Newspapers / The Pilot (Southern Pines, … / Sept. 11, 1958, edition 1 / Page 2
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Page TWO TO ■LOT North Carolina Southern Pines “In taking over The Pilot no changes are contemplated. We Will 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 wi treat everybody alike.”—James Boyd, May 23, 1941. ' On Right Road With Language Studies students in European nations and Russia nor- It is gratifying to hear that Southern Pines elementary school students will receive pre liminary training in or familiarization with foreign languages this year. Students, it is announced, “will be exposed to expressions' of foreign tongues in several ways.” These will include recordings, simple translations on the blackboard, visits to the school by local people who speak foreign lan guages, and other methods. All this strikes us as most praiseworthy. We think that the presence in classrooms of per sons who speak foreign languages will be a wonderful aid to appreciation and stimulus of interest on the part of the students. We urge persons who feel they are qualified to assist in this program to make themselves known to the school. This is a clear-cut opportunity for citizens to make a voluntary personal con tribution to the betterment of our education al system. It is another illustration of a point we have often made on this page; citizen in terest is the chief key to improving the schools. Here is a direct chance to help. In the “Topics” column of the New York Times last Sunday, the importance of lan guage studies for Americans is stressed. Less than 15 per cent of American high school students are enrolled in modern language courses of any kind, it is pointed out, while mally begin foreign language studies in ele mentary school. Many thousands of Russian students are learning English each year, but only about a dozen American schools offer courses in Russian. According to-a study by the United States Office of Education, the ability of Americans in foreign languages, even after two years of study in high school, is very slight. Of all the major powers, the United States is, says the Times, “linguistically the m.ost ill-equipped.” The Times sums up the indictment like this; ■‘To address a man in his own language, however imperfectly, is to flatter him with the implication that you are interested enough in him to make an effort at direct understanding. If the best road to understand ing involves the ability to communicate—-both on the diplomatic and personal levels—then far too many Americans are forced to stumble along in darkness, blindfolded by lack of knowledge and indifference to the vital tool of language.” The new program in the Southern Pines schools is a step toward removing that blind fold. We wish the program full success and hope that it forecasts new interest in and em phasis on languages in all American schools. For Direct School Board Elections The method of naming county school board members over the State is, like the weather, something that everybody has been talking about but nobody has done anything about— nobody, that.is, until State Rep. George Watts Hill, Jr., of Durham recently announced that he will introduce in the 1959 General Assem bly legislation that would provide for direct election of school board members in his coun ty. Mr. Hill, who might expect brickbats for tampering with the long-standing system whereby every county in the State gets a Democratic school board, is being acclaimed by newspapers and other observers for his good sense. But why not, asks the Greensboro Daily News, make the new law state-wide? Why not indeed? If the proposal makes sense in Durham, is it any less valid in Moore? Under the present state-wide plan, county school board members are nominated in pri mary voting (normally referred to, however, as their “election”) and the names of Demo cratic or Republican nominees are sent to the following year’s General Assembly for con firmation. There, the Democratic slates are always confirmed because of the overwhelm ingly Democratic membership of the legisla ture. This is the system that Rep. Hill wants to change—not, we are sure, in the interests of the Republican party, because he is personal ly not of that political persuasion, but in the name of common sense, justice and small-d democracy. We think it would be to the vast advantage of North Carolina if county school board elec tions were on a non-partisan basis thrpughout the state, just as are most municipal elections. While the Pilot is a big-D Democratic news paper, we consider it no violation of party loyalty to speculate that there might be Re publicans in any or all of the State’s coun ties who are capable of rendering exceptional service to the schools but who are now total ly and eternally blocked from such service. Most municipal elections in North Carolina are non-partisan—and we think North Car olina’s towns are better off that this is so. The. schools, it seems to us, are even more deserv ing than our municipalities of non-partisan direction. And we suspect that an electorate wedded to this conception of school adminis tration would soon eliminate at the polls offi cials who attempted to use their school board positions for partisan influence or advantage. We hope that the people of North Carolina will talk up Rep. Hill’s proposal \n their own , counties and pressure their representatives to make his proposal state-wide law in 1959. What About That ‘Valley of HumUity’? •• > r.i- v\l of ri To what extent does Hugh Haynie’s cartoon on this page today represent a depiction of reality? Perhaps it is not meant to represent an existing situation but rather a goal, an ideal for the State to aim at. ' It is a fact that North Carolina has open schools, though in only a handful of them has there begun a token racial integration. But how many Tar Heels have open minds— taking “open minds” to mean a realization that there must be a working compromise be tween the volcanic extremes of mass integra tion and segregation, as pictured in the Hay- nie drawing. And the compromise, under this viewpoint, will eventually have to include a measure of good faith compliance with the Supreme Court’s school segregation direc tives. What do Tar Heels think? In his “People and Issues” newspaper column. Cliff Blue, Moore County’s representative ii\M;he General Assembly, says that “a good many people who gather at filling stations and talk” feel that Governor Hodges has “softened” on segrega tion. Then the shocker; “They point to Gov ernor Faubus as a courageous leader. And to more people than you might think, Faubus is a real hero here in North Carolina.” Mr. Blue notes that the “people who gather at filling stations” admired Governor Hodges for his “rousing campaign for the Pearsall seg regation proposals”—a statement that recalls our attitude toward the Pearsall proposals while they were being debated throughout the State two years ago, just before they were overwhelmingly approved by the people in a referendum. In opposing the Pearsall Plan at that time, we felt that the J’lan, with its provisions for closing public schools and opening private schools simply served to delude the people, holding forth the hope that somehow segrega tion of the races in schools would be indefin itely preserved. / This delusion seems to have been retained in the thinking of Mr. Blue’s “people who gather at filling stations.” Their thinking to day, reinforced by the defiance of Governor Faubus, lends weight to our contention of two years ago: that the people of North Carolina would have been better off to face the inex- THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 1958 Valley Of Humility r \ 'YOU KNOW IT INSTINCTIVELY' September: Fall Is On The Way H. W. Kendall, editor of the Greensboro Daily News, recently pointed out North Carolina’s signs and portents that Fall is on the way-«in- cidentally mentioning the Sandhills and Southern Pines. It’s a mood felt by many of us: “It’s in your bones; you know it instinc tively,” wrote Mr. Kendall. Here is what he had to say: All along North Carolina’s countryside, if one will only get off the superhighways and drive leisurely along secondary roads to note Nature’s osmosis, there are signs and portents that Fall is just ahead. The lush growth of field and forest has gone. Leaves have lost their sheen and pristine green ery. Now they are seared, tired looking, weary from the Sum mer’s sun and ready lor a final splurge of glory that sends them into funereal Winter. Weeds and flowers alike have off from the road, in the thick woods, there must be a heavily laden muscadine vine, the kind you used to climb as a youngster, eat your fill of its fruit—bullaces they call ’em down in Eastern North Carolina—and then swing out daringly over ravine or prec ipice on whose edge the tree around which the great vine orable question of compliance at once. Delay, as with a tooth that needs to- be pulled, only makes the eventual crisis more difficult and painful. Before adoption of the Pearsall amend ments, Irving Carlyle, prominent Winston- Salem attorney, advanced alternative pro posals that faced the question of compliance head on and provided for gradual good faith progress toward that end. He said at that time that there may be in North Carolina more people of good will than we know, or words to that effect—more people than our politiiOal leaders estimated who would be willing then to tackle the problem head-on in frank and open cooperation with Negro leaders, for the preservation of the schools and the well-being of all concerned. Does North Carolina, then, really walk in a valley of humility? How open are minds to which Governor Faubus is a hero? And what proportion of our population feels that he is such? What are the secrets revealed in the volume that the old gentleman in the cartoon is carry ing: “How To Keep Open Minds and Open Schools”? Whatever else may be written therein, we are confident that neither minds nor schools will be kept open while we think only in terms of defiance and resistance on the school segre gation question. Three Observations Adlai Stevenson’s three general observa tions, on his recent return from Russia: 1. “The people of the Soviet Union, like those of America, genuinely desire peace and friendship.” 2. “I regret to say I found a depressing lack of knowledge and understanding of the United States, our way of life and om pur pose.” 3. “I have been struck by the scope and en ergy of the industrialization everywhere in the eastern areas of the Soviet Union and the drive to bring millions of acres of new land into production.” gone to seed. The pinks, blues and other delicate, warm colors of Summer have been supplant ed by the final yellows of a fading season. And have you ever noticed how dull, spent and burnished Fall yellows are in contrast to the resurgent yellows of the jonquils, buttercups, for- sythia and the first breath of spring? It’s the difference be tween sunrise and sunset. The fields are mostly dun and fallow. In cotton country the stalks have gone largely to boll. Corn stands like endless batta lions of scare-crows, waiting to have their arms and legs pluck ed for fodder or for silage. In fields once green with waving tobacco only the stripped, spiked \ wound itself had to grow. Even persimmons are in the making, as hard green balls which weeks from now will be given their finishing, flavorful touch by the Fall's first frost. Then Burke Davis' and Pete Ivey will drag out their pudding pun- ditry. Yep, Fall’s a-coming, and none knows it better than the birds. For them the molting season is all but over. For the past few weeks they have been quiet and relatively unseen. But a feather picked up here and there and a glimpse of catbird, wood thrush, robin or thrasher in thick shrub bery or beneath the foliage at tested to what was going on; theirs was the trying, strength taking experience of refurbish ing for the seasonal trip south or, among those birds which stay with us the year around, donning of a new, thick, warm coat for the colder months ahead. These last few days I believe I’ve seen more birds in my' neighborhood than any time this past Spring and Summer. They’ve come out from their hiding places fresh and clean, their new coats shining. They gather in knots, chattering away as if discussing where each is going for the 'Win ter, which to faraway Central and South America, which to Florida and which to warmer spots much nearer home. The robins and brown thrashers, for instance, may stay as close as the Sandhills or North Carolina's thermal belt over in the Tryon area. You can see robins hopping around Pinehurst and Southern Pines all the Winter. Their chat tering now may have to do with decision as to where they’ll gather, literally by the thous ands, in thick woodland roost, foraging over wide areas during the day but coming in by clouds for the togetherness and warmth of a protected nocturnal resting place. 1 It’s moving day for the birds; and one by one they’ll take off until finally around your bird bath and feeding station will re main only the all-timers—the mockingbird, the seasonally faded cardinal, the trim towhee, the raucous blue jay, the unrecog nizably drab goldfinch, the acro batic tufted titmouse or chicadee, the eternally cheerful wren, the nuthatch weaving his way down a tree trunk, the woodpecker or flicker weaving his way up or steadily drumming away at hid den food in decayed limb or bough, and finally the juncos which come down from the moun tains to the low lands for the kind of weather which only Winter Graips of Sand Still Reeling That staggering mid-street policeman who, with ever- smiling countenance, directs traffic at the comer of Connect icut Ave. and Ashe St. is still reeling. Think it’s been about a year and a half ■ since we first pointed out to his superiors that he’s apparently in no shape to be on duty in the street. Despite a few dents in his ex terior, the policeman (we’re told it’s not nice to use “cop” any more: it’s one of that /growing list of words which are taboo be cause they might hurt some body’s feelings) is perfectly dress/ ed, as always, though perhaps the blue of his uniform has been faded a bit by the sun and rain. A soft drink advertisement still adorns hisi back, though judging from his stance it might more appropriately be for a stronger beverage. In a way we’d hate to see the leaning officer straightened up again: he’s been so happy in his present pose for so long. As with a town drunk, there is a certain familiar charm in his perpetual grin. It can’t be too bad a world, one is led to conjecture, if this man who can’t even stand up straight—finds it continually amusing. Do you suppose he really might stop smiling, if somebody straightened him up? How's Tl^al, Miss? The new Miss America, Mary Ann Mobley of Mississippi, must have caused many a groan and shudder across the nation because of her post-contest interview •!,\ ith the press. How young women must have groaned and young men shudder ed ill reading that Miss America has one special boy friend, among several others, but says she hasn’t been able to “trap” the special one into marriage yet. For that matter, how unnerved that fortunate yoUng man himself must have felt on reading this . . . provided he knows that he’s the special one and not just one of the others. If he’s picked as the trapping victim, of course, maybe he doesn’t know. What shook us most about Miss America’s statement was the ease and matter-of-factness with which she used that word “trap.” Is that the way all unmarried young women look at the matter? Would any of them, caught off guard, speak naturally of “trap ping'’ a man? There’s this much to say about Miss Mobley’s hunting expedi tion; however she may plan the kill, she’s not lacking in bait for the trap. But what a word for a gracious young lady to use—“trap.” You see how it is, fellows. Run, run, run while youVe got a chance. 'Daffynitions' Boy’s Life, a magazine which we peruse nostalgically now and then when the world seems too much with us, has added a few gems to our list of unconvention al definitions, such as those Of the California first graders we pub lished a few weeks ago. Boy’s Life calls them' “daffy nitions” and they are sent in by readers of the magazine: Psychiatrist—A man who doesn’t have to worry—as long as other people do. Tennis racket—A bunch of holes strung together. Hatchet—What a hen does to an egg. Soap opera—Corn on the sob. can offer “snow birds.” September’s here. It’s in your bones; you know it instinctively. Overnight the kids in the park shift from baseball to football; and spiders, deceptively beauti ful, swiftly weave their entrap ping webs in all sorts of surpris ing places. It won’t be long until one night as you put up the car you’ll note your breath congealing in the crisp air. Party Report Latest Southern Pines ‘small fry utterance is from the pre school boy who went to another boy’s birthday party and gave this report when asked what he’d done there: , “I gave him a shirt and hit him on the head.” That’s what we’d call a factual and concise report. The PILOT ALAS FOR THE SUMMER! stalks are left, looking for all the world like tank traps in endless disarray. It’s the in-between season. Winter grains have not yet been put in; and the stubbly, brown landscape is an unbroken monot ony. Fortunate are those who have grape arbors, as the insurpas- sable scuppernongs begin to bronze and the James grapes turn a tantalizing purple. Back “Monday, August 22 (1842) . . . Alas for the summer; The grass is still verdant on the hills and in the valleys; the foliage of the trees is as dense as ever, and as green; the flowers are abundant along the margin of the river, and in the hedge-rows and deep among the woods; the days, too, are as fervid as they were a month ago; and yet in every breath of wind and in every beam of. sunshine there is an autumnal influence. “I know not how to describe it. Methinks there is a sort of cool ness amid all the heat, and a mild ness in the brightest of the sun shine. A breeze cannot stir with out thrilling me with the breath of autumn, and I behold its pen sive glory n the far, golden gleams among the long shadows of the trees. The flowers, even the brightest of them—the golden-rod and the gorgeous cardinals—the most glorious flowers of the year, have this gentle sadness amid their pomp. Pensive autumn is expressed in the glow of every one of them. “I have felt this influence ear lier in some years than in others. Sometimes autumn may be per ceived even in the early days of July. There is no other feeling like that caused by this faint, doubtful, yet real perception, or rather prophecy, of the year’s de cay, so deliciously sweet and sad at the same time ...” —NATHANIEL HA'WTHORNE in “The American Notebooks” Published Every Thursday by THE PILOT, Incorporated Southern Pines. North Carolina 1941—JAMES BOYD—1944 Katharine Boyd Editor C, Benedict Associate Editor ■Vance Derby News Editor Dan S. Ray Gen. Mgr. C. G. Council Advertising Mary Scott Newton Business Bessie Cameron Smith Society Composing Room Lochamy McLean, Dixie B. Ray, Michael Valen, Jasper Swearingen Thomas Mattocks. Subscription Rales: One Tear $4. 6 mos. $2: 3 mos. $1 Entered at the Postoffice at South ern Pines, N. C., as second class mail matter Member National Editorial Assn, and N. C. Press Assn.
The Pilot (Southern Pines, N.C.)
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Sept. 11, 1958, edition 1
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