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Editorial rage Editor
TIIUR.SDAV, MAY 28. 1959
Time For A Raise
If anybody i> in dou1>t about the need to raise
academic standards in American schools, all Vie has
to do i- talk to one of the foreign students who
sometimes yet to Franklin.
I "
A recent such visitor, here from Germany, told
the Franklin Ro'tary Club he had nine years of his
tory before he got to college. How many years of
history do American students get in their gram
mar and high school years? More amazing, he'd
had nine years of Latin! Where, in this area, is
there a school that. even offers Latin?
We doubt if all the blame belongs in any one
placc. But surely Dr., John B. Bennett, of Brevard
college, gave a part of the explanation when he
told Macon County teachers, at a recent banquet,
that often "it's the parents" who insist on the ex
tras that crowd out the fundamentals. Ofteher still,
we suspect, it's the parents who insist that school
not be "hard" for little johnny or Mary.
I
ON OTHI R FOOT
Is 'Reaction' Enough?
Back in June,' 1954, litis newspaper, comment ing
on the Supreme Court's first school decision, re
marked that what made the decision significant
was now what it did to segregation, hut what it did
tq the Const ilut ion of the United States.
It wa> clear, even then,, that the Court had ex
ceeded it- authority to interpret the. < (institution,
and had. instead,, amended ii. For in that decision,
the Court arbitrarily took from the states the
power, given them by the people, to regulate their
schools, and appropriated that power to itself.
"So what?" many persons said at that time. ,"h
was done in, flic interest of human right>. Ii ac
cotnphshed a good end, So what duleicnce does 1 1.
make how it was accomplished r"
Unfortunately, when any public official ? atvv
agency of government ? is permitted to go outside
the law 'to! accomplish, a good end, that tends to
clothe, hint with authority to go. oUl-si<U;- t lie law"
to accompli -h anv end, good or bad. And so now,
live year- later, some oi tho-e /who were' loudest
in praise of the Court's l'>5t. school decision are
shocked b reii'nt rulings that. in;, ade. cat lie r lhaii
protect, hitman rights.
it has been a matter of ottlv a . . >voek- since
the Court , ignoring tin: plain wot:d> of 'lie ('oti-.i.i
tut ion oil . i luf -itliject , belli thai a < ie.e'hlatit 1 1 1 a \
be tried1 twice, tor the same olieii-e.
More r fitly, it ha- held- o-nii;; r . to >eieN
tradition of rlngiish and American :.i -t :< e, a- will
as in cleat: violation of the . Con-taut ion itself
; hat a he.i'th in-jiector ma\ invade ^ man's borne,
again.-t title man'- wi-.1i, and without a warrant.
The wonts that Iqltow are not our.-, they ale
not those of Mime Southern editor who might lie
aiiti-SuprCMiie Court because of his segregation
views. 1 hey come Troin the highl} respected Chris
tian' Science. Monitor, published in Hostoii, a news
paper tiiat has long lavqred integration, and has
been a consistent deiender of the >upreinu Court :
"Many Americans' will he profttndly shocked' by
the news that their homes can now he invaded
without a search warrant. We trust that they wijl
react shalrpi . Also that the Supreme Court .will,
when new cases arise, reverse- a r-to-+ decision just
rendered.
"For, as .Mr. Justice iVanki'iirter said reyar<li?y
another sear, h and seizure case m 1' >50 'I'ro^ress
is too easy lV/nn polite action tuiscrtitini/.ed l?\
judicial authorization t(? the police state'."
And this comment is from the Wall Street
Journal
"W hatever the reason (the defendant in the case
refused to permit the inspector to enter his home
without a warrant ) it is plain that the inspector
could have ^;one away and jfot his warrant and
cbihe hack that or another da\ and a lew hours'
dela\ would have endangered neither the public"
peace nor'health. It is also plain that the procedure
would have satisfied the 'power of inspection' Jns
t ice Frankfurter, said is 'apparently welcomed by
all hut an insignificant few."
"The Bill of Rights, though, was written to pro
tect the insignificant few- as well as the many. Its
purpose was not to make (natters easier for gov
ernors to govern or inspectors to inspect. And de
cisions that grant greater power to government
while eroding the rights of individuals do not. do
injure only to the insignificant few. They breach
'the threshhold ol" the majority's liberties as well,"
While he join 'The Monitor in. hoping Americans
w ill "react sharply", we wonder if reacting sharph
in a single decision is enough. We wonder if- the
tittle hasn't come to- (a) set up hv law some rigid
standards for justices of the Supreme Cotirt' ? at
present', there are no prescribed qualification's: and'
(b) pul some curbs oil the power of the Court.
Alter all. the authority of every other government
official' and- agency- is limited.
Encouraging Notes
The case of Stanley Yankus (told in his own
words on this page last week) is far from reassur
ing. . .
Mr. Yanfeus is the fran who has dared fight the
; . deral government, which has lined: and badgered
hint Ijcanse he has insisted on the right to grow
hi- dun wheat on his own land to feed his own
ehickens. The story, in lact. i-- alarming In those
who 1 ? ;'"ve. as M : . A'ankus does, that "freedom is
A >?; ii' .i.- encouraging, too. It > eiiconr.i-mg to
',-:--w. there still are people in .V'Utrrica .>? .;<o wi.l
rg'h.t for . J, heir personal liberties. There h;- . b.-en
t i tiles when it appeared that nearly evc-r\bo<l\ w a<
irfeii -ted dnh in the "main chance": ?< nioruw
ami plivsica) security, with -itch "intangibles as
freedom rated. as mere fringe benefits of the Atiur
ican \\ ay of life.
Now comes an encouraging note from'.- another
quarter! I11 Louisiana, three parish' school boards
have rejected federal mone\ because the\ want
"No more federal /control". The explanation of
their action: "Progress should not be bought at
the price ol freedom".
We know nothing ahout the situation in those
parishes ; nothing about how much federal control
there was, or how much seemed imminent. But we
salute the public Officials who dardd pay, in cash
benefits, to make sure, beyond the shadow of any
doiibt, that there should be no los.s of local freedom
in the operation of their schools.
The one guarantee of freedom in this land of
.ours is not laws, not courts, not constitutions, even,
ft is the average citizen's determination to stay
free.
Landscape Of The Heart
(Greensboro Daily News>
About 40 years ago Irvin s. Cobb said, "All North Carolina
needs is a good press agent."
Today North Carolina has as many press agents as Texas
has oil wells. The press agents are doing all right.
But North Carolina does not have enough philosophers, poets
and saints. It has been exporting far too many of the home
grown variety ? beginning with Walter Hines Page.
Therefore it is good when a .native-born philosopher comes
home to give us of his wit and wisdom.
Gerald Johnson did just that in Elliott Hall at Woman's
College Wednesday night. The occasion was the founding of
i Friends of the Library for Woman's College. But Gerald
Johnson's lecture, as usual, went far beyond the bounds of
that mission.
The sage of P.oiton Street came home to tell us that al
though man's knowledge of his universe has broken the
bounds of outer space and pierced the heart of the atom,
his knowledge about inner space? the landscape of the heart ? -
leaves much to be desired. He would agree with Robert Oppen
heimer that most of man's current knowledge about his uni
verse was not in the textbooks when most mature men and
women were in school; but then Dr. Johnson would move on
to explain that the secrets of honor, courage and love have
been probed by man since the beginning of time. The prob
lem of good and. evil ? the supreme issue of this or any other
time remains as challenging as ever.
But it has a new pertinence in a time of supreme danger,
when man has forged weapons sufficiently powerful to de
stroy himseif.
The average man today, Dr. Johnson concedes, cannot know
much of the knowledge which concerns Dr. Oppenheimer. But
in libraries, in books, in colleges and universities, he may
still lind knowledge of good and evil and how man has 'dealt)
with it in the past. And such knowledge is supremely impor
tant. if man has triumphed in the past, he can do it again-.
That was the message of a Tar Heel philosopher who went
on from Riverton to Greensboro to Baltimore, thence to 'world
fame.
T.I.XI'.IVKIIS .HIE PEOPLE
They Have Choices; The Budget-Makers Will Listen To Them
Mil. ford. Conn., Citizen
Taxpayers are people. They earn
money. Most of them work hard
They pay their bills. Then there
is not much money left.
Budget makers know this; They
try to keep their appropriations
small. They think money not spent
is money saved.
Taxpayers are people. They
own automobiles. They drive the
automobiles 011 Milford roads. The
roads are terrible. They could be
fixed. But ttyat would take money.
Taxpayers have a choice. They can
have low tax rates and bad roa<ls.
Or they can have higher tax
rates and better roads.
Taxpayers are people. They
have children. Children grow up.
They want to .succeed. They want
job's. They want satisfaction in
their jobs.
Children learn in schools. A
'Alteration ago most of them went
to high school. They could ?et
jobs. Now most jobs require cop
?lege education. There are not
enough colleges. The colleges have
to turn down many applicants.
They do not have room for them.
So they pick those with the
best preparation. These are the
ones who get to college. If their
preparation has been good, they
succeed. If not. they flunk out.
Taxpayers' children want to go
to college.
Schools cost money. Teachers
cost money. Teachers are people.
Teachers are taxpayers. They
take jobs partly because of the
pay. If it is not enough, they take
other jobs.
Teachers make , schools. Pot).'
teachers in good buildings make
bad schools. Good teachers in baii
buildings make good schools Good
teachers in good buildings make
better schools. Good teachers hi
good buildings with good books
and good supplk'.s make the best
schools. ? __ .
Some taxpayers are rich. They
can send their children to private
schools. Sometimes these children
have a better chance to enter
college.
Taxpayers who are less rich
cannot afford private schools.
They must send their children to
public schools.
Public schools can be very good.
If they are overcrowded, they
are handicapped. If they don't
pay the going rate, they have
trouble getting good teachers. If
they can't buy books. ? students
are handicapped.
Taxpayers have a choice. They
can give students substandard
education. Then the children will
have a hard time in life. This
way taxpayers can keep a lo'.v
tax late.
Or they can give students ade
quate education. Then the children
will have a better opportunity in
life. This will mean higher tax
rates.
Some taxpayers have no chil
dren. They may hire people. If
they have poor schools, the people
they hire will be less able to do
their jobs. Good schools help these
taxpayers, too.
We have ' self-government. We
elect our budget makers. They act
as the majority wants them to.
If we want low taxes, they can
vote them. The price is weak
schools, poor roads, bad drains.
The reward is low taxes.
If we want good schools, we
have to tell our budget maker.s.
If we want good roads, we have
to tell our budget makers.
If we tell our budget makers we
wfcnt. these things, we have to
tell them something else ? that
we are willing to pay for them.
Taxpayers are people. We are
all taxpayers. Sometimes we get
thirigs with our taxes we could
never get without them.
STRICTLY PERSONAL By WFJMAR JONES
Do you sometimes see a child
who strikes you as being simply
obnoxious? You'd like to do a
thorough Job of spanking. Bur.
since you can't do that, you get
away from him as fast as you can
? and get away with a feeling
of unfriendliness toward the
youngster. 'That feeling, you
know, isn't fair to the child; it's
his parents who are at fault, you
tell yourself. But the feeling is
tnere, just the same. You don't
ever want to see that child again! >
On the other hand, do you some
times see a youngster who is a
delight? one you immediately
want to make friends with? one
you leave with regreat ? and a
sense of having a pleasant glow'
Of course you do! If you're
a normal adult, you've had both
experiences many times.
Mi's. Jones and I had the latter,
pleasant one the other day. We
had occasion to take a little girl
home; a youngster of 11 or 12.
.She was in our car only a fev.'
minutes, yet we were much im
pressed by her.
And what was it that impressed
us? Was it her grades in school?
or her achievements in 4-H 01
Girl Scout work? or how well
dressed she was?
It was none of those. It was
her manners.
Without overdoing it. because it
was entirely unconscious with her,
sne answered every question with
a "yes, sir" or a "no, ma'am"
or a "thank you". .
Just that one little thing! Yet.
after she got out of the car, we
found ourselves saying, almost in
unison: "What a nice child!" and
then, "she has been well trained".
With just that one little thing,
that is. she created within us a
feeling of friendliness toward her
and one of respect for her par
ents.
It wasn't, of course, the "y?s,
sirs" and the "no, ma'ams" and
the "thank yous" alone. It was
the way they were said. The tone
suggested respect, consideration,
and a sense of gratitude.
It would have been possible ?
though harder ? for her to con
vey the same feelings without
using those old phrases. Somehow,
though, I've noticed, the children
who are taught to say "yes, sir"
and "no. ma'am" and "thank you"
seem to learn, along with the
phrases to show respect and to
be '-onsiderate and to feel grateful.
They do. because those phrases
suggest those attitudes ? suggest
them to the child as well as to
the person spoken to.
Many parents have the foolish
idea it is wrong to teach children
to say "yes, sir" and "no, ma'am"
or even "thank you"; that there's
something demeaning about it.
But what is demeaning about
showing respect, especially for
older people? What is demeaning
about being considerate of others?
What Is demeaning about feeling
grateful?
A lot of parents are cheating
their children by refusing, or
neglecting, to teach them these
little outward evidences of inner
attitudes that are admirable. Such
attitudes not only make life easief ?
for the youngster, because they(
make friends for him: they help
to create a feeling of stability
within the child himself.
All this, I know, is old-fashioned.
It just so happen, though, (.hat it
works.
If you doubt it, ask any up-to
date child psychologist.
Better still, try it!
LOU CASHWELL
So You Know How To Rea" Children
In THE STATE Magazine
One of the pastimes of middle
age is evaluating the job you did
raising your children. You stand
off . from these grown sons and
daughters and look at them as
others might. There they are for
all the world to see. Your handi
work.
Well, how did you do? On the
whole, you think you're due a little
justifiable pride. You did fine.
But did you do what you
planned? Back when they were
small babies ycu were sure how
you wanted to train them. There
were certain things you would
do. There were more things you
would not do.
I. too, was sure. At the age of
two, my daughter spent hours
serving lemonade and cookies on
a blue and red metal tea set to
her dolls, and I vowed and de
clared that she would learn how
to cook. After all, I'd spent a good
many years learning little tricks
with flour, eggs, and spices and
I was sure enough going to teach
it to her.
What happened? She's now 17
and knows as much about cooking
as she dees snake charming".
Where did I go wrong-? I honestly
can't know.
I read all the right books: Books
by experts about taking advantage
of the first glimmerings of inter
est, coinciding your teaching to
readiness levels, inspiring them by
good example, etc., etc.
But the books all took it for
granted that the learner would be
present. My learner wasn't. She
was off taking piano lessons, learn
ing to ride a bicycle, mastering
ballroom dancing, attending birth
day parties, pasting assorted tree
leaves in a notebook, practising
for plays, going to swimming
classes, carving wooden boxe?v
weaving pot holders, and selling,
magazine subscriptions, paper
flowers, balloons, and popcorn
balls.
The few times she entered the
kitchen was always when the
floor had just been scrubbed and
I had to tell her not to walk on
it just yet. By the time it was dry,
she'd left for choir practice.
In the same way I was certain
back when my son was sailing
toy FT boats In the bathtub that
there was one thing I'd teach him.
That was to pick up after himself.
What happened? Again the
learner was the little man wh?
wasn't there. He was playing foot-(
ball in 20 pounds of equipment
that had been pulled off the top
shelf along with everything else.
Or he was a mile away snagging
grounders after leaving a trail of
school clothes from basement to
attic.
Or I'd come home from shopping
into a kitchen that looked like
a slum clearance project from
treating nine grubby Lone
Rangers to milk and banana
sandwiches. And lie was off in
somebody's backyard shooting
basketball goals.
As the years went on. I looked
back fondly on the toy boat days. ?.
The drops of water that splashed j
over the tub edge was no mess ;!!? '
all compared to a six-footer ca
vorting like a walrus in the shower
turned on full blast.
So now I've learned. Either
never say what you will or will
not do about raising your children.
Or set up housekeeping on top
of Old Smoky.
DO YOU REMEMBER?
Looking Backward Through the Files ot The Press
65 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK.
(1894)
Frost Is reported on Cartoogechaye yesterday morning.
Rev. J. R. Pendergras sold his lot on the corner next to
the Myers shop last week to Mr. C. L. Ingram. .
?
A new post office has been established on Watauga to be
called Rockyface, and C. C. Henry appointed postmaster.
Saturday evening Misses Annie and Kate Robinson, Birdell
Robertson, and Virgie Crawford arrived home after ten
months spent at the Normal and Industrial School for Women
at Greensboro.
35 YEARS AGO
(1924)
Scholarship prizes to high school seniors were presented at
graduation exercises Friday evening. First prize was won by
Miss Betty Sloan. w!x?se yearly average was 95%. Second prize
went to Miss Lois Ferguson, whose average was 955?.
For tile next few days I am going to sell sugar for 10 cents
per pound. In 100-lb. sacks, 9Vic lb. Bill Cunningham, The
Cash Store. ? Adv.
. ? j
Mr. C. C. Currier, of Cornelia, Ga., formerly of Franklin,;
was visiting friends here last week.
15 YEARS AGO
(1944)
i
Barbara Hurst, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Horace Hurst, of
Franklin, is a member of the graduating class of Brevard
College.
J. W. Addington, mail carrier of Franklin's Rout^ 2 for the
past 3,0 years, has retired.
5 YEARS AGO
(1954) ' . r*
Maccyi County will graduate 140 from high school this year,
115 at Franklin, 12 at Nantahala, and 13 at Highlands.