The
PubUh?d l??ry Tu?td?y A ThurUty
n Times
S?r?M?a All Of FrMtfclm Cmtmty
LOCAL EDITORIAL COMMENT
The Least We Can Do
This very moment, an Ameri
can serviceman Is dying In
Vietnam. For him and his
family Thanksgiving, Christmas
and all the tomorrows are over.
Whether this sacrifice can
-ever be directly associated with
those of us living secure right
here in t?is area or not is a
question none of us want an
swered. We ar<3 grateful to
acknowledge that his sacrifice
does \indeed affect us. And
even .though his name Is un
known to us personally, the
sacrifice Is nonetheless appre
ciated.
Students atLoulsburg College,
In association witli their teach
ers and cooperation of the local
National Guard, have launched
a drive to give local citizens
the privilege of expressing
their feelings to the men in
South Vietnam.
The National Operation .. 1 s
known as "Operation Christ
mas Star" and the name is
appropriate.
Perhaps the local drive should
be called "Opportunity," for
truly it is Just that. It gives
every man, woman and child In
this area the opportunity ^o
show these gallant men that
somebody back here loves them,
appreciates what they are doing
and remembers. -
These students at Loulsburg
College are doing thla commu
nity a great service In spear
heading this campaign. The
Loulsburg Business Association
has endorsed the drive and
pledged an all-out effort by Its
members.
Everyone should certainly be
able to afford a small gift to be
sent to a serviceman In Viet
nam. Surely, the gift as such
will hold very little value. How
can you repay their sacrifices
In lost time, injuries and suf?
ferlng with a bar of soap or a
tube of toothpaste? No, It Is not
the value of the gift that counts.
It Is the act Itself? the act of
showing them that we care. And
we do care, we the people of
Franklin County, and we'll show
that we do.
If we are going to sleep to
night, could we possibly do
less?
NATIONAL EDITORIAL COMMENT
Our Modern World
Our modern world is something to
think about. We live in an age which
is notable for the number of ways We
might suddenly make a hasty exit
from this life.
If we go out onto the narrow strip
of concrete which is called a high
way, and drive on it long enough,
we are likely to meet someone head
on, or at least have'- to take to the
grass to avoid such a finale. And,
if we seek to escape it all, and take a
cruise, the luxury liner may co(iid?
with another ship. Also, there' ' a"'
the fast jet planes, which can afford
the fastest exi|t~in case of a mid-air
crash or explosion.
In short, it is a fast, dangerous
1 world in which we live, and when we
realize that a thousand or more Amer
icans die in accidents each week, it
is a sobering testimonial W our
hectic pace of life.
For those who can afford it, it
might be a good idea to buy a small
island in the Caribbean, or elsewhere.
An island and an ample supply of food
might be the difference between being
snuffed out in our modern-day society,
and living to say, "I told you so."
Highway Slaughter
One of the unbelievable things
about, our great country is that we
continue to allow the slaughter of a
hundred citizens a day on our high
ways and city streets. There is
nothing that can be written about
this cancer in our American way of
life that will change the situation
overnight. \
There is little to be written which
has not already \heen covered more
eloquently before \ by someone else.
No one answer c^n be offered as a ?
solution to the great American
oddity. The only solution lies in a
thoroughly aroused |xiblic opinion,
which, in its wrath, will finally
demand that adequate steps be taken
to curb the slaughter. When this day
comes patience with drunken driving,
with unsafe vehicles, with repealed
offences. and with flagrant violations
of speed and safety laws will end.
Then, the American people will
grow up and take driving seriously,
and reduce the number of tragic
deaths, of children and adults alike
many of whom die through no fault of
their own, only to have society do
comparatively nothing to punish their
killer.
On Conformity
Many Americans seem to be losing
sight of the fact each individual in a
free society must --to a large extent
- be responsible for his own general
welfare. <
In a recent nationwide opinion
poll, the majority of this country's
middle class felt enrollment in
federally-run job-training camps
should ? bt- required for habitually
unemployed people.
And a' public airing was held
recently in the District of Columbia
to consider a proposal to make it
unlawful for a driver or passenger
in a car, not to wear seat belts.
(Seat belts are advisable for most
people and can he recommended,
generally. But there are cases in
which persons suffered ruptures in
using them. And belts often don't
fit stout people, pregriant women
or small children It would present
prohlems for such people as opera
tors \ of milk-delivery trucks who
make many stops in a single block.)
We must be careful not, to build a
government which forces absolute
conformity, on all citizens. There
are exceptions and individual cases
where1 injustices inevitably occur
when we seek to legislate behavior
and personal decisions, which reach
into every detail of a citizen's life.
The Frankjin Times
Established 1S70
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The Franklin Times, Inc.
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CLINT FULLER, Managing Edltoj
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R PRIMER
VIEWPOINT - By Jesse Helms
Youth Appreciation Week
For the past several days,
the Optimist Club of Raleigh
has joined with its counterparts
around the country in drawing
a line that really ought to be
drawn substantially more often.
It's a process Involving at least
as much realism as optimism
and, besides, there's a good
deal of encouragement to be
found In it.
The Optimist Clubs of Ameri
ca have been observing what
they call "Youth Appreciation
Week." This is the ninth
straight year that the Opti
mists have formally tipped their
hats to the young people of the
nation, tt's a worthy project,
and one that ought to receive
mor6 attention than it has re
ceived. Moreover, It ought to
be mentioned that the launch
ing of the project nearly a
decade ago was achieved, in
part, through the good works
of the then' Governor of North
Carolina, Luther Hodges.
The Optimists are realistic
to suggest that a good deal of
the criticism of young people
today is the result of the na
tural dyspepsia that afflicts
adults who have forgotten the
stresses and impulses of being
young. Furthermore, however
valid the criticism of the con
duct and the tastes of today's
j^oung people may be, there
Is the very real and legiti
mate question as to who Is
setting the standards. The
ear-splitting torment of today's
popular music may well invite
the scoffs of those who are now
fat and- forty, but who was it
a quarter of a century ago
whC^. shrieked the lyrics to a
ditty about an "itty bitty fltty"
that swam and swam right over
a dam?
The Optimists recently were
busily citing statistics showing
that only five per cent of today's
teen-age population commit 100
per cent of the. Juvenile crimes.
The Optimists may go a little
far when they attest to the vir
tue of the other 95 per cent.
The statistical breakdown
doesn't take into account a great
many youthful practices not
involving recorded violations of
the law. It doesn't Include the
Increase in the number of teen
age consumers of alcohol, or
smoking, or car racing. It
does not relate to a great many
things to which today's adults
properly take exception.
But whose fault are these
things, really? Are kids from
upstanding well-disciplined
homes likely to cause trouble
away from home? We think
not. The fat-and-forty genera
tion, which has been so In
terested In making the fast buck,
had better examine its own
blemishes before It passes
Judgment on the teen-age set.
Youth Appreciation Week Is
not a bad Idea at all. It Is,
Indeed, a dandy one. It can
be improved upon if all of us,
and particularly parents, make
very clear what we appreciate
In our youth, and certainly what
we expect qf those close to us.
We can begin by setting a some
what better example of what we
mean by personal- responsi
bility. Then maybe the Opti
mists might one day consider
an observance of Adult Appre
ciation Week.
And speaking of the Optimists
we have thought to comment
earlier on a visit to Raleigh
recently by the president of
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Optimist International. In his
appearances here, Mr. John R.
Olvey emphasized another~pro
gram undertaken by Optimist
Clubs throughout the country
one calculated to encourage re
spect for the law, and for law
enforcement.
This Is a program that really
should not be necessary In a
civilized society which, more
than any other In history, ought
to have a full appreciation of the
Importance of respect for the
law. But In recent years there
has been a calculated effort
across the land to provoke law
lessness, and to glamorize
those who claim they have a
right to disobey laws which they
happen not to like.
Mr. Olvey and his fdllowPm'em
P"COME
TO
THINK
OF IT..."
COME
frank count
Even though they are six months away, the primaries next May
are beginning to draw some attention Already, we got more
suspected candidates for Sheriff than we had all toll last time
Birdie says. ..It's likely to look like a Frankllnton School Board
race before it gets over... (Everybody runs for the school
board at Frankllnton or something)
'Course, there'll be some other openings on the county payroll
come May... but the early talkers are mentioning only the
sheriff's office So, when, an otherwise total stranger meets
you on the street... smiles... and tries to get hold to your hand...
grab it He may be running for something... and If he offers
to buy you a cup of coffee or gives you a cigar... consider your
self as being ahead of the game. Politicians come early In
Franklin County First thing you know... they '11 be pushing
Christmas out of the way. ..as Christmas Is doing Thanksgiving
right now.
Speaking of Thanksgiving... you all remember that Thursday
is the day of the Bird... the Blubber... and the Burp. Be ye
prepared. It is also the day of Bird.. .the Band... and the Bounty.
Be careful in the woods (and bushes)... No telling who might
be doing the shooting. ?
And.. .all you football fans.. .you be careful.. don't fall alseep
and fall out of the chair. We lose more good boys that way.
But, whatever you do... old Frank hopes you'll have a fine
day.
The students at the college have come up with a good ldta...
sending gifts to the men in Vietnam. This Is a project every
body can get Into. Anybody who can't afford a bar of soap
or a tube of shaving cream to show these men how we feel Is in
sad shape... and better get onto one of the Poverty wagons at
once. Let's everybody join In
Come to think of it.. .let's send them our razors. ..been want
ing to stop shaving for a long time anyway.
bers of Optimist International
are not engaged in a routine,
or casual, project. What they
are talking about Is the survival
of America.
We think highly of both the
aforementioned activities of
Optimist International. We are
happy to note the participation
of the Raleigh Optimist Club In
them, and commend the mem- *
bers of the club for their efforts.
It Is an Indication that a very
clvll-mlnded civic club Is at
work.
The art of Intelligent writing
Is to make the words so simple
that no one gan misunderstand
you.
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