Aut’u.sl 2K, 2(M)2 THE NEWS-JOURNAL Raefiird, N.C. Viewpoints Scotch heritage: more than kilts and Highland games A new iKHik argues that the Scots ate tesponsibleforthe modern worlds wa> of thinking and getting things done. rite hooks title says it all: 1 low the Scots Invented the Modern World: I he 'I'nie Story of How Western I IIropes Pooiest Nation Created Our Woildik: I'verylhing in It. Its author, wtiuir I lerman. explains how it hap pened. I lerman argues that the Scots ere- it d the basic idea of modernity that ii msformed their culture and society m the 18th century, and they carried it with them wherever thev went. riiis transformation of Scotland II 'in a poor and hackwanl eountry lino a full-blown cultural :ind eco- immicpowerhouse in the I7()(lscame il'out, Herman says, as a result of "ine special circumstances. We think ol the Scottish High- I iihIs as a romantic home of heroes. Milt until the beginning of the I7()()s. It was a land ol poveitv, feudalism, illiteracy, and elan warfaienot unlike III'- tribal areas of Afghanistan and I’ 'kistan of tod;iy. Iionically. Scotland's transforma- iion began in l.s.Sd when John Knox lul :i reformation that overthrew the . nahlishedehurch and replaced it with I strict brand of Calvinism. Knox taught that the people must read the Mihle and come to know (ioil person- illy through their own thoughtful tiidy and piayer. And they, not a distant king oi church official, were In be responsible for the orderly gov- . I nance of their churches. file enlluisiastic Scottish converts li'ie riown the stained glass windows. ■•I dues, and buildings of the old 1 iirches. Thev destroyed centuries "I piecious art and heritage all in the ' "ise of removing idolatry. If any government authorities, in- I'lding kings and cpieens, got in their v> iv of woishiping (iod. the Scots -t od up It' them. They developed a lu dthv tradition of rebellion against un|ust authority. I low did all this disruption lead to the invention of the modern w irlif.' I RfctitlW Knox believed that every ‘i i.son should come to know (iod I" rsonallv through reading the Mihle, ilie new cliiireh tried to teach every hild in Scotland to read. I lav ing been taught to read, many Scots began to read lots of hooks and not just the Mihle. Once this habit of reading indepenilently tr'i'k root, no one, not even John Knox and his suc cessors. could control what they reail, anil vv hat they learned, and what they thought. Having been taught the responsi bility to develop their own relation ship with (iod. they developed a sell- confident pride in iheirabilily to solve eveiy kind of problem and find ways to improve the world in which they lived. Mv the end of the I (rOOs, Scotland ,is the most literate nation on earth. In the I7()()s. it became the center ot philosophic and economic think- One on One I). (i. Maiiin ing, led by such familiar names as Adam Smith and David Hume, and a host of others. Its universities were the envy of every eountry in ITirope. It became the center of invention and business, with James Watts' 1781 steamenginebeconiingthe workhorse of the Industrial Revolution, in which technology and modern capitalism heeame lifes driving forces. What does this have to do with North Carolina today'.' I'he transformation of Scotland was in full bloom as waves of Scots and Scolch-lrish immigrants were landing in America and settling here. Thev were bringing w iih them these new Scottish ideas. I'hey were deeply religious, will ing to stand up to unjust government, hard-working, entrepreneurial, and passionate about the benefits of edu cation and ini|uiring minds. Those who supported the Revolution, in- eluding most of the Scolch-lrish, be came its workhorses. Today. North Carolinians seem to have a love affair with things Scot tish. Some of them celebrate their heritage by dressing up in kilts and larliins for dinners in honor of poet Robert Mums, for special religious services, and lor Highland games and festivals at ('irandfalher Mountain, Loch Noiman, Red Springs, and all over the state. Some people argue that this Scot tish mania is based on our identifica tion with the lost causes of Southern and Scottish independence. Moth causes have been highly romanticized and shamelessly eelehraled. Based on 1 lerman'shook, it is clear that we have something belter to cel ebrate. It is these core Scottish values that arose from Knoxs reformation and came here with the Scots and Scotch-Irish immigrants. I'hcse Scottish vahie.sespccially the eommilment loeducational excellence and the freedom of the human mind to iiu|uire in all directions — are a solid rock on which our stales best tradi tions are built. They arc something for which we should be grateful to Scotland. And if these values are part of our heritage, ourSci'ltish connection really is.some- Ihing to celebrate — with pride. I).(l. Marlin i^CurolinusDirector of the Trust for Public Laiul, a lui- lioiuilconservation ort’unization that preserves land for people. UNC'-TVs North Carolina Hookwatch, hosted by Marlin, airs on Sundays at 5:00 p.m. This iveeks (.September I) finest is Dr. Mel / evine, author of the New York Times best .seller A Mind at a Time. Money: You can’t miss what you never had There are some things in this world us elders (that is a better term th;m old folks)don't understand. It issorlalike the term recession. In my day it was called a depression; now that is a weather term. Regardless 1 lived I h rough I he great depress ion, al though we didn't know it was a depression — no one told us. We didn’t have any money; w e never had any money. The first dolhir hill I ever saw was the first service payday I had. It was $14. 1 thought Ihiil was all the money in the world. You could buy cigarettes for a nickel a pack; since I didn't smoke I saved my nickel. I did meet my first Yankee in service. He was an ol' boy from New York. He walked around with me all day just to hear me talk. He asked what I did before I came in service'.' I couldn't tell him I plowed a mule, he didn't know what a mule looked like. I'ora few' months I worked in Belk's, therefore 1 felt that would be acceptable to tell him about my experience in the department store husine.ss. Being nosy, he wanted to know what I made a day. When I told him $l.7.'i for a lO-hour day, he thought it was so funny that he told the whole eompatiy about my money making. Right then I knew Lee made a mistake when he surrendered. Ifw'e had won the war, the capitol could have been in the South then we could have enjoyed the problems Wtishing- ton has experienced. Come to think about it, 1 am glad we lost. * + + 4c * My love-hate rehitionship with computers is well known at my house. No machine should be invented that is as contrary as a computer. I have w ritten this column once, only to get it lost in the computer before I could print it. The unfortunate thing is I Weekend reunion for class of ‘72 I'he Hoke County High class of '72 will celebrtite its .'JOth class reunion on Saturday evening, August 31 at (rat the Raeford Civic {’enter. A reception for classmates will be held on Friday evening, August 30 at 7 at Dr. Mark Fhompson's office build ing. On Saturday iifternoon, be- gitining at noon, at Upchurch gym, chiss of '72 will sponsor a btisketball game. All male class mates are expected to participate, say s a spokesperson. “Let "s come together and dine, meet and greet and share our past and present. Don't let this golden opportunity pass you by." Also, don’t forget about the Bahama cruise November 24, 2002. For more information, call Irene Dockery at 875-6921; or write her at PO Box 634, Rae ford, NC 28376. A E C B’ A E C B’ A Missing Medicine Costs People who don't take their medicine properly cost the nation billions a year in medical bills and lost productivity, according to a drug industry study. Half the time, Americans skip doses, abandon their medicine early or don't get prescriptions filled-that keep them sick and have caused a surge in drug-resistant diseases. Missing medicine also causes at least io percent of hospital admissions, lost productivity, more nursing home admissions, and even premature death. Does your pharmacist take time to explain how to take medicine correctly? At this Pharmacy, we care! Prescriptions, Health Care Supplies, Drop Off/Pick Up Window, Photo Processing, Greeting Cards, Gift Items Monday - Friday 8:30 a.ni. - 8:00 p.m. Saturday 8:30. a.m. > 2:00 p.m. Howell Drug can't remember what I hail written. Like the man who said he looked across the room and savv a person he knew and remembered his first name, by the time he got over there he had forgotten it. 1 do remember I was talking about peaches, which shouldn't be a new topic to those who read this column. We have a couple more weeks in the field before we close up foi the year. It has been an unusual year. The weather hasn't cooperated. We have picked some varieties before they were ripe. This doesn't make for good cus tomer relations. If you got peaches that would not rii'eii, come to see me and 1 will replace them. All itiekeis blame it on the other when green peaches show u|' in the baskets. M\ grandson says he doesn't pick green peaches.'I hereforethat leavesCodietl or me; I blame it on Corbett, he blames it on me. I tell him to blame it on the goats; they can't t;dk hack. Regard less we have good customers and we don't want to lose them. I'herefoie if you are dissatisfied with some peaches voLi got, we vvill make them light. Now if voii show up and I haven't seen you befoie. I might give you some green ones. Just kidding. * * + -r A lot of people get down on them selves because they think being im perfect is such a great sin. Do you think you are imperfect'.' Ifso, you are in good company. Moses stuttered. David's armor didn’t fit. John Mark was rejected by Paul. Timothy had ulceis. Hosea's wife was a prostitute. Amos' only training was in the school of fig-tree pruning. Jacob was a liar. David had an affair. Solomon was too rich. Jesus was too poor. Abraham was too old. David was too young. Peter was afraid of death. Lttzarus was dead. John w;is self-righteous. Naomi was a widow. Paul was a mur derer. Jonah r;m from Cod. Miriam was a gossip, (iideon and Thomas troth doubted. Jeremiah was depressed and suicidal. Llijah was burned out. John the Baptist was a loudmouth. Martha vvas a worrywart. Mary was la/y. Samson had long hair. Noah got drunk. Moses had a short fuse, so did Peter and Paul. Aren't we thankful the Lord loves us regardless'.' My parting thought — A man told the docti'r he had severe neck pains, thiohliing headaches and dizzy spells. After a thorough exam illation the doc tor said there was no mistake about it A View from the Country Raz Autry — he had only two months to live. The doomed man decided to spend all his money and enjoy his remaining life. Fiist, he’d get something he al ways longed for — a dozen tailor- made silk shirts. While measuring him, the tailor said. “That's a size 17 neck,’' "Hold on,” said the man, "I wear a LA" I'he tailor re-measurered him. "You are definitely size 17.” The man insisted. “I'm a size 15.1 always wear a 15, and that's what 1 want." ■Okay,” said the tailor, “But if you wear a 15 you'll have severe neck pains, throbbing headaches and dizzy Military Briefs Two take Navy training Two 1 hike County High School Completing the aiurse in August students completed a two-week are Damien Revels, son of I'amest training course for the Naval Sea Revels and Linda Revels, and lony cadets at fort Dix, New Jersey. and Marie I-ovvery of Raeford. Pcurilafi Qijfti & 128 N. Main St. • Raeford *(910) 875-7646 NONDAY, SEPTENBER I” 60% OFF ALL STERLING SILVER Candles *3** • Watches VVr offer: Gift Wrapping, Jewelry Cleaning & Repair, Bridal Registry WE DELIVER! ON SALE ALL WEEK 15% OFF ALL GOLD 15% OFF ALL PURSES LARGE POTPOURRI * J** Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday 9:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. Wednesday & Saturday 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. New Items Arriving Daily! VOTE FOR AND ELECT WILLIAM W." BILL’ CAMERON CANDIDATE FOR HOKE COUNTY COMMISSIONER % 'kif ELECTION BREAKFAST FREE BREAKFAST with all the trininiiiigSi Sunday, SepttJtnber 8th 7:00 am. - 9:00 p.m. Hoke Ovic Center He can provide responsible and credible leadership as YOUR (X)MMISSIONER. VOTE "CAMERON" ON SEPTEMBER lO, 2002 Paid for bv Committee to Elect Cameron. Sieve ConneU. Chairman