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PAGE 2—The Newberry Sun, Newberry, S. C., Thursday, Dec. 12, 1968 1218 College St., Newberry, S C. 29108 PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY O. F. Armfield, Jr., Owner Second-Class Postage Paid at Newberry, South Carolina "Whatsoever Things By DONALD E WILDMON I F or those who enjoy inspirational reading: your minister, Sunday School teacher, yourself. The perfect Christmas gift, only $2.95. Order Mr Wildmon’s new book THOUGHTS WORTH THINKING from SUBSCRIPTION RATES: $2.00 per year in advance. Six Months $1.25. COMMENT on Men & Things Hy .1. K. BREED IN Thursday of last woek was generally observed throughout the nation as Thanksgiving day —the custom which was begun in the Plymouth Colony of Massachusetts in 1021; it was supposed to signify the grati tude of the little colony for th( good crops that they had just enjoyed. Gov. William Brad ford was making a special oc casion, following the hardships of 1620 and 1621. We celebrate, as a day of Thanksgiving, the 4th Thurs day in November and there i. c usually a proclamation pro claiming national gratitude to be celebrated the 4th Thursday. So far as I know we are about the only nation that has such a day of thanks. Through out the United States we cele brate the day with feasts and religious services. I am not sure that the day means more as a mere form but in the early days of the Plymouth Colony they had tlv experience' of sharp winters ana limited food supplies. This great nation of ours likes to give thanl to Jehovah for his bounty. ' <>0 , likewise, have occasion to ender thanks although we have not know n such hardships as came to the Plymouth Colony. Most of the colonists are said to have left England for a short stay in Holland hut returned to England to set sail for the new country. The idea of a harsh season in America seemed just a hit odd because England has a milder climate than the new country. We have enjoy'd the good spirit and fellowship of Thanks giving and now we sot sail for the Christmas season. The News & Courier carried an editorial of November 28th under the heading “Blatt, West and Moody,” which finds me in complete accord. We have in the government of the state a few’ leaders who think in hundreds of millions >f dollars, assuming not to <now that there are some peo- de who are not millionaires. T quote the editorial: “W’hen the General Assembly meets in January, the public can expect to view a political confrontation over proposals for massive new’ state spend ing. A preview’ of this confronta tion was given Tuesday and Wednesday in Columbia and Charleston when Id. Gov. John West and House Speaker Solo mon Blatt addressed business groups. Mr. West praised thf Moody report, the document which blueprints new spending. Mr. Blatt warned that imple mentation of the entire report could break the state financial ly . . . We hope the forthcoming confrontation will shed light as well as heat. South Carolin ians need more information on their state’s finances . . . Mr. Blatt rightly pointed out that South Carolina has been steadily raising salaries of teachers and spending money on other services It would be wrong for anyone to suggest that the Palmetto State has been a do-nothing state. The Speaker also w’arned that the end of tht war in Vietnam may have a severe effect on South Carolina tex tiles, the state’s principal in dustry. Tax revenues could de cline, and the state has only a small reserve fund for finan cial emergencies. Mr. Blatt is a shrewd obser ver of the South Carolina scene. He may judge that tax payers don’t want new burdens. Built-in inflation of the costs of state government will hurt the taxpayers severely as it is.” Spend Christmas with BankAmericard. the credit card for everything. South Carolina BankAmericard J liy c . 1 ! I 1 i o N A T i It has been two years. Two hard and wonderful years. This week will begin the third for “WHATSOEVER THINGS”. For this one column, let me be personal. When I began the column I had to pay to get in the paper. I didn’t have the money so I wrote sports for the small weekly in return for the space. Then I tried to get other papers to run the column. I offered it free. I sent samples to about fifty papers. No one was interested. One did write and say sorry he couldn’t use it. So I decided to quit the column. The very morning I had made up my mind to quit writ ing a letter came in the mail. One editor said he liked the column and would use it when he had the space. Call it fate, call it coincidence, call it whatever you wish. We call is Pro vidence. But that letter came at the exact time. Despite being discouraged by many whose job it was to know if the column could go or not, we kept trying. To day. alter spending about $1500 from our small salary, the column appears in about 200 paper across the United States. Then there was our book. We went to five large publishers and only one showed real interest. But eventually they all said the same thing: “Books like this don’t sell on today’s market.” Hith no outlet other than our readers, we decided to do with the book what we did with the column. So we bor rowed a considerable surn of money and published the book ourself. We felt people still would buy “books of that type.” The books came in mid- November. The printer, one of the nations largest and best, did us an ex cellent job. I don’t know, the major publishers could be right. I may lose everything. But I had to try. There are some things a man has to do even if the whole world says no. I would not take no for an answer. He wouldn’t let me. And I’m convinced that people will still buy good clean books of inspira tion. I’m gambling that folks will order them and tell their friends a- bout them. I’m gambling on the good ness of people. Well, that’s where we are today. The column that wouldn’t go has gone. It is read. More than 300 of you let us know that with your kind letters last month. It was one of the greatest ex periences we have ever had. They came from the very rich, the very poor, the educated, the illiterate, the old, the young, from members of at least 10 different church affiliations. They came from doctors, editors, students, housewives, teachers, judges, farmers, and people of all walks. I shall never be able to repay vou. The future? With His help w r e have just begun. Ther are more papers to add, more books to write, a radio pro gram to begin, maybe television, re cords, and a host of other fields. Dreaming big, you say? You bet! He wants us to dream that way. Money? Sure, it will take a lot of that, money we haven’t got. But it will come. Breaks ? He will work those out. Friends? I have more than I know. At thirty, we are looking forward to a great future. Let us walk that way together. -—FIVE STAR FEATURES The Fire Report By LEWIS LEE Make Yours A Safe Merry Christmas Season At no other season of the year does the word HOME take on more meaning than during the Magic of the Christmas holidays. Lighted Christmas trees send their warm glow into the night, plumes of smoke spiral into the crisp December air from fireplace chimneys. But in that glow, in that smoke are reflected persistent ques tions—how many lives will be lost again hy fire this holiday season? How many families will look back to Christmas as the anniversary of personal tragedy?—tragedies that pre clude another Christmas for too many persons. It is not pleas ant to inject restraint and cau tion into the holiday season, hut unfortunately fire and its companion, tragedy, kno.v no holiday. The members of the Newberry Fire Department wish for each and everyone A FIRE SAFE HOLIDAY. Your Christmas Tree Beautiful as it may be, your Chnstmas tree is a fire haz ard. It becomes a more serious menace each day it remains in the dry atmosphere of your home. At the end of a week, it will be highly flammable. Safeguards: 1. Buy a fresh tree a short time before Christmas and stor< outside with the base im mersed in a bucket of water. 2. Cut off +he base at a slight angle at least one inch above the original cut. Keep tree standing in water during entire period it is in the house. 3. Remove it as soon after Christmas as you can. 4. Anchor tree firmly so that it cannot fall and block escape from the room. 5. Place tree well away y° ur family and from stoves, radiators, and guests not to light or smoke other sources of heat. cigars, cigarettes, or pipes near the tree. LET US TAKE A LOAD OFF YOUR SHOULDERS Insurance rates, renewals, new policies and a periodic review of your coverage takes time, study and thought on your part. An independent insurance agent, highly trained in all lines can assume much of this responsibility and lighten your burden immeasurably. Our experience and knowledge qualify us as experts in the business. We would like to be your agent. “YOUR PRIVATE BANKERS” 1418 Main Street Phone 276-1422