\
All sorts of characters are wait
ing for those who venture through
the looking glass. Alice discovered
as much the moment she reached
Wonderland.
New Bern’s characters, past and
present, make the March Hare, the
Mad Hatter and Alice’s other new
found friends appear rather color
less. And though our town is ad-
mittediy no Wonderland, it’s still
abcut as wonderful as a real-life
place can be.
Ranking high on the list of local
unforgettables is the late Mack
Henderson. Best remembered as
the village Santa Claus, he d^ight-
ed in telling about a little boy who
stopped him in the business sec
tion during the Christmas holidays
“Are you the same San^ Claus
who was here last year?’’the like
asked. Mack of course replied in
the affirmative. “This is Old Santa
himself,’’ Henderson proudlj^ro-
claimed, with grandiose ge'slures
and a very merry chuckle.
Whereupon the little boy hauled
off and kicked Mack on the shins.
“You’re just a big old liar,’’ the
lad said. “You promised me a tri-
cle and you didn’t bring it to me.”
Mack’s interesting activities were
by no means confined to his imper
sonations of St. Nick. Once, the way
he told it, he combed the country
side in a half dozen coastal coun
ties, selling subscriptions to a
farm magazine.
With each subscription he gave
the subscriber a free map of the
W'orld. It wasn’t such a bad map, ex
cept for the fact that the names
pi bite J on it were -so Small you
couldn’t tell one country from
another.
Mack took care of that. Two
weeks after he unloaded the maps
he hit the trail once more. This
time he peddled reading glasses, to
the despairing subscribers, and did
n’t miss a sale.
The NBW BERN
PUBLISHED WEEKLY
IN THE HEART OF
EASTERN NORTH
CAROLINA
5 Per Copy
VOLUME
NEW BERN, N. C., FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 1958
NUMBER 1
Mack would have enjoyed know
ing Margaret T. Applegarth, the
New York lecturer and author, who
gave several talks before the State
Convention of the Woman’s Mis
sionary Union here last month.
As whimsical and charming as
they come, she passed along the
story about processionary caterpil
lars that she in turn had picked up
from a scientist.
These caterpillars, like a lot of
people, have no mind of their own
and simply follow the caterpillar
immediately in front of them.
Aware of this, the scientist filled
a jar with food and started a small
army of caterpillars marching
around the rim.
They marched for days, too dumb
to break ranks, and finally starved
to death.
Warren Ellis, a hard working
route man for one of New Bern’s
laundries, made an intriguing ob
servation the other day. “I was
cut out to be a country gentleman,”
he said, “but the money didn’t
come with it.”
(Continued on Page 8)
Loaded Docket Seen
For Next Week as
Craven Court Meets
Thirty one cases ranging from
rape and robbery to public drunk-
eness and frivolous prosecution
have been set for next week’s ab
breviated term of Craven Superior
Court.
Out of consideration for Peter
and Molly Cottontail, there will be
no court on Easter Monday. This
will give everyone concerned a
chance to go on an egg hunt, if
they so desire, except those who
are currentiy languishing in jail.
Judge Joseph W. Parker of
Windsor, the presiding jurist, can
be expected to make every effort
to keep things moving, once court
gets underway Tuesday. Yet, it is a
foregone conclusion that only a
fraction of the cases wiil be reach
ed.
Piano Keys Unlock
Doors to Success
Newport’s Rachel Mundine is the
latest Yuletide Revue graduate to
achieve distinction professionally.
Once a piano student of Mrs.
Charles L. Abernethy, Jr., and lat
er featured on WNCT, she is cur
rently appearing nightly at the
Ford Hotel in Toronto, Canada.
Immediately prior to her pres
ent engagement she had a success
ful run of ^several ,jgptli§a|ij; ill®
Emory Hotel in Bradford, Pa. In
cidentally, her Toronto engage
ment is booked for three months.
“I like it very much, and the peo
ple are wonderful to me,” says
Rachel, “Besides, the musical pro
fession gives me an opportunity to
see many interesting places.”
Shy and unassuming, the Carteret
native is not only a talented pian
ist but an excellent organist. For
tunately for her, her versatility
embraces the classics, sacred music
and popular tunes with equal pro
ficiency.
Parker As Sparker
Sure Spurs Scouts
Enthusiasm and energy have
paid off tremendously for James
L. Parker, the Scoutmaster of Troop
231.
Starting with three youngsters,
Marion Hadder, Linwood Dunn and
Johnnie Crary back in August,
1956, he now has a membership of
55.
No Scouter anywhere could possi
bly be loved and respected more
than this modest man, who has re
fused to let his own ill health
hamper his unstinting efforts to
benefit New Bern boys.
This affection was much in evi
dence at a rcent father and son
banquet held at Centenary Method
ist church for troops and Scout
executives in this area.
it's Round-Up Time Again As
Babies Get Special Attention
EASTER COMES AGAIN
It’s Easter again, and the sunny blue skies
Seem to fairly proclaim th^ Christ did arise;
The green of the grass arid the budding of flowers
Give a promise of life everlasting that’s ours.
All Nature is saying, “Let’s hail the Messiah,”
The birds in the trees are a heavenly choir;
They sing not of tombs, nor of mourning and death.
There’s a shrill note of hope in each tiny breath.
Perhaps it’s just instinct, these feathered creatures
Exist in a sphere that lives without preachers.
Yet, somehow it seems, in a very strange way.
That even the birds know this is His day.
Yes, it’s Easter again, and the sunny blue skies
Seem to fairly proclaim that Christ did arise;
The grave has no triumph, death has no sting,
And Man, like the birds, has a reason to sing.
—JGMcD
Rip Van Winkle Not By
Himself In Sleeping Deal
With New Bern’s 250th anniversa
ry now less than two years off, na
tives and newcomers alike are bliss
fully snoozing awaiy their gold«fii op
portunity to really whoop it up.
scholar, and in typical Johnny
Come Lately style, villagers are
dragging their feet to such an ex
tent that it may be too late, even
at this moment, to ever catch up
on what needs to be done for the
big celebration.
Aside from a tremendous job of
Caleb Bradham Takes Care
Of His English Overhead
No one in town has a nicer um
brella than Caleb Bradham. You
can tell that at a glance, as he uses
it for a walking cane while strol
ling along Middle Street in the oc
casional bright sunshine that New
Bern had to settle for during re
cent months.
What puzzled some of the citizen
ry was the way the prized contrap
tion. vanishes from view when
storm clouds gather. Rather than
wonder ourselves we refrained
from speculation and got the low-
down first hand from Caleb him
self.
“It’s an English umbrella,” he
told us, “and I’ve got too much
money tied up in it to let it get
ruined by rain. Besides, I don’t ev
en know if it would shrink or
fade.”
That’s the reason you’ll see him
scurrying for shelter the minute
he hears the pitter patter of pen
nies from heaven.
Having solved this particular
mystery without benefit of Alfred
Hitchcock, we’re all set to render
further service as the opportunity
presents itself.
Scottish Rite Body
Now Has Members
In All Parts of World
No one expects all of the New
Bern, Consistory’s nearly 4,000
members to show up for the an
nual Spring Reunion that opens its
three days of degree work next
Tuesday.
For such a miracle to happen,
it would require far more than
full attendance from all of the 48
states. In addition, no less than
1,700 members of the local Con
sistory would have to journey here
from places outside the boundaries
of the United States.
In every civilized country on
earth, and in a lot of countries
not so civilized, you’ll find 32nd
degree Masons who had their Scot
tish Rite degrees conferred upon
them right here in New Bern.
Respoiisible in great measure for
this stale of affairs is the fact that
many of the candidates in the 22-
county area covered by the New
Bern Consistory are at the time
temporarily stationed at Cherry
Point, Camp LeJeune or Fort
Bragg.
This great influx of service per
sonnel has helped to make the
local Consistory the largest in
North Carolina—surpassing Char
lotte, Greensboro, Asheville and
Wilmington.
Although the membership is
widaspread and various out-of-town-
ers take part in the degree work,
most of those who plan, produce
and present the degrees are New
Bernians. *
G. A, Farrow is the director of
the work, and his assistant is
Charles T. Midyette, Jr., Robert L.
Pugh is class lecturer, and A. A.
Kafer, Jr., is stage director and
custodian.
planning rather than day dream
ing, there are hundreds of thous
ands of details that must be attend
ed to by any and all available
hands.
■' of honest to goodness
preparation wouldn’t have been too
much. Assuring the success of so
rare an occasion is going to require
more than idle talk and wishful
thinking, unless the main objec
tive is to round up a few old timey
dresses for the ladies, demand that
all adult males grow whiskers and
let it go at that.
New Bern’s most epic event is
bound to get a smattering of atten
tion from outsiders, and attract a
few tourist dollars, whether resi
dents of this picturesque first State
Capital put their shoulder to the
wheel or not. Like the flea looking
for lunch on a St. Bernard dog,
it’s too big a deal to miss, even with
bad aim.
When a city in comparatively
young America has been around
for a full two and a half centuries,
it’s nothing to sniff at, unless the
sniffing is done with the appreci
ation shown for other gloriously
ancient things such as vintage wine
and Stradivarius fiddles.
History isn’t manufactured over
night, and no town can buy it. Fath
er Time provides for every com-
(Contiflued on Page 4)
A bottle warmer may be just the
thing when it comes to serving Jun
ior his formula feeding, but it take*
a boiling political pot to assure him
of extra special affection.
Now is the time for all good men
to come to the aid of the party«
Unfortunately for Junior, or for 1M»
tie Susie as the case might he at
your house, it’s also the time when
office seekers go on the prowl in
search of infants to kiss.
Good or bad, young or old, fat Of
skinny, all politicians have one trait
in common. 'They develop an over
whelming love for very small
younguns the moment they throw
their hat in the ring. And, not con
tent with admiring the little
darlings from afar, they feel an
overwhelming compulsion to give
.them a great hig smack.
Naturally, any candidate would
prefer to Idss a freshly scrubbed
kid who is right out of the tub,
rather than the brat who has just
come Up for air out of a chocolate
ice cream cone. And of course there
is always more sincerity involved
if the Child in question doesn’t hap
pen to have a nose that needs some
overdue attention.
Be that as it may, in New Bern
as in far away places a baby would
have to look worse than Franken
stein’s mohster to get the brush
off from a prospective officer hold
er. This holds true especially in
those instances where the mother,
father or'both are in the company
of said small fry.
As a matter of fact, there is con
siderable doubt that any child can
count on a politician’s kiss, even
on the eve of election, unless he is
(Continued on Page 6)
This Old Hymn May
Not Be Living Now
Swannie Smith, a grand person
and loyal member of Centenary
Methodist church, is apt to faint
when she reads this in print.
Pinch-hitting in the choir during
a recent revival, she and other
toiling choir members waded
through a selected hymn that was
as unfamiliar as it was ancient.
• When they had finished, the
visiting preacher commented that
“the old hymns live on and on.”
“Maybe so,” Swannie added in a
whisper aside to the rest of the
choir, “but we almost killed this
one.”
New Bern's Starlings Are
Just As Wise As Any Owls
If you’re a New Bern wife who
nags her husband morning, noon
and night, there’s a valuable les
son waiting for you down at City
Hall.
Yap long enough and loud
enough, and your ranting will fall
on deaf ears. That’s what’s hap
pened in the case of the squawkie
that New Bern officials bought to
scare starlings into roosting some
where besides the clock tower.
Supposed to sound for all the
world like another starling with
his tail caught in a split stick, the
device got results when first put
up. In fact, some of the more tim
id starlings, along with other birds,
left for good on short notice, and
gave points as far away as Si
beria as their forwarding address.
It didn’t last long. Now when
the squawkie starts up, most of the
starlings remain at the scene, and
a lot more show up from elsewhere
to try and figure out what all the
fuss is over.
Some of them, displaying the
same morbid curiosity that humans
exhibit when they rush to see a
mangled corpse at a wreck site,'^
seem to get a large charge out of
hearing what appears to be a fel
low starling shrieking in agonized
distress from a torture chamber in
side the tower.
Perhaps Raleigh was smarter
than we were when public officials
and private citizens there hung
feather dusters from the tops of
many of the Capital’s principal
buildings.
Or there’s a possibility that some
feather duster salesman sitnply saw
a good chance to feather his nest.
At any rate, here in New Bern,
starlings are still behaving like
anything but well mannered darl
ings.
As for our squawkie, it’s strictly
for the birds.