Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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PAGE SIX THE NEWBERRY SUN, NEWBERRY, SOUTH CAROLINA THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 8. 1962 COMMENTS ON MEN AND THINGS “Woe to them that are at ease in Zion”, said the grand old Prophet Amos. For some reason that comes to mind, because we have many who pass over and even disregard many things because they are at ease. Life is not always best when at ease. Just as the roses have thorns so we have occasion to remember the insidious things, even though we may prosper materially all the time. Well, I leave it with you. Just as we begin to have a good time along comes some old “Kill-joy”, just as I’m doing now. We want an easy time, don’t we? Well, now, consider this: “We have become so well-to-do as a nation that we have a guilt complex about it. Conformity is sweeping the country. And while more and more people want to get seats in the grandstand, fewer and fewer want to sit it out down on the field. More and more youngsters who come in looking for jobs are asking, “What can you do for me?’ rather than, ‘What can I do for you ?’ And more and more girls are more interested in filing their nails than in filing what needs to be filed. The other day I overheard two girls in an elevator and one said to the other, ‘Heavens, no, don’t learn short hand. If you can’t take dictation, you don’t have to stay after 5.’ We have always had our share of free-loaders in this country. But only in the past quarter century, it seems to me, has non-involvement become an accepted way of life. For when we were poor, we had to sweat it out . . . The force of government is now directed more fully to ward the security of the weak than the encouragement of the strong. In business, it is said the way to survive is to emulate the turtle—grow a hard shell and never stick your neck out. We have come quite a way since Theodore Roosevelt told us: ‘Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failures, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows no victory or defeat.’ What has happened to us, I think, is that w*e have changed from an exporting country to an importing country. I mean that we have been importing instead of exporting ideas. The United States of America was once the greatest ex porter of ideas the world had ever known. We created and sold abroad the idea of individual dignity, responsibility, and freedom ... It is hard to find a basic idea that America has exported since you and I were young. We have, I think, bought in the bazaars of Asia Minor the idea that an honest man is either a fool or a liar. From our most mortal enemy we have bought the idea of a strong government for weak people. We have bought abroad the ideas of ‘Let Jack do it’, or “What’s in it for me?’, and the gesture of the nearly shrugged shoulder. OUR COLLEGES ARE LOADED TODAY with youngs- B ters who are HARDLY PREPARED FOR HIGH SCHOOL— I ids who cannot do SIMPLE ARITHMETIC and who can- f lot SPELL SIMPLE WORDS!!! Our museums today are exhibiting on their walls paint- Kr ' / * ings by people who never learned to paint. It used to be a sort of joke that you could not tell which was the top and which was the bottom. But recently a museum did hang a bit of modern art up side: down. It was days before it was discovered, and I still do not know how they knew. Non-books are being thrown together and sold by non writers who never learned to write. And murky poems are being ground out by scraggly poets who sing them to their friends because they are unreadable. Always tearing down these days. Never building up. Al ways knocking. Belittling. Down-grading. A sneer rather than a grin. A mocking laugh rather than a laugh. Poking fun at other people rather than ourselves. And what, by the way, ever happened to laughter? Once we were a laughing nation. We laughed easily and deeply. Laughter today is stored in Hollywood in cans, just as the gold was once stored in Fort Knox. It was taken out as needed and pasted onto TV films. And the laugh track tips us off to when things are funny. But I want to laugh when I am amused. And I want to decide what I think is funny. It is perhaps a significant fact that what such men ac- books. This Week magazine made a survey recently of school books issued before 1920, compared with those issued since. Nathan Hale said, T regret that I have but one life to give for my country’, in 11 of the old texts and in only one of the new texts. Patrick Henry said, ‘Give me liberty or give me death’ in 12 out of 14 earlier texts and in only 2 of 45 recent ones. Maybe it is just because these fellows, and all of their ideas, are square.” Arnold Toynbee, the historian, says that of 21 notable civi lizations, 19 perished not from external conquest but from the evaporation of belief within. Today, our country still has a choice. I believe it has al ready begun to make that choice. 1 believe it is going back to its old beliefs in such things as ideas, pride, patriotism, loyalty, devotion, and even hard work. Twenty years ago, half of us belonged to churches. Today n64 per cent of us do. It is perfectly possible that the churches are full and the people are empty—but the statistics are on our side. Sales of classical records have jumped 78 per cent in the last three years. Advertising, perhaps, but the sta tistics are on our side. Millions of people are visiting mus eums, millions more than a decade ago. But the greatest thing that has happened, of course, is that our Nation has a whole new set of heroes. Named Glenn and Grissom and Shepard. Named Carpenter, Cooper, and Schirra. The lads apparently lived too far from the big city and grew up to be “squares”. For who but a “square” would vol unteer his life for his country’s good. They are not even ashamed of their feelings. John Glenn says he gets a funny feeling down inside when he sees the flag go by. Imagine that. He’s proud of his small town, proud of his small college. Proud that he belongd to the Boy Scouts and the YMCA. I hope that some of him rubs off onto the next generation. For the forces of conformity are still strong. Too many of us are still sitting it out instead of sweating it out. Too many of us haven’t got the strength to stand up straight and dare to be “square.” Because the opposite of “square” is round, and being round is so much simpler. Responsibilities and problems roll off nice and easy. And we can just roll down the path without any bumps, being careful to stay in the middle, because that’s where the most comfortable ruts are.” A great weekly paper carried most of that story. And here is something else: “As the nation’s 37,500,000 public school students re turned to classes last month, some 60 per cent of them, or 22,500,000 were observing “to some extent’ recommendations for physical fitness. The Bureau of Health Education of the American Medical Association has surveyed medical opinion on this subject, and makes some authoritative recommendations. Here are its key suggestions: Don’t try to be a week-end athlete. The worst kind of exercise is violent exertion at widely separated intervals, which puts a heavy and sometimes dangerous burden on your heart and circulatory system. It also is a common cause of bursitis, the intensely painful inflamation of the joints to which the middle-aged in particular are susceptible. And it is quite likely to produce strains and sprains of muscles and tendons—and sometimes broken bones—as a result of calling for more strength than those muscles, tendons, and bones can give. Remember when men used to walk? A long time ago, but it was very common at one time. Today we take most of our exercise by pressing on the accelerator and the brakes. Per haps that may develop foot muscles, but very little held to the legs because very little pressure is needed to run 75. Nowadays we sometimes have to walk from the parking lot unless we monopolize a parking meter in the street. Bpt the idea of an occasional work-out for sport means spas modic play of the muscles—after riding back and forth. We are on the threshold of a great political campaign, but when this gets into general circulation we shall have re sumed our peace and quiet and our comfort in Zion, after the tumult and the shouting dies—all a part of life’s fitful fever. Dean Manion... A television network newscast last week included brief items about three well-known Americans who were in the news that day. First there was Harry Truman telling a group in Indiana that their Senator Capehart is a fool for demanding that Castro be driven out of Cuba. The crowd, though partisan, seemed unimpressed. Then there was Dwight Eisenhower, commenting that no wall had been built in Berlin while he was President, and that the Communists had not dared set up shop 90 miles off our shores while he was in the White House. And finally, a remarkably erect and agile Douglas MacArthur was pictured leaving an automo bile and entering a building. General MacArthur said nothing. These three men, presented tandem style on a newscast, provoke a good many memories. Each has had his impact upon history. We have a notion that the network news pro ducer placed them together, seconds apart, to cause Amer icans to refleat. Looking back, it seems incredible that General MacAr thur could have been so correct a dozen years ago when he warned about the spread of Communism throughout South east Asia. And it is even more incredible that he was not only ignored, but fired because of his efforts to persuade our government to change its policy of appeasement. Harry Truman relieved MacArthur of his command because Mac Arthur had described the stalemate in Korea as “a war we cannot afford to lose and which we are not being permitted to win.” MacArthur spoke the truth, as more recent history has proved—along with his prophecy at the time if the Communists were not defeated in Kore$ they would soon threaten us throughout Southeast Asia, indeed around the world. The other day we were struck by the similarity of critical situations in Laos, on one side of the world, and Cuba, on the other. Secretary of State Dean Rusk met with the new foreign minister of Laos to find out why Communist forces have not been withdrawn from Laos. When the allegedly “neutral” government of Laos was set up, the Geneva agree ment specifically stipulated that these troops had to leave. Well, events since have proved how “neutral” Laos really is. We have simply presided over its becoming another Com munist stronghold. The 10,000 North Vietnamese Commun ist troops which were in Laos when the Geneva agreement was reached are still there. The United States is represented there only by our money. It should be recalled that we were given fair warning about these troops prior to the agreement. But those who raised questions about them were labeled as extremists and were charged with trying to stir up trouble. At one point, our government flatly denied that there were any Commun ist troops from North Vietnam in Laos. Yet, there they are now, making a mockery of the agreement at Geneva. The comparison of Laos with Cuba is striking. Weeks ago there were rumors that Communist troops and equip ment were moving into Cuba. The State Deparement at first denied these rumors. The President joined in the chorus. But then, in a remarkable period of four dayte, the President and presumably the State Department did discover the Rus sian forces and equipment in Cuba. Much as we admire the Presidents speech on Cuba, only the naive will accept the explanation that the United States Navy, not to mention our intelligence forces, did not know what was going on in the middle of our backyard. It seems clear that somebody in the United States government must have known what had been going on since the middle of July. And somebody must also have known about those troops in Laos. And yet the American people were told nothing—regard ing either Laos or Cuba—until the Communist strength was an accomplished fact. This is dealing in a sort of secrecy with the people of this country that is dangerous to the extreme. This is election year, and all like that, but the American people deserve to be told the truth, and the whole truth, however painful it might be. Mr. Kennedy’s actions and words on Cuba, thus, were encouraging. It is too late to go back and heed General MacArthur’s warning of a dozen years ago. But w^e can profit by the sound advice that he gave. Whether we like it or not, we are in a war that we cannot afford to lose—and this time, our gov ernment must permit us to win it. - From Florence Taylor, Branch- land, W. Va.: In 1897 my parents moved to Louisiana. I was four years old and my brother was two years younger. We had been born in Nebraska where my parents had lived since they were mar ried. Mother was from Iowa and father came from Kentucky. We traveled by train because there was no other form of transporta tion. I do not remember a pullman nor a dining car, but I do remem ber eating at hotels along the way. My parents were concerned about the epidemics of yellow fever, malaria, swamp fever and small pox which occurred in the extreme south at that time. We went to Lake Charles, where father had a teaching position in the public schools. We had moved our furniture by freight and lived comfortably in a rented cottage. Father would take us for walks around a lovely lake and I would pick up little white shells. Before the year was out, father secured a better-paying job in a town near New Orleans. He had to go ahead and leave mother to pack our belongings and ship them by freight, then follow with the children. Malaria had struck me some weeks before. Mother engaged a room at the present Majestic Hotel in Lake Charles, or a hotel which stood where it now stands, and left me sobbing in bed while she made the necessary arrange ments. A kind, sweet woman in an ad joining room heard me crying and came to comfort me. I remember she was dressed in an old-fash ioned calico wrapper, very neat and dean, and pretty. When mother returned, she graciously thanked the lady for taking care of me, but only then did I stop crying. (Send contributions to this column to The Old Timer, Community Press Service, Box 39, Frankfort. Kentnckv.) From An Old Timer, Jackson, Mich.: I remember back in the days when it was fashionable to pay respects to elders and to ladies. Nowadays, neither seems to be too much in style. Time was when a lady stepped onto a streetcar, every man sit ting would rise to his feet and offer her a seat. Now, all men do when a woman boards a bus is to look the other way — unless, of course, she is young and pretty. That’s a different story. A pretty girl usually is offered a seat. An old lady, who really needs to sit down, is often ignored. Kids? You can still find some with proper manners and respect for their elders but too many of them are rude, arrogant and self- centered. I’ve heard all the arguments and excuses. They say, “If a woman wants to work and com pete with men for jobs, then she gives up some privileges.” How so? Unless a woman is doing ille gal or immoral work, she is no less die lady because she works for a paycheck as well as she works in her own home. And the kids. Parents will say you can’t expect them U> act like the kids of yesterday, that times are different. We are just as obli-. gated, in this space age, to teach and to train our children as were our ancestors in the horse and bucffv days. From Ed Rose, Mill City, Nevada: I remember when we would rent a horse and buggy and all the family would pile in and go on a picnic. It would usually take a couple of hours to get to the place we had in mind. As I remember, it was a stream that held a good-size beaver dam. Then we kids would chase around the hills, picking berries, or may be making whistles from a branch of willow. Later dad got a 1913 Overland car. It turned out that the car was not as reliable as the horse and buggy. There were times we had to get out and push. Some times we would turn it around and back it up a hill. It seemed to do better that way. I remember the first radio I ever heard. The man next door to us got a crystal set. It had no batteries, just a needle that he scratched across a crystal, while listening with headphones. We really thought it was something when he got a noise. Sets Carnival The Eighth grade of Silver- street Elementary school will present a Harvest Carnival, Fri day night, November 16, 1962, in the Silverstreet gymnasium build ing. There will be games, such as bingo, fish-pond, exhibit room, chances for a cake, door prizes, and so on. Also, there will be plenty eats in the cafeteria such as hot dogs, hamburgers, cakes, pies, and other good foods. The cafeteria will open at 6:30 while the Har vest Carnival will begin at 7:30. Come out and enjoy a refresh ing evening of fun and entertain ment. You will be helping, at the same time, the 8th grade with several worthwhile projects. l-8-15-3t. Wor is a dull thing; you cannot get away from that. The only agreeable existence is one of idle ness, and that is not, unfortunate ly, always compatible with con tinuing to exist at all.—Rose Mac aulay. All good things of this world are no further good than as they are of use; and whatever we may heap up to give to others, we en joy only as much as we can make useful to ourselves and others, and no more.—Daniel Defoe. ASTRONAUT PRAISES CUB SCOUTING PROGRAM—Astro naut John Glenn checks the achievement record of a Cub Scout and tells him that his wife, Annie, was a Den Mother for several years. Glenn says that “Cub Scouting is All-OK.” The Boy Scouts of America is now conducting its “Go” roundup for new members. IILES COLOR MEMORIZE PICTIh FOR YOUR PROTECTION, REMEMBER TO: town gifts from strangers • Avoid dark and lonely streets • Refuse by strangers • Know your local policeman SAVE WITH INSURED SAFETY... DIVIDEND COMPOUNDED TWICE A YEAR Every Dollar you place with this association is automatically Insured the moment we receive it. Dividends are paid each six months at 4% per annum, compounded if not withdrawn. As little as $5.00 will open an account, and any amount may be added at any time. CURRENT DIVIDEND RATE PER ANNUM (Compounded Semi-Annually) las* ooubob •rammr, kbwbsbbt, b. a. Directors J. F. CLARKSON G. K. DOMINICK EL B. PURCELL M. O. SUMMER J. K. WILLINGHAM W. C. HUFFMAN BRANCH OFFICE — Batesburg, S. C.