel low ranking. We're 38th in voting. Only 52 per cent of North Carolina's eli gible voters went to the pells in 1952 when Ike and Adlai were contesting for the Presidency. The national average was 83 per cent. South ern states had the poorest voting records. Be low North Carolina were Florida, Tennessee, Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Virginia, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and Mississippi. Lack of a real two-party system in most Southern areas may help explain the great lack of voting interest in the South, but it doesn't excuse the South'c voting deficiency. The usual reaction to low voting percentage is simply to deplore or ignore. Or, it there is any positive reaction, it usually takes the fonn of a "get out the vote" scheme thought up by a pro motion-minded civic club. Apparently the Greensboro Daily New* doesn't go for schemes or slogans or fanfare to overcame our voting deficiency. "What can we do about itT" asks the News. ' Exactly what we are doing about our other de ficiencies?work to gain more education, know ledge and understanding which will in turn give us a larger share of the national wealth which will in turn 'we hope) make us take our ? civic responsibility more seriously." This appear* to be ? sound approach. It sl*o ties in with out own pet opinion about voting. We have never thought as highly of "getting out the vote" as we have of increasing the knowledge and understanding of thorn eligible to vote. More intelligent voting is a more prest ing need than simply more voting. When North Carolina and the rest of the South succeed in increasing the "education, knowledge and understanding" of the people, not only will our voting percentages rise sharp ly, as the Greensboro Daily News hopes, but the intelligence oi the decisions at the polls will likely be higher too. And when we reach a high level of Intelligence in voting, we'll likely have something to crow about. A high voting percentage alone doesn't reflect strength of democracy. ?THE SMITHFCELD HERALD "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for ? redress of grievances."? Hill of might*, Article One. "The freedom of the press and an able press are so ingrained aa a part of American civilian tier that any emunor.'ion of lta value mm?s unnseiwary "?Herbert Hoover. SEAL SALE BEGINS?Gov. Luther Hodges (center above) and Dr. J. W. R Norton, State Health Officer (light) buy the first Christmas Seals of the 1954 Christmas Seal Campaign from Carl O. Jeffress, State Christmas Seal Chairman (left). THE FIGHT IS NOT YET WON | Tuberculosis Remains Problem Carl O. Jeffress, 1954 Christmas Seal Chairman, today released the following statement on the 1954 Christmas Sesl Sale which open ed Monday and runs through the' month of December. "Every citizen of North Caro lina should join hands with the little children on the 1954 Christ mas Seals in the struggle against the chain of tuberculosis infec tion. ?Tuberculosis is still a major problem and will continue to be if complacency blinds us to the fact that tuberculosis?^one of our oldest killers?is stili at work every day in North Carolina. "Drugs, improved surgery, and better treatment have helped, but they have not won the fight. "Consider these facts: In North Carolina last year, a new case developed every four hours for a total of 2, 001 new cases. There was a death from tu berculosis for every day of the year. In fact, there were 11 deaths every 10 days, or a total of 402 deaths in North Carolina. There were I,71S new pa tients admitted to the North Carolina Sanatoria last year. They stayed in the Sanatoria for an average of 156 days each. A single case of tuberculo sis costs about $15,000.00 and this does not include the loss of future income or the ex pense of re-training. "Today in the United States ap proximately 400,000 people have active tuberculosis. It is estimated that 150,000 have the disease and do hot know it. These unreported people are actively and unwit tingly spreading tuberculosis. Oui i immediate iask is to find thos< with tuberculosis in order t< break the chain of infection. Thii task requiring early case finding intensive work, money and tean work. "Through the purchase o Christmas Seals, you can joii hands with others in the figh against tuberculosis. I urge yo to buy and use Christmas Seal to protect yourself and your fam ily." ^ Valuable Project lor Nation p 1 h The Agriculture Census f The Census of Agricluture is | taken at five-year intervals to provide reliable and up-to-date! statistical information about the more than 5 million farms on; j which a nation of more than 163 i million people depend for food and raw materials for the manu facture of goods. In large part, the efficiency of American agricul ture depends on this information. The Census of Agriculture data provide the foundation for the entire structure of the Nation's agricultural statistics. The Federal government. Con gress and the executive agencies use the information to develop and administer farm programs. Crop and livestock reporting services and other statistical ac tivities of the U. S. Department cf Agriculture, which provide . estimates on farm industry trends that guide farmers, the govern ment end others in their deci sions, depend on benchmark data provided by the census. State and local agencies, farm organizations and others serving the farmer use the census data in their analyses of the farm situa tion in their areas. Manufacturers and marketers use the statistics to measure re sources for agricultural raw ma terials and, conversely to deter fine the farmers' needs for ma chinery, supplies and services which farmers buy for efficient farm operations. Newspaper promotion depart ments, advertising agencies and advertisers of products and serv ices used by farmers and farm families study agricultural sta tistics for counties and other areas in laying out campaigns designed to reach potential customers. Bankers and other financial services employ agricultural cen sus statistics in evaluating condi tions and factors which govern their decisions on farm credit for the areas they serve. Farmers themselves apply cen sus data to their problems, al though these data usually come to them indirectly through many different channels of information Statistics published in farm peri odicals, in reports of marketing services in radio farm informa tion programs, and in other medit that influence the farmer in mak ing important decisions are tak en either direct from census re ports or are based on them. The infer.-cation supplied by each farmer is treated as confi many of which can be answered . by checking "yes* or "no." dential by the Census Bureau and c assurance is given that the infor- 1 mation will be published only in ? statistical totals for each county so that operations of an individu- : al farm are not revealed. The 1 Census law requirse the farmers 1 to supply the information offi- 1 cially requested by the Census 1 Bureau, but also provides that : this information cannot be used : for taxation, regulation or inves- i tigation. The Census enumerators, ' in taking their oaths of office are sworn not to reveal the informa tion obtained from the farmers and the law provides severe pen alties including fines and impris onment if the confidential restric tions are violated. The Census questionnaire is de siened to collect information