North Carolina Newspapers

ICfce - journal motional NEWSPAPER iihwSI m SIST *MM*6 ?w ? MtMltl - 1976 Qrt oSma\ PRESS association G?MrmlM>nM? . . Society WW** Reporter Report?* pubU*bed E~n Th?*kj 1 N C- 24376 Pu mW-EhroodAieo-e SJ^crfpU Per Year ? M.OQ 6 Mo**-* " 3 MooU" PubUiber ? EdHof PAUL DICKSON SAMC. MORRIS MRS. PAUL DICKSON CHARLES BLACKBURN CASS IE WASKO Se^ood CI? Potf " N C THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 1977 T ntteries are losers l^OllCl ICO forms of legalized Those who look to state '??eP? ?n ottaxa,ion and help states gambling as the way to me * wrong path. They out of their financial plight are headed^ ^ ^ in Connect, cut are not doing their ho?e mbling is a regressive tax on the poor, concluded (1) that leBa ,^?^e ^ ? and (2) that ? the unemployed and others le . criminial elements out of it. virtually impossible to tee p *? lo?^ Now we read in the nrooonents purport it to be. A Massachusetts is not th* caiendar 1976 shows the lottery report by the state *udltor f? cities and towns; but it cost a yielded about $43 milium for aid to revenue. The states whopping S18 million to produce contrast, collected Department of Corporations and only $17 million in $2.8 billion in revenue that year P* ^ ^ tax agency administrative expenSCS'^sl binion in aid to cities and towns, or was able to turn back *Jbo earned As Globe columnist A. A. 23 times more than the w raise that $43 million in Michelson observes. Massachusetts^ ^ l 75 cents. lottery aid simply by boosting g opposed state and national This newspaper has consisten y PP the basis Gs straight lotteries on gambling simply fails to .generate economics, it is clear that state run g e in the cost to the increased revenue states anticipate officials, society in increased c"me con^upU lusion is that lotteries ' ? - & ?**? of rather than benefit to the public. Christian Science Monitor 1 585 miles per gallon mi)?e?VaC o" what?" someone in our office had asked, as all sorts Of possibilities came to mind. d.gsel fuej that had But the Mercedes man _ said tQ a new ?or\A's record for powered this opposite of the : gas ^g cQmmercials often say, hoping - fuel economy. However, as th f . K are not necessarily to rdTpnea^'ty'acSy dnving -he car on something known as a r?The Stuttgart tuel;saver was ^ reductlo^lhat caTl help to eke extreme the streamlining an? *e 8 , u made its economy run on out the miles even on just how to bring it up a test track in the hands of s before speeding it up to30m.p.h. and le.?coastback three.quarters of a 22 poTer^^wM!, pull a station wagon full of dogs "I " have to star, somewhere.J^^n predecessors have gotten as ? h get m0re than 1,500 baby, as far as we ^ w ho is still trying to get 15 miles per gallon gives h pe awa,ts. That means six people at We could goon.butthe car poo means 120 person-miles 20 miles per gallon on the hig y.^ ^ get Qn a test track with per gallon, which means ..enough of this fuelishness! lots of coasting, which mea K christian Science Monitor \ Browsing in the files of The News?Jou?^nq^ 25 years ago Thursday, December 25, 1952 A representative of the Army agreed at a conference in Wash ington Monday with Hoke County representatives that the Army would "restudy" its plan to take some 50,000 acres of land from the County to establish a corridor between Fort Brags and Camp Mackall. ? ? ? Thomas N. McKeithan, 73, died at his home here in Raeford last Wednesday afternoon after an illness of about three months. ' ? ? ? The purpose of the Farm Census is to obtain reliable information on land use, crop acreage and selected livestock numbers. The census will be taken next year. ? ? * The Hoke High Bucks gained revenge for a loss earlier this season as they defeated die high flying i Scotties from Laurinburg in a I; , thriller 54 - 53 last Friday night in the local gym. 1 5 years ago Thursday, December 27, 1962 Some 300 town voters are ex pected to troop to the Town Hall polling place Saturday to cast their vote for or against SI 50,000 of street and water bonds that will go to match a similiar sum from the federal government. ? ? ? As might be expected, the ABC Store broke all records the week before Christmas and seemed headed for an even bigger gross this week before New Year's according to figures released by ABC Board accountant J.W. (Buck) McPhaul. * ? ? Raeford Police reported a quiet holiday season with little public disturbance. Chief L.W. Stanton said, "we did pick up a couple of drunk drivers and a couple of f>ublic drunks, but there was very ittle happening." ? ? ? James Davis, nephew of Mr. and Mrs. Joe Davis of Raeford, now stationed at Van den berg Air Force Base in California, scored 60 points the other night in a squadron intramural basketball game. ( Now all we have to do Is tow It to Retirement Lake* HOKUM By Charles Blackburn Christmas may be over for another year, but the stories and legends that surround the holiday season never grow old. Thad Stem. Jr., of Oxford, recounts a number of yuletide tales in his new book. Ransacking Words and Customs (Moore $8.95), from which the following excerpts are taken. Only slightly less viable during the Christmas season than Clement Moore's " 'Twas the Night Before Christmas., are Scrooge and Tiny Tim, from Charles Dickens' (1812 1870) A Christmas Carol, pub lished in 1843. At that time, the 31 - year - old Dickens, father of six, was grappling with some problems attendant to the writing of his novel Nicholas Nickleby. Apparently, the idea for the Carol obsessed Dickens as he tramped London's cold streets late at night, trying to reconcile his difficulties with Nickleby. Dickens seems to have been somewhat strapped for money in 1843. and he expected A Christmas Carol to sell well. The long, long story, now happily abridged of some of the superfluous ghosts and repetitive scenes, appeared, first in Dickens' magazine. Household Words; and even though the re ception was warm, the book, itself, sold only 15,000 copies the first year it was circulated, at a shilling a copy, then equal to 12 pence, or about 24 cents. (There is a sharp contrast with Mugby Junction. now generally forgotten, Dickens' Christmas offering of 1863, which sold 250,000 copies the first year.) In the ensuing years A Christmas Carol has become an international legacy, and literature has few sheer exaltations superior to the picture of the transfigured Scrooge listen ing to the bells on Christmas morning. Dickens, a consummate actor, and one of the first authors to achieve international response from the reading of his own works, read the Carol, at Oxford, as early as 1853. His dramatic format, a small table lighted by a single candle, with a backdrop of dancing shadows, is yet emulated by American actors at Christmastime. Scrooge, Tiny Tim, and Bob Crachett have had the same international personalities these past one hundred and thirty - three years as the folks down the street. And. indeed, it is the Charles Dickens of the Carol, of Christmas Chimes, the Dickens who wrote of Christmas in several successive issues of Household Words, who did so much to rejuvenate the season as an intelligent, rollicking, hedonistic festival of good will. Christmas used to be celebrated during the twelve days between December 25 and January 6, the Epiphany, the coming of the Magi or manifestation of divinity. Old Christmas is still celebrated on North Carolina's Outer Banks and at one or two places in the Kentucky mountains. One of the lyrical residues is the incredibly popular carol, "The Twelve Days of Christmas," with the magnetic refrain, "And a partridge in a pear tree." This carol began as a singing game in which guests at a home had to repeat all of the various "gifts" enumerated in the song, in order, without mistake. Any guest who missed a "gift" had to pay some innocuous penalty, some of which were paid in "Yankee dimes." meaning a kiss, ubiquitous in the American south throughout much of the 19th century and well into the insular era of the 20th century. The Christmas carol, as it is sung in America, came from England. Some authorities relate the original carols to St. Francis of Assisi (1182-1226), who built a manger scene, about which he and his spiritual brothers chanted adora tions. (One of the most enduringly popular carols, "O, Come, All Ye Faithful," is credited to John Francis Wade (1712-1786). Wade, a militant Catholic, is supposed to have written the present words and the original music during the turbulent 1740's when he was in exile, with other Stuart sympathi zers near Dounay, France.) Sir Henry Cole, infused with a passionate desire to improve the public taste, is credited with the first Christmas card, in 1843. Undoubtedly, Cole was influenced by the custom in British schools whereby students sent their parents "Christmas pieces," to convey greetings and to demonstrate their penmanship. These "pieces" were large sheets, decorated with colored borders, on which students wrote coppeij>late Christmas greetings and wishes. Cole instructed J.C. Horsley, R.A., to adopt the medieval form of triptych, or a set of three illustrations. In the Cole - Horsley production, the central piece shows a group of adults and children rejoicing with food and drink. (This brought the Temperance Society down on Cole for a testy inning.) Beneath the picture was "Merry Christmas And A Happy New Year." and the side panels depicted feeding the hungry and clothing the naked. Nonetheless, Cole's idea did not catch on with the British public until the 1860's, when his bright cards became big business. Ill This Christmas season, it makes sense to weigh our gifts and consider all we have to be thankful for. As 1977 draws to a close, North Carolinians can look upon their economic life with considerable satisfaction. We are an outstand ingly productive people, and be cause we insist on good state and local government, our relative af fluence is high. Industries moving into North Carolina find that North Caro linians outstrip employees in other states in their willingness and ability. The President of Abbott Lab oratories, which has a plant at Rocky Mount, told me the pro ductivity of North Carolina workers is higher than they have experi enced elsewhere in the country. The R.G. Barry Corporation found that their Goldsboro em ployees were setting a standard or productivity that was 25 percent ahead of their other plant in Columbus, Ohio. Barry introduced a new work design program at Columbus, with the result that productivity there slowly began to approach the North Carolina standard. But the company then introduced the new work plan at Goldsboro - and productivity in creased by 50 percent! The federal WIN program ? designed to get people off welfare and into productive jobs ? is another indication of North Caro linians' willingness to work The WIN program in North Carolina is Report To The * People ? by Senator Robert Morgan the most successful in the country. The ability of people in our state to benefit from their labors is also quite high -- suprisingly so, to people who assume that absolute wages tell the whole story. The fact is, those figures do not take into account that the cost of living is lower in North Carolina. One of the reasons is that our state and local tax burden is so much lighter than in other parts of the country. Considering per capita income alone. North Carolina ranks far behind New York, for example. But New York's seeming advantage simply vanishes when the fact is considered that North Carolina's state and local tax burden is one of the four lightest in the United States. So, when after - tax earnings are compared. North Carolina actually ranks nine places ahead of New York in the amount of real income its people enjoy. Christmas is a season for giving, and in North Carolina we would do well to be thankful for what we give ourselves -- a good life, by national standards, and one which is the reward of hard work well done. And we can face the New Year with confidence, because the will ingness to work and to be pro ductive is not a transient trait, and it will continue under any future circumstances. So let us be thankful at this season for our blessings and while recognizing the value of humility, let's be just a little bit proud. CUFF BLUE ? ? ? People & Issues A GLANCE BACKWARD... Looking back over the political news of 1977 the sparring between Governor Jim Hunt and Lt. Gover nor Jim Green probably attracted as much attention as any other event in Tar Heel politics. Governor Hunt who entered the governor's office after a smashing victory in the primary and again in the 1976 general election time and again made mention of his "man date" from the people of the polls. Early in the legislative session as open struggle appeared to get underway between Hunt and Green over the chairmanship of the State Board of Education. Hunt an nounced that he was appointing Dr. David Burton of Moore County to replace Chairman Dallas Her ring to the board. By law the board names it's chairman rather than the governor. Herring forces on the board pushed hard for the election of Lt. Governor Jimmy Green who is an ex-officio member of the board for chairman. The struggle was on. Finally it became apparent that Hunt had the votes for Burton and Green withdrew with Burton being elected chairman unani mously. However, Green had been elected chairman to serve out Herring's unexpired term. SUCCESSION ...Most of Gover nor Hunt's recommendations were adopted by the General Assembly without a major fight with the exception of his all-out struggle to get the State Constitution changed to permit a Tar Heel governor to succeed himself. The "succession" issue had been quietly mentioned in past years but never got off the ground. Hunt made an all-out effort in the General Assembly to have an amendment submitted to the people on the question of a second term for a governor. In a fairly close vote the proposed change in the State Constitution was ap proved to permit a governor to seek a second term. The other four Puppy Creek Philosopher Dear editor: One of the odd things about the exchange of prisoners between the United States and Mexico, with Americans in prison in Mexico being brought to prisons in the U.S. and Mexicans in prison here being sent to prisons down there, was the reaction of the prisoners. The Mexicans said they were glad to get out of those awful American prisons, and the Ameri cans said they were glad to get out of those awful Mexican prisons. You get the impression prisoners don't like jails. Tnis is odd because about half the convicts in prison now have been there before and, if let out, will return, if they get caught again. Unless of course they write a book, make a million, and lose interest in breaking the law. There is a move on now through out the country to improve and modernize jails. Federal judges are ordering it right and left, ana when a Federal judge speaks, everybody else is supposed to shut up. It s sort of like public schools. If they don't modernize their facilities they'll lose their accreditation, and who wants to go to a school or a jail that's not accredited? It also involves international relations. Say that South Korean wheeler - dealer who has been indicted for trying to Bribe Congress, which is a domestic enterprise and should not be open to foreigners, is tried and convicted and sent to some grubby prison where the tennis courts need re ? paving and the water in the swimming pool isn't heated and - wait till some Federal judge hears about this ?? the television sets are in black and white. Don't you know the world would set us down as barbarians? We can't have foreigners coming over here and being treated like American farmers. Yours faithfully, J. A. amendments to the State Constitu- , tion passed by large majorities as did the highway and bond issues. # SENATE RACE. ..As 1977 fades into history a major race for the U.S. Senate seat held by Jesse Helms is shaping up. first for the Democratic nomination for which a half a dozen men have announced their candidates even though the books have not opened for the tiling fees to be planked down. Last to say that he would definitely be a candidate was John Ingram who has made a very popular Slate Insurance Commis sioner. Others who have previously announced and who have been campaigning over the state for weeks are. Luther H. Hodges, Jr.. State Senator McNeill Smith of Greensboro and State Senator Lawrence Davis of Winston-Salem; David McKnight, young news paperman of Fayetteville and Joe Feiment, former Winston-Salem newspaperman. Ingram with little money or organization, won renomination easily over his 1976 primary and general election opponents. For the next few weeks the other candidates will be keeping a keen eye on the progress Ingram is making in the Senate race. General opinion now seems to be that whoever wins the Democratic * nomination, he will have his hands full in running against Helms who has a national as well as a strong state following. Helms attracted the support of many Democrats to win over Congressman Nick Galifiana kis of Durham in 1972. WILSON AND CARTER. ..Two southern natives in addition to Lyndon B. Johnson have been elected President since the Civil War -- Wood row Wilson, whose birthday is this Wednesday, Dec ember 28, was a native of Virginia who lived in Georgia, South Caro lina and North Carolina before being elected governor of New Jersey and President of the United States. Carter, like Wilson, served as governor of his state before reaching the White House. Both Wilson and Carter were steeped in a solid religious background, Wil son a Presbyterian and Carter a "born again Baptist." NEW YEAR S WISH. ..For my ' New Year's wish, again I send a favorite message, by Minnie Louisw Haskins: "And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown," And he replied: "Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way."