Editorials 'Glad it's over' It seems we've heard more people, candidates and noncandklates alike, saying before the November 2 general election, than any election before, saying, "I'll be so glad when it's over." The footwork and driving alone is hard on any candidate, even aside from button holing voters and making speeches and answering questions at public rallies and other meetings. But then there is the task of reading and listening to what the opponent is saying or being said for him. The prospective voter, in trying to arrive at a decision and unwilling merely to vote a straight ticket of his party, also has to listen and read what the candidates not for just one office but for all the offices the voter eligible to vote for, are saying and doing. And it seems that in this and the 1980 campaign with its special volume from presidential candidates the news media, particularly television, in political advertising has smothered the voters far more than ever with statements about the candidates, and the candidates opposing their candidates. Thus, more than ever before, it becomes necessary for the responsible voter to try to reach the truth in the welter of statements; Diogenes-like, the voter has the job of finding the honest man. and he or she doesn't even have Diogenese's advantage of being equipped with a lantern. But this the voter must do to vote intelligently, not merely on his or her emotions. So now's the time for the voter to start checking out the candidates, or at least the ones who seem certain to be candidates, in the primaries and general election of 1984. --BL Important job ahead As this is being written before the election, we haven't the foggiest notion who will be on the Hoke County Board of Education other than the two incumbents who weren't involved in the November 2 general election. What we and everybody else connected with the schools, professionals and nonpros alike, is that one of the most important j jobs the school board of 1982 faces is picking a new county schools ; superintendent. Raz Autry is leaving the job this year by retirement, and. by his own statement, wants another superintendent to come in who can work amicably with the county commissioners, who control the school system's money supply. This, of course, isn't the only reason Autry is retiring. Another is his career in public education spans more than a generation in time. But he has mentioned his conflicts with commissioners, and this is obviously an important reason. Speaking of money supply, the school board people know that, besides being a true diplomat, the new superintendent should have a thorough knowledge of the jungle of public school financing. Hidden quicksands, deadfalls and other traps fill the financing picture. It seems to the layman who becomes aware of the business that every source of money, from federal, state and county government, or all ? three, has its special rules, and even these nUas,Jiave rules. . ? So. with a look at the children in the classes, we wish the school board all the best and pray that it picks a superintendent who is capable of dealing with the confusing technicalities and the varying and sometimes hypersensitive sometimes conflicting personalities in and out of the classroom and administration, on the board of county commissioners, on the school board and among the parents. --BL Service of volunteers The Hoke County Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses was dedicated formally Saturday. It is an attractive and not very large building on Turnpike Road. The printed program of the dedication explains that "Kingdom Hall is the name that identifies the places where over 34,500 congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses assemble for study and worship in 207 countries around the globe.... "The Bible uses the word 'church' to refer to a group of Christians, not to a building. So the name 'Kingdom Hall' puts the emphasis on the main purpose of Jehovah's Witnesses to advertise God's Kingdom as the only hope of the world." What the printed program does not mention is what few people outside a Jehovah's Witnesses congregation know: that the Kingdom Hall in Hoke County was built by members of the congregation as volunteers and with no compensation in money asked or given, though in compensation of a service to a good cause. This Hoke County Kingdom Hall, however, is not different in that respect than the other such Jehovah's Witnesses buildings built elsewhere. The unselfish service of these volunteers means that the only burden of expense the Witnesses must bear is the cost of the materials that go into the building. But what the Witnesses are doing in these modern times by their giving of their time, labor and talent is continuing an old tradition. It recalls the times when people got together and built for a neighbor a home or replaced a home or a barn destroyed by fire or other cause, asking nothing in return. In these times of widespread public and private selfishness, it is cheering and inspiring to see this spirit of selfless service to others flourishing. --BL eu?4 - journal , i s/l/oZ&i (Jn/io&na, 'Ml / nut'uat iWT| 0 D CT d f PRESS NATIONAL NEWSPAPER association ASSOCIATION Pu bIHtod Every Tbttnday al Ratford. N.C. 18376 1 1' W. FJwood Avrna* Subscription Rale* In Advaact Per Year ? SS.00 t Month. -M 25 3 Month.- S2. 25 LOUIS H. FOCLEMAN. JR T. P?bM?lwr PAUL DICKSON Editor HENRY L. BLUE Production Snprrvtnor WARREN N.JOHNSTON N?wi EJRor BILL LINDAU MRS. PAUL DICKSON SAMC. MORRIS. -Sacicty Editor C?nMMi|EdNw AdvCTllatof RcprtacMativ ?a Piny at Barfand. N.C. iUBPS JBS4M* mp u,o*ott*o feiecnof^ pftv we \fehe First Baptist Church steeple on the ground where it was awaiting ti asportation elsewhere after be ing taken down the day before. 1 went back to the office, rolled the film winder backward, then opened the camera. There was no film in it. Another picture I didn't take, which was on the same roll of film that wasn't in the camera, was one . of two plaques being presented to , &urlingtqffig)dustries the aftemooa before. . ~* Fortunately, another picture 1 didn't take the day before also was not on the roll that wasn't in the camera A Ftre report had it that an old. unoccupied service station building on U.S. 401 south near Bethel Presbyterian Church was burning. So I dashed post haste out 401 south with the camera without the film in it. 1 didn't take the picture that wouldn't have been taken, though. I couldn't find the burning building. Then there was the better part of a day 1 spent taking pictures with a Speed Graphic (used 4x5 inch film) all around the back reaches of the Cherokee Indian Reservation, to illustrate a story 1 was doing on poverty there. When the lab man ran them through the developer, he an nounced the results, My negatives were perfectly clear ?? clear as glass. Nothing on them. The camera was equipped with a focal plane shutter, which was used for taking fast action shots. It was supposed to be "off" wlien you were taking other kinds of pictures, like I was trying to take. It turned out that the focal plane shutter on the camera was "on" all the time I was taking what I thought were pictures. CUFF Hi*.. . PtofU & litiii NOVEMBER ... November means many things to many peo- I pie. But before we start on November, let's say a few words about October, which in the last week has driven many people to the closet for old but good warmer clothes, which, with a good dry cleaning, can and may, serve well lor another year The Economy, generally speak ing, has been up and down. Sometimes, you think it is going ' to be good, -- you see it go up, but then suddenly slide back down. You don't know where it's goina to settle. 6 The stock market is up and down. The bull market has af fected the stock market day in and day out. One factor for investor's optimism may be the growing con viction that high unemployment figures and a high rate of < bankruptcies, are not the whole picture. A recent statistic that opened many eyes was the Dunn & Bradstreet report that while businesses are failing this year a high number, 500,000 new ones arc opening their doors. It's suggested that while business failures are higher than they've been in years, this reflects in part a ?' changing society. HALLOWEEN. ..Since the 'deadly-T ylenol-cyanide' ' tragedy and scare has become household conversation in recent weeks, peo ple across the nation, fathers and mothers in particular, weie no doubt more careful this year than in past years in supervising their children's "trick or treats." Customs and superstitions gathered through the ages went in to our celebration of "Halloween, or Holy Eve" on October 31 This year, Halloween was on Sunday, October 3!. Howeve, it was more guarded or. Friday oi Saturday evening, but with some areas choosing Sunday . Speaking of "Halloween." iht ancient Druids had a thicc-da> celebration at the oeginning of November. On the eve before, they ' believed, spirits of the dead roam ed abroad, and they lighted bon fires to drive them away. In ancient Rome the festival of Pomona, goddess of fruit and gardens, occurred at about this time of yeai . It was an occasion of rejoicing associated with the harvest; and nuts and apples, as symbols of the winter store of roas":d M?" huee< FUN MAKING... Even after November 1 became a Christian least day, honoring all saints, the peasants clung to the old pagan beliefs and customs that had grown up about Halloween. It became a night of mystery and lun-making, with many pictures que superstitions. f BROYHILL...On Thursday" evening last week I watched over C hannel 4 television several people discussing national affairs. representing ine 10th Congressional district was ?I!f, the sPeakers. The 55-year old legislator caught my attention as he discussed issues in a very modest way. He is in his 19th vear in the Congress and this year he < has no opposition by the Democrats which speaks well to >erve in Congress without opposi tion and coming from a political county. He is the ranking minority member of the Energy and Com merce Committee and exofficio member of all its sub Subcommit tees. Letters To The Editor Bazaar Successful To: The Editor, On behalf of the Hoke'Raeford Humane Society I would like to thank everyone who helped make our recent fund raiser a success. We participated in a charity ba/.aar at the Cross Creek Mall where we raised over $300. The money raised will be used to subsidize needy, low income fami lies who, otherwise couldn't afford the cost of spaying or neutering their pets. We spent three days at the Mall from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. It was a lot of work and we couldn't have done it without the help of volunteers. We are especially thankful to Iris Letzgua who, vt only donated about 80% of the handcrafts, but who also donated many hours manning the booth from early morning to late at night. The following ? people also con tributed greatly to our success either by don Sting handcrafts or money, and/or their valuable time: Margaret Thaggard, Sam and Jean Bell, H.L. and Frances Gatlin, Helen Monroe, Deon Cole, Eliza beth Jones, of Chick's Ceramics, Glendia Davis, Jack Letzgus and Jack, Dale and Scott McGinnis. Without their help, we wouldn't have been as successful. In order to raise more money for this program, the society is raffling a beautiful ceramic Christmas tree. Tickets are 2 for SI and can be purchased from us by calling the phone numbers listed below, or by coming by McGinnis Plumbing any morning, or by stopping by the Home Pood Market this Saturday, November sixth 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. The tree will be on display at the Home Food Market, on Saturday, so please come by and lend your support. Remember, pet litter is every one's problem. The move pets that we have spayed and neutered, the less that wind up in the pound. Thank you for your support, Sheryl McGinnis. Sheryl McGinnis, Director Hoke/Raeford Humane Society Halloween Date Wrong Dear editor: We hear so much about the bad things that go on in and around Fayetteville. Well, at least someone thought about Halloween falling on Sun day and asked their children to go trick or treating on Saturday night. Fayetteville, you are to be com mended along with all the other towns that chose Saturday instead of Sunday night. A number of folks in Hoke County missed treating their little friends and neighbors because a few churches in our County still have services on Sunday night. I don't know who makes the decisions on matters like this, but 1 trust in the future you will consider the children and adults if we con tinue to let our children be on the streets on Halloween. Thank you, t Lib Webb Letters Policy Letters to the editor are encouraged and welcomed. Writers should keep letters as short as possible. Names, ad dresses and telephone numbers should be included and all letters must be signed. Names will be printed, however, other information will be kept confi dential. We retwe the right to edh letten tor good taste and brevity. Letten should be re ceived by the Nim-Jomrml by S p.m. op the Monday of the publication week.