The NEW BERN
PUBLI8HID WIIKLY
IN THI HIART OP
lASTBRN NORTH
CAROLINA
5^ Per Copy
VOLUME 13
NEW BERN, N. C., FRIDAY, JUNE 5, 1970
NUMBER 12
Our thanks to Eunice Wray
for passing aiong the following.
Written 25 years ago by Dan
Valentine for North American
Newspaper Alliance, and titled
Teach Him .... But Gently, If
You Can, it remains as timely
as ever.
*'My young son starts in
school Tuesday... It*s all going
to be strange and new to him for
a while, and World, I wish you
would sort of treat him gently.
You see, up to now, he*s
been king of the roost... He’s
been boss of the backyard....
His mother has always been
around to repair his wounds...
and I’ve always been handy to
soothe his feelings.. ■ But now
things are going to be differ
ent.
Tuesday morning he’s going
to walk down the front steps,
wave his hand, and start out
on the great adventure... It’s
an adventure that might take
him across continents. ..It’s an
adventure that will probably
include wars and tragedy and
sorrow.
To live his life in the world
he has to live in will require
faith and love and courage. So,
World, I wish you would sort
of take him by his young hand
and teach him the things he will
have to know.
Teach him...but gently, if
you can. He will have to learn,
I know, that all men are not
just, that all men are not true.
But teach him also that for
every scoundrel there is a
hero... niat for every crook
ed politician, there is a dedi
cated leader.... Teach him
that for every enemy, there
is a friend.
It will take time. World, I
know, but teach him. If you
can, that a nickel earned is
of far more value than a dol
lar found... Teach him to learn
to lose... And to enjoy winning.
Steer him away from envy, if
you can, and teach him the se
cret of quiet laughter. . . Let
him learn early that bullies are
the easiest people to lick
Teach him, if you can, the
wonder of books.
But also give him quiet time
to ponder the eternal mystery
of birds in the sky, bees in the
sun, and flowers on a green
hill... In school. World, teach
him it is far more honorable
to fail than to cheat... Teach
him to have faith in his own
ideas, even if everyone tells
him they are wrong.
Teach him to be gentle with
gentle people and tough with
tough people. Try to give my
son the strength not to follow
the crowd when everyone else
Is getting on the bandwagon...
Teach him to listen to all men,
but teach him also to filter all
he hears on a screen of truth
and take only the good that
comes through.
Teach him, if you can, how
to laugh when he is sad...
Teach him there Is no shame
in tears... Teach him there
can be glory in failure and
despair in success... Teach
him to scoff at cynics and to
beware of too much sweetness.
Teach him to sell his brawn
and brains to the highest bid
ders but never to put a price
tag on his heart and soul...
Teach him to close his ears to
a howling mob ... And to stand
and fight if he thinks he’s
right.
(Coiillniied on page t)
THE TEST OF TIME Once again we are privileged
to bring Mirror readers, through the courtesy of Dr.
Bruce Schlein of Durham, a photograph of rare ex
cellence. A pathologist by profession, he has achiev
ed further distinction with his camera, and has won
outstanding awards through this hobby. Dr. Schlein
has the soul of a true artist. Who but an artist would
have recognized the symbolic pathos of an old man.
In a setting of still older trees, shuffling to the village
postoffice for his morning mail? The young, possess
ed of youthful daring, have their own brand of cou
rage, but no less noble are the elderly among us who
have weathered the storms of many seasons, and like
the ancient trees seen here remain undaunted. Surely
you share our hope that this old gentleman found a
letter In his mail box, and that for him there will, be
many more mornings.