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JJJmei County H E R A L D Published by the Holmes Co'Unty Publishing Company at 200 Tchula Street, Lexington, Mississippi. Entered at the Postoffice at Lexington, Mississippi, as Second Class mail under the Act of Congress of March 3, 1879. Subscription rates for Holmes and adjoining counties, $3.00 per year; six months, $2.00; elsewhere, $4.00 per year. PAUL TARDY, Editor _ALL1E S. TARDY, Associate Editor_ Let's think before we pick In his address to the Mississippi Press Association, President Norman Mott, jr., said, “As editors we cane n lighten our readers to beware of poli ticians who offer people what the state cannot afford and cannot attain” which we think is excellent advice. Promises of Elysian fields in this state at this time bear looking into and thinking about a long time before ac cepting them as truth. We face the stark reality of a long road to be tra velled before peace and harmony come again to our state and again quoting Mr. Mott, “Certinly, the type and qua lity of the people elected will deter mine the course of Mississippi affairs for the next four years and beyond. . . . And these are crucial times . . . times for patience, forbearance and a regird ing of our powers, assets and abilities to make ours a more prosperous and more influential state.” We all need to do a great deal of thinking and evaluating on what the prospective leaders of Mississippi have to say . . . High-sounding promises of peace and prosperity make great orations but is it practical or is it facing up to real ism to believe them? The words, ‘‘I will try” have a great deal more honesty than the words, ‘T will do,” and this is the time to look for honesty and sincerity in our politi cal leaders. A time for looking at past records and policies and beliefs and standards instead of at a theoretical world of sweetness and light. It ain’t here! i A. S. T. Our Hospitals are important I he Mississippi hospital Association and the Mississippi Association ot hospital Governing boaras have re cently Drought before the public a sit uation wmcn everyboay ougnr to know about, because it is jeopardizing the future ot community nospitais in the state. I he charity patient load these hospi tals are carrying is costing tnem so much that their very survival may be at stake it something isn t done. 'the btate of Mississippi is presently paying for about one-third ot the cost of charity hospital care, and the re maining two-thirds of the cost falls on local hospitals. The annual gap bet ween what the local hospital receives from the state and what charity care actually costs is well over a million dollars. We do not feel that the hospitals should have to be responsible for such a sum of money each year - - it is a high penalty to have to pay in return for taking care of the sick who are un able to pay for their care. Although the State Hospital Com mission which administers the state reimbursements is doing an excellent job of managing a well-conceived pro gram, it is severely hampered by in adequate legislative appropriations and unrealistic rates of daily payment. There are certain major disadvant ages of the present system. First, the hospitals must pass on to paying pat ients some of the charity losses, in or der to absorb deficits created under the current program. Then, too, county hospital main tenance tax funds, when available, must be used to offset losses rather than for the upkeep and maintenance of the hospital’s physical plant. And another disadvantage is that the loss from charity care results in hospi tal wage scales which make it difficult for hospitals to compete in hiring and retaining qualified personnel. These disadvantages affect adverse ly the hospitals and their patients, but there is further fault in the present system which costs everyone who in sures himself against hospital expense, j Since charges set by hospitals must be high enough to help cover the cost of \ those who cannot pay, and since pre- t miums on health plans and hospitali zation insurance are based on hospital' charges, everyone who prepays costs pays a higher rate as a result of the present charity care situation here. In order to solve the problem, we need to consider the practical and fair ways of paying for charity care. Ob viously, it is unfair for the burden of charity care to fall on the hospitals and the sick, who are usually finan cially pressed enough already. Therefore, another way must be found. The hospitals could ask for federal aid to pay these charity costs, but they feel that such a step would encourage a dangerous philosophy of federal intrusion, and might encour age the trend toward “nationalized” health care. It seems that the only good arid fair solution to the problem would be for the State of Mississippi to reimburse the hospitals in ful for charity care to its citizens. With state reimburse ment, we not only get a greater re turn for our tax dollar, but we meet a local problem on a local basis with loc al control. The hospitals are asking community leaders to make their voices heard to inform the publ-ic of the threat to our voluntary hospital system. They are urging everyone to visit their local hos pital and discuss with its administrat or or trustees the impact and loss it incurs under the present program. We cannot afford to be without our hospitals. Let’s all work together to help them solve this problem which is threatening their future. itho nonartmont \xrm 11H Former resident airs news on mass roter registration xoni liaii, jr., luiuici u**- ' ington resident, had a letter < of high interest and consider able thought published in the j Daily Clarion-Liedger’s “Voice ; of the People” recently. The letter is reprinted below: I Dear Editor: I Recently, we as Mississip- [ pians have been ac^ tsed of i denying the Negro the right , to vote. This has yet to be , shown in court. Even so, the damage that the Justice De- ; partment has brought upon ' our state is irrevocable. The national coverage by our “news media” has been tint ed to cast even more dirt on the grave that the Justice Department dug. To take a closer look at the charges brought against us, we must first define the terms such as “the right to vote.” There are laws defining this right, laws that are made by slates as specified in the Constitution of the United States. The application of these laws is also left to the individual state. These laws enable the state to determine whether or not a given indivi dual is qualified to assume the duties of a responsible citizen and thus cast his vote for or against the issue or person at hand. These are laws that are passed and ap proved by the highest authori ty in the state. Again, these are not onerous laws, but laws that are incontrovertible and tenable. To violate any one of these laws would certainly be a crime against the state, but also, it would be a crime a gainst the people of the state. We mud have a means to se parate the responsible citizen from the citizen who has nc concern for or conception of the affairs of the state. This WL XUgO UJ IV LiiV. wi our present situation. As we ail know, voter re gistration drives nave been and are now being held in Mississippi. On the surface, they are seemingly harmless, but a closer look reveals a threat greater than many that we are aware. Primarily it is my opinion that these efforts to register Negro voters are violation of the laws of this state. This may sound like strong language. It is! But they are not words written hastily, it is not the effort to register Negroes, but the methods useci that are, in my opinion, contrary to not only the laws of this state, but to the Constitution of the United States as well. The most fla grant of these violations is one that man, regardless of race or color, has looked up on with disgust. That is the method of compromise. Voter registration workers have taken groups of Negroes and taught them verbatim ans wers to registration tests. Af ter the Negroes have the ans wer memorized, they are marched to a registration cen ter and told to apply for the right to vote. I believe that I can safely say that a twelve year old child with average intelligen ce could memorize the ans wers to a registration quiz. This would not mean that he would be able to vote with any degree of rationalization. He would be but a machine in the hands of the person ;hat had taught him the ans wers. I don’t beljeve that many can disagree when I say hat Negroes who are taught ;he answers to registration quizzes are not reponsible dtizens. I dare say that if classes were held and ans wers taught in the field of Federal Service Examinations trip over themselves in the rush to stop this compromise. If they did nothing though, we would find ourselves in a comical position. Persuns with no more than a good memory could very easily qualify for top level govern ment positions. I believe that if no action is taken in the field of voter registration by compromise, we may very well find ourselves in a posi tion very much the same as the above. In the face of this very real danger, I call on every re sponsible state official to give this threat serious considera tion in the future and to take some positive action if nec essary. If we are to make progress in the future, we must rely heavily on our el ected officials for leadership If we are to have this leader ANNOUNCEMENT I Hare Purchased The LION SERVICE STATION IN TCHULA (Effective June 1) I solicit your continued patronage and you may expect the same courteous, dependable service you have been accustomed to in the past. Come by and visit with us Duke‘s Lion Service Station Guy Duke, Owner Speaking of Trees.. The Ginekos should be preserved O I I f Miss Bridget Blackstock poses under ton’s landmarks, the Cingko tree .... one of Lexing By Alii As far as I have been able to find, we have in Lexington only two Gingko trees and Since the Gingko belongs to one of the oldest species of trees known to man today, I thought ours might be worthy of mention and dissertation. The largest Lexington Gingko is on Pine Street and is the property of Mrs. Charlotte Blackstock, being directly in front of her house and right beside the sidewalk. When me street widening program was in tne first stages of be ginning and the first limbs were being cut, young Miss Bridgette Blackstock made :iie emphatic remark, “They can’t cut our Gingko tree, there’s only two in Lexing ton.” And 1 agreed. The Gingko, or Maidenhair, tree is the sole survivor of a once large group of “naked seed” plants that arose dur ing the Carboniferous (which was one of the first) period about 400 million years ago. The ancestors of these trees are only known by their lea ves which have remained as well preserved fossils in many parts of the world. All of them, except this one species, started to die out during the Ice Age and it was thought until recent years that there were no wild maiden-hair or gingko trees on earth, when some were discovered grow ing uncultivated and natural ly in parts of China and Jap an. All the gingkos found in parks, garcjcjns, and along strjeets all over the world have been introduced to these places from nuirstery stock that came originally from Chinese Temple gardens. These trees have been cul tivated m Chinese monaster ies for thousands and thous e Tardy ands of years and were longl ago used for religious pur poses. All through history many different kinds of plants or trees have been considered sacred for one reason or the other and the Gingko is one that has been thought posses sed special powers. Among the theories of the Ancients conies this directive: “B^ carrying a bundle of Rue, Broom, Maidenhair (or Ging ko), agrimony and ground ivey,” you may know every woman for a witch who is one, no matter how plain or otherwise she may appear to you.” Among other nice things a bout the Gingko tree that makes it a prized specimen is that it is long-lived, it thri ves under almost any kind of climatic condition, it is im mune to insect and disease attacks, and it is stubbornly resistant to storms, seldom being uprooted or broken by heavy winds. There is also a pretty big difference in the male and the female tree (as in most species of any sort). The fe male bears the fruit, natural ly, but the nuts make a pretty unsightly mess on ones lawn or sidewalk, as they have a slippery skin and pulp and a bad odor, however, in China, today, the Gingko nut is con sidered one of the rarest de licacies. Mrs. Blackstock’s gingkc tree was purchased many years ago from a roaming band of gypsies, by a previous owner of the property thal now belongs to the Black stocks. Mrs. Blackstock says that the tree is an object oi beauty in the fall when the leaves begin to change colors She also says that every year Local girls attend MYF workshop Becky Terry, Linda Grey and Bonnie McKenzie of First Methodist Church of Durant, and Jayme Carson of Lexing ton First Methodist Church attended Camp Lake Stevens near Oxford last week. The girls attended work shop for Methodist youth fel loe .mip officers. I Mrs. Homer Terry and Ge | ve accompanied them there Monday and they returned Friday. gh the thL_. grade are invited ship, then we must have re sponsible citizens casting a vote with the care that comes only with unlerstanding. The compromise of registration tests should not and must not be tolerated under any con ditions! Tom Lail, Jr. 4615 Nottingham Road Jackson, Mississippi Durant man taking Arm/ medical course Army PFC Richard L. Glo ver, 24, of Durant, is attend ing a medical specialist ad vanced course at Fitzsimons General Hospital, Denver Colo. The 40-week course be gan May 20. During the course, Glover is studying such subjects as emergency medical care; mass casualty care, field sanitation, nursing and a course in dispensary opera tion. He entered the Army Iasi September and completed ba sic training at Fort Gordon Ga. Glover, who was employee at the Veterans Administra tion Hospital in Hines, 111., be fore entering the Army, is £ 1056 graduate of Holmes County Training School anc a 1962 graduate of Mississip pi Industrial College in Holb Springs. Science students gather lea ves from the tree for Science projects. Her tree is a female tree and is now full of ging ko nuts. They look very much like fairly large green plums, and ste also told us that the other tree in Lexington is a male, and is owned 'by Mr. Mack Vinson. So . . . with a male gingko tree and a female gingko tree in our fair city, surely we must preserve the part nership. Let’s not cut it down! 1 Rat Tales by Johnny Tardy We are going to Crawley’s Lake in Kosciusko today (Sat urday). There is a lot of liz ards there and I catch them all the lime. Some of them are about half an inch long and some of them are big. Then I will go down to Kos ciusko where i am going to get my puppy. It is brown. We wanted a black and white one, the one like Nubbin, m> dog, but she was going to keep the black and white one. Reuben Netherland knock ed a home run in tne base ball game last night and the boys were running every which way to get the ball. Nubbin, my dog, stays un der our house and chases a snake named “Buddy” and never can catch him. Since I wrote my last col umn, I got another goldfish named Buitterbean. It was golder than the others. I got it at Alfred Porter’s birtnday party Tuesday. I gave Alfred a knife for his birthday. Jean nie and Butch gave nim a pop gun and he got a little league bat for his birthday and a toy jeep and a dart gun and some more things. I’ll be back. Thoughts about Things By Paula Tardy Most people become quite excited upon finding a pretty shell at tne seashore. But did you know that in Oktibbeha County, you clan pick up shells (jut as perfect and much more unusual) that are several million years old? A visit to this place was recent events in my life. You can absolutely lose your mind trying to pick up all the fossils you see; maybe dig a little deeper and find a bet ter one a couple of million years older. Tne fossils are ceratinly there, in great abundance, too. Encased in clay which is easily washed off (I washed mine in water from the ther mos) are seashells, snails, barnacles, sponge, seaweed and coral, all countless cen turies old. In ad<%io(n to these fascinating fossils, I lound small bits of iron in the perfect shape of stars. 1 named it “Ironstone” and in cluded it in my last year’s Science project. Even more appealing than these are the variations that aren’t supposed to be lound in this area. Nevertheless, i ve found many of them and hope I’ll continue to. The first one I ever found was at wnat used to be Cain’s Lake and is now Crawley’s Lake, in Attala County. The lake is fed by dozens of icy, crystal-clear springs. One summer day while I was washing my hands at my fa vorite spring, I began fishing around in tne clear pools for rocks. (A friend of mine whose father is a geologist, and whose hobby is collecting lubies, sapphires and eme ralds, had aroused my in terest in them). I dug out one small, nice rock and looked at it. On one side it looked like any old rock, but on the other was the perfect imprint of a tiny seashell. The spring had carried the fossil from its burial ground in the core of Hospital List Peggy Jane Graves, Lexing ton Mrs. Georgia Self, Tchula Mrs. Eari Ellis, Lexington .viis. Sam Herrman, Lexing ton Mrs. Dot Craney, Lexington Mrs, olive Cade, Lexington Mrs. Christine Harthcock, Lexington Mr. V. D. Ingold, .Jr., Lexing ton Mrs. C. R. Logan, Sr., Lex ington Mr. G. 13. Langston, Drew Mr. J. K. Boatwright, Lexing ton Mrs. Virginia Stewart, Lex ington Mr. David L. Meeks, Lexing ton Airs. George Wilkins, West Air. Peyton Green, Lexington Mrs. Vardanian Abies, Lex ington OLOUKI): Mary Hodges Roberta Kennedy Mamie Haynes Lillie Williams Bessie Raylon Goraine Edwards Lu< ille Bibbs Guy Ixive Vopolean Davis luanita Tate Oct a via Brooks Corah Valentine inni/r insurance 1UUkL agency ’HONE 100 03 WALL STREET -EXINGTON, MISS. the earth to the earth’s sur face. Fossils can be found every where; in lakes or ponds, in springs, in all manner of ex cavations, in the front yard or in the driveway. Once you start hurting fos sils, you’ll travel many a step in search of them before you quit. Who knows? Maybe you’ll become a famous geo logist and find out what kind of fossil that is that looks like a perfect screw. I’ve found a good many of ’em, but it sure has me stumped! 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