Perspective
Denim, mud and chocolates
I recall Valentine's Day, 1965,
in vivid detail both in memory
and my notebook. It's taken
some doing on my part, but I've
been sitting on this story for a
year, and now that Valentine's
Day, 1986, has finally arrived, I
can at long last share it with you.
There is nothing I enjoy more
than watching a man buy Valen
tine candy... at the last minute.
All stores are full of men on
Christmas Eve and Valentine's
Day. Seldom do they shop until
this particular hour of the event,
the hour being.. .the last possible
opportunity to do the right thing.
Anyhow, I took advantage of
the crowd and stragetically
placed myself in an area of the
store where I could unobtrusi
vely keep an eye on the Valentine
goodies. I was somewhat sur
prised that the shelves were still
so well stocked at this point of the
day.
Certain men pick certain boxes
of candy. It's as simple as that.
You can tell which box they'll
choose as soon as they enter the
front door and head in that direc
tion. Some will purchase the
most es pensive simply because
it's the most expensive, and for
no other reason than that. And
then, some will select something
cheaper but give it in a style in
which it appears every bit as el
egant as the more expensive box.
I like style and elegance, even
in small doses, and men who tend
to do it that way. It's true that
some will head for those big
gaudy boxes that need a forklift
to get it out the door, but most
men will choose something be
tween the largest and the small
est. Whether this has to do with
their own choice or their wallet's
has always eluded me, but it's
worth a few moments of obser
vation just to see if I can still
match the man with the box of
candy he'll choose in color, style
and size. Generally, I am cor
rect. I have always applauded
myself on my acute powers of ob
servation of the male shopping
traits during Valentine's. But, I
did not applaud myself on Valen
tine's Day, 1965.
I watched him as his big-heeled
boots carried him across the
flow. His long arms swung free,
keeping easy pace with his slow
strided waltz that appeared to
say.. ."I've got all day to do this
but get out of my way anyhow so
I can just do it and get gone."
His tall frame was covered in
denim from the stretch of his
wide shoulders to the muddy
heels of his boots. Slightly curly
hair protruded from beneath a
soiled farm cap perched at a
rather jaunty angle on his head.
He was a bit rough around the
edges but still neat and clean at !
the same time, if that makes any
sense. One thing I noticed in par
ticular was the well-worn but ex
pensive leather knife case at
tached to his belt, so I figured
him for a hunter taking a nec
essary break in his otherwise ]
peaceful day of shotgun shells 1
and hedgerows.
I gathered up my own supplies
and took one final glance over at
the mystery man dressed in
denim. For the moment, he had
the entire aisle to himself. He I
shoved his big, rough hands in his
pockets and paraded up and
down the aisle in front of the
candy before finally choosing
one.
"Nope," I thought to myself.
"That one's not right for you. It's
too little." As if he had heard
what I was thinking, he replaced !
it, though not in the same spot it <
originally came from (all men do
this) and reached for another.
"Still not right," I thought.
"It's too gaudy." He might be a
big man and a seemingly secure
one, but he was NOT gaudy... so I
didn't figure his woman was ei
ther. He was apparently consid- .
ering that, for he soon tossed that
one aside as well and reached for
the third one. He turned the satin
box over, mashed the top, picked
at the cellophane that enclosed it,
and finally held it in his left hand
while examining a more deco
rated one with a plastic rose and
ribbon beneath the clear wrap
per.
"No," I thought again.
"You've got the one you need al
ready, so stop while you're ahead
and take the one in your left
hand." The one in the big man's
left hand was definitely for to
rn. ..and his woman.
Finally, he made his decision.
He laid the rose-topped box down
and proceeded to the cash regis
ter with the simplier, but more
elegant box of candy. I was right
behind him by this time, more
than ready for heading back
home and amply satisfied of my
matchmaking down the candy
aisle once again. He left the store
while I paid for my purchases.
The cold wind had me scurry
ing across the parking lot to
wards my car with my purse and
purchases hugged close to my
chest. With keys in hand, I made
ready to unlock my car. But then,
In noticed the big man in denim
standing near the back of his
pickup truck that looked as if it
had been dipped in mud and oven
baked.
And I continued to stand there
as if frozen numb from the cold,
but actually out of sheer
amazement and disbelief as the
big man, dressed in denim and
wearing muddy boots, peeled off
the cellophane wrapper, re
moved the lid, and lovingly fed
his elegant box of valentine can
dy.. .to his hunting dog.
Fame carries heavy responsibility
If you were one of the millions
tuned in to the recent media
event called the Super Bowl, you
were probably as interested in
the antics of Bear's quarterback
Jim McMahon as the action on
the field.
McMahon, the swashbuckling
point of attention, received much
publicity because of the head
bands that adorned his head dur
ing several games. National
Football League rules prohibit
the wearing of any articles dur
ing games that could be consid
ered advertising. McMahon who
was fined by the league so retal
iated by wearing a band with
league commissioner Rozelle's
name scrawled on it.
While many found his antics
amusing, ailing Washington
Redskins quarterback Joe Theis
mann thinks McMahon is out of
line.
Theismann believes McMahon
is showing lack of respect for
rules and regualtions and feels
his actions are not setting the
proper example for young sport
fans. Theismann thinks McMa
hon should "Remember where
he is. If it weren't for football,
he'd be some yo-yo out there
drinking beer."
The Washington quarterback
is concerned such actions will en
courage kids to buck authority,
thinking it is the thing to do since
McMahon does it and receives so
much attention for his actions.
Saying he has no personal quar
rel with McMahon being a free
spirit, Theismann wonders if he
really cares how his actions af
fect the children. "Wearing sung
lasses and punk haircuts may be
Us way of expressing himself,"
Joe says, "But I sure wouldn't
want my kids growing up like
him."
Some will probably question
Theismann's right to point fin
gers at others, as he was the
topic of conversation a few
months ago for leaving his wife
and children for a flashy Holly
wood lass.
His is an excellent observation,
however. Few parents would
want their children to model
themselves after many of today's
heroes. Hardly a day goes by that
doesn't bring new charges of
drug or alcohol abuse against
some well-known figure in sports
and other areas. T%e recent ar
rests of three University of Min
nesota basketball players on
charges of raping an 18-year old
woman is a continuation of such
events.
In her very popular hit, Tina
Turner tells us, "We don't need
another hero." If the likes of Mc
Mahon is all we have for our kids
to emulate, she's right.
It's time those in the public
view, whether in sports, politics,
or entertainment, to realize that
fame and idolization carry heavy
responsibility.
Our children deserve better ex
amples, and it's time we pro
vided them with something or
someone better.
In the University of Minnesota
affair, University President Ken
neth Keller ordered his basket
ball team to forfeit their game
following the rape incident and
considered cancelling all re
maining games. After Basketball
Coach Jim Dutcher resigned in
protest, the schedule was re
sumed.
A shaken Keller said his reac
tion to the charges against the
players was "horror and disgust,
and some amount of despair that
we, as academic institutions,
have created the environment in
which that can happen."
While the institutions that
practice an attitude of winning at
all cost can be held partially re
sponsible, society as a whole
must accept the blame for mak
ing heroes of individuals that are
less than deserving. Heroes they
are not.
We heard crime has gotten outta control .
Quiz offers insight into
knowledge of the state
Talk about luck. Press day
came around on Tuesday, and
my mind went absolutely blank. I
normally try to get my column
done before Tuesday morning, or
at least get it started, but this
week I just didn't make it.
Normally, Tuesday's mail
doesn't surface anything of ma
jor interest. It's past deadline
time when it gets here, and you
folks always get your things in
way ahead of deadline. This
Tuesday's mail proved to be the
exception. I got this nifty little
feature article-quiz combination
from the author of "North Caro
lina Knowledgeable? New Tar
heel Trivia Book for Schools Dou
ble-Checks Kid's Facts About
The Old North State!". What a
title.
Anyway, under usual circum
stances I would have put off
reading the release until after we
Archdale most able of proprietors
The death in 1697 of William,
Earl of Craven, the last of the
eight men to whom King Charles
II had given the province of Caro
lina, did not mark the end of pro
prietary rule in North Carolina.
The proprietorships passed by in
heritance and sale to a number of
other persons,.
The most able of the later
Lords Proprietors was John
Arcbdale (1643-1717), who served
some years as governor of the
colony. A Quaker, Arcbdale was
often in Perquimans County dur
ing his administration. He held
court and sat with the assembly
at the Newbold- White site in jW?7.
The least able proprietor was
Seth Sothel (died l?M), who also
served as governor. He is known
as perhaps the wont governor
North Carolina ever had (al
though some would place him
second behind W.W. Holden). He
was thrown out of the Albemarle
for his crimes.
Archdale and Sothel both lived
in Carolina for a while, as did
such other proprietors as John
Colleton the younger, Joseph
Blake, and Ann Amy Trott.
Menton of Mrs. Trott points out
that several of the proprietors
were women. Perhaps the most
interesting of them was Frances
Culpeper, sister of the man
whose name was given to the Al
bemarle rebellion of 1677.
Frances married three times;
first to Samuel Stephens, gover
nor of Albemarle, second to Sir
William Berkeley, governor of
Virginia, and third to Philip Lud
well, governor of (North and
South) Carolina.
Lady Frahces was a strong
woman. She was also one to
make a point in a dramatic man
ner. When commissioners called
at her home to investigate her
husband Berkeley's part in
cradling the Bacon rebels, the
lady had them escorted away by
the hangman.
The governor's lady was weO
known to her contemporaries
and to history. Another proprie
tor, Henry Smith, is theopporite,
a man so obsure that little is
known of him.
The citizens of Perquimans
could hardly have known all the
proprietors to whom they owed
allegiance and quit rents. The
proprietary government of North
Carolina was so bad that most
citizens would gladly have been
rid of all proprietors as soon as
possible. It was not until 1729 that
North Carolina ceased to be a
proprietary colony.
The colony was purchased for
the King and some sixty -six
years after Charles II gave away
Carolina George II took, it back.
Or rather, he took most of it
back. One proprietor, John Car
teret, Earl Granville, refused to
sell his share.
The Earl yielded all his position
in the government of Carolina,
but he retained ownership of all
vacant (unowed) land in a wide
swath of territory along the Vir
ginia border.
Land grants in Perquimans
continued to be made in the name
of the Earl Granville until the
American Revolution. War
wiped out the last hold of private
proprietors upon North CsroliD8(
but the question at law can still
be raised: do Granville's hairs
still have a claim upon Perqtd
mans and could they recovcr
went to press, but there was just
something about it that caught
my attention. The writer encour
aged the use of this feature, and
billed it as something our read
ers would enjoy during a cold
winter's dinner hour. So without
further comments from me, I
give you the following quiz to test
just how much you know about
our beloved North Carolina.
DATELINE: Your Mind
So, you think you know North
Carolina history.. .and geograph
y?and current events. After all,
you had North Carolina history in
school, you read this paper faith
fully (You DO, Don't you!), and
you watch the tube. Besides, it's
a matter of pride - everyone
should know about their home
state, especially when it's as
great a one as ours.
But facts stored carefully in
the cubbyholes of your mind
have a way of cobwebbing.
Things you thought you knew you
misconsture. And if you're a kid,
things can really get confusing.
Surely one of your 1986 resolu
tions was to be an expert on your
state! So take a minute (the
whole family) to take this short
quiz. It's from the "North Caro
lina Silly Trivia Book" by Carole
Marsh and is being used in
schools as a high interest way to
impart concrete facts to enthu
siastic young minds. The pub
lisher, Gallopade, in Bath, plans
a book on all 50 states.
QUIZ
1. America's highest sand dune
is located on North Carolina's
coast. The name of this mountain
of sand is: a.)01d Smokey;
b.) Churchill Downs; c.) Jockey's
Ridge?
2. All of North Carolina was
once: a.) under water; b.)in
South Carolina?
3. Some of the biggest in the
world are grown in Edenton:
a.) liars; b.) elephants; c.)pea
nuts; dJEdens?
4. This was invented in Fayet
teville in 1954: a.) Putt Putt;
b.)Baby Ruth candy bar; c.)bar
becue?
5. What do North Carolina poke
salad, dandelions, daisies, cat
tails and weeds have in com
mon? a.)they are green; b.)they
stink; c.)you can eat them.
6. The James Allen Floating
Theatre, originally launched in
Washington, was better known
as: a.) the Love Boat; b.)the
Slow Boat; c.) the Showboat?
7. One of the world's rarest
gems is found only on a few acres
in N.C. This gem is: a.)hidde
nite; b.)uranium; c.)dynamite?
8. They used to serve this at
Poplar Grove Plantation: aspi
rate steak; b.)slime pie; c.)po
plar cake?
9. Famous poet, Carl Sand
burg, lived in Flat Rock, where
his wife raised prize-winning:
a.)children; bjflowers;
c.)goats?
10. The first public one of these
was established in America at
Bath: a.) "necessary"; b.) ceme
tery; c.)library?
Answers: 1-c; 2-a; 3-c; 4-a; 5
c; ft-c; 7-a; 8-b; and 10-c.
Scoring: All ten right? Run to
the head of the class! Six to nine
correct: run to your history book.
Two to five; run to South Caro
lina and back! Less than two cor
rect? RUN & HIDE!
I hope you all scored 100-per
cent correct. We tried it at the
office and fell into the six to nine
category. The slime pie really
tripped us up. See ya later, Jane.
THE
PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
Established In 1932
A DEAR PUBLICATION
Publithad Each Thursday By Advonc* Publlcotioni Inc. Elizabeth City, N.C.
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Advertising Manager Circulation Manager
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