?Jt t fflxnnklxn
atii
Hht IJjgkhuiits ^6intnnmn
?OL. Lxvn Number 36
Published every Thursday by The Franklin Press
At Fsanklln, North Carolina
Telephone 24
Entered at Post Office, Franklin, N. C., as second class matter.
fflDMAR JONES - Editor
BOB 8. SLOAN -Business Manager
SUBSCRIPTION RATES:
Out-of-County ? One Year $3.00
In Macon County? One Year. $2.50
Six Months - $1.75
Three Months $1.00
Single Copy .10
Obituary notices, cards of thanks, tributes of respect, by individuals, lodges,
churches , organizations or societies, will be regsrded as advertising and inserted at
regolsr classified advertising rstes. Such notices will be marked adv." in compli
ance with the postal requirements.
SEPTEMBER 4, 1952
A Mockery And A Sham?
Here are some comments about the Macon Cotin
ty Home for the aged and infirm : "?
"Four rooms cannot be heated, due to a con
demned chimney", and so . . .
"One woman stayed in a room without heat" last
winter.
"A sick man needs to be in hospital instead of
Count v'Home."
"The building' as a whole is in bad need of re
pair." Examples':
"Fire escape is. not safe."
"Bad leak 'in' kitchen."
In addition, the Home 4
"Needs hew beds and bedding."
Those are not our comments. They are not the
comments of some out-of-county visitor, to the
County Home. They are not the comments of any
one person.
They are comments contained in the report of
the Macon County grand jury, presented at the
August term of court. They are thus the findings
of a group of substantial Macon County citizens ;
citizens chosen for their character and judgment)
and dependability.
And because temperateness of expression is a
characteristic of the people of this county, the
chances are that what these grand jurors said in
their report is understatement.
It is worth noting, too, that this is not the first
grand jury to criticize the condition and operation
of the County Home; and that the criticisms they
make echo those heard for years from almost every
person who has visited the Home.
* * *
This newspaper is not censuring, any one indi
vidual. It is not sure that any one individual is to
blame.
But we offer this suggestion :
If we in this community are willing for the help
less inmates of our County Home ? men and wom
en who are old and sick, without money ahd even
without friends ? if we are willing for them to live
under such conditions, then we should start tomor
row to tear down all our churches.
For if we are willing to tolerate such conditions,
our religion is a mockery and a sham.
Added Reason
i Yesterday school opened.
That brings a responsibility to parents and teach
er*. It also brings a responsibility to every person
who drives an automobile or a truck.
For when school is in session, children are going
to be crossing streets and highways and country
roads ; they may even be playing in the streets and
roads.
So, starting right now, there is an added reason
to drive carefully. If we don't drive carefully, it
may mean some child's life.
This year there will be no traffic deaths of Ma
con County children if all of us drive, at all times,
as though the child in the street or road, the child
around the corner, were our child.
Out of the mouths of today's babes and sucklings
comes ? "gimme 1"
Bouquets
Choice flowers from our bouquet garden to . . .
Judge William H. Bobbitt and the Nantahala
Power and Light Company.
To Judge Bobbitt for the business-like and ex
peditious manner in which he conducted the August
term of Macon superior court. While there was no
suggestion of slurring over important cases that
warranted careful attention, Judge Bobbitt kept
things moving. Result : The court disposed of 79
of the 137 cases on the criminal docket, all in a
matter of five days.
To the Nantahala Power and Light company for
its forward-looking policy in installing two-way
radio outfits on its maintenance and service trucks
and engineers' automobiles. The investment, it is to
be hoped, will prOve a monev-saver for the com
pany, but the big dividend will go to the custpmers,
in the form of faster and better service.
Our American Civilization
Buying more and more time-saving devices; find
ing less and less time to earn enough money to pay
for them. '
Letting the children do as they please, today;
reading the riot act to them when they don't please
tn <ln as we think they should, tomorrow.
Making pnssession of money and ability at the
bridge table the criteria of social standing; look
ing down our noses at the old idea that family was
a proper standard.
ComplSkiniTtgjMtterly about prices when we make
every-day purchases of necessities ; cheerfully pay
ing four prices for things we don't need when we
buy them in an atmosphere of swank.
i
? Letters
A VISITOR IS IMPRESSED
Editor, The Press: '
During the past week my wife and I had the privilege and
honor of1. passing through your lovely city and at that time we
encountered an incident that I will never forget as long as I
live.
As we came into Franklin from Route 23, we turned left on
the highway to Highlands and, after leaving town, I saw a
sign indicating that we were on Route 64. Since we were on
our way to Atlanta, I knew we were on the wrong road.
I stopped at the Sinclair station near the foot of the hill
just out of the business district to ask directions and to service
the car. As we drove up, the attendant came to the window
and I said, "fill it up". Then the manager, or at least the man
in charge, came up and was servicing the front end of the car
and at the same time gave direction to Atlanta. After the man
ager" serviced the front, I got out and glanced at the pump and
it indicated $1.62 in sales. I gave the manager that amount.
After we drove off, the attendant asked the manager if he
had put any gas in our car; he said, no, that he thought he ,
(the attendant) had. Well, any way, they came to the ' con
clusion that neither had put gas in, so he jumped in his car
and overtook us several miles out of town to give us our
money back.
I think that was one of the greatest acts of honesty and
decency a man could do, and that is what motivated this letter.
I think this is a story-of public interest, since it indicates that
there are still honest men in the world.
LAWRENCE K1MBERLY.
Jacksonville, Fla.
Other's Opinions
MOONLIT HISTORY
(Charlotte News)
Tar Heels have known it for some time, but more and more
staters are noticing that North Carolina has some top-notch
theater (and a fine tourist attraction) in our four outdoor his
torical dramas. Latest to prick up their ears are the editors of
Business Week, which carries a fine illustrated piece on them
in its current issue.
With the addition this year of Thunderland, at Asheville, and
Horn In the West, at Boone, to Unto These Hills at Cherokee
and the granddaddy to the open air dramas, Manteo's The
Lost Colony, ticket sales for these productions are expected to
reach 500,000 this year. That will mean an income of $1 million,
much of which Is ploughed back into/ productions, put into
scholarships, ox used to repay confident and enthusiastic local
citizens who put up the cash when a production was but a
gleam in the eyes of someone like Authors Paul Oreen, Kermit
Hunter, Musician Lamar Stringfleld, Director Sam Selden, or
Mrs. B. W. Stallings up at Boone.
These productions have a lot to do in making North Caro
lina's $350 million tourist business the third largest Industry
in the state. More than that, they're a wonderful way of pre
serving and teaching the state's rich history, while affording
capable local actors an outlet for their talents. When one takes
OUR DEMOCRACY
BE SURE yOU ARE KSQMX-THEN GO AHEAD
Davy Crockett- mighty
WOODSMAN AND FRONTIER.
SCOOT, TRULY LIVED BY
HIS FAMOUS MOTTO.
. C t
.1s.it
Though self-taught, with
LITTLE FORMAL SCHOOLING,
HE "WENT AHEAD* TO BECOME
AN ABLE STATESMAN.
He DIED AT THE ALAMO, FIGHTING FOR THE PIONEERING
FREEDOM THAT HE LOVED AND LIVED.
THE KIND OF FREEDOM DAW CROCKETT AND HIS FELLOW
PIONEERS GAVE OUR COUNTRY HELPED LAY THE
FOUNDATIONS FOR THE FREEDOM WE ENJOY TODAY
IN OUR DEMOCRACY.
ill one of these dramas 'neath a Carolina moon, he gets his
history pretty easijy (and pretty straight i along with some
darned good theatre. It's a wonderful way to spend an evening.
. I
BUT DON T RUB
i Mrs. Theo Davis in Zebulon Record)
This summer's extreme heat has caused numerous cases of
"sun poison", as some call the burns it makes on face and
arms. If sufferers are willing to try my Aunt Jennie's preven
tive far this, it might lessen the need for cure.
1
Before going into hot sunshine, Aunt Jennie coateckjace and 1
arms with clabber or thick buttermilk. Over this, while it was 1
'.yet, she patted all the sifted cornmeal that would stick on. ]
The mixture made a protective mask from which her black eyes
looked out with a truly startling effect. But it kept off sun
burn, and when worn with a sunbonnet, actually bleached the
skin. One word of caution: Do not rub the faoe while the
milk-and-meal plaster is on.
Death is nature's remedy for all things. ? Dickens.
There is a true glory and true honor, the glory of duty done,
the honor of the integrity of principle. ? Robert E. Lee.
It is not the greatness of a man's means that makes him in
dependent, so much as the smallness of his wants. ? Cobbett.
The two great civilized qualities are foresight and the capac
ity for continuous effort toward a remote goal ? Charles W.
Eliot.
STRICTLY
PERSONAL
By WEIMAR JONES
Ever stop to think bow
much money the world would
have to spend for construc -
hre things If it were not nec
essary to buy locks and keys,
and to pay policemen to pro
tect property?
That question is suggested by
the letter, published on this
page, from Mr. Lawrence Kim
berly.
The incident recounted by <
Mr. Kimberly seemed to him
very unusual? so unusual that
he took the trouble to write a
letter about it. What may strike
him as more remarkable is that
what happened will not seem
particularly unusual to most
readers of The Press.
It won't for the rery good
reason that It is the kind of
thing moat people here would
do themselves ? and expect
their neighbors to do.
The truth is, Mr. Kimberly,
that honesty Is pretty well tak
en for granted here. To Illu
strate: When we go away for
a week-end, we often forget to
lock the doors. If It should oc
cur to us, while we are away,
that we left everything open,
we don't worry. We know that,
mora than 99 times out of 100,
we'll get back to find things
exactly the way we left them.
(Unless, perhaps, a neighbor
took the wash in of/ the line,
when It started to rain, or
turned the water off, when the
temperature began to drop.)
Another thing we here In Ma
con County are inclined to for
get ? and that Mr. Kimberly 's
letter reminds us of ? is the
fact that this is one of the few
places in the world where peo
ple don't have to lock their
doors.
That is a situation so desir
able, so unusual, that It Is up
to us to make sure it contin
ues.
Who ha* a suggestion as to
HOW we can make sore
THAT doesn't chance in an
otherwise fast -changing Ma
eon County?
BP
I have a serious complaint to
make to Mr. Harold Gray. It's
one I've had for a long time,
but Just never got around to
registering.
Mr. Oray, it will be recalled
by leaders of the comics, Is the
author of "Little Orphan An
nie". It's a great comic, a great
story, and I never miss It
But . . .
I know, of course, that the
private enterprise system has
wrought wonders in America; I
am for It, even a small part of
It; I am In favor of preserv
ing it. But when I have to get
a sermon about It in the com
ics ? well, that's Just too much!
That's not what I read the
comics for.
Right now, for Instance, I am
much Interested in the Maha
raja of Metaphor. But my in
terest in him Is solely in how
he may affect Annie's fortunes.
I don't give a darn about the
economic system In hlfl mythic
al land of Metaphor.
Please, Mr. Gray, sermons
and even propaganda have
their place, hot NOT in the
Continued On Page Seven?
News Making
As It Looks
To A Maconite
? By BOB SLOAN
This week another term of
public school has started and
again thousands of school chil
dren will be traveling the
streets and highways of oar
country. Let's mal ? a firm re
solve to drive with care and use
extra caution when we are in
the vicinity of a school house.
Remember the life of the child
you save, Is very dear.
Speaking of schools, a lot has
been said concerning the need
of more money for teachers,
better equipment, etc. One of
the places where either the
state or the county falls down
the most ts in the providing of
funds for janitorial service.
Under our present system the
money is provided by the state
for janitor's salaries. The jan
itor of a school the size of the
East Franklin grammar school
<eight class rooms, auditorium,
cafeteria) receives $115.00 per
month. For that he is expected
to keep the building clean and
look after the furnace. To me,
it seems, that this would cer
tainly require the services of
one man about full time. There
is very little, if any, chance for
him to make any outside money.
If the man has a family of five
can he even feed them for
$115.00 per month? If he can
he shouldn't be janitor of a
school, he should be head of a
big business, because he is a
wizard at buying and manag
ing. Today we have a big in
vestment in our buildings and
they should be kept up prop
erly. But if the state doesn't
feel like paying even a living
wage to those who maintain our
buildings can you expect them
to feel very concerned about
the buildings. I would like to
see the teachers and principals
show the concern about this
underpaid part of our school
personnel that they showed
about their own salaries.
? ? ?
There is considerable specu
lation about the purchase or
aption of some land in East
Franklin from Homer Mashburn
by a man named Murphy from
Michigan. The land in question
is four acres of level land on
First street across from Harve
Bryant's house. I may be wrong,
but it seems to me that those
who are trying to make this
into another plant coming here
are idling their gears because
this is in the residential zone
set up by the zoning ordinance
passed by the town council.
Continued On Page Seven ?
Do You
Remember?
(Looking backward through
the files of The Press)
50 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK
Lieut. Sam B. Gibson, of
Swain County, attended the re
union here Friday and Satur
day.
. Messrs. W. W. Sloan, Harry
Jones, T. J. Johnston, Burton
Lyle, Paul Robinson, Walter
Deal and Miss Selma Staten,
Mollie Moore, Mary Redding,
and Ethel Deal went up to the
Wayah Bald this forenoon and
will return Friday or Saturday.
Chas. Hopper and Terrell Par
rish have set up a harness shop'
In Penland and Cos. old store
house. (Smith Bridge).
~25 YEARS AGO
Rev. and Mrs. F. O. Dry man,
of Morven, are spending a va
cation with friends and rela
tives in Macon County. Mr. Dry
man was reared near Scaly and
has numerous friends, not only
in that section of the coiatty,
but elsewhere who are glad to
welcome him and his family
on their periodical visits home.
Judge Willis celebrated his
birthday Saturday with a party
for a few friends at his camp
on Wayah creek.
Mr. Charlie Teague, president
and general manager of the
Macon Food Products company,
announced Monday that the
cannery would open Tuesday.
1* YEARS AGO
Mrs. Temple L. McCombs ar
rived Tuesday to accept the po
sition of Macon County Health
nurse succeeding Miss Kather
ine Shuford.
Somebody must be Joafing on
the job. There hasn't been a
fire on the Normandie for some
weeks now . . . London, we read,
is planning to reduce the oper
ation of Its elevators by 50 per
cent. That's one way of reduc
ing war's ups and downs.
(Frankie Macon).