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Page TWO THE PILOT—Southern Pines, North Carolina THURSDAY, APRIL 2, 1964 ILOT 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 all concerned. Wherever there seems to ^ an occasion to use our influence for the public good we will try Ao do it. And we will treat everybody alike.” — James Boyd, May 23, 1941. Sanford: Public Servant Cum Laude With all the talk about politics these days it seems odd that almost nothing at all is said about the future of the state’s leading politician. Governor Sanford, when asked about his plans, had said, casually, that when he gets through being governor he’s going back to get caught up on his law practice: a pleasantly natural idea but hardly either a responsible or tolerable one for one of the best governors North Carolina has ever had. The press let his statement alone: ob viously the governor did have his ideas and, obviously, was imitating the Tar- baby’s wise behaviour in saying nothing. All very well, but he can hardly expect that the folks—and they are many—who have watched with growing admiration and satisfaction, not to say excitement, the mounting list of accomplishments and the ever-widening horizon of Sanford’s aims for the betterment of the people of this state, will be equally reticent. High among those aims, and with al ready several accomplishments to be listed, is the Sanford attack on the pro blem of raising the standards of educa tion in the state. The attack got off to a fine start with the reappointment of Dallas Herring, brilliant chairman of the State Board of Education. One of their first moves was an imaginative one. Following in the footsteps of Thomas Jefferson, whose experimental “Governor’s School” made history, San ford put all his strength into a similar scheme, found the teachers for it, found the top students from all over the state, found the money to run it. The experi ment was a smashing success and the school will go on again this coming sum mer and, one would guess, for many sum mers thereafter. This may perchance be looked upon as a rather select, unimportant achievement but it is, we submit, vividly illustrative of the combination of brains, ability, good sense and iron determination — not to mention willingness to work and work hard — that is the basic structure of Wider Implications in Aid Project A widely printed feature story sent out from St. Andrews Presbyterian Col lege at Laurinburg recently tells how a group of students there are doing volun teer work in their spare time, under taking construction and aid projects for needy persons in the area, in a sort of local Peace Corps-type project. The story begins by telling how the students drilled a well and did other work for “an 82-year-old woman living alone in a crumbling three-room tenant house.” When first visited, the account relates, the house had a porch “which sagged with rotting boards” and was “perched on a set of shaky brick foundations, and tin strips held together the pieces of broken windows. “Inside,” the story goes on, “Liza had stuffed rags between cracks in the frame walls to keep the wind out of the one room where she lived in a maze of bed, boxes, trunks and furniture.” Girl students, it is told, cleaned and rearranged the living room and made curtains. The boys, outside, “nailed up new lumber, laying it cross-wise to the old boards, to keep out the breeze.” In another project, the students built a bathroom for a man who not only had no arms but had a skin disease that re quired medicated baths. In another, they started rebuilding a shack by taking the best wood from another one nearby. And then this note: “The family lives in a third house which has no windows and a floor which is half dirt.” The students, of course, are due the highest praise for their efforts, summed up by one of them: “We simply believe this is a practical way to express our religious faith and tie it in with life both on and off the campus.” But the implications of the incidents ar^ no less than appalling to the reader. Who owned the tenant house that was in such a fantastically dilapidated condi tion and why was an 82i-year-old woman allowed to live there under those cir cumstances? Couldn’t some way have been found to better care for an armless, afflicted man living in a house with no bathroom? Why should any family be forced to live in a house with no windows and half-dirt floor? No Time For Irresponsible Charges The straining for issues in the current gubernatorial campaign reached a point of absurdity in Dan K. Moore’s recent indictment of the State-owned airplane, the “Kitty Hawk,” as an extravagance he would abolish were he nominated and elected. The gist of the matter is summed up in the cartoon on this page. “Economy” must be defined in broader perpective than simply how much money could be “saved” by abolishing something. No doubt horses and wagons would cost the State less to buy and maintain than the himdreds of State-owned automobiles, but nobody would cite that possibility as a source of State economies. The same holds true of air travel which has been routine in both private and government service for 30 years or more. The Proctor-Silex plant here, certainly ‘Granted, It May Not Bring In New Industry — But Think Of The Economy! !” pv •1-'^ leadership. He is a capable man, this governor; he is courageous and hard-hitting. He knows his state, backward as well as forward, and he knows what it needs. The Gover nor’s School is indeed but a small facet in the plans to forward the cause of edu cation. They include the establishment of community colleges, such as the one to be built here in Moore County; schools for adults, the illiterates of whom this state has its shameful number; they in clude a School of the Arts, to cultivate the burgeoning talents of the coming generation. There will be job-training centers and a work-training program. Sanford wants better colleges for our teachers; he has called for the setting up of community committees to study their local problems of school drop-outs, juve nile delinquency, recreation needs for the less-privileged. It is in response to Governor Sanford’s suggestion that Negro youth try to think up more positive projects than street de monstrations that they have started a serious TV program explaining the views of Negro citizens. Just last week the Governor announced the formation of the North Carolina Volunteers, composed of college students chosen to do volunteer work, similar to the Peace Corps and the Quaker work camps, in needy communi ties. Said Sanford: “This project, sup ported by the North Carolina Fund, should greatly accelerate our war on poverty.” Poverty, ignorance, illness, crime: each is a challenge and each interlocks with the others. This governor faces the foe on all counts, acting always with utmost faith in the people and their willingness and ability to help him do the job. The state is lifting itself by its own bootstraps, aided by the steady hand and good brains of a Tarheel born and bred in the tradition of public responsibility. We’d better be thankful we have him and we’d better make sure we keep him working for us in the public service where such a one belongs, after his term as governor ends. fAOO^ O. :/) 'Zs^Wie^cWe SOME QUESTIONS FOR US ALL Does Self-Interest Rule Opinions ? From The Smithfield Herald How much of today’s economic and political conservatism is based on selfishness, pure and simple? How much is based on conscientious consideration of the total community’s welfare? John Kenneth Galbraith, Har vard’s economics professor who wrote “The Affluent Society” and served as U. S. ambassador to India from 1961 to 1963, sees on the American scene an “interest ing cult which call themselves the modern conservatives.” In the current issue of Harper’s, Profes sor Galbraith sets forth this in dictment of the cult; and by people whose children are in private schools. Socialized medicine is condemned by men emerging from ’Walter Reed Hos pital. Social security is viewed with alarm by those who have the comfortable cushion of an inherit ed income.” political judgments. The only pur pose in asking the questions is to stimulate an honest inquiry into the motivation that determines our economic and political views. Freedom Of Is Professor Galbraith’s indict ment too harsh? Most pressing is another question: how many other unfortunate persons are liv ing in similar conditions over the state? If St. Andrews students could range only a few miles from their campus and find such hardships, must there not be many others eleswhere? And no philan thropic students to help? The story from St. Andrews has lifted the curtain on that world of largely im- seen, unrecognized poverty which Gov ernor Sanford so eloquently described in his series of newspaper articles published at the first of the year—a world that is now also a center of national attention and a focus for federal action. The students have made one essential point about poverty: somebody has to care and do something about it. It will take the caring of us all to put across the State and national programs now getting started. “The modern conservative is not even especially modern. He is engaged, on the contrary, in one of man’s oldest, best financed, most applauded, and, on the whole least successful experiences in moral philosophy. That is the search for a superior moral justi fication for selfishness. . . The conspicuous wealthy turn up urg ing the character-building value of privation for the poor. . . Fed eral aid to education is feared by those who live in suburbs that could easily forego this danger, Take an honest look at your own community. Who opposes federal aid to education, medi care, social security, slum clear ance, the “war on poverty?” Are the opponents of these things nsostly well-to-do citizens who have no personal need for such government programs? Or are the opponents mostly conscientious members of church and humani tarian groups who earnestly seek to relate high moral principles to econom.ics and politics? Discussion Essential To ask these questions is not to suggest that all who oppose government welfare programs are self-centered rich people who have little or no concern for the less fortunate members of society. It i.3 not to suggest that the peo ple we call humanitarians are al ways right in their economic and Convinced lhat Ihe 1963 General Assembly's action in banning from University sys tem campuses Communist speakers or persons who have "taken the Fifth Amend ment" is a step in the wrong direction. The Pilot continues to cite expressions! of opposi tion to this new "Gag Law." Following is an excerpt from one of the strongest of such expressions — a statement from the Faculty Council ot the University in Chapel Hill: The Public Speaking Rights Bill Would Mean New Tyranny In Nation one of the major beneficial developments in this area over the past decade, might never have been located in Southern Pines, had it not been for the “Kitty Hawk,” one of the company’s executives stated in an impressive round-up of case histories by the Conservation and De velopment Department, showing the ef fective service that the plane has per formed in bringing new industry to the state. No less than 105 officials of 65 companies have been shown over the state in the plane since it was acquired, the C & D statement pointed out. The Moore charge about the “Kitty Hawk” is so patently absurd that it can likely do little harm. However, we feel that candidates have great responsibility in making charges that result not in public enlightenment but in sowing seeds of doubt and confusion, when the full background is not generally understood. To the Editor: Those who sincerely desire jus tice for all under the law must fumble through an almost impen etrable fog of conflicting reports if they are ever to arrive at the truth about the Civil Rights Act now being considered in the Sen ate. Your editorial two weeks ago, “Civil Rights: A Moral Impera tive,” put a few stumbling blocks of its own in the path to under standing. While admitting on the one hand that the Civil Rights Act will give a wide extension of power to the government and that you deplore such extension of power, you nevertheless be lieve on the other hand that since “in a hundred years, aU approach es to civil rights, except extension of the law, have in some measure failed. . . the moral imperative of the Civil Rights biU must take precedence oyer legal quibbling.” Our Founding Fathers, thank God, recognized the dangers in herent in legislating in response to “moral imperatives” and wise ly provided that powers not spe cifically granted to the Federal Government were reserved to the States or to the people. An Amendment to the Constitution was to be the only way Congress could be granted an “extension of power.” Therefore, Congress has no powers whatsoever to legislate in the “civil rights” field other than those already granted to it by the Constitution, including the twenty-four Amendments. Mindful that every Congress man takes an oath to support and defend the Constitution, I am ap palled that you should describe as “legal quibbling” the patriotic efforts of those Senators who are employing the legal and parlia mentary weapons at their disposal to defeat this dangerous bill! Would it not be extremely repre hensible were they to do other wise? You also stated “what is pro posed in Congress is not a change in the Constitution.” Of course no change in the Constitution is pro posed since this is not the way to amend or change the Constitution. What this bill does is ignore the clear meaning of the provisions of the Constitution and thus it sets a precedent for usurpation of power that could portend the de mise of Constitutional Govern ment. When enough men of good will have awakened to the glorious opportunity that is theirs to work and pray to bring about a truly Christian society, America will have justice with liberty for all. If Congress passes the Civil Rights Act of 1963, they may indeed be able to achieve some kind of jus tice by holding the threat of fines and imprisonment over the heads of Americans, but no one can say that a new tyranny wiU not have been bom. PAT VAN CAMP Southern Pines Mean March What an ornery month is March! Never can tell what it’s going to do. Meant to come in like a lion and go out like a lamb and this year it did just the reverse. It came in so sweet and cozy and it went out more like an ornery mule than anything else, with that final blasting kick. Poor flowering trees and bush es. Poor farmers gazing sadly at their wilted sprouts, coming up so tender green and now nothing but withered stalks. Poor lovely peach trees, poor peach growers. Especially poor peach growers. It makes April Fool’s Day such a mean old joker you can hardly stand it. Eavesdtropping Saleslady in toy store demon strating rabbit puppet to tall dig nified gentleman: “See, he wob bles his head and kind of dances and—.” Customer: “I think that’s a lit tle too old for my child; she’s only six months.” Saleslady: “Oh, of course, she can’t work it; you do it. You put your hand in and wobble the Bunny’s head and you make him dance and all—and you can squeak too! She’d love that!” Customer, backing off hastily: “No, No! Thank you—er—no. I don’t think I could—Thank you!” and he hurries away. Saleslady glancing at eaves dropper: “Too bad. My husband’s an actor. He just loves to dance and squeak and all. I forgot about other men. Too bad, isn’t it?” At Penn Station Brisk little old man dashing up to brisk little old lady with a grin: “Well, there you are!” Little old lady, grinning too: “Well! There YOU are! It’s about time. I was just going to go and have them put me in the Lost and Found.” “. . We do not believe that speakers visiting our campuses have created serious danger to the State or to its youth. The wise and great men who wrote in to our Constitution a guarantee of free speech were fully aware that the privilege can be abused. For tunately, they were also aware that the danger to a free society from abuse of free speech is not nearly as great as the danger at tempting to curtail or suppress free speech. We devoutly believe, with them, that error is far more likely to be enshrined by legis lative fiat than by untrammeled debate in a public forum. “The new statute reflects a fear regarding the strength of our democratic institutions which we do not share. . . Free discussion on the campus, the general tenor of which is always anti-communist, actually points out to students more constructive methods of giv ing meaning to their genuine idealism, which the State and na tion badly need to encourage and preserve. “We fear that the new statute is a step toward destruction of free dom in the name of its preserva tion. We believe that a university campus is a place where any idea should be open to free discussion —whether it be promise of a com munist utopia, a Birchite charge of treason in high places, or the thesis of a governor that salvation lies only in defiance of the fed eral courts. . .” Juxtaposed Last week The Pilot’s front page carried two “dogears,” those small notices of such importance that sit up there at either end of the front page mast-head. On one side was the word THOUGHTS and on the other DOGS. That’s going to get us in a peck of trouble. We can just hear the Cat People turning loose. But why not? What about cats, after all? THOUGHTS refers, in smaller print, most fittingly, to “Spring and the Easter Season —”;think about ’em and read Page 2, it says. DOGS, on the oth er hand, directs thoughts not to Easter but to rabies and getting the capitalized dogs vaccinated “(see Page 7)”, but WHAT ABOUT CATS? There isn’t a word about cats on Page 7 or anywhere else. Why aren’t cats included in this county clinic? Why, when you come down to it, do we have a dog warden but no cat warden? WHY? Echo answers “Why?”, and sug gests it’s just because no power on earth can make a cat do any thing it doesn’t want to do, or catch him if he doesn’t want to be caught. We can just imagine the cat’s retort at the mere sug gestion. “What?”, he’d say, tail in air, “Rabies? Me? What non sense!” Well there actually is, we find, a cat anti-rabies serum, but that terrific cat personality requires a different kind from dogs. And you’d have to give it more fre quently, and—there’s that prob lem of catching them, keeping them, sticking them. Can you just imagine a cat clinic? WOW! Hindparl Foremosl? The Franklin Press’s great edi tor, Weimar Jones, was quoting the old war cry; “Trust in God and keep your powder dry.” Said Weimar: “Today the United States is ob sessed with the second part and has forgotten the first.” THE PILOT Published Every Thursday by THE PILOT, Incorporated Southern Pines, North Carolina 1941—JAMES BOYD—1944 Katharine Boyd Editor C. Benedict Associate Editor Gen. Mgr. Advertising Advertising Business Business Dan S. Ray C. G. Council Bessie C. Smith Mary Scott Newton Gloria Fisher Mary Evelyn de Nissoff Society Composing Room Dixie B. Ray, Michael "Yalen, Thomas Mattocks, J. E. Pate, Sr., Charles Weatherspoon, Clyde Phipps. READING To be well informed, one must read quickly a great number of merely instructive books. To be cultivated, one must read slowly and with a lingering appreciation the comparatively few books that have been written by men who lived, thought and felt with style. —ALDOUS HUXLEY Subscription Rates Moore County One Year $4.00 Outside Moore County One Year $5.00 Second-class Postage paid at Southern Pines, N. C. Member National Editorial Assn, and N. C. Press Assn.
The Pilot (Southern Pines, N.C.)
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April 2, 1964, edition 1
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