Newspapers / The Duplin Times (Warsaw, … / Sept. 15, 1950, edition 1 / Page 4
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hi ! '3 Published each rrtdaln Kenansville, N. C County Seat of duplin county IdlV" business and printing plant, Kenansvllle, N. C JT. ROBERT GRADY, EDITOR OWNER Entered atthe Post Office, KnMvlHr N. C. as aeeoad class matter. : T1LIPH0NE Kenansvllle, 255-6 1 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: $3.00 per year In Duplin County Lanoir, Jones, Onslow, .Pender, Sampson and Wayne coun ties; . $3.50 per year outside this area la North Carolina; and HpOPer year elsewhere. ' Advertising rates furnished on request ,,',A' Democratic Journal, devoted to the material, educational, y 'economic ana aancuiiuru mraraM uuiuu uumj, "THE DUPLIN STORY" (editorial Correspondence) In News and Observer Saturday, Sept. 9, 1950 In the last few years there have been plenty of pageants, sym phonic drsmas and community beard-growings in North Carolina aea part of the costumery of local history and anniversaries. His tory ha been made sonorous snd dramatic from Cherokee to Man teo. Publicity agents have however, been increasingly hard put to rind anything new to say about the dramas out of our own story r" as a people. Down in Duplin, however, Sam Byrd and some hund reds of other Duplin people have turned out something new. Less r- solemn than aU the others but as essentially serious as any of them, . the people of Duplin In their story have turned out a show as en ' tertalnlng as a first circus and as honestly native as a barbecue. Anybody who wants to go to get instruction in the history of Duplin County or North Carolina can do so. As a matter of fact, "The Duplin Story" is the North Carolina story limited by no county line. But any North Carolinian who goes for any reason ean count on a full evening of lively and sentimental, often hilari ous but steadily appealing entertainment. The production is not as finished as the precise dramaturgists of the Carolina Playmakers have made "The Lost Colony." The amphitheater is not set in any v such high and beautiful hills as the theater of "Unto These Hills" 1 at Cherokee. Sam Byrd himself is the only professional-actor in the east in Kenansville.But in Kenansvllle the people themselves, have with both local lustiness and local grace turned a big sloping hillside Into s variety show of North Carolina history which IS as real as the people who participate in it -' No gentlemen step out of the daguerreotypes on the Kenans- . ville stage. A gentle comedy even appears in the characters of the honored personages of Duplin history. The truth is that the whole - essence ef "The Duplin Story" is that it Is shaped In terms of a , people's own memory of themselves which contains not only pride but the memory of simple things, sometimes heroic but also huraor 1 eus, too. Essentially Sam Byrd has made the play a sort of dramar i - jtttttktti of his own Homesickness as an American (and Duplifil ' County) serviceman abroad. Maybe such a remembering of Dup r ' lin is as romantic as remembered barbecue long after any signs of dyspepsia. r Zt is, however, never a stuffed-shirt romantizatlon. It contains - not only Revolutionary and Civil War heroes in real battle accom panied by satisfying explosions on the stage, noble ladies andf gen tlemen, loyal slaves, but also bombastic Democratic politicians, prissy lady school-teachers, an old-time preacher with a comic mustache, Ik sany drum beater and some of the best Negro singing from spiritual to hi-dee-bOr-One ef the most interesting aspects of the Whole show Is the mighty fine time in their scenes the col ored people and white people of Duplin County have acting their history together Also it msy be in the spirit of the show that there ,aeems nothing strange about the conjunction of the brave planters facing tilt dark future after the War Between the States and the magnificent singing behind them by a Negro chorus of "The Bat tle Hymn of the Republic" which Sherman,' soldierfloved so well. " The ladles may seem out of place at a 1908 political rally; their . dancing under the political banners adds liveliness to the scene, nevertheless. There Is no flaw nor and anachronism, however, in the railroad station scene In which Duplin boys go off to World War L It seems good that one who Is to die and give his name to " - ft Legion post goes off Joking with his girl that she'll' forget him , ,? "before the 8hoo Fly gets to Mount Olive." Not In any greater . , theaters were there ever any better off stage noises of the old-time trains with the' sad whistles which the Coast Line used to send through Duplin. - - ' , ' ' 6am Byrd has written himself something which is not a page-., ant and certainly Is not a symphonic drama. In many ways it Is a '' ' ' " " Mrt of native's extravaganza about a home history .which does not Intimidate aim or iturn. him to either" pompousness or pretension. . It contains the memory of good eating, as well asx good fighting, of . ' song lad dgnce aa well as politics and preaching. Wisely In such dramatized remembering he has recreated the congregations of' people In war and politics, education, welcomes and farewells. His . aetora are beat In mass groupings and mass choruses. One of the , test scenes In this or any other play is the slow mass movement of , -" Negroes and white men across the stage in the scene of the end . , lng of the War of the Sixties. ' - ' Yet recurrently throughout the play there are passages of dialogue full of wit, sentiment and beauty. Byrd's own apostrophe to the American Flag at the end of the play might come perilously lose te a flag waving George M. Cohan closing of a musical comedy If there were not real passion and good poetry in the lines which , Byrd wrote far his own speaking. Sadly, however, the play's poetry -seems a little dated now by events since its first writing, In it - ' Byrd baa put together the homesickness of a service man In the . last war for both Duplin and peace! The prayer for peace with which "The Duplin Story" ends now seem, against the grim en- " terpriee in Korea, both saddened and sharpened. . Byrd deserves great credit for the whole show. Second only to ' bins among its actors Is his adopted English' daughter, to whom as' 1 chief petty officer he tells the story of Duplin.' The basis of the 'great appeal of the whole show, however, la the good, lively, native' Joyousnesa of the people themselves In its playing. Sometimes It v- a C at half the population of Duplin County must be In the t i. 1 e are plenty of them from children to old ladies and old ' t ' " 'V T. c'amM of all .many of iftiem ( .' are DUPLIN ST03Y WELL RECEIVED OPENING NIGHT Vi , i U ,1 . 1 ' - ' i ; Friday, Sept 8, lSp)' "' (Kins ton Free Press t ' By. M. S. VAN HECKE ! ""The Duplin Story," the histor ic panorama of our neighboring county to the south, .opened before a disappointing crowd of about 1,500 ' at Kenansvllle " Thursday night The show, now in Its sec ond ; season will be I produced through next Tuesday, with the ex ception of Sunday. ' Taken as a whole, the - three- hour drama was a moving spectacle which brought to life the high lights or Duplin's 200 years. of ex istence. A few of the scenes, no tably that of a southern -colonel Kidding farewell to his family and slaves in the Civil War, could best have been forgotten but Ure.major portion of The Duplin Story rose to Heights unexpected in an ama teur production. " i -1 , rTwo relatively modern scenes, graduation 'exercises . at James Sprunt Institute in 1910 and a po litical rally in 1908, demonstrated a subtle humor that was in, many ways remarkable and the battle of Bockfish Creek in 1781 was done in a convincingly realistic manner. ' Sam Byrd author, producer and narrator is one of the few profes sionals in the bunch and his fine performance tied together the rambling story Into a swift moving effectively staged production. The lighting and backdrops were un usually effective. ', , Byrd fakes the part of a navy chief in London, lonly and home sick for his home in Duplin, who tells two English children of the life and history of his native home stead. The first : Dunlin scene shows a tobacco field near Faison. Then the story flashes back to 1775 with a visit of a high colonial official to Sarecta, the battle of Rockfish Creek, the unfortunate farewell scene and the return of the Confederate troops from the war. 1908 Political Rally The narrative leaps to 1908 with the political rally and graduation exercises, followed by the leaving in 1917 of the Duplin youths going to war. The closing scene was Vic tory Day in 1945, which jopped" the night's entertainment on a religious and patriotic note. ; We are told that a total of 750 Duplinites had a part in the showj World War II. And they are ad and it is easily" believable. ' Thel ding dajly; tovthe sunMotaL For Duplin Story-took a lot of work and the producers did not stint in the use of players to add realism to the scenes. The costumes were beyond reproach. Edith Hinnant Dickerson, negro soprano, and Corwin Rife, as a drummer who entertained the visit ing official at Sarecta, were stand outs from the entertainment point of view. The music on a whole was good, although a few efforts on the part of the two choirs are best left; unmentioned. i ; ' The Duplin Story had Its faults, but they, are overwhelmed by its many good points. It's a , show which no ' North Carolinian,: and particularly no Eastern Carolinian, should miss. 1,500 SEE "DUPLIN STORY" AS IT BEGINS NEW SEASON (Goldsboro News-Argus , Friday, Sept. 9, 1950) Kenansville Fifteen hundred people saw .."The Duplin Story" in Hamp "Williams' cornfield on Thursday night .' ' -" State leaders Joined with native sons in paying tribute to Sam Byrd s musical dramatization of 200 years of Duplin history. "The Duplin Story" will be given nightly on these dates:. September 8, 9, 11, and 12.' 7 Governor Scott was present to cheer Dupliners at the reshowing. What our citizens do today to add to our state, what sacrifices they give for her," he said "determine the progress of the future." - " "It is fitting," said Governor Scott, "that we look back at what our forefathers worked for. For self to the audiences., This is their story. They are it. White and colored together, they play their own lively procession from his tory and into the history before them. Some, professional actors ', might "add a little more finish to some of the parts. In most-eases I doubt that , But the very" enthusiastic natlveness ;of the actors conveys itself to the excellence of the whole show. ' ' The acres of seats before the stage on' the little hill ought to be filled this next week with North Carolinians who like good en- tertainment and can" appreciate it best when It is; entertainment ; but of their own Jives. If is hard "to see" how one county can hold ' so many good voices. There is one Negro singer with a voice at dnce metallic and melodious who will not be in Duplin long if her voice .is heard outside it But no one voice or, one person, not even Sam Byrd, is so important as the fact that the people are the play. More than any other ofthe big crop of such plays and pageants whlch have een produced in recent years this is true of "The Du-" ' plin Story.1!:, That is Important in an understanding of the Kenans vllle production. The, only Important fact for North Carolinians outside of Kenansville is,; however, that that adds up "to a good show. The story Is lmp6rtna but the show is fun. North Carolinians who like good entertainment wl'l not mi- e to see it T is our h' '--y V".'H- , ( , . i t0 4 out of their efforts came what we are today." - "The Story" is unchanged from its first showing. Hundreds in the coifnty I have laobred for - many weeks to 'prepare all details for the second presentation at public d&hand. O. P. Johnson, president of the Duplin Historical Association, sponsors of "The Btory" thanked all who had helped In any way to assure success of the effort . Sam Byrd plays the lead in his own production. Portrayed as 'a homesick U. S. Naval officer talk ing with English children about his home county, the former New York actor got plenty of applause. His ward, fat Bolam, English girl, and Albert Outlaw, Jr., carry the con versat!on with Byrd. From their talk develops the back drops which show Duplin from Colonial days to the Korean situation. , , . Corwin Rife's lighting effects count much ; in v the production. Most moving is the.singing by the Negro choir. Prior to the presentation Mr. and Mrs. Vance Gavin were hosts to Governor Scott and a number of state officials at a barbecue at their home. Mr. ' and Mrs. Bob Grady entertained Rep. and Mrs. Graham Barden and editors at din ner. ' Duplin Story Opens For Second Season : (WUson Daily Times- Friday. Sept 8, 1950) - ' Eastern ' Carolina's ' own saga drama. The Duplin Story", open ed last night in the amphitheatre, in Kenansvllle And it will be giv en tonight and Saturday. "The Du plin Story'- was written by Sam Byrd - he takes the leading part - last year to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the founding of the county. It is a tremendous historical drama, and is being giv en again .this year by popular de mand. . , t 4 ' ' The Duplin Story could be. de veloped to mean' as much to East ern Carolina as the Lost Colony has to the coast country -and Un to These Hills, to the scenic moun tain section. F.or Eastern Carolina is rich in history and tradition, as this drama brings out. Its free dom loving people have added many pages - to - History : as was shown last night in the scenes of the battle of Rockfish creek, Aug ust 2, 1781 through the end of the- cast of approximately 1000 Is made upf mostly 'of the people of that section. Yes, it is as typical of Eastern Carolina and the good will and fellowship that epcists among "its people as the smell of tobacco. . ; The production "opens with Johnny' Lambert (Sam Byrd), a homesick GI in World War U sit ting in a park in London telling about' his own Duplin County to Jennifer iCarrington (Pat Bolam) and Tony Carrington ("Timmy" Outlaw), f two English children. The first scene is rightly a" typical tobacco farm where the tying and curing is going on, all to the rhy thm of the familiar Negro spirit uals; And Johnny (Sam) demon strates the chant ot the auctioneer to the children. The auctioneer is none, other than Vilson's own Col onel Hart Shewmaker. Then there are battle scenes from the Revolu tion and Civil War, of Liberty Hall, the home of the Kenans, Ke nansville school for "young laijies", the James Sprunt Institute, a poli tical rally -and the coming of the railroad through this section. In all it is the history of the every day living of these people that contributed so much to put this section of the state on the firm foundation it , enjoys today. It is the story of bravery, laughter and heartbreaks told in a variety of scenes with thrilling music. And it should be seen by everyone In North Carolina, " . There -were many prominent people present for the1, opening production last night Heading the list were the Governor of North Carolina, W. Kerr Scoft and Con gressman, and Mrs. Graham A. Barden."' " . , , U;::r$lo The Editor ' HOTEL GOLDSBORO J" Goldsbr; N. C. . .ptember 9, 1950 jGoldsboro, N, ! C. To the Editor: Last Thursday night I had the pleasure of going to the historical pageant.of the Duplin County His torical Association, "The Dunlin Story." - . V It Is a wonderful productipn, considered from every angle think it has a .little edge on any I have ever seen. It reminds me of the old Hippodrome In New York City years ago. I saw it in 1910. The setting, scenery and costumes were;! most gorgeous and spectac ular.. The music and acting were appropriate and ; well prepared. The period about which the Story was written has always fascinated me, especially the Civil War period. Although the weather, was threat ening, I was disappointed only in one, respect, the audience was not as large as the play deserved. : 1 I want to thank and commend the management for omitting the Sunday performance. Other orga nizations will f do vwell to follow their noteworthy example. Today many people use the Sabbath for desecration and revelry rather than consecration and worship.' ; . : I hope hi the years to come that the play will have patronage in keeping with Its merits. Sincerely, , J. Herman Canadjv , v , Kinston and Goldsboro Home For Aged This is a statement from Miss Macy Cox, of Magnolia, concerning Home for Aged men and women as referred to by Mrs. Grace Vann in the Times recently: nJ' ."Many questions are being ask ed about the. Home in which we are deeply interested. We are giv ing Just a partial description of the proposed home, which we hope will create, Interest and Invest ment. We would prepare for 20 to begin with and enlarge later if necessary, and possible,; The build ing, , equipment . and ; management would in every, way meet the ap proval and : requirements of ; the State Board - of Public Welfare. Only one person in a room, unless two sisters or a man and wife. Three meals a da would be ser ved. , Infirmary, practical nurse, and rolling chair provided " '. jA .. chapel for worsfilpT prayer, meetings, Sunday School and prea ching service, piano, radio,' and everything be done for the pleasure and comfort Of the aged people there to really have a. home, and not just a place to sUy.; ; ; ;r' How it is to be built, controlled and supported are questions fre quently asked. It Win be built with gifts from our Duplin County peo ple and their friends. 'Anyone who gives $1,000 will be giving a room and many, give it as a memorial to some loved one. It $100 is given, the giver will have completely fur O0O0O000O000OO0000OO000000O00O0000GC3 o o o o o o o o o o . o o o O : o o o o o o o o o o o o o. o o o 6 o o o o o o o o o '. v., Money is safe." llWH. ...... ft ... 4 1 1; iav- : Raleigh, N. C, Sept 10. Tony i Tolar, the ex-Highway Patrol boss, Is reported to be the man who tlp-f ped off newsmen about the J. B. Moore case. Moore( as you know, was Indicted by a Wake county grand Jury last week, along with A. W. Livengood of : Winston-Salem, on charges of embezzlement and conspiracy plus misfeasance .of office. Moore Is charged with using state materials and prison . labor, while he was prisons director, , to build a garage apartment . Tolar. was seen in deep confer ence with a newsman twice on the day the Moore story broke, and on the day the story came to light was seen riding with this same reporter In front of Moore's house. ' - Two days before the grand Jury was scheduled to hear the case, Tolar reportedly visited Moore's house and : tried to get the ex- prisons director to Involve others in his difficulties and see how much he (Moore) could smear the administration. - . One ' of , Moore's x lawyers has withdrawn from the case - whlgh won't come to trial before the Oct ober term of Court -- because the nished a room and may give it as a memorial. It will be controlled by a Board of Directors Of 23 of more, men and women. How main tained. .The men and women re ceiving old age assistance will pay $40 into the home and keep $10 for clothes, drugs and other per sonal expenses. If there are those in our county or other counties who want to live in the home and can pay their own expenses, they will be allowed to enter as boarders and have all the privileges and comforts 'of the home. Rich and poor will fare alike. Nobody would feel embarassed to make it their home. We would hope to have an endowment fund. There are 41,110 people in Duplin, as shown by the recent census. Surely there must be at least 1000 adults who would gladly give as much as one dollar a year through the' Duplin County Benevolent Association to help support the home and as ' many young people who would rejoice to give 50 cents a year. Who would, object to such a home? Who , would not approve such a home" in Duplin County? Who could, not give $1.00 to help build it? Who could not give $10.00 - $100 -' $1000? There are many; ways to help, and"whera there is a will there is a way" andwe just need a good "shaking up, waking up" interest In our old people, and some wide-awake people In every town and community to helg stir up real enuiusiasm. xne ones wno help will feel the blessing them selves and others be blest through you. How many and who, wants this home established? Write a little note of approval to our pa pers right away,, or write to me. Let's not sit down on the job but get up and help make the home that's needed. It will be our In vestment in Heaven's bank." Miss Macy Cox, i i ' ' Magnolia, N. C, t:j in the Waccamaw Bank where it is ' - '"'. i - r " 1 r m t. ' t"' . - trial is being turned into a political football: Some observers report Moore Is slated to be the sacrlfi- . clal goat in an attempt to use his trial to strike at the administration. Incidentally, Tolar,' who has cussed the administration since he lost his patrol Job, was the first man to apply for Mooree job. Brisht and early the morning after the Moore story broke; Tolar was reported at the Governor's man sion asking for the post , . ', Tony already had tried to get Easy Jones of Burlington; he had - tried lor an inspector joo wiin -the Utilities Commission; and, he had tried to get a couple of jobs,, created Just for Tolar. If you think your grocery bill Is up, your right But you have com pany, all over the nation. A check of the national averages show that from June lO to August 15 round ' steak went up from 98c to $1 a pound, bacon went from 83 to 71c, eggs jumped from S3 to 65c a doz en, coffee hopped from 74 to 82c, and sugar went from 44 to 50c for five pounds. " . And Congress' is thumbing Its nose at ratmnlng until after the November election. ' - Paroles Commissioner T. C. John , son is getting quite a few requests from nrisoners and their families asking that prisoners be paroled go they can join the armed ser- , vices. Johnson says this Isn't feasible ,, unless draft and service - rules -change. Col. Tom Upton, State Selective Service chief, says no parolee Is eligible to enter the service until he has been out from under super- " vision for at least six months.. A man. convicted of a felony " would not be eligible for enlist ment, Johnson said, until he had a pardon, restoring his citizenship. XliiBnff til. In WB1 a tfAAfl mafltt v U. V mm, nM m a" " " v nsrnlctfa wn aivmtted noon the ' condition their sentence was com muted and ; parole waived. - Until now, though, the services have not relaxed the six months rule. , I M. G. Mann, general manager of the farmers Cooperative Exchange, reported business aa better than ever before i FCX history at the cooperative's annual meeting here Tuesday (Sept 12), - 1 4 Total FCX . business - - whole sale and retail marketing and pur- . chasing reached record $28, 507,439 for the year ending June 30, This was more than a million dollars above the .previous high (. reported last year. " . Mann reported there- are. now 125,000 members of FCX. which started business 18 years ago with $28,000 in the kitty. During these 16 years; Mann said, total volume 01 , purcnase anu uuuhuui ya reached a neat $182,088,243. Net savings for-FCX last year reached (517.742. All but S18.C00 . has been returned to FCX patrons and stockholders. - ; ' Jn his report at the anual FCX meeting, Mann charged that critics Continued on Pink HU1 Pate ( ) ( ) ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ( ) ( ) rri i . ... ... r, i , ( J "1 ,
The Duplin Times (Warsaw, N.C.)
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Sept. 15, 1950, edition 1
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