jSfitnnklin
(Ehe Migitlanfts J&anminn
Entered at Post Office, Franklin, N. C., as second class matter
Published every Thursday by The Franklin Press
Franklin, N. O. Telephone 24
WEIMAR JONES Editor
BOB 8. SLOAN Business Manager
J. P. BRADY News Editor
MRS. ALLEN SILER Society Editor and Office Manager
MRS. MARION BRYSON Proofreader
CARL P. CABE . . . . . .. Mechanical Superintendent
FRANK A. ST ARRET TE Shop Superintendent
DAVID H. SUTTON Commercial Printer
O. E. CRAWFORD . , . Stereotyper
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
Outside Macon Countt Inside Macon County
One Year $3.00 One Year $2 JO
Six Months 1.75 Six Months 1.73
Three Months 1.00 Three Months 1.00
FEBRUARY 2, 1956
Goes To Show You
It's with no small amount of fanfare that we de
clare we're "plumb proud" of the Woodrow Tea
gues, an energetic I'rentiss family.
i
"Our folks" have put Macon County in the na
tional center ring of achievement once again by ex
emplifying the spirit of the family engaged in farm
and home development work.
The Teague's "new look" is one of several farm
and home work programs covered in an article ap
pearing in the January issue of What's New In
Home Economics.
Just goes to show what a family can do if it
wants to ? especially a Macon County family.
The Proper Balance
The editorial cartoon on this page graphically
suggests what this newspaper has advocated with
the incessancy of a magpie for years ? a healthy,
agricultural Macon County bolstered in its economy
with the proper balance of two ingredients econom
ically suited to the area, Tourist and Industry.
Agriculturally, Macon County is climbing rapid
ly and with a sureness indicating continued pros
perity.
Industrially, the county's progress has been much
slower. And that is as it should be. Macon can well
afford to be overcautious in its selection of indus
try, since it does not depend entirely upon this fac
tor for existence. Too, the county is in a position
to now profit by the mistakes of other counties
that have gone overboard in seducing just "any old
industry" and are now facing economic problems as
the "fly-by-nighters" pack up and leave.
Tourist-wise, the potential in Macon County has
only been scratched. Gradually, wide-awake busi
nessmen are leading the area into new fields to
ward the highly competative tourist bankbook. The
beauty of the mountains is a stable factor, but is no
longer powerful enough to .stand alone as an at
traction. Opening up of the area's beauty marks
(the toll road to Whiteside Mountain) a new trend
in appeal. More and better accommodations are in
the making. Emphasis, it seems, should be on big
ger and better promotion.
Scaled properly and with vision to these three
things ? Agriculture, Tourist, and Industry ?
there's little doubt that Macon County can, and
will, reach the top.
'Blue Monday' Whine
With their almost customary "blue Monday"
apologetic whine, most of the firev sports pages of
the nation's daily newspapers for weeks have la
mented the impending doom of United States ath
letes competing in the winter Olympics.
Although the inevitable is just now asserting it
self ? the games started this week ? sports writers
have been indicating the coupe de grace on the
wallpaper as a matter of course since the last Olym
pic games.
And the laCt remains that the United States is
making a very poor showing, and for a variety of
reasons, ranging from sprains to broken sled run
ners, and retroactive childbirth.
That's right ? retroactive childbirth.
Crying towels soggy, the sports pages have tear
fully noted that Mrs. Andrea Mead Lawrence's
chances of winning in the women's giant slalom
ski race were about nil because, since a double
Olympic triumph four years ago, she has had three
children.
We don't profess to know what relationship ex
ists between competative skiing and having chil
dren and what bearing it would have on an athlete
Agricultural Helpmates
placing in an event. The sports writers are more
educated along this line because, as they predicted,
Mrs. Lawrence placed only fourth.
Be that as it may, our hat's off to Mrs. Law
rence; for a couple of reasons.
First, even though the sports pages wrote her
Olympic obituary long before she donned her skis,
her wonderful spirit of competition carried her
through.
Secondly, because we're sure those three chil
dren mean more to her than all the Olympic gold
medals put together.
Did You Know?
Unlike the daily papers, where a push button and
a huge press do the job in one operation, The Press
each week is printed four pages at a time ; the first
four on Friday, the second on Monday, the third on
Tuesday, and the final Wednesday afternoon. '
It takes 15 pounds of ink to print a 16-page issue
of The Press.
Twelve reams of newsprint (600 pounds) go into
each week's issue of The Press.
In producing The Press each week (16 pages),
the four-page flat-bed newspaper press runs more
than 12 hours. Four more hours are .spent by an
operator at the folding machine before the product
is ready for public consumption. ,
The average press run for The Press is 3,000
copies weekly.
? Letters
y ?
Left Mark On Area
s \ . .
Dear Mr. Jones:
Over the past several years since we have been employed
here in the Bank building, one of the brightest spots in our
lives has been the friendship of Mr. James M. Denman, who
died January 19, 1956. He was affectionately known to us as
"Uncle Jim".
Let us all pause for a moment in our busy lives in respect
for this man who left such a profound mark upon Macon
County and Western North -Carolina. He really did leave his
mark here, and his name will live as long as our public records
stand. Through the years he conscientiously surveyed and pre
pared many thousands of descriptions of Macon County prop
erties. He was proud of his profession as a registered North
Carolina surveyor. He honestly pursued his work .and took
pride in doing a job to the very best of his ability
Mr. Denman was a quiet, unassuming man and had a very
special place in his heart for children. One of his greatest
pleasures was making a child happy with an ice cream cone
or a piece of candy, "just to see them sirtile". He encouraged
children in their school work, taking pride in their accom
plishments. He loved people, and lending a helping hand to
make the lives of others more pleasant was his delight. Those
who loved him will especially remember the thoughtful little
things he did for others out of which1 he derived so much
pleasure. Things others did for him were never overlooked;
he was appreciative and did not hesitate to say so. He made
doing things for him a real pleasure. On occasions when tem
pers flared or when hearts were heavy, he possessed that rare
gift of smoothing things over with a kindly word of cheer and
a hearty little chuckle, or with his sly grin, followed by a
bright remark. "Uncle Jim" loved to give. To his associates
he gave a wonderful Share of happiness, and we will always
hold his memory dear to our hearts. Mr., Denman loved his
family and his home. He was a lover of flowers ? especially
pansies, which he raised every year to share with his friends.
Mr. Denman was a good and staunch citizen; was well edu
cated, and possessed a remarkably broad vocabulary. He was
soft spoken, but when occasion demanded, he could meet it
with resounding eloquence and gusto. He was always ready to
defend his rights and beliefs in speech or by letters to the
press ? an admirable quality. America would be an even bet
ter country if we had more of his kind; folks who would be
willing to speak out and take a stand for the things in which
they believe.
Although a native of the State of New York, "Uncle Jim"'
loved our North Carolina as his own, and adopted our moun
tains as his home. He knew them well, and could hold you
spellbound for many an hour with his stories of the moun
tains and his work with mountain people.
Time will go on and others will take over his work, but his
empty desk and chair can never be filled. Beautiful memories
of this lovable person with his quiet manners, his sly little
smile and ready friendship will live on in the hearts of those
who knew him best. He was our "Uncle Jim"!
Very truly yours,
(MISS) LUCILLE PICKENS
(MISS) MARIE JENNINGS
Franklin
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot
change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to
know the difference. ? Reinhold Niebuhr.
D. HiDEN RAMSEY
NEWSPAPERING? It's The Greatest Game In The World
(Editor's Note: The follow
ing is taken from an address
by Mr. Ramsey before the N.
C. Press Association in Chapel
Hill at its mid-winter insti
tute. A retired Asheville news
paper executive, Mr. Ramsey
has a wide circle of friends
here).
I spent in the service of the
daily newspapers of my home
town many crowded, happy, and
I venture to hope, somewhat
purposeful years. The work was
always demanding of time
strength and mental exertion
but I never found it drudgery.
Each day was a new venture,
each issue of the paper was a
complete achievement in itself.
There were, of course, many
frustrations and failures but
they were quickly forgotten in
the reassuring knowledge that
tomorrow would bring a com
pletely new day and a new is
sue in whjch we could do full
penance for the sins of today
and in which the reader, re
membering little, would forgive
everything.
If I had my life to live over
again ? which none of us can
do except in our vain imagin
ings ? I would take the same
old footworn trail. I would
choose newspapering as my life
work and I would spend my
days within the shadows of the
mountains that bulk so large
against the horizon of my home
land and among the kindly,
eternal engaging folk who in
habit its towns, (valleys, and
hillsides.
For the past sixteen months,
I have had no responsibility for
the production of any news
paper. I am just another sub
scriber, just another number in
the ABC reports, just another
unit of purchasing power which
some harried solicitor is trying
to sell to some skeptical adver
tiser. I read newspapers now
to keep abreast of the news and
of opinions. Once my duties
forced me to read the comics;
now I am even able to ignore
them altogether. No longer do
typographical errors throw me
into apoplectic seizures. Now
just like any other simple citi
zen I savor the end result of
the work of your slaves of the
wheels of journalistic labor. I
can even throw my paper aside
in angry disgust without feel
ing that I have been a traitor
to my kind.
No reasonably perceptive and
reflective person can change so
sharply the angle from which
he views his life-time calling
without gaining a partially new
perspective and without modi
fying somewhat his sense of
professional values. It is from
this slightly different perspec
tive ? my withered branch ?
that I propose to speak today.
As recently as twenty years
ago I heard vocative experts ?
a deceptive breed at best ? free
ly and dolefully predict that the
non-dailies would be ultimate
ly driven out of business by the
strong dailies circulating in
their territories.
This prophecy has not been
fulfilled. On the contrary, the
non-dailies taken as a group are
more prosperous, more widely
read, and more influential than
they have ever been in their
history. Still bettfer days lie
ahead for them.
The truth probably is that
during the past two decades the
non-dailies have made as much
progress, if not more, than the
dailies. If any of our daily
publishers feels that this is an
improvident statement, I urge
him to read regularly many of
the more enterprising non
dailies. He will find it a reward
ing practice. He will soon dis
cover that there is much wis
dom in these journalistic babes
and sucklings.
I have been deeply impressed
by the quality of the editorials,
the sheer readability of the per
sonal columns and the thorough
ness and excellence of the
news coverage which our bet
ter non-dailies are providing.
Some of their editorials will
not suffer by comparison with
the more pretentious editorials
appearing in some of our larg
er dailies. I know of no more
interesting personal columns
than some of them are print
ing.
This morning X wish to take
my metaphorical hat off to the
non-dailies of our state. Judged
as a whole they are exemplify
ing journalism at its best by re
cording and interpreting accu
rately the lives of their respec
tive communities. Deeply rooted
in their soil, they have that as
surance of permanence furn
ished only by indispensable pub
lic service rendered with com
petence and character.
Modern daily newspapering is
a funny, even ridiculous busi
ness. It is chockful of contra
dictions, contrarieties, and ana
molies, of material things that
are appallingly impermanent
and of intangibles that are as
everlasting as human nature
itself and man's unresting quest
for a better life.
Every successful publisher
must live a double life and he
must live this life of duplicity,
usually righteous, in the full
sight of his community and
with a positive, even noble gen
ius for keeping each clashing
phase in its proper perspective.
He must have a cold eye ?
the eye* of a frigid banker. Then
he must have a warm eye ?
the eye of an idealist who can
look beyond the balance sheet
to the inestimable role which a
newspaper must play in our de
mocracy and which alone justi
fies the freedom which shelters
and ennobles the press. He must
keep his cold eye fastened on
the counting room and his
warm eye on the editorial and
news rooms. Then he must be
able to bring these two eyes
into focus and see the whole
job in its proper dimensions.
Alas! the warm eye is more
subject to cataract than the
cold eye.
The publisher must fashion
his papers to win and hold
readers but once having secur
ed them, he must market them
in mass to the advertiser who
in the last analysis pays the
freight. To him the reader is
both a sentient human being
and a unit of purchasing power
? things spiritual and things
terrestial.
To cap it all, there is the"
most vicious of circles that ever
plagued any enterprise. With
out readers, a newspaper can
not sell advertising and without
advertising, a newspaper can
not command the frightening
revenues necessary to the pro
duction of a paper that folks
will want to read. All the time
the bedeviled publisher is chas
ing the tail of the fugitive dog
in the Stygian blackness never
knowing which is the tail or
head of the animal which real
ly doesn't exist in the first
place.
The product itself, the indivi
dual issue of the newspaper, is
(See Back Page, 1st Section)
T. ?
VIEWS j
By <
BOB SLOAN I
The following may be a Rus
sian fantasy, or it may not.
Ivan Petrovich hurried up the
steps of the dull, grey building.
He walked with quick step
and there was an eager smile
on his face. For several years
now, he had been summoned
to Moscow every three months
to appear before the Commit
tee and report on his work In
America.
Before, he had dreaded these
meetings, for Joseph Malinaky
was a hard man who demand
ed results. Through diligent
work, Ivan had risen in the
party to this position of high
trust ? head of the American
bureau whose mission was to
attempt in every way possible
to bring about the downfall of
the .democratic system of gov
ernment in that country. Untfl
recently he had made little
progress, and he feared for his
position.
This morning he had good
news for his comrades.
He was almost humming to
himself as he entered the com
mittee room. The stern faces
of Comrade Joseph and other
members of the committee,
whose decisions could even
mean his death, had a sobering
effect on this almost cheerful
Russian. Still, he could not re
press a look of bouyancy from
his face as he laid his report on
the desk and assumed a posi
tion which he hoped gave forth
the air of respectful humility.
"Ah, perhaps Joseph will be
pleased and I will be allowed to
remain in Moscow with my
beautiful Olga one week long
er", he thought to himself as
he noticed that his judges were
re-examining the report with
interest.
"This interposition, can you
tell us how it will help our
cause?"
This was the question Ivan
had hoped for. That this was
their first reaction meant not
only that his report was clear,
but it gave him a chance to
place as much credit as possible
on himself for a situation which
might develop in America. Pure
(See Back Page, 1st Section)
Do You
Remember?
(Looking backward thn. .,:h
the tiles of The Pre?,
50 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK
The telephone exchange was
knocked out of commission by
the lightning last week or was
so badly deranged that messages
have had to be transferred at
central since. A better exchange
cabinet was purchased several
weeks ago, but has not come to
hand yet.
The snow at Asheville last
week was reported at from 12
to 15 inches deep, while her*
it scarecly covered the ground
entirely. A great deal fell
throughout the day, but it melt
ed nearly as rapidly as it fell
except on the mountains.
There will be a social meeting
of the Franklin Library Club
next Wednesday night Febru
ary 14, for the reception of new
members.
25 YEARS AGO
?Miss Irene Sloan has been
visiting at Clayton, Ga., the
past three weeks.
Miss Margaret Cozad, who has
been teaching school at Horse
Cove, closed her school there
last Friday.
Mr. Buren C. Byrd left Tues
day evening for his home in
Salt Lake City, Utah. He has
been on a several days' visit to
his sister, Mrs. T. M. Hoilman.
This is the first trip to Macon
County since he left 13 years
ago.
Mr. Edwin Bleckley, who has
been in Tampa, Fla.. for the
past year, came home last week
for a visit to his family here.
10 YEARS AGO
Harold R. Hideout began
work in the Highlands post of
fice Monday morning in the
capacity of clerk. ? Highlands
item
Mr. and Mrs. J. M. Brogden
recently went to Bryson City to
visit their son. Bill Brogden,
who just returned from over
seas duty.
E. J. Carpenter has been ap
pointed Macon County chair
man of the membership cam
paign of the N. C. Symphony
Society, according to an an
nouncement made by Gov. R
Gregg Cherry.