Newspapers / The News-Journal (Raeford, N.C.) / Dec. 24, 1970, edition 1 / Page 2
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MHMEZZZZZZZHHQE mmamm MSB-1171 ASSOCIATION PuMfched Evwy Thunday at Harford. N. C. 28376 119 W. El wood Avenue Subacriptloa Rata* la Advance Per Year - S4.00 6 Month. - S2.25 3 Month. - S1.2S PAUL DICKSON Publtaher-EdKor SAM C. MORRIS General Manager LAURIE TELFAIR Reporter MRS. PAUL DICKSON Society Editor Second-CUm Poitaf* Paid at Raaford, N. C Your A wad - Winning Community Newspaper A letter from the publisher Dear News-Journal Reader: First, let me thank those of you who have commented favorably on this variation in the form of this column which we tried first last week. Representative Neill McFadyen came back with a copy of the 1969 law on the local option one cent sales tax, which Hoke County voters will pass on for the second time in a special election set for Tuesday, February 9, 1971. He had forgotten the provisions in the bill for subsequent county elections in counties where the tax was not approved in the first election authorized by the bill and held on November 4, 1969. . . . These provisions are there all right, in detail, stating that the board of elections shall call the election if requested by the board of commissioners, but not less than a year after the first election, and that if the tax passes this time it will be levied on the first day of the month following the expiration of 90 days from the day of the election, or what appears to be June 1, 1971. So much for that, except that maybe McFadyen and certainly 1 owe the board of commissioners, the board of elections, the county manager and the county attorney an apology for thinking they would even consider such a step without knowing the law, regardless of the representative's memory. 1 make this apology. When President Nixon last week vetoed the $9.5 billion job training bill, he said he didn't like the bill because the government going into large-scale hiring to fight unemployment would "relate large numbers of workers to permanent, subsidized employment." The President appears to have a picture of a loafer leaning on a shovel, and of the creation of a political patronage opportunity that would make the old Post Office Department look puny by comparison. He probably also has a notion, as do 1, that many a person who is on the unemployment compensation rolls today is there because he or she wants to be for one reason or another. Proponents of the measure take the view that the government must be an employer "of last resort" for persons unable to find work. There are also those who say, and here again we'll agree, that the time is near when no advanced country will be willing to sit back and allow a large number of willing workers to be without work. So. theie are some strong arguments on both sides of this question. 1 will have to go along with the President in his veto of the bill, and 1 will try to tell you why, even _ if you call me uncharitable in this season of charity. My reasoning is very simple, and applies to the whole trend of our society today, in which it seems to be possible to have all winners and no losers. I just can't see some individuals working very hard if they know there is no way they can lose their jobs, can you? Now if we are going to find or create a job for everyone, we would have such a situation, 1 believe, and we could not long stand it. We have always told our children "there's always room at the top," and so there is, but they also better well understand that there's room at the bottom, too. One problem would appear to be separating of "willing" workers from others. The late, grand, Charles De Gaulle is said to have related that in stopping smoking cigarettes he resorted to the tactic of making it a matter of his personal honor. He said that when he publicly announced that he would smoke no more, he had no choice but to quit, and he did. Now 1 have smoked 40 to 50 cigarettes, more or less, every day for the past 35 years, approximately, and for some reason 1 haven't figured out yet I waked up a couple of days ago with the decision already made to quit. I have tried several times before to quit, and stayed off for the better part of a year once, but decided then that it just wasn't worth it, as the desire didn't diminish. I really think the catch in being unable to quit, for me and perhaps others, is in the word "try", for a fellow who is "trying" to quit is different from one who has, simply, "quit." Sam Morris did it this way about a dozen years ago from over two packs a day, no to do whatever, just quit, once and finally. As for me, 1 have been looking at this typewriter for two days trying to get this letter written, but thinking about a cigarette. I have not quit on my honor, but for some reason 1 can't bring myself to smoke one and get out of my misery. At least, unless things change, it'll give me something to do through the holidays. Wonder how many lighters I'll get for Christmas. I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Publisher Browsing in tho files of Tho Nows-Journol 25 years ago Thursday, December 27. 1945 Raeford was honored last Friday morning by a visit from his Royal Highness the Duke of Windsor and his Duchess. The couple were enroute to their home at Palm Beach, Fla. and stopped at the Raeford Hotel for breakfast. Industrial and institutional users of sugar were advised today that allotments will be continued at the same levels for the first quarter of 1946. CWO Joe McBryde, who has recently returned from Germany is now stationed at Camp Burner. First Lt. Harold Keith, who thirty ? six months in the Pacific Theatre with the Far Fast Air Force, reached home Monday. Pfc. William Poole, Jr. has been promoted to T-5. He is now injoying 14 inches of snow in Northern Honshu, Japan. Sgt. Ed McNeill landed on the West Coast last Thursday 15 years ago Thursday, December 22, 19SS One colored woman loat her life near Rockfish Monday when her clothing caught fire and five families in the county are homeless or without clothing or goods of any kind as a result of fires in the county this week and last. Rural policeman D.J. Jones and L.W. Stanton this week reported in their activities in the capture of moonshine stills in the county since June I, this year. The report indicates 40 stills were captured and destroyed. In two nip ? and - tuck basketball contests at Seventy First High School Friday night Coach George Wood's Hoke High girls come out on top by one point as Coach Floyd Wilson's Hoke boys dropped their contest by the same margin. From Rockfish News: Rockfish News was frozen last week and although there has been a little warmer weather since then, it hasn't quite thawed out yet. *1 thought I wa? supposed to be in charge here' ""V* CVo?ki* ScicM u; LADniL i tLT Ain KSSSSSSS Yellow P in N otes Certified Genius If, by chance, you happen to notice a small yellow spot on the label of a friend, acquaintance or stranger, look closely. It might, of course, just be mustard or it might be a yellow map - pin stuck casually on the lapel or into the tie. If this is the case, you are in the presence of a certified, card - carrying genius. The small yellow ball, for which a colored map - pin serves nicely is the insignia dli Mensa, a society open to anyone who can score among the top two per cent of the world population on an intelligence test. It is an international society that began in England. Most of the members live in England and the United States but there are groups scattered all over the world. In North Carolina, there are chapters active in Raleigh - Chapel Hill, Charlotte and Greenville. Mensa has no official purpose, embraces no causes and holds no opinions. A disclaimer on the Mensa Journal states "No opinions herein are necessarily held by anybody, much less Mensa." Of course, members within the organization manufacture numerous purposes, espouse a variety of causes and hold opinions vociferously. There are a number of special interest groups within Mensa carrying on various projects, such as organizing a Mensa college and sponsoring several educational programs for gifted children. Mensa groups also throw pretty good parties. The idea of a society based on 1Q scores strikes some as being the height of trivia ?? which it probably is. But then, all restrictive organizations are based on trivial requirements. Intelligence is no more absurb as a qualification than having ancestors who fought in the Revolution or who were born in Ireland or whatever. You can apply for membership by mail. Send off S4 to the American Mensa Selection Agency. 1701 W. 3rd Street, Brooklyn. N Y. 11223 and a request tor a preliminary 1Q test. They don't insist on the fee. 1 have haard. as they don't want to eliminate poverty ? stricken geniuses, but they prefer to have it to defray costs. In a couple of weeks, you will get a mail ? order, do-it yourself IQ test. It is a recognized and valid test and is /ised to screen applicants. You take the test at home, with someone to time you perhaps, and mail it back to them. You can cheat by going over the time limit but it probably won't make that much difference. After the test is scored, you will get the report. IQ scores are usually kept a closely guarded secret by the corp of professional test administrators who give them on the assumption that those who take the test are too stupid or immature to receive the knowledge of the numerical scoring of their own intelligence. For those whose scores rank in or above the 95th percentile, a second, supervised test is in order. These are given periodically at various locations. Usually each state has a qualified person to administer the tests. An applicant can make private arrangements to be tested privately and can then submit the results to Mensa. If you make it through all that, you will be invited to join and you can say you are smarter than 98 per cent of the people in the world. If you look closely at my label, you may find mustard but you won't find a Mensa pin. And my ancestors didn't fight in the American Revolution either. STORIES BEHIND WORDS William a. fenfield Crocodile Tears Centuries ago, It was popularly believed that the crocodile moaned and groaned as If In distress In order to attract a passerby. After catching Its prey, the story continued, the crocodile shed tears while devouring It. This tale Is the basis for the expression "crocodile tears," meaning hypocritical tears or pretended sorrow. The tale Is not entirely fanciful. The crocodile does shed tears when It has a mouthful of food. The food presses against the roof of Its mouth, forcing tears from the lachrymal glands. Third Degree There are three principal degrees In Masonry?a secret, fraternal society. The degrees are apprentice, fellowcraft and master Mason. A fairly simple test must be passed to attain each degree. Outsiders hearing a Mason speak mysteriously of having to take the third degree?test for master Mason?received the Impression that It was a grueling test. Through popular usage, "third degree" acquired the mean ing of an ordeal, particularly severe treatment of a prisoner In order to extort a confession. 5RWWW?5!W?: Creek Philosopher Dear editar 1 have about given up on the plan I bring up every year about this time to get Congress to equalize Christmas, to pass a Christmas Gift Support Program whereby a man. if he spent more for gifts than he got, could have the government make up the difference, thus allowing everybody to come out even. I can't get any Congressman to introduce the bill, on account of geography. I guess it's on account of television, but Congress now knows more about geography than ever before in history, and every time a good domestic program is thought up, Congress discovers another country needing help. When Congressmen grew up in log cabins and went to one ? teacher schools where Geography consisted of memorizing the capitals of the 48 states and you passed if you got 25 right or just 15 if your father was on the school board, foreign aid was handled mostly by Missionary Societies who raised the money from rummage sales. I don't know enough about world problems to have an opinion, which doesn't stop me and most people from having one, but since World War II, according to an article I read last night in a newspaper a neighbor gift ? wrapped me a present in, the United States has spent over 100 billion dollars helping other ocuntries and as far as I can tell about all we've gotten in return is a few Christmas cards. But I didn't start out to deplore anything, this is Christmas time and there's nothing wrong with Christmas cards, although gift ? wrapped pa c kages are better. Understand though they don't have to be gift - wrapped It's what's inside that counts, whether you're talking about present or people. Especially people. Merry Christmas, Editor, Paul Dickson. Yours faithfully, J.A. Just One Thing After Another By Carl Goerch Someone wked nw Uie other ?y i[ I had ever heard of the Johnny Coonahs" in connection with the objervance of Christmas in North CaroUna back u. t?e early days. I didn't recall having heard about them, so I did some research on the subject and came up with following information: In tne North Carolina Booklet of July. 1913 Rebecca ChruV0". dn m ,r,icle on Christmas at Buchoi, a North Carolina rice plantation th*? Chrllmu be??n to make JSK'Th' "V fo?"?< <l? adds, I have been unable to discover the origin of the Coonahs and do not know in sht?-,Ty ?f the Southern States they were known. My tUat ,hC was introduced into South Carolina by the slaves who JohnmPv1;Cd Governor Sir n0h". Yeamans from the Barbadoes. and from there were brought by his descendants into North his?!t\d' W|he" ,hey resett|ed his old colony on the Cape Fear River. They were confined altogether to the low country ?r tide - water region. e Coonahs were an rrr ,pr'nc'Pally known anrf Pt ,Uth Carolina- Georgia Orleans!) "* Nc" "Some time in the course of the morning an ebony herald wna,M h" W',h exc'ienient,' would project the announcement: 'De John Coonahs connn'! and awav Hew every pair of feet within nursery precincts. There they come sure enough. A long grotesque procession, winding slowly over the hill from the quarters a dense body of men (the women took no part in it. Live as spectators) dressed in the oddest, most fantastic garb representing birds and beasts and men. ragged and Iattered ""til ragged as a Coonah' was a common plantation simile with stripes and tatters of all sorts of cloth, in which white a '*d flannel had a conspicuous part, mi wed. all over their clothes in tufts aqd fringes They were, indeed a marvelous spectable. Rude imitations of aiiimals' heads with and without horns, hid Pasteboard masks covered some, while streaks and spots of red. white and yellow pa.nt metamorpho/ed horse h'" lmmcerse beards of horse hair or Spanish moss were plentiful. ' "The leader - for there seemed to be some regular organization among them, though I could never persuade any Negro to explain it to me - was the most fantastic figure among them all. A gigantic pair of branching deer horns decorated his head; Ids arms, bare to the elbows, were hung with bracelets thickly set with jingling bells and metal rings; similar bells were fastened to the fringes of rags around his legs. "The banjo, the bones, triangles, castanets, fifes, drums and all manner of plantation musical instruments, accompanied the procession. One of the Coonahs generally a small and very nimble man, dressed in woman's clothes, and though dancing with frantic zeal, never violated the proprieties supposed to be uncumbent upon the wearer of skirts. "Once before the hall - door the leader snapped his whip with a crack like a pistol - shot. Everything stood still for an instant; we dared not draw a breath and could hear the tumultous beating of our hearts as we pressed close to mammy or grandpa. "The awful stillness is broken by another resonant crack of the whip, and at the instant the whole medley of instruments began to play, and, with their first note, out into the open sprang the dancers. Those weird, grotesque, even hideous creatures embody the very ideal of joyous, harmonious movement. Faster and faster rings out the wild melody; faster and faster falls the beat of the flying feet, never missing the time by the space of a midget's breath. One after the other of the dancers fall out of line, until only the woman and the leader are left to exhibit their best steps and movements. "About this time one of the dancers, a hideous travesty of a bear, snatches a hat off the head of the nearest child and begins to go around to the 'white folks' to gather the harvest of pennies with which every one is provided. All the while the dance was in progress the musical voice of the leader was ahanting the Coonah song, the refrain of which was taken? up by hundreds of voices. "As the wild chant draws to a close out of the hall door run a bevy of white children with laps and hats full of nuts, raisins, apples, oranges, cakes and candy, and scatter the whole among the crowd. The leader cracks his whip and the crowd marches to the next plantation. i CLIFF BLUE .., People & Issues y686^^#^3toto*fi6ft?!a6e^x6<4*e6?* TERRY SANFORD -? Speaking last Thursday night in Raleigh at a dinner honoring Dr. Epps Ready, former Governor Terry Sanford referred to the comprehensive community college system as the "most important contribution of that period" -? referring to his four - year term as governor. We have long felt and said that the enactment of the bill providing for a comprehensive system of community colleges and technical institutes as the crowning achievement of the Sanford Administration. DR. READY-The retirement of Dr. I.E. Ready as director of the Community College division of the State Board of Education on January 1 will remove from the mainstream of public life one of the solid anchors of public education in North Carolina. Quiet and unassuming, Dr. Ready directed well the community college movement during its infancy and can now see and appreciate what these educational institutions aie doing to fill the big gap between the public schools and the senior four ? year colleges in North Carolina. Dr Ready says that the success, of an educational institution is "not how many students it flunks or how many degrees it gives each year ?? but how well its students do in life, whether they're getting and holding a job, and whether they made intelligent citizens." Dr. Ready, a native of South Carolina, now 67, has served well his adopted state and citizens from Murphy to Manteo are grateful to him for a job well done. HIGHER EDUCATION ?? The State Board of Higher Education has been one of the principal whipping boys in state government since it was established during the Administration of Luther H. Hodges, and it is still in hot water. Terry Sanford was too busy attempting to improve the quality of education in the public schools and get up the comprehensive system of community colleges and technical institutes to get too involved with the Board of Higher Education except he and the late L P. McLendon who was chairman of the board got in a tiff with McLendon coming out on top. But the stage is now being set for another tussle over the State Board of Higher Education which is now headed by Governor Scott, and higher education in general, and this tussle will claim its share of headlines during the 1971 session of the General Assembly. WATTS HILL. JR. - We suspect that Watts Hill, Jr., a member and former chairman of the State Board of Higher Education devotes more time and is more steeped in the problems confronting higher education than any other non-paid lay citizen in the state. WILBUR MILLS ?? Instead of lining up behind someone like Ed Muskie, Bobby Kennedy, Hubert Humphrey or some other Democratic presidential candidate from the North or some other section of the nation, we feel that the South would do well to line up behind a sound and forward - looking candidate from its own part of the nation, a man like Rep. Wilbur Mills of Arkansas, or Terry Sanford
The News-Journal (Raeford, N.C.)
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Dec. 24, 1970, edition 1
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