^Perspective
A self-cleaning refrigerator
Children should be allowed to grow up
as children
They were called grading sticks,
though they had nothing to do with
school or report cards. Unlike regu
lar tobacco sticks, these were very
smooth and uniform. When the to
bacco had been carefully graded
according to quality and tied in bun
dles about the size of a half-dollar,
the appropriate number of bundles
were separated in the middle and
placed on the grading sticks. The to
bacco was then ready to be piled,
pressed, and taken to market.
Grading sticks also served as an
other purpose. When cut into proper
lengths and nailed side by side with a
short length attached to the bottom, a
grading stick became a shining dou
ble-barraled shotgun, ready for use
against deadly outlaws or charging
indians. The years have seen many
battles won by small boys with guns
made from tobacco sticks.
The more fortunate youngster
might have a genuine cap-firing rep
lica of a six-gun. Made of sturdy
metal and housed in a real leather
holster, the fast-drawing cowboy
could gun down most imagined foes.
You probably won't find such a gun
in toy stores today, and if you do,
don't expect a leather holster with
real leather leg ties. Most of today's
toys are made of plastic, including
the holsters. The selection of realistic
looking weapons is so great kids will
never have to use their imagination
again. From M-16's, Uzis, and sophis
ticated laser guns that let you know
you've scored a hit, today's young
warriors can find a weapon for any
purpose.
There are those who believe these
"toys" are too sophisticated and rea
listic. The death a few weeks ago of a
young man in California has led to
cries that such toys should be
banned. While playing Laser Tag
with friends, a 19-year-old was killed
by police who mistook his flashing
toy for the real thing.
A recent editorial in several area
papers indicated blame for the young
man's death should not be directed at
the makers of the toys or the police
officer. Instead, the writer blames
society as a whole, citing our expo
sure to violence as the leadig cause.
"It is time to teach that fantasies are
fantasies, and you don't act them out
by running with realistic-appearing
guns in darkness through today's vio
lence-prone neighborhoods," stated
the editorial.
Times, like toys, have changed.
While there is probably no more vio
lence in today's world than the one
many of us grew up in, our exposure
to violence is much greater.
Since on-the-spot reporting of the
horrors of the Vietnam War, modern
communications epose us to world
wide violence as it happens. And
while there has always been violence
in television programming, today's
features seem to be more oriented to
ward crime and murder, and unlike
programs of old, the good guys are
less apt to win.
If there is a problem with today's
toys, it's the fact that kids aren't re
quired to use their imaginations.
Modern toys are so real, that chil
dren are able to act out combat and
related situations with such realism
that it is difficult to distinguish
games from the real thing.
Perhaps some restrictions should
be placed on the types of toys made
available to children. But in doing so,
we shouldn't become so obsessed
with protecting our kids that we dis
couraged them from using their
imaginations. Whether the battle is
won with tobacco stick guns or plas
tic laser weapons, children will al
ways be fascinated with doing battle
with the enemies of their generation.
We shouldn't attempt to correct the
ills of society by restricting our chil
dren's right to the same fantasies we
had. Today's kids are smart enough
to understand the difference between
fantasy and reality. They just need a
little direction. Most of all, they net d
to be allowed to grow up as children.
Let's not take that away.
Perquimans County residents hear a sermon and speech
In the late spring of 1856 the people
of Perquimans County were given
two opportunities to hear new ideas
on religion and politics, from a pre
acher and a politician. A sermon was
scheduled to be preached in Hertford
on Sunday, May 11, and a campaign
speech was to be given there of
Thursday, June 12.
The sermon was from the Rev.
A.C. Thomas of the First Universal
ist Church in Philadelphia. His de
nomination had been organized in
1750 by the Rev. James Relly in Lon
don, but it had not reached many
areas. The Universalists believed in
universal salvation, declaring that
all would be saved and that there was
no eternal punishment for sin.
What Thomas might have pre
ached would be quite unlike the doc
trines of four churches then rep
resented in Perquimans, i.e.,
Quaker, Episcopal, Baptist, and
Methodist. It is not likely that his talk
had much effect on a population
which considered that damnation
was a real? and deserved? reward
for the unrepentant wicked.
A politician, too, could work up a
sense of indignation at wickedness.
So John A. Gilmer, the American
Party candidate for governor of
North Carolina, might have done in
his June address. He was a former
state senator from Guilford County
who had joined the newly organized
American Party.
In the controversies over slavery
and states' rights, the old Whig party
which had so often taken the major
ity vote in Perquimans had broken
up. Many ex-Whigs, especially those
perturbed by waves of foreign immi
gration, joined the party of Gilmer.
Its origins in a New york secret so
ciety and its password of "I don't
know" led to the American Party's
popular name, the Know-Nothing
Party. It particularly opposed office
holding by foreigners and Catholics.
(Thomas' sermon and Gilmer's
speech might have turned on a com
mon axis, as Universalists were
against Catholic doctrine and Know
Nothings were against Catholics.
Prejudices was a disgracefully com
mon platform for speakers in that
era. Some wag might have noted the
know-it-alls and know-nothings were
brothers. )
The sermon was a failure to the ex
tent that no Universalist Church was
ever organized in Perquimans. The
campaign speech, however, resulted
in a local victory for the American
Party.
Gilmer polled 348 votes in Perqui
mans at the gubernatorial election
of 1856, compared to 304 for Demo
crat Thomas Bragg.
However, Perquimans was not in
step with the site as a whole, for
Bragg won the election by 57,598
votes to Gilmer's 44,970.
The American Party had so short
and unsuccessful a life that candi
date Gilmer's name is given incor
rectly in two standard North Caro
lina reference works.
Letters to the editor
Editor
The Perquimans Weekly,
Recently I had the pleasure of re
turning to your lovely town for a
short business trip.
Let me say what a pleasure it was.
The genuine feeling of hospitality ex
tended to me by old friends was heart
warming indeed, making Hertford a
special place in my heart.
I thought you ought to know.
Fred Tabescent
Tarboro, NC
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Not even on mother's dgiy_,
The huge glass door closed slug
gishly while allowing a silky swirl of
gently May breeze to follow him in
side. The lobby was nearly empty.
There was a semblance of order ev
erywhere, and a slight tang of disin
fectant and familiar chemical that
both offended and arrided his sense
of smell.
He continued through the lobby and
turned the corner, his footsteps
barely noticeable to those in the
rooms he passed by as he found his
way down the corridor. His shoes
could have probably gone on without
him; he had walked this hall that
many times before. A few doors
down, he paused, shifted the large
potted plant to the curve of his other
arm, and gently pushed open the
door.
He found her in the wheelchair that
had been positioned near the large
window in her room. Everyone knew
she loved this spot. She liked staring
out at the huge tree whose sunny sil
houette danced a delicate, lacy pat
tern off the walls. But, most of all,
she loved to watch the birds gather
on the feeder just outside the glass
that was now her only window to the
world. The flitter of delicate wings
always brought a childlike excite
ment to her face that filled his heart
with both pleasure and pain.
He moved quietly, careful not to
frighten her with his sudden pres
ence. The plant that bloomed so pro
fusely, wrapped with colorful paper
and tied up with ribbon, now felt awk
ward and heavy, so he sat it on the
table by her tiny bed.
As usual, he paused for a while be
fore kneeling down beside the chair.
He wanted to see her before she saw
him. He wanted to absorb all the de
tails of her face before she realized
anyone was near. He wanted to study
and store up, to preserve the memory
of her simple but beautiful response
to the birds that was the only emotion
she had anymore. It was all that re
mained of her for him now. That, and
memories.
"Hello mama," he finally spoke
softly, as he wrapped her tiny hands
in his. He couldn't tell if it was her
boney fingers that trembled so fier
cely or his own strong ones that clung
to them, but he swallowed hard and
held on tight. Maybe today she would
know. Maybe just this one time there
would be some sign of recognition,
some signal, some manner of re
sponse that would reassure him that
she knew he was there, that he cared,
or that there was even a world out
side her window other than the feeder
and the birds. ?
But, there wasn't anything, and it
tore his heart out to know that the
woman who had given him life now
had so little of it herself. -1'
God, if she would just say something!
If she would only realize how sorry he
was for so many things, how much he
wanted to take all the illness ;awav.
and how he longed to hear her sife)
"son" just one more time.
Suddenly, a gush of tears Spilled
from the depths of his soul, 4nd he
laid his head in her lap while ricking
sobs shook both their bodies as if they
were one. , ?
"I'm so sorry, mama," he cried out
to the woman who sat s taring. (^it the
window. "I meant to tell you "years
ago. I just never did it. I don't know
why. I just never could say it, .But, ' ,
love you mama. I really lov.q yoW'
God how I wish you could understand
me! What I'd give if you only knew I
was here."
He didn't know how long he staged
there on the floor beside hef, but
when he finally stood, his' legs
trembled with the stiffness tl)atj he
had once heard her, herself/ com
plain about. The delicate shadow of
the tree no longer danced along ;the
wall; instead the room held 3 flieL ?
lowness that accompanied the. arrP'
val of late afternoon. He placed her
hands comfortably in her lqp;and
drew a handerchief from his back
pocket to clear his face of the residue
of runaway emotion. Then, i he
reached for the water pitcher and fed
the plant whose blossoms were) as
brilliant as the cardinal that chirped
outside her window.
"I'll bring some seed nextjfme,
mama," he spoke gently to her as h*?
turned to leave the room. And then,
with a fevered pain that still burned
his eyes, he looked back one last time
at the woman who sat so still beside
the window, never knowing. . one way
or another. Not for any moment nor
in any way. Not even on Mother's
Day.
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119 W. Grubb St. Hertford
426-5728
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