Newspapers / The Pilot (Southern Pines, … / Feb. 18, 1960, edition 1 / Page 2
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Page TWO THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18,1960 ILOT ‘‘Hurry, Friend, There’s Not A Minute To Lose!” Southern Pines North Carolina “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 ((U 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. Hold the Line The news that the Planning Board has rec ommended opening the land adjacent to the new bypass for business comes as a surprise and a disappointment. While only certain types of business are involved and the proper ty designated includes only a minor section along the new highway, still, if this ruling goes through, this will be the opening wedge. It would be most unlikely that further en croachments on the bypass property could be avoided. Once the barriers are down, there will be little possibility of holding the line. When the bypass was first proposed, a good many people were opposed to it. Not, that is, to the idea of a bypass but to the location chosen. Many felt it was a great mistake to cut Southern Pines in two by a major high way. One of'the statements used to reassure this group of doubters was the claim that this bypass would create a beautiful parklike stretch of road, greatly enhancing that part of town and be a delight to motorists which would tend to make them remember with pleasure this section and, hopefully, come back to visit. Since the bypass has been com pleted, many who doubted have admitted that it is indeed a very lovely stretch of road and an asset to the town. This being the case, we {relieve the people of Southern Pines should think well and long before agreeing to a change. To any change. Firm Action from the Council The Town Council is to be congratulated in the forthright manner in which they have heeded the pleas of residents of Indiana and Connecticut Avenues to eliminate truck traffic on these two streets. The decree that went out last week, that heavy trucks would be “banned” from these streets, must be wel come news indeed to those who live and trav el daily along them. That heed to citizen protest was not the only, or perhaps the main, reason for this firm stand on the part of the Council goes without saying. I^e main reason was based certainly on care for the public’s safety. The sight of big trucks hurtling along these residential streets, even having to back around the intersection of Indi ana and May, was enough to send shivers down the back of the observer. If it happened to be around school-time the shivers grew into a positive chill. No matter how alert the traffic The Best Came Out As always when weather extremes or natur al disasters strike a community, the best in people came out during the destructive sleet and ice storm that hit the Sandhills over the weekend. The devotion to work and duty shown by crews of public utility companies, to restore electric power and telephone service, is a quality that is equalled in few other trades or professions. The Carolina Power and Light Company and the United Telephone Company people, and the men who work on contract with those firms, deserve the highest praise, at all levels of the organizations. Likewise the Town crews who began work immediately to clear streets and pick up de bris—and who are faced with the long task of gradually hauling away mountains of trash from almost every yard in town—responded wonderfully and faced their extra work in an admirable spirit of service. In private life, neighbor helped neighbor. People with light and heat Saturday night took in friends and neighbors who were with out. Owners of property on which the dam age was exceptionally heavy received the commiseration of friends and neighbors. People whose own property was relatively unhurt were sorry to see so many of South ern Pines’s beautiful trees and shrubs bent and broken by their qoating of ice. Our faith in this community as a town that cares about what happens to it and the people in it has been strengthened. Navy Band Concert The Jaycees are performing a fine service for this area in bringing the U. S. Navy Band to Southern Pines on March 20. It is seldom that a town of this size is able to attract a musical organization of this stat- une, because of the high expense involved. The Jaycees have their fingers crossed but hope not only to make expenses, but to net a considerable sum to apply on their civic pro jects, chief of which is the purchase of modern playground equipment for the town park. We urge therefore that the public support this civic benefit appearance of the Navy Band. There will be a concert for school chil dren in the afternoon (the day will be Sun day) and another concert at night. Tickets are now on sale at Larry’s Men’s Shop. The Jaycees’ plan to. add to the limited recreation equipment on the park block was an inspiration. The constant use of the first piece of new equipment installed there ^ows that children take to them eagerly. I t I n VV i u LWU u u n LW* 1.*- It must be realized that to open the roadside to any kind of business is, in the end, to open it to all kinds. Even the sort of business that is proposed can include ugliness: signs, ugly buildings, the garish effects that have made much of the rest of Route 1 an eyesore. It has been pointed out that the land desig nated by the Planning Board for change to the Business Zone III status is, most of it, under one ownership. This, it is said, is a great advantage in that it will be under the control of an owner of taste and standing, who will consider the need for attractiveness as well as the commercial angle of whatever establish ments he has in mind, but this argument is, unfortunately, beside the point. It is the ex ceptional property-owner who is aware of such obligations to his community, and even he, no matter how beneficent his intentions, may move away, may sell his properly. Plans can and do change; with the best will in the world, things can go awry, as we have seen' happen in'many and many a case. But the main point is the far-reaching ef fect of such a move. To change Ihe present stat us of any part of the zoning plan now estab lished for the bypass, is the entering wedge which will, in the end, change it from a beau tiful parklike road to just the ordinary, built- up highway. This will be a very great pity. We have something unique and lovely here: let’s keep it. Co. Op bfti —i!Eri CREEKSBOno DAILY KEWS boys, no matter how well-trained most of the children, sooner or later some carefree young ster would have skipped out where he or she should not have been. If no truck was thunder ing along, well and good, but if one was—trag edy would have been unavoidable. This dangerous condition still exists, of course, along May Street and it is a pity that the truck ban does not include May, too. However, it seems likely that keeping trucks off the feeder avenues of Indiana and Con necticut will greatly reduce their presence on May. This traffic situation has existed for some time, but it was considered impossible, be cause of conflicting responsibilities of county and town to do anything about it. 'That the Council finally took the bull by the horns and took decisive action does them credit and, in turn, reflects well for those who elected them. This is a step in the right direction. Recognition Due On the occasion of its “Muster Day” ob servance—which occurs annually for the en tire National Guard throughout the United States on February 22, Washington’s Birthday —^The Pilot salutes the National Guard Com pany which has its headquarters at the armory here. \ Elsewhere in today’s Pilot is the first of two feature articles about the local Guardsmen— what they do, how they are organized and equipped, what their unit means to the com munity financially and as an emergency force available in time of war or disaster. Further evidence of what the Guard can mean to a community is expected to be given here within a few days when the members of the unit will be called out on the “Opera tion Hornets’ Nest” test alert—exactly when it will come even the Guardsmen do not now know. The speed and efficiency shown dur ing the alert will indicate how well the men could assemble and perform: in a genuine emergency. In addition, the public is invited to observe the Guardsmen during their reg ular drill on Sunday, February 21. The young Moore County men who form the Guard company are proud of their unit which has a fine record in National Guard inspections. They know they are doing an im portant job. It appears to us that the intan gible qualities summed up in the word “patri otism” are very much alive and functioning out at the armory. Letters to Editor If The Pilot—by opening its pages to letters or by anything written editorially, has stirred the community conscience—we are grateful. A letter on this page—itself voicing calm, re sponsible opinions bearing on the community conscience — credits The Pilot with accom plishment along that line. As we noted in a recent editorial, we do not especially welcome letters involving religious opinions or controversy, yet we do not think they should be banned. 'We hope that today’s “community conscience” letter will provoke thought and smooth the waters of conflict. The Pilot also takes this opportunity to an nounce a modification on our policy of letters to the editor. In the future, we ask that letters be held to about 300 words.We will cut longer letters to about that length or make other nec essary changes, as all newspapers do. This change, it seems to us, will make for a more readable letter column. It is by no means done to discourage letters. The Public Speaking The Public Conscience Should Be Aroused To the Editor: As one of the Catholic mem bers of this community, I assume the duty of making public apolo gy to the editor of The Pilot for that unsigned postcard which ac cused the editor of “ . . . printing such scandalous lies about our religion. . . ” This public apology is offered with the hope that it will serve to remove the sting of unjust ac cusation and help repair what ever damage may have been done to the general good will existing ' between Catholics and their non- Catholic neighbors in Southern Pines. The editor of The Pilot and a great majority of that paoer’s readers are, of course, too intelli gent to consider that the defama- tory remarks on that postcard represent the general attitude of local Catholics toward the editor and toward the paper, but that knowledge in no small degree les sens the requirement for this apology. The editor of The Pilot must have b9en as outraged at receiv ing that unjustified, abuse as I was when I found out, not very long ago, that the blessed water in the font inside the front door of St. Anthony’s Church had been defiled by some unknown per son, and, upon making inquiry, was advised that it had happened before, on at least two occasions. It is unfortunately true that such acts go a long way toward nulli fying much of the day-to-day ef fort expended bji both Protes tants and Catholics to promote good will and mutual understand ing. That such outrageous acts have taken place in this generally quiet and orderly town indicates the presence of a cancerous growth which none of us, Cath olic or Protestant, can conven iently ignore. The editor of The Pilot per formed a service to the entire community by making public the contents of that unsigned post card. 'The vinification of a con scientious citizen who has earned the respect of the community, and the defiling of on^ of the ad juncts to the practice of the Cath olic faith in a local church, is everybody’s business. The com munity conscience can only be ef fectively aroused by focusing the full glare of publicity upon such infamous acts as have been here described. To choose to remain silent rather than “stir up a mess” can be considered an evasion of civic responsibility and undoubt edly encourages these cancers on the community to commit addi tional similar acts. Those who pursue—whether orally or in the columns of the public press—a campaign of vi cious sniping at a religion with which they are not in sympathy must assume their full share of the responsibility for lending at least moral support to the weak- minded individuals who commit the acts described. It requires but a passing acquaintance with methods of analysis of propagah- da techniques to see through the facade of sweet reasonableness commonly used by one of the more literate local snipers and place him in his proper category. Southern Pines can continue to be a good place to live and raise a family, but only if the commu nity conscience is aroused and its pangs translated into action cal culated to arrest the growth of its cancer. I am pleased that the Pilot’s editor, whose integrity I respect, is equally concerned over these untoward develop ments within the community. RUSSELL A. PETERS 305 N. May St. Southern Pines President Not Concerned With Religious Affairs To the Editor: The editorial (Feb. 4) entitled “No Apology Called For” seems a very reasonable attitude to take, in my opinion. We expect The Pilot to remain fearlessly brave, refraining only from print ing libelous or obscene material received as the Editor so admir ably stated. Referring to the subject matter of the editorial: It could seem in a way ironical to some that a Catholic might lead our nation some day when you look back into history to the very reason for the founding, of America. Was it not for the pur pose of religious freedom that our forefathers sought a new country in which they might worship God in their own way? Do Catholics have any religious freedom? Are they not compelled to make obei sance to the Pope in Rome and do as he commands? This does not look like freedom, but those who wish to follow that faith are free to do so in this America. If we were led for a few years by a Catholic President, I doubt if he would be so presumptuous as to attempt to make the United States a Catholic nation. Presi dent Eisenhower has not tried to make the nation Presbyterian be cause he belongs to that church. No other president has tried to impose the acceptance of his re ligion upon the individuals of our nation, and it would be most ab surd if such were ever attempted. A President’s duties are not concerned particularly with re ligious affairs, except for his own personal uplift and inspiration. He is concerned particularly with affairs of State, Government agencies, committees and bureaus, and the passing of laws to pro tect the general welfare of ALL the people of this nation, to the end that “this nation, under God, shall not perish from this earth.” NAME WITHHELD Southern Pines Any More Old Buildings? To the Editor: ■Visitors to the Sandhills often ask where they might see an au thentic pre-Civil War grist mill, plantation house and outbuild ings. Other than the Shaw and Al ston houses, can you suggest such old buildings still standing in this section? Or perhaps some of your readers would have suggestions? VOIT GILMORE Southern Pines What Happens When Elvis Gets Out? (From Chapel Hill Weekly) Experts on popular music, whoever that august group might comprise, report that rock ‘n’ roll is going the way of the Charles ton, the Big Apple and the Black Bottom. It began fading away early this year and the decline was hurried by the payola racket disclosures, th.9 report continues. Albert Zugsmith, a Hollywood producer of movies for teenagers, said, “The most popular music today is kind of a compromise with ballads. The kids are not as wild about rock ‘n’ roll as they used to be. Teenagers get tired of seeing the same thing over and over again. Their tastes are im proving and rock ‘n’ roll is on the way out.” This is all well and good and we applaud the teen-agers’ re treat toward sanity. But the burning question still remains: What happens when Elvis gets mustered out and grows side burns again? LIBERALISM AND THE STATUS QUO “It has never been the true .tradition of liberalism that its func tion is to defend the status quo; on the contrary, its function has been to reform the status quo in order that laws and institutions may conform to the agricultural and industrial economy by which, since the end of the Middle Ages, men have had to live. If it is said that the liberal reforms recognise the same abuses, as the collectivist reforms, that also is true. Are not the social malad justments obvious? Is not the discontent they provoke warranted? Surely the question is how to cure the maladjustments, not how to suppress or ignore the discontent. It would be a sorry political philosophy which taught that blindness is insight, that indiffer ence is wisdom, and that inertia is a policy.” —WALTER LIPPMANK in Thn G^d Secdaty Published Every Thursday by THE PILOT. Incorporated Southern Pines, North Carolina 1941—JAMES BOYB—1944 Subscription Rates: One Year $4. 6 mos. $2. 3 mos. II Member National Editorial Assn, and N. C. Press Assn. Grains of Sand Ice On the PhoHi& Wires “How did we get along? Oh, it was terrible out our way. Every thing iced, trees down. Why, we were without heat for 24 hours!” “Huh! We were without heat— or lights—for 28 hours. AND couldn’t get out of our drive. And can’t yet!” Duck Quick! “Did you ever see anything so beautiful? Like fairyland, isn’t it?” CRASH! ! ! “Lookout! Here comes anoth- „ , er!” # I Riddle Question: What’s colder than a piece of icicle down your neck? Answer: Nothin’. Definitely Definitions Optimist: The father who is having his children taught Rus sian. Pessimist: The father who is having his children taught Chinese. Smuggling? Not At All The Christian Science Monitor’s William Stringer told a tale last week, at his appearance at the Pinehurst Forum, illustrating a pretty bit of smuggling that had been carried on by an ingenious East German. The man was coming from East Germany into West Germany and his constant appearance at the same hour on a bicycle, carrying the same bag over his shoulder aroused the suspicions of the bor der guard. They stopped him, finally, and had him open the sack and spill its contents out on to the road. It was, as he had claimed, sand. They let the man pass, but when he came again the next day with the same sack over his shoulder, they didn’t dare take a chance and made him again dump the sand out onto the road There was, again, nothing in it: no gold nuggets, no diamonds: nothing but ordinary sand. So they helped him scrape the sand back into the bag and let him go through. The next day he came again, peddling along on his bike, and again they examined the con tents of his sack to no avail: again it was sand. This performance went on and on: several weeks, in fact, till the guards’ patience was exhausted: and still they poured the sand out of the bag and still there was only sand in it. Finally, they could stand it no longer. “We’ve got to put a stop to this,” they said, their patience exhausted and their curiosity aroused to fever pitch. “We’ve got to find out what he’s up to.” So they said to the man: “We know you’re smuggling some thing. If you will tell us what it is, you can go free and no ques tions ask^d. What are you smug gling?” And the man answered: “Bi cycles.” Familiar? According to the London Daily Sketch: “If a man’s after money, he’s money-mad; if he keeps it, he’s a capit^ilist; if he spends it,, he’s a playboy; if he doesn’t get it, he’s a ne’er-do-well; if he doesn’t try to get it, he lacks ambition. If he gets it without working for it, he’s a parasite; and if he ac cumulates it after a lifetime of hard work, people call him a fool who never got anything out of life.” Puzzle Get a pencil and some paper now and have a go at this brain- twister. Take your license num ber (four digits) and double it. Next add 5 and multiply the to- ^ tal by 50. Add your age. Then add 365. Finally subtract 615. You’ll see that the last two numbers are your age and the others your license number. ^ The PILOT Katharine Boyd Editor C. Benedict Associate Editor Dan S. Ray Gen. Mgr. C. G. Council "Advertising Mary Scott Newton Busipess Bessie Cameron Smith Society Composing Room Dixie B. Ray, Michael Valen, Jas per Swearingen, Thomas Mattocks and James C. Morris. Entered at the Postoffice at South ern Pines, N. C., as second cluss mail matter.
The Pilot (Southern Pines, N.C.)
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Feb. 18, 1960, edition 1
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