PACE FOUR
THE f ftANKUN PRESS AND THE HIGHLANDS MACON IAN
THURSDAY, APRIL 1, IW7
(Another tylood Victim-
by A. B. CHAPIN
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Published every Thursday by The Franklin Ptess
At Franklin, North Carolina
Telephone No. 24
i,fta,Tydf,fcf
VOL. LII
Number 13
Mrs. J. W. C. Johnson and B. W. Johnson. ., IS-. .......... .Publishers
P. P. Callahan.. ..Managing Editor
C. P. Cabe, ......... ....Advertising Manager
Mrs. C. P. Cabe ,.' .. .Business Manager
Entered at the Post Office, Franklin, N. G, as second class matter
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The New Individualism
the last day of his vacation at Warm Springs,
Georgia, President Roosevelt took time totravel
over miles of red clay roads to visit a little re
settlement project where nearly 200 "relief" fami
lies from the city are trying to build a new life on
its soil 10,000 acres of valley land divided up into
small tracts which marks the beginning of a new
community.
Between the unfinished community house and
school house the President halted his car and talked
in his friendly way to these people. Deeply signifi
cant was this sentence, "I am happy that the work
the government is helping in is going so well. But
the government can't make it succeed. It is up to
you to do that, from the oldest down to the young
est baby."
Here, to this little group of poor and outwardly
unimportant people the basic need of individual ef
fort and thrift is stressed. The government, engaged
at last in aiding the lowliest citizen in a practical
way, can't make him succeed. "It is up to you,"
the President tells the children and their parents.
Criticism, both just and unjust, has not been
spared this Administration's efforts in the newly
created field of relief. Especially has there gone up
to high heaven the wail of the "rugged individual
ists" that the spirit of independence is being de
stroyed by a too tender-hearted government. But
there begins to emerge a new attitude of mind
and, shall we say, heart? towards relief. When a
new administration suddenly decided not to let a
million or so Americans starve, the nation was
launched on a brand new "good neighbor" policy
that was not accepted with good grace by many of
the strong who found themselves being required by
the majority to bear the infirmities of the weak.
But now this human welfare interest is being ac
cepted as a definite policy and there are being stat
ed certain principles to guide the government in
wise direction from the evils of private charity and
public dole. Government projects are being planned
"to stimulate all industry and open new opportun
ities; work of permanent social and economic value
. ..." that is useful, productive, efficient, that de
velops the individual that is able to do it effi
ciently." Government, has traveled a long way in recogni
tion of responsibility for every individual citizen.
But this does not invite an attitude of dependence
on the part of any citizen, purely there wasnever
a time when the challenge to individual initiative
was greater, or wider opportunity offered to the
individual who develops a trained capacity for his ;
job.
Too many of us have the false" idea that the gov
ernment is something over us, an outside power
from which we can get something or demand some
thing. This idea has been fostered by individualism
that encases itself in a rugged defence armor for
selfish purposes. The new kind of individualism that
we hope to see emerge is one that will be permeated
with the new spirit that is operating in government,
that desires to share in the .success of the great
cooperative project that belongs to us all as citizens
of the United States of America.
Perhaps out of little new communities, like this
one in Georgia, born of weakness and poverty, may
grow the new individualism that we. sorely need to
approach a true democracy.
i zsw .ill ur ii in. j
i , ft a a: i
Work To Start On Paving
Walhalla-Highlands Road
Definite assurance that work will
start in the next few weeks toward
the paving of the Georgia section
of the Walhalla-Highlands road
has been given by officials of the
forest service who stated that they
had allocated $28,465 out of their
1936-37 fund for the purpose of
improving the road.
This fund will be matched with
an equal amount which will be ap
propriated by the State of Georgia,
making a total, of $56,930. for the
use of this road. It is indicated
that this is a sufficient amount to
complete surface-treatment of the
Georgia part of this road, an eight
mile sector which has given travel
ers so much trouble in recent
years. Officials of the forest service
further stated that the state of
Georgia is proceeding now with
plans to let the contract on this
work and it was indicated that
work should get under way -sometime
during the spring.
The Georgia sector of this road
was graded and improved several
months ago but recent efforts to
get it . surfaced-treated have, been
to no avail until the forest service
stepped in and took charge. They
hold they can do this work be
cause this sector traverses their
national forest. It has been learned
also that steps are being taken by
the North Carolina highway depart
ment to improve the part of this
road whirh runs through North
Carolina.
When all this work is completed
a surfaced-road will ie available
from Walhalla to Highlands and
will open for the general public a
section of national forest which
abounds in ' beauty, game and fish.
Bruce-
BARTON' (".
WINDOW DRESSING
DUMMIES
On my first business job it was
necessary for me to call one day
at the office of a bankrupt com
pany which had sold in small units
all over the country.
Its literature had followed the
familiar pattern, pointing out how
much you would be worth if you
invested one dollar in telephone
stock in 1895, or if Ford had ask
ed you to lend him a nickel in
1900.
Perhaps the officers were irre
sponsible rather than deliberately
crooked. They were sure that their
enterprise was destined to make
fortunes for every one associated
with it, and they backed their
judgment with their own money.
Rut that did not mitigate the suf
ferings of the people who crowded
the office on the day of my call.
A school teacher; a dentist;
many men whose gnarled hands
and bent backs were eloquent of
heavy burdens. They wept ; they
cursed; they threatened, but it did
no good. Not one of them ever
recovered a cent.
Walking away from all that trag
edy, I resolved never 4o be asso
ciated with any company which fin
anced itself by selling stocks to
the public, not. even if' Andrew
Mellon were president and J. P.
Morgan. the sales manager.
In England most boards are
made up of the men actually con
ducting the" business. Once a year
the chairman has to stand up be
fore the stockholders and answer
questions about every detail of the
operations.
In this country the habit of be
ing a director is a piece of business
vanity. A man with a lot of direc
torships after his name thinks of
himself as a "big shot."
RHYTHM
The greatest impression that ex
perience has made on me is a
fresh realization of the rhythm of
human existence. The race does not
move in a straight line forward
and up, much as we should like to
think so. It swings.
It swings too far to the left,
bumps its nose, and swings back,
too far to the right. In the course
of these great swings it edges for
ward.' . But most of us fail to sense the
rhythm. We are looking for a
fixedness, a finality which does not
exist. We do not realize that
change is the one unchanging fact
in the universe; that because a sit
uation is so today is the one sure
reason why it will not be so to
morrow. In these depression periods we
question everything. We probe
with doubts. We react. And the re
action is beneficent. .
For twenty-five years we wor
shipped "scientific progress." Now
we wonder whether a" lot of this
so-called progress did hot consist
merely of filling up the world and
speeding it up. We "begin to wond
er whether less things and more
thinking may not lead to the hap
pier life.
In education we have been de
voted to the practical, to training
men and women to do things. We
are swinging back to the old fash
hioned idea that education is an en
richment of the spirit and not a
filling of the 'brain.
In government we have multiplied
laws and bureaus and taxes. Now
the worm is turning. The taxpayer
rebels ; . government must simplify,
deflate.
We had a great period of misdi
rected idealism, a passion for ed
ucating everybody, "improving"
everything, enlightening the world.
Now we are beginning to suspect
that the older civilizations have
fully as much to teach us as we
have to teach them.
Action and reaction, ebb and
floWj trial and error, change this
is the rhythm of living. Out of our
over-confidence, fear; out of our
fear, . clearer vision, fresh hope.
And out of hope progress.
(Copyright, K. F. S.)
James R. Ledford Dies
In Easley, S. C.
James R. Ledford, 75, formerly
of Macon county, died at his home
in Easley, S. C, on March 18. , Mr.
Ledford was for a long time a resi
dent of this county and has visit
ed here many times since moving '
to South Carolina.- Many of the
older people, especially around
Prentiss will remember him and
will regret to learn of his death.
CARD OF THANKS
We wish to thank our friends
for the many acts of kindness, love
and sympathy in the sickness and
death of our beloved husband, .
father, son and brother, Julian
Waldfoop, and for so many beau
tiful flowers.
Mrs. Julian Waldroop and'
Boys
Mrs. Mary Waldroop and
John Lyle Waldroop
Mr. and Mrs. Fred Moore
and Family
Mr. and Mrs. Larry S,
Waldroop