weekty Perspective
. iS
Other views
Don't forget USA
really is number one
By JOHN SLEDGE
N.C. Farm Bureau Federation
It is disturbing when people
question if the U.S. is slipping in vital
areas, as the editors of a national
news magazine did recently in an
article headlined, "Is The U.S.
Really No. 2?"
While that question dealt with U.S.
military strength as compared to the
Soviet Union, other critics suggest
that our political and legal systems
are unworkable, that our cor
porations habitually place profits
ahead of people, that only the rich
can afford health care, that our in
dustries are outmoded-with non
existent quality control reflectd in a
continuously declining U.S.
productivity.
It is time to call a halt to this foolish
denial of American greatness.
Dislike the phone company? Try it
in China. Unhappy with mail ser
vice? Consider Uruguay where tons
of undelivered mail have been
routinely burned. Try naming the
country with a better judicial system
(Iran? Poland? South Africa?).
Concerned about money value and
national financial stability? Look
across our borders in either direc
tion... or to 100 percent annual in
flation in Brazil, higher in Argentina.
We are not saying we should be
happy to live with American in
flation, unemployment or other
problems. What we are saying is that
our political system has produced a
national stability second to none. If
you dislike two-party politics, con
sider Italy with more than two dozen
parties and almost a monthly change
in administrations Compare U.S.
health care services and op
portunities with the socialised
programs of Great Britian and
Sweden. One good American
supermarket contains more food and
consumer goods than the total found
in many foreign capital cities-and at
a fraction of the price.
Unfortunately, there is just enough
truth in most negative statements
about the U.S. to convince many
people that they represent whole
truths, rather than a glimpse of truth
surrounded by a very complex issue
or abstract problem.
Perhaps a letter-to-the-editor by a
Soviet immigrant proides the per
spective we need.
He wrote: "If Americans knew
what it is like to search for a piece of
meat and never find it; how it is not
to be ale to buy a refrigeator unless
you stay on a waiting list for 10
years; what it is like, by mandatory
registration, to be committed forever
to living in one place; how easily
people are put in jail for complaining
about it; what it is like to live in
constant fear and to struggle for
survival every day in a country
where courts are designed to protect
the government and justice is for
mulated in one simple concept of
guilty unless you can prove other
wise...
"If they knew all tfeis...they would
whisper, as I do; 'God bless this land
and its people'."
We ARE number one. Never forget
it.
In Perquimans
Baptist Church
organizes in 1806
Although Baptist miniates Paul
Palmer and Henry Done resided in
Perquimans in the eighteenth cen
tury, no Baptist church was
organized in the county until 1806.
In colonial times the Church of
England had established Yeopim
Chapel, on Indian Creek, for the
people along Yeopim River and down
Harveys Neck. Anglican worship
declined after the American
Revolution, and ,the people living
near the chapel were evangelized by
Yeopim Baptist Church in Chowan
County.
On July 11, 1792, Frederick Luten
and Isaac White conveyed Yeopim
Chapel to "the Good people of our
neighbourhood" because of "Love &
good will... for the public. Divine
worship of Almighty god." The
"Good people" became Baptist, and
the site has remained in Baptist
possession to this day. (Ownership
was confirmed in land deeds of 1809
and 1816.)
The formal constitution of the
Yeopim Chapel folk as the first
Baptist church in Perquimans
County took place in 1806. At a con
ference on March 21 the name
"Bethel Meeting house on Indian
Creek" was chosen, and five deacons
were elected, namely Job Pettijohn,
Joshua Skinner, John Blount, Joseph
Benbury and Charles W. Blount. The
last named individual was chosen
clerk.
The new church has 67 founding
members, being 13 men, 44 women
and 10 black men and women. They
assembled in solemn conference on
March 22, 1806. After examination
into their faith and fellowship, they
. * ' i ' \
declared themselves a church and
gage each other the right hand of
fellowship. The ministers present
acknowledged them to be "a regular
constituted Church of Christ." Thus
Bethel Baptist Church was born.
On April 12, 1806, the new church
held the first of those regular mon
thly meetings at which
congregational business would be
conducted. The Rev. Martin Ross
was called to be pastor.
Through the years these meetings
accepted new members into the
church and elected church officers.
Sinners were admonished and the
unrepentant excommunicated. A
brother might confess his "in
toxication at the last election" and a
sister be found guilty of ingratitude
to her parents, as the church exer
cised its Christian discipline.
The church also considered the
preaching ability of blaek brother
George Bonner (IMS), furnished a
suit of clothes for the minister to
baptise in (1812), declared going to
dances a sin (1814), and planned a
school house (1837).
During the pastorates of Margin
Ross and his successors Thomas
Meredith and Quinton H. Trotman,
the membership of Bethel Church
grew substantially. The church
established meeting houses in
Edenton and Hertford which sub
sequently bescame independent
churches.
By 1837 Bethel had outgrown Its old
meeting house and in March of that
year plans were made for a nfew
building. The church was informed
the next November that "(he New
meeting House... was Compleated
According to Contract and In A
Compleat Workmanlike manner..."
This 1837 church still occupies the
step hill above Indian Creek.
Bethel Baptist Church maintains
the distinction of being the oldest
congregation of its denomination in
Perquimans County and of wor
shipping in the county's oldest
Baptist building.
Looking back
MYura AfD-lM
?r vntonoA vhiti tramuau
TWO LOCAL MKN ATTEND N.C.
DAY: Two Hartford men, Wm. F.
AJnsley and Larry Aydteti van
mmamg the Tar Haala traveling to
New York far the "North Carolina
Day" to Naw York City oa Tuaaday.
Aydtett Is manaager of the
Commerce and Ainaley U chairman
at the Merchant* Committee. Other
men attending from tkU comity
were: T.P. Bjrrum a ad Joel
HoUowelL Jr.
BIRTH AMNOUNCSMBIT: Mr.
and Mrs. Caraoo Sptrey, Jr.. aa
novnee the birth of a ton. Jamea
Canon bora Wihirtiy at the
. 'Was this the final play-off?"
Reason behind State's ACC victory
I would just like to let all of you
Wolfpack fans out there know why
N.C. State won the Atlantic Coast
Conference tournament last week
end.
It's really very simple.
My husband changed teams... a
former dyed in the wool, red
through and through State fan, he
is now a true blue Tar Heel sup
porter.( Although, I'm still not
convinced of his loyalty ! )
The history behind this amazing
transformation goes way back.
Historically, my husband has
always pulled for the losing team.
Whether it was the Orioles, the
Hawks, the Falcons, the Dolphins,
the Celtics or the Wolfpack ?
more times than not, they have
been on the losing side.
These losses have resulted in
many an object being thrown at
the television (as well as threats
to shoot the t.v.) and also quite a
few angry exchanges of words
between us both. My answer to all
of his protests is always, "You
just don't pull for the right team ! "
I think he finally became con
vinced.
Following one recent Carolina
victory. I heard my husband
muttering under his breath
something about "Carolina luck"
and there being "no justice in the
world" and suddenly his sour
expression changed to a bright
smile and he announced the big
decision.
"I'm going to start pulling for
Carolina... if that doesn't put a
hex on them, I don't know what
will," he said.
I told him I was glad my advice
had finally begun to sink in and
welcomed him to the "winning
team," beaming triumphantly.
Somehow I think it all back
fired, however.
Remember when Carolina lost
three in a row? That was after my
husband's so-called mutiny and I
started becoming a bit suspicious.
I really began to smell a rat on
Sunday when he quietly and
distractedly watched the final
ACC championship game, in
between trips to the tennis court
(This type of behavior is very
unlike the true Tar Heel en
thusiasts I know! I think he was
silently rooting for the Cavaliers
during the final game. )
But my suspicions were con
firmed when I noticed a Mona
Lisa-like, Cheshire cat-type grin
on his face for the remainder of
the day. He told me "it worked ! "
I'm sure Jim Valvano would
appreciate my husband's
defensive tactics, but I know Dean
Smith and Terry Holland would
agree with me ? with fans like
that, who needs foes !
f # ^ a syndicated colum
fdCllV^ SOUth voices of tradition
V < in a changing regioi
A college education
for working people
HANCOCK COUNTY, Tn. - Orbsn
Horton shyly received the applause
of his classmates at the conclusion of
his "Philosophy of Community
Development" course. The course
marked his final credits toward a
Bachelor of Arts degree. In this
achievement Horton overcame a set
of challenges shared by millions of
other Americans: a full-time Job,
workings class income, family
responsibilities and isolation from
four-yeareolleges and universities.
In fact, Horton's diploma was
awarded by Lincoln Memorial
University, a private liberal arts
college 90 minutes away. But what
made tM completion of his studies
possible was an organisation formed
by the aspiring students themselves,
the Haa4bck County Education
Cooperative.
Rural, Isolated Hancock County
has a -per capita income ranking
sixth lowest in the nation. But many
residents have made conscious
decisions to stay here, determined to
saraMmt such as "??<??*
comity's Education Cooperative was
to go beyoad the estfston offerings
and two-year program of a nearby
'eissusHy college. Most were in
terested to the liberal arts rather
I
than in the vocational programs
usually earmarked for economically
depressed areas. These students
already had jobs. They were anxious
to develop leadership skills in
analysing and speaking out on
matters of economic, social and
philosophical concern to their
community.
The Cooperative began in the fall of
1981 as a group of citizens started a
door-to-door campaign to ascertain
the amount of interest in such a
venture. Over 70 county residents
than then met to elect a board, which
contacted five area colleges with a
proposition: in exchange for reduced
fees and greater control over course
offerings and class location, the
Cooperative would offer one college
an exclusive contract to provide
education for the Cooperative's
members.
Negotiations led to a short-term
contract with Lincoln Memorial
University in early 1M2; the board is
now working oat a long-term . con
tract with Carson-Newman College
in Jefferson City. At a time when
many am all colleges are ex
periencing declining enrollment and
financial woes, the Education
Cooperative offers an attractive
alternative. With little overhead
other than added administrative
costs (no expansion of dining, dor
mitory or classroom resourcers), the
contracted college receives income
from five to seven additional courses
each term.
Meanwhile, the Cooperative's
success provides incentive for
The Cooperative also provides
opportunities (or qualified in
structors in the community to teach
accredited courses in the humanities,
education and business. This has
enabled the membership to focus the
curriculum more directly on
problems of local concern. One
example is the "Philosophy of
Community Development" course,
aimed at integrating theoretical
studies of development and com
munity economics with actual
community projects-such as a small
business loan fund (which came from
the surplus tuition money) and a
massive trash clean-up. Students
from this course also formed an
organisation called Citixens for a
Better Community which is com
mitted to ongoing community
development.
Cooperative members are now at
work developing a complete college
curriculum, ranging from basic
skills courses to classes on topics
such as energy use and alternatives
classes which will give these adult
citizens the tools they want to shape
their community's future. Although
the Cooperative's members come
from varied backgrounds and
cherish diverse personal goals, they
share a common interst in promoting
"community-controlled" develop
ment in Hancock County*
development whose shape they
themselves can direct, at least to
some degree, rather than surrender
it completely to outside interests.
Today, the Cooperative has about
80 members. Orban Hortonk, who's
worked as a farmer and a miner and
now manages the local TV A office,
serves as the chairperson of the
board. He brings with him the
negotiating skills he gained years
before as president of a union local.
As they honored him for completing
the credits for his B.A. degree,
Horton reminded his classmates of
the central purpose of the Education
Cooperative: to give working adults
the opportunity to direct their
education toward a better Hancock
County.
THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
Published Every Thursday
By Advance Publ., Elizabeth City
Vol T. Short Jono B. Williams
Editor Advertising Manager
Pat Mansfield
Circulation Manager
NEWS AND ADVERTISING DEADLINE
SiOO P.M. MONDAY
Subscription Ratos: . . - t
One Year ? 7.50 in county ? 150 out of county
P.O. Box 277
Hertford, N.C 37*44
_