■ 1
Page TWO
THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 1957
Southern Pines
North Carolina
“In taking over The Pilot no changes are contemplated. We will try to keep this a good
paper. We will try to make a little money for ail concerned. Wherever there seems to be
an occasion to use our influence for the public good we will try to do it. And we will
treat everybody alike.”—James Boyd, May 23, 1941.
I
New Church In A Church-Minded Town
The Pilot congratulates members of the new
Southern Pines Methodist Church on the
dedication of their new church building on
Midland Road. For any town, the opening of
a new church building is a major event—
especially when the congregation—the organ
ization itself—is little more than two years
old.
When the local Methodist Church was for-
' mally organized more than a year ago, we
noted that it is the privilege of few persons
in this day and time to' take part in such a
ceremony. Somehow, it seems, our ancestors
did that for us, in most cases, and there must
be a special pleasure in becoming, as have the
Methodists of Southern Pines, founding fath
ers.
The new Southern Pines church joins a
fine group of active churches here—congre
gations that are growing^ and, it appears to
us, are claiming continually greater loyalty
from their members, as well as gaining new
members. This picture is part of a nation
wide renewal of interest in religion.
Tov/ns and cities lately have become self-
conscious under the pressure of drives to at
tract new industry and otherwise expand
their economies for the mutual benefit of all
their residents. Not to be neglected, it seems
to us, in those lists of qualities that make
for good living and make a town attractive to
business and industry, is what the community
has to offer in the way of religious life.
From this viewpoint. Southern Pines ap
pears outstanding—varied denominations,
able pastors and widespread church member
ship. The new Methodist Church has become
an important element in a town that can be
proud of its churches and the part they play
in community life.
Salk Vaccine: Key To Ending Polio
The 1957 March of Dimes begins this month
with the brightest outlook it has yet enjoyed
toward conquest of the scourge of polio.
We are cautioned, and rightly so, that the
battle is not yet won. The generosity of the
American people—that generosity that has
saved countless lives, has relieved a vast
amount of suffering and has provided in the
Salk vaccine a key to an eventual victory
over polio—must still be called on for con
tinuing support of the National Foundation
for Infantile Paralysis. We urge our readers
to continue to provide this support, as resi
dents of this area have done throughout the
history of the March of Dimes.
Coincident with opening of the polio drive
comes an appeal from Governor Hodges that
residents of this state take advantage of avail
ability of the Salk vaccine in time for pro
tection against next sununer’s danger period
of the disease. There are now ample vaccine
supplies—free from county health depart
ments or at a reasonable cost through private
physicians.
The Governor cites impressive figures to
show that Salk vaccine has been effective in
cutting polio incidence in this state and that
those who have been given the ‘ vaccine-—
even one or two of the recommended three
shots—have benefited from the protection.
But it is shocking to read in the Governor’s
report that only 51.5 per cent of the eligible
persons in North Carolina have had one dose
of the vaccine, 42 per cent two doses and 11.8
per cent, all three shots.
It is not clear from the report whether these
figures are taking into consideration only the
shots given by public health agencies or
whether the figures also include that propor
tion of the population that has been treated
by private physicians.
We have no way of telling just what the
picture is in Moore County. From talking
with physicians, public health workers and
school officials, our guess is that Moore Coun
ty may stand above the state average in
percentage of eligible persons receiving the
shots. Yet a good many children and young
people apparently are still unprotected in this
county.
As the March of Dimes puts the subject of
polio before us—the still very real threat to
youngsters, the continuing assistance to former
victims and the outlook of hope for the future
—we urge parents who have not yet planned
protection for their children to let them have
the vaccine now, from either public or private
sources.
Scenic Beauty Vital In Road Planning
In all the talk of billions to be spent for
highways in the United States within the
next four years, much has been said about
safety and other characteristics of these
“super” roads, points out The Charlotte Ob
server, but next to nothing has been said
about making the highways beautiful.
This is a subject that is close to the hearts
of many persons in the Sandhills. The late
Struthers Burt, distinguished novelist and
poet who lived at Southern Pines for many
■years, was an ardent worker for roadside
beautification and elimination of unsightly
signs and billboards. And now many residents
of Southern Pines are mindful of the No. 1
highway by-pass, which is nearing comple
tion, and are intereked in keeping the by
pass clear of signs and other unsightly struc
tures.
Some of the finest roads built in the coun
try during recent years, the Observer notes,
have become “merely strips of pavement be
tween rows of billboards.”
An encouraging development in the outlook
for Tarheel road beautification is the follow
ing portion of the report by the seven-man
group who studied reorganization of the State
Highway Commission;
“One other matter concerns us that is
closely akin to the problem of acquisition
of adequate right-of-way: the problem of
billboards which mar the scenic beauty of
the new highways, and the unattractive
devlopment of gas stations, stores, auto
mobile graveyards and other commercial
establishments which grow up along the
highways and intersections.
“We believe that adequate precautions
should be taken to insure the maximum
degree of scenic roadside development.
This may be done by acquiring larger
rights-of-way, by obtaining scenic ease
ments in bordering privately-owned land
which forever prevent the erection of
signs and billboards on that land, and
through zoning laws and other regulatory
measures.”
In accordance with a recommendation of
the Southern Pines zoning board, the town
council has designated that portion of the No.
1 highway by-pass that is within the city
limits as a residential zone—although this
ruling is subject to change in the future, as
are all zoning commitments.
The residential zone prohibits the erection
of signs, except for special purposes and in
very grnnR sizes—or for some purpose for
which a special permission is required such
Sandhills Surprises
VIOLENCE FLARED IN SPITE OF EFFORTS BY PEOPLE OF GOOD WILL
Clinton’s Experience Is Lesson To Towns Of South
In a recent editorial. The Pilot ,,
commented on an Associated
Press feature story from Louis
ville, Ky., pointing out that inter
racial cooperation and a long his
tory of preparatory work by
press and local government had
made possible there a rem^lrk-
ably smooth and successful ra
cial integration of the city’s pub
lic schools.
Clinton, Tenn., a community
where attempts at school integra
tion resulted in riots, closing the
schools and, most recently, arrest
of segregationist racial agitators
on contempt of court charges, has
been cited as a community where
school integration failed. The as
sumption has been that people
there were not properly prepared
for the change.
Clinton is a town much more
comparable to the small towns
and cities of this Sandhills area
than is Louisville. So it may be
of particuar local interest to read
what Clinton’s weekly newspa
per editor and publisher, Horace
V. Wells, Jr., wrote to feUow
newspaper owners in Tennessee
in a private memorandum that
v/as published recently in The
American Press, a newspaper
trade magazine.
Difficulties arose in Clinton, it
seems, despite a good deal of in
ter-racial cooperation and a
strong effort by the newspaper to
explain and comment on the in
tegration order.
There is a lesson for all small
Southern towns in Mr. Wells’ an
alysis of what happened at Clin
ton where he, as newspaper edi
tor, was personally and directly
involved.
The editor’s comments follow,
in part:
“llov! Yon Can’t Restrict My Personal Liberty”
X.
$ A-UV
as the sign on the corner of May St. and
Massachusetts Ave., indicating the location
of the USAF Air Ground Operations School.
For this foresight, the people of Southern
Pines should be grateful to the zoning board
and the council.
We know of no restrictions on signs and
structures alqng those portions of the by-pass
outside the town limits. Since right of way
agreements for this property have been com
pleted, it is likely that changes can’t be fnade
in them now to help insure the scenic quali
ties of the by-pass which, incidentally, are
considerable.,
We can only voice the hope that owners of
this property bordering the by-pass will exer
cise voluntary control of the purposes for
which they lease or sell their land, thereby
helping to beaqtify this very important en
trance or gateway to Southern Pines for trav
elers in the future.
And, of course, we join with the Observer
in the conviction that, on the level of state
and national control over new highway pro
jects, more highways could stay undefiled, if
help is given from Raleigh and Washington.
M
> i
i\\
'^'40AL AS'"
?l
“When and if your town is or
dered to integrate one or rnore of
its schools (and it will likely hap
pen some day) you may be won
dering what you should do as a
responsible citizen who has al
ways upheld law and order.
•‘While I am sure Clinton is not
like your town and you may
have no problem on this subject,
there are some thoughts I would
like to pass along to you.
“First, we thought we had the
situation whipped when we won
our lawsuit. Then the Supreme
Court of the United States pulled
the rug out from under us (all of
us) with its new version of ‘equal
rights’. We had more than a year
to get ready, but we moved rath-
»is
parents.
“In the meanwhile this news
paper did what it could to bring
the people up to date on what
was happening, and to guide
them in realizing that we had
fought against integration, we
had lost our Court fight, and as
law abiding citizens it was up
to us to follow the Court order.
(There are some of you who do
not agree—but to me a law is a
law, until it is repealed, and I
can’t see it any other way.)
No Controversy
er slowly.
Committee Formed
•“The Board of Education, upon
whose shoulders the responsibil
ity fell for working out the prob
lem since it was under a Federal
Court Order to act, formed a
county-wide committee made up
of the principals of all schools,
white and Negro, and of all Pa
rent-Teacher Association presi
dents, also white and Negro.
“This group was concerned
most with Clinton High School,
although the Court Order applies
to all Anderson County High
Schools (and there are two others
outside of Oak Ridge). So it was
decided to prepare the people of
all feeder schools, the students at
Clinton High School and their
“How well we succeeded is
shown by the fact that there was
absolutely no public controversy
whatever.
“In early August, with regis
tration soon to be upon us, the
school people asked us to play up
the story about Negro students
registering for the Clinton High
School. We did—a main story un
der a black two-column head—^in
which we also reprinted in full
the Federal Court Order. That
was Aug. 9. And still there was
no reaction.
“On Aug. 20 the students regis
tered, both white and Negro, and
still no raction.
“On Aug. 27 classes started and
total enrollment went to 803 on
Aug. 28 as compared with 776
last year. For two days both
races attended classes together.
“Then John Kasper, executive
secretary of the White Citizens
Council from Washington, came
in and with his hate-arousing,
racist speeches he brought on the
situation you have read about in
recent weeks. Everything we had
done was undone in almost a
twinkling of an eye.
“Ever since we have been ask
ing ourselves'(and the 125 news
papermen who were here cover
ing the story have been asking
us) wherein did we fail.
Troublemaker Group.
“Look at your community and
see if it is like ours. Do you have
a group of peoplq who not only
do not read your newspaper, they
just don’t read any newspaper?
Aren’t these the same people
who do not attend P-TA meet
ings? Don’t you find that most of
, them have no connection with
the high school in that they have
no children going there and they
did not go themselves? Oh, yes,
this is a small group, but if
you’ll look you’ll find them, and
when there is any kind of trouble
they’ll be right there!
“Well, this is the* group of peo
ple we failed to reach—and we
still don’t know how to reach
them.
“Our second failure was our
lack of a sufficient group of law
enforcement officers to handle
a large crowd. Sure we had five
policemen, and the sheriff had
three or four deputies available—
but confronted with more than
1,000 (and some estimated as
high as 2,000) people, what can
this handful of men do? Nothing.
Few Local People
The Public Speaking
Local Man Challenges
Scarne On Mediumship
Stay out of the Sandhills if you don’t like
changeable weather.
As it happens, we like it. We can’t imagine
anything more boring than to know that each
day the sun will shine or that it will^ be
freezing cold or blazing hot—the same thing,
day after day.
Sandhills weather is full of surprises. Win
ter is not necessarily plain Winter. It may
provide a day, here and there, that is just like
Spring, or like Fall. And some, of course, that
are just like Winter, too.
Sometimes the changes are rapid and in
defiance of all portents. Weather keeps you
guessing, hereabouts. That’s fun.
The other night, for instance: it had been a
cold day; the night promised to be even cold
er. A good-night look out the front door dis
closed the glittering stars of Winter—Orion,
as Robert Frost put it, “kicking his leg over
the mountains.” (For “mountains,” read
“Weymouth Heights.”)
In the morning, it was sparkling outside
and, to judge by looking out, very cold.
We bundled up, somewhat grudgingly, step
ped out and discovered the air was like
Spring; mild, sweet and sun-warmed.
What could be nicer? And such weather
surprises are always happening, one way or
another, in the Sandhills.
To The Editor:
The review by “VAD” of the
book “The Amazing World Of
John Scarne” was very well done.
I noticed in particular that this
reviewer did not stick his-her
neck out with personal views ex
cept to tread softly around, “The
book has so many personal rem
iniscences that to cite any one of
them would not give you the en
tire picture—” (?).
Anyway, this reviewer makes
it clear that Scarne says he has
absolute proof that all spiritual
mediums and those claiming the
powers of extra-sensory percep
tion and psycho-kinesis are all
fakes. Now it strikes me as very
strange that he did not devote
even one teenie weenie little par
agraph (and it is a thick book) to
proving it. But enough of this
bickering; let’s get down to some
proven facts.
In the findings of Archbishop
Lang’s Committee on Spiritual
ism and the truths of psychic
phenomena. The Church Of Eng
land makes these statements.
1. “It is strongly urged that if
v/e do not accept the evidence for
modem psychical happenings, we
should not, apart from long tra
dition, accept the Gospel records
either.”
2. “We should add that what
ever be the value of this confir
mation of the truth of religion,
spiritualism does not seem to
have added anything except per
haps a practical emphasis to our
understanding of those truths.”
3. “It is often urged as of great
significance that spiritualism in
many respects re-affirms the
highest convictions of religious
people, and that it has brought
many to a new assurance of the
truth of teaching which ceased
to have any meaning to them.”
Well now Mr. Scarne, would
you say that The Church Of
England is trying to defraud the
people back into its vast empty
spaces by making these state-
Crains of Sand
Too Late
The Pilot’s advertising mana
ger, Clyde Council, is our joke-
man. In his rambles around this
area, he picks up the latest funny
stories and brightens the lives of
us office slaves by relating them
on his return.
Recently, Clyde came in with
one about a drunk who drove in
to a one-way street in a strange
■ town—headed, of course, in the
wrong direction.
“Where do you think you’re
going, buddy?” growled a po
liceman who soon stopped him.
Peering waveringly around
and ahead, the drunk innocently
replied; “I don’t know, but it
looks as if I’m too late. Every
body’s coming back.”
ments? (The Archbishop’s com
mittee sat with various “medi
ums” for 20 solid years.) And
you—?
Oh, yes—I issued a challenge to
Scarne to prove the facts of
mediumship, even offered to for
feit five thousand dollars (I don’t
bet) if survival after death of
the body could not be factually
proven, not only to him, but
to a majority of any other
people he cared |to bring
v/ith him, if the major press were
invited and would print the story
in full. The offer was made to
Milton Rubin, publicity agent,
whose address is the R. K. O.
Bldg., Rockefeller Center, New
York, N. Y.
Mr. Rubin’s answer was that
Mr. Scarne wouldn’t bother for
that small amount. Understand—
it wasn’t a bet, it was to be a
forfeit if I did not come through
with the terms of the agreement.
Frankly, it isn’t the money in
volved at all. If someone is so
all-fired-up with disproving
something, and he starts tossing
names around like ““fraud,”
“humbug;” “fake” etc., he should
be glad to go out of his way
just a little bit to make it stick,
but do you know, friends—people
who call names always run for a
hole when they are chaUenged,
and Scarne must be afraid that
he can’t make his “name calling”
stick. Wan’na bet?
REV. TOM O’NEIL
Southern Pines
“Well, after one big night in
which they literally smashed
passir? cars, which couldn’t pass
the mob of people covering the
highway, and threatened to dy
namite . the home of the mayor
and others (including you know
whose), they all returned Satur
day for an even bigger whing-
ding! And they were here, too—
from your town, and just about
every other town within driving
distance; out of the mountains
and the cities. They were ready
to howl and—we are not alone in
this belief—not a handful of
them were local people I
“While we know the newspa
per, the radio and TV boys and
their cameramen did a big job of
covering the news, you can im
agine what a mob Of 125 news
papermen and cameramen can do
to a small-town commimity not
used to such high pressure re
porting! They didn’t want the
bright TV lights in fheir faces
and they didn’t like the flash
bulbs either. And when one
newsman thought he saw
trouble, the others sensed it too,
so you had scores of men madly
dashing about—and you can im
agine that they found trouble.
Some Consolation
■ The PILOT
“While we don’t know the an
swer to that one, either, you can
have the consolation that you at
least won’t be the first town in
Tennessee to have its public
school integrated.
“What I have said may not be
of any help, but at least you
know what we were up against;
and should it happen to you (and
we pray it won’t) we surely can
sympathize.”
Published Every Thursday by
THE PILOT. Incorporated
Southern Pines, North Carolina
1941—JAMES BOYD—1944
Katharine Boyd Editor
C. Benedict Associate Editor
Vance Derby 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
Thomas Mattocks.
Subscription Rates:
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Entered at the Postoffice at South
ern Pines, N. C., as second class
mail matter
Member National Editorial Aasn.
and N. C. Press Assn.