ffcmfcttn $fr jEf)< l^igblan^a jfflaconinn PROGRESSIVE LIBERAL INDEPENDENT VOL. LXII? NO. 52 FRANKLIN, N. C? WEDNESDAY, DEC. 24, 1947 $2.00 PER YEAR SPIRIT OF YULE HERE AS SANTA. LIGHTS APPEAR Lines For Christmas Lights Strung Along Street Although a little belatedly, the Christmas spirit has struck J ranklin. Christmas lights for Main street and Santa Claus made their appearance early this week. Meanwhile, the town street force Monday had wash ed Main street, presumably in preparation far Santa's arrival It had appeared that the only downtown signs of Christmas that woultl be offered to the public were the decorations in store windows and the Christ mas musical program from Bryant Furniture company, but everything changed suddenly. "Mrs. Hush", of the radio, had been named, but Monday morn ing found everyone here trying to name Santa Claus, as he walked the streets, getting a preview of what the youngsters in Macon County wanted him to bring them on his trip down their chimneys on Christmas Eve. ' Maybe Santa put a bug in someone's ear. But, whatever the reason, Tuesday morning found a crew from the West ern Carolina Telephone com pany and members of the Franklin Lions club stringing lights from one end of Main street to the other, so that Franklin will be all dressed up in the proper seasonal garb, come Christmas morning. 12 PAGES THIS WEEK In this week's 12-page issue: Franklin social news will be found on pages 2 and 3. Legal advertising is an page 5, and the want ads on page 7. .Highlands news is in the sec ond section? pages 9 and 12. And the editorial, also in the second section, will be found on page 10. MISS CONLEY IMPROVING Miss Charlotte Conley, who was admitted to Angel hospital last Tuesday for treatment of injuries received as the result of a fall, was discharged Fri day and is recovering satisfac tory. Miss Conley received lac erations of the scalp and a slight concussion when she fell. . Do You Remember . . . ? (Looking backward through the files of The Press) 50 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK Hon. J. Frank Ray went to Raleigh last week to attend business before the supreme court. State Superintendent of Pub lic Instruction C. H. Mebane re quests J. R. Pendergrass, coun ty supervisor, to cordially Invite the teachers of Macon County to attend the Supervisors' meet ing in Raleigh on December 30. At a business meeting held last Saturday at the Baptist church we learn that a call was made for the Rev. G. A. Bart lett to take charge of the church for the coming year. 25 YEARS AGO Early last Wednesday morning we were visited by a fire which came near being disastrous so far as The Press was concerned, and only by prompt work by the fire department was a really big fire In the heart of Frank lin's business district averted. The fire was first discovered about 4 a. m. In the office up stairs over The Press and by the time the firemen were on the scene with the truck, a hole had burned In the floor and a lot of burning trash had fallen through in the front of The Press office. Soon the front of The Press office was a mass of flames. , lo~YEAR8 AGO Pension checks for Confeder ate veterans of Macon County were received last week and dis tributed by Harley R. Cabe, clerk of superior court. The checks are received semi-annually by the veterans. The veterans to whom the checks went are: L. M. Daves, Sam PlcklMlmer, J. R. Caldwell, W. M. Roper, And James Deal, Negro. $135, To Aid Needy Children, Placed On 'Lions' Dime Boa j The dime board, which was set up by the Franklin Lions club on courthouse square last Thursday, had collected approximately $135 Tuesday, according to Dr. G. B. Woodward, chairman of the committee which Is handling the board. This money will be used to help the needy children of Macon County, and the chairman said that, with another day to go before Christmas, it was hoped to raise $200 for this purpose. CHURCHES HOLD YULE SERVICES Midnight Program Will Be Held Tonight At St. Agnes The annual midnight service at St. Agnes Episcopal church this (Wednesday) evening will complete the series of special services held in Franklin churches to mark the Christ- , mas season. Tonight's service, held each Christmas Eve since the Rev. A. Rufus Morgan became rector of St. Agnes, will begin at 11:30 o'clock. Members of all denominations are invited to attend the service and take communion, Mr. Mor gan said. The annual service usually is well attended. The Presbyterian church pre sented a special Christmas pro gram Sunday night in the form ? of a pageant depicting the birth i of Jesus. The pageant was featured by a well directed choral program, and the various characters de picted in the play were ap propriately costumed. The church was filled. Taking part were: Miss Alicc Slagle, pianist, Mrs. John Bui-"' gin, Mrs. Claude Bolton, and Mrs. B. L. McGlamery, all as Christmas angels; J. Ward Long, reader; Mrs. Sam Alexander, choir director; David Alexander, Randolph Bulgin, Jeana Sue Cunningham, Lee Grant, Janet Gribble, Martha Jones, Martha Womack, and Ann Zachary, choir members; Mrs. James Dance, as Mary; Fred Bulgin, Barbara Duncan, Ann Fagg, Pat Gaines, Jane Long, John Moon ey, Emma Siler, Charles Slagle, Douglas Slagle, and Douglas Vinson, child angels; Scott Byrd, Sandy Kinney, and Jack Mooney, shepherds; and W. A. Leach, Connie Potts, and Ross Zachary, Wise Men. The candlelighting service was performed by Miss Lillian Jones, and a solo, "O Holy City" was sung by Miss Ann Flanagan. Special Christmas music and Christmas parties by the va rious Sunday school classes were highlights of the Frank lin Baptist church program last Sunday. Santa Claus visited the Meth odist church Sunday morning to hand out gifts to members of the younger Sunday school classes. At the 11 o'clock serv ice the choir presented special Christmas numbers. Zacharias Martin Taken By Death At Home At Oak Grove Zacharias Martin, 66, who had been a cripple and semi-invalid most of his live, died at his home in the Oak Grove com munity Sunday morning at 4 o'clock. His death came follow ing an Illness of two weeks. The son of John and Mary Brown Martin, he was born April 17, 1881, In Jackson coun ty, and moved to Macon Coun ty at the age of two with his parents. Surviving are his widow, Mrs. Sarah Am metis Martin; a son by a former marriage, Pink Martin, of Franklin, Route 3; six grandchildren, and 10 great grandchildren. Funeral services were held at the Oak Orove Baptist church Monday morning at 11 o'clock, with the Rev. C. C. Welch con ducting the service. Interment followed In the church cemetery. Pallbearers were Casey Bar nett, Kermlt Martin, Clarence Phillips, Olenn Davis, J. S. Ammons, and Claude Martin. Potts funeral home was In charge of arrangements. HOME FOR HOLIDAYS Mis Louise Pendergraas, who Is teaching at San ford, la spend ing the Christmas holidays with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Cecil ^PMUUrfrMi, MOVE LAUNCHED FOR GYMNASIUM AT HIGHLANDS! Rotary Club Will Seek Donations To Build School Structure A movement to build a school gymnasium at Highlands, chief ly with funds raised by private subscription, has been launched by the Highlands Rotary club. The plan calls for a structure to be built on a part of the site that has been acquired by the county board education for the proposed new Highlands school. Early erection of the steel framing and roof, so that the place could be used with a dirt floor, is planned, the building to be completed as funds become available. At present, it was pointed out at the Rotary club's meeting December 16, the Highlands school has only a makeshift baseball field, no place for foot ball, and is obliged to take its basketball home games to Ra bun Gap or elsewhere that a court can be borrowed. Charles J. Anderson, W. A. Bryson, and Frank H. Potts, the members of the Highlands district school committee, were present at the meeting, and took part in the discussion. Mr. Potts pointed out that approxi mately $4,000, profits from op eration of the Highlands school theatre, is available for the project, and several members of the club volunteered aid. T. C. Harbison offered to donate 50 yards of sand, Wilton Cobb offered building materials available at his store at whole sale, and W. A. Hays offered concrete blocks and concrete at a discount. The Boy Scouts, it was sug gested, will be asked to help in clearing the ground for the building. M hope was expressed that some definite plans can be made early in 1948. Scores Home From School For Holidays Scores of Macon County young men and women who are at tending colleges and universities in various sections of the Unit ed States arrived home this week to spend the Christmas holidays with relatives. The largest group, perhaps, is made up of those home from Western Carolina Teachers col lege, Cullowhee. Among them a^e Misses Iva Dell Norton, Anna Howard, Iva Dean Roper, and Maxie Wright and Frank Murray, Jr., John Gibson Mur ray, Don Cabe, Dick Angel, Jack Angel, Charles Keener, Jack Blaine, and James Stockton. Roger Rickman, James Pat terson, Tom Setser, and An drew J. and George E. Patton, all students at N C. State, are here for the holidays. Home from the University, at Chapel Hill, are James L. Hug gins, Miss Merrily Brooks, Miss Barbara Stockton, Clell Bryant, Miss Frances Furr, and T. W. Angel, in, Howard Horsley is here from Wake Forest college. Here from Mars Hill are Misses Annie Sue Conl^, Mary Frances Dalrymple, and Sidney Jean Barker. Misses Anne Flanagan and Barbara Wallace are here from Winthrop college, Rock Hill, S. C.; Miss Jane Setser from Bre vard college; Miss Dorothy Ray, from Columbia university, New York; Misses Betty Callahan, Carolyn Long, and MyraSlagle from Woman's college, Greens boro; Miss Elizabeth Wasilik, from the College of New Roch elle, New Rochelle, N. Y.; Miss Rose Marie Harmon, from Mer edith college, Raleigh; John Wasilik, III, from Catholic uni versity, Washington, D. C.; and William Grant Zlckgraf, from Riverside Military academy, Gainesville, Ga. USE MORE GASOLINE Motorists used 11.2 per cent more gasoline during the first six months of 1047 than during the corresponding period last year, according to Charles M. Upham, engineer - director, American Road Bulldert' asso ciation. iHJhat lju I c Car6 li \ s .McanH ""?)?*&"? ? ?T Welcome... wouyon A <:??hima* CARP PEN01C* A WARM WELCOME . "ME R0MAV4* HUN6 ^PKk3$ OF WOLIV OVER "WE\R KVOORWAV* 10 ^kSNlFy TUElRHOU^E WA* ^ OPEhl 10 EVER yONfc # ?Faith..' ^ME LUCK : A ? Gratitude... ~ HAHSIMS