Guest Editorial
Building a stable ,
growing economy
is the challenge to
state government
One of the most compelling
challenges to state government over
the next several years will be to build
a stable and growing economy, while
at the same time protecting the
natural beauty and the good
communities that make North
Carolina one o f the most attractive
places to live in all America.
North Carolina has made
tremendous economic progress over
the past few years. But the next 10 to
20 years will bring special
challenges:
?Nearly 90 percent of all new jobs
will be found outside manufacturing
and agriculture. Many of those jobs
will be in small businesses.
?Advances in technology and new
industries will displace many people
from the only jobs they ever knew
and require new skills.
?Competition for jobs will be
fierce, and our people must learn the
basic skills that will enable them to
compete.
?The boom in construction will put
unprecedented pressures on our
ability to manage growth ? to
provide clean water and protect
against ugly urban sprawl and
billboard boulevards.
We have developed a
comprehensive strategy for
economic growth in North Carolina.
And now is the time for us to join
together ? business, education,
state, local and federal governments
? to set North Carolina on a course
that will mean long-term economic
growth in the 1980s, the 1990s and the
21st century.
The strategy builds on investments
in five critical areas: education,
technology, skill training,
environmental protection and the
public infrastructure.
The Commission on Education for
Economic Growth, which I chair, will
be calling for fundamental reforms
in North Carolina's public schools ?
including tougher curriculum, more
rigor in the basic skills, holding back
students who have not made enough
progress and making each a more
attractive career.
These changes are vital if North
Carolina's schools are going to be
able to prepare our young people for
a modern economy.
Technology is changing our
economy, and North Carolina needs
to help industry take advantage of
technological advances ? especially
smaller companies.
A skilled work force is needed to
support those companies, and the
state must help train both new
workers and older workers who have
been displaced from their jobs.
Environmental protection has
special importance. I will be asking
this General Assembly to make some
important investments in a clean
water program that will protect our
water against harmful toxic
discharges.
Finally, we must continue to invest
in the infrastructure of our
communities ? good roads, bridges
and airports.
All of these investments are part of
North Carolina's strategy for
economic growth and preservation of
good communities.
We are not going to solve all our
problems today. But we can make a
start ? a start that will mean a
better life for our children and
grandchildren, for generations of
North Carolinians.
1866 sale inventory
offers a depiction of
early household life
Although thousands of property
inventories are on record in
Perquimans County, a room-by-room
list of household furnishings is
extremely rare. One such rarity is
Joseph M. Cox's sale inventory of
1866, which permits some depiction
of household life.
Joseph M. Cox was by profession a
merchant, by inclination a
temperance man and a Mason; in
religion a Methodist, in politics a
Whig. His long public career included
service as Clerk of Perquimans
County Court (1841-1853), a county
representative in the state
legislature (1856-1857), justice of the
peace, Hertford Town Director and
Hertford Academy trustee.
About 1M1 Cox built a large
wooden house on Front Street in
Hertford. It wis 33 by 50 feet in site,
and two stories high. It had eight
fireplaces.
Between the house and river were
a kitchen, a smokehouse, a wood
house and a carpenter's shop. A
curious feature of the dwelling was
that seme of its windows had come
from the old Perquimans
Cox's house had a parlor, a
"setting room," a dining room, a
pantry and tear bedrooms. The
parlor was prepared to receive
visitors with a sofa, two racking
chairs, twelve other chairs, two
. Company might pass the time
thspectiog the four pictures on the
qC a what-not, or leafing through the
friends might enjoy (or endure) a
performance on the parlor piano. It is
to be hoped the music was not
interrupted by "zings" as those
inclined to "chaw" aimed at one of
the four spittoons.
A more intimate, family
atmosphere characterised the
setting room. It had a lounge and
seven chairs. There were two tables,
one of which held a Bible. Other
books stood in a bookcase, a
reminder that Cox was one of
Perquimans' staunchest supporters
of education.
Two maps adorned the setting
room, which also had a clock. The
timepiece probably stood on the
mantel shelf, and with the fireplace
below were a screen, a fender, some
tongs and some andirons.
The dining room held two tables,
six chairs and a lounge. The looking
glass may have multiplied brilliantly
the lamp's light during formal
nocturnal dinners.
Dining accessories were kept in the
dining room sideboard and in the
pantry. A tea and dinner set; a set of
knives and forks; a tot of demijohns
and jugs (water, milk, or fruit juice,
surely, in a temperance home);
some glassware; a chafing dish; and
some tin ware sat in the pantry.
Four bedrooms were needed to
accomodate Cox's family, the
orphans he gave a home and his
numerous visitors. (On election night
In l*M Cm won a scat in the
legislature and was carried home on
the shonMin of local Whigs. The
crowd consumed eight hams, and
eighteen men stayed the night in one
room.)
Bedroom furnishing! generally
included a bedstead with its bed
(mattress) and coverings; a bureau;
a washsUnd, bowl and pitcher; and a
choir or two.
With the addition of several
Overcoming ignorance through education
is the cure for racism in the U.S. today
As a general rule, I don't include
opinions other than my own in this
column. The following comments by
Enfield minister. Rev. William H.
Clark, are worth repeating.
?Point
of View
by:
BILL NIXON
His comments offer an excellent
message to each of us, though they
were directed to young blacks
celebrating Black History Month in
the schools of Halifax County.
Thirty years have passed since the
Supreme Court outlawed segregation
of the races in public schools and
public facilities. Since that time
many, many, changes have taken
place in all phases of our lives.
Since that landmark decision by
our Supreme Court in 1954, we have
come to know that being black is not
so much a matter of skin color as it is
a state of mind ? an attitude about
the moral and spiritual value of
persons, their heritage and the
confidence of our future as a race ?
and most certainly ? the confidence
of America in all of her people being
educated and productive citizens.
As we celebrate Negro history and
our accomplished heroes, let each of
you be aware that every one of these
women and men were people of
character, good attitudes, high moral
integrity and a desire for education
in her or his chosen field.
Our schools are equipped with
dedicated and hardworking people
whose goals are to assit you in
maximizing your potentials for good.
Each of you should do everyghing
within your power to help these
teachers to help you get a sound
education.
The greatest evil in our country
today is not racism but ignorance;
therefore, this is a great challenge to
you ? do away with ignorance and
racism will vanish from the face of
the earth.
Let me talk about the classrooms
at your schools. Each of yours has a
realm ? a sphere of influence. Each
of you is responsible for what
happens or may happen to you In that
realm. Your realm ? or space ? is
made up of your relationships,
character, responsibilities and the
world of nature in which you control.
In your individual realm God has
given you potential, unlimited
potentials for good. It is time for each
of you ? if you have not started ? to
take some of the emphasis off race
and color and start putting more
emphasis on persons, character
morals, integrity, attitudes, spiritual
values and work ethics.
Education at its best make a people
or a nation at its best.
You will have an important part to
play in your realm which will be a
part of the "world of works." Your
education should and will prepare
you for that world or works;
however, you must claim your
potential to do that.
Get serious about your educational
goal*, develop good attitudes,
eliminate the nonsense and get down
to serious business, and God will
bless you and do great wonders in
your lives.
In summary, I would like to leave
this thought with you: "The height of
greatness in any person or race is not
meaured by color of the skin, but in
the content of his or her personal,
moral and spiritual character."
Create an atmosphere of love. Get
rid of the loud boisterous music that
is blowing your brain out and
diminishing your capacity to think
properly, develop good attitudes
toward yourselves and others
regardless of any situation, cut out
the foul play and foul language, read
enlightening books and materials
that will build an intelligent thought
pattern, read your Bible daily and
take time to pray and meditate on
God's Word, develop an interest in
giving instead of waiting for someone
to give you something, dare to cheat,
steal or life, use your own potential to ?
get ahead.
Finally, I congratulate those of you
who are using your potentials to
succeed in every realm of your lives.
I invite you to form a colition of your
peers, parents and other interested
groups of people in an effort to
combat every negative force in our
schools that hinders the process of
education. *? ?
If this is done along With those
positive things I have mentioned,
then you will be able to say with
conviction ? "Free at last! Free at
last! Great God Almighty, I am free
at last!"
Our Editor was a little
"under the weather" this
week, so a "Chat With Jane"
will return next week.
Letters to the Editor ?
Stewart Endorsed by State School Superintendent
Editor.
THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
Public School Law 115-C-21 (a) (2)
says that it shall be the duty of the
State Superintendent of Public
Instruction "to keep the public
informed as to the problems and
needs of the public schools.. .by
information furnished to the press of
the state."
In response to that mandate I have
chosen this month to break normal
political tradition by directly
Thanks Students
THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
It seams we always have time to
criticise our young people when they
do wrong. Bat, we often fail to praise
them when they do good.
I want to express my thanks to the
students of Camden, Pasquotank and
Perquimans who partkipted m the
Junior Achievement Program lor the
outstanding Job they accomplished.
Each participant had a part in
organisation, production, sales and
then liquidation at a company that
had good management technlqr es so
tt would be a profitable business.
This was an introduction lor them to
oUr free enterprise system.
Let us say "Thank Yon" stndento,
yon are an yonr way to being our
"I ???>??? Tmiiiih."
endorsing a candidate for Lt.
Governor in the Democratic primary
in May and the general election in
November.
I have done this because the Lt.
Governor holds such a key role in
providing State leadership for public
education through the Presidency of
the Senate and key membership on
the North Carolina State Board of
Education.
I have strongly endorsed Carl
Stewart for the Democratic
nomination and election as Lt
Governor for North Carolina.
I have considered carefully all of
the factors in makiiig this
endorsement; my duties as State
Superintendent, the traditions of the
political arena, the conditions of
stress and difficulty under which
public elementary/secondary
education has struggled and lost
much support over the last four
years.
Carl Stewart has a strong record of
advocacy and action in education as
a long-time member of the North
Carolina House of Representatives
and especially as Speaker of the
House at a time of great progress in
North Carolina.
We need, again, the kind of
positive, caring, aggressive
leadership of the type given in the *
early TO's by Carl Stewart, Ralph
Scott and many others in days of real
growth in education in North
Carolina.
Carl has the wisdom, the
I
THE
PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
Courthouse Square
P.O. Box 277
Hertford, N.C. 27944
i ''3? ra
Published Every Thursday
By Advance Publ., Elizabeth City
Jane B. Williams
Managing Editor
Pat Mansfield
Advertising Manager C
Cindy Leicester
atlon Manaf
experience, the training and the true
sense of what good government'
really la and what it can truly mean
to education and to all of us. He needs
to bring those talents and that
commitment to the Presidency of the
Senate and to the work of the State
Board of Education.
The decision as to who shall be the
next LL Governor is, I believe, the
most important decision before the
voters of North Carolina.
A. Craig Phillips
State Superintendent
of Public Instruction
Letters
The PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
welcomes lite opinion of its
readers. We print letters to the
editor on subjects of heal, state,
national and international in
terest.
Letters should he limited to 330
330 words and should include the
name, address and telephone
number of the writer. Only the
name and address will be
published with the letter.
The subject matter should be of
interest to the community, not a
personal gripe. Letters may be
edited by our news staff lor
clarity ted space limitations.
?Mail letters to: The
Perquimans Weekly. P.O. Box
ITT. Hertford. S.C mti. or drop
U^moffMomr offices it Cour
fr|f ?n