Page Two
THE PILOT. Southern Pines. North Carolina
Friday, July 18, 1947.
THE PILOT
PUBLISHED EACH FRIDAY BY
THE PILOT. INCORPORATED
*
SOUTHERN PINES. NORTH CAROLINA
1941
JAMES BOYD ..."
1944
Publisher
KATHARINE BOYD - - - EDITOR
VALERIE NICHOLSON ASST. EDITOR
DAN S. PAY - - GENERAL MANAGER
BERT PREMO - - - .ADVERTISING
CHARLES MACAULEY - - CITY EDITOR
MARY BAXTER - - SOCIETY EDITOR
SUBSCRIPTION
RATES
ONE YEAR - .
-
$3.00
SIX MONTHS
si.sc/
T.ftREE MONTHS
- -
.75
ENTERED AT THE POSTOFFICE AT SOU-
THERN PINES, N. C., AS
SECOND
CLASS
MAIL MATTER.
• a. —
FIRE PROTECTION
Congratulations to the town
board for their decision on ex
tending fire protection in town.
This has become a burning ques
tion ,and no pun needed. The
board, which has been studying
it while all of us have been talk
ing about it, has conqe to tl^e
right answer. Eire protection
must be given to all our people
as soon as in any way practi
cable.
The, question of practicability
was, of course, the thing that held
our town officials up. Not a doubt
but what they clearly under
stood the need and wanted to do
this long ago. But, in a business
or town, o; just in life, viianting
and being able to do are different
things.
To lay new water mains and
install the hydrants costs money.
The town has only so much to
spend and there are one thous
and and one things that need to
bq done, as well as one thousand
and one people wanting their
things done first. The business
of the board is to weigh one
against the other and decide
which should have pfiority.
Their decision, this time, has
been wise, as well as humane.
Our town is one entity. Bad con
ditions in one part affect every
other part, if not alv/ays visibly.
We may feel that the big houses
in the “residential district” have
nothing in common with th^
slums that still exist around the
edges of town, but they certainly
do. We are all the same town, use
the same streets, the same stores.
If disease strikes in one place it
will spread, like as not, to an
other, and the wind that fans the
fires on one hill is quite capable
of carrying the sparks to the
other. Our fire department which
serves every part of the commun
ity, can’t serve equally when
only certain parts have the nec
essary water and hydrants.
The new hydrants are a step
in the right direction. They will
help the people living in those
sections through reduced insur
ance rates, but, most of all,
through peace of mind in the
knowledge that fires such .as the
recent ones when two houses
were burned for lack 6f water
will no longer be a danger. To
those living farther out, this deci
sion of the board will be a sign
that their case, too, will eventu
ally receive notice.
We congratulate the town board
on this just and wise action. ^
cutting down discussion on this
momentous question to a mini
mum and the Conservative party
waiving all opposition, the whole
thing takes on a rosy hue that is
almost unbelievable.
Something which has started
so well surely has a better than
even chance 'of succeeding. It is
one of the most hopeful things
that has happened in our world
for a long time.
Perhaps one reason it seems so
is because it is a striking illustra
tion of the Christian principle of
renunciation. Britain’s great act
of voluntary withdrawal has gain
ed her more good will, more ac
tual influence than all the gov
ernment edicts, suppressions, im
prisonments and so forth of these
last sad years. Only a few months
ago, India was on the verge of-
civil war, with Britain hated more
than ever before. Now that she
has voluntarily given India her
freedom, we find both Moslems
and Hindus drawn toward Brit
ain in friendship and loyalty,
with every likelihood of both the
new countries entei;ing into Do
minion status.
What a relief and joy it is, for
once, to find that the prophets of
doom were wrong.
THE NEXT STEP
Before Congress adjourns it is
to be-given a chance to vote on
strengthening the U. N., in fadt,
on transforming it into a limited
world government.
Those who favor such action
point to the recent Greek-Turk-
ish question, where U. N. had no
power to act, to-its inability* to
settle many other vital issues, to
the failure of the Paris confer
ence. They say it is not equipped
to do what must be done if war
is tp be averted,
Recent statements of the Com.-
mittee of Atomic Scientists, that
“time is running out” and the
atomic armaments race fast ap
proaching, emphasize the issue.
When the United Nations ques
tion was in the offipg four states
men formed the B2H2 combina
tion to help put it across. This
plan is to be, followed again and
Congress is beginning to line up
its forces.
North Carolinians should take
special interest in the debate be
cause our state was the first one
to pass a resolution urging
amendment of the U. N. Charter
to make the U. N. a limited'
world federal government with
powers adequate to prevent war.
Whether this is the right time
to bring up this controversial is
sue is a question in niany minds.
It isn’t as if there were not al
ready a good many controversies
on the Carpet needing Congres
sional and world attention.
On the other hand, the fact that
our country is considering
seriously a question which in
volves some relinquifehment of
national sovereignty might well
be an indication to doubters
abroad that we were to be trust
ed. *
There is real fear that America
will withdraw and go isolationist
again. Nothing could be firnier
evidence of the sincerity of our
support of internationalism than
an attempt to increase the power
of the United Nations.
TRIUMPH OF RENUNCIATION
The prophets of doom have had
to retire in at least one instance:
Britain has granted freedom to
India and nothing terrible is oc
curring.
Everybody, almost, said it
would never be done, and then,
that if it wasi the worst was sure
to happen. As one read of all the
things each side swore they
would never agree to, it did look
as if a peaceful settlement of the
Indian question could not pos
sibly be achieved. It is, of course,
too soon to say that it has been
achieved, but at least it has been
begun. Mdny of the things the
two sides said they would never
agree to, they have agreed to,
and there seem to be no hard
feelings.
Indian leaders have agreed
that the-defense of India shall re*
main under the British Gover
nor’s control, while Britain has
promised that Pakistan shall be
respected, under its new gover
nor, Mohamed Ali Jinnah. The
British army is to be out of India
by the end of the year, leaving
only a force of officers for the
training of the new Indian army.
Also, Indian leaders have agreed
to guarantee the present status
of all European civil servants in
India.
Every one has agreed that the
two new governors Shall be
granted unprecedentedly wide
powers in order to allow them
every chance to get their new
governments functioning effi
ciently as quickly as possible,
while all have agreed to abide
by arbitration of any disputes
arising out of necessary division
of public assets.
With the :British\ Parliament
Ladies of the Carthage Switehboard
Here you see Miss Clara Whitlock, night operator, and Miss Bess McLeod, chief operator, plugging
away at their work at Ca’rthage telephone office, while standing are the two day operators. Miss Clarine
Glisson, lefi;, and Miss Mary Ellen Frye, right. (Photo by Robert Caviness)
- ; J
Miss Bess And Her Girls Are Nieest
Part pf Carthage Telephone System
VOCATIONAL TRAINING
Very good news indeed is the
word that next year may see vo
cational training being taught in
Southern Pines.
Proud as we have been of our
school, the lack of home econo
mics for the girls and of shop
work for the boys has been keen
ly felt by most people here. Our
yougsters have been handicapped
thus since the school was built
and grew so quickly way beyond
the capacity of the building.
We have seen the schools
around us get their buildings and
their teachers, and get, also, the
cafeteria we need so badly. It
has been a puzzle to understand
why we were held back. Now,
gratefully, we look forward to
this coming change which will
mean so much to our students,
and hope that before too long a
time the cafeteria will also take
its place in our school set-up.
The hope is, also, that the pres
ent auditorium will be rebuilt
more adequately to fulfill this
function, and that a new gym
will be constructed. But that may
be still a way ahead. Meantime,
we can congratulate ourselves
that' we are on the road to having
a well-equipped school.
And while we are talking of
school matters, perhaps it would
be in order to offer a quiet word
of thanks to that kind Providence
who watched over our children
and our people and held that au
ditorium ceiling up until a time
when there was no one in the
room. Anyone who saw the
debris from the fallen ceiling last
week must have shuddered to
think of the result had it cchne
down when the room was full.
In the midst of-the plentiful
troubles that are on our nuqds,
these days, that is something to
think about with heartfelt grati
tude. : '
I LIKE THE MOORE
COUNTY HOSPITAL
An Open Letter to The Pilot, by
Rev. Thompson E.' Davis, Th. D.
I have long been aware that
some sort ofTiattle is being wag
ed among the physicians of Moore
County. I do not know
anything of the merits of this
case; no physician or- nurse has
ever discussed it with me. I sup
pose that they would consider
it unethical to do so. I am per
sonally'acquainted with the staff
of the hospital, with several other
physicians who use the hospital,
and with some of those physi
cians who are said to oppose the
hospital ,in some way. . Without
exception, I like them all. This
article is not in any sense a criti
cism of ANYBODY.
This article is written in a spirit
of unreserved praise for the Hos
pital.
During my forty-four months
that I have been living in Sou
thern Pines, I have come to have
a personal knowledge of a num
ber of laymen connected with the
Hospital in official capacity, such
as Mrs. James Boyd, Mr. W. D.
Sabiston, and others. They seem
to me to be doing an excellent
job for the hospital, and for the
community at large.
I have also been acquainted
with the “hospital doctors;” and
a nicer medical group I have
never known. In a conversation
with Dr. Wilson, Chief of Sur
geons of the Toronto General
Hospital, this important member
of the staff of a world-renowned
City-and - University hospital
spoke of Drs. Monroe ahd Hollis
ter in the highest terms I have
ever heard one professional man
use of other rnen of his profes
sion. I have never heard any min-
-UB JO Heads jadsog aqj jo jajsi
other in higher terms than Dr.
Wilson used regarding these, our
own doctors. I have personally
witnessed, many times over, the
unremitting and unceasing labors
of Drs. Monroe and Pishko dur
ing the trying days of the recent
War, and I know that there were
times when these faithful men
worked twenty-four hours at a
stretch, relieving the sufferings of
humanity—our own Moore Coun
ty humanity. In the contacts
which I have had with them,
these men and their colleague,
Dr. LidCj have made an impres
sion of gentlemanliness on me
which has seldom been equalled
and never exceeded.
During my forty-four months
here, I have visited throughout
the hospital on an average of two
or three times a week^I think I
have known personally more
than a hundred nurses—^register
ed, student, black and whiljg.
Only one of them ever incurred
my displeasure, through the dis
courtesy which she habitually
showed me. Other nurses told me
she was an excellent nurse, but
she did not stay at Moore Coun
ty long. Every other .nurse I have
known there has shown me every
courtesy in the exercise of my
ministerial work among the pa
tients desiring religious consola
tion, by cooperating most fully
with me. I have nothing but
praise for the nurses I have
known at our hospital.
Particularly do I admire the
ejsprit de corps maintained by
Miss Ellen Bruton, hospital su-
By Valerie Nicholson
If the people of Carthage get
their wish, recently expressed
through their town board to the
Central Carolina Carolina Tele
phone company, for a new and
modern telephone servicd, they’ll
kick like anything if there isn’t
at least one carryover from the
old service to the new.
It isn’t the old switchboards
with their antiquated metal
“drops” instead of lights, making
it hart? for an operator to know
wheh a call is coming through,
or when it’s ended; it isn’t the
peculiar connections which bring
the sparks of electric storms
right into the listener’s ear; it
isn’t the old “twist-tail” tele
phone, of which there are still
too many, tjjough recent instal
lations Rave Wen .of a hewer
type.
These are the things they’re
protesting against, among others.
But there’s one thing they’d
like to keep, and that’s Miss Bess
McLeod, chief operator, whose
sweet friendly voice, obliging
ways and quiet efficiency despite
handicaps have been familiar to
Carthaginians for something like
30 years. '
Knows Their Voices
During this time Miss Bess has
come to know almost every tele
phone user’s voice. She knows
when they’re apt to be calling,
and she knows where they’re
likely to be at a given timie of
day. This gives practically every
call the' character of a “person-to-
person” call over long distance,
for Miss Bess, will get your party
for you if he’s in town.
An^ so, from a wife, comes—
perintendent of nurses. I have
never known anyone Capable of
inspiring a higher type of the
spirit of service among a group
of people than Miss Bruton has
inspired and maintained among
the nursing staff of WCoore Coun
ty Hospital. I have often wonder
ed what her system of selection
must be, that she uniformly has
such a high type of personnel
serving there. The colored ward
which is her special icreation and
constant care, does honor to our,
entire community.
I have also kno'wn the office
force there ,the ^laboratory staff,
even the colored maids a'nd or
derlies—all to my permanent
pleasure. Never have I dealt with
a more pleasant, considerate,
helpful group, permeated
throughout with the spirft of effi
cient service.
How many hundreds of pa
tients I have seen and talked
with, I have no way of knowing.
Less than a dozen have ever crit
icised the Hospital in any. way to
me. Most of these few complaints
seemed to be merely the queru
lous discomfort of sick people,
unfamiliar with hospital routine,
longing to be back home among
familiar'surroundings. But many,
many of the sick people I have
seen there have praised our* Hos
pital in glowing terms.
I have visited in other hospi
tals, some smaller, some larger.
But of them all, Mpore Qounty
Hospital is my favorite. If I were
in need of the type of hospitali
zation which this institution sup
plies, I would rather go there
than to any other place that I
know of— I LIKE THE MOORE
COUNTY HOSPITAL.
“Miss Bess, do you know where
Bob is? He’s not over at the
store, and I want to get him right
away.” Miss Bess remembers Bob
called the wholesaler’s a little
while ago. She tries over there
and sure enough, there he is. Or
your friend will tell you “Call
me about six o’clock. If I’m not
at the office. Miss Bess will find
me-^just tell her you want to
speak to me.” Or, from the court
house, “Miss Bess, can you find
the sheriff? He went down street,
and we want him right away.”
Miss Bses has just seen him go
by; she rings the service station,
on the corner, and sure enough,
they stop him in time.
It’s Miss Bess who gats the
doctor for the panicky mother
whose baby has just fallen off the
bed, and who wouldn’t be able to
remember, the number if she
could get her wits together to
look it up; and it is also Miss
Bess who, through an additional
responsibility in her office,
sounds the alarm when the' cry of
“Fire I” comes over the •wire.
While the siren is drawing the’
volunteer firemen to the rescue.
Miss Bess is coolly informing the
chief where’lMie’ll find the fire.
And it’s also Miss Bess, who,
then, as practically every metal
“dropT clicks wjth excitement,
occasionalljl’ plugs in all the
neighbors to tell them, “Mrs.
Davis’ kerosene stove blazed up.
It’s not bad—they’ll have- it out
in no time. But you might go
over after a while ’to see if the
Davises need anything.”
j . Doctor's Daughter
It was during World War I
that Miss Bess, daughter of the
late 'respected Dr. Gilbert Me
Leod, Went across the street
from the. combined home and of
fice where her father was, exam
ining draftees, and got a job as
one of the two operators who
were all that were needed in the
Carthage office of those days.
For some years Miss Bess by
day, and Miss Josephine Boyd by
ni^t did all the “Number-
Please”-ing for the town of Car
thage. There was only one switch-
board then, and less than 100
phones. These weren’t greatly
used; it took anothet world war
to get Carthage really into the
telephone habit.
Claude Leavitt owned the tel
ephone company, and George
Wells was manager. In 1929 Leav
itt sold out to the Central Caro
lina company, which was spread
ing over most of the town of this
section. The two operators stayed
right on, as the service grew.
Aft^r a few years Miss Boyd
married B. F. Whitlock, and her
sister-in-law. Miss Clara Whit
lock, came to take her place. She’s
still right there, as night opera
tor.
In 1935 the Central Carolina
decided to tryfthe “contract sys
tem,” letting out the service as
a whole, and Miss Bess took on
the .contract, running the office
for a set sum, out of which sHe
paid all its expenses. -This added
managerial and financial respon
sibilities to her other duties, and
it was with a sigh of relief that
she and the service got back on
the old salaried Basis after a
couple of years.
In McLeod Home
However, during that time the
switchboard was moved to the
(Continued from Page 2)
REO TRUCKS
AMERICA'S TOUGHEST
DISTRIBUTED
In
Hoke, Scotland, Moore
Harnett & Cumberland
Counties
N By '
REO TRUCK CO*, INC.
106 Broadfoot Ave. Fayetieville. N. C.
Phone 4491 P. O. Box 568
Southern Pines
RESTAURANT
OPENING HOURS CLOSING HOURS
VHjUGE inn
piNE AND DANCE
5:30 to 8:30 P. M. Dinner Hour ^
CLOSED MONDAYS
"HOLLIDAY’S COFFEE SHOP
Palatable, Appetizing Meals
' 7 A. M. to 11 P. M.
OPEN EVERY DAY
POPE’S RESTAURANT
Open From 6 A. M. to 11 P. M.
U, S. No. 1, Between Southern Pines and Aberdeen
ROYALTON PIINES LUNCH
"Re^l Home Cooking"
Breakfast 7 to 11. Lunch 12 to 3
Dinner 5:30 to 8
Mrs. W. W. OLIVE
In Carthage It’s The
New. •. Remodeled
Puritan Cafe
Our New Clean Kitchen
Is In Full View
For Your Inspection
Treat Yourself To Our Meals
Open Sundays For Dinner
• '
PURITAN CAPi
CARTHAGE. N. C.
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THE JEFFERSON INN
West New Hampshire Avenue
OPEN ALL SUMMER '
Thirty two rooms, all with running water. Twenty with bath.
W. W. SHERMAN, Owner J. B. GIFFORD. Manager