North Carolina Newspapers

fflxnxtklm & v | suit (Eite Highlands Jsutramtttt Number 42 Published every Thursday by The Franklin Press * ? " At Franklin, North Carolina Telephone No. 24 Entered at Post Office, Franklin, N. C., as second class matter. WJE1MAR JONES . Editor BOB S. SLOAN... Business Manager SUBSCRIPTION RATES: One Year $2.00 Six Months $1.25 Three Months 75 SingSe Oopy........:......... 06 -.Obituary notices, cards of thanks, tributes of respect, by individuals, lodges, clurches, organization# or societies, will be regarded as advertising and inserted at regular classified advertising rates. Such notices will be marked "adv." in compli \vite with the postal requirements. A Community Disgrace Some illnesses cannot be avoided. ?But -'today, -'thanks to modern vaccines, many others car}. Among these is diphtheria. Thi& terrifying disease, which once swept across the country unchecked, leavir. in its wake small - new mounds of .earth in cei ri ^ s in town and countryside, today is prcven:ab e. A bit of vaccine is all that is needed. ? ? Why, then, did we have fott.r cases of diphtheria reported in Macon County last week? - These, are illnesses that need never have happen ed. And if some of those sutler tig irom the disease should di^? arid people r.t. 11 do die of diphtheria ? they will he deaths tha need never have happened. v -"It is high time we in this community came to *w'*lodk upon diphtheria lor what it is, a disgrace to the, .community, and to take community action to ?ee that it doesn't happen here. Beyond Body And Mind What seemed a remarkable coincidence occurred at. Monday night's. meeting of the Franklin Parent Teachcr association. . The even i'ngs' three speakers, each with a back ' - ground different from the others, each discussing ..., a.flifrqreii^. subject, and each speaking without hav ; ? " Wg con.n-ulted with the others, arrived at almost iV'-identical conclusions. The Rev. I Ioyt Fvans, con :i- ducting the devotional, Mrs. F. II. I'ntts, county yvelfare superintendent, talking on child welfare, and Mrs. Weimar Jones,, discussing the purposes' lajrid-.Iuncti.ons lt>? the P. T. A., all stressed the ? thought that the religious training, the spiritual ? -development, of the child is basic. """If seemed a remarkable coincidence. Rut per ?"haps.it .was. neither remarkable nor a conincidence. -''.?-?'Because the evidence multiplies that people all over ,^'ihe country aire arriving at the same conclusion. -We -are discovering at last that a trained mind ?"ii:-'arida -strong body alone are not enough; that, deep within. a juan,..lies a something, of neither the body ho r the mind ; a something that cannot be touched ->_..orr measured; and a. something that, in the end, de termines what a man ts. Whether it be on the foot ball afield,, in his work, in his chosen vocation, or in activities as a neighbor and a citizen, it is a map's spirit- that counts. L And, -as -persons- in the ministry, in welfare work, ? JnJfeT..X wo.rk,.aud'in any one of r.corcs of other types" of Trork', realize that this thing we call the ;->-::?pirit is- liasic, ?. question inevitably arises: -Wh>v ?jus4-be(jause the i American public schools -i?, ^rfonwi siiitarian, shyuld they completely neglect the, -development of this thjrd side o/ the child's .. ,VW*. .a.j j ... . . U~ ? .. - Qur American Civilization ? ' * ' - . -The -newspapersv the movies, and the radio as ft*;rsinrmg' that the- average American has the mind of ..Kvil* 13-year.. old; . the newspapers, the movies and the ^-j-radio; ; discovering, after a few years, that they "iive.iwcloptiLa.lbLof 13,-year old minds... 4 ***** ..w-'.-. " ... L!.. ? " Merer expect Juetioe from a vain man.-Alliton, ? JAMES R. DANIELS SAYS: ? ? S. ^ Macon Schools Have Something Free that New Yorkers Pay F6r" (EDITOR'S NOTE: Mr. Daniels, of Franklin and New York, wrote the article below for his Sunday column, "Manhattan Kaleidoscope", in the Raleigh News and Ob server.) j,. Why do many New York parents spend hefty sums to put their offspring in private institutions of learning? Are they snobbish, extravagant? No. It is because the public schools of this, the largest and richest city on earth, are not nearly as good as the Littie Red Schoolhouse. If you want your kid to get a start on the road to juvenile delinquency, send him to Manhattan's public schools. In the overcrowded classrooms he'll learn plenty about vice and crijne ? and precious little else. Which is exactly why parents who can possibly afford it pay for private education. The papers are full of ads for these -private prep, schools. Al most all of them emphasize "small classes; individualized in struction." That's the big drawing card. Many are under the auspices of various churches, generally Episcopalian, Quaker or Catholic. Other denominations seem to sponsor few grade schools or junior colleges. They Aren't Cheap In addition to scores of more or less expensive private schools in New York there are a slew of boarding schools close by. Often they are in the former mansions of millionaires. "Beau tiful estate with private lake," they proclaim. "Gardening, rid ing, land and water sports." One ad which should tickle every man raised on a farm is this: "A school, farm, home and way of life. Old-fashioned work chores put meaning back into study, play and privileges; teach boys and girls how to live responsibly." I'd like to read that advertisement to some of my fellow hill billies in Macon county, N. C. Down there we don't Have to fork out hard cash far tuition in a "Way of Life." No siree, bob! Youngsters fill the woodbox, set the table, do a little weeding and the like of that. It's taken as a matter of course. But them pore city folks have to pay money just so their young-uns can go off to school and help out with the chores. I can hear the laughter of the folks on Cat Creek, Mossyback Road, Chunky Gal Mountain, Skeenah, and other sections of God's Country. Cross My Heart! "Why shorely, Cousin," they would say, "you must be fun nin'?" But I'm not. I'm a-quoting, word for ward, from this rich, big-city school near New York. Because New York Is so vast, it has a number of special schools seldom found in smaller towns: For the blind, deaf, cerebral palsied children. Several are for "the retarded" or "slower boy or girl." One delicately phrases its ad: "Is your child slow or quick, and interested in mechanical, agricultural and such manual activities .rather than in book learning? We develop their talents!" Besides all these knowledge factories for the young. New York is chuckful of schools for adults. ? Others' Opinions ? - in ? BETTER YET J. B. Lipscomb tells about the self-styled reformer who was watching a trench dug with modern machinery methods. He said to the superintendent, "This machine has taken jobs from scores of men. Why don't you junk it and put 100 men in that ditch with shovels?" The superintendent snorted: "Better still, why not put 1,000 men in there with teaspoons." ? Sanford Herald. SEALED WITH FEAR What is happening to freedom of thought and speech on the American college campus has been forcefully shown in a study of 72 major educational institutions by the New York Times. This study revealed that residents of college communities have become wary and inhibited in varying degree about speak ing out on controversial matters, discussing unpopular beliefs, and participating in campus politics. Why? Because these in dividuals feared five things: 1. Social disapproval. 2. A "pink" or Communist tag. 3. Criticism by regents, legislatures and friends. 4. Rejection for further study at graduate schools. 5. The spotlight of investigation by government and private industry for post-graduate employment and service with the armed forces. It Is not surprising to learn this about freedom of thought and speech on our college and university campuses. The sur prise would have been to be told that caution and wariness had not resulted from the atmosphere created by McCarthyism and other forms of smear and irresponsibility. And the effect has been to stifle freedom of thought arid expression off, as well as on, Ihe college campus. In the prevailing atmosphere of doubt and suspicion, silence Is deemed the better part of wisdom and caution. A brownout of reason makes It Increas ingly ha. d to know whether the fears that tighten our Hps and curb our thoughts are genuine or imagined. In either oase, the consequence is alarming to contemplate. These words from the pen of WUllam Somerset Maugham are as timely as today's headlines If a nation values anything more ttun freedom, it wlii lose tie freedom; and the Irony 'of it ii that if it ia comfort or money that it vftluet more, It will lose that too,? Oreensboro Record. News reporting requires constant, painstaking, thorough checking of facts. A reporter never can afford to take anything for granted, whether it be the result of a court trial or the mid dle initial of the man who spent last week-end with relatives in nearby Sylva or Bryson City. (Errors will creep in, often enough, no matter how careful he is.) Above' J. P. Brady, Franklin Press reporter- photographer, is shown checking With Scoutmaster James L. Hauser (right) on some facts about last Thursday night's Boy Scout Oourt of Honor (see picture and story on Page 1). Even though he was present for the ceremony, Mr. Brady ? whose main job is general news reporting, with sports and photography sidelines ? wanted to make sure of certain facts. How did J. P. Brady, photographer, get a photograph of J. P. Brady, reporter? Well, this is a job that requires resourcefulness. In this case, he got an assist from Mrs. Brady, who snapped the picture after he had set up the camera. Newspaper Shop Talk Mostly About Us News reporting is serious busi ness, spiced with time-consum ing dead-end leads and dead line pressure ? but it's a whale of a lot of fun, too! It's serious business because a reporter is the connecting link between the newspaper and the public and is, in a way, the speaking voice of the newspaper. In a newspaper, the public expects to learn what is taking place, or has taken place. Factual, concise, and unbiased stories are the tools which a reporter uses to reach this end. Actually, such a thing as an "easy" story is rare. A reporter may spend a whole day run ning down a story which will be little more than a couple of lines when printed. But it's news ? and news is his job. Then again he may spend a whole day working on a possible "lead" on a story with the end result that he returns to the office empty-handed. Or he may spend only half an hour collecting enough information to fill half a page of the paper. News is the most erratic thing about a newspaper. Even a certain amount of of work is involved when a story is phoned into the office. Every fact must be thoroughly checked. Nine out of ten times the facts are correct ? but they are still checked. The same thing applies to stories brought to the office by club officers or other persons. Checking takes time, but it pays off in the long run. 1 Material mailed to the news paper Is checked as closely as possible. Unsigned releases sent to the paper, since they can't be checked, go to "File 13" (wastebasket)... * * * There Is an old newspaper' saying that "a reporter is only as good as his contacts" ? peo ple who tip him off to things that are about to happen, giv ing him a "scoop" on other papers in the area. In other words, cooperation binds a re porter to the public. If the pub lic cooperates with a reporter, he in turn cooperates by giving his all when he pounds out his story. Believing in giving credit where credit is due, The Press reporters ? and everybody on a small paper is a reporter ? will step forward any time and say that cooperation in Macon County is above the average. In many instances, the public goes out of its way to give a hand. Here's an example of how co operation pays off between the reporter and the public: The editor halls the reporter, "Some fellow named Smith was just killed. Go get the story!" Not very much for a reporter 'tier uo on . . .' a man named Smith is dead . . . how? . . . where? ... why? ... He starts checking. "HI, Sheriff, got anything on a man named Smith being kill ed? You have, good! John S. Smith, 68, prominent farmer, Chestnut section. Don't know .how he was killed? Well, thanks, that's a good lead. See you Jatex." (the reporter Is lucky; lound out who the man was and where he lived). "Mr. Brown, I'm from The Pr^ss. I understand your neighbor, Mr. Smith, was lound dead this morning. I see; hi was accidentally killed by a stray bullet supposedly fired. by some deer hunter back in the hills, you say. Ob, you war* standing oa his porch talking to him when it hap pened. About what time was that Mr. Brown? ... he was a bachelor? . . . since you were his closest friend, maybe you could give me more informa tion on him. . . (the reporter starts building his story through the eye-witness). And later, "the coroner's jury finds that the death of John S. Smith was accidental, that he died after being struck by a stray bullet . . ." (the reporter has his story pretty well wrap ped up by now and he .returns to the office with his facts, some five hours, and maybe 75 miles, later, but he has the story). What would the reporter have done, or what kind of a story would he have written, if he had not received the coopera tion of the sheriff, the eye witness, and the coroner? Of course violent deaths in Macon County fortunately are unusual. Most stories are less exciting, though often even more significant. But in the lit tle story or the big story, there always is the problem of run ning down leads, of trying to get all the Information and get it on paper in an orderly fash Ion, and of doing it in time. ? * ? News deadlines breathe heav ily on the neck of every report er, sooner or later causing a king-size set of nerves or a rapidly balding head. For the sake of illustrating, take the same story on John S. Smith, and assume that the ac cident took place on press day ?deadline 2 p. m. for final news bulletins. The reporter rushes in from the coroner's inquest, rolls paper In his typewriter, and attacks the keys, one eye on the clock. The editor rushes in: "Get a move on, we're waiting on the story." The hands on the- clock seem to be jet-propelled . . . the reporter sweats freely as the editor paces the floor. Sudden ly he swoops over and pulls the partially written story out of the reporter's typewriter, "I'll take this much, keep working on the rest". Time flies . . . the typewriter keys jam . . . faster ... at last, it's finished . . . Phew! Time, 2 p. m. ? ? ? On a weekly paper, there are slack days, usually Thursday, Friday, and Saturday1 after the paper Is printed. These days present a problem to a reporter since he must furnish enough copy to keep the typesetting machine busy. So he starts dig ging, maybe working on a fea ture story, or interviewing a visiting personality, or running down leads on five or six stor ies. Some weeks he Is covered up with news (first Monday of each month, for Instance, when the town boards, board of coun ty commissioners, school board, etc., all meet), and on others he'd give his last dollar for one good story. During superior court weeks he may spend pipst of the day light hours covering criminal and civil cases ? always hoping for something out of the ordi nary to take place, alrald to leave for fear that he will miss a good story? and then burn the midnight oU to catch up with his work. It's a vicious cycls, this re porting game, but hs must. like bis. work. Thar*. Ms . hundreds of saslsr and better paying lobe,, but newsptperlng g?ts la. th? blood I Business Making News ? By BOB SLOAN , Who is Temptation Jones? Don't ask me 'cause I don't know. The man said that if the women in this town gossip the stunt should work. Well I think that it should be a mild sensation here ? what do you think. Well, now that I have taken care of the main thing that the town is talking about we will get down to business. Several firms have taken ad vantage of the fact that the paving people are here and have Improved either their grounds or their driveways? i Duncan Motor Company has paved their parking lot and paved a driveway from Palmer street to Main street. This firm has also placed an attractive sign on Palmer street advertis ing All Night Service. The Nor mandle now has an all weather paved parking lot. We would like to take this op portunity to congratulate Belk's department store on their Har vest sale again this fall. For several years they have done more than their part toward building Interest In county prod ucts by offering prizes for the best in various local products. We believe in the years to come that they can say they did their part toward planting the germ of an idea which grew to be the county fair ? we are going to have one in a year' or two. The combining of Home Dem onstration Achievement and 4-H club show this year is a great step toward achieving this. Seems like there were -a lot of people fn town Saturday. Hope some of them were from the section opened up by the new road. Also we hope you enjoyed doing business here and that you will come back. Willard Pendergraas, the old acid wood man, is operating the ^ filling station vacated by Lee Poindexter. The new drive-in theatre, to be known as the Franklin Drive-in will open here this week. More entertainment helps to prevent idleness. 81nce Idle ness helps to breed juvenile de linquency we are glad to see the additional theatre and we ~"i hope that it does as good a Job of providing clean entertain ment as the Macon theatre has for many years. If only somebody sold foot long hot dogs here. Franklin would have most of the latest lnovations. Do You Remember? (Looking backward through the files of The PreM) ? 50 TEARS AGO THIS WEEK Evangelist W. E. Holcomb, of Montreat, will begin a series ol special services at the Franklin Methodist church Sunday. A party of young folks of Vic toria made a trip to Turtle Pond Friday afternoon and In spite of the rain enjoyed a trip to Cullasaja falls Saturday. Mr. Lee Crawford is having a new shingle roof put on his house In town. Mr. Zell, a New York gentle man who has an lntere?t In the Mason Branch gem mines, reg istered at Hotel Jar,rett Sunday. 25 YEARS AGO Congressman Zebulon Weaver, Democratic candidate for re election, will make his first speech in Macon County during the present campaign at Frank lin Wednesday. His Itinerary ^ will also take him to Otto and Cowee for addresses. Don't forget the Lyceum at the courthouse Friday night at 8 o'clock. J. M. (Flddlln Jim) Carbln, of Ellljay, was In Franklin Sat urday displaying two Woll River apples weighing one and a quarter pounds, each ? the big gest of the many big applies dis- 1 played In Franklin this tall. 10 TEARS AGO ... Oienvllle Power Plant Indi cated By Governor (headline). The Sinclair service station on Main street, which has been op erated by W. D. Hedden, ha* -been purchased by H. S. Talley and Carter Talley. (Highlands Highlights^, JT. fraok pay kL initial fritnds hart thla WMK