Page t-MraROR-HKRALD-Tueeday, Augiut 14, IPIt
>ers to
editor
“Let sleeping dogs lie”
To the editor:
There le an old Saying; "Let sleeping doge
lie.” But there li one sleeping dog the con
cerned parents had better not let lie.
That la the sleeping dog ot sex education
which crept in our school system and wants
to lie there un-disturbed.
There is a move In this nation to break up
the family and destroy morality, and the
supporters of sex education are h) the middle
of the move If not pushing It.
We are told that the "law” mandates the
teaching of sex education In the public school
system. The law may be on the books, but If
parents protest and sue the school board they
can be made to take sex education out of the
school system.
This was done in 1976 in the New Hartford
School System In the State of New York by a
vote of 6-1 of the school board.
The health depsu'tment Is pushing the
teaching of sex education and Involved in the
program of contraceptives. On "Oood
Morning America," (8-6-79) a prominent
sociologist who made a study on the ef
fectiveness of sex'education program and
the program to teach the use of con
traceptives, said, this year there wlU be 1
million pregnant ten-aged girls. There will
be 1 out of 4 over the age of 14 getting
pregnant. He went on to say the program Is a
faUure and the only thing that would stop It
was a moral revolution In this nation. He
said the attempts to wlth-hold Information
from parents Involving the sexual activity of
their teenage children was an attempt to
take the children away from the parents.
Sex education has been taught In the
school system for the past 10 years and each
year the rate of pregnancy for teenage girls
IncresMes.
We as parents had better not let that dog
lie, we hiul better wake up If we want moral
control of our children.
FLOYD N. SEAT
Kings Mountain
roMjWIT^
Kings Mountain—the largest
town in Cleveland County?
D
Welcome back kids
Dear Editor,
I thought the last day of school would
never come (and when it did I thought It
would never end). I was up to my echolarly
eyebrows with paper grading, milk
breaking, and bathroom taking. The year
had been an exciting and busy one. Lots of
positive events had taken place In my school
and I was proud to be a part of them.
However, by that last week I was ready for
and needed a break.
The summer has been full of adventure. I
have been }ust as busy as I ever thought
about being last spring, but with different
activities; activities that have given my
mind and body a calming rest from the
hustle and bustle of school events.
As I relax here In the sun, soaking In all of
nature's cool breezes, fresh scents, and
delightful warmness; I heeu* the playful cries
of happy children somewhere in the
distance. My pulse quickens and I strain to
hear the sounds that I had longed to forget
just a few months earlier. Could It be that I
was actually missing the sound of my name
ringing through the air amid a background
of small energetic voices? Or how about the
time and effort It took to construct really
effective lesson plana that would motivate
children to learn? Was I missing that? Or
what about the weekly fluoride rinse? Surely
I couldn't be missing that!
I know. The necessary element In our
school system, the whole reason for its
existence; the unique and extraordinary
children wdio hold It together, that's who I
miss. The challenge of shaping young nsinds
- that's what I miss.
The summer has been refreshing. Now I'm
eager for a new beginning. So...Welcome
Back Kids!
A Ready-To-Go-Again Teacher.
Name Withheld
By Request
Once again we dip Into the past via an
ancient Issue of The Kings Mountain Herald •
this one courtesy of Wilson Griffin.
These yellowed and cracked four pages
were published on Thurs., Feb. 23,1938 and
may be of Interest to some of the older _
KMers with strong memories.
0.0. Page was the editor, and In my
opinion, he la one of the better hometown
wits I have read while leafing through old
newspapers.
Wilson said he remembered Mr. Page and
confirmed that he was a literate man with a~
dry wit and the ability to laugh at himself.
-oOo-
On the front page there Is a boxed story
hat declares Kings Mountain Is the largest
nwn In Cleveland County...
"...According to the last census the
population of Shelby Is 3,609. The combined
population of Kings Mountain and East
Kings Mountain Is given as 8,600. When we
recently extended our limits we took In all
these folks and about five hundred more and
still left out the population of three mllla, oh
boy! So now we have the largest town In the
county, and by all odds, the best one."
-oOo-
Bdltor Page’s lead story for this issue was
on Attorney J.R. Davis. The headline
stated: "Davis Doing Fine Work." The
subhead sUted: "J.R. Davis of Ctoveland
County Is Pushing Constructive Measures
In Legislature."
Hie story continues...
"...Following are some of the measures
Mr. Davis has been active In and am of loeal
Import Extending the limits of the town of
Kings Mountain; authorising the city council
to call an election on the Issuance of school
bonds not to exceed 160,000’ making It
unlawful to use profane or obscene language
on the public hl^ways of Cleveland County;
to prohibit carnivals In Cleveland County.
These measures are all thorough and am
laws. Ho Is also doing what ho can to got the
bill through to make the state laws conform
to the Volstead Act. That bill has gone
through the House and will bo acted upon In
the Senate this week. That looks like Davis Is
behaving himself pratty well at the state
capital..."
-oOo-
Tumlng to page two, the editorial page, we
find that Editor Page was not remiss In
pointing out how things wem going In the
community, and at the same time blowing
Ida own horn about some things ac
complished.
"...It Is gratifying to see how the people
have turned away from mall tmler houses
and other towns and am spending their
))
money rlj^t hem In Kings Mountain. Last
May The Herald Inaugumted a "Tmde At
Home” campaign that la to last through a
whole year. We have tried every way we
know how to get the people of our town and
community to spend their money hem whem
they earn It. The proportion has Incmased,
we am sum, and we take^mdlt for a part of
It Part of the credit goes to the merchants
who have tried harder to keep what the folks
want. Tey have not advertised In proportion
to what merchants do In other towns but a
good return has been gained on what has
been done. We Invite you to again read the
names of those who am helping to put over
this trade at home campaign. They appear
on this page from week to week. Go tmde
and tall them that you am with them In their
efforts to build a eltv ham."
( Griffin Drug Co. was one of the companies
Involved In the tmde at home campaign.
That was the late E.W. Griffin Sr.
Some things haven't changed all that
much, because E.W. Griffin Jr. la In them
pitching for a continual trade at home
program just like his pop.
-oOo-
One little tidbit In the old Issue points up
Bldltor Page’s philosophical thinking...
"It takes a truly bmve man to sidetrack a
fight when he knows he could Uck the other
flsUow."
))
))
Donk go away-^See North Carolina this year
f
At a time when resort areas across the
United States am closing their doors and
Eolug backrupt from lack of business, North
Carolina’s tourism industry is mboundlng
with mcord crowds from perhaps the most
.lisastroua summer In Its history.
Struck hard by bad weather, multiple oil
apUls off Its resort beaches, a series of dead
fish dumpings, the gasoline shortage and
economic uncertainties. North Carolina’s
Retractions have used resourcefulness to
.-eclalm a large share of lost business.
It has come back from an estimated 20 to
80 percent drop In visitation during May,
June, and early July to pull almost even with
last year's record-breaking numbers, ac
cording to the State’s Division of Trtfvel and
Tourism.
"There's one thing for certain," says State
Travel Director Bill Arnold. "North
Oicollna’s travel Industry Isn’t suffering
from any lack of energy where It counts—
there’s no ingenuity crisis here.”
Arnold says that If gains continue to ac
cumulate at the pace shown since mid-July,
the state's tourism revenues could very well
be closed to the $3 billion meirk In 1979, as It
was a year ago—despite the gasoline
shortage and other problems.
"If what President Carter says Is true—
that the country Is suffering a spiritual crisis
and a lack of confidence-then, the nation
PUBLISHED Each
TUESDAY AND THURSDAY .
GARLAND ATKINS
Pub Haber
TOM McIntyre
Editor
ELIZABETH STEWART
Woman’s Editor
GARY STEWART
Sports Editor
DARRELL AUSTIN
General Manager
CLYDE HILL
Advertising Director
MEMBER OF
NORTH CAROUNA
PRESS ASSOCIATION
The Mirror-Herald Is publtobed by
<ieneral PubUshlng Company, P. o.
O'awer TSt Kings Mountain, N. C. 18486.
Business and editorial offices are
located at 481 N. Piedmont Ave. Pbone
789-74M. Second Class postage paid at
Kings Mountain, N. C. Single copy 18
cents. Subscription rates; 18.80 yearly
in-vtate. 14.88 s'lx montbs. 18.80 yearly
out-of-state. 18 six months; Student rate
^Jor nine months 86.34. 'otp?931^040' jjj
could learn a few things from North
Carolina’s tourist Industry," Arnold says.
Oilef example of the Industry’s approach
to turning adversity Into advantage, Arnold
says, are the antics of Ermon Godwin, a
respectable banker from Dunn who dons bib
overalls and goes a little berserk every year
as the guiding force behind the National
Hollerin’ Contest at Spivey’s Comer.
"This year, the contest was hit with a
torrential downpour, which wiped out moat
of Its visitation. That probably hurt them
more than the gasoline situation,” Arnold
says, "Because Spivey’s Comer only has one
service station. But Ermon brought national
attention to Spivey’s Comer by making a bid
for the 1980 Olympics (which was turned
down), offering the Shah of Iran asylum
(which was Ignored), and preparing fo^
Skylab's landing at Spivey’s Comer."
Godwin got three minutes on national
network television ne ws the day before
Skylab fell, by placing a huge X on a field,
assembling a crew of hoUerers and coon
dogs to bay at the satellite, and offering to
sell tickets smd hard-hats to visitors who
wanted to attend the grsmd crash.
Further evidence that Godwin’s unusual
tqiproach to tourism Is effective Is the fact
that Hollerin’ Contest winners have been on
the Johnny Carson, Merv Griffin, and Mike
Douglas distwork shows countless times and
Godwin hlmgelf has appeared on "To Tell
The Truth” seventeen times.
Think that’s strange? In the tiny seaport
village of Beaufort, "The Annual Strange
Seafood Spectacular” draws crowds every
year who come to sample fried squid,
stingray casserole, left-handed whelk
chowder and the like; and then there's the
annual "Mule Day" festival at the farming
town of Benson every year which attracts
thousands to honor that cantankerous
animal, which, Arnold notes "doesn’t run on
gas and, sometimes, doesn’t run at all.”
The mountain resort city of Asheville,
Arnold points out, has mounted a $36,000
radio, tv and print campaign pushing Its
"Cool, Green" Image, and has had amazing
support from the entire business com
munity. "Everybody from the motels, to
moving and storage companies, to mor-
ticlaru have gotten Into the act,” Arnold
says. "They’re utilising hot air balloons,
stickers, buttons, and free vacation
giveaways—and the results right now are
that the place is booked solid. They’re full-
up.”
At the nearby Boone and Blowing Rock
areaa,where there have been 34 consecutive
weekends of preclpItatlon-some of It
snow —attractions have been doing
television, pointing up the availability of
gasoline. Crowds there, while not back to
normal, have been Inching up somewhat In
the past few weeks, Arnold said. "And now
they’ve got the world’s largest windmill to
promote—and they’re doing It." ■ -
Similar programs have helped the Outer
Banks come back from uncertain gasoline
aippUes and three separate unrelated oil
;^llls slcne June. Radio, Television and print
announcements—emd carefully worked-out
agreements with local gsaoUne stations to
remain open around the clock and on
weekends—has begun to result in a new
Influx of visitors.
The South Brunswick Islands and
Calabash resort areas, down by 38 percent
several weeks ago, are now once again
seeing crowds of Canadians, and out-of-stata
plates from the northeast and midwest,
Amold says.
something called ‘Den-tourism’ In the area—
whereby a visitor could visit golf courses,
attractions, stay at flnt-class motels or
hotels, and get a set of economical false teeth
all for a package price."
Other signs of the comeback Arnold
pointed to were uiMxpected maselve crowds
at the July Highland Games at Grandfather
Mountain; an all-time high 133,000 vlsltora at
the Charlotte Motor Speedway for the World
residents who,' Arnold says "have been,
cooped up all summer, irritated over
ptsollne lines", who recently have seen
those lines disappear.
"I think we’ll get our share of them,"
Amold says, "and somebody else’s too. If we
can.”
r
Poets
"l
^^WieJ\^UuxmorL.Pieas&”
The WUmlngtotv TopeaU, Wrlghtsvllle
Beach, and Atlantic Beach areas, which
have been peppering the Piedmont area of
the state and portions of South Carolina with
frequent announcements have entertained
record crowds In mid-summer, although
they concede that some nearby attractions
and restaurants have had a drop-off In the
usual spill-over trade.
Arnold said he wasn’t sure to what extent
one seemingly off-the-wall pronnotlan In the
Wilmington area had affected the upswing In
business, but said he had to admire the
concept: "At one time they were selling
600; a healthy Increase In vlsltatian at the
Chrowlnds Theme Park In Charlotte for the
year; packed accommodations at Maggie
Valley, and buslness-as-usual at the state's*
Mghly-respected Sandhills golf areas of
Plnehurst and Southern Pines.
The Division of Travel and Tourism will
launch an Intensive media campaign In
coming weeks, Amold says, which should
help. Public service radio, televIslMi, print
and billboard messages will carry the In
triguing notice to North CaroUnlens; "Don’t
Go Away. See North Carolina This Year.”
And out-of-state ads will be carried In
metropolitan areas within a 30O-mlle radius
of the state, aimed at luring those potantlal
SUMBIER’S HOT TIME
Summer lights a starry sky
A full moon beaming down,
Katy-dlds In every tree
Is making the summer sound.
Birds sing from the treetops
birds fly overhead.
Raindrops jump up and down
their trampoline la a flower bed.
Summer sends warm messages
through her frequent heat waves.
Charms us with her pretty designs
then leaves us In a daze.
Butterflies make over the flowers
humming birds come to dine.
Momenta of golden sunshine
I dare to claim as mine.
Summer cracks the tightening
to set ablaze the sky.
Then selects a favorite cloud
to shine In a rainbow tie.
The brook in the meadow murmurs
about the ocean’s rising tide,
and reminds me not to mention
the sun Is out to tan your hide.
VIVIAN S. BILTCLIFFE
J
What*8 your opinion?
We want to bear your oplaioa on things of
Interest to you. Address all rnrmspniiilwiii iii
lor tUa page to Reader Dlalogne, BUrror-
Herald, P.O. Box Draww 788» Kings
Monntaln, N.C., 33686. Be sore and sign
proper Mine ‘nd laolnds jrcmr iddroii.
Unsigned letters will not be pnbllabed.