The Rocky Mount Herald
VOLUME 4, NO. 50
DEATHS TOTAL
31,950 FOR
- TEN MONTHS
The nation's traffic coat 31,950
lives during the first 1" months >f
1937, the National Safety Council
reports.
"The toll represented an increase of
eight per cent over the 29,560
deaths for the same period - of 19-
36, Fatalities last month totaled 3,-
890, a six per cent Increase over
September and a one per cent in
crease over October, 1936.
Sixteen states showed decreases
in traffic deaths fnom last year,
representing a-saving of 365 lives
compared with 1936. Included were
Virginia with threo decreases and
Georgia with one.
Fall River, Mass.; Albany, N. Y.,
and El Paso, Texas, wero the larg
est cities which went through Oc
tober without a traffic fatality.
Milwaukee retained first placo
among cities of more than 500,000
population for the lowest death rate.
Itg rate was 10.6 compared with an
average of 17.4 for all cities of its
population clftss.
Professor Koch
Will Tour Again
University Professor Planning An
nual Tourg With Dickens Christ
mas Carol
Chapel Hill, Dec. 6. —Beginning
Saturday, December 11, Dr. Fred
erick H. Koch, director of the Caro
lina Playmakers, will inaugurate the
32nd anniversary of his first annual
reading of Dickens' immortal glttft
story, "A Christmas Carol." lv
Freed from lectures while his stu
dents at th© University are with
standing the siege of Christmas exa
minations and enjoying their holi
days, Dr. Koch will carry the
Christmas message to eleven towns,
giving performances of the popular
■story right up until Christmas exe.
The reading of "Tho Carol" has be
come a tradition at the University
and has been called the Carolina
Playmakers' Christmas card to this
state.
During the last thirty years Dr.
Koch has read. Dickons' story to au
diences all over America, including
the Institute of Art s and Sciences at
Columbia and Town Hall, New York.
His itinerary between now and
Christmas includes. Chapel Hill—
Dec. 11; Wako Forest —Dec. 12;
Hurdle Mills—Dec. 13; Camden, S.
C.—Dec. 14; Hartsville, 8. C.—Dec.
15; Chadbourn—Doc. 16; Wilming
ton—Dec. 17 (two performances);
Lumberton —Dec. 18; Baleigh—Dec.
19; West End —Dec. 20; Ellerbe—
Dec. 20 j and Clinton —Dec. 21 (two
performances).
Thirty years ago Frederick Koch
was a young instructor in English
at th e University of North Dakota.
He happened to re-read "A Christ
mas Carol" and was struck with tho
idea that everybody ought to read it
at Christmas-time. At the suggestion
of friends he read it to a small
group gathered around a crackling
wood fire.
His audience grew until the large
North Dakota gymnasium wag filled
to over—flowing and his reading of
Dickens' story had become an inte
gral part of tho Christmas season.
Other towns wished to hear him and
he journeyed through snow storms
and blizzards over hundreds of miles
of the Dakota praire, sometimes by
sleigh, when the railroads were
snowbound, sometimes by hand-car,
when tho engines were frozen, To
fill his many engagements each
Christmas time.
When he came to the University
to found the Carolina Playmakers
Dr. Koch continued reading the Car
ol. Tho large auditorium of Memor
ial Hall is always filled to overflow
ing. With ever-increasing adminis
trative activities as head of the De
partment of Dramatic Art and di
rector of the Carolina Playmakers,
Dr. Koch still finds time to carry
Dickens' message of Christmas cheer
to cities and towns in the South
and North.
At the Chape Hill reading Decem
ber 11 Old English carols will be
sung between the staves of the story
by members of tho Chapel Hill Ma
drigal club under the direction of
Professor John Toms, and between
8 and 8:30 just before the reading
Robert Brawley, Chapel organist, will
~'iy special Christmas music on tho
,morial Hall organ.
Afte* an experienced "pin hooker"
told him that he often made as high
as 16 cents a pound buying tobac?o
and regrading it, Max Higgins of
Yancey County decided to do some
grading himself.
F. L. Webster of Forsyth County
has planted 3,000 black locust seed
lings on a steep hillside to protect
it from erosion while producing
posts needed for use on his farm.
Add to the virtues of lespedeza
the fact that it is an excellent graz
ing crop for hogs. D. J. Wilson of
Pitt County says it is one of the
best and the only one he used now.
Madison county farmers, cooperat
ing with the farm ajjont to conduct
definite demonstrations this year,
have used 477 tons ground lime
stone. }'■
IN WASHINGTON
UNITED STATES SENATOR
Any survey of the National legis
lative situation at tho half-way point
of the Special Session of Congress,
while not wholly encouraging from
the standpoint of giving needed re
assurance to industry, business and
agriculture, does disclose some cheer
ing factors. The more outstanding
of these are:
1. Tax revision is no longer some
thing to merely be wished for, but
is assured at the regular session be
ginning in January. If the Senate
were empowered to originate revenue
legislation, it is likely that it would
be undertaken at the current spec
ial session. But the prerogative of
originating revenue laws is reserved
to the House of Representatives.
2. New farm legislation, while
temporarily bogged down with
amendments and disagreements,
promises to be finally drafted with
more real thought and real desire
to help agriculture than any other
similar measure of recent times.
3. The recommendation by Presi
dent Roosevelt calling for a drastic
cut in Federal highway funds has
thrown the question of cutting Fed
eral expenditures into bold relief.
Regardless of the merits or demerits
of the President's proposal, it now
seems evident that the Congress
must find, as speedily as possible,
the point where needless spending
ends and real economy begins.
.4. That there will bo more and
more a tendency to adjust sectional
differences of opinion on legislation
on tho basis of compromise. Mem
bers of Congress from eastern in
dustrial sections want a wage-and
hour bill. Like wire, members ftani
agricultural sections want immediato
action -on farm legislation. Natural
ly, in a situation of this character.
North Carolina, both industrial and
agricultural, sets astride these sec
tional differences. There is agree
ment that the best interest of tho
county as a whole is the point of
compomise, although sometimes dif
ficult to reach.
While North Carolina is, of course,
vitally interested in tax revision and
farm assistance, a matter of imme
diate concern is the President's rec
ommendation on highways. This is
true because the Chief Executive has
urged a cancellation of all road au
thorizations made by Congress for
the fiscal year 1939. Under past
procedure, there 1939 funds would
be allocated to the states before
January 1, 1938. Thus the questions
of whether North Carolina will se
cure some $4,250,000 in anticipated
Federal road funds in tho fiscal
year beginning July 1, 1938, is an
important question.
Informed opinion at the moment
seem 8 to be that the Congress can
hardly act within the time between
now and December 22, the date ten
tatively set for adjuornment. As a
result, it is not unlikely that the ap
portionment of road funds for tho
1939 fiscal year will be made as ori
ginally scheduled. Consideration may
be given to a curtailment of road
expenditures at the regular session
beginning in January..
Speaking of the legislative situa
tion as a whole, the deadlocks, dis
agreements and delays in Congress
are in themselves that sentiment
from "back homo" is having an in
fluence on Congressional procedure.
It is in such times that compromise
is essential, despite the fact thit
compromise is slow. But it assures
the country more efficient law mach
inery.
CIVIL SERVICE
EXAMINATION ANNOUNCED
Tho United States Civil Service
Commission has announced an open
competitive examination for the po
sitions of assistant fisheries statisti
cal and marketing agent, SI,BOO a
year, and junigr fisheries statisti
cal and marketing agent, $1,620
year, in the Bureau of Fisheries,'
Department of Commerce. Certain
education, and experience in fishery
work are required.
Full information may be obtained
from the Secretary of the United
States Civil Service Board of Ex
aminers at the post office or custom
house in any city which has a post
office of the first or second class, or
from the United States Civil Ser
vice Commission, Washington, D. C.
The Clear Springs Dairy Farm of
Concord. Route 2, Cabarrus County,
has seeded 50 acres of an old pasturo
to Kentucky Blue Grass and Whito
Dutch clover and 50 additional acres
of new pasture to the same seed mix
ture.
To date, 590 compliance certifi
cates have been turned in by farmers
of Gaston County showing that they
have carried out the soil building
practices required under the Agri
cultura' Conservation program.
ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1937
NEGRO AGENT
! IS APPROVED
IN NASH CO.
Commstiioners Vote For Negro Farm
Agent To Assist Sugg, Begin*
January t
Nash county will have a Negro
farm demonstration agent to assist
County Agent J. S. Sugg beginning
January 1, the Nash board of com
missioners decided this week in their
regular monthly meeting.
The commissioners voted to pay
S4O a month transportation expens
es for the new farm agent. His
salary of SIOO a month will be paid
by Federal and State agricultural de
partment funds.
T. J. Pearsatl of Rocky Mount pre
sented the request for a Negro farm
agent to the commissioners.
' Nash county will contribute S3OO
toward the fat stock show planned
to be held in Rocky Mount next
spring, the commissioners decided, if
Rocky Mount and Edgecombe county
contributes S3OO each.
Requesting the appropriation for
the stock show, F. P. Spruill of
Rocky Mount and W. F. Woodruff,
president of the Nash county farm
bureau, explained that the purp*e
of the stock show will be to stimH
late interest in stock breeding in this
section of eastern Carolina.
The fat stock show has been ap
proved by farm agents, State College
authorities and other agricultural ex
perts and prominent farmers of botii
counties. If successful next spring,
it is planned that the show will be a
regular annual affair.
The Edgecombe commissioners took
no action on the S3OO appropriation
when a request for it was placed be
fore them Monday.
R. R. Gay of Rocky Mount was re
elected chairman of the board of
commissioners.
Brewer Rites
Are Held Here
Well Known Citizen Passes At Home
Following Long Period Of De
clining Health
Funeral services were conducted
from, the First Presbyterian church
nt three o'clock for Henry Em
mett Brewer, longtime resident of
Rocky Mount and widely known
economic, civic and religious leader
of this community, who died in his
sleep late Saturday night. Mr. Bre
wer was 75 years of age.
Re\c. Norman Johnson, pastor of
the First Presbyterian church where
Mr. Brewer long had been active,
conducted the rites. Interment was
made in Pineview cemetery.
Mr. Brewer had been in declin
ing health for several years, his
condition not being regarded as
critical, however, until a few days
before his death. Members of the
family said that he died peaceful
ly sometime before 11 o'clock Sat
urday night at his home on Syca
more street.
Survivors include his wife, the for
mer Miss Josie Beaman Coghill f
Vance county; four sons, H. E.
Brewer, Jr.; J. B. Brewer, W. C.
Brewer, and John King Brewer, all
of Rocky Mount; and a daughter,
Mrs. Paul Barkley of Arlington, Va.
Several grandchildren also survive.
Mr. Brower's biggest enterprise
was a farm supply business which
was operated here upon Western
Avenue and Main Street. The late
j R. H. Ricks was associated with him
in this business, which handled fer
| tilizer, farm machinery and many
other products. It was operatod from
the latter part of the century until
1921. It was known as H. E. Brew
er and company.
Born in Nash County on Febru
ary 6, 1862, Mr. Brewer was the son
of the late Ann and Jordan Brew
er, members of a prominent family
thriving in Franklin and Wake coun
ties. At the age of 21 Mr. Brewer
came to Rocky Mount where he
entered the mercantile business with
the Rocky Mount Mills commissary
Later he was associated with J. W.
Hines and R. S. Conyers in a busi
ness located where the Planters
bank now stands. In 1892 he was
associated with the late Gideon Mat
thews in a feed business.
One of the landmarks of Edgo
combe county, the McKendree farms,
was operated by Mr. Brewer, tho
late Frank Gorliam and Dr. George
L. Wimberley.
Active in local affairs, Mr. Brew
er served as a member of tho Board
of Aldermen for several terms. He
was also a charter member of the
Rocky Mount Kiwanis club and had
been an active Mason. For many
years he was superintendent of the
Sunday School at the First Presby
terian church. He was also a dea
con and then an elder in the church.
Pallbearers for the funeral were
W. G. Weeks, F. P. Spruill, L. B.
Aycock, W. D. Boseman, T. E. Ricks,
and R. L. Arrington. Honorary pall
bearers were the elders and deacon 3
of the First Presbyterian church.
MODERN SCRIBBLING DECRIED
Lancaster, Pa., Dec. s.—Charles E.
Lausch, 65, deplored the handwriting
of the present day on his retirement
after three decades service in the lo
cal postoffice. He said moderns sacri
ficed good handwriting tor speed.
Id ( "ase of an Aircraft Raid
Prospective customers listen with interest while a street salesman
in Geneva, Switzerland, demonstrates special lamp shades for use in
time of an air raid. Many devices such as these are now on sale in
European cities as preparations for giant air-raid drills are planned to
darken entire cities.
Give Corporations Human
Guarantees
Secretary of Interior Ickes speaking before the annual
dinner of the American Civil Liberties Union accused the Su
preme Court of having "gone far to convert the Bill of
Rights into a charter of corporate privileges," and he fur
ther asserted "that giant corporations have assumed an
overlordship over the civil rktfits and substantive liberties
of the individual" and thalFthis "overlordship" has been
aided by constitutional construction by the courts, "safe
guarding the rights of the large corporation in its relation
to the government as if it were a mere individual."
A corporation is not an individual because a corporation
is only a trade agreement and a vehicle permitted under the
law for the purpose of carrying on business and promoting
trade. Blackstone the great law writer defines a corpora
tion as "a man without a soul." The human being has a soul
and the likeness of our Creator while every fair
minded incrmdual wants the corporation to receive fair
treatment but there is a belief in the minds of many of the
people that the court has undex-taken in the language of
Mr. Ickes to give to the corporation the human individual
element. The man who buys corporation stock can engage in
business without peopardizing his entire estate, not so with
the individual, and this is right 'and proper but for this
privilege the corporation would be expected to give up some
other right in view of the individual. Mr. Ickes infers that
the court is undertaking to give the guarantee of the hu
man soul to the corporation while Mr. Blackstone states
that the corporation "is without a soul."
ROCKY MOUNT HIGH SCHOOL ADDITIONS NEARING
COMPLETION
The new High School Gymnasium and the Class-room ex
tension of the High School Building are nearing comple
tion, and will be a fine help to our schools.
It is apparent to anyone that the school board acted
wisely in securing additional land for the location of the
gymnasium, which leaves an open court at the Hill Street
entrance to the High School, giving to it two front en
trances, the main entrance, and the other on Hill Street.
With very little expense the open court on the Hill Street
side can be improved so as to be a fine sun and air space,
and be beautiful as well. While the real beauty will be in
the service it renders, the Hill Street side can be made to
look very well with not a great outlay of money.
Henry R. Thorpe
Funeral Held
Prominent Resident Buried In Thorp
Cemetery Following Services
From Church
Funeral services were held at 11
o'clock for Henry Roane Thorpe,
well-known retired salesman, from
the First Presbyterian church with
Rev. Norman Johnson officiating. In
terment followed in the Thorpe cem
etery near tho city limits in Nash
County. He was 68 years old.
Mr. Thorpe died at 10:30 P. M.
Saturday at his homo, 314 Ham
mond street, to which he hid been
confined for several months with a
serious illness.
He was born in Nash county on
September 8, 1867 tho son of tho
late Captain John 11. Thorpe and
Sallie Bunn Thorpe. He married
tho former Miss Young
daughter of the lato Colonel J. R.
and Mrs. Young of Raleigh. Until
his retirement he had beert a sales
man for a Baltimore porcelain con
cern.
Besides his widow he is survived
by a son, Richard Y. Thorpe of
Cleveland, Ohio; a daughter, Miss
Charlotte Thorpe of Raleigh, ani
two grandchildren..
Pallbearers for the services in
cluded R. H. Gregory, Jr., R. M. Wil
son, T. E. Marshall, Hugh M. Da
ley, J. L. Hornc, Jr., A. P. Thorpe,
I. D. Thorpe, Dr. A. T. Thorpe,
Frank W. Thorpe, Lewis S. Thorpe,
W. L. Thorpe and R. A. King.
Producers of bei'f cattle in Hali
fax County nr • finding a profitable
business in selling their surplus
breeding animals to other North Car
olina fnrmora.
A MARRYING CROWD
The Ducliesa of Windsor, wife of
the former English King Edward,
has one husband and two ex-hus
bands, E. W. Spencer and Ernest A.
Simpson.
Her first husband has one wifo and
two ex-wives.
Her second husband has two ex
wives and is. re-aflianced.
Her bridesmaid, Mrs. Raffray, has
one ex-husband and one ia prospect.
Hor friend, Mrs. De Bower, has one
husband, expects soon to have none,
and shortly thereafter may have a
second.
The American wife of the Duke of
"Windsor has kept tho engraverj
busy changing her calling cards.
Tho Duchess of Windsor waa boru
Bessio Warfield.
Tho name Bessie did not appeal
to her; she discarded it for her
middle name—Wallis.
She married in 1016.
She divorced in 1924.
She married anew in 1928.
She divorced in 1937.
She married anew is 1937.
This created some problems. Dur
ing the years, for instance, the duch
ess' calling card turn-over was con
siderable, viz:
Miss Bessie Warfield.
Miss Wallis Warfield.
Mrs. E. Winfield Spencer.
Mrs. Ernest A. Simpson.
Mrs. Wallis Warfield, (resuming
maiden name).
tier highness, the Duchess of
Windsor.
There is an effort to make still
another cuang? by augmenting h 
preseut title will di UiijocUvo*
n>"
COUNTY HOSPITAL WILL
BE TUBERCULAR HOSPITAL
NASH NEGRO
GETS LIFE
Hubert Cherry Sentenced For Sec
ond Degree Burglary Of Davis
Home
Nashville, Dee. 6. —Hubert Cherry,
Nash County Negro, was sentenced
to life imprisonment by Judge Claw
son Williams of Sanford in Super
ior Court here Saturday after the
Negro plead guilty to a second de
gree burglary charge.
Cherry was charged with break
ing into the farm home of Mr. and
Mrs. Avent Davis near here and at
tempting to assault the two daugh
ters of Mr. and Mrs. Davis.
Tho Negro is said to have con
fessed his assault intention to of
ficers here.
According to tho evidence, the
Negro is said to havo broken into
tho Davis home and into the bed
room of the Davis girls while they
wero asleep in the room. Tho Ne
gro was scared away, apparently,
when one of tho girls woko up ani
found the Negro standing over the
bed. Tho girls were between 17 and
20 years old.
Query Announced
For 1938 Debates
High School Students To Consider
Unicameral Legislature
Chapel Hill, Dec. 4. —"Resolved,
That the several states should adopt
a unicameral system of legislation,"
is the query to be discussed in this
year's contest of the High School
Debating Union of North Carolina,
according to announcement today by
Secretary E. B. Rankin.
Thirty-five State high school do
bating leagues will discuss this sub
ject, which is the national high
school debate topic, in contests next
spring.
•» Membership-* in—■ the High Stheel
Debating Union is open to all North
Carolina liif?h schools. Those which
enroll will be grouped in triangles
for the spring debates.
Schools winning both debates in
tho triangular series will send their
teams to Chapel Hill to participate
in the final contest for the Aycock
Memorial Cup.
For the assistance of high school
debaters, the University Extension
Division has recently published a
debate handbook, 94 pages in length,
entitled "Unicameral Legislatures.''
It was compiled by E. R. Rankin.
A debate on the topic of unica
meral legislatures will be broadcast
over the NBC red network system,
from 3:00 to 4:00 P. M. Saturday,
December 4, for the benefit of the
many thousands of high school de
baters who are interested.
The speakers will be: Affirmative,
Bower Aly, of the faculty of the
University of Missouri, and Miss
Peggy Dunn, graduate student of
Northwestern University; and nega
tive, Dr. H. L. Eubank of the fac
ulty of the University of Wisconsin,
and Sylvester Toussaint, formerly
head of the department of speech
of Monmouth College.
The North Carolina high school
debating contest was inaugurated
in 1913. Annual contests have been
held sineo that time. The contest
this year will be the 26th in the
annual series.
Lay Cornerstone
At Greek Church
The cornerstone of the first church
building of the Orthodox Greek
church ever to be built in North
Carolina was laid in Raleigh Tues
day afternoon. Officiating at the ex
orcises were 'Archbishop Athenagor
as, head of the church in North and
South America, and a high official
of the Greek embassy at Washing
ton. Governor Hoey, Mayor Iseley
and other civil dignitaries, and Bish
op Peniek and local ministers of the
Episcopal church were also present.
The church building is on Person
Street and will be of stone construc
tion. Although the Greeks here
abouts have been loyal to their
church and have held services with
more or less regularity, they have
not before had a house of worship.
Ceremonies at the cornerstone lay
ing were impressive.
Those desiring 1 to subscribe to Th« Rocky Mo ant
H«mld may do so by sending: SI.OO with name autl
mldrt xs to The Rocky Mount Herald, Rocky Mount,
N C ,
Name
Town . State Routo No
Edgecombe C'ommisMioners Lend Old
T. B. Hospital For Children's In
■tltution
To be used as a county tuberculo
sis preventorium, tho former Edge
combe county tubercular hospital will
bo lent to the county board of health
Edgecombe county commissioners de
cided at a meeting in Tarboro last
night.
The building and five acres of land
may be used by tho board of health
for a preventorium, tho commis
sioners decided, although the rest of
tile old Edgecombe county home and
its 417 acres will bo sold at public
auction December 2-.
Tho hospital was lent with the
provisions that operation of the pre
ventorium will not be a county ex
pense and that its operation meet
the approval of tho commissioners.
The preventorium will be operated
during tho summers under the direc
tion of the Edgecombo board of
health. It will be financed by con
tributions from civic clubs of Edge
combo county and Rocky Mount.
John Youngblood, president of the
Tarboro Kiwanis club, appeared be
fore the commissioners at their reg
ular meeting Monday and asked that
the old hospital bo lent to his club
!to be operated as a preventorium,
i Deferring the request until last
| night, the commissioners decided to
i approve the preventorium but to
[ place under control of the Edge
combo board of health.
All civic clubs of tho county and
Rocky Mount will have an oppor
tunity to contribute to its support,
each voluntarily paying expense of
a certain number of beds.
The Civitan club of Rocky Mount
was an early sponsor of the Edge
combo preventorium and has agreed
to bear the operating expense of one
bed or more, Commissioner C. C.
Ward of Rocky Mount said today.
The preventorium will be operat
ed during summers to develop resist
ance to tuberculosis in children sus
pected of having the disease or being
exposed to it.
If the operation should eease, or
if for any reason the commissioners
should end their loan of the build
ing to the Edgecombe board of
health, the building aijd five acres
would be sold at auction like the old
county home and the rest of the
county home lands, Commissioner
Ward said.
The old county home and tubercu
lar hospital will be vacated this week
when the occupants are moved into
tho ne w $135,000 county home and
hospital.
Cash Claimants
Have Not Applied
"The number of workers who have
reached 65 or relatives of workers
who have died since January 1, 18-
37, filing claims is much smaller
than the number anticipated,"
George N. Adams, Manager of the
■Rocky Mount, North Carolina Field
Office of the Social Security Board
said today.
Title II of the Social Security Act *
provides that a lump-sum payment
of 3 1-2 per cent o ftlie total wag
es earned since January 1, 1937, ghall
bo paid to those workers reaching
the age of 65 after January 1 and
to the relatives of such workers who
die.
"The number of claims filed ia
Region IV up to November 26 was
3,636; 2,376 of these claims have
been certified to the United States
Treasury for payment. The balance
are in the process of being adju
dicated," Mr. Adams said. Region IV
comprises North Carolina, Virginia,
West Virginia, District of Colum
bia, and Maryland.
The Social Security Board now
has 383 field offices open to serve
local communities. One of the ma
jor purposes of these field offices
is to assist prospective claimants in
obtaining the money that is right
fully due them. The Social Secur
ity Board has made it very simple
for those entitled to these lump-sum
cash payments to make their claims,
which are being paid now.
Thirty-five million, three hundred
and sixty-six thousand, oight hun
dred and sixty-five applications have
been filed for Social Security Ac
count Numbers as of October 30, 19-
37. In the State of North Carolina
there have been 705,023 of employees
who havE filed for a Social Security
Account Number.
Duplin County ( farmers aro coop
erating to buy a carload of 20,000
pounds of dynamite to bo used in
blasting stumps on farm land.
NOTICE
SI.OO I'ER YEAJ