$3je fftwKlitt and Qtyp Highlau&s fflaronian WEIMAR JONES Editorial Page Editor THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 1958 NEED NO. 1 Never Have So Many . Never have so many sat so long on anything half so hard. That paraphrase of the famous Churchill expres sion in most cases would he something of an exag geration. It was definitely an exaggeration, applied to the program presented here last week by the Concert Choir of North Dakota State College. For that 65-voicc choir gave such an excellent program the audience could almost forget how uncomfor table are the backless benches at the high school gymnasium; almost ? but never quite! I . . .. That concert underlined what is this commun ity's No. 1 civic need, a good auditorium. The very fact that such a program is so rare in Franklin emphasizes the need; few such organizations will attempt to perforin in a place as unsuitable as the school gymnasium, (iiven a good auditorium, we could have such programs often. Nor wutild it have to be devoted exclusively t<> music ; it could serve for every type of public gathering. < A good auditorium is Franklin's No. 1 need. It's been our No. 1 need for years. As the town grows, the need becomes more acute. Here's One ! The stale income tax withholding plan, the As sociated Press reported the other day, is favored by most North Carolina newspapers. ( Well, just for the record, here's one that is not in favor of it. Under the plan, proposed by Governor Ifodges and now pending in the General Assembly, em ployes would be required to withhold state income tax from pay checks, just as they now withhold federal income tax. Here are some. of the reasons we oppose it. First of all, the state government has no moral right to force employers to serve, without com pensation, as its tax collection agents. That requires something of employers that is. required of no other group, and so is clearly discriminatory. And the fact that it is done by the federal government in no way affects the right. or wrong of the question. Second, the argument that only through the withholding plan can the state collect income taxes from all who owe such taxes just doesn't hold water. The state has access to information on the income of those who pav the federal tax ; all it has to do is cross check on that information, and then go after, those who should pav but do not. Inciden tally, the statement of the State Department of Revenue that 32.0W North Carolinians are dodging the state income tax seems includible it suggests incredible dishonest v among North ( arolina citi /.ens. as -well ;i> incredible JaxitV in1, the Revenue Department. It the department knows there arc 32,(X)0 t'ix dodi'.Ci . wh\ M I' IIS * . ' , , Provocative Pronouns For Precise People; A Little Grammar Is A Dangerous Thing " , Shall (Or Will; One.' (EDITOR'S NOTE: The auth or n S this article, reprinted from the Raleieh News and Observer, is head of the Department of English at N. C. State College, Raleigh.) By LODYVICK HARTLEY A little grammar, like a little learning, a dangerous thine. And people who know least about how the language really operates are often those who are most positive about the way in which it should be spoken and written. , Incidentally, in my very first paragraph I have alieady violated a principle 'syntactical, it is true, rather than grammatical < dear to some pretenders to competence in the language. "Never begin a sen tence with, 'and,' 'but,' or for ." the rule runs. And it may even be extended to "because" and other conjunctions. But is there any reason or authority for such a rule? Not so far as I can tell. Because there i,s not. then, I think that we can quickly rid our minds of another taboo. Clearly, thus kind of false notion is in the class of the taboo about, ending the sentence with a prep osition. Both are classic examples of ideas promulgated by people? who think that they know mam mar and syntax but who in reality have only a smattering of each. There is another class of people ?or is it merely a sub-class?) who have a strong faith in the "nice ties" of grammar and who insist upon demonstrating their famili arity with them on every possible occasion. These include. I am afraid, the same people who think it elegant to hold a tea cup with the small finger of the right hand in a delicate curve outward. For them the linguistic equiva lent of the curved little finger is ? amonu other things ? a de votion to constructions involving the auxiliary verb "shall." as well as to an overuse of the pronoun "one." Now shall" and "will"* have for so long been baffling to speakers of the English language that many people have despaired of making any distinction in their use. 'Some valid distinctions do exist, of course.) Observe the friend of yours who says with what used to be called old-maidish precision, "Yes, I shall be at home when you call," and "I shall do what you have requested," and "I shall see you later." Naturally, all the handbooks of usage say (but should not I have fused "state"?? that "shall" with the pronoun of the first person indicates simple futurity. At the same time, they do not give license for riding a good horse to dpath. Once in a while, "will" is much better, and eveh more ac curate ? as in "I will do what you have requested" and "I will certainly meet you for golf next Wednesday." Indicating a willing ness or promise to perform an act and not merely the likelihood of its being performed. But the "shall" addict persists in thinking that there is some thing inherently fashionable about his consistency. Very few people, of course, confuse "shall" i in dicating determination on the part of the speaker i and "will" (indicating simple futurity) when they air used with pronouns of the second and third person: "you" or "he" or "they". The partisans of "one" are equally numerous: and because ?they somehow think that they are fashionable, they are at least equally ridiculous. One has only to listen to one's pseudo-educated and super-precise friends to get one's ear full. However, "one," like "shall," can be perfectly proper when used, like one's dress clothes, with taste and discretion. Perhaps, after all, the most flagrant offenders among people who have learned a little grammar are the "I" and the "whom" ad dicts. For some undetermined reason, the average child doggedly insists on saying "me and Jim" rather than "Jim and I" regardless of , the grammatical context of his statement. It seems to make little difference whether the youngster lives in the local Mortgage Hill area or in Shanty Town. When the child goes to school, however, he is cajoled, admonish ed, and threatened enough to con vince turn that he has committed a mortal sin "pride leads the "Seven Deadly Sins") by naming himself before he names his play mate and that he has committed a grammatical sin by using a pronoun in the objective form as the subject of a sentence. So he learns to say, "Jim and I are going to play together." Unfortu nately, however, the experience becomes traumatic, and our young man is afflicted with a fixed idea for the rest of his life. Listen to your friend who says "Mr. Jones invited my wife and I to his country place for a swim." Nine to one. he glows inwardly because of his altruism in putting his wife first and because of his discrimination in using "I" instead of "me." He thinks, of course, that he has fully demonstrated his worthiness to '.move in the society of a man fashionable enough to have a private swimming pool. But he has a rude surprise awaiting him. Mr. Jones's wife will assuredly know that he should have said "wife and me," since both words are the' objects of "Invited"; and she will have her own opinion of whether he is deserving of associating with her set. Our poor fellow will also be afraid to say, "You're being unfair to us Smiths. After all, we live in as good a part of town as you do." Had he not once been told that he could not say "Us boys are going" and that he should have said "we boys"? So he timidly Bays, "You're being unfair to we Smiths": and he is ever so irre trievably back on the wrong side of the grammatical railroad tracks. After all, a preposition is relent less in requiring an object in all the socially-acceptable parts of town, % The "whom" addicts are not in the same class only because there are not quite so many people who can catch them in their errors. But, like the "I" addicts ? sincc they have learned through dint of considerable effort that "wh,om" is the right form for certain situ ations ? they insist o|n getting more than their money's-worth out of this hard earned knowledge. Thus they indulge in such con structions as "Whom do you think will be the next president of the Country Club?" Or "There has been a lively discussion as to whom will marry Mrs. Walsing ham Cartwright next," or "She is the one whom we all supposed was slightly inebriated at our last club dance." Of course, the speak er \vho really knows his grammar ? and does not merely think that he does ? will see. that "who" is the right form in all three sen tences as the subject of "will be," "will marry," or "was inebrl ated." Very well, you may say, but some highly-placed people will be found in the above categories. Indeed. I remember something of the cold chill that ran over me when, In a news reel of fairly recent issue, a Very important personality said. "Thank you for all you've done for Esmeralda and I." (I have sufficiently disguised the name so that it should not possibly be at tached to the wife of any great contemporary American political figure, i And there was John Milton (rest to his puritanical bones!) who re ferred to. a hero (that some say he may have admired) as "Satan, than whom none sat higher." Why "whom"? Only Milton could an swer. At any rate, one of the greatest English poets said it; and he did so in such a resounding way that "than whom" is the ac cepted idiom to thig moment. It Is better to be president than right, as any sensible man knows. And poets have a special license of their own. But as for us ordi r-ny human beings, we'd better not attempt to display learning that We do not have. TOO martf people will know just enough to catch us. STRICTLY PERSONAL By WEIMAR JON1S We are the inheritors of the civilization of all the world, and our primary aim in North Caro lina should be the development of a people who understand the things of the spirit. We have wonderful assets. If we'll just hold on to them. One of them Is the rural character of our state, and the things that go with rural living; we must hold on to the faith of our fathers In simple honesty and in living life at its highest. We seek and welcome new in dustry. But ? We do not want Industry at any price. We do not want Industry that will destroy another Industry, such as our tourist business. We do not want industry which is unsulted to the community. We do not want Industry which comes in to exploit our resources and our people. And we are not in favor of offer ing gratuities (such as tax ex emption) to get industry to come to North Carolina; that would be unfair to the industries that have been here for, maybe, 50 years. We do not want an industry that seeks a gratuity. It is smarter for North Carolina to hold high its standards and treat everybody alike ... It is a high honor to come to North Carolina and share in its upbuilding. Those are not my words ? though they say the tilings I have been trying to say, on this page, for a dozen years. They are the words of one pf the brainiest and most highly re spected men in North Carolina. And they were spoken at ? of all places! ? a chamber of com merce dinner. Yet the ideas were presented so clearly, so logically, that what was said seemed com pletely appropriate to the oc casion. They are the words of a man often mentioned for governor. State Treasurer Edwin M. QUI. They are from his speech ? the highlight of an excellent program ? at the recent annual dinner meeting of the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce. And his words fitted right in with the theme of the meeting, as an nounced on the printed programs ? "a people working together for a better community". Mr. Gill went on to say that the industry that is most desirable is not looking for gratuities; that it is much more interested in less tangible things. Industrialists, he said, are im pressed by the rural character of North Carolina; enlightened in dustry is looking for wide open spaces. They are impressed by such things as the fact that North Carolina has an art museum, as evidence that the people of this state value and appreciate the beautiful. They are interested in a balanced state, which puts a premium on such things as moral ity and religion. They are interests ed, most of all, in a good place to live. Many of the things that make North Carolina desirable, a good Place to live, he added, grow out of the rural character of the state; and Governor Hodges is seeking to preserve that rural character by encouraging the de velopment of small industries, especially those that process foods, in the rural areas. . If all that sounds familiar to readers of this newspaper, it's be cause The Press has been saying it ? though not so well as Mr. Gill ? over a period of years. Here In North Carolina, in this mountain region, in Macon Coun ty, we need some industry, of course; enough small industry that, along with farming, tourists, and other businesses, we will have a balanced economy. But we do not need Industry at any price, and we do not need just any industry. As far back as 1&46, this news paper suggested that we should select our industries. Then it list ed eight basic standards for measuring the desirability of an industry. In the light of those recent remarks of so wise and prominent a man as Mr. Gill, that 1946 list still seems to be a pretty good yardstick; ? - 1. Industry should be heme owned; not necessarily by people who now live here, but by people who will live with and in the In dustry. Absentee factory owner ship is quite as great an evil as absentee land ownership. 2. Industries should be small ? so that no one can dominate the community ? and diversified v? so that a single shut-down can not paralyze the community's economic life. 3. They should fit into, the natural economy of the commun ity, preferably manufacturing raw material already present; that would seem to make sense econom ically, and socially it would create fewer changes and fric* . ns. 4. They should employ local labor. There certainly would be little advantage in a factory that brought its labor from elsewhere, with our own leaving home in search of employment. 5. The community should select the management of its factories as carefully as management selects its labor. It is not enough that the plant management should be a good citizen ? in its labor, as well as in its community, rela tions; the management should be able to understand and fit into the community. 6. Our industries should be those that will not destroy the God-given, Irreplaceable things we have here in Western North Carolina. Our mountains have been marred and our air and water polluted enough already. 7. Each industry should be fitted carefully Into the commun ity It is to serve, and we should have Just enough to give us a proper balance with farming, the tourist business, etc. Too few would bea better than too many. 8. The final test, in every in stance, should be the question; Will the industry make this a better place to live? How To Assure A Life Of Grief EDITOR'S NOTE: This is re printed from the Franklin, La., Banner-Tribune, which credited it to a Miss Landers, writing in a religious bulletin.) 1. Beginning with infancy to give the child everything he wa!nts. In this way he will grow up to believe the world owes him a liv ing. 2. When he picks up bad words, laugh at him. This will make him think he is cute. It will also en courage him to pick up "cuter" phrases that will blow off the top of your head later. 3. Never give him any spiritual training. Wait till he is 21 and let him decide for himself. . ' 4. Avoid use of the word "wrong". It may develop a guilt, . complex. This will condition him to believe later, when he is ar rested for stealing a car, that society is against him and he is hetng persecuted. 5. Pick up everything he leaves lying around , ? books, shoes, and , clothing. Do everything for him ?o he will be experienced in throw ing all responsibility on to others. 6. Let him read any printed matter he can get his hands on. Be careful that the silverware and drinking glasses are sterlized, but let his mind feast on garbage. 7. Quarrel frequently in the presence of your children. In this way he will not be too shocked when his home is broken up later. 8. Give the child all the spend ing money he wants. Never let him earn his own. Why should he have the things as tough as you had them. 9. Take his part against neigh bors, teachers and policemen. They are all prejudiced against your child. 10. When he gets into real trouble, apologize for yourself by saying, "I never could do anything with him." 11. Satisfy all' his cravings. Denial may lead to frustration. 12. Prepare for a life of grief. You will be apt to have it. WHY FOLKS GO IN DEBT Nothing makes some people so into debt like trying to keep up with people who already are ? Holyoke, Colo., Enterprise.