Two
Degrees of Disloyalty
It is an accepted fact that the men who embraced com
munism while in Chinese prison camps are guilty of dis
loyalty to the United States and have violated articles of
the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Even the two “pro
gressives” who chose to return are guilty of conduct border
ing on treason. They are men who, for one reason or
another, turned their backs on their country in time of
war. The fair reward for such conduct is trial by court
martial with punishment as the court may direct.
The furore surrounding the Army’s charges against
the re-converts to democracy should not be caused by any
question of fairness of the charges. That will be proved
or disproved when the charges are heard by the court. The
sole question for discussion is the timeliness of the Army’s
action.
It seems that one goal of our present Korean policy
is to score a psychological victory over‘the Communists by
coaxing all American prisoners to return home while suc
cessfully weaning over 20,000 former Communists away
from their Red comrades. This being the case, the Army can
be accused with justification of throwing a wrench into the
plans.
The Army’s failure to fit its actions into the overall
strategy does not .make its act any less just. The charges
against Corporal Edward S. Dickenson, the 23-year-old
turncoat, need to be tried and merited punishment admin
istered. We may lose for good the 21 Americans still em
bracing Communism in Korea, but we will come nearer
balancing their conduct with that of the thousands of
Americans who successfully fought off all attempts of the
Communists at “brain-washing” and similar tortures.
Newsy Community
We have heard justified complaints that the daily news
papers print stories of only the darker side of life in Zebu
lon, and folks in other parts of the state are getting a one
sided picture of this community. It is true that we receive
our share of state-wide publicity, and that much of it is
not as good as we would like. But the stories are published
because they are news; and more news, good and bad, seems
to originate here than in any place of like size anywhere.
Apparently newspaper readers prefer the raw side of life
in their news, for newspapers generally try to provide what
the reader wants. So if we want to improve our reputation
on a state-wide basis, somehow we’ll have to find away to
eliminate the few bad spots around here—else we’re going
to keep on reading of our shortcomings.
60 Second Sermon
By Fred Dodge
TEXT: “To understand everything is to forgive everything.”—
Gantama
A welfare agency sent a needy patient for an eye examina
tion The doctor placed him in a chair, held a card about 15
feet away and asked,
“Can you read that plainly?”
“Nope, doc, I can’t” replied the patient.
The doctor moved the card to within 10 feet of the patient’s
eyes. “Can you read it now,” he asked.
“Nope, can’t do it.”
The doctor became angry and thrusting the card under the
man’s nose, demanded, “Well, can you read it now?”
“Nope,” said the patient again, “I ain’t never learned to
read.”
• • •
Not understanding, most of us criticize, complain and chal
lenge. Harsh and unfair judgments are passed when we do not
take the time to know and understand others. A little patience
and honestly trying to be fair will gain friendship that cannot be
gathered any other way. Let us try to understand others
make certain that others understand us. Understood, we are
forgiven. Understanding, we forgive.
(i 9k
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The Zebulon Record
Entered as second class matter June 26, 1925, at the post
office at Zebulon, North Carolina, under the act of Match 3, 1879.
Member of the North Carolina Press Association.
Published Tuesday and Friday of each week at Zebulon,
Wake County, North Carolina. Subscription rate: $2.00 a year.
Advertising rates on request.
BARRIE S. DAVIS Editor
JAMES M. POTTER, JR. Publisher
FERD L. DAVIS Fifth Wheel
The Zebulon Record
“. . into the Sanctuary ’
By S. E. Mercer
“It was too painful for me until
I went into the sanctuary of God;
then understood I.” Psalm 73: 16,
17.
t
Our text describes about as hu
man, personal and normal an
rience as we are likely to find in
print. It is an experience which
people are having repeatedly. This
man found that life was too con
fusing and painful for him until he
took the time to go into the house
of God for meditation, prayer and
worship: After that eexjerience
everything was better.
Here was a good man. He had
real and great faith, and his life
was devoted to God. But he was al
so a thoughtful and observant man.
And as he thought and observed
he became greatly troubled and
puzzled at the apparent injustice
of God. The particular thing that
upset him was the undeserved,
arrogant prosperity of the wicked.
It is unfortunate that this 16
inch owl with a 42-inch wing
spread resembles superficially its
close relative, the Great-horned
Owl, that has a length of 23 inches
and a wingspread of 52 inches. In
spite of the fact that the Great
horned Owl may feed heavily on
rabbits and on rats and mice that
feed on agricultural crops, hunters
generally kill the bird because it
does take game birds and mam
mals now and then and sometimes
domestic poultry. With the subject
of this account, the Long-eared
Owl, the food record is such that
there is little excuse for its being
killed. The food of the Long-eared
Owl is overwhelmingly mice and
rats and similar harmful, small
mammals.
The Long-eared Owl is about
the size as the Short-eared Owl
and each is slightly shorter than
the 21-inch crow. While the Short
eared Owl commonly seeks its
food of mice during the daytime,
the Long-eared more commonly
feeds at night. Both are conspici
ous friends of the farmer and for
that matter of all of us.
Aside from the difference in size
between the Long-eared and the
Great-horned Owls, the Long-ear
ed seems to be streaked length
wise while the Great-horned seems
to be barred crosswise. Both may
show conspicious ears at times. The
Long-eared Owl weighs only about
One of the strongest and sanest
writers in a current issue of the
British Weekly is writing about a
teaching fellowship among the
nearly three million Sunday School
pupils of England. When I read
what was said to these teachers,
the cry of my soul was alas! alas!
Let me pass on a paragraph or
two of it: “A fellowship of Sun
day School teachers, ministers and
youth workers are pooling their
devotion and enthusiasm to help
Christian teaching take root in
young lives.” This, surely, is a
most worthy effort. But listen to
what is said further: “But there
are Sunday Schools which remain
self-satisfied, disorganized or un
organized, and contentedly una
ware of any call to speak to to
day’s needs. Theachers ministers
with infinite goodwill, apparently
minister to a struggle of pupils
quite ignorant of the fact that
goodwill is not a substitute for
This was against his religion. So
greatly disturbed was he that he
was on the point of losing his faith
in God. Many people have wrestled
with problems which have nearly
wrecked their faith. And some have
failed to take the right step or to
receive the needed guidance and
their faith has beep shattered and
lost.
But in the midst of this man’s
mental anguish, as he wanted to
believe but found it almost impos
sible, he exercised a simple but
profoundly important privilege. He
went into the sanctuary. As he
worshipped in God’s house, there
came to him exactly the experience
that he needed. His faith was re
stored. And in the latter part of
Psalm 73 he beautifully describes
his restored faith. He gained great
spiritual strength. He had been so
discouraged that he was about to
give out, give up and quit, but
now he is ready to resume all his
tasks and go forth victoriously.
We do not know whether or not he
Study of Nature
11 ounces while the Great-horned
Owl may weigh to 3% pounds.
The Long-eared Owl breeds from
central British Columbia to New
foundland and south to California,
Texas and Virginia. It winters from
southern Canada to Florida and
central Mexico so it may be found
LONG-EARED OWL
at some time of the year anywhere
in the United States in suitabile
country. Given a choice this owl
favors evergreen forests but in mi
gration it may be seen almost any
where.
The nest of this owl is usually
found from 10 to 30 feet up in an
Are We Piddling?
training and skill.”
We are told that Nero fiddles
while Rome burned. May it not be
said of a large part of the Chris
tian world today that we are pid
dling while the world goes to piec
es? The last letter that came to
me from our much lamented and
greatly loved Theron Rankin has
in it this sentence: “I am convinc
ed beyond the possibility of any
serious argumentation with myself
that our present form of conven
tional Christianity is thoroughly
unconvincing to the Non-Christian
world of today.”
What shall we do? What can we
do? I venture to suggest four
things: (1) That we do not allow
ourselves to become stampeded;
(2) That we take ourselves seri
ously as witnesses to a risen and
ever-living Christ; (3) That all
who love the Lord in sincerity and
believe in their souls that Jesus
Christ is an all-sufficient Saviour
Tuesday, January 26, 1951
received the full solution of his
problem, but his understanding
was greatly increased. Many worry
because God does not step in when
they want him to and do things
their way, forgetting that what
they need to do is to trust God and
seek to understand his way better.
So, in the sanctuary this man
touched God. God laid hold upon
him and broadened his perspective
enough so that he found sufficient
understanding for a great faith.
Dear friends, sincere worship in
the sanctuary will do just as much
for us today as it did for the
Psalmist in the long ago. As we
face the painful and puzzling ex
periences of our day, let us turn
our footsteps regularly to the house
of God and wait before him until
our strength is renewed, our faith
is increased and our understanding
is so broadened that we can meet
triumphantly all that life holds
for us. There is a blessing awaiting
us in the sanctuary. Let us be pres
ent to claim it.
evergreen tree and frequently is
a remodelled nest of a crow or
heron. The 3 to 7 eggs are white
and smooth. They measure 1%
by 1 Vi inches and are laid on alter
nate days. Incubation begins imme
diately so it Is possible that by the
time the last egg hatches the
young owl must complete for food
with a brother or sister who is two
weeks older. This probably means
starvation for the youngster unless
food is so abundant that the old
er brothers and sisters just cannot
eat all brought to them. It may
be seen from this that the more
mice and rats an area may have,
the more of these owls are likely
to be produced and the greater is
the need for these birds. This story
is one of the most interesting
things we find in Nature illustrat
ing how numbers take care of
themselves if man will only give
Nature a chance. Fortunately, these
owls are protected in most parts of
the country.
The National Wildlife Federa
tion recognizes as one of its ob
ligations the development of an in
formed public that will be ration
al in its relations with wildlife.
There are those who seek the pro
tection of this owl for sentimental
reasons, but this kind of support
should not be necessary to any sen
sible person who recognizes the
destructive capacity of rats and
mice. —E. Laurence Palmer
and the only such Saviour, shall
pray, study, and labor to know
him and the power of his resurrec
tion, and go forth to bear our
witness to this all-important fact
to “every creature,” and “unto the
uttermost part of the earth;” (4)
That this movement of which I
speak here shall become the bur
den and the daily task of every one
who bears the Saviour’s name. It is
my deliberate judgment that when
this takes place, the world is go
ing to learn and heed the way of
Jesus and not until then. I
Again, let me raise the question
of my heading: Are we piddling
while the world goes to pieces?
Surely, it is time for us as servants
of the King to hear and follow the
exhortation of the Great Isaiah
(52:1). “Awake, awake, put on
your strength, O Zion; put on your
beautiful garments, O Jerusalem,
the Holy City!” W. R. Cullom
Wake Forest, N. C.