lJkTAUGA Democrat
^SttSSJSSL.^
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
_ Cmufa Oh ye*. ?6?l *" muntha, I1J0; tow maltha, 91.00. Optside Watauga
County: One mr. $3 (ft (in months, $179, four monthj, $1 23.
NOTKJt TO SUBSCRIBERS? In requesting change at addrasa, it to important to mention the
OLD. as well is the MEW addeeaa.
Entered at the poetoffioe at Boom, N. C, as aecond dm mail matter, under the set M Coogreas
M of March S, 1?7?.
"The basis of our government bring the opinion of the people, the very first objective should be
to keep that right and were it left to me to decide whether we ihould have a government with
out newspapers, or newspapers without government. I ihould not heettste a moment to elMoee
the latter. But I should mean that every man should receive these papers and be capable of
reading them."? Thomas Jefferson. ?
Clean-Up Time
Clean-up time is here again, and the
dty government, and various civic
groups are working toward a more
thorough going effort this time than is
usual.
Many of the householders in tlw com
munity, and many business places as
for that, try to keep their premises clean
throughout the year but their efforts
are almost entirely in vain when their
neighbors don't follow their example.
The dty fcas adequate garbage dis
posal. We have personally had no
trouble in the matter of trash removal,
and there would seem to be little use
of allowing trash to be strewn all over
the dty, and scraps of edibles to make
gathering places for the bands of dogs
which are constantly on the prowl about
the city.
During the high winds of the winter,
huge paper packing cases, all sorts of
wrappings and smaller boxes, were
blown down the street adually at some
times proving a sort of menace to traffic.
This comes from business places allow
ing trash to accummulate around their
premises to clutter up the town when
the breeze raises.
Besides the paper litter, bushels of
beer cans and whiskey bottles are to be
found about the community, which on
removal, would maybe be replaced.
These not only clutter up the place, but
create the impression among strangers
to the community that it maybe isn't,
after all, the sort of place where one
should stop.
We shall entertain the hope that all
of our people may join together in the
next few days to make the clean-up days
the best we have ever had. On many
vacant lots dry refuse can be burned
with precaution and permit, and the
city will be glad to mpve everything in
containers.
Increased numbers of teachers will be '
at the college this summer, the influx
of tourists is expected to be greater than
ever, and we should have everything
looking good when they come. Our
visitors will enjoy it that way, and we'll
like it better too.
Says Hour Is Late
President Kennedy speaks bluntly to
the people at what had been billed at
a political speech in Chicago, when he
said that his first one hundred days in
office have convinced him that global
Communism threatens the survival of
our civilization and "the hour is late."
In an evening which was supposed
to have been dominated by partisan po
litical considerations, it was eVftfl&t'fhat
the Executive felt increased concern
over the deteriorating situation in south
east Asia and the U. S. setback in Cuba.
"Every new piece of information,
every fresh event, have deepened my
conviction that the survival of our civi
lization is at stake, and the hour is late."
He called for a new measure of effort
and devotion to meet the challenge of
expanding world Communism, and chal
langed the notion that the tide of history
is on their side.
"The tide of history is not on their
side, Or on ours. For history is made
by men, and it will move in the direction
that strong and determined and coura
geous men compel it. . . . Our greatest
adversary is not the Russians," he said,
"it is our own unwillingness to do what
must be done."
Kennedy also rejected the arguments
that the people wish to hear "brighter,
more pleasant prophecies," and called
for a program of strength "which would
put our unparalleled power and wealth
and capacity in the single-minded service
of freedom."
In this day of international strife and
universal distrust, and of greed, and
selfishness, the enemies of the system
have grown strong. The forces of free
dom maybe have been weakened by
smugness and high living. In an effort
to muster unity and loyalty, the Presi
dent has enlisted the support of all
men in both major political parties,
they are rallying to his support, and
politices as usual maybe won't exist
where the peril to our system is of such
lethal magnitude.
Liquid Diet Sales
New "pre-counted" 900-calorie liquid
diet foodi have become part of every
day life like nylons, froren foods and
small cars. As a result sales of pack
aged weight control drinks may top 200
million dollars this year, writes Don
Wharton in a May Reader's Digest art
icle, "900-Calorie Liquid Diets ? And
How They Grew."
Surveys have indicated that women
users of liquid diets outnumber men
users three to one; that more women
over 40 use them than women 21 to 40
? although among men the reverse is
true Out of every 100 users of a liquid
diet about 29 use it for three meals a
day, 28 for two meals, 43 for one meal
(lunch being the favorite). One person
in three claims to use it seven days a
week.
Purchases seem to be motivated al
most as much by convenience as by
health or fashion. The man getting his
own breakfast, the working girl k> a
hurry, the office worker who doesn't
want to fight crowds at lunch, the ca
reer woman who comes home too tired
to prepare dinner ? all these buy liquid
diets because they're convenient, treat
the weight loss as an extra bonus.
Executives and secretaries sometimes
take a liquid diet to the office. One
family takes cans on auto trips to be
ready for stretches where th"? are few
good restaurants.
Wharton reports Metrical, the pioneer
product, in a few months became a
household word. It helped increase
sales of its manufacturer from 43 mil
lion dollars in the first nine months of
I960 to 84 million dollars in the same
period in 1960. Profits which had total
ed four million dollars, soared to more
than ten million dollars.
Memories In The Attic
(Elizabeth Swindell in the Wilson Timet)
I cleaned out the attic recently. I found
so many things that brought back memories
that I could not work for reading old news
papers, letters, and looking at pictares.
I ran across some boxes that brought forth
art ic l?s of gintking that should have bean
used as rags. There was the ailk petticoat C
heavily scalloped with silk thread and the big
shaded chrysanthemums that ware so stylish
when I was a flit
And for the Information of the younger
set, a camisole. They wan worn before the
days of slips. And flesh crepe de chine was
the material and the strap* over the shoulders
broidered with baskets of flowers la different
colors. Very pretty, too.
And do you remember when you carried a
dorine instead of the compact. I also came
aeroaa some very fancy hat pine, not the
abort kind tat the long ones wtth the decorat
ed heads, that could easily stick you. And
the story goes that the girls of the Gibson
age used them if the boys get fresh.
A pretty pair of bronze slippers, with the
buckles that were very expensive in that
day, were stock in oae center. And speaking
I of pointed toes, these had M sharp ? point
as the most extreme today. And next to
them was the slipper beg. This was used to
put your evening slipperi In to take to the
dances. You wore everyday slippers and car
ried your evening onea in the slipper bag.
The long and short of the cleaning up was
much stuff hauled out a* oU chain and the
like. But the major portion sUyed where It
had been, only pushed about so you co?M
sweep. For as some one said, "I bet you never
get all the stuff out of the attic. It will Just
stay here on and on."
Forever Blowing Bubbles
SOME LOCAL HISTORICAL SKETCHES
From Early Democrat Files
Sixty Years Ago
May t, 1901.
The Confederate Veterans will
meat in Boone on Saturday. Hay 11.
Glad to aee Hill Cottrell of Le
noir over at the entertainment last
Martha Mulwee, who is in the
last stages of consumption, is
thought to be very near death's
door.
J. P. Robbing and family of
Shell Creek, Tenn., have moved
to the Pond Bottom Farm on New
River.
We are told that In some parts
of the county the price of eow
pasture has advanced to two dol
lars per month by the land owners,
since the stock law came in.
Mr. Noah Winebarger and oth
er* of M?at Camp, made garden
at the Lutheran parsonage one
mile east of town on last Tues
day. The building, we are told,
will be. occupied by Rev. Mr. Hall
and family of Hickory.
Mr. J. R. Hagaman and family
who have been living in Boone
tince Christmas, have returned to
their home on Brushy Fork.
There are many reports extant
concerning the railroad, the latest
being that Capt. Dunivant of Mor
ganton has been notified by the
company to report at Blowing
Rock this week with a large fone
of hands to begin permanent work
on the line at Coffey's Gap. We
hope the report is true and that
the work will begin at once.
Saturday was a sad day in Boone.
It was the time for the pupils of
Watauga Academy to bid farewell
to those with whom they have at
aociated and labored the past ses
sion. The parting was indeed aad
as many tears, sighs and tremulous
voices were in evidence when the
final goodbye* were spoken. We
are glad to lam that it is the in
tention of the majority of them to
be present at the opening o. I the
next session in August.
Thirty-Nine Years Ago <
Mar i 1922.
Mr. Prank Critcher, formerly of
Watauga, but for i*me time a res
ident of Hampton, Va, if a visitor
for a few days at the home of his
brother, Mr. M. P. Critcher.
Dr. and Mrs. H. B. Perry and
two little chidlren were in town
Monday, the doctor having fully
recovered from injuries received
while attempting to open the safe
of the Valle Cruris Bank, which
some amateur burglar attempted
to rob some weeks ago.
At a meeting of the board of
aldermen of the town of Boone
held last Saturday, Mr. W. R.
Gragg, the efficient Mayor of the
town, for reasons unknown to us,
tendered his resignation and Mr.
Conrad Yates was appointed to fill
out his unexpired term.
Mr. Floyd Tate, keeper of Hie
riant far the New River Light A
owar Co, has greatlr Upprovad
%is motor-driven pleasure boat
which he plies on the btk power
dam. Ha had added to bia equip
ment a splendid camera and those
wanting pietues or that scenic lo
cality can get them on short no
tice. For a small fee the pleasure
seeker* can get an ideal sail of
three milea or more if they like.
T%e contract for the erection of
the Watauga Ceuatjr Bank Build
ing was awarded Saturday to Me
Ghee Brothers and Hodges, the
price not being given out for pub
lication. The buildings will occu
py a <taf?a of MO twt on Main
Street and 100 on Depot Street
?nd the building will be two and
three stories high. The bank will
be located on the corner, the
second story possibly to be used
for a Masonic Hall. Next, on King,
is. the Hardware Store which ex
tends entirely around the Bank
Building and fronts on both streets.
A general store is next, while the
fourth will be used as a post off
ice.
Fifteen Years Ago
May 2, INI
Hon. Brandon Hodges, disting
uished attorney of Asheville, has
been secured as commencement
speaker at the 43rd annual com
mencement at Appalachian State
Teachers College.
Solom E. Cline, 51 years old, for
the past two years superintend
ent of the Baker-Mebane Hosiery
Mill of this city, died at his home
in the Rivers Apartments Mon
day afternoon from a sudden ill
ness. A heart attack was given
as the cause of his demise. Mr.
Cline had just returned from work
when stricken, and was dead by
the time a physician arrived, only
a few minutes after the attack.
N. B. Smithey, prominent local
merchant and head of the Smithey
chain of stores, sustained a broken
arm in a fall at a building in El
kin Monday. His right arm was
broken near his shoulder and he
spent Monday night in the hospital
at Elkin.
Mr. Vaught Mast, a patient at
Mountain Home, Tenn., is report
ed to be improving and is under
going special treatment for a se
vere arthritic condition that hos
pitalized him some two weeks ago.
The Russian army has in its
possession the charred bones of
Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun, his
mistress-wife since a few days af
ter they killed themselves in the
bunkar of the Berlin reckichs
cty^npellery a year ago, a British
intelligence officer said Tuesday.
The annual May Day festivities
at Apaplachian State Teachers Col
lege will be held at the football
stadium Saturday afternoon. May
4th.
Just One Thing
By CARL GOERCH AFTER ANOTHER
If you want to pass a few min
ute* in deep thought, suppose you
try to think of a word which con
tain* all of the vowel*. Here are
six of them, and there probably
Are many more: abstemiously,
artenioas, facetious, nefarious and
vermiparous. One of the most
common of all ? sequoia.
Said Edmund Harding of Wash
ington, N. C., during the cour*e
of bis speech before the state con
vention of commercial secretaries:
"I'm not ? Catholic; I'm an Epis
copalean An Episcopalean is a
Catholic who has flunked Latin."
Writes Mr. James MacClamorch
of Greensboro:
* "What is the difference be
tween a fort and a fortress? I have
asked the question a number of
times but I never have received a
satisfactory answer."
Best answer we can give Mr.
MacClamroch i* the one that is
contained In the dictionary. A
fort i* a fortified place occupied
only by troops. A fortress is a
fortified place, especially a large
and permanent fortification, some
times including a town.
Mr. Richard Duffy of New Bern
told us recently that she had a
cook named Annie Artie Lazzina
Haniclappy Deepenie Eccilessie
Bessie Lena Carrie PereiUa Pitts.
She married a preacher by the
name of Stanly. The cook, I mean,
not Mrs. Duffy.
Mrs. W. B. R. Guion, also of
New Bern, has had in her posses
?ton for several years ? wedding
announcement which was publish
ed in a newspaper. It reads like
this: ?
ANNOUNCEMENT
Mrs. I. B. Robinson announces
the marriage of her daughter, Na
dene, to Mr. Alvin Harris, Stacy,
August 12, 1MB.
other daughter, Faonie
Lofese, annapace* the fact that
she is yet Qoaarriari and On the
watting list though many people
suppose otherwise
Coming down on the train from
New Irorit some time ago, I ran
into ? most interesting individual
who said that his home was in
Jacksonville, Fla.
He and I were sitting in thl
smoking compartment, talking. He
proved to be a moat interesting
conversationalist and we sat and
chatted for about half an hour.
Finally I said I believed I'd retire.
"Come back to my berth," he
said, "I want to show you some
thing."
I went back to his berth with
him. He opened his suitcase and
my eyes popped out when I saw
what it was that he was dragging
out.
It was the biggest pair of feet
imaginable. If they had been real,
the owner would have had to wear
about a size 16 shoe. They were
made of some find of heavy rub
ber and were painted so that they
looked absolutely life-like. There
were wonderful bunions and corns.
"What in the world ? 1" I gasp
ed.
"Grand eat things you've ever
seen in your life," he said. "When
I get ready to go to bed, I stick
these feet underneath the curtains,
so that they protrude well out in
to the aisle. Then I lay back in my
bunk and listen to cpmments at
prople who pass up and down the
aie It's as good as sny show
you've ever been to in all your
life."
Of course, I tried to buy the
feet from him, but be wouldn't
sell.
The late O. O. Mclntyre once
wrote about a most enjoyable day
he had had. The weather had been
fine he had had something espec
ially good to eat; a few intimate
had dropped around to call on him,
and he had gotten some new news
papers signed up for his column
So K was wtth a feeling of genu
ine satisfaction that he settled
down Ln an easy ahair to look at
some oi his mail. The very first
letter was from a friend in Iowa.
In it was this query: "By the way,
have you ever heard of Mr*. Cor
rigan from Irregan, Oregon?"
Needless to say, that ruined the
vest of the day for Mr. Mclntyra.
Mrs. Corrigan from Irregan,
Oregon!
KING STREET
By ROB RIVERS
Of Natmm , . And Short-Co
The inclination to call the new President Jack, or John
resulted in the issuance of advices from the White House
that the Executive would like to be referred to as JFK or
Kennedy. . . . Which set us to wondering bow the word Jack
ever managed to become a synonymn for John. . . . Men
have traditionally taken short-cuts in the matter of names
and in everything else, due perhaps to a smidgin of laziness
and impoliteness, but there's no saving there? both have four
letters.
James was long since simmered down to Jim ? how come
we don't know, William was dubbed Bill, Bob did away with
Robert in most circles, arid we're hard put to And out bow
Ditfk came to be a shortening-up of Richard
We think it maybe came natural to use Joe for Joseph,
Will for William, Ed for Edward, Alex for Alexander, Andy
for Andrew, but we never particularly liked the perverting
of Henry into Hen.
On the distaff side, it took some imagining to make
Margaret come out Maggie, and to get Sallie out of Sarah,
but Lizzie seems the logical shortening of Elizabeth.
In lots of cases the changing of names does result in
shortening, and sometimes it doesn't but we'd agree that the
main purpose is to prevent the uttering of another syllable
or so.
Like the time we had a serious family discussion with
Pink Baldwin, when we were trying to find out the full name
of the bearded tale-teller of the big hill. . . . "To tell you the
truth," quoth old man Pink, "my name ain't Pink, a-tall . . .
it's Bill ? they just set to callin' me Pink fer short."
* * * *
In Days Like These . . Things We See
In nature's homing days, one doesn't have to note the
calendar pad to tell there's a change taking place over the
land.
Like the towsel-halred youngster digging for fish worms
in the barn lot on a dewey morning and doubtless dreaming
dreams of the crawlers being gobbled up by giant trout and
bass and suckers. And the dandelions yellowing the good
earth, and the robins bobbing about over the landscape,
sometimes turning a head to listen for some sort of com
motion in the soil, and never failing to yank forth a red
worm from the spot where the stirrings originated. . . . And
the redbreasts are starting their nesting, and may be seen
flying to the thick-branched trees with beaks full of straw,
which they gathered meticulously, never dropping one of
the pieces of nesting material when they open their bills
to pick up another.
The cherry trees breaking forth in full bloom . . the big
sweet sort, which grow to giant size and which seem to be
peculiar to this part of the country. . . Boone's street is no
longer edged with these monstrous trees like it used to be.
. . . Only Jefferson perhaps had more in the old days. . . . |
Most folks don't venture forth on the aging, brittle limbs to
get the succulent fruit, which provided such delicious pies,
and make a field day for the songbirds.
The apple trees beginning to show their delicate white .
and pinkish hues, and the Itlacs in fair leaf. . . . Sugar maples |
close to putting out their tender lacy green blooms, and the
black earth slithering away from the mole board plows.
But a lot of folks don't see the beauty and the pageantry
of nature's spring time wonders. . . They resent the winds
which sweep over the hills, and the showers which nurture
the stirrings in the good earth, and the chilliness which
freshens the air. . . . They see the discomforts of this fitful
time, and the capriciousness of April and of May, and the
frosts, and the spring time colds "which hurt a-body so much
more than in the plumb cold weather."
Those of us who grow weary sometimes of the long
winters and of the fuel bills and sometimes of the snow,
should feel repaid with a few days of springtime in the hills
. . of daffodils and tulips and golden bells and service blossoms
and dogwoods.
On the dismal side, we've hoped it would never be our
lot to be called away in springtime's balmy times, when all
the hills and valleys and slopes are coming to life, maybe
even before the rhododendron and ivy bring color and bright
ness to the rocky bluffs and lush wooded valleys. . . . Seems
like it would be a powerful bad time to leave.
Uncle Pinkneyr
HIS PALAVARIN'S
DEAR MISTER EDITOR:
The felleri at tb^ountry it ore
Saturday night waa diacusaing a
item from the Guvernment say
ing cows waa coating American
farmera milliona of dollara ever
year, Ed Dooiittle put in a good
word fer the crowa, allowed aa
how erowi waan't coating him
half aa much aa the Guvern
ment. He figgered crowa hadn't
coat him more'n $4 annual and
he wiahed he could aay the aame
fer Guvernment.
ieke Grubb said he waa glad
In? subject waa brung up on ac
count of him not taking that
crow deduction on hia income
tax report He aaid he aimed to
go home and write it on the barn
door, along with hia other re
cords, ao'i he wouldn't fergit it
next year. On second thought,
aaid Zeke, since it was deduct
able, be figgered the crows was
a little worse at his place than
over at Ed's, maybe about a <6
deduction annual.
Prom crowa the fellers natur
al got to talking about corn One
thing about a aession at the
country store, the verioua prob
lems at home and abroad ia took
up in logical order and solved
afore adjournment. In the Con
greaa, they ia apt to go from
crowa to the Congo in the aanse
meeting and hold the whole pro
Mam over far the next admin
istration
Bog Hookum brong up the
idea, come next Fall, of having
a old faahioned corn shucking In
Washington. Bug claimed that a
corn shucking at the national
level would do more fer good
will between the farmers and
Congress than a new Amendment
to the Constitution.
It was agreed by all that the
farmers should have charge of
this national corn shucking. If
the Congress handled it, claimed
Bug, the coat would raise taxes.
The farmers could handle it eco
nomic and without any long de
bates on protocol. If the Congress
aras in charge, said Bug, the
Senator fqgm Indiana would
want to set at the head corn
pile, the Senator from Iowa
would challenge \be distinguish
ed Senator from mdiana and by
the time they got this settled,
the crows would have done eat
up the com.
Zeke's id -a waa to string a
pile of corn around the Washing
ton Monument, and in places
around them Guvernment build
ings that would be convenient,
then invite all Guvernment of
ficials from the President on
down. When the gala affair was
over. Zeke said, a delicious bar
becue chicken dinner prepared
with crows would be served.
Them Congressmen, allowed
Zeke, would never know the dif
ference.
If you're in favor of this na
tional corn shucking event. Mis
ter Editor, we'd appreciate a lit
tle publicity.
Your truly,
Uncle Pink