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Puollshed every Thursday by The Prank Mb Prw
THURSDAY, JANUARY 15, 1959
Needs Second Look
A community can make no better investment of
money, turffe, and energy than in keeping its youth
busy; youth that is busy doesn't get into trouble.
For yx'ars, something for young people to do has
l?ccn a crying need in Franklin. On that, there has
been general agreement. And always a major part
of the problem has been a place for youth activities.
When the Teen Center was organized and space
was madfc available for it in the Town Hall base
ment, th.tf. seemed a happy solution. And so it has
proved
Now, ihough, the Franklin Board of Aldermen
has asked, the youngsters to move out by Febru
ary 1.. Another organization has asked for the
space.
It is < i act" that the Teen Center hasn't been con
sistently active in recent weeks. That being true,
it would: 3?em, on first thought, logical for the
aldermen to give the space to the other organiza
tion. Bill we wonder whether, On second thought,
it is wise. .
The fact the youngsters haven't been meeting
regularly in recent weeks isn't necessarily to their
discredit. During football season, that activity has
occupied, one or two evenings a week. That they
didn't use still another night for recreation may
mean they have been devoting other evenings to
school home work. Surely they shouldn't be pen
alyzed for that.
In any case, one thing is true: At the end of the
basketball season ? and even more, when summer
comes ? the community will have the same old prob
lem right back in its lap.
Meanwhile, the work of adults and youth alike
in cleaning tip the basement, setting up the Center,
and acquiring equipment will have been wasted.
And what's to happen to the rather considerable
amount of equipment that has been donated or
bought ?.
Without for a moment detracting from the value
of any other organization, we raise the question:
Could the. town possibly find a use for that base
ment space, that would better serve the whole
community, than for youth activities?
We respectfully suggest to the aldermen that
they might do well to reconsider their decision ;
that they take a good, hard second look before
ibry jump.
What Would Happen?
What, would happen if. cach of lis, whether we
Jived in Hie country or in the town, stopped every
lime we .saw a hit of litter on the sidewalk, picked
it lip, antj put it in a garbage container? ?
Two things.
First, littered streets would qtiickl v become un
lit tered.
Second, that little action would impress on ns
and everybody who observed it that our streets
and sidewalks can and should be kept clean? the
same as our homes.
* 1
No More Surprises
After this, nothing will ever surprise lis again.
For now it seems that Stonewall Jackson drop
ped out of the picture at Chancellorsville in 1863
not because he was mistakenly shot bv his own
men, as we'd been led to believe, but because he
there and then deserted to the I'nion army.
i J
The story appeared the other dav in Hugh, Park's
column in The Atlanta Journal. He got it from a
reader, who got it from a column in the Army
Navv Air Force Register, which got it from a man
in Iowa, who got it from a Civil War veteran when
the veteran was 96. *
\V<; are not, mind you, one of those who think
l ee and Jackson could do no wrong. We suspect
they were quite human, and we think it would be
Iwtter if they'd been more often pictured as human.
So our reaction was' not that of the professional
Southerner: "This is sacrilege!"
We do confess, though, to a feeling of mild sur
prise that all the reputable historians who have
studied and written about every event in lackson's
life and every face! of his character should have
overlooked t "us somewhat revealing cireuinMaiw e
We arc quite prepared to read, anv day now, in
The Atlanta Jnnmal or some other newspaper, that
it was Grant who surrendered to Lee at Appo
inatov (the victory of /the North having been in
vented by Yankee historians)'; that it was conser
vative, kristocratic Southerners in Congress who
authored the horror-, of Reconstruction; and that
"*/ow twv&c makihc- GEvoumous mouhd thbsuJ
Abraham Lincoln was a fictitious character.
P. S. Here's the final, fantastic touch to a fan
tastic story: Mr. Park's column was illustrated
with a picture not of the Confederate general,
Thomas Jonathan (Stonewall) Jackson, but with
one of the seventh Presidents of the United States,
Andrew Jackson. No doubt that mistake is account
ed for by the two Jacksons having been identical
twins !
Needed: Salt
That's an arresting picture The Progressive
Farmer paints, in an article reprinted at the bot
tom of this page, of farming as it may be twenty
years from now.
Arresting; but not necessarily accurate.
The trouble with these long-range prophecies,
no matter how scientific, is they have to be based
on what is now known and on present conditions.
If present trends in science and agriculture con-,
tinue unchanged, then the picture may prove true.
But who can'sav some new discovery or some
change in conditions won't modify if not actually
reverse the trends?
There might be a radical alteration in the weath
er; -radiation might wipe out a lot of the insect
pests.; eating habits might change. Or, 20 years
from now, the average industrial worker, frustrat
ed hv his treadmill work existence, and hard press
ed financially by high taxes, may be doing just .
what many Macon people are doing jjow ? work
ing at the job six(or eight hours a day, and, in his
leisure time, raising most of what he eats. That
would largely eliminate the need for the industrial
farming we now seen! headed for.
This prediction, and others like it, are interest
ing, they deserve consideration ; but they call for
several pinches of salt.
Give Russia The Moon
(Randall Henderson in Desert Magazine)
I cannot generate any enthusiasm over this race between
the United States and Russia to see which can first plant Its
flag on the moon.
According to all scientific reports, the moon is more arid
than the Sahara Desert. I am in favor of giving the moon to
Russia, while we here In the United States devote our ener
gies to perfecting a process for desalting sea water at a cost
of less than 50 cents a thousand gallons.
At the rate population is increasing and our water supply
Is diminishing, an added supply of good water Is going to be
more Important in the years ahead than any claim we oould
establish to a lifeless satellite 238,857 miles away.
Dogs In The News
(Greensboro Dally News)
Macon County's canine Floyd Collins, a coon hound by the
name of "Old Touse," Is going on to greater glory. Word comes
out of Franklin that Touse Is now celebrated In song.
A mountain ballad about his 18 days trapped In a rock cliff
last month has been penned by a Franklin folk singer and
writer.
There are many sagas on the nobility and loyalty of man's
best friend. Senator Vest's lofty summation to a trial Jury
forever enshrined dogdom's devotion to man. The chronicles
of canine lore are filled with examples.
"Old Touse's" case la a switch; his master exhibited con
stancy. Luke Chastaln of Macon County refused to abandon
hope of rescuing Touse from his rocky grave. He persisted;
he got help; he dynamited; he succeeded.
While In this mood we will also take note of a dog with
diplomatic Immunity. Far from Macon's mountains. In Israel,
to be exact, a citizen bitten by a dog asked that protective
and preventive measures be taken by the government.
The dog belonged to a diplomat who claimed immunity for
his animal. A compromise was reached whereby a quarantine
station was established in the compound of the embassy in
question. The dog remained in it throughout the quarantine
period.
Diplomat or Macon County mountaineer, a master returns
his dog's devotion.
Time For A New Phase
( Waynes ville Mountaineer)
Just recently the 9th WNC Rural Community Development
Program was held in Ashevllle, where reports showed 112
communities from IS counties took part In the annual Com
munity Development Program last year.
It was Interesting to see and hear the achievements of the
communities that won the five top places this year.
Not to discredit any of the five one bit for their fine work,
we must In all fairness, point out that their 1958 programs
had a familiar ring to the programs staged here in Haywood
six and eight years ago.
The program here in Haywood was off to a good start about
three years before the plan was adopted for the district in
Western North Carolina.
The fact remains that where Haywood once had 26 active
communities in the program, there were but four last year.
What Is the matter?
That is a question many people are asking. It is a fair
question.
As for our answer, we feel the program has served Its pur
pose and laid a solid foundation for another program.
The natural question. "What other program?"
And again, a good question.
We have a feeling that the next program must be one gear
ed more to the individual citizen as an Integral part of the
community.
The program of the community development stressed overall
Improvements, playgrounds, churches, roadside beautlficatlon,
mail box names, community meeting places, and community
wide cooperation.
The program also stressed visitations with other groups,
and a phase of recreation for all members of the family.
All this was Important, worth-while, and played an essen
tial role in the development of a higher standard of living
within the county. It also I generated a lasting spirit of civic
pride and obligation.
Using that as a foundation, It appears to us that the aver
age family now longs to keep up the same high standard of
living ? even Improve ? and the ways and means of achieving
that goal are of utmost concern to them.
Right there, In our opinion, Is the basis for the next phase
of this improvement cycle. We started on a community-wide
basis; now we must go back to the Individual and provide a
program that will pay dividends In proportion to the initia
tive they put Into different phases of work.
We have learned: the value of cooperation, the importance
of community improvement, and now comes the time for that
next phase of the program, for more family income.
Just imagine what a far-reaching effect that would make ?
an area where there is community spirit, civic pride and In
creased farm family Income.
This, we believe, can be more than a theorized program ? it
can be a reality.
DO YOU REMEMBER?
Looking Backward Through the Files of The Press
65 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK
<1894)
Corn -40 cents at Porter's.? Adv.
U. S. Commissioner E. K. Cunningham's office is receiving
a new coat of paint.
Mr. N. L. Barnard left last Thursday with a drove of ^orses
and mules for the Southern markets.
Mr.11 Will Downs moved out into the country yesterday, a
mile and a half out, near the Georgia road.
35 YEARS AGO
(1924)
Ahout 5 o'clock Jast Sunday morning, fire was discovered in
the home of Mr. W. L. Hlgdon on West Main Street, and in
spite of all efforts to save it, the house was soon reduced to
ashes.
One evening during the holidays Mr. L. A. Berry gave the
young people of Holly Springs community a barbecue.
The Woman's Club will meet at the school house in Miss
Weaver's room Friday. Features of the program will be piano
selections by Miss Angel's pupils and a talk by Mrs. F. L.
Slier.
15 YEARS AGO
(1944)
Ben L McOlamery Is county chairman for this year's In
fantile Paralysis drive.
Mrs. M E. Church has accepted a position as a member of
the office personnel of the Nantahala Power and Light Com
pany.
5 YEARS AGO
(1954)
Mr. and Mrs. David Sutton, who recently bought a home in ,
East Franklin, were honored with a house-warming party Sat
urday rtlght.
Hickory Knoll last Thursday became the 18th community
to organize for participation In the Rural Community Develop
ment program.
FARMI.VG IX !!)?!> '
'Food Factory' Of Future To Be Scientifically Controlled Business
/'regressive Fart no
What will farming be like
twenty years from now?
Well, by that time, "farm" won't
be a big enough word to describe
the food producing plant. ' Food
factory" will probably be more
accurate. It will have a business
office to schedule work, opera
tions. etc. It will have air-bome
equipment, rerpote-cont rolled ma
chines. near-perfect weather izcd
environment, and crops and ani
mals ? adapted to its individual
needs.
The, biggest changes will comn
in farm equipment. A typical
giain harvest scene then will in
clude a helicopter flying to the
field, hovering over the harvester,,
arid hooking onto a pcain-filled
plastip box the size of a small
trailer. The helicopter takes it to
the storage area where insecti
cides and a moisture condenser
will be shot inside it. An air-,
water-, and insect-proof top will be
put on When marketed, the box
will be handled "as Is."
No longer will farmers be going
'round and 'round. Remote control
machines, or "automatic pilot" de
vices that raise or lower and guide
will replace them. An experimental
?'robot"' cultivator has already
been developed.
Year-round air conditioning
will be commonplace in low-cost
farm buikiinps. More animals
than now can b^ Imagined will
never go outside a building or
touch the ground ?
Hormones which stimulate or
hold back plant growth will be
Widely used. Already, fcr example
some scientists see grain sorghums
that will grow like wheat and will
be harvested by the same meth
ods.
Meat producers will be able to
guarantee the amount of lean,
tenderness, protein content, and
dressing percentage, of animals
they market. Runts will be a thing
of the past. Instead of thinking
In tenns of grass or hay alone,
we'll be making cellulose, one of
the key ingredients In low-eost live
stock feeding.
There Is an excellent chance
that twenty years from now, ani
mal produceis will be ab!e to de
cide before b:e< ding whether fe
males will product all males or
females or a ctrtaln percentage
different from Mother Nature.
Forms in which food products
will reach consumers will be vast
ly different. Atomic energy and
radiation will greatly change
handling of food products. Ii
scientists are successful in irradi
ating food to prevent spoilage
refrigeration will largely be un
necessary.
The same type of folk will be
fanning twenty years from now
Farmers with backbone, imagi
nation, and setup and go will
be doing fine as food factory
managers, with a lot more leisure
The editors of The Progressive
Fanner reached these conclusions
about farming of the future
through intensive "brainstorming'
techniques of reading, talking, and
making some highly educated
guesses. ? f-*?
STRICTLY
PERSONAL
By WEIMAR JONES
So you think you're different?
So different. In fact, that you're
unique?
Most of us think that ... be
cause that's what we want to
think.
If you're the healthy extrovert
type, bubbling over with optimism,
you're likely to think you're the
luckiest fellow In the world. Well.
It's good to be lucky, and even
better to so appreciate good for
tune as to realize how lucky you
are.
But there's a good chance you
aren't half as lucky as some other
people. There have been cases, for
instance, where a pardon for a
condemned man arrived Just as he
was about to drop frofn the gal
lows. Can you recall any piece
of luck. In your entire life, that
even compares with that?
If you are like most of us.
though, you are much more likely
to think you're different In being
the UNluckiest fellow in the
world, or having the most and
worst troubles, or being the least
appreciated of all people, or hav
ing the most problems that Just
don't seem to have solutions.
Then, too, there's always your
operation. You're certain It was
the most serious one, or required
the most stitches, or had the
most complications of any opera
tion ever performed.
But the chances are you're
wrong again. For no matter how
many stitches the doctor. had to
take to get you sewed up, and
no matter how many complica
tions you had, and no matter how
serious your operation was, other
people have had worse ones. Some
of 'em, remember, died.
And If you think your problems
are hard, think of the fellow who
saw his automobile, parked at the
top of a cliff, rolling over it. It
was a brand new automobile, but
It contained his obnoxiously bossy
mother-in-law. Now that fellow
really did have a problem; he had
to decide whether to be sorry
or glad.
Or, in more serious vein, take
troubles. If you think you have
troubles, consider poor old Job
in the Bible, a "perfect and up
right" man. One catastrophe a,fter
another robbed him of his live
stock and his servants, so that
he quickly became a poor man
Instead of a rich one. Then a
storm killed all of his ten children.
Finally, he had bolls. Not Just
one boll ? how most of us moan
and groan with one little boil!
? but dozens and scores and may
be hundreds of boils, covering
him from his head to his feet.
And to cap the climax, his
friends came to see him. What
comforters they were! For seven
days and seven nights, they said
no word. And when at last they
did open their mouths. It was to
upbraid Job for his wickedness,
to demand to know what terrible
sin he had committed to brine
all this punishment on himself.
Now, In the light of that, let's
take another look, you and I, at
our troubles . . . and blush with
shame at our childish whining.
Even in such matters as cour
age and optimism and determina
tion to hold on, we can't hold
a candle to old Job. For at last
even his wife lost hope. Outdone
both with trouble and the Lord,
she advised him to "curse God and
die". But Job refused. And while
he didn't say it exactly In these
words, the substance of his reply
was: "Woman, hush your mouth.
Better days are coming."
? ? ?
No, sir, you and X aren't unique.
We probably aren't even very dif
ferent. We Just think we are . . .
because we'd like to be.
Well, it's my conviction we can
be. For I'm a great believer In
the Idea that no aspiration or urge
was put Inside us that we aren't
capable of attaining, even this
one.
And my guess about the way
we can be different is NOT to
think we're the luckiest fellow In
the world, or have the worst
troubles or the most difficult
problems, or suffered the longest,
biggest, deepest incision In the
history of surgery. For what could
be more unusual than to find a
man who didnt think those
things!
We can be different, that is.
even unique perhaps, Just by not
thinking we are.
WINDOW-BOX WEEDER
Franklin Could Use One, Too! '
SOUTHERN PINES PILOT
The field is wide open in South
ern Pines, it seems, for a new
specialized profession : window
box weeder.
This sounds like a very attrac
tive job. One roan could take care
of dozens of window boxes and
still find himself with plenty of
leisure time.
Moreover, he wouldn't even
have to stoop. The pleasure of
gardening would be better appre-.
ciated, we've been contending for
years, if the work could be done
at waist level ? like cooking. For
a window-box wieder, there
Would be no sore back the next
day.
Our suggestion is that the coun
cil make the position of wlndow
box weeder a municipal function.
Citizens who understand the ne
cessity of civic beautification in
a resort town surely would not
object to using tax funds for the
weeder's salary.
After all, a new town ordinance,
recently adopted by the council,
establishes the post of taxicab
inspectator in Southern Pines. If
we can have a taxicab inspector,
we certainly ought to be able to
have a window-box weeder.
In time, perhaps the town
would see fit to put the weeder
In a uniform ? we suggest dark
green coveralls with graceful
white script lettering, "Town ?(
Southern Pines ? Window Bok
Weeder", across the back.
If the business section expands
and merchants keep on putting
up window-boxes, an apprentice
or assistant window-box weeder
might be called for.
All this would probably by that
time merit a feature article iu
the Saturday Evening Post or a
photo spread in Life. Southern
Pines would become nationally
famous.
NIGHTMARE OF SAMENESS
See America First ? If You Can
GREENSBORO DAILY NEWS
The federal government Is
spending untold millions to build
41.000 miles of highway from one
coast to the other. In the words of
the Dally News' C. A. Paul "a
motorist driving over a Tar Heel
stretch of It will see exactly the
same kind of road and the same
kind of signs he would see If he
were In. say, New Mexico."
In many ways this new inter
state highway system will be a
worthy achievement ? for people
who want to go places in a hurry.
But what of the American who
wants to see America first? Will
, it serve his purpose to travel mile
on mile of four-lane highway
| precisely the same In North Caro
, Una as in New Mexico?
' The contemplation of 41,000
? miles of highway ? every Inch of
? it exactly the same ? represents
the final nightmare of Amtrican
conformity. The movies, radio,
TV. the automobile, and the air
plane have been pushing us In
' that direction. Now the blueprint
| is complete.
America, from the main-line
highways, will be alike in New
Mexico and North Carolina. Tired
> motorists, longing for relief from
i the monotony, may well take to
? the back roads. There they" are
, likely to see more of Americ^ ?
at lfcast what Is left after the mass
1 communications and travel ex
perts get through with It.
COVER UP THAT
DIMPLED KNEE, BOY
The august authorities, even In
some of the smaller schools, pro
hibit the wearing of short pants
by little boys in the sixth and
seventh grades., This is not only
to compound a ludicrous fetish
in conformity, but in early fall
and late spring. It is a confound
ed nuisance. With all children eat
ing the same lunches, wearing,
basically, the same clothing, and
studying the same books, you can
wish feverently that they will not
be forced to think alike.
During parlous times, countless
Tar Heels wore, perforce, what
was neat and available. Neither
the color nor the length of
britches was interwoven with the
curriculum. Many of the boys who
wore overalls to school were as
proficient as they were less than
10 years later when issued blue
fatigues at Fort Bragg. Conform
ity. like an ax, is all right if not
driven into the ground. Occasion
ally a little variation in action
hus resulted in the fruition of in
nunjerable blessings, as muy. occur
even to television showmen some
shining day.? Raleigh News and
Observer.