The Joanuil - Patriot
INDEPENDENT IN POLITICS
Published Mondays and Thursdays at
North Wilkesboro, North Carolina
JULIUS C. HUBBARD—MRS. D. J. CARTER
Publisher*
1»S2—DANISH. J. CARTER—194k
SUBSCRIPTION RATES:
One Year $2.00
(la Wilkes and Adjoining Counties)
One Year $3.00
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Entered at the postofflce at North Wilkes
boro, North Carolina, aa Second-Class mstter
under Act of March 4, 1879.
Thursday, Juno 30, 1949
HOLIDAY WEEK-END— ..
IS DANGEROUS PERIOD—
July 4 will be next Monday, when
Americans will celebrate the 173rd an
niversary of independence.
The fact that the holiday comes at the
end of a week-end period makes it all
the more dnagerous from the standpoint
of accident hazards.
Millions of Americans during the week
end will take motor trips, and hundreds
of them will never return to their homes
alive. Estimates have already been made
of an accident 'toll which is expected to
be alarming. The people know the danger,
and advance warning should make them
more safety conscious.
If all drivers during the coming week
end would contemplete the dangers in
volved, the accident toll could be held to
a minimum Every driver should resolve
to drive more cautiously than ever before,
because of the increased hazards, and
should make certain as far as humanly
possible that he will not cause an acci
dent.
Because of the heavy traffic, drivers
should lower their speed and drive as if
every other driver on the road were
crazy.
There can be no excuse for driving
while drinking. About half the holiday
accident toll will be caused, as usual, by
drivers under the influence of nitoxicants^
If you are going to drink, even lightly, stay
out from under a steering wheel and make
sure that the person driving the vehicle in
which you are riding has not been drink
ing.
Each year there are warnings for a
"Safe and sane Fourth," and each year
the accident toll goes up needlessly. Use
of more common sense and caution will
eliminate the unnecessary slaughter on
the highways.
WHAT IS ALCOHOLISM?—
The Christian Science Monitor under
the by-line of John Beaufort, has a full
page discussion of the question "What is
Alcoholism?" and says that experts inter
viewed agreed that the only cure for alco
holism is abstinence. It credits to Dr. How
ard W. Haggard, director of the Yale Uni
versity Laboratory of Applied Physiology,
the statement that there are 6,000,000
"excessive drinkers" in the United States.
This is a considerably greater figure than
has heretofore been current. The Chris
tian Science Monitor says, "Other author
ities declare that slightly more than 10
per cent of this group have reached an ad
vanced stage of alcoholism . . ." The ar
ticle continues:
"Perhaps the alcoholic is the man his
family talks much about—the father
whose lurching entrance can fill a room
with silent, agonized embarrassment or
terror, or nervous laughter. Maybe he's
the drinker who waits in remorse and
wretchedness until the street is empty and
the house is dark, before going home.
The victim of alcoholism does not "limit
himself to making life unhappy for him
self, his family, and his friends. He invar
iably is in trouble.
"He falls down on his business and pro
fessional responsibilities. He is an all too
familiar figure in the courts, jails, hos
pitals, and welfare offices of the nation.
"An individual has filled the qualifica
tions for an 'excessive drinker,' says Dr.
Haggard, 'when, ay a result of drinking,
he has harmed himself repeatedly—spirit
ually, socially, economically, and physio
logically.'
The alcoholic usually starts out as a so
cial drinker, according to the Yale Plan
authorities. For a time, his particular ten
dency may not be noticeable.
"But as the years pass, he more and
more often is the person who drinks to
get drunk, who 'blacks out' at a party and
can't remember a thing about it the next
morning, who drinks to overcome the ef
fects of drinking and so increases his
problem, who 'sneaks' drinks on the quiet,
who cannot stop drinking even when he
wants to, and who finally loses all con
trol of his drinking once he has taken one
drink.
PEDESTRIANS NEED—
BETTER PROTECTION—
The amount of motor traffic at the cor
ner and B and Ninth streets here makes
it difficult for pedestrians to cross the
street, with or against the green light.
All too many drivers here totally disre
gard the rights of pedestrians and many
serious if not fatal accidents have been
averted only bee use the pedestrians
were able to jump quickly.
Often a stream of cars will make a left
turn rapidly through the intersection with
no regard whatever for walkevs trying
to cross the street. And it is amazing that
many drivers believe- that they have the
right of way in making such turns, and
that it is up to tha pedestrians to get out
of the way or else. A town this size should
accord pedestrians better protection. Per
sons walking across the streets of other
cities with the green light have some as
surance that they will not get run down.
Here a pedestrian for his own safety
should be poised for a leap in any direc
tion.
o
The accident death toll of Memorial Day
approximated 400. Just about one-fourth
of these died because of drinking by them
selves or others. That means 100 homes
plunged into sorrow in one day because
we treat alcohol as though it were milk.
T u r
EVERYDAY
COUNSELOR
By Rev. Herbert
Sp&ugh, D. D.
So you are mad, are yon? Or perhaps
your feelings are hurt and you are pouting
over in a corner. Well, what are you going
to do about it?
If you continue to nurse your anger or
hurt feelings you are going to be increas
ingly unhappy. You are going to hurt your
self more than you hurt anybody else.
Maybe you havebecome so angry that
you have caused the one who has offended
you to be hailed into court. That's bad for
you and for him. A prominent court offici
al recently told me that the majority of
those who brought others into court did
so for revenge and not for justice.
Revenge is a two-edged sword. It cuts
both ways. The Bible says, "Vengeance is
mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." But so
many of us usurp the power of God and
set out to secure revenge for ourselves.
Then what happens? Revenge calls for re
taliation; and retaliation calls for revenge,
and the vicious circle commences, enlarg
es, grows greater, all the while creating
more misery and unhappiness for a larger
number of people.
What satisfaction do you get out of
revenge? If any, it is a vicious or sadistic
pleasure, which brews a poison within
your own soul.
History is filled with the stories of men
and women who set out in anger for ven
geance. Some of yon may recall two meni
recently who exemplified this by the name'
of Adolph Hitler and Benito MnssoHni.
Some of you who are obsessed with
this idea of vengeance are professing
Christians and church members. Others
of you who are licking your wounds over
some affront you have received are also
members of churches, clubs, and organiza
tions which profess to teach their mem
bers largeness of spirit. Shame on you!
Why don't you grow up and be your age?
Displays of temper and pouting are
signs of immaturity nad childishness. I
will never forget seeing a man walk head
long into the edge of an open door. He
wasn't looking where he was walking and
received a severe bump on the head. It an
gered him so that he kicked the door. This
hurt his foot. He was now hurt on both
ends, and his language became sulphur
ous. All of which shortened his life just
that much and hurried him a little quicker
toward the grave, in addition to making
him appear ridiculous in the sight of those
standing by.
American Legion
Highway Safety
Committee Named
New Bern.—R. C. Godwin of
New Bern, Commander of the
North Carolina Department of
the American Legion, today an
nounced the appointment of a
five-man accident prevention and
highway safety committee to be
headed by Police Chief J. Oar
land ' Young of Clayton.
Commander Oodwln declared
in announcing the appoint
ments:
"The ever increasing traffic
accident toll demands that all or
ganizations be cognizant of this
unhealthy situation, and it is
my epinlon that Legion Posts
and individual members of the
Department of North Carolina
should be alerted to this situ
ation and utilize their efforts to
curtail the dreadfuj loss of life
in the country and especially In
North Carolina.
The National Safety , Council
recently released facts in which
more than four thousand acci
dents are anticipated over the
July 4 week-end. The Legion
hopes in some way to contribute
to a safe celebration of our na
tion'^ independence."
The Legion Department passed
a resolution at its recent con
vention in Raleigh asking each
Post to organize and operate
Highway Safety Councils.
Others named to the Legion
Safety Committee are:
Captain Charles A. Speed of
Highway Patrol Troop B; P. B.
Bateman of Plymouth; Richard
B. Smith, Hickory, and Robert
R. Williams, Jr., of Ashevllle.
The Committee will serve until
June, 1950.
Seven Of Nine Killed
As Cor, Truck Collide
Madera, Calif:—Two Stockton,
Calif., families, crowded into a
1941 sedan, were all but wiped
out in a collision with a heavily
laden vegetable truck. Seven of
the nine were killed.
Two others are in serious con
dition in a hospital.
The truck driver, Don Allen,
Stockton, told police the passen
ger car served into his lane.
He was not held.
Wreckage and victims were
strewn over the highway. t
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