Newspapers / The Franklin Press and … / Jan. 8, 1959, edition 1 / Page 2
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(Iks ^franklin i xt ss anii JUtgklaniis iHarxutiait Second class mail privilege authorised mi KranKlin N Puoll&hed every Thursday bv The Prwnmtu Pr?*. Telepnoiif i BOB S. SLOAN * Publisher and Advertising Manager WEIMAR JONES Editorial Editor 9. P. BRADY News Editor MRS. ROBERT BRYSON .Office Manager MRS. BOB SLO*.N Society Editor CARL P. OABE Operator Machinist CHARLES WHITTTNOTON Operator WANK A. STARRETTB Compositor Q. E. CRAWFORD Pressman HOWARD JOHNSON Sterol yper K. CLEVE KINOSBEBRY Salesman OAV1D SUTTON Commercial Printer THURSDAY. JANUARY 8, 1959 Goals For 1959 Here are two 1959 goals we suggest for Macon Count? and its towns. They are worth while for many reasons. And (hey have the great advantage of being simple goals, that can he reached. Nothing has done more to brighten and enrich country life in this county than the Rural Commun ity Development Plan ; it has worked wonders everywhere it has been tried. The only trouble is, there are communities that aren't participating ? some communities where it hasn't been tried at all. Why not make it 100 per cent in 1959? It can be done. In each community where it has been so successfully tried are persons who have friends in communities that aren't organized. A word here and there, to persons in the unorganized communities, would soon spark some interest. And the first thing anybody knew, these areas that aren't now benefitting from the plan would be ask ing for more information; for help, maybe, in get ting an initial organization formed. For once people realize they are missing something, they are quick to do something about it. The second suggested goal is for the towns. Why not set out, right now, to make Franklin and Highlands, before 1959 ends, the cleanest, neat est, best kept towns in North Carolina? (There is no reason why they can't set the pace for the South or even the nation ; but, to keep it from sounding too hard, maybe it'd be better to say "the cleanest, neatest, best kept towns in North Carolina".) That can be done, too. /It'll take some leadership ; il may take some organization. Most of all, it'll lake the will to do it and a bit of work. For while (he people in a town that is dirty get so used to it, Ihcy don't even see the dirt, fortunately the re verse is true: Cleanliness is contagious. If the man next door cleans up his backyard or paints his garage or .sods a bare bank, it makes my littered backyard or uri.painted garage or bare bank stand out like a sore thumb. And if a street and sidewalk are spic and span, it's human nature for the man who does business or Jives on that street to want to clean .up, too. Such a project would pav handsome' dividends. First -of all, it would pay off in dollars and cents. Ilecause if outs were such clean, well kept towns that visitors noticed it and stopped to comment on it, many of them would conic . bac.k? as tourists, for retirement, or to establish businesses. It would be (he inost effective- ? and the cheapest -advertising Franklin and Highlands could do. Il would pay off, too, in the pleasure a person ex periences in feeling pride in his home town. The two .projects, rural and urban, would fit in together. Because as Franklin and Highlands be came clean town-conscious, they would become in terested in country developments, And as the rural people became interested in their communities, they'd take greater pride in helping to keep their county's towns clean, too. Danger Ahead! I'erhaps the worst feature of the 1957 federal civil rights law is its heavy reliance, for its enforce ment, 011 contempt of court procedures. That law, ihough, is but an extreme eSca tuple of the growing I rend toward wider and wider use of such proced ures. And the most recent example of the, daggers of the trend is a case that has nothing to do with racial problems, and was tried not in the South, lull in New York. In a federal court there, Mrs. Marie Torre. New York Herald-Tribune reporter, was ordered to re veal her source of iiifornurbion for a news story. Taking the position the identity of the source was confidential, she refused. Judge Sylvester J. Ryan . cited her for contempt of court, convicted her, and sentenced her to 10 days in jail. The point is not whether Mrs. Torre should have obeyed the court order. The point is, a single man, the judge,, determined, there was a., cause of action, determined the guilt of the accused, and then determined the punishment. Hut that is not all! For Judge Ryan warded her when she finishes her jail term, she can be re sentenced to jail, again and again, until she obeys his order. Thus, for a relatively minor offense, and with out benefit of jury trial, it would be passible for her to be kept in jail the rest of her life ? depending solely on the judgment, or the whim even, of one man. ' ? > That, surely, is not justice under law. It is legal ized judicial tyranny. 'Bulldog Spirit' As a boy, Charles Crawford Poindexter got to school by walking, in good weather and bad, the three or four miles from his home at the head of Iotla valley to what was then the Iotla High School. '* That early manifestation of what his college an ual was to describe as his "bulldog spirit of de termination" was to go with him through his 60 years, enabling him to wrest success and achieve ment from situations that, to a less courageous soul, would have seemed hopeless. It was that "bull dog .spirit" that made it possible for him, while in college, to earn his way, do creditable class work, and win an enviable reputation on the athletic field. In adult life, as a coach, a teacher, and a public spirited citizen, he drew on it to do, repeatedly, what seemed the impossibl A true son of the mountains, his was the same spirit that has characterized the hundreds-of moun tain boys and girls who have given the lie to the current philosophy that people are the helpless creatures of their social and economic backgrounds. Best of all, C. C. Poindexter put sportsmanship ahead of mere victory. How much that fine sense of proportion affected the hundreds of boys and girls who came under his influence nobody will ever know. What is known is that his fine qualities as a^nian won for him the admiration and affection of rhe people of his adopted county of Haywood. Community Builder CAsheville Citizen) Charles Crawford Poindexter, Sr., a native of Franklin, who died Wednesday at age 60 at his home in' Canton, set the pat tern for a career of service when he was a student at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. A member of the Class of 1923, he was described In the col lege annual as a man with a "bulldog spirit of determination." Combined with great physical strength, that made him out standing In the line of the University's football team and won for him a place as a guard on the all-time Tar Heel team. After completing his studies, Mr. Poindexter settled In Hay wood County, becoming prominent in the fields of education, recreation, church and civic service. ^ At the time of his passing he was principal of the Bethel School District. His success as coach of football and basketball teams was due to the quality of his leadership which was demonstrated time and -time again In his educational and civic work. He made a notable contribution to the civic spirit of Canton through his work as general chairman of that industrial town's big annual observation of Labor Day. He was also widely known for his work as physical education director of the Champion YMCA. 1 He was in a very real sense a community builder and he 1 will be remembered for his constructive contributions. < Friend Of Youth (Waynesville Mountaineer) Few people, If any, were better known In Western North Carolina educational and school sports circles than Charles C. Polndexter. Mr. Polndexter had been associated with Western Carolina College as a student and coach, as coach at Weaver College, as well as In the dual capacity of coach-teacher In school systems of Waynesville, Canton, and Bethel. For more than 25 years he was Identified with the schools of Haywood, along with YMCA work in Canton. His work in all places kept him in close association with young people, and he loved his work with them. He thrilled at their successes, helped them appraise their mistakes, and counselled with those who needed the words of a wiser and more experienced person. Just a few days prior to his sudden death, he was in this office discussing some of the different phases of a program which he had in mind for the Bethel schools, where he was principal. He had been greatly concerned, and worried, about the lack of an adequate plant at the Bethel school. "Every' student deserves a good education, and we are severely handicapped In trying to help them acquire an edu cation when we are in such cramped quarters," he said only a few days prior to his untimely death. He was a hard worker, and gave generously of his time and talents to many a civic project. He served, as head of the annual Canton Labor Day events, headed the VFW Folk Fes tivals, was an official of the Blue Ridge Conference, and active In educational fields. He had a way of getting things done, and delegating re sponsibility to others. Under his guidance and direction, the Bethel gym has been equipped with over $10,000 in folding seats, and consequently, can accommodate larger crowds at special Indoor events. Mr. Polndexter started out practicing law, but the love for sports and young people soon lured him bock to the class room and the athletic fields. In his capacity as coach, and teacher, he had a big influence over thousands of young people. He preached, practiced, and demanded fair play. He lived a bountiful life of three score year*. He played the game fairly, and won the admiration of thousands. Letters Hope To Live Here Editor, The Press: i We enjoy The Press so much. We liked the Christmas greeting very much. We showed it to several friends with pride. Some day we hope to live In Macon County. MR. AND MRS. GEORGE M. BREWER. St. Petersburg, Fla. DO YOU REMEMBER? Looking Backward Through the Files of The Press 65 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (1894) The Franklin Furniture Co., has on hand a fine line of cof fins at reduced prices. The sidewalk crossings are admirably arranged for wagons to pile up mud on the sidewalks. Would it be amiss for the town authorities to have the mud shovelled off occasionally? All people who want tanning done on the shares can have good terms by patrohizing Elam Slagle and Son. 35 YEARS AGO (1924) Announcement: I have just purchased the interest of Mr. W. T. Moore in, the firm of W. T. Moore and Co. ? C. W. Hames, The Shop of Quality. ? Adv. Mr. B. M. Angel, of Ellijay, spent a few days with friends here this week. 15 YEARS AGO (1944) In spite of the intense cold on New Year's day, a large crowd gathered on the town square for the dedication of Ma con County's Roll of Honor Board, bearing the names of more than 1,300 men and women of the county in active military service. The firemen's ball, on New Year's Eve at Panorama Court, was the gala occasion of the holidays. 5 YEARS AGO (1954) The Franklin Board of Aldermen this week named a com mittee to consider the feasibility of building a town' hall. NEMATODE MAY ARE OVER This Is Ase When Absolute Force Attracts Absolute Nonsense* ? Norman Cousins in Saturday Review Nonsense Is on stage and the stage Is the world. A giant panda, one of the largest and most valu able of Its kind, has been barred from the United States because It comes from Communist China. Zoos in this country haVe offered up to $25,000 for the clown of the raccoon family, but various restrictions having to do with Communist China prevent the panda from entering the United States. Meanwhile, the animal Is appearing in zoos throughout Europe without any noticeable threat to the internal security of the nations 'involved. In the Soviet Union, one of the world's great writers committed an apparently subversive act by being awarded the world's most important literary prize. The So viet Union of Writers was willing to put up with Boris Pasternak despite the independent nature of his work, but the moment he re ceived the Nobel Prize, he was ex pelled from the union and de nounced as a traitor. The implica tion Is clear that writers in th?, 'Soviet dan write about anything they wish so long as the do so with genuine mediocrity. Meanwhile, the glossary of non sense In the twentieth century is being constantly enriched. Now. In addition to words like "clean" to describe a supposedly radio active-free nuclear explosive, or "sunshine units" to describe the amount of radiation exposure for human beings, we have the term "tiny" to describe a newly de veloped H-Bomb. A commander of the Air Force In the U.S. broke the good news that a "tiny" hy drogen bomb had been perfected that can be carried by a fighter plane. The bomb will of (course contain the equivalent of several billion pounds of dynamite, enough to pulverize a City, but It now comes In the convenient and cozy fighter-plane size.- People who are used to thinking of the word "tiny" to describe little children will have to make a minor adjustment. It is curious to see the way nonsense Is attracted to power, as though this were Its natural habitat. In the Far East, the Chinese Communists pursued a combined policy of murder and mercy for one month towards the occupants of Quemoy and Matsu. Bombing and brotherhood were tied together as a unified pro gram. On Monday the people on the Islands would be shelled. But on Tuesday the shelling would cease and the people would be encouraged to entrench them selves and receive supplies. In deed, if the food ran short, they had only to ask the mainland and It would be supplied. If this policy of now-we-wlll-kill-you, now we-won't made sense to the islanders, they made no mention of it. Almost by way of establishing a grim consistency, the head of pie Chinese Communist Party an nounced that his Country could not be intimidated by the threat of nuclear war. He Was willing to admit that 300 million Chinese might be killed in such a war. Even so, he said, there would be 300 million left. Something else would be left. The people would have their memories. They would have memories of the missing from among their families and friends. They would also have memories of a world that had turned against itself. But Communist China isn't the only- nation that feels obliged to pronounce such nonsense to the world. In the United States, officers of the State Department have openly declared that our main security is to be found in our willingness to risk all-out nu clear war. Fortunately, there are still a few people left in govern ment Who believe that for our safety we must look to world con trol of nuclear weapons rather than to nuclear stockpiles. What these people say raajfes sense, but the surrounding sounds of non sense are rapidly becoming louder. Commissl&ner Willard P. Llbby, of the United States Atomic En ergy Commission, for example, spoke dangerous nonsense the other day to Mayor Norris Poulson of Los Angeles. , Mayor Poulson was deeply alarmed about the shock radioactive fallout that took place over his city as the result of1 the recent beat-the-deadllne Nevada nuclear tests. He tele phoned Commissioner Libby who told him. In effect, to forget It. But Mayor Poulson couldn't forget it. The fallout had soared far be yond the danger limits set by the Atomic Energy Commission Itself. There is a real threat to the health of his people. Mayor Poul son regarded what Dr. Libby said as casual and callous handling of an important problem. In any event, Dr. Libby has made it clear that his Job Is to make and test the bombs, and not theorize about ways in which people can counter act the effects of the resultant radiation In their water, milk, and bones. All these Incidents are not something out of the fiendish tales of a bygone era of ghouls. but a characteristic feature of an age, our age. In which absolute force and absolute nonsense at tract one another and are being made dominant In human affairs. The unholy alliance seems to as sert Itself wherever vast force ap pears. almost as though the very nature of the force divides the human community into the sane and the insane and confers upon the latter the privileges of rule. Indeed, there Is a blighting quality to the power, for once-reasonable men who come in contact with it seemingly become transfixed by it and take easily and freely to the language of nonsense that belongs to the power. By way of lending gTim point to the consequences of invested nonsense, we read a report from the US. Department of Agricul ture Which says that the nema tode. a species of plant-worm or parasite, carries within itself a mysterious ability to resist harm from radiation. Man. puny crea ture, gets Into trouble when he Is exposed to dose; of 300 roentgens or more. But the nema tode can take up to 600,000 units of radiation. Man need not there fore fear that his nonsense will empty life from this earth. If man doesn't want the world, the nema tode is perfectly willing to take It. STRICTLY PERSONAL By WK1MAB JONES The fellow who coined that old laying about good Intentions pav ng roads was Indulging in under latement. Good Intentions also :an get you In trouble. We've found that true on The *ress. Often we've felt it our duty <o publish a news story or an edi orial that we expected to raise .he roof ? and got no reaction whatever. On the other hand, the rery next week, we'll carry some ?hing that appears quite Innocent, ind is published with the best ntentlons ? and IT raises the ?oof! That's true, too, In personal elatlons, as I had unpleasantly >rought home to me only the )ther night Mrs. Jones and I were visiting Mends. In the course of the evening, >ur hostess displayed two objects (I haven't the faintest idea their lame, but I'd guess they were i sort of cross between a tray and i plate), and commented that lere were Christmas presents they ?eally were proud of. Well, I must be a sympathetic sort of soul, because, when some jne is enthusiastic about some -hing, I try to be enthusiastic, too. tnd in this case, I wasn't to be jutdone. I arose and went closer, so I ?ould get a better look. The Hostess was beaming, and so I jeamed. She said they were jeautiful: and I agreed. I want farther. I said they were about the nicest things of the kind I'd sver seen. I think I even went 10 far as to use a word I rarely ise, because I don't like It; I think I said they were "lovely". I should have caught the warn ing signals beamed toward me by klrs. Jones. I should have sensed the waves of embarrassment she urms radiating. But I didn't. I went right on "mlratlng" till I finally tot around to saying they were 'lovely". Well, that was all my wife could take. "You've said enough", she re marked, drily. "Those were the Christmas presents we gave them, you know." Do you suffer from Insomnia? can't sleep worth a darn? Well, here's a tip for you; It comes from the Rockingham Post-Dispatch: "Did you hear about the guy who ran around his bed at night because he wanted to catch a little sleep?" ? # * Last May, In reprinting some thing In this column, I remarked of it: "At least one man I know needs to read It every day. I an that man." Well, It seems, a lot of other people felt It applies to them, too, because it continues to provoke widespread comment. It was seve> months ago that it appeared here, and only the other day a Press reader in Florida wrote that "it has been sent all over the country. I gave It to a friend (member of a national commission), and he had copies made and sent to top political leaders" throughout the United States . There have been so many re quests for copies that It is being republished below. A prayer, I got It from Mrs. Florence S. She? rill, who, in turn, obtained it from Mrs, Carl S. Slagle. The authcr is unknown. SLOW MB DOWN. LORD Slow me down, lord! Ease tha pounding of my heart by th? quieting of my mind. Steady my hurried pace with the vision of the eternal reach of time. Glv? me midst the confusion of tar day the calmness of the everlaat ing hills. Break the tension of mg nerves and muscles with the sootfe lng music of the singing streams that live In my memory. Teach me the ait of taking minute va cations ? of slowing down to look at a flower, to chat with a friend, to pat a dog, or read a few lines from a good book. Let me look upward into the branches of the towering oak and know that IC grew great and strong because it grew slowly and well. Slow m* down. Lord, and, Inspire me t? send my roots deep into the sod of life's enduring values. 'IF WINTER COMES ..." Nights Already Getting Shorter The last of the four seasons Is upon us. Winter began at 3:40 a.m. December 21, and the day Is officially known as the Winter Solstice. This is the time of year when the North Pole is tilted 23 degrees and 27 minutes away from the sun, and the nights in the Northern Hemisphere are much longer than the days. Likewise, in the South Temp erate zone, the Summer Solstice occurred on December 21, and summer began! Winter will end after two-thirds of March has expired. The ex perts are saVing chances are very I good that this winter will nSt be as severe as the 1957-58 winter, which was the coldest experience OLJ^VEILANU ISHHJ1YI TIMEJB In the United States in some years. One of the opportunities winter affords all of us is to catch up on our reading, that Is, good things to read; to acquaint our selves again with members of the family who live in the same house : to enjoy nights together In front of the fire, or in the family room; to follow our indoor hobbies, or studies; or to hunt or enjoy other vigorous cold-weather outdoor pur suits. The nights, the longest of which was December 21, are already growing shorter, and night and day will be equalized in March, at the Vernal Equinox, which ushers in Spring. OUR 'MOIDERED' ENGLISH For 'Ignoramuses And Specialists' uur scnooi* aevote more time to the study of English than to any other subject in the curricu lum, but he would be a rash soul who maintained that it was al ways well taught or more than superficially absorbed. Complaints are myriad that even bright stu dents ? even, we have heard tt rumored, many who advance to the graduate school ? are apt to be ill at ease when it comes t* written expression, perhaps even illiterate. "Remedial" English in college has become a common place, taught to students who arc supposed to have been studying English In school since they were six years old, but who upon reaching college cannot even qualify for admission to that unique American Institution ? the regular freshman English course. In the world beyond the school we have learned to accept with equanimity, or at least resignation, various bizarre treatments of English: The Jargon of the Madi son Avenue hucksters: the learn ed Choctaw in which sociologist*, psychologists, social workers, and such, hold converse; the viscid prose of the professional educa tors; the slack Jointed, formlea* style of the novelists of the beat generation; the muddy. and some times incomprehensible language which the President of the United States uses at his press confer ences. We have no longer the common bond of a language which is governed by tradition, logic and standards Intelligible to all who have gone through school; we have Instead a loose confederation of hybrid tongues for the conven ience of ignoramuses or special ists. ? Bulletin of Council for Basic Education. HOW TO LIVE LONG ? AND PAY FOR IT Medical science has progresaed to the point where you can live much longer If you will give up everything that makes you want to? Arapahoe. Colo., News.
The Franklin Press and the Highlands Maconian (Franklin, N.C.)
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Jan. 8, 1959, edition 1
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