Newspaper Page Text
Mailbox Incident, Guilty Or Not Guilty
Dear Editor
Your newspaper and other
area papers have published,
in the last week or so,
several articles regarding
the destruction of a private
mailbox, by accident or by
intention, suits, arrests
and charges fill the air.
These stories, as printed,
have indicated possible guilt
by 1 1) a group of juveniles.
(2) a citizen, Kevin Sumner,
or f 3) neither, depending on
where the story originates.
The courts will decide, of
course, just who is guilty in
this particular incident. In
the eyes of our private type
citizens, however it is crystal
clear Kevin Sumner is
CARD OF THANKS
I wish to thank each of you,
my many friends and
relatives, for your prayers,
cards, letters, visits and all
other gestures of concern
and kindness shown to me
and my family during my
recent illness. All these
things are sincerely ap
preciated.
Ernest Fowler
GET OUT ON A KKANCH
EACH WEEK WITH BOBBY
BRANCH IN THE HOME
JOURNAL.
To Flint EMC Members:
New Warner Robins Office Will Open
To Serve You Monday April 17th
★ 1 fiflfl Flhprta Rnsrl The Membership of Flint EMC can take pride in the new Warner Robins District
lUUU LIUCILd lAUdU Office which opens for business on Monday. The old location on Watson
Boulevard, long inadequate for the needs of the growing Membership, will be
★ Tu/n Hri\/P lin VA/inHfUA/Q closed, and the property sold. Greater efficiencies, faster service, and projected
IWU UIIVC-tip WIIIUUWO economies of operation will be the benefits gained in the new location. Ample off
street parking will be provided. A meeting room accomodating upwards of 250
★ Dnon B’Q m nn +il R n m nn people will be avaiable to local organizations. It is a further step in the goal of
O. JU <3.111. UN 111 J jJ.MI. UN flint EMC • beyond providing efficient electric service • to truly serve its
Member-Owners.
Monday thru Friday epn
★ Night Depository for after regular hours ~
guilty.
It is not difficult to be
found guilty in the eyes of
these people.
If, for instance, you
believe that an effective
recreation program,
provided for all the children
Students Get On
The Job Training Here
Dear Mr. Branch:
We should like for the
public to know of the training
for future employment that
is being done by Mrs. Jeanne
McDonald, Counselor for
CVAE (Coordinated
Vocational - Academic
Education) in Ferry High
School. The students par
ticipating in this program
receive their on-the-job
training at public agencies
or organizations.
Our Agency has been using
daily since the first of
February two female
students to perform various
office tasks. These students
have been very eager to
learn and perform their
work to our satisfaction.
We also have several male
students working on the
beautification of the grounds
in Ferry, instead of just for a
few, is both desirous and
beneficial, then you are
guilty. Sumner is guilty.
If you believe that it is
better for black and white
citizens, today in 1972, to
work together for a better
around our building. They
have cleaned the beds
around the building and have
collected and placed pine
straw around the boxwoods.
They are now in the process
of planting flowers,
shrubbery, and pine trees
along the side of the building.
It is a pleasure to be involved
with young people who have
made a plan and have
worked with such en
thusiasm.
We wish to thank the
school, Mrs. McDonald, and
these young people.
Sincerely,
(Mrs.) Connette R.
Gayle
Deputy Director
Houston County
Department of Family and
Children Services.
' community and better
schools, instead of continued
isolation from, and distrust
of each other, then you are
guilty. Sumner is guilty.
If you believe in the
freedom and power of the
vote, and believe all people
should be encouraged to
vote, then you are guilty.
1 Sumner is guilty.
If you believe it is proper
that public facilities, like the
armory, should be made
available to public groups,
on the same basis as it is to
private groups, then you are
very guilty. Sumner is very
guilty.
If you are outraged by
officials giving away school
property to private people,
then you are very guilty
again Sumner is very guilty
again.
Fortunately, Perry has a
lot of guilty people. Most of
us are guilty, except of
course, the group that is
after Sumner. They are
never guilty.
Unfortunately, most of us
are also part of the silent
majority. And there-in lies
the difference between the
average man, and Sumner.
While most of us talk about
becoming “involved”, and
are quick to say what “we
believe”, very few of us take
the time to become involved.
Very few of us do what it
takes to make “what we
believe” a reality. Sumner
again, is guilty.
This, and this alone, is the
cause of the threats, legal
and physical, which he has
received, including simple
assault’ charges.
Someday, perhaps, there
will be others, with the
courage to stand with him,
publicly; when that happens,
Perry will be a better
community in which to live.
Fred Thomas
is For Ll
Sharing i * ~ i
Rev. Dick Reese M
Crossroads Methodist Church JB
“He who forgives an of
fense seeks love, but he who
repeats a matter alienates a
Likes Big
HHJ Photos
Dear Mr. Branch,
I happen to be one of those
“back to front” readers. One
of the first pages I read,
therefore, in your March 30
issue, was page 16A. And the
thing that caught my eye
immediately, of course, was
the oversize picture of the
Newcomers Club officers.
What a great idea. An ex
cellent photograph, too and
top flight reproduction. Then
I noticed the same fine
touches elsewhere
throughout the peper.
“I must write to Mr.
Branch,” I said to myself,
“and extend to him my
hearty congratulations.”
as I read your
column Out On A Branch, I
noticed your specific
reference to these changes
and your request for your
readers’ reactions. You now
have mine and my apologies
for being late.
Sincerely yours,
Robert E. Brown, Jr,
Boca Raton, Florida
PAGE 4-A
friend." (Proverbs 17:9)
The writer of Proverbs is
talking about some-thing
which we today would call
gossip. Gossip seems to be a
disease that infects most of
us at one time or another, but
some seem to have worse
cases than others.
Have you ever stopped to
ask yourself, “Why do people
gossip?” There are many
reasons, 1 am sure. I do not
know all of them, but
common sense and ob
servation of persons could
help us discover a part of the
answer. Let’s look at five
reasons why people gossip.
The first and foremost
reason is found in the con
dition of men which is ex
pressed through this little
used word, “sin". Because of
the improper relationship
that exists between man and
God and man and his
fellowman we become in
volved in tearing each other
down rather than building
one another up. The proverb
mentioned above reminds us
that in forgiveness we build
relationships of love, but in
repeating a matter con
cerning a friend we may
alienate him.
Stephen Harvey has
written; “And there’s lust in
man no charm can tame of
loudly publishing our neigh-
PERRY, GEORGIA, THURSDAY, APRIL 13, 1972
bor’s shame; on eagles’
wings immortal scandals fly,
while virtuous actions are
but born and die.” Because
we have not built relation
ships of love we often pat
each other on the back when
we stand face to face and
stab each other in the back
when we turn and walk
away.
A second reason why
people gossip is to take the
spotlight off themselves.
There are some who feel
either consciously or un
consiciously that if they can
call attention to their neigh
bors sins, then people will
not see their own. They feel
that when they hold the
spotlight on someone else
they can stay out of its light.
People gossip also to build
up their own ego. Some seem
to feel more important when
they know some scandal
about someone else. Their
minds work like vacuum
cleaners, picking up all the
dirt they can about anyone
and everyone.
Gossip seems to grow best
in the minds of those who feel
that they must look after
everyone but themselves. If
we were as busy as we
should be trying to keep our
own lives in order we
wouldn’t have time to know
about all the faults of others
and certainly not enough
time to tell others about
these faults.
Gossip usually stems from
envy, jealousy, or a lack of
understanding. Whatever
the motivation, it is never
justified. Gossip never helps,
it always hurts.
We might do well to
remember a motto of
Augustine. It is said that he
had this printed on the wall
of his dining room; “He who
speaks an evil word of an
absent man or woman is not
welcome at this table.”
In the words of the author
of Proberbs; “He who
forgives an offense seeks
love, but he who repeats a
matter alienates a friend.’’
Paul Hodge Sr.
Services Today
Paul H. Hodge Sr., age 75
of Leslie, Ga. died at
Americus and Sumter Co
Hospital late Monday night!
Services will be held
Thursday at 3:00 p.m. at the
Leslie United Methodist
Church. Rev. H. W. Jenning,
Rev. Alton Davis Sr., and
Rev. Emory Gilbert will be
officiating. Interment will be
in Henderson Cemetery.
Mr. Hodge was a native of
Houston County but resided
in Sumter County for the
past 34 years. He was a
retired rural mail carrier
and member of Leslie United
Methodist Church. Mr.
Hodge was a Mason, Shriner,
former member of the board
of Stewards of Leslie United
Methodist Church and
member emiritus of ad
ministrative board of the
church.
The family requests that
memorial be made to the
building fund of Leslie
Methodist United Church.
Survivors include: wife,
Annie Howard Hodge of
Leslie, Ga.; one daughter,
Mrs. Cathrine Hodge Wynn
of Winchester, Mass.; one
son, Lt. Col. retired Paul H.
Hodge Jr. of Martinez, Ga.,
one sister, Mrs. W. M.
Haywood of Perry; Warren
B. Hodge of Henderson and
other nephews and nieces
and 5 grandchildren.