Newspaper Page Text
3axkson Trogress-^rgus
J. D. Jones Publisher
(1908-1955
Doyle Jones Jr. Editor and Publisher
(1955-1975)
MRS. MARTHA G. JONES PUBLISHER
VINCENT JONES EDITOR
Published every Thursday at 129 South Mulberry Street, Jackson,
Georgia 30233 by The Progress-Argus Printing Cos., Inc. Second Class
Postage paid at Jackson, Georgia 30233.
Address notice of undeliverable copies and other correspondence
to The Jackson Progress-Argus, P.O. Box 249, Jackson, Georgia 30233.
NATIONAL NEWSPAPER
association SSjS
g] NNA SUSTAINING
A y 111 MEMBER 1975
One Year $6.24
School Year $5.20
Editorials
THE FLAG
Cheers for the sailors that fought on the
wave for it,
Cheers for the soldiers that always were
brave for it,
Tears for the men that went down to the
grave for it.
Here comes the Flag!
—Arthur Macy (1842-1904)
A Worthy Bicentennial Project
According to records of the
Daughters of the American
Revolution, there are at least 12
Revolutionary War soldiers buried
in Butts County.
These men are some of the real
pioneers of this county, moving into
a wilderness area in the 1820’s,
shortly after the Indians moved
out. A list of their descendants
would include some of the names
most prominently identified with
the physical and spiritual develop
ment of the county.
Some of their graves are not
Butts County Week
The Butts County Chamber of
Commert e, and President Dick
O’Hara ir particular, deserves our
grateful appreciation for the gala
celebration i. ey have prepared for
the County’s celebration of the
nation’s 200th birthday.
There seems to uc something
for everyone in the calendar of
events from Sunday, July Fourth,
to Saturday, July 10th.
Would Later Closing Hours
Help Our Merchants?
In the 1920’s and ‘3o’s, the
Jackson court square was a
veritable mass of humanity on
Friday and Saturday and on
Saturday evenings the merchants
would not close until the last
customer had reluctantly filed out
the store, usually about 9:30 p.m.
One of the favorite pastimes of
the era, when there were few
diversions and little mony to enjoy
what there were, was parking a car
around the court square and
watching the folks go by.
Now Friday and Saturday find
the court square deserted by 5:30
or 6 p.m. Late shoppers are not
going to shop, simply because there
is no place to shop.
With so many, many commu
ters coming back into the city from
out-of-town at 6 p.m., or later, on
Friday and with local industries
working until nearly five, perhaps
a change of closing hours would
work to the advantage of downtown
merchants.
Advance Subscription Rates, Tax Included:
TELEPHONE 775-3107
official organ
BUTTS COUNTY AND
CITY OF JACKSON
six Months $3.91
Single Copy 15c
marked and even those that are in
many cases are in sad need of
repair and eradication of under
brush that hides them from view.
The William Mclntosh Chapter
of the DAR has to but sound the
clarion call for manpower to assist
with these tasks and civic clubs,
the Bicentennial Commission. Boy
Scouts and others will see that this
one very important Bicentennial
project is carried to completion.
If we do not honor the past, we
are very likely to dishonor the
future.
The festivities will have little
meaning to those who fail to
participate in them.
So, whether a spectator or a
participant, let’s all have a whale
of a good time as we pause to thank
God for the manifold blessings of
living in a great county in a great
state in the greatest nation
mankind has ever been able to
fashion.
During the summer, maybe the
Chamber of Commerce could
arrange some band concerts,
square dances, gospel sings, and
other attractions to bring the
shoppers back for an after-dinner
look, or for a stroll around the
square with an ice cream cone for
dessert.
It was nice in the old days
watching the people enjoy them
selves, having friendly visits on the
village green, swapping jokes and
experiences and enjoying to the
fullest the great privilege of life in
a small town.
We -seem to have lost some of
that spirit of togetherness now and
we all claim the real villain is the
automobile. But if automobiles can
take people away from town, they
also can bring them into town.
Can we recapture again the
spirit of friendliness and neighbor
liness that once characterized
week-end shopping in Jackson?
We don’t know, but we
certainly believe it is worth a try.
THE JACKSON PROGRESS-ARGUS, JACKSON, GEORGIA
The Last
Straw
BY
VINCENT IONES
Since March Ist when he
began his duties with the
Progress-Argus, your editor
has been busy planning and
working towards the pre
paration of a special Bicen
tennial edition of the paper
that would fit in appropriate
ly with the County’s and
nation’s celebration of 200
years of freedom.
The day for its unveiling
has arrived. Those of us who
have had a sneak preview of
it are quite proud of its
appearance and contents,
although no editor is ever
completely satisfied with one
of his creations.
There are other pictures
that should have been used,
other research that could
have been done, other
features that would have
been included if four months
of effort could have been
stretched another few weeks.
But when the editor has to
assume the role of adver
tising salesman, research
director. picture editor,
copywriter and composition
programmer, tnen perhaps
the final product is not quite
that bad after all.
The usual flaws appear. A
graduation class photograph
that several people went to a
great deal of trouble to
identify came out with a sun
spot, the editor’s late
cousin's name came out Jillv
instead of Jolly, Nellie
Singlev was crocheting a 1776
flag rather than a 1976 one.
and other such human errors
crop up if you read the copy
closely.
Existing since Gutenberg
first invented the press, are
the type lice that transpose
letters to misspell words and
gremlins that run printers
mad with their foul-up
tactics.
But we hope you will like it.
It was designed with you in
mind, to provide information
that all Butts Countians
might be interested in. to
show vou where we came
from and recreate some of
the early days in the life of
the County and its several
communities.
Those pictures. those
stories that did not get in
cluded will be used in regular
editions during the year. So
those of you have various
bits of information on the
County's history, or old
photos that you would like to
share with our family of
readers, please let us have
them so that the task which
began with this issue will
move on to fruition
Tribute is being paid in the
issue itself to many of those
whose special help made the
special edition possible. But
in a more personal way, we
would like to say thanks to
one heck of a good staff, to a
sympathetic sister-in-law
who gave us the reins, and to
a dear wife who suffered
through the triumphs and
tragedies that go into such an
undertaking.
The edition is dedicated to
the memory of Mother and
Dad and Doyle. It could have
been dedicated to no other.
For 68 years, these three
family members must have
planned, hoped and dreamed
of an issue of the Progress-
Argus that would total over
60 pages and yet none of the
three ever lived to see an
issue even half that large.
So if this week’s issue
represents a triumph of the
human spirit, as we believe it
does, it is their triumph as
much as that of any staff
member, or even the entire
staff.
When you have the
inspiration of three such lives
as those goading you on, even
48-pages seems like an
inadequate tribute.
But we hope you will like it,
read it, and keep it. If it finds
its way onto the bookshelves
of half the families of Butts
County, then we will feel our
labor was not in vain.
In either case, pro or con,
please tell us what you like,
or dislike, about it.
A Slroll
Memory Lane
V. >.
News of 10 Years Ago
Borden B. Campbell will
retire from service with the
Georgia Agriculture Exten
sion Service on July 1 after
amost 21 years in Butts
County.
Mrs. Clyde Thaxton was
installed recently as presi
dent of the Sylvan Grove
Hospital Authority.
Haywood Hodges brought
in the first cotton bloom of
the 1966 season on June 27th.
Mr. and Mrs. J. O. King
celebrated their 40th wed
ding anniversary on June
26th.
A perfec'.’Coca-Cola bottle
bearing the inscription,
Jewel Bottling Works, Jack
son. Ga.” was found by
workmen excavating for the
new home of Mr. and Mrs.
Dickie Moore.
Mrs. Mary Will Hearn has
been re-elected without op
position as secretary
treasuivi of the County
Officers Association of Geor
gia.
Deaths during the week:
Reuben E'Dalgo. 93; Robin
Michele Washington. 3:
Daniel Webster Brooks. 85:
Rounder A. Bedsole. 79.
News of 2(1 Years Ago
The county's first cotton
blooms of the year were
reported on Monday. June 25.
w him B. H. Hodges and Nevin
Dul ley both brought open
blooms to the Progress-
Argus office.
Mrs Bobbye Earnhart will
leave Daniel Ford Sales Cos.
at the end of this month and
Mrs. Clarence Smith will fill
the position.
The Progress-Argus in a
front page editorial cited
figures to show that Butts
Countians had used 250 pints
ot blood within a 10-month
period and had given only 63
in v isits to the County of the
Red Cross Bloodmobile.
Coca-Cola announced a
new 26-ounce family-size
bottle, the first change in
packaging in over 41 years.
Deaths during the week:
Mrs Sallie (Britt) Kelly. 74.
News of 30 Years Ago
Eugene Rooks was named
commander of the Finlev-
Gray Post. American Legion,
for the ensuing year.
Commander B. B. Garland
and A. J. Youngblood
attended the fourth annual
encampment of the VFW in
Augusta, representing Butts
County Post No. 5374.
James C. Holcombe, of
Gainesville, will become
manager of the Lloyd Shoals
plant of Georgia Power
Company, succeeding J. K.
Sitton who retired July Ist.
Members of the Kiwanis
Club and their ladies enjoyed
a delightful fish fry at Carr’s
Camp.
The Jackson Grays, Jack
son’s rampaging colored ball
DAUGHTERS AND SONS
We have Mother’s Day, also Father’s Day,
Why not a day for Daughters and Sons.
After all, there are wonderful things they have done.
They’ve brought laughter when there were tears,
They’ve brightened our days down through the years.
They’ve brought heartache and sadness, but then
They’ve made you happier than you’ve ever been.
They’ve shown you anew world seen through their eyes.
The flowers bloomed brighter, •
There were bluer skies.
If this tired old world is not suiting you,
They are our hope for a brighter future.
Only a minority group are bad.
This problem makes me very sad.
For could be they lack a concerned Mom and Dad.
Do not judge all young people by this clan,
But believe in them and give them a helping hand,
For someday, though you be grown and mature,
A youth may say, “I’ll help you, sure!”
—Jeanette Bunch Cook
THURSDAY, JULY I, 1976
club, won their 15th victory
against five defeats against
Eatonton on Saturday. John
Besley is ace hurler of the
Grays and Hank Wilson had a
homer, two triples and a
double against Eatonton.
Deaths during the week:
Miss Dora Goodard, 83;
William Artis Wilson, 50; and
Harold Maddox, 25.
News of 40 Years Ago
The Flovilla school is
planning a reunion July
Fourth. Dr. J. B. Elder of
Chattanooga and Mrs. J. M.
Currie, of Jackson, will lead
the grandmarch.
N. F. Land, J. W T . Morris
and Singleton Robison repre
sented the Jackson Kiwanis
Club at a Washington, D. C.
meeting. Misses Katherine
Thornton and Frances Hend
rick entertained the Club
with several vocal numbers
last week, accompanied by
Vera Edwards as pianist.
D. W. Ham has been
re-elected Commander of the
Jim Finley Post of The
American Legion.
Victor Carmichael, Jack
son postmaster and farmer,
reported the first cotton
bloom on June 18, five days
later than in 1935.
Gary A. Bennett, former
linotype operated with the
Progress-Argus and linotype
machinist for the Chatta
nooga Free Press, died
during the week.
Other deaths: Mrs. W. H.
Merritt and Mrs. R. A.
Franklin, Sr.
News of 50 Years Ago
By a twelve to one
majority, citizens of Jackson
voted to authorize a $13,000
bond issue to pave the court
house square and business
district of the city. The vote
was 220 for and 19 against the
issue.
V’. M. White and Col. C. L.
Redman, prominent peach
growers in the County, report
over 75 crates were shipped
by express on Wednesday.
A terrific wind storm that
reached the proportions of a
cyclone swept through the
Jcnkinsburg area Saturday
night and did considerable
damage. On the old Joe
Woodward place, a house
was unroofed and its walls
caved in by the fury of the
winds. Several barns lost
their roofs to the storm.
Master George and Stuart
Head entertained a merry
group of boys and girls at a
delightful swimming party
Friday at Settle’s lake near
the city in compliment to
their cousin, Roger Strick
land, of Concord, who spent
the week with them.
Deaths during the week:
Mrs. L. Mack Hale, 36;
Henry Paris, 69.
ftjTFQIRRI
By Mrs. Cindy Brown
This is it - the big one; 200
years of freedom to cele
brate.
I was mighty happy to see
the schedule of events
planned for Butts County on
July 4th and sth. The plans
being made are the “down
home’’ kind of living that
make America what she is:
Greased pig contests, water
melon eating contests, three
legged races why do we
have to have a holiday to
enjoy these activities?
And why ring all the
church bells every 200 years?
Why not more often -a
reminder to all of us that we
are a FREE people. I don’t
know about you, but I still
tend to get a little misty-eyed
whenever “The Star Span
gled Banner” is played -
there is just something about
the words to that grand old
anthem that really touch
me. Did you know that our
nation’s anthem is the only
one in the world which both
begins and ends with a
question? “Oh, say does that
Star Spangled Banner still
wave, o’er the land of the free
and the home of the brave?”
(A question worth pondering,
me thinks). ARE we still
brave? Do WE still vote? Do
we APPRECIATE our free
doms or do we take them for
garnted?
The United States of
America w'as created by men
and women of intelligence,
intestinal fortitude and inte
rest. Perhaps the day has
arrived for us to put the I
back into those three words.
THEIR BOYHOOD WAS
MADE IN AMERICA
A man called Mark Twain
put them in a book, but they
|T| ‘Whatsoever
jSS Things’
By Donald E. Wildmon
There was this young boy once. He loved to draw. He
would take his pencil and a piece of paper and he would draw
anything around him that caught his fancy. Once that young
boy was asked to draw a picture of a horse by an elderly
gentleman. When he had finished with the drawing the
gentleman. When he had finished with the drawing the gentle
man was so pleased with the boy’s work that he gave him
That seemed to spur the youngster on. He kept drawing.
He worked at it. He loved it. He gave himself to it. Soon he had
landed himself a job with a newspaper as a cartoonist. He was
real proud of himself when he got that job. But while he
thought it was something to get excited about, one of his
superiors didn’t see it that way.
The editor of the paper where he worked in Kansas City
called him in one day. He said he wanted to talk to the young
man about his future. Being quite frank with the young
cartoonist about his job and his future, he said to him: “You
don’t have any talent. Why don’t you get out of the drawing
business and into something where you have a chance to
succeed?”
Well, the young fellow thought it over. Gave some
serious consideration to doing just that, quitting his drawing
and going into another line of business. For he did want to be a
success. And the editor should know about talent. But after
considerable thought, he decided to stay in the drawing
business even if he didn’t “have any talent.”
You will find people like that occasionally. People who
won’t quit, people who won’t give up even if others think they
are doomed to failure. No one has ever found the magic
formula that separates those who refuse to quit from those
who give up at the first setback. A lot of time, however, it can
be nothing more than the Spirit of the Creator driving them
on. For sometimes there is not a single person in this whole
world who believes in us other than Him.
That is one of His traits. He believes in us even when no
one else does. He believes in us even when we don’t believe in
ourselves. That’s what made Him face that ugly cross. He
believed in our goodness when we displayed our sinfulness.
He never gave up on us. He still is counting on us to this very
day. He is disappointed a lot of times, but He never gives up.
When everyone else has counted us out, he is still pulling for
us.
That young artist who “had no talent” but wouldn’t quit
went on to great heights. His enterprises today rakes in more
than one hundred million dollars a year. His name was Walt
Disney.
djifleM folke/
It concerns me greatly that
the majority of intelligent
adults do judge most of our
young people by the “bad”
young people. They have a
tendency to lump them all
together.
It is not unreasonable to
make this mistake, because,
after all, you hear more
about the bad ones than you
do the good ones.
However, I have three
wouldn’t stay there. You
can’t keep boys like Tom
Sawyer and Huck Finn
cooped up in a book.
They came busting out of
the pages, barefooted and
dirty, and they lit out for the
free and open spaces, and
they’ve been romping around
there even since.
One day you met them, and
Tom let you white wash his
fence, and Huck let you touch
his dead cat. And suddenly
you knew you were home.
You threw away your
shoes. You cut yourself a
fishing pole. You lay on your
belly at the river bank. You
played hookey, you smoked
cornsilk, you got sick and you
learned better. You were
trying out freedom, getting
the taste and heft of it,
learning to handle it. You
were an American growing
up.
You learned a lot from
Tom and Huck. They showed
you how to make lost
marbles come back, and how
to cure warts with rainwater
from a hollow stump. You
learned what a hoot owl is
saying, and what the wind
wants to tell you when it
hollers in the trees at night.
Some of these you forgot
later, but they taught you one
thing you’ll never forget, and
it’s this:
There is a special quality of
being young in America.
There is a special air of
freedom, a special kind of
hopefulness, a deep-down
faith that life will turn out
good. Every man who
remembers how it felt will do
all he can to keep that faith
alive for those who are young
today. (Taken from “Words
of Life”, by Louis Redmond.)
young people of my own, and
come in contact with many
fine, upstanding young
people. Believe me, the good
greatly outweighs the bad.
It is a wonderful thing to be
a young person with your
whole life before you, and
some adults who will reach
out a helping hand to these
youth can shape their future
and help make great men
and women to carry on the
proud tradition of this
wonderful country of ours.
Jeanette Cook