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'' K. C. RIVERS, JR., PUBLISHER
M... .Ty. Established is 1SSS spd published tor 45 years by the late Robert C. Riven, Sr.
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la Watauga Coua^r One year, (2 00, Sit mon thi, $150; (our meat ha. f 1 00; Outside Watauga
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NOTICE TO SUBSCRIBERS-! n repeating ebu? of address it ia important to mention the OLD.
ai well * the NEW edimaX^f?' k * .!?' ..<*>. ?
r ? -
Entarad at the poatofflca at Boom, N. C., at Ntaal clsss mail matter, under tba act of Congress of
March I, 1879.
The baaia of our government being* the opinion of the people, the vary Oral objective should be
ta keep that right, and ware It left to me to decide whether we ahouid have a government without
newspapers. or newspapers without government. I should not hesitate a moment to choote the latter.
But I should moan that every nun ahouid receive theaa papers and be capable of reading them "?
Galax Finds New Use
t
No doubt Charlie Wilcox, who deal* in
them by the million*, knew about it all
alonf, but we just learned that on* of
the use* of galax leave* 1* a* a garnish
for fruit cup*.
We gathered thia bit of information from
the woman's portion of the Win*ton-Sa)em
Journal. Long used by florist*, we learn
that the Longchamps restaurants in New
York City use striking window displays
made of fresh fruits and vegetables and
surrounded by the leavea.
The Journal state* that a secret prooess
helps the leaves to retain their leathery
texture and natural color, thereby in
creasing their decorative value.
The leaves, which so far a* we know,
grow only in the Blue Ridge Mountains
of North Carolina and Virginia, have been
an Important factor in the economy qf the
hill*, so far back as the memory of man
runneth. Far back beyond the wartime
economy and the inflationary periods
which brought high cash incomes to the
people of the hills, the gathering of galax
was one of the few ways in which many
families could provide for their needs.
Still there U a wide demand for the leaves,
and people continue to gather them and
sell them to dealers throughout the hill
country. The occupation of finding the
galax, sorting U out according to whether
the color is bronte or green, used to be
generally referred to as "gallacking."
Anyway the demand grows for the
leaves as new uses are found for the native
greenery of the hills, and the product,
together with that derived from roots and
herba, fetches in a good deal of money to
our people.
Slow Down And Live Campaign
We American* have a high regard for
?peed. The (act that we make thinga faster
and distribute them (aster than other na
tions haa a great deal to do with our eco
nomic strength. In sports we like fast
moving games. For most of us life is gear
ed to a pretty (ast tempo.
But there's a place (or everything ? in
cluding speed. And the staggering toll of
traffic deaths, plus the fact that speed
is involved in a majority of them, makes
it plain that speed has no plac? on the
highway.
It's rather interesting to note that safety
authorities are concerned with more than
just exceeding the speed limit. They list
failure to give the right of way, passing
without caution, driving too fast for road,
traffic and weather conditions, and follow
ing the car ahead too closely as sympto
matic of the "in ? hurry" complex that
causes accident*.
That "in a hurry' 'complex is the target
of the Slow Down and Live campaign on
the highways of North Carolina this sum
mer.
The sponsoring Governor's Traffic Safe
ty Council believes that if this message
can be implanted in the minds of drivers
everywhere it can effect a reduction in
the traffic toll. >*?>??
Of courae, it's always difficult to tay
exactly' why an accident didn't happen.
But certainly the frightening highway
death and injury toll commands the sup
port of everyone in this national effort
to keep speed in its proper place.
This newspaper accepts Slow Down and
Live as its slogan for the highways.
If our readers want to follow suit ? then
welcome to the club!
Flour-Sack Drawers
(Henry Be lk in Ooldsboro News-Argus)
The modern generation of mall boys
knows nothing of flour-sack drawers. But
to the moat of us men of middle age, the
subject is one of intimate acquaintance.
-When Colonel Luthern Barbour wrote
his statement of candidacy for the Durham
Board of Aldermen last Spring, he recalled
his childhod. Listed along with his other
personalized information was the fact that
when he was a boy he wore flour-sack
drawers. The staid Durham Morning Her
ald printed this fact without a smile. May
be that sort of approach was what the
popular mind wanted, for Colonel Bar
bour was duly elected.
When I was a boy and swam of a lazy
Summer day in Richardson's creek at Lee's
Mill, I undressed, along with the other
boys, in an iaolated spot on the bank. It
waa a mile or so from any houae, and none
of us knew the fastidiousness of a bathing
suit My regular Summer undergarment
was drawers made from Level Best flour
sacks. Mama made them from sacks aha
saved after she had emptied the flour in
baking hot biscuits three times a day.
Always I tried to sneak off to one side
and get out of my clothing quickly' lest
the other boys laugh at my flour-sack
drawers. From the vantage point of the
years I wonder why I was so frightened
At this, for most of the others must have
had flour-sack drawers also. And maybe
? la was neoessary for my development. The
desire Jpr a cooling swim was greater
and overcame my timidity at showing my
flouf-sack garment It was good for me
that I learned to do what must be done
even in the face of disconcerting aituation.
Today the good ladies make most attrac
tive dresses out of feed sacks. The smart
feed merchants distribute their products
-colored sacks which are intended
to serve for dreaaes when emptied.
In the day before the colon* feed bags
into bein? Smith Douglas fertiliser
packed its products in KM pound
white bags. These became a favorite for
making into trousers. Most good farm
housewives bleached out the fertilizer
markings on the btipks before they made
them into pants.
But not so those who made up the white
trousers for Logan Mozingo. He was a non
conformist and cared not One pair of
pants from the sacks made for him carried
the words "200 pounds net" right across
the seat. There is a valuable lesson here.
If mankind generally could escape the
fear of what the other fellow might think
or say, a* Logan Mozingo did, we would
be in a way for more progress.
Lead May Be Shaky
Adlai Stevenson top* the list of Demo
cratic Presidential hopefuls and we can
share the belief that if everything goes
along as it has been since the California
primary, the man from Illinois will get
a second try for the top spot.
However, the slips which are liable to
come twixt the cup and the lip are many,
and one can't ever sell the bigtime pro
fessional politicians short? especially those
who follow along with former President
Truman, with Averill Harriman, Mennen
Williams and the rest, who are not espec
ially sold on Stetenson.
Adlai will go into the balloting far and
away ahead of the nearest rival, and that
is good a lot of the time. However, a sug
gestion from the precincts is that Lyhdon
Johnson and others from the South who
find the prospect of another Stevenaon
run more tolerable than a race by Harri
man or another, should throw their votes
behind Adlai on the first ballot If, on
the other hand, they toy with the favorite
son pastime for a round or so, they're
leaving the field in good shape for the
old pros, captained by Harry Truman, to
snatch the balL
WHO HAS in
? By Paul Ber tinnier
1
A | R
pO
I ^
us. a: >
RUSSIA
Stretch's Sketches
By " STRETCH " ROLUNS
Rock V Roll? It'll Blow Over
The self-appointed guardians of public mortis
are kicking up quite a ruckus about this rock'n'
roll beat the kids call music
these dayi.
A radio station in Lumber
ton is reported to have ban
ned it following protests from
city officials who claimed it
was a bad influence on teen
age listeners. (The station
denied the report, pending
reaction of commercial spon
sors.)
The hassle rages in all
quarters, pro and con, cre
ating about the biggeft temp
est in ? teapot that has been stirred up in a
coon's age.
Seems high time we recognize these things
for what they are ? (ads, phases, diversions ?
and not necessarily a way of life.
It's ? bit difficult to detect any "moral" diff
erence between rocknroll and jazz, swing, or
boogie-woogie, all of which you and I took in
stride, and eventually outgrew ? without suffer,
ing permanent damage to our moral fibre.
It has been well said that the biggest thing
wrong with the younger generation is that some
of as doat belong to it any more.
True, there have been reports of fights, even
riots, at rocknroll shows with the music named
as the culprit. But isn't that giving a lit ol'
music beat credit for more power than it posses
ses? Differences of opinion leading to blows
have occurred and will continue to occur in all
walks of life and in many places, including the
haVs of Congress. So why suddenly point the
finger at junior's taste in music as the cause of
it all?
And as for bans, edicts, and scathing attacks,
they'll only pour gasolin? on the flame. For
bidden, fruit has been a prolific whetter of ap
petities since the world begat*.
Why, for instance, does a small boy climb a
neighbor's tree and steal green apples that give
him a tummyache, go into a field and swipe a
watermelon which he could get dellciously cold
, at home, and sneak behind the barn or down
an alley to smoke his first cigarette?
Is it because he is fond of green apples, likes
his watermelon hot, and has an uncontrollable
craving for tobacco? Of course not. He does
these things mostly because they have been for
bidden by his elders.
A country storekeeper was once playing
checkers with a crony in the shade of the big
oak tree out back, when a boy came and told
him there was a customer in the store. He re
plied, "Well, let's just be quiet for a few minutes,
and maybe he'll go away!"
If you don't happen to like rocknroll, best
thing to do is ignore It. It'll blow over.
From Early Democrat Files'
Sixty Years Ago
Jul? ?, ISM.
There was a Sunday School organized at the
Baptist Church last Sunday.
Married on the 4th inat. at the residence of
D. B. Dougherty, John Ayers and Sallie Day,
Esq. Dougherty aaid the ceremony.
Owing to the rain and continued cold weather
the crowd of summer boarders at Blowing Rock
is still very small.
There la no scarcity of provisions in the
county. Corn is selling at 40 cents per bushel in
some parts of the county, bacon at 8 cents per
pound, and everything else at the same low rate.
The shingles are being delivered to cover the '
Methodist Church and the cpmmlttee of ladies
appointed to get the money with which to paint
It is getting on reasonably well making collec
tions.
Messrs Will and Clay Jurney left Friday of
last week for Washington, D. C., where they
will attend the Christian Endeavor Convention.
The Democrat has often called the attention
of the stockholders to the condition of the Boone
and Blowing Rock telegraph line. Our people
put several hundred dollars into this enterprise
and should aee that it la not destroyed, the
wire la being cut from the poles and carried
away by the load.
Thirty-Nine Years Ago
My it, lilt.
Mr*. 0. L. Hardin, of Aaherille, with her two
little children, ii it the home of her parents, Dr.
and Mrs. UtUe la Bmm for a few *Nki
The toeond tana of the summer school at A.
T. S. opened Tuesday with a splendid attend
ance. Prof. Dougherty says that the prospects
for a food tern are flattering. -
, Two members of Watauga's Good Radi Com
mission, Messrs. W. W. Stringfellow and Roy M.
Brown, attended the Good Roads meeitng held
in Asheville Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
Prof. J. W. Downum is acting as freight agent
for the A. T. S. at Lenoir during his vacation.
Fifteen Years Ago
July It, 1M1.
. Edward B. Mast, former city police chief, as
sumed the duties of county tax collector Mon
day, succeeding Avery W. Greene, who has held
the office for the past year and i half.
David P. Mast of Sugar Grove, former prin
cipal of Appalachian High School, was selected
as county superintendent of public welfare at
a meeting of the welfare board held Monday
afternoon. He will succeed Miss Marguerite
Miller, who resigned recently to accept a sim
ilar position in Washington^.' C.
Mrs. Clare P. Simpson, 1WA area youth per
sonnel interviewer, requests that all those inter
ested in securing NY A employment, call at the
NY A office in the courthouse on 'Mondays and
Fridays.
The opening and dedication of Blow tag Rock'*
new country club aerved aa an Incentive for the
resort's laifcest crowd within recent years aa
patrons from almost every state along the At
lantic seaboard gathered in the resort town laat
Fridiy evening to Join In the .festivities.
Dr. Prank Brown, head of the department of
Engliah at Duke University, is spending the
summer at Blowing Rock.
Ed N orris, aged about M year*, native citizen
of the Meat Camp community, of Watauga coun
ty, was killed Thursday evening of last week
at 7 o'clock aa be and members ?t hi* family
journeyed to a religious gathering sear the
borne at Amlnot, Va., and aa aged man by the
name of Allalaer and two of hi* sobs are bang
held on murder charge* growing out of the
faUl shooting.
KING STREET
By ROB RIVERS
LIKES BLOWING BOCK . . AND BOONE
Jack Bell, dateline* his "Town Crier" column in the Miami,
Fla., Herald from Blowing Rock, where he'? been summer
visiting for many year*. ... He likes the high hills, the pleasant
vistas, the winding roads, and the mountain people, and often
writes of his tours through these parts and the impressions he
gains from mixing with the citizens
Mr. Bell writes as follows:
The accent's on motels, hotels, curio shops, restaurants. Fold
ers tell of superlative recreation? fishing, hiking, golf, dancing,
swimming, theater, whatnot. IVe just read the Blowing Rock
Chamber of Commerce brochure.
Much as I love Blowing Rock, favorite of ^11 the glorious
summer wonderlands. I aee things listed here that I've been
unable to find in 20 years.
But everybody's not geared toward tourist attraction*. Take,
for an instance, the annual Grandfather Mountain Sing, which
for 31 years has been held on the fourth Sunday in June ? all
the live-long day.
Take a Saturday in the nice, quiet little mountain town of
Boone.
Take any winding aide road, and see every home, no matter
how tumble-down, embedded in flowers.
Perhaps 40,000 people heard at least part of the Grandfather
Mountain Sing Sunday. Some were tourists, but the vast ma
jority were mountain folks who've deep-rooted religious beliefs
and love their own jnusic.
I don't know of a religious gathering in the nation so large,
and sincerely appreciated as this one.
ALL JOIN
Ministers from various sections of North Carolina, congress
men, senators, governors; famous musical groups from radio
and TV; mountain choirs and quartets and string bands ? and
at times the huge throng sitting or standing in the big meadow
at the foot of Grandfather, sing in unison. Even the weather
man cooperates. In 31 years nothing more than one 100-mlnute
shower has marred the day.
Danl Boone, not Davy Crockett, was king of the wild
frontier as America started moving west. Dan'l tramp
ed "quite a fur piece" around these parts, lived here and
there? so long as he could keep away from people ?
and never even thought of founding a town.
But here is Boone, sittin' in the valley surrounded by out-of
doors, there's a good teachers college, Appalachian. There's a
beautiful outdoor hillside theater, locale for the summer his
torical play Horn in the West. There are good stores along
one long street, and a few down side streets to the south. You
can't go far, north;, it's mountain.
And there are farmers, the people who make this and any
other nation. Saturday morning they come to town, hundreds
upon hundreds of families; men, women, children, babes in
arms and babes yet to be born. All day long they wander
through the stores, stopping to talk to neighbors, they may not
have seen in months. The older men gather in groups along the
street to talk crops, politics and tell tales.
THEY LIKE YOU ,<.h ?, ..nr.
Boone shops arft, W^LIfftocfy?d with the things the farmer
needs; here and there items, for the college students. Even the
tourist teen-agers can get their dungarees, bobby sox, lipstick
and colorful shirts.
I like Boone especially because its people are friendly.
Clerks are courteous and helpfuL You can pick up a
conversation with a total stranger anytime. And there
seem to be less inhibitions than in other mountain
towns.
It's normal to see youngsters sauntering around sucking on
popsicles.
But in Boone it's normal to see a gaunt mountain
farmer spit eu< his cud ef tobacco or snuff, buy a pop
side and go munching along.
I dortno whether western North Carolina has better roads per
capita than any spot in the nation. I think so. The state road
department, plus the magnificent Skyline Parkway the national
government built from Asheville to Virginia, made travel a
pure joy.
And the most interesting drives ? along rather narrow but
well paved side roads ? will bring scenic pictures you miss on
main roads. Maggie's Happy Valley always was there, but sur
veyors seeking the best route from Waynesville to Cherokee
Soco Gap, brought it into national prominence.
So This Is New York
By NORTH CALLAHAN
This summer Is ? good time to
, visit New York City. It I* having I
festival especially designed for the
out-of-towners and aimed to (how
them that no place excel* Gotham
as a holiday center. Individual
eveats range from baseball to Bach
and all lines of activity are repre
sented. More than ? thousand
items are officially lifted by the
city as part of the celebration, and
the mayor is patting his main
summer efforts on making the
festival a success. Sport*, music,
art, theatrei, movies, children's
activities, flower shows, radio and
television, sightseeing ant only a
few of the things to take part in.
This it not a chamber of commerce
plug but the beat thing of all is
just seeing the Big City itself.
A statistical company bare re
minds us that there are 1(0 mil
lion Americans who are not mem
bers of the Communist party; that
37 million married aouplea who
will stay married this year; and 182
million of our people will not die
of cancer or bearl attack. This may
not make headline news, but Oev
ertheltss it considsrwi of import
ance i
Preachers, artists and teaehers
art the lowest paid professional
people in the cowntiy. a aw*ky
shew*. Median income for the par
ses i* **,?? * rear, pt ?jrW?
and teaehers averaging fttft ???
driven get *3,118, blacksmiths,
$2,701, bookkeepers, $2,847, ac
countants and auditors, $4,002,
architects, $9,380 and physicians,
$8,119.
A story is told here of the farm
er who interviewed a hired man
and asked his faults. ??Well," said
the man, "the last fellow.l worked
for said I was awful hard to wake
up during a hard storm at night."
The farmer hired him, and two
weeks later, a heavy wind storm
hit the area. Instantly, the fanner
arose and werit to awaken the
hired hand se they ceuld cheek the
stock and equipment. But the men
would not wake up. Finally the
farmer went out alone. To hia
amazement, he found the barn
doors aeewrely fastened, the hay
stack tightly anchored, the lumber
pile heavily weighted down. Sud
denly a light dawnpd en the farm
er. Now he knew why the hired
man slept to soundly through it
all.
George K. Rose, vice-president
of the Chase National Bank, re
minds me that every year, SMO,
000 young people set up oompanies.
lease quarters to Junior Achieve
ment Centers supported by busi
ness organisations and iasoe stock.
They elect their own board* and
officer*, manufacture products.
?r<?ld? service* and sell then. If
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