Our thanks toCraven’s school
superintendent, HiramJ.Mayo,
for his use of our "YourChild**
editoriai, when he made his
pre-school speech to the coun
ty's 400 teachers, and princi
pals and supervisors.
Flattering recognition of this
sort, which we didn't know was
coming our way, makes a writ
er's lonely lot more bearable.
All of us who pound a type
writer yearn to turn out mean
ingful words, and when it occa
sionally h^pens the feeling of
reward knows no bounds.
A writer's lot really is lone
ly. Only those who travel the
road from day to day are fully
aware of how much it drains
you mentally and physically to
stare at a blank piece of pa
per, and groupe for that open
ing paragraph.
Amateur scrlbblers,dream-
ing of quick fame and fortune,
persistin the belief that once
a writer breaks into print, and
gets paid for it, there's smooth
sailing from that point on.'^ake
it from an old pro, it isn't so.
Actually, the professional
works harder at his trade than
he ever did as an amateur, be
cause he demands himself what
ever excellence he may be cap
able of. Just as important, he
knows when he fails short of the
mark. If not why.
In this respect, the pro dif
fers from the amateur, who is
apt to secretly believe that he
has produced a masterpiece.
The true professional is, or
should be, his own severest cri
tic, and he seldom mistakes
mediocrity for great literature.
Newsmen, called upon to put
words together hastily under
adverse conditions, can excuse
themselves for inferior ma
terial once in a while. However,
some of the best stutf we've
turned out, all too rarely, had
to be written in circumstances
you wouldn't wish on your worst
enemy.
Hurricane coverage, at least
the several major blows we've
reported since 1933, presents
special problems. You can for
get about jotting down those all
Important notes. Minutes, or
only seconds, after your venture
into the storm, everything on
your person is drenched, so
finding a dry piece of paper
to write on is dismissed from
your mind.
You play it strictly from me
mory, hofdng that the names and
ages of ^cUms, estimates of
damage in various coastal com
munities, and other pertinent
information will remain in your
cranium until you can give a
coherent account to the outside
world.
Eventually, usually a matter
of hours, you broadcast your
stories from a short wave sta
tion. What you say had better
be accurate. Not only will it
be thrown on the air by the news
media you're covering for, but
other stations listening will tape
it and send it out Immediately,
in the public's Interest.
For reasons we make no pre
tense at comprehending, we've
managed to do about as good
a job of reporting duiinghurrl-
canes as we have in more favor
able situations. A few of the sto
ries may have surpassed almost
everything else we've ever
done.
If a writer could determine
for sure, why he does better at
(Continued on page 8)
The NEW BERN
Llbraiy
400 Jobt)t6n St.
WIIKLY
CAROLINA
5t Per Copy
VOLUME 12
NEW BERN. N. C., FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 19B9
NUMBER 24
professionals per-
!? i?’screen and television, and
delightfully so. Saturday afternoon and night, In spa
cious and comfortable NBHS Auditorium, the l^w
amateur talent,
presents the fantasy that has been a favorite of chil
dren and adults for generations. Sandra Mumford
plays the role of Dorothy, Immortalized by Judy Gar
land, and Allen Toler Is cast as the scarecrow, done
so well on screen by aging but still spry Ray Bolger.
Members of the theater group have worked hard on
tneir latest offering, and have expressed privatelv
If *8 best production since
matinee performance is at 2 p m
h. BMi® l''®"'®9 curt'in goes up at 8:15 p.m.—Photo
by Billy Benners.