*• The Kings Mountain Herald
r Established 1889
A weakly newspaper devoted to the promotion of the general welfare and published
fee the enlightenment, entertainment and benefit et the citizens of Kings
and its vialatty, published every Thursday by the Herald Publishing House.
Entered as second class matter at the postoffice at Kings Mountain, If. C, under Act
of Congress of March 3,187A
BDROBUUa oepastmEHT *
Martin Harmon . Editor-Bub Hah or
David Baity .....Advertising Salesman and Bookeeper
Miss Elizabeth Stewart... Circulation Manager and Society Editor
Neale Patrick...Sports Editor
MECHANICAL DEPARTMENT
Eugene Matthews Horaoe Walker Wade Hartsoe, Jr.
Paul Jackson Monte Hunter
TELEPHONE NUMBER — 739-5441
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TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE
Comfort your hearts, and establish you in every good word and work. II Thessalonians 2:17.
Schools In I960
The nation is observing American Ed
ucation Week, considering the amount
of investment the nation makes in edu
cation, the number of people collabor
ating to provide instruction, and the
number of youthful crania seeking to
absorb instruction, would make these
November days more worthy of com
ment than some of the “weeks” Ameri
cans are prone to observe.
America and Americans owe much of
their success to education, and a per
usal of the biographies of early Ameri
can leaders will show that education did
not come easily and was expensive to
obtain. Indeed, every school child gets
an early lesson in the studying Abraham
Lincoln did by the light of an open fire,
and that wasn’t long over a century ago.
North Carolina got its big educational
push in 1900 and its educational facili
ties and caliber of instruction have been
on the road up ever since.
As recently as in 1911, the Cleveland
County board of education issued a
proud year-end report. The value of its
rural school property had reached the
astounding figure of $29,000, including
83 schools, only one of which remained
of log construction.
Today, $29,000 might build three
rooms, if the specifications aren’t too
complicated, and the bidders rather
' hungry.
Education is big business in North
Carolina today and it continues to at
tract the considerable interest of a ma
jority of North Carolinians.
There are good reasons: an educated
citizens is a better citizen, earning more
for himself and producing more. In a
competitive world, where the stakes,
many think, are freedom versus slavery,
education may mean the difference be
tween freedom and subjugation.
The term education, as it applies in
Kings Mountain and much of North Car
olina, means public education, and few
associated with education would argue
that the schools were better in an earl
ier day. They weren’t.
Teachers are better trained, breadth
of curriculum is greater, and teaching
tools are more varied and in greater
supply. One reason the schools are do
ing a better job is that today’s parents
are better-educated than they were 30
and 40 years ago.
Attention is being called to the duties
of lay citizens to the schools.
There are several. Parents of school
children should lend parental discipline
to that of the teachers. Criticism should
be constructive rather than destructive.
Citizens should not be niggardly in pro
viding funds for needed facilities.
World Freedom
The freedom won by the struggling A
merican colonies from Great Britain in
1781 has sparked a continuing revolu
tion around the world which continues
to be evidenced in the emergence of new
nations.
The once-popular imperialism of na
tions, as marked by colonialism, is wan
ing by leaps and bounds. The demise of
colonialism began after World War I,
but has been accelerated vastly since
the end of World War II.
On the whole, if the experience of the
United States is a criterion, the move
ment is good in the long run.
But there are examples at the mo
ment which make it appear that nation
alism is winning in some areas years, if
not decades, too soon. Certainly this is
true of the strife of the Congo, and in
many other areas is to be considered.
And who would argue that Cuba’s his
tory. since local autonomy was attained,
has been a model for self-determination
in government?
Apparently, in dealing with many of
these nations, others have a choice of
dealing with and supporting govern
ments which major in corruption or
taking an alternate chance of dealing
with revolutionaries who seldom think
they can stop their killing, once the
coup becomes successful.
Dealing with these emerging nations
poses a major problem for the free
world in a cold war.
Two Changes Needed
It is hoped that a change or two in
voting arrangements will be made be
fore another election, certainly before
another quadrennial election involving
the presidency.
One is local.
The law of North Carolina requires
that a person, to qualify to be a Voting
citizen, must, in addition to being 21,
literate, sane, unconvicted of a felony,
etc., have resided in North Carolina for
one year and within the precinct for 30
days.
Certainly there were some citizens,
continuously of the United States, who
had moved to North Carolina during
late 1959 and the forepart of 1960, who
were disfranchised on Tuesday due to
the one-year requirement in the statute.
Some (depending on the laws of the
state from which they removed) were
able to vote in that state as an absen
tee, though, when they moved here,
they established permanent residence
in North Carolina. Others could not.
The more ardent of the let’s-get-out
the-vote contingent might jump to the
quick conclusion that the federal Con
gress should pass a voting law taking
care of the moving about business, and
likely the group would include some
just-as-ardent states rightists, until
their second thought hit.
Such an effort would create a filibus
ter from the South to end all filibusters.
Indeed, successful passage of a federal
voting law of this type might include all
that the states rights Congressmen have
been fighting for years.
But the North Carolina General As
sembly could handle the matter come
February.
Since the “local” part of the law re
fers only to the precinct, it would seem
that North Carolina could change its
voting requirements to United States
residence of a year, retaining the 30-day
within precinct requirement, or, at least,
reduce state-required residence to 90
days.
Another change a majority of citizens
would like to see is a change in the e
lectoral college ari’angment whereby,
theoretically, either of the presidential
tickets, by a 50-vote margin, could have
swept all of the 50 states on Tuesday,
and, whereby in actuality, every voter
for the loser on Tuesday lost his vote.
The electoral college arrangement is
a throwback to olden days when there
were more parties with more strength
and at a time when a good portion of
the thinking of political leaders was
that the average citizen was just that
and not to be completely entrusted with
all the final decisions. A sample of this
is the fact that it hasn’t been too many
years that North Carolina citizens have
been choosing their Senators directly.
Unanimity on this proposal should not
be expected. First, each set of party
leaders would do some careful analyzing
to see how they might be effected next
time around the voting horn. The Re
publicans, by registrations the minority
party, might see this change as too big
a boost to the enemy. Too, the GOP
might not look forward with enjoyment
to the heavy Democratic margins of the
once-solid South being added to the na
tional totals, and the Democrats might
take a similar view regarding some of
the mid-Western states.
Sure to be opposed would be those
still dreaming of deadlocks within the
electoral college, bulwarked by third
party efforts, independent electors and
otherwise, with a chance of throwing
the choice into the laps of members of
the House of Representatives.
But all these complaints would be
lodged by system-figurers for victory.
The average voter is now sane enough
and literate enough to cast his own vote
and to have it counted.
It’s not too late to make a donation
to Kings Mountain United Fund.
MARTIN'S
MEDICINE
By Martin Baras*
Ingredient*: bite of newt,
wiadorn, humor, and comment.
Direction$: Takm ioeetclg, if
poeetble, but avoid
Pew will be sorry that Tues
day's election is history, even
the losers, who must have been
glad to see the short-of-sleep
nights and long hard-working
days past t \
One mark ol the 1960 cam
paign is that it will go down
likely, as one ol the more hu
morless in history.
m-m
The party presidential Stand
ard-bearers were of the serious
brand, and their sometime ef
forts at lampooning and levity
were half-hearted and oult-of
dharacter. Perhaps this was a
seasoned plan. With tooth can
didates mere juveniles, as po
litical ages go, it is likely they
both guarded themselves a
gainst joking as too youthful..
Even the off-color jokes in
the unprintable category didn’t
get the boisterous laughter of
others in previous campaigns.
m-m
The printable ones were worse.
Sample: Had you heard that
the Vatican is to be moved to
Texas? Answer: The Pope
wants to roam on the range.
Oddball situations did devel
ope, and many of them, occurr
ed in family splits. It wasn’t
unusual to find wife and hus
band parting in twain during
the campaign, where children
were involved, there were many
tnore splits. J
n-n
'As usual, the forthright young
sters could and did report some
split situations that father and
mother, would have preferred
not to advertise.
m-m
One lad was asked his presi
dential preference. He replied,
"Kennedy.” The questioner
suggested that his father must
have instructed him, “Oh, no,”
the lad responded, “he claims
to toe an Independent, but he
aint nothing bult a Republican.”
m-m
Another parent had a son
who was active as a TeemAge
Democrat. It was the night of
the Shelby rally, and the son,
whO’d been working with
friends on placards and banners
for the evening show excitedly
reported to his father, “We’re
going to a rally.”
m-m
Father replied, "I don’t know
why you say ‘we.’ YOu’ve got a
part on a program at the chur
ch tonight.” The lad thought a
minute, then brightened, “I
believe I just forgot that.”
m-m
This didn’t suit the father,
who reminded his son that when
he accepted a responsibility he
must discharge it, wtliich was a
worthy lesson indeed. It was
later, during supper, that the
boy suddenly addressed his fa
ther with a serious question,
“Dad, are you a Republican?”
m-m
His father laughed, “No, I’m
a Democrat, and I take it you
are, too. Why?”
m-m
The boy Wad two reasons he
considered excellent His school
friends were Democrats $md, af
ter all, Nixon was going to
make ’em go to school year
round!
m-m 1
;
Some folk didn’t let politics 3
bother ’em at all. A football <
coach, during political season,
was asked whether he thought
a Friday night debate would
pare attendance at his football
game. He is quoted as asking,
"What debate?” The questioner
continued, ‘TBetween the candi
dates.” The coach again, “What
candidates?”
m-m
The best lesson I had during
the campaign was derived in
boning up for a talk on the
“Mechanics of Voting" to be
made to Mrs. Jay >Patte«rson”s
seventh grade. Voting seemts
very simple, but it requires bet
ter than 100 pages of small
type to print the North! Caro
lina laws relating to voting. A
citizen or election official tak
ing liberties with the law can be
called on to explain it to the
Judge, and the penalties provid
ed are hardly painless, either
to the pocketbook or corpus.
To keep the people awake,
I suggest an 'Enemy-of-the-Month"
TATKtA
Muerre!
Viewpoints of Other Editors
WHAT PRICE ''PRESTIGE'?
American "prestige” — which
suggests an international popu
larity contest — may not toe the
highest it has ever been.
However, those who continue
to say that it is at an all-time
low are stabbing the United Sta
tes in the back.
For instance, (Premia devoted
nearly two columns of its Mon
day edition in Moscow quoting a
television statement toy Sen. John
Kennedy and a speech toy Adlai
Stevenson, made in (Durham, say
ing American prestige is at a
new low. |
Pravda also seized upon Stev
enson’s statement at Duke Uni
versity that the Communist world
“looks more dynamic and we look
static.”
We do not think the facts a
bout our international relations
should be denied the American
people, but there should be every
effort to give them a true picture
and not one distorted for politi
cal reasons.
/The facts have been stretched
by both! presidential candidates—
one on the pessimistic side and
the other on the optimistic side.
The thing we fear is that some
of the Soviet Union’s propaganda
is beginning to take effect on po
litical leaders in America. We
can understand poorly informed
people overseas falling for the
Comm unisits’ supremacy line,
but not our own citizens.
All of us must rememlber that
our information efforts overseas
are restricted to truth. The Com
munists can exaggerate and dis
tort to suit their devious purpo
ses.
There is a very real question,
toe, as to what constitutes “pres
tige,” or Whether it is the most
important thing in the world
struggle. Adherence to principle,
ind strength coupled with con
cern for freedom and peace —
these are the lasting things.
As a world leader, we may go
through periods of unpopularity
when we have to make tough de
cisions. Elected officials, school
teachers and business executives
lave all experienced this tempo
rary rejection.
In the final analysis, however,
the test of those decisions lies in
whether the decider is following
a course that he (believes to be
right and just.
We must rememlber, too, that
all crucial foreign policy decisions
in recent years have been made
with the knowledge that our ene
mies possess nuclear weapons.
This has ruled out hasty and
precipitous action in many world
crises, but it has also taken us to
the brink of conflict when we’ve
had to take a firm stand. We
may have lost “prestige” on both
counts, but we have kept the
peace and largely contained the
enemy.
The conducting of foreign rela
tions in a day When both sides in
the Cold War are armed to the
teeth with nuclear bombs is a
icklish business. No matter which
political party is in power, it is
not likely to find all of its decis
ions popular either at home or
ibroad.
Those who treat this solemn re
tponsihility as a political pawn
ire tampering not only with our
jrestlge but with our chances of
wentually winning the struggle'
igainst communism. — Shelby'.
3 tar.
THE TRIP DOWNTOWN
GETS TEDIOUS
It has been our observation,
more and more pronounced as
the years continue and traffic in
creases, there’s nothing like the
drive to work to spoil a morning
mood.
It’s not just the number of
cars in the 8:30 lanes, though the
number is substantial. It isn’t
solely the slow pace of move
ment in the bottleneck areas. The
trouble is drivers, f
There’s the man who darts in
and out. with no apparent con
cern foe the public safety and
boundless confidence in the pub
lic restraint
Or the woman whose car al
ways chokes when,the light (at
long last) turns green.
The non-signallers, the wrong
signallers, the creepers, the cut
COMING TO TERMS
WITH PROGRESS
Same of the biggest labor news
of the past two weeks has marie
only minor or local headlines.
The most fair-reaching event
was the relatively little heralded
agreement of railroad manage
ments and railroad operating bro
therhoods for a nationwide study
of the difficult work rules or
“featherbedding" issue by a tri
partite commission. The com
mission, consisting of five mem
bers each from employers, em
ployees, and the public, will be
appointed by President Eisenho
wer to make recommendations by
December 1961.
On the West Coast the Interna
tional Longshoremen’s |Union
and the Pacific Maritime Asso
ciation have signed an agreement
under which the ship and pier
owners will pay $5 million a year
into a dock workers’ benefit fund
and in return will receive a free
hand to introduce container ship
ments and other labor-saving me
thods on the waterfront The mo
ney will support wagecontinuan
ee for displaced workers and en
courage retirement by sweeten
ing pension and disability funds.
In another industry the Inter
national (Ladies Garment Work
ers Union announced that the na
tion’s makers of women’s clothes
had agreed to set up a fund
which early next year will pro
vide severance and unemploy
ment payments to workers who
lose their jobs through business
failures on the part of employ
ers. i
All these moves have in theta
an element of adjustment to me
chanical progress, automation or
obsolescence — of working out
fairness to human beings in the
face of longer train runs, heavi
er loading winches or the casual
ties of fashion. ,
The costly steel strike of 1959
showed that work rules are not
easily revised at the bargaining
table — hence a continuing study
in that industry. The collapse of
the recent General Electric strike
showed a worker willingness to
accept an initially generous of
fer, especially in the presence of
a potential buyers’ strike. The
example of the widespread bene
fits of the United Mine Workers’
welfare fund, paid for by a roy
alty on coal tonnage however
mined, provides labor a strong
impetus to make peace with pro
gress. — The Christian Science
Monitor.
ups.
They defy philosophy.
But the major irritant on our
motoring list is the fellow who
cruises into the left-turn lane of
a narrowing street and then dri
ves straight ahead, defying the
rush of straight-ahead traffic. Or
the guy who chooses the straight
ahead lane and blithely turns
left. |
It takes, we’ve always been led
to believe, all kinds. -- That even
supports our morning conviction
that some kinds ought to stay
home. — Asheville Citizen-Times.
1 A TEARS AGO
X V/ THIS WEEK
Items of news about Kings
Mountain area people and
events taken from the 1980
files of the Kings Mountain
Herald.
Kings Mountain citizens went
to the polls Tuesday for the gen
eral election, but-not very strong
ly. A total vote m the two Kings
Mountain and Befhware prednts
was 667, a total of 21 less than
voters in the last off-presidential
year general election in 1946.
Some 53 Cleveland County men
have been ordered to report Mon
day for pre-induction physical
examination at the Charlotte ex
amination center. i
Social and Personal
Miss Irene Allen and Mrs. D.
W. (Blanton were (hostesses to tSie
Junior Woman’s Civ* on Monday
evening at the Woman’s Club.
Mrs. N. F. McGill entertained
the members of the Twin Table
Bridge club at her home Tuesday
night ' I >
Circle No. 1 of the Central Me
thodist Church met Mpnclay aft
ernoon with Mrs. C A. Goforth
with 24 members present
Leaves Aie Falling....
They collect on roofs and kn gutters, and constitute a
(real fire menace unless kept cleaned away. Be care
ful, in burning leaves and trash, and be sure you have
adequate insurance against fire loss.
The Arthur Ha; Agency
ALL KINDS OF INSURANCE
PHONE 739-3659
HARRIS FUNERAL HOME
__ —Ambulance Service—
Phone 118 Kings Mountain, N. C.
W SOMETHING NEW! •
K
M
T
Yes there is something new in
town! WKMT has a new sc
hedule of programs rmH br
and new programming too*
All day, every day Jonas Brid
ges, Don Curtis, Ray Eddy, Ed
Whitehead and Grady
Queen, the WKMT music
makers, bring you a balance
of music, news, time, temper
ature. sports, weather, and
shopping information — all
especially keyed to this area*
Why don't you tune WKMT
everyday and see how you
like the new programming.
1220 ON THE RADIO
KINGS MOUNTAIN, N. C.
Telephone
Talk
b»
FLOYD FARRIS
Your Telephone Manager
YOU’LL FIND NEW
FUN in telephoning when
you use the little and
lovely Princess phone.
This royal addition to our
telephone family is per
fect for any room in your
home. Keep it in mind
for that extra-special Christmas gift, too. So pretty, so
practical... it lights up when you lift the receiver. Let
this light-hearted gift add an extra warm glow on any
gift occasion.
UNIVERSAL MESSAGE. The Yellow Pages emblem
with Chinese characters replacing con
ventional English words is a familiar
sight in San Francisco’s Chinatown.
The translation? It says, of course,
“Find it fast in the Yellow Pages.”
*****
HERE’S A HANDY TIP—
Don’t leave your calls hang
ing in mid-air. If you have a
wall phone, you need not let
the receiver dangle by the
cord while you leave the
phone for a moment during
a conversation. There’s a
notch on top for “parking”
the receiver. Take a look at
the illustration and you’ll see
just how it’s done.
Oat FOR TELEVISION’S FINEST mu
sical entertainment, tune in to the Bell
Telephone Hour shows. These one
bour delights can be seen every other Friday night—NBC
network. Check your newspaper for time and channel.