Editorial W
Spring Creek Dilemma
The future of Madison County's smallest
school, Spring Creek Elementary, is at stake.
Hundreds of Spring Creek parents expressed
their concern for the schools future at a PTA
meeting held Thursday night. Everyone with an
interest in the education of our young people
should be concerned by the recent
developments in the West Madison community.
Spring Creek Elementary School is cur
rently home for 109 county youngsters. School
officials are worried that the opening of a pro
posed private school in nearby Meadow Park
will draw students away from the public school.
Should the private school succeed in attracting
sizeable numbers of Spring Creek students,
Spring Creek residents fear the county Board of
Education may look to close down the small
school.
The problem presented by the Spring Creek
situation may soon repeat itself through out the
nation. Public confidence in the public educa
tion system has dropped considerably in the
past year. Parents' lack of confidence in the
public school system will lead to the develop
ment of private schools in every town across
America.
The Reagan administration has supported
tuition tax credits for parents of children atten
ding private schools. Should a tuition tax credit
plan be approved, the private school movement
will gain a federal subsidy that will undermine
the quality of public education.
During the meeting at Spring Creek School
last week, principal Larry Plemmons posed an
interesting question. Plemmons asked, "Does
private education have a right to harm public
education?" It is an intriging question that we
will one day have to answer if current trends
are not halted.
With only four full-time teachers, the
educators at Spring Creek School do an amaz
ing job under difficult circumstances. The clos
ing of Spring CYeek School would be a tragedy
for Madison County that must be avoided.
BPSEP OM WHAT WEVE SEEN HERE ...
VIE PECLftRE PRESIPENT MARCOS
THE EPiRW 1BPER IK NEXT
YEARS ELECTION... _
Letters toihe Editor
Third Graders Express Thanks
Dear Mr. Koenig,
We, the third grade students
at Marshall Primary School,
wish to thank you for giving us
a copy of The News Record.
We enjoyed reading it very
much.
Your discussion on how the
paper was put together was
very interesting. When we
read the paper we will unders
tand more about it.
We really appreciate your
interest in becoming a part of
our school
Mrs. Gahagan's
hird grade class
Dear Mr. Koenig,
I do like The News Record. I
thank you. It was fun.
Your buddy,
Shane S.
Dear Mr. Koenig,
Thank you for the copies of
The News Record. Our class
read it for an hour. We had lots
of fun.
Your friend,
Mary
Dear. Mr. Koenig,
Thank you for The News
Record. I liked it.
Love,
Darlene Brown
Dear Mr. Koenig,
Thank you for The News
Record. I like you. Send me
one next week.
Your friend,
Kelly
Dear Mr. Koenig,
Thank you for a copy of The
News Record. I thought the ar
ticles were very good. I learn
ed a lot from the articles.
Love, 1
Hazel i
I
Dear Mr. Koenig,
I like The News Record. It
has lota of details of things
around the world. 1 hope you |
have a long and happy life.
Dear Mr. Koenig,
Thank you for the copies c
The News Record. We discus:
ed how the paper is and how
goes. 1 think it is a hard job t
get all those words in th
paper. I wish you good luck.
Your frienc
Johnni
Dear Mr. Koenig,
Thank you for the copies (
The News Record. Would yo
send us some mor
newspaper?
Yourchunr
Aleci
P.S. Mom and I enjoyed th
paper.
Dear Editor:
I appreciate the response I
got from the letter in your
er two weeks ago concern
Mrs. Pearl Price.
Price has received
il cards and letters from
> in Madison and Bun
counties.
Price has improved to
point that she doesn't need
facility. Therefore
she has moved to "Windwood
Rest Home," a division of
"Haven Rst Home." Her new
address will be Haven Rest
Home, P.O. Box <5, Candler,
N.C. 28715.
I would also like for you to
mail Mrs. Price's News
Record to the same address.
Thank you,
Geneva Griffin
Marshall, N.C.
Bus Safely
r mhw.
r children from Big
> a school bus pack
i a seat four hour* a
anyway to treat
I and their driver? To
rake down again
rhour to the trip
r. a half hour ride
for
prin
to
isure ine neann ana saieiy ui
ur children by insisting on
nough decent buses
To whom can we appeal? 1
im very concerned. I have
our children riding this but.
hey and their fellow students
ippreciate their school and
heir teachers but dread the
tus rides
I would appreciate any
deas and response
Mary Piliss
Letter
Policy
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letter* to the editor for
publication. Do yo? have a
complaint, a question or sug
gestion? Share your thoughts
with ow reader* In a letter to
the editor.
The News Record attempts
to publish all letters received,
la order to qMlify (or publics
Un, the letter moot be signed
and include the writer's ad
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so that we can verify the iden
tity of Um writer.
We reserve the right to edit
al letters in the interest of
space. Any and all snch revi
sions will be disenssed with
the letter writer prior to
Heard And Seen
By POP STORY
' 4' ? iV. ..'"i pit 3 Jj'-i*. Mi . 'L
"QUIET" SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT
As this column is being written the annual
Marshall Lions Club softball tournament is still
* in progress but should be completed before you
read this.
I journeyed over to the Island three nights
to watch part of the action but was surprised to
notice little cheering, sparse crowds, and fewer
teams competing in years past. Could this
mean that interest is waning?
I may be wrong but I believe only seven
girls' teams entered the tourney and only eight
men's teams participated. Last year there were
more than 20 teams in the event to this year's 15
teams.
Maybe next year more teams will enter and
this will mean more spectators ...and more ex
citement.
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
GETS STARTED
The 1983 high school football season started
last Friday night with such favored teams as
Brevard, Pisgah, Tuscola and North Buncombe
being defeated in opening games. Brevard, 1962
State 3A champions, bowing to West Hender
son, 14-0; Pisgah losing to Hendersonville,
21-14; Tuscola victims of Sylva -Webster, 9-6,
while North Buncombe lost to Roberson, 24-6.
The Madison High Patriots also lost its first
game to Edneyville by one point, 13-12.
The Patriots have an open date this Friday
before meeting Enka at Enka on Friday night,
Sept. 9.
WELCOME RELIEF
Cooler weather during the last few days has
certainly been welcome to everyone in this
community. Several delightful showers ended
the sweltering 90-plus degrees but more rain is
needed to keep gardens, flowers, and crops
from scorching. Cool, comfortable nights have
also been fine for "good sleeping." Let's hope
that September will stay at normal
temperatures.
MARSHALL STREET MARKERS
Have you ever wondered how many "street
markers" have been installed in the corporate
limits?
I recently decided to make a quick spot
check of the green and white markers and
although I am sure there might be more, I
noticed the following:
Main Street, Redmon Road, Hill Street,
Deringer Drive, Mato Road, Reservoir Rd.,
Skyway Drive, Cody Road, Nix Drive, Dr.
Ramsey Drive, Sprinkle Drive, O.C. Rector
Road, Walnut Creek Drive, Sunset Drive,
Candler Drive, Roberts Hill Road, Story Road,
Frisby Drive, P. Davis Road, Hardwick
Branch, Meadows Town St., Rector Corner
Road, Rector Corner Apts. Drive, Ramsey
Road, Cotton Mill Hill, Ponder Drive, and Fort
ner Hollow. If there are more, please let me
know.
Know Comment
By JOSEPH GODWIN
Feline Therapy _
In this column, I shall pro
tect the identity of those whose
emotional scars are still sen
sitive, give a report in literal
truth, and make a point worth
remembering.
Stuart Campbell was one of
five sons whose parents did
not tolerate the use of
alcoholic beverages in any
form, in any amount, at any
time. Therefore, nobody in his
family drank ? except Stuart.
Arriving at young manhood,
- he would occasionally get in
volved with "the wrong
crowd" and drink. Still less
often, he would become very
intoxicated.
Anita Heinz grew up in a
much larger family where the
>f prohibition against the use of
i- alcohol was even stronger. No
it person in her family would
o ever "touch the stuff"!
e From their first meeting,
Stuart and Anita were in
1, terested in one another. Their
e courtship was neither stormy,
complicated, nor long. Anita,
still hating alcohol with a
if rabid purple passion, married
u Stuart even though she knew
e that he occasionally "took a
drink with the boys" and that
i, a few times he had been rip
a roaring drunk.
e There is the beginning of the
tale!
Not long after this young
couple married and set up
housekeeping on their own,
Stuart came home from town
late one Saturday afternoon
obviously "under the in
fluence." He was not in
capacitated; he was merely
"polluted."
Anita shamed him, lectured
him, belittled him, scolded
him, and profoundly threaten
ed him. All of this disaster she
would bring on him if he ever
"touched the stuff" again.
He did not touch it for about
a year; and then one time he
did. He drank, got drunk, and
passed out. His buddies
delivered him home in a two
horse wagon.
Anita asked his friends to
take Stuart inside the house
and put him to bed. They
followed her instructions and
then drove on down the road
toward their home.
Anita covered Stuart with
two new sheets and began to
sew the edges of the sheets to
the mattress. Around and
around the bed she went with a
large needle and heavy
thread, whipstitching the
sheets to the mattress, with
Stuart, still unaware, beneath
the sheets.
When she had him unques
tionably contained, Anita took
a window stick and began
beating Stuart. This she con
tinued until he was a bloody
wreck. He promised that if she
would quit beating him and
not kill him, he would never,
never drink again.
He repeatedly punctuated
her lecture and threats with
this promise. Finally, she
ceased pounding him and,
with her scissors, released the
miserable creature from
beneath the bloody sheets.
Stuart made good his
repeated promise. He never
touched alcohol again!
However, after 32 years of
"marriage," during which
them they reared six children,
Stuart left Anita. Divorcing
her, he never went back home
again.
Many people sensed the
tragedy in the divorce who
knew nothing at all of his
"conversion" or of his long
"marriage."
One sympathizer expressed
regret and surprise at the
marriage failure to Gladys,
the oldest child.
"After 32 years? I just don't
understand it I" she said.
Gladys replied calmly but
with deep feeling, "The only
thing I don't understand about
it is why it didn't happen 32
years ago!"
Gladys knew that her
parents had never had a real
marriage.
Now to the point worth
remembering.
It was Anita's privilege and
right to reject Stuart if she did
not think he met her social and
moral standards. In truth, she
should have rejected him!
It was neither Anita's
privilege nor her right to take
him as he was and then pro
ceed to remake him according
to her own designs. In truth,
she should not have tried.
Stuart did not cease to be a
drinker. He simply was made
a slave ? not allowed to follow
his real inclination.
People resent being slaves
? that is, living their own and
only life at the behest of
another person.
My suggestion to people
thinking about marriage is
this: If the one you are think
ing of marrying has some
habit or ideal you cannot live
with the rest of your life, leave
him or her alone!
Only God has the right to
make a human being in his im
age.
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