The coastland times with which is combined the pilot and herald of Belhaven and Swan Quarter. [volume] (Manteo, N.C.) 1959-1973, 1959-08-21
DOWN
TO
EARTH
By
CARLTON
MORRIS
SOME CHANGES HAVE
BEEN MADE IN TOWN
Editor, The index
Gosesvills, N. c.

Folks will almost tell you that
there is little change in the old
home town. But this is a mistake.
Usually we live so close to our
towns we can never see the
changes.
This is Saturday night as this
is written and certainly there are
many changes in my town. On
Saturday nights a few years ago
things We're lot different. Why /
remember that there was a beer
parlor right next door to my office
back few years ago and on Sa-
turday nights, things really began
to warm up winter or summer.
Sometimes in the wee small
hours of the morning, the boysI
would sit out on the high ST d. E.
walks and sing "Sweet Adeline."
Sometimes they even drove their
old cars along the sidewalks and
screeching tires could be heard
over and over 1t was all in fun
probably but sometimes the noise
disturbed the light sleepers in the
town.
Time has way of changing all
things. If you don't believe it, cut
a slash in the woods and leave it
a few years and return. You will
never even remember where youj
cut the slash as everything will be
overgrown in a short time. And So
it is with your town or any town
for that matter.
In my town on this hot humid
Saturday night, things are almost
ghost-still. The grocery stores stay
open a little longer on Saturday
nights, but even they close by 8 or
9 o'clock. The boys that used to
scatch off on the sloping streets
have been away to the services
and returned and many are marri-
ed and are home with their fani-
lies and not the least bit concerned
with the reminiscing of an old edi-
tor on a summer Saturday night.
The younger generation has all
gathered together and hustled out
to the teen club where they drink
pop, swap stories on baseball and
dance. All the old folks but one
old newsman have gone home
where they sit in bug-eyed still
ness, watching the third or fourth
showing of a summer television
program. They're probably bored
to death but so great is the hold
that. TV has on them, they'll still
and look until their eyes are as bigl
as grapefruits.
A few years ago our streets were
dusty in dry weather and muddy
when it rained, but now, with the
exception of the old editors street,
there's not speck of dust or mud
showing around the pavements. Not
too long ago our streets were dark
as a miser's pockets but now the
latest in lighting points up the
cracks in the pavements or the
roots of the elms that sometimes
grow on the sidewalks.
Yes, there've been some changes
made in the last few years in my
town. A few people have moved
away and a few have moved in to
take their places. The seasons come
and go as the years roll onward
and we meet along the streets and
remark that this is the hottest day
we've had this year and pretty
soon we meet again and remark
that it's pretty near harvest time
or Christman will soon be here.
Now and then like gentle falling
leaves, one or another will drift
silently on to that land not made
with hands and like stone dropped
into a pool, the ripples of their
passing will soon spread to the
shore of our memories and are
soon forgotten.
Time does not stand still in our
town, but neither does it ever hur-
nv. Rather it takes slow plodding
course and we see m content to-
drift along with it much like fallen
leaves floating along on gentle
tide. When we try to hurry, we
never have any luck for then we
are not with the tide any more.
Following along with the tide, we
grow old without knowing it and
our senses are dulled and we have
no worries or fears, but when we
would hurry ahead of the gentle
tide, we must ever walk alone. And
walking alone is a lonely business
in any town and so we seldom
hurry. There are some changes,
though one must have an ear and
heart attuned to catch the sight
and sound of them.