THE ROANOKE RAPIDS
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By Mail — $2. Yearly — In Advance
ROANOKE RAPIDS, NORTH CAROLINA
THE LARGEST NEWSPAPER IN HALIFAX COUNTY
s'*North Carolina aJK
f PRESS ASSOCIATICftPq
CARROLL WILSON, Owner and Editor
Entered as Second Class matter April 3rd, 1914, at the post office
at Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, under Act of March 3rd, 1879.
OFFICE EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES
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“THE TORCH”
• • Thousands of poems are written which are
never printed or heard again. One of thousands
written during World War I which still lives in
print and memory is “In Flanders Fields”, written
by an Army officer who was Over There then.
For World War II, we make an exception to
our rule of No Poetry by printing the following
answer to Flanders Fields, where lie the bodies of
thousands of American soldiers. It is “The Torch”,
written by a Roanoke Rapids girl, Miss Edna
Wafford.
Where is the torch h'e flung to us,
To hold on high and light the way to peace?
What of the promise to him given,
As Flanders folded him in sweet release?
Who dropped that torch and let it die,
In dust of false security and trust,
While vanquished foe, unvanquish'ed still,
Prepared anew to satisfy their lust?
No time have we to probe the past,
Nor place the blame for something which is done.
Relit, that torch, will be our sword,
And by its might redemption shall be won.
So Flanders dead, rest on, sleep on,
Once more we carry on the freedom fight,
To win for all through blood and tears,
The right to live, to love, and die in LIGHT!
ECONOMIC PATRIOTISM
• • Textile employees of Roanoke Rapids will
start buying Victory Bonds on a systematic basis
next week. Those who wish to do so, will authorize
the office to take at least fifty cents a week from
their check to apply on their purchase of Bonds.
There is no desire to demand this from any
unable to keep up the weekly payments and no one
signs up unless they feel they want to do it. The
idea is voluntary: each employee makes up his
own mind.
For our folks to agree to this is a patriotic
gesture because in many cases it will mean sacri
fice: giving up something they have been accus
tomed to in the past.
We wish to point out, however, tnat sucn sac
rifice will pay them in the future. Not only will
they help to provide the money to Keep Them Roll
ing, Flying, Sailing (and as Anti-Aircraft units
say, Keep Them Falling), but also this plan of the
local textile management will mean that our tex
tile employees will be saving for the future. For
every three dollars they put in Bonds, our govern
ment will pay them back Four dollars. We save
and we earn with the money we invest now in Vic
tory Bonds. We build for the future of our coun
try’s safety and ourselves.
The result of the campaign among our textile
citizens will be watched with interest. We feel the
result will be acclainied with enthusiasm. Others
of us would do well to follow suit on the same
systematic basis.
An Ultimatum 1
._ _ __ . I
SPIES IN ROANOKE RAPIDS
• • Patriotic American citizens may become too
active and over-zealous in their desire to do some
thing to prove their patriotism. In the first place
there is no need for any American citizen to prove
patriotism and love of country by making the
headlines.
There is always the danger that we try to
make some grandstand play and end up by making
a farce or a mess of the whole thing to the con
fusion of everybody, the help to nobody and untold
injury to innocent persons. Such action on our
part serves no good and plenty of harm.
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mere axe pittcca wxicic uicic aic pam i«
the Axis but we can rest assured that FBI and the
Intelligence units of the Army and Navy have had
their eyes and ears on them for some time. Those
spies are in places where they do their employers
the most good. They are not in Roanoke Rapids.
Perhaps they may come later, when the need
demands it, but for the present there is no good
reason why we should have a “spy scare” here.
we report a case wmcn Dears out wnat we
have written above. After careful thought, we
mention no names because that would add only to
the embarrassment of innocent persons. It hap
pened in Roanoke Rapids. A lady is the victim of
this show of patriotism. She is an artist who
sketches and paints the wonders of our land and
whose only interest is this land she loves and the
things in it which she paints. She was sketching
one of our mills at sunset the other afternoon.
People passed by and paused, as they will, whenev
er an artist plants an easel. She went on drawing.
Some person or persons reported her to the police.
As she entered her home she was stopped and ex
amined. Let us state here that her reaction to this
procedure was better than ours would have been.
She was hurt, yes, but she was calm, considerate
and, after it dawned on her why she was subjected
to questioning, she was generous in her under
standing to the officer who had been made the
unwitting agent of “special G-Men”.
This lady said later she was glad to live in a
city where the police were on the alert. She not
only cleared the policeman of any blame but she
also showed her greatness of spirit and patriotism.
How many of us could have shown that same fine
spirit under the same circumstances?
The real blame in this unfortunate happening
lies with the self-appointed G-Men and maybe G
Women who reported something of this nature
without a full and proper investigation of the facts.
In their zeal to do something for their country,
they overstepped their bounds and jumped to con
clusions which brought only embarrassment to a
fine lady and a faithful
officer of the law.
Our investigation
shows that the lady is
not only a good Ameri
can citizen but that she
is also related by blood
to some of the leading
citizens of Halifax Coun
ty and by marriage to
some of the same type of
citizens in Roanoke Rap
ids; that she is kin to
some of the settlers of
Halifax County and has
ties which go back years
farther than most of us
who live in Roanoke
Rapids today. What a
shame that such a thing
should have happened
here.
now nmer wouiq
laugh with glee if told of
this which would show
him how we can muddle
things and what ama
teurs we are. Let’s get
our feet on the ground
and learn to keep our
mouths closed until we
have enough true facts
to make a case. Let’s
not start running around
in circles with whispers.
people wno want to
make headlines are the
worst offenders at a time
like this. Real, patriotic
American citizens will
talk less from now on
and do more. They will
buy Victory stamps and
bonds when it calls for
real sacrifice to do so;
they will give to every
good cause which has
the approval of the U. S.
(such as Give A Book to
The Boys this week);
they will pay their new
taxes without grum
bling; they will walk in
stead of ride to save
tires ; they will do with
out as much sugar and
other luxuries we have
known so long, without
griping; they will change
their whole standard of
living without expecting
to get their name and
picture in the paper or
hear it over the radio, by
knowing as they go to
sleep every night that
they are doing ALL they
can do to help win the
war.
What will do more
harm to Roanoke Rapids
than a nest of spies is a
group of our own citi
zens who will groan,
grumble and complain
when things get tight
with them.
The test from now on
will be how you take it
and not how you mess a
round trying to be a
Sherlock Holmes. We re
peat the warning of Col
onel John T, Kennedy,
Commanding Officer of
Fort Bragg: “The War
Department has warned
that false rumors to a
larm the people are a
recognized form of Fifth
Column activity.”
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