Page Four
THE NEW BERN MIRROR, NEW BERN, N. C.
Friday, October 18, 1963
I
THE NEW BERN MIRROR
Published Every Friday at 510 Jefferson Avenue
New Bern, N. C., by the Sole Owner
J. GASKiLL McDaniel
Editor and Publisher
One Year
SUBSCRIPTION RATES:
$2.50 Six Months
$1.25
Entered as second-class mail at New Bern April 4, 1958,
under the act of March 3, 1879.
WORSE THAN GUESSING
In the past The Mirror has contended that na
tional TV ratings — based on a tiny sampling of pub
lic opinion — prove nothing but the gullible nature of
those who take stock in such foolishness.
What happened to this editor on a recent after
noon did little to change his mind about the ridicu
lously inconclusive polling. If anything, we are more
convinced than ever the folks who rely on the
tabulations need only to draw names out of a hat to
get better results.
Our own participation in the rating farce started
with a knock on the door. A lady and a gentleman —
they introduced themselves as man and wife — said
they were representing one of the better known rat
ing outfits. We recognized its name immediately, and
so would you.
There was no reason to be discourteous — they
were polite and well mannered — so we invited them
into the living room. Then and there the interview
got underway. “I ask the questions if it’s a woman,”
the lady said, “but since you’re a man he’U ask them.”
(Our wife wasn’t home.)
Seeing as how the questions weren’t personal,
in the intimate sense, it wouldn’t have mattered to
us who was on the firing line. How it could possibly
matter to anyone, most especially to the rating outfit,
is beyond us.
We were told that the interview would last about
10 minutes, and as Jack Webb used to say on his
television show, that was about the size of it. At the
outset, the gent pulled an envelope from his inside
coat pocket, fished out a crisp new dollar bill and
handed it to us to compensate for our time and
trouble.
Then he wrote our name on a large, multi-lined
sheet, along with our phone number and mailing ad
dress. After that he ascertained how many adults
there are in our family. Apparently, youngsters don’t
figure in the survey referred to.
He asked us if we read a newspaper. Pointing out
that we happen to be the editor of a newspaper, we
allowed as how we do read one of the things — not
necessarily ours — fairly oftei?. Then he wanted to
know what sections attract our attention in what order
— news, sports, editorial and so on.
He showed us the covers of several popular maga
zines, and asked if we had perused any of them the
day before. We had scrutinized one of the mags at
home — the other while waiting our turn at the
barbershop.
The interviewer turned to certain pages, all the
while asking if we had looked at them while going
through the magazines the day before. “It doesn’t
matter whether you read the pages,” he said, “do you
remember looking at them?”
Having flipped through both magazines the day
before, although reading just a single article in each,
we answered in the affirmative as he pointed to page
after page. What this information added to the survey
is something to ponder. Incidentally, we don’t even
like the magazine we saw in the barbershop. It just
happened to be handy.
Finally, he asked us to name our three favorite
television programs. Everybody agrees that a news
paperman is a strange critter, so the chances that our
choice of ppgrams could be termed typical of the
viewing audience as a whole are extremely remote.
An editor may be a lot of things — he eventually
gets called most of them by the way, along with a few
things he isn’t — but one label that can’t possibly
fit him is “average.” To fit us into any kind of ratings
as an average reader or average TV watcher is absurd.
When the interview was over, the gentleman and
the lady said we would probably get a long distance
call from the rating outfit, asking if we were polled,
and maybe if we were given a dollar. They seemed
to be pretty sure about that.
'ITiree nights later, the phone rang and a feminine
voice did ask for such confirmation. Yes, we got the
dollar. What of value, we’re wondering, did the rating
folks get in return?
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Village Verses
TURNED OUT WRONG
“HOW EACH STATE
CAME BY ITS NAME,
From an Old Scrap
Book, 1868-1875
“NEW YORK: So called In
honor of the Duke of York and
for names it has ‘The Excel
sior State’; because Excel
sior Is the motto on Its coat
of arms, and the ‘EmplreState’
from Its rank as compared with
the other states. New Yorkers
all rejoice In being ‘Knicker
bockers’.
“NORTH CAROLINA: The
two Carollnas were chartered
as one colony by Charles n,
the division taking place In 1729,
and are named for him. It is
In the happy possession of three
sobriquets; the‘Old North State*
‘The Tar State’ and the ‘Tur
pentine State’ with ‘Tar Boilers
or ‘Tar Heels’ for Its popula
tion. Tar Is from the Indian Tau,
denoting ‘Pines In the water’.
“OHIO: The etymology of this
word as applied to the River,
from which the State takes Its
name has been In much dis
pute, but that It Is of Indian
derivation there can be no doubt
Parkman, the historian was in
possession of several early
maps made as far back as
1672, & 1674, on which the river
is plainly called the OHIO, and
on one of them there Is over
the river as delineated the In
scription, written In French,
RIVER OHIO, so called by the
Iroquois on account of Its beauty
which ‘The Sleur de la Salle’,
descended but some well versed
scholars say the Iroquois has
no word of that signification
from which Ohio can be formed.
Heokewelder flirnlshes a num
ber of Delaware words from
which it might have come, and
gives preference to ‘Ohlo-
phanne’, or ‘Ohlopeckhanne’,
signifying ‘very white stream’
or very deep and white stream,
the water at times being cover
ed with white caps and very
deep. Again Colonel John John
ston for many years United
States Indian Agent states that
Wyandots, called the stream
A little girl across the way,
As serious as serious could be,
Was spooning up dirt the other day
To comply with her best recipe.
Filling her pan, here and there.
She completed a very choice cake.
But for reasons remote, I do declare.
She considered it unfit to bake.
Instead of placing it under the sun.
As I felt she would surely do,
She emptied the pan and away did run.
I can’t figure why, can you?
—JGMcD.
Ohezuh, denoting great or
grand, and used It as an ex
clamation while paddling their
canoes up and down the river.
LaSalle may have changed this
word to Ohio and credited It to
the Iroauois, the Wyandot being
only a dialect of that language.
As ‘La Belle Riviere’, the
French knew it but it Is quite
certain that Ohio has no such
meaning. ‘The Buckeye State’
and ‘Buck eyes’ are familiar
terms and have their origin
from the general use that was
at first made by the early
settlers of the buckeye tree
which is peculiar to Ohio Soil.
“OREGON: Is from the
Spanish Oregones, denoting‘Big
Ears’ a term applied to the
early people of Oregon whose
ears are said to have been
large and greatly distorted
or from Oregano (wild sage)
which Is found there In great
abundance. It Is the State of
‘Big Ears’ and has ‘hardcases’
for residents.
(Continued on Page 6)
Gussman
CLEANERS
223 CRAVEN
1963
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323 Pollock Street
ME 7-6345
John R. Taylor
John R. Taylor, Jr.
About This Question:
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FALL REVIVAL
CENTENARY METHODIST CHURCH
October 28 - November 1, 1963
DR. PIERCE HARRIS
Pastor of First Methodist Church, Atlanta
Evangelist
Harry Armstrong
Song Leader
Dr. Pierce Harris
Evening Service 7:30 - Morning (Tuesday-Friday) 10:00