THE MARION PROGRESS
PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY BY THE
Mcdowell publishing co.
MARION, N. C.
TELEPHONE 64
S. E. WHITTEN, Editor and Publisher
ELIZABETH WHITTEN, News Editor
Entered at the Postoffice at Marion, N. C.,
as second class matter
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One year $2.00
Strictly in Adrance
LET US RETURN THANKS
On Thanksgiving Day many reverent Ame
ricans, looking with thanks to God, will give
testimony to their belief in a supreme being,
interested in the welfare of men and the de
velopment of saints. 1
Thanksgiving Day will be observed with
deep emotion by many believers in God. There
•will be many others, however, who, despite
.a fundamental belief in a supreme being and
a ready acknowledgement of devine blessings,
-will not bother themselves with the special
services held in the churches of the land.
Among the things for which the people of
this country should be thankful is the freedom
[which has come to American men and women.
We live our lives under no compulsion but our
own willingness to attempt to approach the!
divine spirit in relationship with other strug-'
gling human beings. At the same time, we are!
not required by the law of the land to make
any obeisance except that dictated by our con
sciences.
The United States, above all the nations on
earth, and the American people, apparently
above all other living groups, have been
abundantly blessed. Surely, if a benign provi
dence has a hand in the affairs of man, there
is occasion for reverent appreciation and
grateful thanks.
There will be some return thanks for their
-worldly goods, others for their sound health
and still others for the general good that has
-come to them in life. The original Thanksgiv
ing Day was designed to commemorate boun
tiful harvests, which assured early Americans
.sufficient food for the sustenance of life. The
day represents, by proclamations of of the
President and the Governors of the American
states, a special occasion set aside for a public
expression of thanks to Almighty God. j
BUY SEALS TO FIGHT T. B.
While the fight against tuberculosis has
jnade great progress, medical experts expect
that new drugs will make possible the aboli
tion of the diseases, we should not overlook
the fact that nearly 50,000 persons die every
year from tuberculosis. The disease is the sev-j
«nth, greatest cause of death in the United |
States. This should emphasize the importance j
of the annual sale of Christmas Seals for the
purpose of securing funds with which to ac
celerate the fight on the great White Plague.
The National Tuberculosis Association esti
mates the annual cost of tuberculosis at
$350,000,000. They think that a disease,
known to be curable and preventable should
"be prevented by a nation as alert as the United
States and when it occurs, should be cured.
When residents of McDowell County buy
^Christmas seals, they contribute their money
to the greatest undertaking.
Not all Christians will return thanks on
Thanksgiving Day in accordance with the:
"American tradition; they will be out hunting,
looking at football games and doing other
things.
Advertising is known by the company it
Iceeps. Your business message ,in The Progress
is welcomed by the best of families in McDow
ell county.
There is no end to the free publicity that is
being mailed in the United States.
Some folk are never happier than when
they are getting someone else into difficulties.
Smart business men are now making their
plans to get the Christmas shopper's cash.
We have noticed that the slowest moving in
dividuals like to speed up all others.
As long as some people have enough to eat,
they are satisfied with conditions as they are.
The courteous automobile driver rarely be
comes involved in an accident.
ZERO HOUR APPROACHES
On November 28, the people of McDowell
county.will be called upon to decide if they
want a modern new hospital. Every man, wo
man and child in the county will be given an
opportunity to invest according to their finan
cial ability in the fund-raising drive for this
vital cause.
That our county is one of the many in North
Carolina now without adequate hospital fa
cilities is a tragic truth with which all of us
are familiar. The number of beds for every
thousand people is only 1.7.
We know too that during the war a shame
ful percentage of our young men were reject
ed for physical unfitness when they came up in
the draft Yes, 60.3 per cent of the young men
called in McDowell county were turned down
—46.7 per cent of the whites and 67.4 per
cent of the Negroes! These men were rejected
because of bad eyes, bad teeth, bad feet and
[other similar physical defects that an ade
[quate county-wide progress of health care and
hospitalization possibly could have prevented.
There are other equally disturbing facts—
we have too few doctors and nurses; mid
wives still attend at some of our births; our
infant and maternal mortality rates are too
high; and our sanitation laws are not as strong
as they should be.
We need a new hospital in McDowell county
in size to serve our 25,000 people. We must
also care for cases from Yancey, Mitchell,
Avery, and other surrounding counties.
Maybe we haven't had to go to a hospital
lately. But don't think you never will. Sooner
or later you'll get sick. We all do. To you sick
ness may come slowly, or it can strike like
lightning. When it does come, an accessible
hospital bed could very possibly mean the dif
ference between your life and death.
Federal and state grants available amount
to 68.5 of the total construction and equip
ment cost. That means the federal and state
governments stand ready to give McDowell
County $480,000 cash on the barrelhead! All
we have to do tf) qualify for this bonanza is to
raise the remaining 31.5 per cent.
McDowell county citizens and industries
have given $120,000 of that amount. It is up
to everyone to give generously to help raise the
$100,000 that we must have to get the State
and Federal money.
Incidentally there are no strings attached
to the U. S. and N. C. grants. The money is an
absolute gift, and to get it we simply raise our
matching share. It boils down to this: for
every $31.50 McDowell county puts up to
build a hospital, the state and federal govern
ments will give $68.50, which is good business
in any man's language.
So, how about it, mister?
Will you do your part to insure the health
and happiness of yourself, your family, and
your friends and neighbors in McDowell coun
ty? Don't miss this chance.
Your contribution, no matter how small,
will help to make McDowell county a safe,
healthier and happier place in which to live.
NATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS
We have been of the opinion for a long time
that our government is becoming too paternal
istic in its attitude to the average citizen.
People are depending less and less upon
their own individual efforts and are depend
ing more and more upon the government to
take care of their problems.
So far as a great many people are concern
ed, the more you do for them, the less they
want to do for themselves.
We, wonder if the same thing isn't true of
some of the nations of the world. ,
For a number of years these nations have
been depending upon the United States for as
sistance. This assistance has been given freely
in most cases.
But how long is it to continue?
Is our country to play the part of Santa
Claus to the rest of the world for an indefinite
period of time?
One reason given for this assistance is that
it keeps other nations from going communis
tic.
That's fine. But what do you suppose will
happen when this aid eventually is with
drawn ?
We are inclined to believe that the answer
is contained in Vice-President Barkley's fa
mous story about the man in Kentucky for
whom the Senator had done many favors
throughout the years. In the last senatorial
campaign. Barkley learned to his amazement
that the beneficiary of his many kind deeds
was going to vote against him. He called upon
the voter and reminded him of all that had
been done. The man hesitated a moment and
then said: "Yes, that's all true, Senator; but
what have you done for me lately."—The
State,
The task of the church is to build character
in the individual; the duty of the state is to
provide a favorable environment for this task.
—Deets Pickett.
OUR DEMOCRACY byM.*
'WHITE MEAT- OR. DAR.K?"
-A FAMILIAR QUESTION- ON THANKSGIVING DAY
IN HOMES .THROUGHOUT THE NATION.
Let this choice remind us that, in the midst of
OUR GREAT PLENTY, WE (N AMERICA HAVE ALSO
FREEDOM TO CHOOSE OUR OWN WAY OP LIFE
IN GREAT THINGS AS WELL AS IN SMALI WE HAVE
FREEDOM UNLIMITED
-A PRIVILEGE-ANO ALSO A RESPONSIBILITY
THE ROSE - Queen of all Flowers
BY MRS. W. S. SHIFLET
Since the beginning of time,
flowers and gardens have played an
important role in the life of man
and are symbolic of Religion, His
tory and Romance. For centuries
the Rose has borne the title "Queen
of the Flowers" and has been the
inspiration of more stories, poems
and songs than any other flower.
The Rose is one of the oldest cul
tivated flowers, its origin is hidden
, in the far distant past but every
few years a new variety is perfect
ed. You may be a casual gardner
but that need make no difference,
you can grow roses. Choose your
kind according to the care you are
willing to provide, and your joy
will be enough to share with others.
It has been said that Sappho, the
ancient Greek Poetess first called
the Rose, "Queen of Flowers" and
the Greeks and Romans used the
rose for wreaths as an orbental ex
pression of beauty and as a sym
bol of love, joy and prudence, the
sweetness and beauty of young
| love. The Greek word for rose is
I Rhodon, and one of the Greek leg
ends tells us that once a beautiful
maiden called Rhodanthe fled to
the Temple of Diana in order to
escape pursuit of three ardent lov
ers. Rhodanthe's beauty and radi
ence impressed the handmaidens of
I Diana so much that they decided to
! give her Diana's place as their God
dess. Appollo driving his sun char
| ion overheard, looked down and
; seeing the insult to his sister,
| Diana, became so angry that he
| changed Rhodantha into a rose and
l the handmaidens into thorns to be
j with her f orever, and spying the
: ardent lovers, he changed them into
' the worm, the bee and the butter
i fly and to this day they are still
j pursuing the rose.
Cupid used the Rose as a dart to
penetrate the heart of love, the
Rose conveying a message in num
ber and color. If Cupid sends Red
Roses, its love and if there three
they say "I Love You." When
three white ones, they say "I wish
to wed." If three yellow roses, "I'm
very jealous." Of course its the
imaginative and sentimental in
mankind that endows them with
this intelligence and the rose still
speaks in your gift thru all the
ages, letr, grow them and let them
speak for Marion.
Three months of the year the
Rose holds first place. In February
we use them for Valentines and in
arrangments for a patriotic color
scheme, nothing could be more
lovely than Red Roses, white snap
dragons and Blue Delphinium to
represent Old Glory. We wear a
•rose on the second Sunday in May
and June for Roses that grow in our
family garden, Mother and Dad,
Red if they are living and white if
they have been transplanted to Gar
den Fair above. June is also called
month of Roses and Brides and they
seem to belong to each other. The
Rose is really Queen at this time
as various designs, bouquets and
Jrangements of Roses are used for
weddings.
There is no definite way td use
| the Rose, or container to hold them.
'We think of the Rose with fine
j china, porcelain and silver, but they;
j are used with grass and shrubs in;
I containers of copper, pewter, pot
!tery and glass, and have won blue
j ribbons in all at various Flower j
; Shows.
| '
; The Rose, Queen of all Flowers,!
; its beauty and fragrance brings joy
to all, in the garden of King or
around lonely cabin. So lets grow j
; Roses.
THANKSGIVING
Thanksgiving: Day, a legacy of
the Pilgrims, is the most distinct
ively American of all our holidays.
It is especially cherished because of
the democratic ideals it represents,
and because of its religious signi
ficance as a time of thankfulness to
God for our blessings.
Driven by religious persecution
from England, the Pilgrims found
i refuge in the Netherlands, but be
J cause Dutch living conditions dis
| pleased them, they set out for the
New World. Landing at Plymouth
Rock on December 21, 1620, they
did not find a country of -abund
ance. It took hard work and con
stant application for them to sur
vive the severe winter. One of ev
ery two families perished from
cold, hunger, or disease. When
fortune finally smiled and Novem
her, 1621, brought a bumper crop.
Governor William Bradford of the
Plymouth colony ordered a three
day feast of thanksgiving;
From this three-day celebration,!
and a similar day of religious i
thanks giving held by the Pilgrims
on July 30, 1623, to express thanks
to God for a favorable change in
the weather that saved the crop
and prevented wholesale starva-;
tion, our modern Thanksgiving
Day originated.
George Washington issued the j
first presidential Thanksgiving pro
clamation on October 30, 1789, to
mark the adoption of the Consti
tution. He designated Thursday,
November 26, as as a day of gen
eral thanksgiving on which he
would also ask God "to enable us
all, whether in public or private
stations, to perform our several
and relative duties properly and
unctually."
The next president to issue an
important Thanksgiving proclama
tion was- Abraham Lincoln, who in
I860 urged all Americans to ob
serve the last Thursday in Novem
ber as a day for national thanks
giving. The holiday has been ob
served annual^ since then.
Thanksgiving Day, then, is a
day for reflecting upon our respon
sibilities as American citizens, For.
if the Pilgrims have any message
for us today it is the importance of
developing this sense of responsi
bility, a responsibility they posses
sed to a high degree.
The American Heritage Founda
tion which directed the nation-wide
tour of the Freedom Train has pro
posed that we revitalize Thanks
giving and other major holidays by
making them occasions for stimula
ting "active membership."
These are the nine duties of a
good citizen suggested by the foun
dation in its holiday program:
(1) vote in all elections; (2)
serve cn a jury when called; (2)
respect and obey the laws; (4) pay
taxes understandingly; (5) work
for peace, but accept all duties in
time of war; (6) avoid group pre
judices; (7) work for better
schools; (8) work for all communi
ty improvements; (9) practice and
teach good citizenship at home.
One of the tragedies of our times
is that few Americans realize that
the development of this sense of
responsibility is the only way our
national greatness can be sustain
ed. If our American heritage is to
be preserved, enriched and handed
down to future generations, each
citizen must feel morally respon
sible for contributing to the better
ment of his community, state and
nation.
Three religious leaders have
.stressed these points in special
1949 Thanksgiving statements is
sued at the request of the Ameri
can Heritage Foundation.
Bishop John Stamm said: "There
is urgent need of the recovery of
a more meaningful observance of
Thanksgiving Day. Feasting. fel
lowship and other social activities
are not substitutes for thanksgiv
ing to God. In these days when
many people forget God, an'd, when
there is growing totalitarian con
trol which rules God out and seeks
to enforce a pagan philosophy of
life, we as a nation need to remind
ourselves of our national heritage.
The founding fathers sought to es
tablish a nation of freedom, not to
talitarian rule. Freedom is, how
ever, possible only when there are
spiritual foundations, when God is
recognized in His soverign char
acter and power, and when men are
willing to do the will of God."
The Rev. Raymond A. McGow
and, Director of the Social Action
Department of the national Wel
fare Conference, said: "...Thanks
giving Day checks us, or should
check us, in this matter of not ask
ing God's help. I know that Thanks
giving Day tends to be a late break
fast. a big dinner, a football game,
a later radio round-up of the foot
ball games over the country, and
a tired evening. I am so foolishly
American an optimist as to think
that the real meaning of Thanksgiv
ing creeps through, anyway. If it
does, that makes Thanksgiving Day
a great dav.
Dr. Bernard J. Bamberger, pres
ident, Synagogue Council of Ameri
ca, said: "We must not only voice
our gratitude for our blessings, but
must recognize the obligations they
impose upon us. . . . Freedom, bro
therhood, and democracy can be
eroded and dissipated if we are
careless and indifferent. May
Thanksgiving Day awaken us more
fully to our duty to protect and
conserve and extend the blessings
of liberty—for us our people, and
for all people everywhere."
As expressed in the words of the
American Heritage Foundation's
"Freedom Pledge:"
I am an American. A free Ameri
can
Free to speak—without fear,
Free to worship God in my own
way.
Free to stand for what
right.
Free to oppose what I
wrong,
Free to choose those who
my country.
This heritage of freedom I pledge
to uphold
For myself and all mankind.
Christmas Seal funds support
progTam of education, case finding,
rehabilitation, and medical re
search directed at eradicating tu^
berculosis.
How To Relieve
Bronchitis
Crecmulsion relieves promptly because
it goes right to the seat of the trouble
to help loosen and expel germ laden
phlegm and aid nature to soothe and
heal raw, tender, inflamed bronchial
mucous membranes. Tell your druggist
to sell you a bottle of Creomulsion
with the understanding you must like
the way it quickly allays the cough
or you are to have your money back.
CREOMULSION
for Coughs^Chest Colds,Bronchitis
I think
believe
govern