PACE FOUit
TIIS FRANKLIN FR.ES3
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 132T
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The Franklin Press
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S. A. HARRIS ...Editor
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I,' THE AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION
THE FRANKLIN PRESS PLATFORM
Extension of the sewer lines.
Beautify the school, grounds.
Two hundred summer cottages.
A sewage disposal plant.
More official activity in the sale of sur
plus power.'
The construction of business blocks.
Plant trees along the State' highways of
the county.
Make a white, way of Main street
' An excellent school library.
Courteous treatment for visitors.
Improvement of county roads connecting
with Stat highways. . . '
A fish ladder at the municipal dam. ' .
Co-operation, vim, push, work-every thing
for the good of Franklin and Macon county.
New court house and jail combined.
How About It?
All aboard for the county fair. . r
" i
' ' Six prisoners are still 'A. W. 0. L.
! Those? who want sand as fertilizer might
save money by hauling it out of the branch.
?' Let the cannery know; about the amount of
produce you "will'' have and when it will be
jready for canning.
J. " . rV , 4' ;' : .
; ' i i ' ' ;
Some of the tax payers are , anxious to learn
something of the financial status of the coun
ty. ' ' .
7
. -. -
Who wants to pan out the gold nuggets
Id be found in a purebred hog farm in Macon
county?'
The local P. T. A. . will soon stage a play
entitled LISTEN, LADY. If this show will
cause a Franklin lady to listen, it will be the
best show that ever came to this town.
' "'
Money spent on the present jail is money
wasted, but is it worth while to build a new
jail if prisoners are to be permitted to saw
the bars without hindrance? The old jail
.will do very well for exercise of this kind.
...,.,.. , ..., , . ;
The autumn colors of yellow, gold and brown
arc making their appearance on every hill and
mountain in the county. Visitors who leave
now will miss the finest season of the year
in Western North Carolina.
For several weeks the job work at the Press
office has been increasing in "volume, necessi
tating the Employment of another printer.
This man is. now at work and hereafter the
Press will be in a position to take-care of,
your wants in the printing line more promptly
than ever before.
. .
Business in Franklin for the past week has
been exceedingly brisk. All merchants report
a great volume of trade and attribute this in
crease in business to visitors who have come
from far and near to attend the sale of
J. S. Porter & company. Many merchants
also claim that the alleged scarcity of money
in Macon county is a myth.
. y . ' ; ,'. J
Franklin must have an adequate water
supply and it is none too early to begin
work. Let us hope that the town board will
not postpone this matter until next spring.
The town has had no fire in three years, but
if a city fire should occur in the business
section now, the citizens could do nothing
except imitate Nero.
North Carolina Highway No. 28 from Hen-
dersonville to Bat Cave, a distance of about
15 miles, has been paved with concrete and
is one of the best mountain roads in the
South. This section of road will be operi
to the public on September 9, and good road
boosters' from both the Carolinas and many
summer visitors from other states will unite
with Hendersonville in celebrating the event.
There will be public speaking, a barbecue and
a motorcade to ' Chimney Rock. Franklin
should be represented at this celebration.
7
About a year ago quite a number of gallons
of whiskey were stolen from Macon, county's
jail. Four weeks , ago during the absence of
both the sheriff and jaifor six prisoners made
their, escape. Monday of this week another
prisoner walked out of the jail. In so far
as the jail is concerned it seems to be high
time, that the proper , officials get on . their
jobs and attend tp their duties. What's the
use of arresting and, feeding prisoners at the
expense of Jthe county if they are to be per-.,
mitted to escape, whenever it suits their con
venience Jo. do. so? Above all, why create ari
"opportunity t for prisoners to escape? . '
' ' " 'f
Since-water for the municipality must be
pumped, -why not: pump it from the river to
Trimont mountain, where it could be filtered
and carried by gravity to the water system
"of the town? This does not imply that the
vater cwould have to be pumped to the top
of ' the mountain. In fact, a filtering system
half way up the mountain would give plenty
of pressure in Franklin. The water from
"Ray Cove would perhaps be of sufficient vol
ume for several years. When more became
a necessity the pump could be placed where
more water is available and . the same filter
ling plant usqd. We understand that the town
board is : now considering the matter of an
adequate water supply. Their promptness is to
be commended.
Living at Home
HERE'S an example of living at home:
An elderly man apparently a farmer
made this remark here a few days ago:
"I don't suppose I've bought, two dollars
worth of meat in my life."
And he added this: ; '
"And I must have sold at least two thousand
dollars worth." ;
And the man who said it probably could
have made,, a similar statement about other
commodities' that can be grown in Macon
county. He probably has never been rich,
in money; .but it's a safe bet that he never
has wanted for any real necessity.
: School Again
SCHOOOlj. days are upon us again, and with
' them comes an end to summer fun, and
a beginning of the winter routine. Which
isn't as bad as it sounds.
Vacations and excursions and forgetting all
about system and routine are well enough
pleasant, invigorating, sometimes even restful.
But the best part of them is that, after a
season, we are more than ready to get back
to routine and hard work. ,
And so it is, one would probably find,
with the youngsters. When the days begin
to grow 'warm ' in the spring, the children'
are generally tired of the school room, and
pine for the freedom of vacation and out-of-doors.
But few there are who, by early Sep
tember, aren't ready to get back to school
again.
After all, work is the main stay of life
in more ways than one.
Who Would Stop Them?
PROPOSALS are being made that govern
ments put a stop to trans-oceanic non
stop flights. Since the gray dawn of history
there have been pioneers in ' every, phase of
human endeavor. This has been; particularly
true as regards methods of transportation.
And during all these thousands of years the
weak-kneed," the sissies, those lacking in good
red blood, have entered protests against the
activities of their more daring . companions.
We are inclined to believe that these protests
are due more to ' envy than to any other
cause. Without the pioneers our present civi
lization would have been impossible or at
'least retarded hundreds of years. ' There is
not a man nor woman living who does not
secretly admire the daring aviators who have
given their lives in the cause of progress.
Instead of placing a damper on aerial activities
the nation should encourage others to fly
across the oceans. Each failure brings nearer
the desire of the human race to conquer the
air.
An Opportunity For Good
ATTENTION is invited to an editorial from
the Columbus Enquirer-Sun reprinted on
this page. - This editorial makes it - plain . that
the value of a science research institute located
in the South cannot be over estimated. Frank
lin has the opportunity to locate such an in
stitute on the White Oak Flats near the head
waters of the Nantahala. Dr. J. M. Reade,
of the University of Georgia, has visited the
White Oak Flats and considers this tract as
an ideal site for an institute such as he has
in mind. He is determined to establish an
institute for research in the natural history
sciences some where in the South. Franklin
must offer the necessary inducements or the
institute wil go elsewhere. Not only will, Dr.
Reade's project be of great value, financially
and otherwise, to Franklin, but it will serve
to attract desirable visitors to all parts of
Western North Carolina. Consequently not
only Franklin, but Asheville and every town
in the western partt of the state should take
an interest in the , matter and pull together
to locate the institutein this section of the
state. , ' ,
The Columbus (Ga.) Enquirer-Sun published
in a city several hundreds miles from the pro
posed site of the institute is giving the propo
sition its unqualified support and approval; but'
the 'dailies and weeklies of Western North
Carolina, if we arc to judge by their lack of
editorial expression, seem to regard the matter
as of no consequence.
Sand as Fertilizer
YEAR, in and ; year out our farmers con
tinue to buy sand for use 'as fertilizer;
Tmp the sand is mixed in with potash, phos
phate,' etc. ' Each ton 'of commercial fertilizer
has approximately 500 pounds f sand or some
other, worthless filler. '.The farmer who buys
this kind of fertilizer not only pays for the
sand but he pays freight on 500 pounds of
worthless material. By buying the proper in
gredients and mixing them at homcthe farmer
can save from six to. twelve dollars per ton
on fertilizers. With proper attention to his
lands and -with the use of barnyard fertilizer,
and especially cover crops of the nitrogen
gathering variety, the average farmer should
require very little commercial fertilizers. But
until the lands are built up -by these means
a certain amount of guano will be necessary.
Now, the question is : Shall our farmers con
tinue to buy sand and pay freight on it or
will they mix their own fertilizer and save
the difference? Those who are in favor of
the latter should consult , with the county agent
and learn the details of ' this money-saving
method. .
The Year Book of the department of agri
culture of the United States .in 1919 noted a
saving by h'orrie mixing of .$18.25 per ton on
8-2-2 fertilizer. A few boards and a shovel
will suffice for the mixing' equipment. Those
so foolish as to buy sand and place it under
their crops deserve little sympathy when hard
times roll around. . -
The Bread and Butter Show
THE MACON county fair, or "Bread and
Butter Show," is announced for Septem
ber 29 and . 30 and October 1. It will be
the first effort in a number of years to hold
a fair in this county.
The fair ill, of course, be primarily an
agricultural proposition, and agriculture, natur
ally, stands to profit first and most from such
a gathering together of farm exhibits..
An agricultural fair tends to prove profitable
from three standpoints: It shows a community
what - can be done in an agricultural way
within its borders; it shows' the outsider what
the agricultural possibilities are ; and it has a
tendency to stimplate greater and more in
telligent effort' on the part of the individual
farmers.. '
But while it is the farmer who profits first
and most from such an undertaking, . he is
not the only one benefitted. The value of
an agricultural fair to the business man is
more indirect, but no less definite.
Of the business man who feels that to sup
port an agricultural fair is simply a matter of
"helping the farmer," one would like to in
quire where his business would be today with
out the farmer's trade. His success or failure
is guaged to very large extent upon the pros
perity or poverty of the fanner. And any-,
thing that tends to make for better nad more
profitable farming is entitled to his support
not so much from the standpoint of public
spirit as from that of enlightened selfishness.
The county agent deserves the commendation
and unqualified support , of fanners and busi
ness men alike in his efforts to put on a
creditable bread and butter show. V
Others' Comments
SOUTHERN INSTITUTE OF RESEARCH
IN NATURAL HISTORY SCIENCE
SIXTEEN stales in this ceuntry have bio
logical stations for the study of natural'
sciences animal, plant and tree life and marine
life. California has four; Massachussetts, two;
the District of Columbia, two; New York,
six. Of the Southern states only Florida has
such a station,, the Tortugas Laboratory of the
Carnegie Foundation of Washington at Key
West. The Southern Appalachian section is
unrepresented in this valuable and necessary
branch of research and efforts are under way
to remedy this lack by the establishment of a
Sumer Camp Nature school somewhere in the
Appalachian Highland of North Carolina or.
Georgia. We have before us a most intriguing
circular regarding this, effort from the hand
of Professor J. M. Reade of the department
of Botany of the University of Georgia.
The circular explains the plan in the follow
ing terms : V
The opportunity for such a venture can
scarcely be doubted. The mountain terri
tory is the natural . summer resort of a
wide region, including Georgia, Florida,
Alabama and to some extent at least the
Carolinas, Mississippi and Tennessee. For
all this region the mountains are fairly
central and readily accessible. Visitors
yearly find their way in from several di
, rectiorrs and we know from experience with
students in Athens that summer classes fre
quently have all these state represented.
Throughout the South, there is a grow
ing number of students, undergraduate and
graduate, and of teachers in schools and
small colleges, who should benefit by the
camp. It offers them a way to use the '
long' vacation to get recreation and re
freshment for the year ahead and at the
' same time to improve themselves by study
and association. To the student and teach
er clientele must be added an increas-
ing number of others. Leaders of girl and
boy scouts, and similar organizations are
among them as are,, too, persons concerned
with public recreation and conservation.
Both, then, the wide territory to be served
and an" abunadnt .clientele are here.
These circumstances justify the proposi
tion; and they seem to say that the start
should be easy and that success is reason
ably assured. These circumstance are
reason enough for the venture and the
Camp Nature school is a worth-while end
in itself. The ultimate aim which we have
in view, however, is something else and
the real and appealing reason is one that is
very .much more. It is no less than a prop- '
osition in behalf of higher education and
the whole Southland. It is to make an in
stitution for scientific research. That is the
need of the day and the opportunity of
the hour. It is the one point upon which
there is unanimity. It is that of which
we are most frequently reminded when we
face the judgment of the world outside.
Southern higher institutions, we are told,
must take up their burden as places of re
search. ' . .
Several sites for this proposed camp have
been inspected. The U. S. Forest Service en
courages the use of . a site in the Nantahala
or Cherokee Forests. It is the policy of that
service to encourage recreational use of the
government lands. Leases are given for sites
for sumer cottages, camps, and the like. Such
leases to private individuals are usually for
short periods of a few years,
It is probable . that more favorable terms
and longer lease would be extended to an en
terprise of this sort. It is a venture in the
service of a wide public. It is an educational
project and as such both in its teaching in
fluence and in its researches it should be very
helpful in the forest interests.
Should it be thought best for the Institute
to own its own site from the beginning there
are ideal locations near Franklin, N. C, or
Clayton, Ga. The Chambers of Commerce of
both these towns have indicated a lively inter
est in . having the camp arid either of these
bodies would be willing to co-operate with the
project.: The survey of sites is still in progress,
the Toccoa Basin, for instance, has not yet
been investigated.
Of course there must be money in hand to
carry out the plan for a research camp or
station. An estimate has been made, based
somewhat on the expense of other similar sta
tions and it is believed that, given a site, $10,
000. will put up a physical plant and labora
tories and $15,000 will be a. sufficient fund
for three years' operation. The camp cannot
be started until at least this much is in hand.
In speaking of the benefit to the immediate
community of the presence of such a camp or
institute, Professor Reade says:
, The benefit of the school to the com
munity should not be overlooked. We have
: made our plans and calculations on the
.basis of having twenty-five students. The
number might never be larger. It may
be best that it should not. But it is
also possible that the number should grow
" and that the enrollment in a few years
should reach one or two hundred. Ma
ture students are quiet, respectable per
sons bent on self-improvement. Their '
presence and influence should be a stim-
ulus to the local cause of schools, and edu
cation. Returning home year after year
they would scatter widely to as many
points each to tell of a summer in the
mountains. And since many of them vrovt
be teachers their story would be 'manifold-
ed through their pupils.
; Chancellor Snelling of the University of
Georgia is earnestly interested in the plan
and says in a letter to Professor Reade:
I am quite ready to say that in advo
cating provision for research you are advo-
eating the right thing. I think that with
out question the foremost need in higher
education in Georgia today is provision for
scientific research There is a lag for want
of it felt throughput the South.
It has been many a day since anything has
been presented to the ENQUIRER-SUN for
consideration which has seemed as stimulating
and worth-while as this" proposed research
camp. ( Why should 'our teachers and our
young men and women students who are anx
ious to perfect their biological, equipment for
earning a living have to go to distant states
for this equipment? Many of them now go to
Woods Hole in Massachusetts or to Washing
ton. At neither point are the surroundings as
ideally adapted to botanical and biological re
search as they would be in the places men
tioned, for it is conceded that the plant life
of the Southern Appalachian region is the
richest and most varied of any in the country
and, indeed, there are few locales in the world
which offer such natural advantages as the
highland forests of North Carolina or Georgia.
. The ENQUIRER-SUN sincerely hopes that
this' research camp may be established within
a reasonable time and that cultivated citizens
and lovers of the natural sciences in this sec
tion' may be inspired to help raise the neces
sary funds. Columbus (Ga.) Enquirer-Sun.