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«# 1 Nm V^m-iSriitirtt (I!l0itttt0 Vittrar0 The NEW BERN I PUBLISHID WIIKLV '• THi mART OP north ,fOo l"'' 60 VOLUME 11 NEW BERN, N. C., FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 1968 NUMBER 21 Carolina Telephone, recog nized as one of the most pro- gpresslve firms in the communi cations field, appears deter mined to steadily reduce the number of Us party lines. However, don't expect a wholesale switch overnight, or even in the predictable future. Cost of converting is so prohib itive that no company can do as much as it would like to. Unfortunately, sharing a line with others isn't always pleas ant. That's because subsecrib- ers often display the same lack of consideration you find sopre- valent among motorists on streets and highways. Behind a wheel, or clutching a party-line phone, humans are inclined to be unbelievably greedy and rude. Why these two situations bring out the worst in countless individuals is some thing to ponder. From time to Ume, you'll read of extreme cases where neighbors refuse to relingguish lines in an emergency. Homes have burned and people have died as a result. Incidentally, you can go to jail for this sort of criminality. Although it was never pub licized, a patient at Craven County hospital caused quite a Uzzy on one occasion. Other phones on the institution's switchboard went out of com mission, and the phone he had rented for his room stayed in operation. When asked to give up the line temporarily, he re fused. Under pressure, thepa- tient finally gave in and the hos pital resumed contact with the outside world. Party lines do make a con tribution to the curious and the lonely who secretly listen to conversations they have no ri^t to hear. Some of the bitterest feuds among neighbors come about when an eavesdropper discovers that he or she is being scandalized in the con versation they're tuned to. In some instances, we sus pect, the bad mouthing is done for the sole purpose of infuria ting an individual who has a reputation for listening when they're not supposed to be lis tening. Anyhow, if you hear what you don't want to hear while Invading someone else's privacy, you deserve to be in sulted. Years ago, quite innocently, this editor was treated toa sam ple of a party-line patron's fury, and the lambasting leveled at us was so explosive it tlireat- ened permanent damage to our blistered ears. It was during the Coastal Plain League season, and as statistician of the loop we had a private phone in the press box. The number was a non- publlshed one, to prevent un necessary calls from coming in. This had to be done to pre vent interruptions while cover ing the game. On this particular ni^t. New Bern and Kinston were dead locked in a mighty battle, and ri^t at the tensest part of the contest our phone rang. The moment we picked It up, some woman sounded like a female goblin started screaming at us. "You gat off ofthisline,"she shrieked. "Every time I pick up the receiver you listen in I can't make a call without being bothered by you. If you don't (Continued on page 8) IN DEEP THOUGHT—^All of us associate children with laughter and tears, forgetting much of a tot’s day is spent in silent and solemn observation. Renee Mathenson, charming daughter of the C. R. Mathen- sons of Havelock, really has that brain of hers work ing at fuil capacity as she studies the toy dog she holds in her hands, and couldn’t care less about hav ing her picture taken. Youngsters in serious mood are not without appeal, although it invariably makes you tremendously self conscious to be stared at in- tcntly for several minutes by an unsmiling child. When a moppet takes inventory of your imperfect countenance, no one has to tell you that you’ve been thoroughly scrutinized. Common sense tries to con vince you that the very young can’t possibly be as wise as they appear to be, but Renee and others her ^e make us wonder nevertheless.—Photo by Eunice
The New Bern Mirror (New Bern, N.C.)
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Aug. 16, 1968, edition 1
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