AMERICA
First, Last and
Always
The Sylva Herald
vol. xxn, NO. 30
Sylva, N. C. Thursday, Dec. 25, 1947
The Herald is dedicated to
progressive service to Jack
son ... A progressive, well
balanced county.
$2.(10 A Year ? 5c Cisy
EAST LAPORTE GIRL
DIES IN RREVARD
AUTO COLLISION
Miss Louise Middleton, 18
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ransom
Middleton of East La Porte and an
employee of Brevard hosiery mill,
w as instantly killed at 6:30 Sun
day when the car in which she was
a passenger, collided with another
on the Little River road at an in
tersection at Little River church,
in Transylvania County. {
Five persons were injured, lour
of them other occupants of the
death car and the fifth being the!
driver of the other automobile, ac
cording to State Highway Patrol
man H. M. Morrow. Miss Francis
Middleton, sister of Louise, was I
lacerated about the face and was
taken to the Transylvania Com
munity hosj^tal.
The accident occurred on a road
stretch which is undergoing con
struction work at present. Both
cars west badly damaged.
The^Middleton girls have been
employed by the Wheeler Hosi
ery mill at Brevard. Theothers
involved in the accident-^re res
idents of the Little River section.
Funeral arrangements are in
complete.
P ERSONALS
Misses Elizabeth and Joy Still
well arrived from Meredith Col
lege Thursday to spend the Christ
mas vacation with their parents,
Mr. and Mrs. E. P. Stillwell.
Miss Dorothy Hennessee, s stu
dent at the University of Tenn
essee, came Friday to be with her
parents, Mr. and Mrs. W. C. Hen
nessee, during the Christmas holi
days. v
E. E. Bain and son, Edward, are
spending a ie w days in Greens
boro, having been called there by
the illness of Mr. fisher.
Rev. and Mrs. R. T. Houts and
f daughter left Monday for Knox
ville where they will spend Christ
mas with Rev. Mr. Houts' grand
father.
Miss Ethel Reed has arrived
from Furman University, Green
ville, S. C., to be with her parents,
Mr. and Mrs. T. E. Reed during the
Christmas vacation.
Joe T. Evans has arrived from
State College, Raleigh, and will
spend the holidays with his par
ents, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Evans.
Miss Lucile Reed arrived Mon
day from Kinston to be with her
parens, Mr. and Mrs. T. E. Reed,
for the Christmas holidays.
Local Union UMWA
Donates Large Sum
To Community Fund
The Local Union No. 12866 of the
United Mine Workers of America
donated $100 in dimes Saturday
morning to the local dime board
being sponsored jointly by the A
merican Lefion and Local Union of
the Mead Corporation. The UMWA
officials stated that they were go
ing to give more than the $100 to
the fund which will be used for
Christmas cheer baskets in this
community and for hospitalized
veterans as well as for other local
welfare work. Members of the
.- *>
Speedwell Methodist
Will Give Program
A miscellaneous program fol
lowed by a Christmas play, "The
Empy Room", will be presented by
the Sunday school of the Speed
well Methodist church at the
church on Christmas eve at 7:30
o'clock. The public is cordially
invited to attend.
There is little or no advantage in
grinding corn for beef calves as
the added cost usually more than
offsets any advantage.
? ? __ _____ (
union were in charge of the board ;
all day Saturday. !
Mrs. Lewis Norton Develops
Thriving Weaving Industry
Much has been said and written
about the advantages of develop
ing small community industries in
Western North Carolina, and quite
? number have sprung up in va
rious sections which are proving
of great economic value to the
community and the section as a
whole. Jackson county has one
such industry of which little has
been heard. Mrs. Lewis Norton
of the Norton community of the
oounty now operates a thriving
business, "The Cabin Weavers",
for* herself and the twenty odd
women who assist her. Mrs. Nor
ton began her business only as a
hobby. After seeing the great
demand for her hand woven ar
ticles, she taugnt and engaged
other interested women of her
community in the weaving of love
ly linen table mat and napkin sets,
towels, rugs and other hand wov
en articles These women helpers
are to equipped that they may re
main in their homes and do the
work assigned them, carrying their
finished products to Mrs. Norton's
shop for sale. Mrs. Norton told
a Herald representative this week
that over lour thousand dollars
had been paid these women help
ers this year. ^
She is a member of the South
ern Highlanders Handicraft Guild
through which she has become
nationally known and through
which she attributes much success
of her enterprise. She states that
she ships her products to shops to
various parts of the United States
and anticipates a much larger
business for the coming year.
Prior to t>e war Mrs. Norton
was interested in the making of
vegetable dyes of which she built
up quite a profitable business.
However.this had to be given up
during the war, and it was then
that she renewed her interest and
work of weaving.
*
\
0, ?ome ?et Wsf abort 5j>im
Clear, sweet and strong the many voices of the choir rise as one
to praise Him. For it is His birth date . . . anniversary of the b.^irv
ning of a new concept of love and brotherhood for all mankind. We
see again how He brought light into the darkness; how He fed the
hungry, slaked the parched and healed tfib suffering. We sing again,
psalms of joy in His coming . . . hymns of faith in His undying spirit
. . . songs of love which are veritable paeans of glory reverberating
around the world to guide all His children toward an everlasting
realization of Peace on Earth, Good Will to Men.
llis Sylva Herald
Christmas With Our Forefathers
America HeldDeep Religious Mea
| Christmas on the frontier, as
new brands of pioneers pushed
ever westward to carve an empire
out of virgin plains and wilder
nesses, was in marked contrast to
the present holiday.
There was more meaning then
in the words of The Book con
cerning shepherds in a certain
country watching their flocks by
night. The solitudes, the closeness
of the stars, the virginity of the
new world and its humble people
made one feel that time had stood
still. Christmas in those days some
how seemed much closer to that
first Christmas.
Those bleak plains could be the
ones the Wise Men crossed, this
the Night and yon sleeping village, I
Bethlehem. The faith of the trail
breakers was that of the Wise
Men.
On Christmas Eve the pioneer I
folks would gather in a crude lit- |
tie church or schoolhouse where !
children recited their pieces and
sang songs about the birth of the
Christ Child. Santa would hand I
out mosquito-bar sacks of candy,
a golden orange or an apple to
each one, and childhood rapture
would make that meager offering
truly a gift of gold and frankin
cense.
Home-made sleds and sleighs
skimmed over the snowy country
side with sleigh bells jmgling ac
companiment to the caroling of
"Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells'\
Except in the forest regions^ few
chidren enjoyed the sight of a
Christmas tree. But aways they
hung up their stockings, an old
1 custom of their forefathers,
i I
| It was a lucky boy who awoke
Christmas morning to find a new
jack-knife in his stocking; a lucky
girl who received a string of beads
or a calico doll from Santa Claus.
But that doll, made from spare
: strips of bright cloth, probably
I was more treasured than any mo
; dern doll that can s*y "Mama," go
to sleep and perhaps require a
? diaper.
Children who received a slate
pencil or a shell-box, a littie af
fair covered with shell? and con
taining a mirror, were the special
favorites of Santa- j
For goodies, no Christmas was
complete without its pans of pop- j
corn and ropes of molasses taffy. !
In rare cases there might be a bag .
! of candy.
' In the isolated cabins it wasn't j
^so easy to gather with one's neigh
bors to celebrate. There were wol- ,
ves in the timber and being caught j
in a sudden storm on pioneer trails
spelled death.
Christmas in some places meant
a bobsled ride or perhaps a square
dance, often followed by a turkey
dinner costing 25 cents.
Gifts, if any, generally were in
the form of utilitarian mittens. 1
mufflers or home-made boots. For
the women there might be a piece
of intricate handiwork to which .
some enterprising friend had de- '
voted her spare time for months.
Throughout the holiday season
a candle burned in the attic win- i
dow, guiding late-faring travelers j
to shelter ? the Star of Bethle
hem on the frontier.
But withall these hardy folks
had as much fun as their great
great grandsons and daughter who
again this year will celebrate by
exchanging elaborate gifts, danc
ing to name bands, feasting with
no worries that tomorrow there
may be nothing in the electric re
fridgerator.
Firemen D$1 Good
Job On Christmas
i Street Lights
| Credit goes to the Sylva Fire
i Department for doing one of the
best jobs in the history of our
town in decorating the streets with
Christmas lights. For the :>a.t fcrv
years the Fire Department has
been in charge of this end of the
Yuletide decorations and have won
for Sy!va the r.amc of being cnc
of the best decorated towns in
Western North Carolina.
Edward M. Moseman
Dies In Marion
Edward M. Moseman, 71, form
erly of East LaPorte, this county,
died at his home in Marion recent
ly after a lengthy illness. The body
was taken to Ironton, Ohio, for
burial.
Surviving are the widow, Mrs.
Mae Layman Moseman; five sons
and one daughter, M. h. Moseman
of Seattle, Wash.; Roy Moseman,
Waynesville; Edgar Moseman,
Stonaga, Va.; Douglas and How
ard D. Moseman, Black Mountain;
and Mrs. E. W. Harvey of Van
Wert, Ohio, and one brother, C. A.
Moseman, Ironton, Ohio.
Of
ning
Fire Dept. Extinguishes
Blaze At Hartman Home
The Sylva Fire Department suc
cessfully extinguished a lire in the
Walter Hartman home on Cope
Creek yesterday. The Hortman's
oil- water heater burst into flame
but the fire was put out before any
damage was done.
HERALD PUBLISHED
EARLY THIS WEEK,
CLOSE THROUGH 21
Due to the fact that our regular
publication day falls on Christmas
Day this year your Herald is be
ing published two days earlier tfail
week. This is being done for aev
eral reasons: to present our r?g
gular Christmas greeting edition
before Christmas and to give the
office staff and shop force a tew
days' rest during the holidays.
Many hours have been put in \sj
the force during the past year,
especially the last few weeks in
order to bring you your paper, full
of local news, editorials, features
and advertisements, regularly each
week. A little rest and recreation
will help each one connected with
the paper before we start the New
Year.
The office and shop will be
closed from Wednesday eve thru
Sunday, opting again on Monday,
the 29th as usual.
Saturday Was Sunshine
Day For Sylva Merchants
The Christmas rush was plainly
evident 111 Sylva last Saturday as
shoppers flooded the streets tnd
stores doing their Christmas shop
ping. The stofe clerks were kept
"busy as the bees" all day as a
consistant flow of customers
streamed in arid out of every store
in town.
One could easily tell that Santa
Ckius was on his way by looking
at the many toys and gifts being
bought. Christmas was in the eir
and one could also tell that there
will be many, many pleased chil
dren and grown-ups alike on this
Christmas morning.
Mrs. Wilt B. Dillard
Buried Sunday, Doc. 21
Mrs. Will B. Dillard, 50, passed
away at her home at 6:30 Thursday r
mori.wi# oiler a short illness.
Funera services were heM Sun
day at the Lovedale Baptist church
and burial w:.s in the Diflavd cem
etery.
She is survived by her husband;
four daughters, Mrs. Harold Steph
ens and M ES. J a ke _Ph i 1 1 i ps of Cul
lowhee, Mrs. Harold Hooper and
Miss Willa Mae Dillard of Sylva;
one son, Kenneth of Sylva; one
sister, Mrs. Charlie Monroe of Gas
tonia; and one brother, Candler
Nations of Marble,
Service Men's Books
Ready For Delivery
The Herald is glad to announce
to those who have purchased tile
Jackson County 8ervlee Men's
books that their books will bo
ready for delivery Wedneotfoy,
Dec. 24. We will have extra
copies of those books available
for anyone wishing to buy thorn.
We will appreciate it if thon
who have ordered and paid ft
their booko will bring their f?!<*
ceipt* when they call for th?m.
82 Boy Scouts Enjoy Three
Day Outing At Daniel Boone
Camp In Pisgah Forest Area
Firms Of District Make
Large Donations Oi Food,
For Success Of Camp
The Daniel Boone Council of the
Smoky Mountain District of Boy
Scouts held their Winter Camp at
the district camp in Haywood
county on Friday, Saturday and
Sunday.
The winter camp this year was
made possible by such contribu
tions as 250 quarts of sweet milk
by the Pet Dairy of Waynesville,
which provided plenty of milk for
each oi the 80 boys enjoying the
outing. Also 200 loaves of Hol
some bread given by the Asheville
Baking Company, of Asheville; 360
efcgs by the Farmers Federation.
Inc., of Asheville; 48 large cans of
mixed soups from Sylva Supply Co. I
Sylva; 2 bushels of Irish potatoes
j from Jimmy Houser, Franklin,
along with a number of other dona
tions given by Franklin men.
With these large donations of
food the 80 boys were able to have
this three day outing for only $1.00
each. The scouts and their lead
ers wish to express their appre
ciation to everyone who donated
this food, thus making the camp
possible.
The boys and their leaders ?n
tered camp Friday afternoon and
completed work of getting es
tablished before dark. They had
their camp fire with games in the
large mess hall that night.
Saturday morning the entire
group of boys and a number tiff
men hiked to Shining Rock and
returned to camp in time for lunch.
In the afternoon they played ga ma*
on the parade ground, and gathered
again that night in the mess hall
for competitive games between
the different troops, which attend
ed from Highlands, Franklin,
Sylva, Alarka, Cherokee, and Cul
lowhee.
Sunday school and church was
held Sunday morning with Sam
Gilliam, of Cherokee, and
Means, Executive secretary of
Daniel Boone Council, of AsheviB*.
After more games and clearing oC
the camp the scouts and their lee&
ers left for their respective hones.
Several men and a large nee
ber of soouta from Sylva attends
the camp which they said waa 0m
of the moat successful ever h?ui
? V.-*-'- "? .'.We