K
Two Selma Youths
iram
Changing of School
Books Is Extravagant
A City Superintendent’s Point of
View In Regard to the Proposed
Change In Geographies or Any
Textbooks.
Accident Occurred At Grade Cross
ing In Selma Tuesday Night
When East Bound Southern Pas
senger Train Demolishes Auto In
Which Two Youths Were Riding.
Recorder’s Court For
Wednesday, Nov. 23.
A most pathetic accident occurr
ed in Selma last Tuesday nig-ht
■ftaen Buddie Brewer and - Johnnie
-Ang-e, Selma youths, were fatally
i-.'Jured about 9:30 when a Pontiac
'•oach in which they were riding
W’- struck by passenger train No.
2d at highway 22 crossing, just a
block from the business section of
the town.
.After an examination was made
by Dr. Geo. D. Vick, local physi-
:ian for the Southern RaTway, the
t. ;o boys were rushed to the John
sf in County hospital, where Biewer
'led about 45 minutes later, having
s Tered a fractured skull and other
-sfjvies. Ange lived until 4 o’clock
vVedne day morning. His neck was
b -iken.
Both these boys had .been out tc
f tch-Me--Eye where they had tak
en two. girls and had stopped at the
Sinclair Filling Station just across
ihe railroad and gotten some gas.
’^’ley were both employees oii the
■ 'ght shift at the Cotton mill here
■j ' i were hurrying back to their du-
When they reached the rail
1 .d crossing, train No. 22 wa; ap-
uching, but being unable to cros:
= cad of the engine the driver of
car seemed to have cut his cat
.the right and ran into thd loco-
■tive of the train. The driv^ shaft
c n'e down on the car crushing it.
Tf'.th of these unfortunate youths
’.vere locked in each others arms
vv'-;en found under the automobile.
The bodies were brought from
the hospital at Smithfield to the
f'tiiley Undertaking Company it
Selma and prepared for burial.
'The funeral services of Johnnie
Ange were held from the home oi
his sister, Mr^. W. W. Willis, in
t}:'.> city, Wednesday afternoon at
2 I’clock and interment was made
in the Watson cemetery, near Pine
^.,evel Young Ange only lacked a
■Tew days of being 20 years of age
He came to Selma about threfe years
age and accepted a position wit!
the Selma Cotton Mills. His mothe
.'•esides at Red Springs.
The funeral of Buddie Brewe;
was' held Wedne day afternoon ai
the home of his parents. Rev. and
Mrs. W. C. Brewer. The remain:
were interred in the Watson cem
etery. Brewer was 21 years of age
He also held a position with the
iselma Cotton Mills.
In speaking of the unfortunate
aUair shortly after the tragic oc
currence Tuesday night, a promin
ent business man of Selma wa.'
heard to remark that the crossing
w.bere this accident occurred is the
-,;nly one this side of Greensboro
where a State or National High
way crosses a railroad that does
nof have either a watchman or
a danger signal burning to warn
the traveling public. He thinks that
the State Highway Cbmmission is
highly negligent by not protecting
the public at this point.
Court House Janitor
Accused of Larceny
Smithfield, Nov. 25.—P. W. Ste
vens, colored janitor of the court
house, 29 years .of age, was placed
on trial at the term of the Record
er’s court held here this week, and.
charged with the larceny of govern
ment flour and cloth, valued at less
than $20.
A search was made for the miss
ing flour and cloth, and it resulted
in one and a half barrels of the
Red Cross flour being found stored
away in a sugar barrel in the de
fendant’s home, and two bags of
the flour were found in a basement
room in the court house building,
to which the ' defendant alone had
access.
The defendant was adjudged guil
ty and sentenced to jail for a term
of eight months and assigned to
work upon the public roads, and
from this sentence he appealed to
the Superior court and placed under
bond of $200, for his appearance at
the term 'which convenes on Decem
ber 12th.
State vs. P. W. Stevens, colored
laborer, aged 29, for larceny of
government flour and cloth, value
less than $20. Guilty, and given 8
months on roads. Notice of appeal,
bond fixed at $200.
State vs. .Jaiwis Stancil, colored
laborer, aged 20, for A. D. W., is
found guilty and given 60 day.-; on
the roads.
State vs. Jarvis Stancil for tres
passing and A. D. W., not guilty.
State vs. KJey Rains, careless
and reckless driving and assault
vith auto. Plea of guilty, and fined
$25 and cost.
State V.5. John Frank Norris and
H. M. Jernigan, both white, for
larceny of two tires and wheels
.'roin auto, value less than $20.00.
Both guilty, and each sentenced to
50 days on roads.
State vs. Minnie .Rue, colorec^ A.
D. W. Not guilty and discharged.
State vs. Bertha Rue, colored,
iged 17, A. D. W. Guilty and sen
tenced to 60 days in jail to be
vorked as shei’iff sees fit.
State vs. Melton Creech, Burlon
'.lumphey and Hob on Mumphrey,
or house-breaking and larceny.- AI!
lefendants plead guilty. Probable
ause found as to all and each is
round to Superior court. Bond of
:ach fixed at $300.
State vs. Harvey Barnes, colored"
armer, aged 31, for V. P. L., is
lound guilty of possession of stTl
mtfit and manufacturing whiskey.
Jefendant sentenced to 90 days on
'oads. Appeal, bond $200.
State V-. Melvin Creech, white
aboier, aged 19, who was in court
in capias for violation of suspend
'd sentence in former case. De-
lendant sentenced to serve 6 months
m ro^ds.
State vs. Silas Toole, white la-
)orer, aged 10, for A. D. W., is
'ound guilty and given 6' months
-.entenced on road', to the suspend-
;d upon payment of cost and up-
>n further condition that defend-
int does not violate any criminal
aw of North Carolina during next
wo years.
State vs. G. A. Biggs, false pre-
;en.s'e. Not guilty.
State vs. Kermit Toole, white far-
ner, aged 22, for A. D. W., is
'ound guilty and sentenced to 60
lays on roads.
State vs. 'Walker Wadsworth, a
v’hite farmer, aged 24, for A. D.
Nis' found guilty and sentenced
ro 60 days on roads. Notice of ap
peal. Appeal withdrawn.
Tuesday, Nov. 29th.
State vs. C. E. Stephenson, white
auctioneer, aged 26, for operating
notor vehicle while intoxicated. A
plea of guilty. Fined $50 and cost
and defendant ordered not to oper
ate .a motor vehicle again in North
Carolina during next, 90 days.
State vs. Charles McDoughal, col
ored laborer, aged 31, for cai'eless
and reckless driving. Plea of guil
ty, and fined $25 and cost. j
State vs. LeRoy Creech, Oscar
Wallace, R. A. Daughtry, A. H. '
Lewis and L. D. Daughtry, for vi
olation of prohibition laws, posses- .
lion of still outfit and manufact
uring whiskey and possession of one
gallon of whiskey. R. A. Daughtry,
L. D. Daughtry and LeRoy Creech
not guilty and discharged. Oscar
Wallace and A. H. Lewis guilty on
all counts. Defendant Wallace sen
tenced to 90 days on roads, sentence
to be suspended upon payment of
$50 fine and one-half the cost. Lew
is sentenced to 60 days on roads,
sentence' to be suspended upon pay
ment of $25 fine and one-half the
cost.
Advertisement Lured
Girls To Home of
Dr. Dan Harris
As Aftermath 66-Year-Old Raleigh
Unlicensed Physician Now Faces
Serious Charge—Johnston County
Girl One of Many Involved.
(News & Observer, Nov 28)
“Wanted—Needy young woman
■ftdth no home or incumbrance
to stay in good home, immediate
ly for trial. P. 0. Box 649,
Raleigh.”
It was the lure of such an adver
tisement as thi-, appearing in an
afternoon newspaper of November
16, that led blue-eyed Sallie King,
12-year-old John.ston county girl ,to
the home of “Doctor” Dan Harris,
who is 66.
And the .result led “Doctor” Har
ris to jail, charged with carnal
knowledge of a girl under 16 years
of age. Arre.sted la.st Friday, the
self-styled “cancer doctor,” ■who
operates over numerous counties
from his office and home in Ra
leigh, wa- jailed in default of $2,5,00
bond to a'wait a hearing in Municip
al Court this morning.
It will be a sordid tale that is un
folded from the witness stand be
fore Judge Wiley G. Barne.s, but it
will be a story that jarobably never
will be related in full.
-Apparently Sallie wa.s just one in
a long- procession of destitute girls
and young- women who answererl the
ads inserted in variour papers by
"Doctor Harris. The full extent ol
the hopes and longings, the tales of
woe and honest pleadings for a
‘good home” that passed through
P. 0. Box 649, Raleigh, ijiay never
be knowir, according to those fam
iliar with the case of “Doctor” Har
ris.
But some of them will be related
in court this morning when Sallie
and her mother, Mrs. Myrtle King,
and probably others take the itand'
to testify against Harri.--, who with
out a license to practice medicine
has acquired a reputation for pre
scriptions for cancer and other dis
eases.
Some of them were irrescribecl for
Mrs. King and Sallie, during the
latter’s two-months residence at the
home of Harris and hi- wife on
South Blount Street.
According to the mother, Harris
said Sallie was in the last .stages of
tuberculosis and - he gave medicine
to the child, claiming that his treat
ment was saving her life But Sallie
with rose-red bloom of health in
her cheeks, sparkling eyes and
laughing lips, looked ye terday as
if sh’d never seen a sick day in all
her dozen year.s.
As for the mother, she said that
the “doctor” got his wires crossed
while diagnosing her.
“He told me I had heart trouble,’’
related Mrs. King, “and he give me
some kind of medicine that made
me plumb sick. Later on I got a
real doctor to examine me and he
said there wasn’t ahj-thing ailing
me but my liver.”
The seven Kings, the mother and
her six children, live on a stretch of
flat open country near Wilson Mills,
which is about eight miles from
Clayton in Johnston county. All of
the young ones are healthy, active
boys and girls, the eldest a boy of
17 and the youngest ,a girl about
a year of age. Sallie will be 13 on
December 13, Mrs. King said.
SAYS DICKINSON” DIDN’T
RESIST RETURN TO N. C.
“The statement that ‘Red’ Dickin
son, under charges at Smithfield;
■wa-i extradited from Biloxi, Miss,
was a mistake,” .says W. I. Godwin
of Selma, Dickinson’s attorney. “It
was true that, extradition papers
were issued by Governor Gardner,
but it was not necessary for the
governor .of Mississippi to honor
them. Dickinson di.d not resist be
ing returned to North Carolina.”
Dickinson is charged with rob
bery and is at liberty under .81,000
bond for anpearance for trial.
Traffic Accidents
Killed 33,500 In
1931, Say Report
Wa-hington, Nov. 27.—A toll of
33,500 deaths and injuries to more
than 1,000,000 people was exacted
by traffic accidents in the United
States in .1931.
The national conference on street
and highway safety. Secretary
Chapin said in his annual report
today, estimated the economic los.s
of the accidents, together with
traffic congestions, at more than
$3,000,000,000.
“Reports for 1932,” the secretary
continued, “so 'Tar as available on
June 30, show for the first time in
automobile history a- decrease in the
fatality rate' but this decrease' is
small and is attributable in the
main to reduction m automobile re
gistrations." . - - f
Ever since the State Elementary
te.xtbook commission held its secret
session ih Greensboro la.st June and
it leaked out that it contemplated
making a change in Geographies and
State wide prote t has been voiced
in the press and in several resolu
tions by various bodies that have
met from time to time, and passed
resolutions opposing changes in any
textbooks at this time.
Since the change being contem
plated at the present time is Geo
graphy, I am going to confine my-
elf largely to the" subject under
discussion.
The practice of having two books
adopted each year instead of all at
one time is another matter that is
very difficult to explain. It keeps
the schools constantly changing
textbooks and the teachers them
selves are hardly able to keep up
without the “change in style” of
books. For some mysterious reason
t seems that the value of the teach-
21' as such has been entirely over
looked in our schools and that the
te.xtbook is supposed to be all-suf
ficient provided it is one of the late
.nodels.
It has been hoped that the Com-
nission would have some regard for
;he feelings of the people who would
rave to foot the bill of the change
'll school books at this time and
vould recommend a carry-over of
;he books now in use at least until
limes considerably improve.
But such is not to be the case.
The Chairman of the Textbook Com-
nission has ju t placed in the hands
if the State Superintendent a report
which has been ready for some time
out was evidently withheld from the
^oublic for political reasons until af-
ler the election. This report recora-
nends a sweeping change in geogra
phies in all the Elementary grade.s
above the third, and according to
the recoi'ds of enrollment as record-
od in State School Facts would force
over 300,000 children to purcha e
new books. Only the State Bo^ard of
Education now stands between the
patrons of the Public Schools and
this enormous addition to the peo
ples’ educational bill next year.
We notice that the State Board
if ■ Education, of which the Gover
nor is Chairman, has issued a call
for bids on the books recommended
to be submitted on December l.st,
it which time the Board^will de-
lide a- to whether a change in geo
graphies will be made.
It is unbelievable that the mem
bers of the State Board of Educa
tion, who are heads of the various
departments of the State Govern
ment and who lay awake nights
worrying about where the money is
coming from to keep the old State
on an even financial keel, will be a
party to what is generally thought
of as being absolutely unnecessary
and v/asteful. To make $300,000
worth of school books now in the
hands of the children and pitch them
into the rubbish pile when thous
ands of children are kept in school
today only because their books, food
and clothing are furnished by Fed
eral, State and local charities, is
more than most people can imagine.
The following headlines have re-,
eently appeared in daily papers of
North Carolina: “Says Thousands in
Wilmington Do riot 'Get Enough to
Eat”; “Food Demanded by Mill
Hands, March Into Sheriff’s Office
and A.sked 'for Something to Eat”;
“Serious Conditions Prevail in Edge
combe County”; “Discuss Plan for
Feeding Needy”; “Special Prayer
for Employment”; “North Carolina
Crop 'Values Drop $77,000,000, say.s
Graham”.
With such headlines screaming at
them every day from the State
Press it is not thought that the
State Board ofi Education will make
it-elf a party to this wasteful pro
cedure.
One studies in vain the Commis
sion’s report for a good and suffi
f at thi:
criticisms of the books now in use
are only general and matters of
liersonal opinions. They are punct
uated with such terms as, “Obso
lete”, “Uninteresting”, and “ency
clopedic”. The question arises as to
whom these books are uninteresting.
Its ti-ue that the teachers have been
teaching them for ten years and
they may not get the thrill out of
them they did the first time they
opened the books. But to the chil
dren who haven’t studied the -books
before, they are .new and intere t-
Citizen Says Selma Is
A Church-Going Town
cient reason fcj(g^aking a change
in geography atthis time. Their
ing. For whom do the schools ex
ist, teachers or children ? Must the
patrons spend hard earned money
for something with which to amuse
the teachers rather than to instruct
their children ?
The only specific criticism of the
books is with reference to the pop
ulation figures given for some in
significant Canadian provinces on
which none of the recommended
books agree. At this time most peo
ple in North Carolina will think it
more important that the school au
thorities consider the finances of the
children studying geography than
those same children shall miss the
la-t count of a few Canadian In
dians or Eskimos living in the Arc
tic Circle.
The State Course of Study out
lines the following Geography course
for the different Grades: For the
Fourth Grade, “North Carolina Geo
graphy and Regional Geography of
the United States”, Fifth Grade,
‘Western Hemisphere”; Sixth Grade,
‘Eastern Hemisphere”; Seventh
Grade, “World Powers”. Do the rec
ommended books conform to the
above outline which the state school
law directs that books must con
form ? Does it mean that if books
are changed at this time an enor
mous printing bill will be the result
because of the changing of the de
tailed course of study which must
necessarily be in the hands of every
teacher in North Carolina?
In view of the fact that in so far
as I am able to see none of the
■ecommended Geographie.s are what
the Commi- sion said five ' years ago
n its o'utline course of study geo-
■graphy book.s should be, the impres
sion is that the members of the
Commission can hardly qualify as
being .sufficiently expert to say that
any book ‘is $300,000 better, or in
fact is any better, than the book
.now in use. The content and metho.l
n geo.graphy may change but they
io not change as fast or as often
IS this Textbook Commission would
have the public believe. Arithmetics
were changed recently and certainly
.natheraatical facts have not greatly
changed. There must surely be oth
er rea-ons.
Realizing the expense of making
1 change in geography, textbook,
ind knowing from the records that
the State has always kept its geo
graphies for at least fifteen years,
the State Board of Education wait
ed until 1922 before adopting the
present books. This was after the
World War boundaries had been de
termined and only minor changes
have been made anywhere in the
world since that time. An examina
tion of the books now being sup
plied by the American Book Com
pany shows that they have the lat
est census figures which anyone may
verify by a brief examination. It is
understood that the company pro
posed to furnish free, to any one
who already has an older book, ta-
ble.s giving new figures. To go to
the .small trouble of adjusting these
to use in connection with the book
the child now has and thereby .sav
ing- him the cost of the new one
would seem not to be asking to
much of the teacher.
As a matter of fact an examina
tion of the Edition of the books
submitted for re-adoption on which,
according to the press, it is under- j
stood the company proposes a- 25
per cent reduction in price, show
that treatment is given of some
geographical development even more
recent than in some of the books
recommended by the Commi.ssion
In one of the books recommended
the statement is made-that Byrd is
planning to make an expedition
while the 1932 edition of the book
now in use tells of the expedition.
The National Society for the
study of Education three years ago
appointed a committee composed of
the Nation’s ' leading' . geographers
and teacher.s of geography to- study
the problems and. to compile their
findings in the Socielfies Thii'ty-
Second Year book to be issued Feb^
ruary 1st, 1933. This will be a sev
en hundred page document and may
safely be taken . as representing the
conednaus. of tho'sq' peT.sonally con
cerned 'with the teaching of geog
raphy in the United States on such
matters as its place in the curricu
lum, its content and methods of its
■ju asentation at all levels from the
elementary .school through the col
lege. .It is expected that the findings
of this committee will eliminate
- (Continued on Second Page)
Census of the Number of Attend
ants In Sunday School Last Sun
day Reveals That An Amazingly
Large Per Cent of Our Popula
tion Were In Sunday School
NO SPECIAL DRIVE IS MADE
It has often been noted and com
mented on, that Selma was not a
Church Going, Church attending
town. A statement of this kind has
never been known to help any to'wn.
Let us suppose that a good family
of standing- and good rating, for*
cause, had occasion to change their
place of residence, they had been
used to good churches and schools,
in the town they were leaving, and
they certainly would not be willin,g
to locate in a town that might be
lacking in these important matter,';,
now let us see how our town stands
and compare with other towns of
equal sii.e.
On Sunday, November 25th, the
writer took it upon himself to in
quire from the Superintendents of
the Sunday Schools of the town,
just how many were present. This
was made after the close of the
day, when there had been no special
effort, or means used to boost .at
tendance for the day, and found the
following very encouraging facts on
the day’s attendance:
Lizzie Mill Sunday School.... 128
Ethel Mill Sunday School .... 119
Selma Mill Sunday School .... 19.3
Church of God No. 1 School 84
Church of God No. 2 School 42
Free Will Holiness School .... 3.5
Total 601, the.se six schools, trib
utaries fo the Mills of Selma.
Selma Baptist Church Sehol)! 196
Edgerton Memorial School 155
Presbyterian Sunday School 50
P’ree Will Baptist Hall school 40
Episcopal Sunday School 18
Total 459 plus 601, white 1060
Colored
First Baptist Sunday School 156
Di-ciples Sunday School 61
A. M. PI. Sunday School 28
A. M. li. Zion Sunday School 12
Total -.,227’
Total for the entire to-wn ' 1287
It was found in visiting among
several of the smaller schools of
the town that a rather unusual
thing was taking place, to the ef
fect that less than one-third of the
attendance was children under 1(5
years of age, certainly a well bal
anced school, especially in town,
ought to ha\'e as many children as
adults.
The fact that on thi- Sunday
there were nearly as many people
in the Sunday Schools of the to'wn,
as the combined attendance in the
Graded SchooLs, we think this
speaks well for the Sunday School
attendance in our town, and certain
ly speaks well for the future. But
it would indicate that our greatest
effort should be to build up larger
attendance in the Lower Classes. It
would seem from the above that
greater effort should be put forth
•in the Colored Schools in propor
tion to their population,
. We might draw the conclusion,
from State Records of - growing
criminality, when we learn that
about one-third of our State pris
oners are between the ages of 14
and twenty , that' greater effort
should be made in behalf of the
younger people and for the future
citizenship of our State. It would
seem that we are making commend
able progress in our Sunday Schools
during the past year, so lets re
solve to press on for a better and
safer future for our younger gen
eration..
SELMA CITIZEN.
.A New Way to Help the Church.
The Lone Star Sei"vice Station,
located one mile north of Selma,
and operated by “The Three Mus
keteers,” Put, Blackie and Whit,
is giving 5c in ca.sh to every cus
tomer purchasing nv-a gallons of
gasoline. The 5c will iie pl.-ced in
an envelope and given to the
church' of whiclr" you are a mem
ber,'
These boy.s are .doing a splendid
business and -.’’ill 'pay your cliurch
dues out of their profit. It will help
the church financially? as well as
yourself. Ride out to s-es them.'
tJ
Twenty-fi-ve- -Alairtance' county? far
mers bought 7 1-2 tons of fi-h meal
co-operatively as poultry feed at a
■saving of $112.50. •