PERSON COUNTY TIMES
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NoiUuCarilina vJk
f PBESS ASSOCIATION^
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A PAPER FOR ALL THE PEOPLE
J. S. MERRITT, EDITOR M. C. CLAYTON, MANAGER
THOMAS J. SHAW, JR., City Editor.
Published Every Thursday and Sunday. Entered As Second
Class Matter At The Postoffiee At Roxboro, N. C., Under
The Act Os March 3rd., 1879.
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THURSDAY, JULY 4, 1940
Fourth of July, 1940
•
We have a fairly good idea of what this morning will
be like here. For most of us it will be a “day off”. Child
ren and small boys, as well as some boys not so smail in
stature, will shoot fire-crackers. Mothers, fathers, and
children will eat picnic lunches, go to visit kinsfolks, or
just ride around. Some few of us will be lazy enough to
sit on the porch or to stay in bed. The Fourth of July is
a holiday, an American holiday, let it be added.
Chances are most of us will make of it the same
careless pop-drinking, gum-chewing day it has been for
several generations. Os late it has come to- that, with
out much of flag-waving, speech-making and marching
men. We happen to know that “up North” the holiday has
more of a patriotic atmosphere than it has in the South.
The reason may be the still lingering shadow of the
War Between the States, but the time has come when
there needs to be all over America a re-dedication to
ideals of patriotic service. And we can think of no bet
ter time to begin, in Roxboro or anywhere, than on
July 4, 1940.
We have need not of a shallow patriotism, not of a
patriotism capable of being lead by mob influences, but
of that deepest patriotism cherished by highmindetl
citizens through the ages of history, but we cannot have
this last named love of country without persistent and
thoughtful searching for it in our own community.
O—O—O—O
Confusion of Tongues
Americans are beginning to discover, as the war
spreads from nation to nation, that radio news bulletins,
except for announcements of major catastrophes, are
comparatively uninforming. But this unsatisfactory
condition, from the American point of view, is as noth
ing in comparison with what radio censorship combin
ed with propaganda has produced in fighting Europe,
Africa and Asia.
American news flashes last night revealed a con
stantly increasing employment of British and German
and middle European broadcasting stations for purposes
of deliberate misinformation designed to sway both sol
diers and non-combatants. One message stated that Ger
mans have established a “new British Broadcasting sta
tion” giving out what is said to be false information as
to behavior in case of air raids. Another records the fact
that British stations, short-w r ave, are bombarding the
defeated French to carry on in resistance to their con
querors. Germans are likewise sending messages to the
French from Berlin with the obvious intention of keep
ing them in a submissive “and cooperative*’ state of
mind.
Imagination can well supply details for similar
criss-cross usage of broadcasting by Italians, Ruman
ians, Russians and all the other nationalities involved.
The legend of the confusion of tongues at the tower of
Babel lives again through radio, although not yet has
come the dispersal which occurred in Shinar. It will be
too much to expect that any such scattering of peoples
will be brought about. Right now we are most concerned
that Americans should not believe all they hear, much
less all of what they read or see, yet, under the circum
stances, they are, of all people in the world best able to
distinguish between true and false inforjnation in any
of the various guises in which it today .appears. There
is in the United States still enough of liberty and free
dom of expression to preserve that freedom for at least
a few more months. For this we are thankful, despite the
fact that we remember from the past war period that
freedom of expression became in America less and less
practical or expedient as the conflict progressed.
o—o— 0 o
M inor Front Page
i
Tuesday reports of the advance of war across the
world related German capture of the Channel islands,
British possessions nearer to the coast of France than
England. Also recorded was an enlargement of troubles
in Rumania and other sectors in the Balkans. It is too
early to predict what may happen in the Balkans, where
Stalin, Hitler, and Mussolini are engaged in a game of
counter-moves.
There is, however, a sad significance in the reported
German occupation of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney and
Sark, French speaking British isles. Onjy last year Dame
Hathaway, the Dame of Sark, whose husband is an A
merican, published a charming legend of her island,
which, of all the British isles, was to date, most untouch
ed by modern ills. Sark, and Jersey and Guernsey,
“where the cows come from”, are not England, but their
seizure marks the fiirst time in many, many years since
home territory has been occupied by foreign soldiers. ’
PERSON COUNTY TIMES ROXBORO, N. C.
Death Strikes Twice
Within the past two weeks two Hollywood comed
ians, Charley Chase, of the slender frame and toothbrush
mustache, and Ben Turpin, the funny little guy with
crossed eyes, answered their last calls to the studios.
Changes of fashion in the comic spirit had during late
years somewhat reduced public appreciation of these
two first comers in the films, but for years audiences
did not feel satisfied unless they had one or the other
of these two funsters in action.
With Larry Semon, Charlie Chaplin and Fatty Ar
buckle they were of the unsophisticated slapstick and
like W- C. Fields much of their stock in the trade came
from the vaudeville section of the theatre. What Chase
and Turpin did was not great comedy, since comedy of
the higher order more easily approaches the tragic, but
under all the slapstick they did display more than any
except Chaplin, a comprehension of the essentially sad
business of creating humor.
The new generation, brought up on the cute fun of
“Our Gang” comedies, the wild antics of the Marx
brothers and the more sophisticated variations of French
bedroom farce and Long Island drawing room humor
(out of Britain) will not miss these oldsters, any more
than it misses the genius of Mack Sennett and so it is
perhaps fortunate that Chase, who was a younger and
less versatile man, and Turpin, who was older and more
subtle, are “out of the pictures”. For what they did, we
and many others were made happier for two decades
apd that should be compensation.
Task Os Feeding Europe
Greensboro Daily News
Reported predictions both here and abroad Chat
Europe faces prospects of the most severe famine in its
history this winter must necessarily have their place in
American thinking and in formulation of policies affect
ing our own national economy.
There is at the outset the likelihood of strong de
mand upon American food sources- Embattled Europe
has not been in a position to turn its manpower to agri
culture; and it goes without saying that farming opera
tions are far behind in the warring nations, most of
which, even in normal times, have to import vast quan
tities of food. If war breaks in the Balkans, where the
manpower has been so largely mobilized under the abod
ing threat, the output of the Danubian grain basin will
be greatly reduced, if not lost completely. The ruined,
occupied countries carry their own story of w r ant, pri
vation and suffering. Thus the western hemisphere is
left almost alone in its undisturbed food-producing ca
pacity. Certainly this situation, with the economic and
humanitarian responsibilities which it imposes, cannot
be lost sight if in our farm programs and policies. Man
kind may go without tobacco or cotton, but mankind
must eat. , a
Along with the humantarian obligations facing this
part of the world goes a realistic problem which implies
a hard choice. There is little or no likelihood that Germ
any will allow its own people to starve. Especially must
the vast German military machine be fed. Thus it is
logical to assume that Europe’s food supply or what
there is left of it will go first of all to the reich and to
the reich’s armed forces. Sacrifice of German needs and
morale that the Norwegians, Danes, Belgians, French;
Poles, et cetera may have another loaf of bread or piece
meat is unthinkable. The odds rather seem to be that
occupied countries will be drained of whatever resources
they may have salvaged and that their pitiful plight
will be used to secure their feeding from sympathetic
America. In fact, unless American food supplies are
carefully guarded and distributed directly to those for
whom they are intended, they may be diverted after they
arrive to German consumption. In any such event, vve
in this country will be helping the nazi cause, overcom
ing effects of the British blockade, in direct proportion.
What is to be done about a great humanitarian urge
and appeal of which the nazis deliberately take advant
age for their own noxious cause?
O—O— o o
More Water, More Land
Christian Science Monitor
In many respects the Republican platform has fol
lowed, as was expected, the general lines of the Glenn
Frank program committee report. One rather interest
ing departure appears in the course' of the farm plank.
Regarding irrigation and reclamation projects in
face of acreage reduction where good land already is
available, the Frank committee report said: “For the
time being, a rational farm program will provide for the
completion of reclamation projects under way, but will
not provide for more such projects until more land is
actually needed for cultivation.”
Tire platform says, however, “We approve the ord
erly development of reclamation and irrigation, project
by project and as conditions justify.”
Was this charge obtained by political pressure of
interested districts and as a bid for votes in contradict
ion to the simultaneous promise of governmental econ
omy? Or is there a case genuinely to be made for the
thesis that reclamation projects-or at least some of them,
bring land into cultivation for a different set of crops
irem those in which surpluses exist? It would be inter
esting to have these questions examined “project bv ■
project.”
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Roxboro. N. C.
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' -±r
“The Lost Colony”
Called America’s
Drama Os Faith
Manteo, July 4 Described as
America’s Drama at Democracy
by critics and public figures. “The
Lost Colony”, Paul Green’s epic
of the first English settlement ini
the New World, opened its fourth
summer season at the huge Wat
erside Theatre here over the'
weekend, inaugurating the 353rd ;
anniversary celebration of historic
events taking place on the site
Statement
of Condition of
The Peoples Bank, Roxboro, N. C.
AS AT THE CLOSE OF BUSINESS JUNE 29, 1940
RESOURCES:
Cash & Due irom Banks $293,706.03
U. S- Government Securities 200,303.15
N. C. State Bonds 111,376.62
Municipal Bonds 133,624.62
Other Stocks and Bonds 4,800-00
Interest Earned on Bonds 3,964.18
Loans and Discounts 591,507.50
Banking House, Furniture & Fixtures 16,931.28
Other Real Estate 16,859.18
Other Assets 630.24
$1,373,702.78
LIABILITIES:
Capital Stock, Common 100,000.00
Capital Stock, preferred 50,000.00
Surplus 36,000-00
Undivided Profits 15,691.84
Reserve for Retirement of Preferred Stock Fund 330.52
Reserve for Interest, Savings, Unearned Piterest, Tax / 9.207.54
Cashier & Certified Checks 2 0,244.01
Deposits 1,152,228.87
$R373,702/78
MEMBER FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION
Monthly Payments: sl6
of the original colony.
When “The Lost Colony” was
first presented as tne Highlight of
the 350th anniversary celebration,
it was a commerative piece out of
the pages of America’s pre-colon
ial history.
> Today, its statement of the de
- mooratic ideal in America is con
. sidered by all as a vital and in
: spiring message. That is why it
ij is being called, “America’s Dra
i ma of Democracy”.
■' With the onset of totalitarianism
in Europe and the fast blackout
Li of democracy there, the historic
; story of the birth of democracy
i in America, as told in “The Lost
THURSDAY, JULY 4, 1940
- - 1
Colony,” becomes more pertinent
today than it was when first pre
sented in 1937. Paul Green has
written a drama “to renew our
courage and hope that a govern
ment of free men shall not per
ish on the earth.”
o
FIFTH
If France should be cut off from
the American market, the United
States would lose its fifth best
customer for farm products, says
the U. S. Department of Agricul
! ture.