SHELBY, N. C.
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THE STAR PUBLISHING COMPANY. INC,
b WEArHERS --T.,■■■■■■_ President and Bdltoi
a ERNES! HOETS -- - -. Secretary ana Poremar
RENN DRUM...... News Bdltoi
A. O JAMES___—_ Advertising Managei
Entered as second class matter January i 1905 at die postofrice
At 8helby North Caroltna under the Act ol Congress March S 1879
We wish to call your attention to the (act that it w and rtae oeen
our custom to charge five cents per line for resolutions ot respect
cards ot thanks and obituary notices after one death notice has
been published This will be strictly adherred to
MONDAY, DEC. 23, 1929.
TWINKLES
Governor Gardner is practising what he preaches by liv
ing at home instead of at the Raleigh mansion during Christ
mas tveek.
Cleveland county people have already paid $180,000 in
county taxes and that's a pretty good indication that there
is quite a bit of money in circulation despite the hard times
talk.
We’ve heard of crime waves and clean-ups, but in Shel
by late last week the two were seen working together. The
Woman’s Club made an appeal in Friday’s Star for a general
clean-up of Shelby streets for the Yuletide and Saturday
morning the prisoners from the No. 6 chain gang were on
the job.
OUR CHRISTMAS GREETING TO THE
STAR’S FAMILY OF READERS.
rT'HE STAR, since this is the lust issue of the paper before
Christmas Day, takes this opportunity of wishing the
best of the happy season to its big family of readers, num
bering between 20 and 25 thousand people.
Due to the charitable hearts of Shelby and Cleveland
county people The Star’s annual endeavor to make Christmas
a bit brighter for the poor of the section, by starting and
supporting an Empty Stocking Fund, is again successful.
Christmas eve the Santa Claus selected by a civic committee
and the welfare officer to distribute necessities of life among
the worthy cases of want hereabouts will make his rounds,
and in doing so he will take much Christmas warmth and
cheer into homes where there is little but cold and hunger.
We know that every contributor will feel better Christmas
day because, of his Christmas contribution. To all those who
gave, and to the worthy recipients, who will be lent a help
ing hand, we extend*our best wishes for a joyous Yuletide
along with the same greeting to The Star’s big family scat
tered all over Cleveland county, adjoining counties and states.
May it be a great occasion for everyone.
FARM BOARD CAN’T DO IT WITHOUT
HELP OF FARMERS.
IN ORDER that the new farm marketing act may have a
fair trial it is absolutely necessary that the farmers
themselves cooperate with the Federal Farm Board and oth
er agencies being set up for the stabilization of marketing
conditions.
It is generally conceded that the board is composed of
an unusually able body of men, whose integrity is beyond
question. They have signified their desire to see strong co
operative marketing organizations formed for the handling
of the various farm crops, and the logical procedure will be
to increase the membership of those already in existence.
Where more than one cooperative group exists in one
locality it will be sought to combine them into a single or
ganization. The board has let .it be known that it will not
aid rival groups handling the same commodity until such
combination is effected.
Farmers must form these organizations voluntarily, and
those who refuse to join with their neighbors for their mu
tual benefit will be ineligible to receive any benefits from
the new law.
If the effect of the law shall be to cause the farmers to
really organize themselves, as other businesses and indus
tries have done, it will undoubtedly go a long way toward
solving the agricultural problem.
THE HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS AND
OF SANTA CLAUS.
QHRISTMAS IS OBSERVED in commemoration of the
birth of Jesus Christ, but it is really a day set apart for
the celebration of an event, rather than an actual anniver
sary. While among the masses Christmas is supposed to be
the birthday of the Savior, scholars and educated persons
generally understand that the day, or even the year, of
Christ’s birth is not definitely known.
The date, December 25, approximates that of the Roman
Saturnalia, the winter festival of the heathen Britons, the
Scandinavian Yule and the later Roman festival of the sun
god Mithra.
Christmas having become through the centuries an al
most universal festival, it is but natural that many odd cus
toms and superstitions should have been connected with its
observance in various countries and at various periods.
One of the oldest superstitions was that animals were
endowed with the power of speech on Christmas. According
to another, persons bom on that day were destined to be
lucky all their lives. A Polish version was that what one
did on Christmas would govern his actions during the fol
lowing year.
According to an ancient belief, each kind of evergreen
used for decorative purposes at Christmastide conferred
special blessings on those who passed under it. To pass under
holly insured good fortune, bay denoted victory, while laurel
imparted beauty and poetic skill. Horses were washed and
bled on the day following Christmas, as a means of preserv-!
ing them from harm.
The mythical Santa Claus has been known by many j
names—Kris Kringle, St. Nicholas, Knecht Ruprecht, Robin
Goodfellow and others. In Germany, a Christmas visitor
known as Krampus, an ugly dwarf, was supposed to carry off
naughty children.
Christmas was not adopted as a regular festival by the’*
Christian church until the fourth century, since which time
its observance has spread throughout the civilized world,
carrying its message of “Peace on earth; good-will toward
men.’'
CAROLINA’S WILL ROGERS.
QF RECENT YEARS there has developed in eastern North
■ Carolina a writer with a humorous slant that promises
to rival Will Rogers and the other wits who turn our funny
copy. Not that Carl Goerch, editor of the Washington Pro
gress, hasn’t been in eastern Carolina for more than a few
years, but it is only of recent years that he has abandoned
entirely the set standards of writing to write in his own na
tural, witty style. For a year or so he has been contributing
Sunday feature articles to the Raleigh News and Observer
which to many people have proven more interesting than
features written by Rogers, McIntyre, Ade and Nina Wilcox
Putnam. One reason, perhaps, is that Goerch is fresh as yet
and has not depleted his natural store of wit. Of recent
months other State newspapers have been carrying the
Goerch feature which is not a set column but just whatever
he chances to write about. Take this as a prediction: Two
or three years from now, if he keeps going at his present
pace and if his popularity keeps increasing, Carl Goerch will
be known as one of the most popular humorists, as far as
newspaper and magazine humor is concerned, in the entire
country. An example—Goerch was invited to Governor Gard
ner’s live-at-home banquet at the executive mansion and he
decided to write about it. His opening was in this manner:
‘“I carried the invitation to my wife and said ‘Lookit.’ She
lookited and said ‘I’m going along.’ I said ‘No, you’re not,’
and so we came to Raleigh.’’ That’s typical of the Goerch
style. There is plenty of humor and gobs of wisecracks in
every day fife, and Goerch is endowed with the ability to see
it and put it down upon paper. And that is the type of
humor that clicks with the average reader.
CHRISTMAS—MERRY CHRISTMAS.
(Rev. C. F. Sherrill.) *
“THEY SANG the first sweet Christmas,
A The song that never shall cease:
‘Glory to God in the highest,
On earth good will and peace.’ ”
Christmas began with music. In the gallery of the
skies the Angels sang the sweetest song that ever fell on
tnortal ears: “Glory to God in the highest, peace on earth,
good will to men.”
“As with gladness men of old,
Did the guiding star behold.
As with joy they hailed its light
Leading onward, beaming bright;
So, most gracious Lord, may we
Evermore be led by thee.”
“And there were shepherds in the same country abiding in
the fields, and keeping watch by night over this flock.” All
down the ages have come the happy notes of that angel choir.
What a world of joy Christmas brings us! The Christ
mas candles are lighted in our souls as well as in our win
dows. On the glad occasion brethren all are we. Down the
crowded ways of life Good Cheer goes with a radiant smile.
We all sing with Dicken’s Tiny Tim: “God bless us every
one.”
“It’s coming, old Earth, it’s coming tonight
O’er the snowflakes that cover the sod;
The feet of the Christ-Child fall gentle and white,
And the voice of the Christ-Child tell out to the night.
That mankind are the Children of God.”
Love always gives. Infinite Love gave his best. “God
so loved the world." Ours is a generous, giving God.
“O little town, 0 little town,
Upon the hills so far,
We see you like a thing sublime,
Across the great, gray wastes of time,
And men go up and men go down,
But follow still the star!”
The lesson of Christmas is that ours is a present and
loving God, and that the Babe of Bethlehem is an ever
present, loving Lord.
“O little song ot Beimenem,
How still we see thee live;
Above thy deep and dreamless slee >
The silent stars go by.
Yet in thy dark street shineth,
The ever-lasting light;
The hopes and fears of all the years
Ai’e met in thee tonight.”
Nobody’s
Business
GEE McGEE—•
Cold Enough For Xou Today?
Uncle Joe called around last week
to tell me where I could buy a nice
turkey gobbler for Christmas and
incidentally told me that so Tar as
he and aunt Minervy had not ac
cepted any invitations to.dinner. I
made it a point to see that Ke dtd
not accept one from me, as every
chair is already taken by my wife’s
kinfolks, et cetera.
I asked Uncle Joe how he stood
the cold weather of last week. That
question evidently uwakened some
| sweet memories that had gone to
I roost years ago in the back side of
his head, so he let out.
“Why. I hope you didn’t call last
week cold? It was a little bit crispy
around the house, but the year me
and your Aunt Minervy lived In
western North Carolina teached us
what cold weather really was.”
“Yes sir ree: I mind very well
the morning the spee-dometer went
down to 25 below. I throwed a pan
of water out of an up-stairs window
and it frose and lodged right up .n
the air. and long about dinner, tlmi
it thawed out and fell on one of our I
pigs and killed it. So we had roast I
pig that day and the next. The old
hens began laying icicles with a lit
tle yellow speck in the center there
at, and when i went out to milk oid
"Spot,” I would pump a while and
then stop and break the stream ot
milk up into little cream sticks."
“X stood on the back pi-izza and
whistled "Turkey in the Straw," but
not a sound came forth. I happen
ed to look around and that tune had
frozen and wrapped itself around
one of the bannisters and it looked
like a piece of barbed wire. When
it turned slightly warmer the next
day, I niver heard such pretty whis
tling as it turned oat to be. The
olaze in the lamp froze several times
and I had to get the smoothing
iron and batter it out so's we could
see something by it.”
"Several knot holts in the side of
our house froze loose and fell to the
ground. While Minervy was warm
ing her back in front of the fire,
frost formed on hei chest and had
to be scraped off with a case knife.
Our old cat was sitting under the
cook stove enjoying the warmth
thereof, but she forgot to fetch her
tail out of the ash-box nearby, and
it froze off." (He said she had a
long tail that reached to the ash
box, about 2 feet away.)
"Well, Gee, don’t forget to buy
that gobbler off of old Mrs. Jones
down near my place. I could fetch
it up for you all. that is—me and
Minervy could, and if necessary she
could help dress It the day before
and spend that night with you all,
and we could get home some way
the next evening. But you do what
is best. Goo-bye.” Uncle Joe Is a
wonderful character. It is a pity
that the frost didn't bite his tongue
off up there in these mountains. If
he were dumb, he'd be a fine old
fellow.
There are two things I have never
been guilty of, vlzzly: writing poetry
and gambling in stocks. It takes
sense to write poetry and dollars to
gamble, therefore—my two reasons
seem ample. But speaking of the
Republican administration1 so far,
tdid you ever hear the other joke
about the lion and the mouse?
Cotton Letter.
New York, Dec. 23,—By reason
of southern selling, amplified by
western straddling and the growing
scarcity of whiskey in Washington
(since the senators and congressmen
went home, January sold off to a
new low in sympathy with the farm
relief board. Due to the 6-weeks pe
riod of cold, wet, rainy, snowy,
sleety weather Just ended, the gov
ernment's estimate will possibly
show an increase of about 500 thou
sand bales exclusive of linters,
counting round bales and some hay,
therefore—a further decline in spots
seems to be available if the call
money rate is lowered so’s it can
be loaded. Since the recent slump
in stocks, the population of the
asylums, penitentiaries, poorhouses,
jails and cemeteries has increased
about 5 per cent, and this has caus
ed a shrinkage in cotton night shirts
that will be felt all over. We think
best to hold a while and mebbe get
less.
The proposed IGO-million-dollar
"tax cut” proposed by congress will
benefit less than one-tenth of 1 per
cent of the taxpayers of the United
States. The taxes which must be
paid on farm lands and mules and
dwellings and outhouses, etc., will
remain the same, unless they go
higher. This “cut” will help the
man who is already making more
money than he can decently spend.
The "painful” tax is the local tax
levied on property, and not on in
comes. That kind of tax has more
than doubled during the past 15
years, and the end aint yet.
I don't want to appear serious ali
of a sudden, but this long-dress style
seegis to be an inevitable menace.
Knees are gradually disappearing in
spite of their beauty. Unless she’s
sitting down, there ain’t much use
to gaze even now. X never seriously
objected to this change when the
thing was first proposed, but I un
derstood then that the skirts would
be only one-fourth of an inch long
er, but domed if it don't look to mo
like it is nearer a half inch. Well,
the style producers have to have
something to hem and ha about.
Uncle Joe is thinking seriously of
going into the air <hot-air) service, |
that is—he is laying his plans to
run for the legislature next yea- ;
He has been flying around some al
ready, and nearly a dozen men have
agreed to vote for him if he will .
veto the stamp tax on plug tobacco '
and snuff, all of which he promises. j
Uncle Joe is all wrought up about j
taxes and believes they ought to be j
repealed except on rich folks and
“copperations.’ Really and truly,
Uncle Joe sounds right politick-ey
to me, and If hr will keep on cussing
the government and congress an!
the League of Nations, and learn
how to eat with a knife and fork,
and stop snoring, he will turn out
to be the peoples’ friend when he
lands in the house. (This does not
mean poor house.)
Beggar: “CouH yer help a poor
guy dat’s starvin'?"
Pompous lady: "You should re
move your hat while talking to a
lady."
Beggar: “I can't mum. It's full.
of sandwiches!"
N. C. Output Of
Mica Is Higher
Bryson, State Geologist, Declares
Industry ' -is Tariff's
Aid.
Raleigh.—Recovering to some ex
tent from the lower production in
five years, the North Carolina out
put of mica for 1928 increased by
approximately 66 percent in 1927
according to figures compiled by
State Geologist H. J. iBryson in
conjunction with the United States
bureau of mines.
According to a report issued by
State Geologist Bryson, the total
value of mica produced in the state
in 1928 was $198,344 in comparison
with $117,589 the previous year.
Of the total North Carolina mica,
$129,706 was in sheet material and
$69,638 in scrap. This represents an
increase in both kinds of the min
eral.
However, according to the state
geologist, the mica industry is still
in a depressed condition because of
inability to meet foreign competi
tion. He predicts that unless pro
tection is placed on the industry
that domestic mines will be forced
to close within a few jears.
Greetings
FROM
Washburns
AS WE CANNOT REACH EACH
AND EVERY ONE BY TELE
PHONE, LETTER OR PERSONAL
GREETING, WE TAKE THIS
MEANS OF THANKING OUR
FRIENDS AND CUSTOMERS
FOR THEIR CONTINUED PA
TRONAGE, AND WISH ONE AND
ALL—
A Happy
Christmas
Cleveland
Hardware Co.
Solved! The Worrying Problem
of a Gift for “Him”~Give
SHIRTS
[f you’ve been wondering what to
give a man for Christmas, the writer
(a man) suggests shirts for a prac- ';
tical solution. These particular
shirts have had all the care in work
manship that you’ll find in higher
priced shirts. The materials are fine
broadcloths in plain and woven
stripe effects.
Shirts with collars at*
tached, and neckband
with collars to match,
* This price is really low!
98c $1.49 $1.98
J. C. Penney Co. «
MASONIC BUILDING. SHELBY, N. C.