Newspapers / The Warren Record (Warrenton, … / Sept. 10, 1981, edition 1 / Page 2
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QUje barren IRecord Published Every Thursday By Record Printing Company P O Box 70 Warrenton, N C 27589 BIGNALL JONES, Editor HOWARD F JONES, Business Manager Member North Carolina Press Association ENTERED AS SECOND CLASS MATTER AT THE POST OFFICE 1 IN WARRENTON, NORTH CAROLINA, UNDER THE LAWS OF CONGRESS Second Class Postage Paid At Warrenton. N C w> W.Ufwi itiHJ Owt O? State SUBSCRIPTION RATES: $4 UO S.« Montis A Happy Occasion For those who recognize that jobs are the greatest single need of the people of Warren County and the need of more industries to provide these jobs, Thursday of last week must have been a happy time when leaders of both Norlina and Warrenton gathered here to have their towns judged for membership in the Governor's Communities of Excellence Program. The gathering was an exhibition of results that are promised when all people of a community gather to gether for the attainment of a common objective. There is little doubt that both Warrenton and Norlina will join the ranks of the Governor's Communities of Excellence, but if they should not, both communities will have taken a step forward as the result of their efforts. We have long recognized that a large town is needed for the growth of any county and have watched for several years the growing coopera tion between Norlina and Warrenton with rising hope that they become for practical purposes of livability one town. Few things could promise more for our dream than the location of the Warren County Consolidated High School, and the end of an athletic rivalry that has hindered cooperation, and the joint sharing of a school that promises to do much for both the short term and long term advancement of Warren County. Last Thursday a score of our lead ers got a view of what years of pre paration and the expenditure of some tax money can do as the com mittee heads answered correctly every question asked by the committee of judges. listening to the proceedings, we were not only surprised by the amount of talent shown, but received new hope for the advancement of our county as a result of its abundance in the two towns. On The Banning Of Books In The Fayetteville Times A new study, said to be the most exhaustive ever, concludes that one school in five has been the target of 'cen sorship." A depressing list of authors deemed "unfit" includes such luminar ies as Shakespeare and Solzynitsyn, raising doubt that any author could win the approval of the listmakers What is just as depressing, though, is the consistent misuse of the word "censorship." Censorship means preventing a writer from writing or a publisher fom publish ing, or preventing either of the two from attempting to sell his work. There is nothing in the First Amend ment that compels anyone to buy what is offered for sale. No publisher has a constitutional right to unload his merchandise on a captive market. A local school system has as much right as a private citizen to say, "No thanks." The book-banning movement, in short, is not "censorship." It is, however, a serious problem—not because teachers and school librarians should have exclusive power to choose reading materials, but because there's always someone who thinks he can improve upon freedom of choice. A parent who tried to keep his child from being exposed to a particular book is, at least in his own mind, behaving responsibly. But a parent who tries to have that book removed from the library altogether is trying to make a decision for all other parents, as well. Parents, educators, and most especially students ucaciA c better than that. A school system that takes reasonable care in choosing compulsory reading material should not feel obligated to defend itself, day in and day out, against ideologues plainly bent on indoctrinating the entire student body. The key word, of course, is "system"—in this instance meaning a panel of parents, teachers, librarians, and administrators. Perhaps even a student or two. Relying on such an authority is no guarantee of smooth sailing. Even representative government, by far the best kind known to man, has its flaws. But the alternative is to try to please every parent all the time, at the expense of young minds that need to absorb and grow. First Vonnegut and Salinger, then Solzynitsyn and Shakespeare, then various translations of the Bible, until only one was left. And eventually, rest assured, that too would go. Diversity is inherent in any institution in a democratic society. And over the long run, diversity is far healthier than all the alternatives. A child reared in a moral vacuum does not become a moral adult. He becomes an adult who is morally naked, and un equipped for the world into which he inevitably will be thrust. Any parent who refuses to accept that should be politely but firmly advised to go start his own school, and let the public schools get on with their work. News Of 10, 25 And 40 Years Ago Looking Back Into The Record SeptlC, 1971 The Warren ton Tobacco Market sold 258,373 pounds of tobacco on opening day for $201,138.58 at an average of 77.85 cents per pound, L. O. Robertson, Jr., sales supervisor, re ported on Tuesday morn ing. Wayne L. Wicker, 26, of Roanoke Rapids has suc ceeded Alan Basnight as N. C. Wkllife Protector for Warren County. Basnight resigned several weeks ago to accept a position with the State Highway Patrol. John W. Edwards and Company, Warren ton en gineers, estimated that the cost of mapping plots of real estate to be taken into town under a proposed annexation plan would be H300, according to a letter presorted to the board of town commissions on Mon day night by Mayor W. A. Miles Sept. 14,1956 Voters of Warren County in a special election on Saturday approved the school amendment, com monly known as the Pearsall Plan, by a vote of six to one. The vote was 2,221 for; 321 against. The Warrenton Tobacco Market made one of the highest averages in the Middle Belt when the six warehouses here opened on Monday morning at 9:00 o'clock for the sale of the 1956 tobacco crop. The market had gross sales of 316,292 pounds which it sold for an average of $55.03. Homecoming services will be held at the Warren Plains Baptist Church on Sunday morning beginning at 11 o'clock. An important feature of the service will be the dedication of the new educational annex, the Rev. R. E. Brickhouse, pastor, said. Sept. 12,1941 The John Graham High School opened on Monday morning at 9:30 o'clock with an enrollment of 716 pupils, which, according to Principal Paul Cooper, was slightly under last year's enrollment at the beginning of school. Tobacco averaged thir ty-one and a fraction cent per pound here on the opening day of the market this week and brought general satisfaction to the farmers of this and sur rounding counties who marketed more than 270, 000 pounds of the weed in Wairenton. Miss Mabel Davis, who is in charge of Warren County Memorial Library, is suffering this week from a carbuncle on her arm. Her weekly column, The Torch, will be missed this week by readers of The Warren Record. Mostly Personal This Article Is Timely By BIGNALL JONES The timeliness of this column in "The Wake News," by Carol Pelosi," rather than lack of material or inclination on this Labor Day holiday, is responsible for me making it the greater part of my column this week. Each week she writes an inter esting feature under the heading "Back Room Notes." Below is repro duced her column of September 3: There Are No More Afternoon Strip Sessions I wouldn't want to return to those thrilling days of yesteryear, but I must admit to a slight sense of nostalgia that crept in Monday. With only one very organized person still in public school, the first day of school is not at all the super-event it used to be at our house. Poor third child! When we had only one going to school, but for the first time, there were all sorts of advance pre parations. Like a good mother, I had inspected the first kindergarten room, the first kindergarten teacher and scouted the route to school, just around the block. For the last high schooler, we only ask if she has checked on her carpool ride. Getting to school for much of the first year could be traumatic for everyone. When you are 5 years old, a solitary journey, even if it is just around the block, can be too much. When you are the mother of the 5-year old and a 2-year-old and a tiny baby, a trip around the block can be an outing or a total disaster. School al ways started at the same time the 2-year-old started dressing, undressing or playing with the potty and the baby thought it was dinner-time. My mother of the year nomination went out the window while I was wheeling up the pavement, trying to keep the school bound one calm, the home-bound one half-cov ered and the infant quiet. Once they got settled in school, the after-school sessions could be fascinat ing. "Why are you getting home late?" "I stayed after school because Nancy (the freckle-faced apple of his eye at the time) said she was going to take all her clothes off behind school." "Well, did she?" "Yeah." "Then what happened?" "I came home." Now I must admit that most of the after-school sessions centered on those items like the above, the interesting ones, while the academic part of the day got little notice except a lot of groaning. Once in a great while they might drop a hint that a teacher or two lurked in the halls of learning, but the interest ing part of school was what a friend said what, who was going with whom and what they didn't like about lunch. This year we haven't even had the annual ward robe investment. Of course the boys never wore any thing that looked like it was new once they got to choose their own clothes, but they had to go buy all this new stuff. I think they had learned how to age sneakers and T-shirts instantly. Their sister had learned the secret of recycling clothes-and she hangs on to them until she is sure they will never be used again. To clean her closet this fall, she gave away a sweater from second grade. How can I miss spending $200 on socks, underwear, blue jeans and T-shirts? Why do I feel a vague loss when I don't have to lay out cold cash for something "everybody else is wear ing." Mothers have to be strange to miss something they enjoyed about as much as a toothache at the time. 0, at least, that's what I said. The Letter To The Editor of The Smithfield Herald, under date of Sept. 4, is just the kind of letter that I like to read on a rainy Labor Day holiday when many of my friends are asleep and I am working. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I hope you will also: A WORRIED GRAND MOTHER APPRECIATES HUMANCOURTESY To The Editor: Our little five-year-old grandson was coming for his last summer visit before school started. An efficiently kind voice said over my telephone: "We have your grandson here at the Raleigh-Durham Airport." 1 stuttered and tried to think: Was this some kind of joke? Then stark reality hit me in my capped teeth: My son and I had failed to communicate again. I said to the lady on the phone: "May I speak to the little boy?" Scott serenely answered: "Hi, Nana." I said: "Do you have any money for your lunch?" He said: "I have 50 cents and two pennies at home." I said: "Let me speak to the lady again." She assured me that he would be fine for the hour it would take me to get to the airport and that she would feed him. It seemed like 600 miles from my kitchen door to the airport. I was such a trembling mass of grand motherly flesh, and I didn't dare drive over 50 miles an hour or break one road rule. I caught every single red light going to that airport, yet I made it in 50 minutes. As I get older, I get more sensitive to warm, human courtesy. I drove up to the front of the airport to ask if I could park closer while I ran in to get my abandoned grandson A kind gentle man said: "Here is the nearest entrance. He is right inside He is fine." The only flight out of Columbia, S. C. to Raleigh was one of those little shuttle planes, and all I saw was Delta. Eastern, Piedmont. But a Delta gentleman winked kindly at me and said: "He's fine. Keep straight." I knew I looked like the witch of Endor, but I was guided by Eastern, Pied mont, and Delta people and travelers to the kindest pair of eyes I've seen since my grand mother died. She smiled confidently at me and said: "You're Scott's grandmother. He's watch ing a plane come in." We went into the waiting room, and I was packed with wall-to-wall people. There was Scott with a lovely young lady holding his hand He didn't drop her gentle hand quickly. He just said quietly: "Hi, Nana." My heart ran over at the sight of him. I picked him up in my arms and hugged him so close I was afraid I had broken every bone in his little body. I did remember to get the good ladies' names: Jean Erler and Emily Bullard. May the good Lord love them-I do. As we were leaving the airport, a handsome young man in pilot's gear said: "Don't lose him again." And his eyes twinkled with the smile he gave us. Say anything you like about any airport on this earth. But watch your tongue when you use an unkind word about Ral eigh-Durham airport to Scott or me. LIZZIE WALKER WELLS Smithfield Letter To The Editor #.» --. t To The Editor: While I was not at all surprised at the ranting, raving and profanity com ing from Charles Hayes at the Thursday meeting held at the Warrenton Town Hall, I was extremely surprised that you, a newspaper editor, would in a profane and vulgar manner object to the exercise of my right of free speech. While the subject of racial discrimination in our school system was certainly an unpleasant discussion to be held at a meeting concerning War renton and Norlina being accepted in the Gover nor's Excellence Program, I do not believe that anyone can successfully challenge the truth and accuracy of my statements regarding the existence and practice of racfal dis crimination in hiring by the Warren County School Board. While I did not take the opportunity do so, I could have pointed out the existence of racial dis crimination in the hiring practices of the Warren County government, as well as that of the cities directly involved. I did not assume that my statement would gain me a great deal of popularity among those persons pre sent; however, I do not place a great deal of emphasis on my personal popularity. I am, on the other hand, extremely con cerned about the existence of racism and racial discrimination, particular ly where they relate to public jobs and public schools. I am certain that many people were very uncomfortable with my remarks and would have preferred that I had "gone along with the program" and "not rocked the boat." I have always been convinced that racial dis crimination exacts a heavy price. In most instances the victims ostensibly pay that price. In the final analysis, we all pay and you must realize that if you desire to "keep a man down in the ditch, you must stay down there with him." As I stated at the meeting, what I am interested in and I am convinced what the Black community is interested in is simply "fairness and justice" for all. We are prepared to work with anyone for the achieve ment of these goals. We will not, however, continue to "grin and bear it" nor will we smile and pretend the problem does not exist. FRANK W. BALLANCE, JR., Vice President, Warren County Political Action Council "I don't know quilt how t» IcH juti 'laioltl. hut I hn>r a new best friend." Tobacco Program And Card Houses r By REP. L. H. FOUNTAIN WASHINGTON, D. C. - When we played as chil dren, many of us had occasion to build "card houses." By using a standard deck of 52 playing cards and very steady hands, it was possible to assemble a structure which resembled a small scale model of a home. But, as we all know, the removal of just one card from the foundation would result in the destruction of the entire house of cards. Something like that could happen to a large and vital segment of our State and National economies if those who would destroy the present tobacco pro gram are successful. Hie tobacco program, like that one card in the foundation of a card house, is the essence, the founda tion of our tobacco indus try-an industry which helps to keep our economy going through its contribu tion to the job market, in taxes, and towards a healthier U. S. balance of trade. To pull the rug out from under our tobacco farmers -by destroying the tobac co program-would cause a severe ripple-like effect, rei suiting in economic and social chaos, and drastical ly altering a way of life for millions of Americans. These days, it seems as if we are constantly hearing how terrible tobac co is, and how the govern ment should disassociate itself from this legal crop. Well, let's set the record straight and take a look at some of the good tobacco generates-good which helps the tobacco user and nonuser alike. To begin with, the American tobacco indus try provides over two million jobs in this coun try. From the worker in the field to the quality control engineer to the neighborhood business man who knows his cus tomer's tobacco favorites, the industry employed over 393,000 people, full time, in 1979. There are, of course, many, many other jobs (about 1.6 million) which result largely from Ameri cans' enjoyment of tobac co. Matchbook makers, packaging supplies, and even flavoring formulators are involved. And the flow of income which is gener ated by the golden leaf creates jobs too-jobs in sales and service indus tries of all kinds. In fact, tobacco and its supplier industries directly or indirectly account for the employment of about 2 to percent of America's entire private sector labor force. Think of it, 2 to percent of all the private sector jobs in the country. Incidentally, in one way or another, tobacco ac counts for nearly 7 percent of the jobs in North Carolina, and tobacco even contributes 3,800 jobs in Alaska-about 3 percent of that huge state's employ ment. Apart from the jobs tobacco provides, the leaf is responsible for billions and billions of dollars in revenues for government at all levels. As a matter of fact, tobacco is the most heavily taxed consumer product; and as such, over $6 billion in direct excise taxes are collected annual ly-money which helps with everything from road construction to school lunch programs to our Nation's defense. When all is said and done, the bottom line is that tobacco generates both directly and indirect ly—about $22 billion in taxes annually. Indeed, the heart of the tobacco indus try-farming, auction warehousing, intermediate distribution, including wholesalers and manufac turing sales forces, and retailers and vending contributed nearly one cent of every Federal tax dollar and more than 1 v> cents of every state tax dollar in 1979. Finally, as the world's largest tobacco exporter, America ships about one third of its crop overseas; and as a result, tobacco contributed $2.2 billion to our export picture in 1979 alone. This is especially important in light of our Nation's negative balance of trade. That the tobacco indus try is vital to the economy of both our State and Nation is self-evident. What some don't seem to understand is that the tobacco program is of crucial importance-the very foundation—to the continued economic con tribution of tobacco to America. The tobacco program - at an almost invisible cost-has maintained a steady and constant supply of high quality leaf. We must not let those who don't understand the sys tem destroy it. Make your views known to the President and to every member of Congress from outside the tobacco producing states. Write, wire, or call them today. I overheard one Arab oilman say to another: "Let's do it the American Way. We won't raise the prices—just make the bar rets smaller." Dairy products provide 60 percent of the calcium needed in our diets.
The Warren Record (Warrenton, N.C.)
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Sept. 10, 1981, edition 1
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