Polks who love iiowers are
generally regarded as a little
closer to God than less appre
ciative mortals. Certainlythelr
admiration for the Creator’s
handiwork seems to support
such an assumotlon.
Yet, how can you recon
cile ^s belief to the discon
certing fact that countless
graves, here In New Bern and
elsewhere, are stripped bare
of tenderly placed floral ar
rangements, year in and year
out?
Where do these stolen flowers
go? Are they used In a warped
display of sentiment to adorn
other mounds, or do they end up
on a window sill, a living room
table, or as trimming for a
cake cutting?
No one knows for sure, ex
cept the ghouls who sneak into
cemeteries and commit one of
the most heartless forms of
robbery that clutching hands
ever perpetrated. Whatever
their motive mliJit be, these
thieves are a vicious lot.
Tar Heel jails and road gangs
are heavily peopled by convict
ed culprits who were guilty of
offenses less despicable and
more understandable. For ex
ample, we ml^t cite the drunk
who did his passing out In a
gutter Instead of lapsing into
unconsciousness at a social
brawl, or the twO-blt gambler
cauidit in a crap game while
other highly respected individ
uals engage In hlgh-stake af
fairs with impunity.
Punishment In the case of the
grave robbers Is long overdue.
How seldom it is that we hear
of one of these characters being
arrested, convicted and sen
tenced. During many years of
covering courts we’ve never
seen a thief of this sort brought
before the bar of justice.
Perhaps the very act of steal
ing flowers from the dead brings
its own retribution. In short,
the pilfered posies, as they
wither, form an appropriate
marker for a soul that has with
ered too.
Even so, it is disturbing to
those of us who associate flow
ers with the finer things in God’s
wonderful C reatlon when a flow
er lover stoops to such a con
temptible act.
Like they say, it takes all
kinds of people to make a world,
but for our part we’d rather do
our living in a world where
thieves who steal funeral de
signs have become a vanished
breed.
Don’t wait until summer va
cation, If you’re a motorist, to
exercise extra alertness In
watching for children on our
streets and highways. Spring
unlatches the door to paradise
on earth for those who are
yoimg, and they lose all sense
of caution.
Eager feet race homeward,
each afternoon, and shrill
voices proclaim freedom from
the classroom. There is more
outside activity in every neigh
borhood, and much of it Is as
thoughtless as It is joyous.
Childhood without this
tlioughtlessness and reckless
abandon wouldn’t be childhood.
That’s why the adult who says he
would like to start life over
again, knowing what he knows
now, is a fool.
Caution is reserved for those
who have grown up, and thicker
through the waistline. It will
never find fertility in the heart
(Continued on page 2)
The NEW BERN
NO LONGER OURS—Ordinarily we wouldn’t think of
running a big. Page 1 picture like this of an office
holder seeking re-election. In this case it’s different,
since Congressman David N. Henderson who has rep
resented New Bernians in the Third District can gain
no special political benefit from such publicity. We
lost Henderson and he lost us in the shuffle that turn
ed North Carolina’s Congressional districts tonsy
turvy. Prom now on we’ll be in the First not the Third,
and! our Congressman wiil be Walter Jones of Parm-
ville (Democrat) now serving Congressman Herbert
Bonner’s unexpired term, or Dr. John East (Republi
can) of East Carolina College. You’ll make your choice
in the November elections. Meanwhile, Congressman
Henderson won’t be crossing their paths as they beat
the bushes in Craven. He has a selling lob to do else
where, and local friends wish him well.