North Carolina Newspapers

Page TWO THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18. 1956 ILOT Southern Pines North Carolina “In taking over The Pilot no changes are contemplated. We wiU try to keep this a good paper. We will try to make a little money for all concerned. Wherever there seems to be an occasion to use our influence for the public good we will try to do it. And we will treat everybody alike.”—James Boyd, May 23, 1941. Off To A Fine Start Moore County leaders rolled up their sleeves and went to work, this week, to tackle the problem of bringing new industry to this area. At a meeting held here under the auspices of the committee appointed by the mayor to start the good work, there were present the mayors of most of the county towns, as well as the assistant to the head of the State Con servation and Development department. That this meeting should take place is a sign of the unity of the county on this topic; also of a fine spirit of progress. This newspaper is thoroughly in favor of developing the economy of Moore County. We (favor a diversified approach, with the aim of achieving a fully rounded economy for our county-community. There should, we believe, be a three-pronged attack on the problem: (1) develop the county’s na^tural resources through diversified agriculture and forestry; (2) to bring into the county an outside income- producing force such as a stable, high-quality industry; (3) to step up efforts to further de velop the tourist industry of the southern end of the county. To these three prongs we would add one more: schools and colleges. Just because the Presbyterian College passed us by is no reason to give up the idea of bringing an in stitution of learning here. The spade work has already been done, while the advantages this idea offers are as clear, as bright as ever. It is to be earnestly hoped that this “industry” will not be overlooked by the Moore County De velopment Committee. One of the prongs of this approach has started to grow. The progressive farm people in the western part of Moore County are staging a spectacular advance in diversified farming, while only this week a start was made on a large poultry plant in Robbins. This is a good beginning, and the spirit evinc ed at Monday’s meeting to secure industry is another. There remains to be made a start on step ping up the tourist appeal of this section. This “industry” is the cornerstone upon which this town was built. It ranks third in economic value to the state. It has done much for Moore County and there is every reason to believe that it can do much again. Proeress in these four fields would mean a well-rounded econ omy, with the county’s eggs distributed m several baskets. That, surely, should be the goal. Stevenson’s ‘Gospel of Discontent’ In his Yale University speech, Adlai Stev enson summed up the spirit of his campaign for the Presidency when he said: “The central issue of 1956 is that compla cency contains the seeds of decay, not of growth. . . In the few periods when its siren song has been heard most loudly in the land, it has been a prelude to a harsher melody in which the saddest note is one of mourning for what might have been. . . The gospel of dis content is the prophet of progress.” In speech after speech, Stevenson has in voked that “gospel of discontent.” And it ap pears to be making sense to the American people, including a large proportion of those independent voters whose favor is so val uable, perhaps crucial, in this campaign. In President Eisenhower’s talk about “peace of mind,” we hear echoes of Herbert Hoover’s “conditions are fundamentally sound”—those words that rang so hoPowly as the economy of the nation was collapsing some 25 years ago. The Republicans presumably are contented with: the farmers’ loss of income; the squeeze of small business (profits off 50 per cent, credit drying up, failures at a peak); bluff and bluster in foreign policy—remember the talk of “massive retaliation”?; Russian gains in the middle east; the refusal to face up to the school crisis; the all-time high cost of liv ing; the scandalous record of misconduct in GOP offiialdom, both federal and state, the abuse of the taxing power in relieving the rich and forgetting the small-income taxn payers; giveaways or attempted giveaways of power sites and other natural resources; the attempt to hold the minimum wage increase to 90 cents; and complacency about the hy drogen bomb testing hazard for all mankind. All of these are issues about which Adlai Stevenson has expressed his discontent, speaking thereby for a vast segment of the American people. Tribute To Courage “He that loses wealth, loses much, but he that loses courage loses all.” (Cervantes) John Leland, who died last week, had spent more than twenty years of his life, fighting a losing battle against painful and crippling arthritis. Much of that time, he was virtually immobile, stretched flat upon his bed, with eyesight failing; for the last six months he was under oxygen. It might be said that this young man had lost all, but it was not so. For he had not lost his courage. The courage that sustained him through the years, the courageous will to live and play his part in life, contribute his share, this he never lost. It kept him going through the years of suffering, going towards the inexorable fu ture which he faced with steady eyes. , During those years he studied the books which he used as source material for his stories and his novel dealing with the early history of this nation. For a good many years his reading had had to be done with the aid of special glasses; as his sight failed, his wife read aloud to him and he dictated the notes and stories that he could no longer write. Though certainly the author would not have allowed it, it is a pity that this back ground to the writing of John Leland’s book could not have been told on the jacket of the novel which has just been published: “Othneil Jones.” For one of the amazing things in read ing it, is to feel the vitality, the fervor and the joy—there is no other word for it—^which went into the writing. It is about a young man’s adventures, full of action, of keen par ticipation in life, of hope, held with a high heart, for the future. It is a going-forward story, told with a fast pace and a rushing eagerness of words. For such a book to be written by a man who lay flat and stiff and immovable, who could hardly see and, at the last, could hardly breathe: this is a rare feat of the human spirit. But this was a spirit that could look the challenge of his fate in the eye and not be afraid. This nation lost a fine writer in the death of John Leland, but his one good book is there to stand beside the Other good books of America’s literature, while the brightness of his courage and determination will be a challenging inspiration to those who follow. Woodrow Wilson: A New Perspective One of the phenomena of American politi cal life is our faculty to rise to the supreme heights of selfless dedication in times of stress only to plunge into the vaUey of forgetfulness once the danger has passed. The post-World War 1 era presented an example of this paradoxical behavior of the American people and there is no better ex ample in our history than Woodrow Wilson as the prototype of the leader of vision whose counsel was heeded and then seemingly for gotten. In 1919-1920 a curtain of silence and for getfulness shrouded our wartime pledges to support international cooperation against fu ture aggressors. This country tried desperate ly to forget the past. The fighting had ended and the “boys” brought home; the Treaty and the League were annihilated in the political arena; a “peacetime” administration replaced the “war” administration; and the return to “normalcy” was confidently awaited. But of course it was not to be. The old problems that gave rise to World War 1 began to reappear and assume an ever more threatening form. The country became uneasy an^ took tentative steps back towards “Man! Talk About Being Confused- % t f/=ri=z r - BISS 1^- DATA vr \i x'-: y;/- EISENHOWER IGNORES HEALTH HAZARD Bomb Tests Pose Threat To World; Stevenson Asks U. S. Lead Control its original wartime resolutions, only to re treat once more. World War 2 became an ever-growing cloud darkening the horizon that exploded in flames at Pearl Harbor and the myth of “independent isolation” was des troyed forever. This Centennial Year of Woodrow Wilson has resulted in a new perspective on the life of our 28th President and his era. For example, for the first time since Wil son’s death, there was high praise this year for Wilsorrfrom leaders of the political party which opposed him while in office. Members of the Congress on both sidse of the aisle join ed in establishing a Wilson Centennial Cele bration Commission and in naming a new bridge in the nation’s capital for Wilson. Pres ident Eisenhower issued a proclamation call ing upon the Amercian people to join in the Centennial commemoration. In short, the Centennial activities are suc ceeding in presenting to a new and unpreju diced generation, which has come of age since Wilson’s time, a better balanced picture not only of Wilson but also of America—^her suc cesses and her failures, her weaknesses and her strength. All of us can profit from this. (From The New Republic) “Fragments of bomb debris from the Pacific tests are now turning up in the bones of people all over the world,” writes Dr. Ralph Lapp, atomic physicist, in the October issue of the “Bulle tin of Atomic Scientists.” He as serts that the world is 40 times nearer . disastrous atmospheric poisoning than the Atomic Ener gy Commission admits in its latest report to the Congress. Dr. Lapp is not here referring to the genetic effects of radiation on unborn generations, but to the effects of Strontium-90, which can cause bone cancer in persons now living. Strontium-90, or Sr-90 in phys- cist’s shorthand, is one of the most plentiful elements in the fireball of a fission bomb burst. Because of its initial gaseous state, it is carried into the strato sphere as high as 100,000 feet. It then circles the globe 5-10 years, falling out at the rate of 10-20 per cent a year. It is flush ed to earth by rain and snow, de posited on pastures, eaten by dairy cows, passed to people through milk, and comes to rest in human bones. Threshold of Safety Using British data, it is now possible. Dr. Lapp writes, to es tablish the Maximum Permis sible Concentration of Sr-90 for the human race and to figure how many bomb bursts will take us beyond the threshold of safe ty. Bombs totalling 260 megatons (a megaton equals a million tons of TNT) would precipitate this critical stage. So far the Ameri cans and Russians have exploded 40 megatons, or 15 per cent of the limit. And thje testing rate is ris ing, with British tests commenc ing next spring. Air force officers now regard 20 megatons as a “normal bomb” and have discus sed testing a 50 megaton explo sive. Only 13 of the “normal” bombs or five of the largest bombs would push the world to the brink. The above maximum risk is calculated for peacetime, having in mind that children are far more susceptible than adults to bone cancer. But in wartime, when the calculated risks must be higher. Dr. Lapp estimates the government would set a maxi- jxium safety level 50-times higher than in peace, thus accepting the certainty that millions of non- combatants would contract bone cancer. AEG Will Decide These facts cannot be un known to the AEG. But the AEG philosophy is so keyed to contin ued testing that Dr. Gordon Dun ning, health physicist in the AEG headquarters, stated in a recent report to Congress: Since continuation of our nuclear testing program is mandatory to the defense of the country, the problem then becomes one of defining these risks and evaluating them in the light of what is best for the peoples Of the free world. In plain English this means that the AEG will decide what is -best for the human race. Dr. Gioacchini Failla, a top radiation advisor to the AEG, was even more frank when he told “Life” magazine: “The ques tion of how many H-bombs can be safely exploded is irrelevant. To remain free, we must develop powerful nuclear bombs. We must continue the testing pro gram.” We are not told how long we can do so without liberating more radioactive material than the human race can endure. Yet in the face of all this. President Eisenhower declares that continued testing of large- scale nuclear weapons is not a proper subject for debate. He has rebuked Adlai Stevenson for even raising the question, and in his statement in reply complete ly ignores the health hazard in volved in testing. Discussion of the matter, "Eisenhower says, “can lead only to confusion at home,” revealing his ignorance of the part such temporary “confu sion” "customarily plays in the working of the democratic pro cess. The only hope for an early end to this strontium recklessness lies in the sort of bold US leader ship Adlai Stevenson has pro posed: cessation of tests as a first step to putting the malevolent genie back in its bottle. EDITORIAL COMMENT Two Good Towns You can’t keep a good town down. _ i. The spirit with which the towns of Aberdeen and Robbins have accepted the severe blow inherent in the closing of the mills in both towns is a tribute to two fine communiti^. Almost before the news was known, Robbins was opening a large poultry plant, set up to employ, we would imagine, more than the number of those the mill let go; efforts have already been started to find a buyer for the mill’s machinery and start another. In Aberdeen, leaders who knew of the approaching closing, long before it became common knowledge, have been working hard to try to find another source of income for the town and a purchaser for the building as soon as it is vacated. In neither town is there repining. Both show a willingness to call it “water over the dam” and look ahead instead of backward. "Wtih such a spirit there can be little doubt that what these two communities seek, they will surely find: the progressive, reliable type of occupation for their people, the steady employment and the deeper, fuller advantages to be gained by it, which must be the goal of every good community. The Public Speaking Grains of Sand They Call It "Progress" From Vermont, by way of Tish Irwin who spent the summer there, comes a comment on mod ern times and ways. We have heard pretty much the same kind of mournful soliloquy now and then in these parts too. In Vermont it ran something like this: Mrs. Irwin, to lady bringing back the laundry: “You look sort of tired today, Mrs. Bunce.” Mrs. Bunce: “Well’m, I guess maybe I am. Life seems to be such a rush these days.” Mrs. Irwin: “Is it a rush up here, too, in this beautiful peace ful valley?” “Just like everywhere, I guess. These new machines, they’re ev erywhere.” ' “Machines?” queried Tish. Mrs. Bunce nodded. “What they CEill ‘labor saving’,” she explained with care. “They call it ‘progress’.” “But the new machines are sup posed to make life easier,” said Tish. “Supposed to,” said her visitor, darkly, “supposed to ... ” “They save you steps . . . and work,” said Tish. Mrs. Bunce looked at her. “They don’t”, she said. “They don’t?” “No, they don’t,” said Mrs. Bunce. “You just work harder. First you work hard to make money to buy the machines. Then you work so hard, learning how to use them. And then you work hard to keep up the payments. You never stop. Run around; hur ry; keep a-goin’. And all the time they’re goin’, too; rushin’ an’ roarin’ an’ splashin’.” Mrs. Bunce heaved a deep sigh and then gave a sudden start: “There’s one of ’em goin’ back home right this very minute. An’ supposed to turn off.” Her eyes had a hunted look: “Supposed to ... ” she said, and turned and fled out the door. Local Wiinchell? From the Pinehurst Outlook: We don't want to mention any names, but Mr. H. is pretty up set about the Pinehurst house he rented to another Mr. H. No. 1 claims No. 2 converted the sun porch into a bar, took out some paneling, made other interior changes, and cut down two large camelia bush^, all without per mission and without exercising his option to buy. Could lead to the courtroom, we hear. Who's Afraid? Makes you think of that little ditty, doesn’t it? You know: the one that the Big Bad Wolf sang to the piggy hiding inside his house: “I’ll huff and I’ll puff And I’ll Blow—^your—house—down!” Glamor Ads ... We weren’t making our Christ mas list. Not yet. Just browsing through one of the Big Flats. Will now pass on a few items for our readers’ benefit. Who would like to buy a mar- bleized goatskin carafe set? Now ain’t that sumpin? And the two glasses that go with it— (Yes, it’s a jug to hold branch water so when you git up offen yore pallet, night-time, you kin get you a sip or two)—the two glasses that “rest on the mirror ed tray” are “specially selected.” Well, we should hope so! Here's Something Else! A swish New York firm conies out with an object, the precise purpose of which mystifies us. Advertised as the latest addi tion to “the game of politics,” the item is described as a block of Incite, with the silver statuette of a donkey. . . or an elephant, if you insist. . . imbedded in it. Its purpose? For holding down your piles of the Congressional Record, Adlai-n-Ike speeches? We wouldn’t know. Wait a minute: Lucite is un breakable, isn’t it? And a silver statuette would be reasonably hefty. How about a little game of mayhem, come election eve? But why wait till then? Mr. Dooley’s Comments Have Timely Meanings To The Editor: Someone has just issued a new collection of Mr. Dooley’s won derful wisdom. In the New Re public of October 1, 1956, it was reviewed and this week’s issue carries a couple of lettprs com menting on Mr. Esty’s review. I set them down herewith with the best wishes of a New York Dem ocrat: Mr. Esty’s piece, “Mr. Dooley, Now and Forever,” omits Mr. Dooley’s remarkably prescient remarks on the Vice President: “Ivery mornin’ it is his busi ness to call at the White House an’ inquire after the Prisidint’s health. When told that the Prisi- dint was niver betther he gives three cheers, and departs with a heavy heart. . . Some Vice Prisi- dints have been so anxious f’r th’ Prisidint’s safety that theyVe had to be warned off the White House grounds. “It is princip’lly, Hinnissy, be cause of th’ Vice Prisidint that most of our Prisidints have en joyed such rugged health. Th’ Vice Prisidint guards th’ Prisi dint, an’ th’ Prisidint, after sizin’ up the Vice Prisidint, con-cludes that it wud be better f’r th’ coun try if he shud live yet awhile.” And this: Mr. Esty missed Mr. Hennes- sy’s closing question in “Mr. Dooley on Golf.” In this election year of 1956 it should take some kind of prize for unabashed con temporaneity: “Is th’ Prisidint a good goluf player, d’ye know at all?” asked Mr. Hennessy after a moment of judicial silence. “As a goluf player he cud give Lincoln a shtroke a hole,” said Mr. Dooley. V With all respect, GLINTON W. ARESON Southern Pines The PILOT Published Every Thursday by THE PILOT. Incorporated Southern Pines, North Carolina 1941—JAMES BOYD—1944 Katharine Boyd Editor G. Benedict Associate Editor Vance Derby News Editor Dan S. Ray Gen. Mgr. G. G. Gouncil Advertising Mary Scott Newton Business Bessie Gameron Smith Society Composing Room Lochamy McLean, Dixie B. Ray, Michael Valen, Jasper Swearingen Thomas Mattocks. Subscription Rates: One Year $4. 6 mos. $2: 3 mos. $1 Entered at the Postoffice at South ern Pines, N. G., as second class mail matter Member National Editorial Assn, and N. G. Press Assn.