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(Eta Ifntttklnt |Jr?sa (Ehr Siighinnits jlHarxntmn Entered at Poet Office franklin, N. C , as second class matter Published e?erj Thursday by The Franklin Press Franklin, N. C. Telephone 24 FEBRUARY 16, 1956 A Poor Reason About all we were trying to say. in that January 26 editorial, "Old Krror, New Twist", was that for Asheville to try to get a four-year college so it could attract industry was a heck of a reason to get a college. In other words, that education is worth while, for itself. We must not have said it very well, because Mr. Sloan's letter, in last week's issue, and Mr. Corbin's, this week, indicate the editorial was misunderstood. As it turns out. maybe that was just as well ; because anything that will stir up discussion of ed ucation, and what it's for, is highly desirable. Both letters put emphasis on the practical ? one en the practical value of education, the other on the value of practical education. We are not inclined to argue either point. What we do maintain is that that kind of edu cation alone is not enough. If all we do is teach people how to earn a living, we. shall be giving them a poor education for living; and, after all, the second is the end, the first only a means to that end. Moreover, we shall have a hopelessly inadequate education for citizenship. For the first requirement of good citizenship in a democracy is the willing ness and the ability to get the facts, to think hon estly and straight, and to act unselfishly and fear lessly. When we stop educating people to do those things ? in fact, when we stop putting first em phasis on that kind of education ? we might as well kiss democracy goodbye. And of the three, mind and character are pri mary; action secondary. A mob acts! And it acts the way it does for lack of thought and of char acter. Schools And Money That proposal, presented to the county board of education last week, that the county's schools be put on an independent financial basis, makes sense. Any person informed about the purposes of the P. T. A. will tell you that it is not meant to be a fund-raising organization. And if it's bad for the P. T. A. to have to divert attention from its real job to that of raising money, how much worse is it for the schools ! There is a serious question about the desirabil ity of school "stores" under any circumstances. How can you expect a child, for example, to cat the wholesome, well balanced lunch the schools try to provide, if he's been to the store half an hour earlier to fill his stomach with candy and soft drinks? Even more important, raising money isn't what the schools are for. Nor is it what teachers are trained for. Every hour a teacher has to devote to operating ? and keeping books on ? a school "store", or in other money-raising activities, is an hour taken from his real job ? teaching. And why lose the service of a good teacher in order to get what probably will turn out to be a second-rate "merchant"? Not Their Business John Myers has been subpoenaed to appear be fore the House UnAmerican Activities Committee at a hearing in Charlotte, presumably to testify about his connection, ii" anv, with Communism. Mr. M vers is a professor at Campbell College, a small Baptist institution at Buies Creek, N. C. We don't know Professor Myers. We don't know ?what he believes or what he teaches. For all we know, he may teacb that the earth is flat and that black is white; for all we know, he may even advo cate Communism. But Campbell College is not supported by tax money; it is a private, church school. And so what , Mr. Myers teaches is the business, it occurs to us, of the institution's board of directors and the Bap tists. It certainly isn't our affair. And it isn't any business of the House UnAmerican Activities Com mittee. We'd be pleased if the school's board of trus tees told the committee members just that. It's high time somebody told 'em. CAN WE AFFORD IT? RALEIGH. ? Traffic mishaps on North Carolina highways in 1955 totaled a staggering $110,295,000, the Motor Vehicles De partment has announced. The immense dollar toss from acci dents represents funeral expenses, hospital bills, property dam age, law suits, insurance claims, and other expenses connected with the high cost of highway carelessness. Getting Nowhere? Fast What happened at the University of Alabama last week was a sickening" spectacle. This is the year 1956, hut at Tuscaloosa, an an gry, yelling mob hurled eggs and rocks at the Alabama institution's first Negro student ? and at University officials trying to protect her. And bad as the violence was, its importance was minor as compared with future ill effects; for if ever the South needed understanding, it is today. Well, the mob chose a poor way to get it. It will take a lot of Christian charity for non-Southerners to feel sympathetic understanding for an area that resorts to mob violence. Even from the viewpoint of the rabid segregationist, what happened was the height of stupidity; because the mob struck a terrible blow, in the field of public opinion, at the very thing it was trying to protect, segregation. Nor is the other side of the picture encouraging. When we think of a college, most of us have a picture of young persons eager for education, and grateful for the opportunity to get it. But the 26 vear old Negro woman whose presence in the Uni versity precipitated the violence is hardly convinc ing in that role. The evidence suggests, in fact, that what was in volved was not education at all, but a break through the color line : that the Negro coed was not even acting on her own initiative, b(tt was a tool in lawyers' hands. The assistant to the president of the University and the institution's dean of women risked their own lives in a determined and successful effort to save the Negro student from the mob. And what ever her legal rights to attend the school, the Uni versity officials would have deserved censure had they failed to do what they did do, after quiet was restored ? temporarily exclude her from the Uni versity. for her own protection. Yet her sole reaction was an ultimatum to re admit her within 48 hours, or face the conse quences. That was less spectacular than the mob's vio lence: it also was entirely legal. But it is an equally bad way for people to get along with others. And surely there can be no argument about this truism: Whatever the law may be, good race relations depend, finally, on good will. In that area, we seem to be getting nowhere, fast ! ? Letters Train People To Do' Editor, The Press: To your editorial of January 26 entitled, "Old Error, New Twist", allow me to make a few late comments. You state: "Education is meant to build an individual who will have some understanding and appreciation of the world he lives In. And in a democratic country such as otm. It ia also meant to build citizens with the intelligence to analyze (acts and reach conclusions, and the character to urge the validity of those conclusions," Unfortunately, for our democracy, your statement is true. How sad it is that education ends in understanding, appre ciation.' citizens with intelligence to analyze facts and reach conclusions, and character to validate conclusions! Woeful are we who do not make practical application. Education should be meant to train people to "do". Of what good is education if it only gains a head full of knowledge and ability? Why educate people if they cannot put education into use? Shouldn't education be a process of put ting into practice while we learn? Doesn't our democracy have too many "educated" people 'and not enough action? Also, it is a sad thing that "education has nothing to do with making money ? or attracting industry". Education should be action and action should be the backbone of in dustry If industry were action, and if education were train ing for action, then industry and education would be insepa rable. Too, how can we separate vocational and technical training from training in civilized necessities such as health, language, citizenship, and all the other sciences Can we as ? sume that industry can prevail without some degree of the use of communication, cooperation, etc.? Or would we rather advocate the use of vocationally and technically trained can nibals in industry? Sincerely, ' * Wales, Alaska. W1LFORD W CORBIN Let us never forget that the cultivation of the earth is the most important labor of mankind. ? Daniel Webster. ? STRICTLY z PERSONAL ' By WIDUl JONES In any job, there's a lot of routine and drudgery. That Is true of newspapering; I some times think, in fact, it's par ticularly true of my profession. In view of that, I made up my mind, several years ago, to do at least one thing on this job just for fun. I decided to make this column it. And I served notice, the very first week the column appeared, it would be written strictly for fun; when it wasn't fun to write it, it wouldn't get writ ten. Any newspaperman will tell you that's a bad way to write a column. He'll tell you, in the first place, that if a column is any good at all, the reader will look for it every week; and he'll tell you, in the second, that, human nature being what it is, such an attitude gives the col umn-writer a perfect alibi for indulging his laziness. Maybe that's all true. But if people have missed the column when it didn't appear, my guess is the reason they missed it was the very fact it is written for fun ? if I'd written it from a sense of duty, it probably wouldn't have been worth read ing. And about that business of laziness; I confess to a double quantity of that sin. But after all, who goes fishing because he ought to! Well, for several weeks, I've had exactly nothing to say; so I've said it. * ? * It has been six weeks since the Rev. S. B. Moss, in a letter to The Press, suggested that a group of interested citizens sit down together to discuss the problem, here in Macon County, created by the Supreme Court's decision outlawing segregation in the public schools. It has been three weeks since the sug gestion was seconded by the Rev. A. Rufus Morgan. The proposal has been greet ed by an almost total silence. The reason for that silence I cannot guess. Do most people here think there is no problem? That is highly improbable. Are Mr. Moss and Mr. Morgan the only Ma con County citizens interested in the problem? Surely not. Has everybody else here made up their minds so definitely they don't want to hear anybody else's ideas? That wouldn't be characteristic of Macon County. Whatever the reason, I think the silence is an unhealthy sign. So far as I can figure, there are just four possible ways we can meet the court ruling: We can defy it; we can evade it; we can voluntarily comply, care fully planning, in advance, just how; or we can sit still and be forced to comply. It's been nearly two years since the court first held segre gation unconstitutional. It's high time, it seems to me, we did some discussing ? if for no other reason than to decide which of those four possible courses to take. Those who think we ought to defy or evade ohould welcome such a discus sion, because there's no chance to do either without some agreement; nor is there any chance of success in doing eith er, until and unless we decide what we're going to do. and then decide how. And surely if we intend to comply, it would be more in keeping with Macon County character to do it vol untarily. So when you get ready to call your meeting, Mr. Moss, I can tell you one man who'll be there. I may disagree with everything you say, but I'm willing to hear you say it. I'm willing, too, for you to ex amine my attitude and my arguments; I believe they'll stand up under examination. Beyond that, I recognize that I could be wrong; and if I am, I'd be a fool not to welcome the chance to be set straight. ? ? * I sometimes think there's more truth than humor in the comment I heard the other day: "These labor-saving devices are working us all to death." And this one, from a jolly, charming 82-year old woman, seemed typical of Macon Coun ty. In reply to my question, "how are you", she promptly chuckled: "As long as I feel this good, I'll never die!" That, it seems to me, illus trates the way folks here com bine humor with courage to defy every difficulty, even that of old age. * ? * "You can't fight progress", someone said to me the other day, referring to a particularly undesirable feature of current "progress". The heck you can't! You can fight anything. And as long as you fight, there's always a chance to win. ?IT'S LIGHTNING THAT DOES IT Nonagenarian Tells Of OldDays, Ways, Neighbors In Macon Ministers in tiie pulpit might as well save their voices, for "it is not the thunder that does It ? it Is the lightning". That was the advice given the Rev. Ebenezer Myers, Macon native, when he was licensed to preach here, back in 1888. Mr. Myers relates the Incident in a letter to The Press. Now retired, but still active, despite his 90 years, he lives at Lenoir. But his heart turns to the home of his boyhood, in the bend of the Little Tennes see River, about three miles down the river from Franklin; and his affection for this coun ty, and particularly for the old days here, is expressed in some verses that accompanied the letter. Both are neatly typed, but a postscript to the letter Is writ ten in a firm, bold, legible hand. The letter, addressed to the editor of "The Franklin Press, or successor", reads: "I have been thinking of the days of my boyhood and the humble little community of my childhood and youth, and have written a little poem; not for the sake of poetry, but to com memorate the little home and community. "My brother James (Jim), who recently died, lived In the old home (which has been re novated). His widow and son, James, are living there now. Another son, Leonard, lives up the road toward Georgia. "The little home was ar.d in about the center of the big bend of the Tennessee River, about two and one-half miles from Franklin. "This is not a poem, as some of the laws of true verse are broken: My object is to express a true son's appreciation of this home and community, and call others' attention to It. "I preached Jan. 4, my 90th birthday, to about double the usual congregation in a little church near me; went to bed with "flu" next day. "I am sending you some of my tracts. I have written and had printed and distributed about 125, and more than 130, 000 have gone out free. in the old Methodist Church in Franklin, I was licensed to exhort in 1886, in 1888 was licen sed to preach, and in 1890 was recommended to the Western tforth Carolina Conference for admission on trial, and was ad mitted in November. Dr. J. M. Lyle was secretary of the Quar :erly Conference that licensed me to preach. At this confer ;nce Dr. C. D. Smith, a retired Methodist preacher, gave me this good advice as we came out : >f the church: " 'Brother Ebb, don't ruin /our voice "ranting". It is not ,he thunder that does it ? it is the lightning'. Blessings on the memory of those dear men SEE BACK PAGE FIRST SEC VIEWS | By ! BOB SLOAN I ?Let the law of supply and demand regulate prices," is a common cliche used by the American people. Unfortunate ly, it is not a panacea that cures all economic ills under all conditions. One condition, that must ex ist, is a free, open, and com petitive market. It is becoming increasingly evident that this, supposedly, basic law of eco nomics is not functioning in our country. Perhaps, it is because the condition of a competitive market does not always exist. If this is so, then it is the obli gation of the government to make a free market. My contentions are based on the following conditions that exist today. In the automotive field, supply is so plentiful that workers are being laid off, yet there has been no noticeable cut in price of the new car. Cer tainly the producers could af ford it from a profit standpoint. General .Motors, the biggest of the car producers, just complet ed its biggest year, from a prof it standpoint, with a profit of more than one billion dollars for the year, the largest any company In the history of our country has ever declared. In the petroleum field, which has adequate supply and a con stant demand, Standard Oil Company of New Jersey de clared a profit of nearly a bil lion dollars; yet there is no hope in sight for reduced gas price. We must realize that com panies can become so large that they dominate the market and stifle the theoretical force of competition. Perhaps^ other pro ducers could cut the price, but they realize that the gigantic leader, at the top, can cut too, and they would have gained nothing, so the leader sets the price and competition becomes only a theory which is used as a veil to shadow monopolistic tendencies. The smaller and the more numerous the competitors, the less this is true, and the more the theory of competition changes to a reality. If we are to maintain a true capitalistic system, government must be used to see that all members of our economic sys tem conform to the principal rules, else we become like a car without a steering wheel. J Do You Remember? (Looking backward through thft files of The Press) 50 YEARS AGO THIS WERK Bird Jacobs and Dock Mal lonee left Monday for Fossil, Ore., to try the "Wooley West" a while. The Press wishes them well. Mr. J. C. Weaver returned Monday from Sylva, having taken his daughters over there last week. Miss Leona has a position as clerk with the Sylva Supply Company, and Miss Juanita has a position in Knight's drug store. Revenue officers J. B. Easley and R. J. Crawford, of Jackson County, were here a day or two last week, but failed to make any seizures or capture any prisoners. 25 YEARS AGO Mr. Fred Palmer, who is mak ing his home in Akron, Ohio, has been spending a few days with his father, Jake Palmer. Mr. Palmer will return to Akron Thursday. Dr. Frank M. Killian, of Nan tahala, was a dinner guest of Mr. and Mrs. D. G. Stewart, at the Scott-Griffin Hotel last Tuesday. Col. J. R. Simmonds, of Johnson City, Tenn., visited rel atives in Franklin the first of the week. 10 TEARS AGO A total of 3.26 inches of rain fell here during the 24 hours ending at 8 a. m., last Sunday, according to official figures compiled by Weather Observer Guy L. Houk. J. Harvey Trice and W. C. Ball, of Thomasvllle, Ga., were visitors in Highlands the first of the week, spending the time with Mr. and Mrs. Prank B. Cook and at Hotel Edwards. ? Highlands item. Mr. and Mrs. H. H. Gnuse and two sons, who have been living in the Carolina Apartments on West Main Street, have moved to the home of the late Mrs. J. W. C. Johnson, on Harrison Avenue, which they purchased recently.
The Franklin Press and the Highlands Maconian (Franklin, N.C.)
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Feb. 16, 1956, edition 1
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