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entered at Port Office, franklin, N. C , as second class matter.
VOL. I.1TTH Number 2#
Published every Thursday by Hie Franklin Press
At Franklin, North Carolina
Telephone 24
WEIMAR JONES Editor
BOB 8. SLOAN ....Business Manager
SUBSCRIPTION RATES:
Ont-of-County ? One Tear. $3.00
In Macon County ? One Tear $2.50
Six Months $1.75
Three Months Sl.oo
Single Copy 40
Obituary notices, cards of thanks, tributes of respect, by individual*, lodge*,
rtwrchei, organizations or societies, will be regarded as advertising and inserted at
regular classified advertising rates. Suck notices will be marked ,"adv." in oomau
ance with the postal requirements.
The Thing That Counts
In last spring's primary election, the majority
of those voting considered Messrs J. C. Sorrells,
Claude \Y. Cabe, Xeville Bryson, John M. Archer,
Jr., and Allen Siler the five best men out of a field
of 12 seeking nomination to the county board of
education. ^
When the votes were counted, it was the feeling
of this newspaper that Macon County was assured
of a good board of education for the next two
years. It still is our feeling that we have a good
board. Until and unless the members of the board
prove the contrary, we shall assume that each of
the five members wants to do the right thing.
That in no way changes the conviction of this
newspaper ? and, vve believe, of a large proportion
of the people of this county ? that the board last
week made a grave mistake. It just doesn't make
sense to elect a superintendent to run the schools,
and then overrule him on the choice of his subordi
nates.
We think the board acted without giving suffi
cient thought to the results of its action. That is
something all of us do .sometimes. All of us make
mistakes. The important thing is not whether we
make mistakes, but what we do about them after
they're made.
The measure of a man is whether he is fair
minded enough to see it when he has made a mis
take, courageous enough to admit that it was a
mistake, and wise enough to correct it.
What Will The Public Say?
The Eisenhower administration finds itself in an
embarrassing position.
During the campaign the Republicans pledged
themselves to balance the budget and reduce taxes.
While they were somewhat vague about when, the
general public got the impression that Eisenhower,
once he got in office, would make things move ?
and fast.
Now, despite deep cuts in the defense budget ?
cuts so deep that many wonder if they are safe ?
the administration admits it isn't going to be able
to balance even next year's budget. And if, as
President Eisenhower wisely insists, the budget
must be balanced before taxes are cut, the prom
ised lowering of taxes seems far away.
What will the public say to that?
The public is disappointed, of course. Who
isn't?
But as long as the administration does what it
apparently has just done ? come clean with the
people ? the public is going to be inclined to be
sympathetic. For the first demand the citizen
makes of his public officials is that they be honest
with him. Given that, the average citizen can and
will overlpok a lot of inconsistency.
On Our Way
To many of us, progress in Macon "County and
Western North Carolina sometimes seems painful
ly slow. Often this region seems sorely handicap
ped by lack of wealth ? a little surplus money
makes easy so many things that, without a sur
plus, are difficult indeed.
But progress we do !
Witness the growing interest, on the part of the
average man, in his government, and especially in
his community schools.
Witness, in this and other counties, the enthu
siasm for the Rural Community Development
Program ? and what that program already has ac
complished in physical improvements, not to men
tion what it has done to community spirit.
And witness, in the cultural sphere, the develop
ing interest in and appretiation of good music ;
the years the N. C. Symphony Orchestra was
brought here; more recently, the visits of the
Grass Roots opera; the new county-wide Home
Demonstration Choral Group ; and the hunger, of >
children and parents alike, for a better apprecia
tion of good music, as expressed in the ever-grow
ing number who are taking private lessons.
And now there is evidence of a spark of inter
est in art and related subjects.
An example is the fact that the first exhibit of
original paintings ever shown in our neighboring
county of Jackson opened Tuesday. Sponsored by
Sylva's Twentieth Century Club, the exhibit is in
the new Hunter Library at Western Carolina Col
lege. Made up of paintings by artists from through
out Western North Carolina, the exhibit will con
tinue through May 22. Hours are 8 to 5 and 7 to
9:30, Mondays through Fridays, and 2:30 to 5
Sundays.
And in our neighboring county to the north.
Swain, plans are being completed for the fourth of
the annual regional exhibits of fine arts and handi
crafts. That exhibit, to open May 25, will continue
through June 30.
V
We definitely are on our way !
Our Best Bow
Our best bow to half a dozen young ladies !
Not that we don't always have a bow for all
young ladies (for who ever heard of a young lady,
by the very fact of being young and a lady, who
wasn't attractive and so deserving a bow?)
But this is a very special bow ? our best.
Because these young ladies have accomplished
something, and thereby done honor not only to
themselves but to their community. They've won
Curved Bars, the top honor in Girl Scouting; and
a girl doesn't get that as a matter of course ? it
has to be earned.
And so, to young Misses Edith Christy, Carolyn
Dowdle, Dale Edwards, Margaret Jones, Joan
Thomas, and Beverly Stockton, our best bow. Due
a bow merely for being young ladies, and there
fore attractive, they've become doubly attractive
for having done something worth-while.
We wonder sometimes if the best way to get a
truce in Korea wouldn't be for both sides just to
agree to stop fighting.
Why, we often wonder, do the churches, which
devote their efforts to combatting sin, tolerate the
movies, since they properly are termed ctn-ema.
"Brainpower Shortage To Be Studied", says a
headline.
Careful there! Don't pick on us.
Why, that's an invasion of personal privacy !
Nobody's going to find out how critical is our
shortage of that commodity.
? Letters
NEEDED ? A BUS STATION
Editor, The Press:
With no personal reflection on anyone, I make the following
, statements :
From the way I see it, one of the CRYING NEEDS of the
town of Franklin is a BUS STATION.
Let it be built off Main Street, away from the center of
town, where there will be plenty of room far different tracks
as our town grows.
Surely we would all celebrate in grand fashion if ? we could
have a bus station, with bus station facilities, such as seats,
hot lunch counter, clean rest rooms.
All in favor of a bus station for Franklin, let it be known
by going to work in the proper way to get it built AT ONCE.
Yours for progress,
MRS. F. E. MASHBURN.
Franklin, N. C.
It is seldom that we find out how great are our resources
until we axe thrown upon them. ? Bovee.
T always get the better when I argue alone. ? Oliver Gold
smith.
OUR DEMOCRACY
They hurried off their, farms, out of the forests,
AWAY FROM HUNDREDS OF PEACEFUL HOMES, LEAVING THEIR
PLOWS, THEIR AXES AND THEIR FAMILIES BEHIND , SO THEV
COULD DEAR ARMS AT LEXINGTON, CONCORD AND BUNKER HILL.
A GRATEFUL NATION CAUXD THEM THE *MINUTE MEN*-AN
EMERGENCY POOL OF CIVILIAN SOLDIERS- WHO, IN OUR
TIME ARE GROUPED IN NATIONAL GUARD UNITS.
Each wee?, in more than 2200 american communities,
THEV TROOP DOWN TO THE ARMORY OR AIR BASE AND ARE
TRANSFORMED FOR A CRITICAL EVENING OF TRAINING
INTO DISCIPLINED UNIFORMF"> UNITS.
? KEEP YOUR GUARD UP -
Others' Opinions
NO IMPROVEMENT
(Dunn Dispatch)
"The first He detector," says Cad Upchurch, "was made out
of the rib of a man." And no improvement has ever been made
on the original machine.
CORN BREAD
(Miss Beatrice Cobb in Morganton News-Herald)
There were a number of things done by the 1953 session of
North Carolina Legislature in which I found myself in total
disagreement. However, as 1 believe 1 have mentioned in this
column heretofore, I thoroughly approved their action in turn
ing thumbs down on the proposal to require "enrichment" of
corn meal offered for sale. The debate brought forth some of
the real oratory of the session. It also caused Representative
Kemp Doughton to delve into an old scrap book for the classic
comments of the late editor of the Houston (Texas) Post, Col.
George Bailey, who was, if I remember correctly, a native of
North Carolina, and of "Marse" Henry Watterson, another of
the famous Southern editors of a couple of generations ago.
The following was published over forty years ago, about 1910,
in the States-Graphic, a weekly paper of Brownsville, Tenn.:
CORN BREAD
"Recently a theoretical cook, who makes a living by writing
rather than by cooking, published a formula for a new kind of
corn bread. Commenting on the recipe, Colonel fleorge Bailey
of the Houston Post said with some heat: 'About that corn
bread recipe which includes three-fourth of a cup of sugar.
Tell them not to do it. Sugar in corn bread is an abominable
crime. It violates every tradition of the South. It insults the
palate. It mocks the culinary art. When the Lord made corn,
He put all the sugar in it He intended that it have.'
"Colonel Henry Watterson saw this attack by Bailey, upon
the newest vice, and though more than eighty years old, the
intrepid Colonel rushed to the side of the Texas Colonel to
strengthen his arm.
" 'Corn bread with sugar In it was an idea born of the devil,
planted in New England and sent South by our enemies. It is
threatening the life of real corn bread right in the land of its
birth. It has done and is doing worse. It makes men trifling
and women frivolou^. It is responsible for most of the murders,
suicides and divorces. It is the mother of Bolshevism and the
daddy of anarchy. It weakens the brain, infuriates the lives
and makes people pot-bellied. It brings corns and baldness and
saffronizes the complexion. It makes the nose shiny and the
skin purple.
" 'It drives husbands down town at nights. It causes the
servants to be insolent and obstreperous. It creates an appe
tite for moonshine.
" 'It embolderls a man to refuse his wife's request for money.
But for sugar in corn bread, there would be no war, no files
or mosquitoes, no ants or roaches, no I. W. W., no Republican
Party.
" 'Let the twentieth amendment to the constitution forever
prohibit sugar in corn bread, and let's have the vote right away.
" "This would seem all-embracing and is sufficiently conclu
sive. New England may know how to bake beans. They say the
cider in Maine Is a good substitution for whiskey. It must be
admitted that In Boston "punkln pie" Is no slouch. But corn
bread? La! That requires all that George Bailey says, and a
pair of old black hands to boot? and a real bandana handker
chief?and an old black mammy's voice, rich, mellow and de
votional, singing:
" 'How Firm a Foundation, Ye Saints of the Lord.' "
"There Is little to add to this except the thanks of the
mighty congregation of cornfeds throughout the South."
News Making
As It Looks
To A Maconite
? By BOB SLOAN
It is slightly Ironical many
business leaders in the city of
Detroit are among the first to
begin to raise their voice against
'the hard money policies of the
Eisenhower administration since
most anyone will concede that
the business brains of the group
come from that city or near
by.
What bothers Detroit accord
ing to one business news anal
yst is tight money. "This new
314% bond issue takes money
out of the market at a time
when banks, businessmen, and
consumers need money. Also
perhaps Detroit, a production
city if there ever was one, real
izes that production without
consumers is no good and will
soon produce a very critical
condition.
? ? m
There are a few other new
business rumors here in Frank
lin that I failed to mention last
week. Frank Dupcan 'has either
sold or is in the process of
selling his interest to his busi
ness partner, Charlie Conley in
the Duncan Motor Company.
Paul Carpenter may be a part
ner in the transaction also. If
so this may answer the $64
question that everyone has been
asking, "what is Paul going to
do now that he has sold the
laundry?" I have also heard the
rumor that Mr. Duncan and
Lee Wood are going to build a
super motor court on the lot
which they purchased from the
Baptist church. Traffic-wise
that would certainly seem to
be an excellent location for a
motor court.
W. C. Burrell Is constructing
an attractive block building be
tween the Nantahala Oil Com
pany and the W. A, Hays Block
plant. I have heard that this
is to house a Firestone store.
However, that is an uncon
firmed rumor also.
? ? ?
Next Sunday If the weather
is pretty and you want to
build up your faith in Macon
County let me suggest that you
take one of two drives. Ride
either up through the Patton
community and come bqck into
the highway right near the
Cartoogechaye school, or take
the Ingram road at Brendle's
store in East Franklin and fol
low it until you come back to
the highway at Rabbit Creek.
Here you will see two fine ex
amples of the work of those
who are the backbone of Ma
con County ? the farmers. The
progress and improvement in
the past few years are amazing.
Some people used to say that
those who lived in the country
were envious of the few mate
rial advantages their town cous
ins had. Now the shoe is on the
Continued on Page Three?
Do You
Remember?
(Looking backward through
the files of The Press)
56 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK
The Bank of Franklin will
commence business as soon as
the building can be completed
to receive it.
Mrs. Dr. Wexler Smathers, of
Asheville, accompanied by her
daughter, Miss Joanna, and lit
tle son, are visiting the fam
ilies of Mr. H. H. Jarrett and
Dr. W. H. Higglns.
Two bright young ladies,
Misses Pauline and Grace Pen
land, of Smith's Bridge town
ship, paid our office a pleasant
visit Saturday evening, and in
vestigated some of the myster
ies of the printer's art. We hope
they will call again when the
mill is grinding.
25 TEARS AGO
Mr. Jim Hauser, who is work
ing in a drug store at Waynes
vllle, was shaking hands with
his many friends here Tues
day.
Mr.'Thos. Alexander, of A
ville, was a visitor here
week. He was connected whii
the forest service here for sev
eral years.
J. H. Daves, who has been In
Massachusetts for about two
years, is spending a six weeks'
vacation with relatives in Ma
con County.
1? TEARS AGO
Misses Jena V. Frazler and
Belvia WalHroop left Friday for
Washington, D. C. They have
accepted positions with the F.
B I.
W. Cantey Johnson, of Madi
son, arrived in Franklin Moth
er's Day to spend several days
with his mother, Mrs. J. W. C.
Johnson.