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?b* JKntttklbt jfrm a rtii Cite Highlands jUtanmnm Second class mail privileges authorised st Franklin. N C Puollshed every Thursday by The Franklin Press Telephone 24 WEIMAR JONES Editor BOB S. SLOAN Advertising Manager J. P BRADY , . . News Editor-Photograph ef ?ROLFE NEILL Reporter ICRS ALLEN SILER Society Editor Office Manage! ?CARL P CARE Operator-Machinist TOANK A. STARRETTE ... Compositor CHARLES E. WHITTINOTON Pressman ?a. E. CRAWFORD * .... . . Stereotyper .DAVID H SUTTON Commeiclal Printer SUBSCRIPTION RATES OCT8XM MAC ON CO" NTT 'One Year ... $3.00 -6IZ Month* .... 1.75 Three Month* .... 1.00 Two Years Three Years 5.25 7.50 INSIDE MACON tOONTI One Year . $2.30 Six Months 1.79 Three Months 1.00 Two Years 4.25 Three Years 6 00 JULY 11, 1957 Welcome To Old Friend The Press welcomes the return to active duty of the long-dormant Highlands Community The atre. It is a little like having an old friend come back home. Over a period of years, the organization won ?distinction for the finish of its performances: and last week's presentations of "Harvey", the first of the summer's series of productions, suggested that .the group has lost none of its dramatic touch. From a purely practical viewpoint, the High lands Community Theatre is of great value to all of Macon County ; for it offers the tourist a re freshingly different type of entertainment ? and one designed to attract the discriminating tourist. It has the added advantage of offering such wel come entertainment to home folk as well. Its greatest value, though, grow.s out of the way the organization is set up. It seeks to use local, purely amateur talent, hut under expert direction. "That means emphasis not only on excellence, but also on participation ? - in an age when more and anore entertainment is purely passive. Never Seem To Learn i Little noticed in last week's accounts of the ter- . Tible storm in Louisiana was this significant state ment in an Associated Press dispatch : "With most of the living . . . now airlifted to safety, federal and state officials planned the fu tures of hundreds of residents . . Now these peo.pl e were hard hit. They needed help, and needed it badly. But is any sane adult ever in need of having somebody else plan his fu ture ?, Just as most parents never seem to realize that their grown children no longer need their counsel, just' so most officials never seem to realize that the right to individual freedom is the right to make mistakes. If being rescued carried with it the obligation to let somebody else plan their lives, then the rescued would have been better off left to die. Page The Teachers On its local radio program Wednesday morning of last week, The Press asked a question and of fered a prize for the right answer. It was a one questidn, what-is-it quiz. Since it was the day before "July Fourth, a pas sage of about 200 words from the Declaration of Independence was read, and a free, one-year sub scription was offered to the first person to tele phone or come to. The Press office in person and identify the passage ? just Say "that was from the Declaration of Independence". Did everybody recognize the words of this great American document? Were the phone circuits jam med? Did hundreds or even scores come up with the right answer? Of Macon County's some seventeen thousand people, one person recognized the passage and phoned to identify it. Just one! That suggests another quiz: Is American his tory not taught in Macon County schools? We see by the papers there has been a big shake up in the Kremlin. Malenkov, Molotov, et al arc out. and Zhukov et al are in. So what ? When you're dealing with 'a gang of cutthroats, what difference does it make what their names are? r 1 Others' Opinions (Opinion* expressed in tills ipw? are not necessarily thoss I at Ths Press Editorials selected for reprinting bsrs, in fact. srs chosen with s Tlsw to p res en tin* s variety of viewpoints. They srs, that Is. Just wbst tbs caption says ? OTHER* Opinions.) The Good Old Days (Brillion, Wise., News) - If you are one of those who is always longing for the good old days, just try reading your newspaper by an oil lamp. Fooling With Dynamite (Greeley, Colo., Booster i Next year there is to be much more educational TV. That's fooling around with dynamite. If they get us educated too much, we won't watch TV. Dignity Of Simplicity (Enfield Progress l Most small-town people, or rural folk, have a sort of dignity of simplicity which is both wholesome arid refreshing, and which Is one of the characteristic traits of the typical Amer ican. The city slicker is not smarter than he is, merely slicker. 'Candid Yams' (Summit County, Colo., Journal) Some publishers and editors (no highly successful ones, we observe* take the position that their Editorials should always be "constructive". They rule out the possibility of an editor ial's being critical in a constructive way. The result Is an ed itorial dish of candied yams, the same tomorrow as It was yesterday and the day before. These nice editorials offend no one, inspire no one and are for or against nothing except perhaps they are against sin and for American motherhood. Who Asks For Survival? (Windsor, Colo., Beacon) The Civil Defense organization has come in for some pretty sharp criticism by Governor McNichols, but he overlooked one inherent weakness of the whole civil defense idea. The unit is spending millions upon a survival program, to go into operation in case of an all-out nuclear attack upon this country. But what person with even a speck of imagina tion WANTS to survive such an attack? Nobody, in civil defense or elsewhere, has ever given a log ical answer to that question. Suspected Of Ideas (Chapel Hill News Leader) Weimar Jones, writing in The Franklin Press, expresses wonder that when questioned by an investigator about a for mer apprentice who was applying for a government job, he was specifically asked whether the person In question was known to have any "radical views." Those questions are not unknown in Chapel Hill, either; and are not unknown in other centers where people are con sidered for government jobs. There was a time in American history when a citizen was held accountable 6nly for his acts. He could believe what he pleased as long as his actions did not conflict with the laws. But now a man may be held accountable not just for his actions but for his views, his opinions, his associates, his reading matter, and even his thoughts. In fact, the questions of government investigators are certain to relate to such matters. Grilling of this sort is to be expected in a police state, but in a country which puts up monuments to such holders of "radical views" as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln, one might expect to see the methods of police states strictly avoided. No wonder that foreign peoples accuse us of Anglo-Saxon hypocrisy, and of lip service to sentiments which our national actions belie. future historians studying the evolution of the American republic will wonder what influences caused us to desert and even to repudiate the very ^lms which pnce gave us leader ship and made us the shining hope of the human race. Did we lose our nerve, or didn't we believe in such sentiments In the first place? FROM ST. PETERSBURG, FLA., TIMES THE OLDER WORKER: THE MYTHS AND THE TRUTH A myth, says Webster, is an Imaginary or fictitious thing or person. The Times recently re ferred to the . "vicious myth" concerning working ability of those over 65. Now these unreal dragons again have been at tacked by the New York State l*bor Department. The depart ment listed eight ? "reasons" given by employers for not hir ing workers over 45 years old. The "reasons" and the truth: 1. They are less productive. "Hie truth: Three surveys, says the N. Y. Industrial Bulletin, ?how that quality and quantity ?of work by older workers Is ?equal to or superior to that of younger employes. ?2. They are often absent. The truth: Older workers have a 20 per cent better attendance rec ord than younger workers, said a 1956 U. S. Labor Department survey. 3 They are Involved in more accidents. The truth: The same Survey showed workers 45 and over had 2.5 per cent fewer disabling injuries, 25 per cent fewer non-disabling injuries than those under 45. 4. They do not stay on the pay roll long enough to justify hiring expenses. The truth: Studies show separation rates for older workers much lower than for younger employes. 5. It is too costly to provide them with adequate pensions. The truth: "This is an easy gen eralization." says the Bulletin article, "rarely based on a care ful scrutiny of the company pension plan to see Just what the impact of hiring the worker will be. It often depends on the type of plan." 6. They will cause major in creases in employe group in surance costs. The truth: Here again. It all' depends on the na ture of the plan. 7. They don't have needed Job skills. The truth: "On the con trary," i the article says, "the older worker is likely to possess more skills, training, and know how than younger Job hunters." 8. They are Inflexible and un imaginative, have trouble get ting along with younger work ers. The truth: An unjust, sweeping generalization which is seriously overrated. Certainly it might be true In some cases, the Bulletin notes ? but the same sort of objection might be made to younger workers on 1 grounds that they were flighty, unreliable, and inexperienced. The Bulletin points up again our national Inconsistency in clinging to age limitations long since overcome, In deliberately , wasting a large and necessary portion of our manpower poten tial. In the common Interest, it is every man's business to chal lenge and correct any and all of these myths whenever faced with them. Equally, we should support and encourage such practical efforts as Industrial Experience, Inc., now being or ganized In St. Petersburg to em ploy skilled workers over 65. In this aging nation, the bell of time is tolling. Either we will overcome these mythical fig ures, or they will overcome us. "It's Nice THave A Watchdog In The Ho-o-o-O-OUCH!" HISS UFA TRICE COI1B . That Word Tar Heel' Under Discussion Again I really get my two dollars worth of pleasure and informa tion from the dues I pay annu ally to the North Carolina Folk Lore Society, since the dues in clude the little magazine, North Carolina Folklore, published quarterly at Chapel Hill. When ever a copy arrives I'm apt to neglect work while I read it from "cover to cover". I observe that the July 1957 issue which came last week is No. 1 of Vol ume 5. X rather think I have a complete file of the past four years. Since very recently I wrote about the word "Tar Heel", as to whether it is spelled and written as one word, and how it came to be applied as the nickname for North Carolinians, I was particularly interested In an article on the subject in the current issue by Richard Wasler, who "in my book" rates as an authority not only on folklore but on North Carolina historic al subjects in general. For sev eral years Mr. Wasler, a native of Lexington, has been a pro fessor of English at North Car olina State College, Raleigh. I am taking the liberty, feel ing sure I would have Mr. Wal VIEWS . . . By BOB SLOAN ser's permission, of quoting in full his article on: THAT WORD "TAR HEEL" AGAIN The legends revolving around the oqigin of the word "Tar Heel" are so numerous that the situation can be categorized only as one of confusion. The two most frequently cited yarns come from explanations in Clark's North Carolina Regi ments (1901) and in Creecy's Grandfather's Tales of North Carolina History (1W1). Both versions were written down long after the occurrences of the events on which they were supposedly based. They are similar, too, in that they refer to Civil War times when, presumably, the North Carolina soldiers were so noted for not retreating frojn advanced posi tions that they gained a repu tation of having tar on their heels, incapacitating their flight in the heat of battle. These versions do not take into account historical evidence that a North Carolinian was called a "Tar-Burner" as early as 1775, a "Tarboiler" in 1845; that the state was known as "the Turpentine state" in 1850, the "Tar and Turpentine State" in 1856. All these nicknames Came, of course, from the In Morganton JS'e\c?-IIerald state's fame as a source of naval stores. (Reference: my feature article, "How Did We get To Be Tar Heels?" Raleigh News and. Observer, January 24, 1954.1 Even so, the word "Tar Heel" itself seems indeed to have be gun in the years of the Civil War. No earlier use of the term has been located. A recent dis covery, never before cited as far as I know, pushes back the printed story thirty-five years. In August, 1866, a Charlotte monthly magazine, The Land We Love, published an article titled "The Haversack." In it are several war anecdotes pro vided by "the gallant Colonel R. of S. C." Here are two un edited paragraphs (p. 293): The sallies of genuine wit, in repartees between the soldiers of different commands, were an enlivening feature of camp life. The following occured Decem ber, 1864. When Hoke's division was sent out on a reconnais sance (sic) upon the Darby Town road. Klrkland's N. C. bri gade (of as true metal as men are made of) was passing us to take position on our left, and greeted us with "Rlceblrds," "Sand-lappers!" "Hagood's foot cavalry!" etc. One of our men (See Back Page, 1st Section) Congratulations to the Macon County Board of Education and Superintendent H. Bueck for obtaining the largest operating budget for the schools we have ever had. It was sorely needed. Also, congratulations to the Board of Education, the school superintendent, and the Macon County Board of Commission ers for sitting down, discussing, and working more closely to gether to solve the difficult problem of school finances. I don't believe that at any time in the past twenty years has there been as cooperative a spirit and wholehearted at- . tempt to really meet the school needs from both sides of the courthouse hall as has been shown this Spring. ? ? * When an employer decides to demote an employe, especially one who has worked long and faithfully, he should face the man and tell him why. Common decency demands this. In the case of a public employe's de motion, the public should be told why the action is being taken. Yet when the present town 1 board demoted C. D. Balrd, who had served as police chief for 23 years, they did it by writing him a letter. ? As yet no state ment has been made to the public as to why the action was taken. DO YOU REMEMBER? Looking Backward Through the Files ?( The Press 65 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (1892) This Is a high-toned smoke, suited to the taste of every Man, and Ladled Do Not Object to Them. Five jnlM, pure and sweet Old Virginia Cheroots for ten cents. ? Prom an adver tisement in The Press. That which has attracted the most local notice in our town during the past week has been mud. Dr. C. D. Smith showed us a curious freak of nature last Saturday evening that had been captured by Mr. Lee Craw ford in the morning. It was a young rat about the size of a half-grown mouse. It had five legs and six well-developed feet. On the right side, just back of the fore leg, was a fifth leg which forked and terminated in two feet. The Dr. has hta ratship preserved in alcohoL 25 YEARS AGO (1932) ' i, Discontinuance of service on the Tallulah Falls Railway, ex tending from Cornelia, Oa., to Franklin, is sought in a petition filed by J. F. Gray, receiver for the line, In the U. 8. district court of northern Georgia. Franklin businessmen already have taken steps to see if some means can be found by which the railroad may continue to operate. Peter McLaren, who claims to be the world's fastest wood chopper, made good last Thursday his challenge to chop through a log In 50 per cent less time than any man in Ma con County. A crowd of about 400 saw the contest. George Scott, Charlie Jennings, and N. A. Gibson, three of the best woodsmen In the county, attempted to wrest from McLaren the $50 prize he offered to any man who could chop a log within the required time. A 13-lnch chestnut oak log was se lected for the contest. Scott did It In 2:49; Gibson took 2:51; Jennings stopped at 3 minutes. McLaren, swinging his axe in easy rhythm, did the job In 1:15 and kept his $50. > 10 .YEARS AGO The board of county commissioners, at its monthly meeting Monday, fixed the tax rate for 1947 at $1.10 on the $100 prop erty valuation. This Is the same rate as last year. At the town board of aldermen's meeting, a rate of $1.25 was set. Mr and Mrs. George M. Slagle and sons visited In Roanoke and Floyd, Va., over the July 4th week end. Mr. and Mrs. Jack W. Brockway, who have been vacation ing In .Miami, Fla., for the past two weeks, are scheduled to return home Friday.? Highlands Item.
The Franklin Press and the Highlands Maconian (Franklin, N.C.)
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July 11, 1957, edition 1
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