THE DALLAS POST, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 1982
Editorial
BY MARY ANN KELLY
A recent commentary printed in the Aug. 17 issue of the Berwick
Enterprise takes society to task for the pitiful shape of its public
looked upon the commentary as somewhat harsh on society as a
whole. Still, not totally trusting my own judgment in this matter (my
own children are too young to come home with shocking
vocabularies), I gave the comment to longtime educator and father,
Arnie Garinger. Having worked directly with children and youth as a
teacher and parent, Garinger has had plenty of opportunity to detect
disrespect and has formed a few opinions of his own, as to what blame
exists and where it might be placed.
Below. is a reprint of the “Enterprise” comment, and a summary of
.Garinger’s feelings on the subject, which happen to be closely aligned
with my own).
Shame on us all!
The public manners and morals that typify much of today’s society-
at-large are a disgrace.
Gutter language, verbal obscenities and disrespect for law,
authority and age seem to have mushroomed to outrageous levels.
- Young children are introduced early in life to harsh vulgarities
which they often do not understand but which they pick up on and use
as part of their own vocabularies.
It is distasteful, indeed, to hear a first-grader uttering four-letter
words. But that state of affairs does exist, however much we abhor
the situation.
Too many of our ‘‘younger’’ generation are just as likely to mouth
all seems to come so naturally - and so distastefully.
We're prompted to comment on this facet of life because of a recent
incident that took place in a public institution that serves as the
epitome of proper decorum and decent manners - the courtroom.
We admire the calm, unruffled demeanor of Judge Jay Myers who
handled the deplorable outburst with impeccable judgment and re-
serve.
Although this particular episode involved no bad language or of-
fensiveness other than perhaps rudeness and impassioned anger of
the moment, it still must be viewed as unseemly, considering the time
and place.
When a defendant has the effrontery to ‘lip off’ to the bench,
whether the language be clean and straightforward or filled with
vituperative phrases, it should serve to send shock waves down the
spines of all those who believe in respect and tradition.
The entire incident serves to illustrate just how far down the road to
verbal deterioration we have gone.
used with care and discretion, especially when they are likely to
strike the ears of those who do not deserve to be victimized.
Our language is expressive, flexible and even beautiful. It’s a
shame that it has to be abused so abominably.
Somewhere along the line, whether it be in the home, in the church,
in schools, in our own minds as we perceive the world around us, we
have turned a sharp corner.
We need to do some retracing of steps and find that corner where we
went wrong.
COUNTERPOINT
Garinger does not believe the disgraceful condition of public
manners and morals is a majority problem, but rather one displayed
by a minority of today’s kids. Still, he looks upon the last 50 years as
having wrought tremendous change in our view of the world. He
recalls his grandmother, when he was just a boy. When she would get
as angry as she could possibly be, she would utter a “my goodness!”’
In the following generation, he remembers, his father in anger, might
holler ‘‘damn” or ‘hell”.
Growing up in the third generation, Garinger quickly learned that
“golly, gee whiz” was simply not an effective invective after being hit
with a ball in the groin, during a game with ‘‘the: guys”.
The change can be seen in the entertainment world when today’s
soap operas deal with every imaginable topic, and are accepted by.
the viewing audience (which includes youths, because their parents
are watching). In the past generation the entire nation was upset by
Clark Gable telling Scarlett O’Harra ‘Frankly Scarlett, I don’t give a
damn”.
“I guess I see kids generally as carbon copies of their parents with
allowances for the new generation in which they are being raised, and
the tremendous needs kids have to be ‘‘just like everyone else,’’ he ex-
plained.
“I do know this. The old days of kids acting a certain way because
an adult in authority said so are gone forever. Kids today want to
know “why” and it had better make sense. Maybe too many adults
don’t take the time to explain things. If they-do, maybe too few make
sense.”
Garinger suggests that perhaps the criticism of youth and society is
sadly misplaced. “Personally, I think we should all get together and
attack gnats. Now there’s a real pain in the (expletive deleted).”
Only Yesterday
50 Years Ago - Sept. 16, 1932
A late summer drought caused
heavy losses to farmers. A shortage
of crops was predicted.
Luzerne County Republicans
traveled to Fogelsville to partici-
pate in the opening of the GOP State
campaign. Vice President Curtis
would be principal speaker.
Dallas Rotary goes to bat on civic
problems. Committees worked on
the solution of water, road and
taxation conditions in this region.
You could get-10 lb. sugar 43c;
pickles 2 gt. jar 25¢c; eggs 29c doz.;
giner ale 4 btls. 25¢; butter 2 1b. 49c.
Library News
BY NANCY KOZEMCHAK
We now have 38 owls on display in
the library, thanks to Victoria
Gonzalez, the coordinator of ac-
tivities at the Senior Citizen Center
in Dallas. She just happens to like
owls and began to buy a few about
20 years ago. When friends nd
family realized her interest in owls,
it helped them to know what to get
her for gifts. The owls are made of
glass, wood, metal, pottery, ivory,
china and a walrus tooth. A two
piece green glass is one that holds a
candle; an aluminum outdoor:
candle makes a useful lantern; two
ceramic owls on a log have a music
box inside; two smaller ones with
colored eyes from Italy; a very
Letter to the Editor
40 Years Ago - Sept. 18, 1942
Santo Ragno, Berwiuk, was
elected music supervisor and
director of the Lehman High Schoo!
Band. Other new faculty members
were Mrs. Donald Deans, Joseph
Ellsworth and William Crumm.
In line with the national policy to
conserve gasoline and rubber, Leh-
man High School athletic
authorities cancelled all fall foot-
ball games and substituted a
schedule of intramural sports.
Engaged--Judith Ann Robertson
to Robert J. Parks; Velma Haring
to Wilbur H. Davis.
Married--Doris Hess to Charles
Claude Warden; Elizabeth Pell to
Harry Decker.
You could get--Cauliflower 19c
hd. ; flour 24 1b. bag 81c; Crisco 3 Ib.
can 71c; spinach 5c Ib.; lettuce 10c
head.
30 Years Ago - Sept. 19, 1952
Dallas native John Kirkendall
was promoted to the rank of
brigadier general. A graduate of
West Point, Kirkendall was
stationed at Keesler Air Force
Base.
Enrollmen. of studen‘s for Kkin-
dergarten at Dallas reached 101.
Married--Evelyn Ruth Whipp to
Donald Root; Jane Louise Dodson
to Thomas Phipps.
Anniversaries--Mr. and Mrs.
Robert H. Scott, Lehman, 31 years;
years.
You could get-Turkeys 59c 1b.;
skinless franks 49c lb.; smoked
picnic hams 39c lb.; sweet potatoes
4 lb. 29¢c; cheese 69c 1b.
20 Years Ago - Sept. 20, 1962
William Wright was recipient of
Rotary and Kiwanis Clubs made the
choice. A member of the Kiwanis
Club, Wright was a Dallas School
Board member, had served as
chairman of the Library Auction
Engaged--Jane Ann Cooper to
Robert A. Smith.
Deaths-Samuel R. Culver, Fair-
mont Township; Harold C.
Giberson, Lehman; Ida Brumfield,
Idetown.
You could get-Boiled ham 89c
1b.; boneless beef cubes or ground
beef 73c Ib.; haddock fillet 45¢c Ib.;
McIntosh apples 4 1b. 39c; cheddar
cheese 79¢c 1b.; bread 2 lvs. 39c.
10 Years Ago - Sept. 21, 1972
John Hibbard, president of the
Economic Development . Council,
large ceramic owl’s head which is a
from Mexico. Victoria made a tall
standing owl and a smaller one
which is a bank from ceramics. Her
favorite ceramic owl on a branch
with its wings spread. Her son,
Conrad, is a history teacher in
Buckland, 17 miles south of the
Arctic Circle and is a member of the
Buckland Community in Alaska. He
sent her an owl hand carved from a
walrus tooth for her 65th birthday
on July 2. She received, for other
birthdays, hand carved owls from
Alaska. Snow owls are rare in this
area and are found only in Arctic
zones. There is a set of tiny owls,
mama, papa and baby. Some she
has received as gifts from the ladies
at the senior citizens center and her
daughter, Lois, gave her a picture
in a frame of a snow owl for
Christmas one year. This is now
hanging in the library. At home,
these are kept on the fireplace, in
china closets and book shelves and
scattered elsewhere. This is an
interesting display and it will be at
the library for the next four weeks.
New books at the library:
“Marshall: Hero for Our Times” by
Leonard Mosley is the first anec-
dotal, single-volume biography of
George C. Marshall, one of the
greatest generals in our history. A
private, enigmatic man whose life
was marked by incredible peaks
and awesome depths.
“The Favorite’ by L.R. Wright is
a novel about a father and a
daughter. She had always been his
‘best girl’ and for 17 years he had
been the most important person in
his life. Suddenly she stands at his
grave trying to come to terms with
his death. Devastated feelings!
‘“The only way to fight a woman is
that famous quip? That’s just one of
the many kinds of facts you can get
from the fact-finding experts at
your Back Mountain Memorial
Library. For brief factual informa-
tion in a hurry, call the ‘IN-
FORMATION PLACE’--your local
library!
Letter to the Editor:
How many times have we heard,
“What's the matter with the youth
of today?” Our newspapers re
filled with problems of vandalism,
underage drinking, drus usage and
other anti-social behavior. With the
possible exception of sports-related
activities, we see very few healthy
and productive programs involving
the youth of our area. The only
evidence of added recreation for
our young people in recent years
are the arcades with the electronic
games.
Experts have pointed to idle time
as the major cause of anti-social
acts. We believe that the hectic
schedule of today’s generation of
parents causes the idle time of our
children. The combination of
today’s economic climate, which
has forced more and more mothers
- into the work force, along with the
leisure industry boom, which has
- been geared towards and attracted
young adults, most of whom are
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also young parents, has filled the
parents time schedule. The result of
th is that our children are not
being directed into healthy and
productive activities and most
particularly in the Dallas area a
lack of volunteer leaders for these
activities
Our interest today, and our great
concern is in just one such activity,
the Girl Scout program. For
generations our great-grand-
mothers, grandmothers, mothers
and the childhood of most young
girls was enriched by the Girl Scout
experience. It is not for the lack of
idle girls that severely threatens
the existence of the Girl Scout
troops in our community but rather
a lack of volunteer leaders, willing
and interested in spending quality
time with young girls in the
Brownie and Girl Scout programs.
‘Nationwide the Girl Scout
organization through its local
councils have modernized and
revitalized its programs to fit the
needs and aspirations of the young
girls of the 80’s. Leadership training
programs, special skills workshops
and various program aids are just a
few of the many resources that are
continually being offered by council
to any adult interested in becoming
a good troop leader. Traditionally
we looked for leaders among the
mothers of Girl Scouts who were
there because of their daughters
involvement. Unfortunately today,
many of these mothers are involved
in other activities.
We are imploring mothers who
have previously considered
becoming involved in scouting to
reconsider, but beyond that, we feel
there are many other exceptionally
qualified potential leaders in our
Back Mountain community. We
invite mothers of sons, grand-
mothers, grandfathers, college age
students, men and women alike to
consider volunteering as troop
leaders or assistants or in teaching
and sharing a special skill or in-
terest to the girls.
Anyone wishing to share a few
hours once a week to help sustain
and promote the Girl Scout
Program, please contact Mary
Bevevino of the Penn's Woods
Council, 675-3722.
If it appears that summer has
shortchanged us, it’s true! The
vacations, proved less than
satisfactory. Outdoor swimming
and sunbathing became fond
third coldest August on record. The
the National Weather Service. The
degrees, and 1927, when they
average.
August, 1982, set two cold tem-
perature records and tied another
in its final week. The 42 degree low,
44 degrees, set in 1956. The 38
record low set in 1940.
National Weather Service reports
the high temperature for the month
was 85 and the average stands at 3.8
below the normal, which is 70
degrees.
Many summertime activities
cease with the opening of school but
the season does not end officially
until Sept. 23. National Weather
Service forecaster, Ed Shellhamer
said September is running fairly
normal to-date, despite first week
temperatures averaging one degree
lower. The normal for September is
62.9 degrees with expected
precipitation 2.82 inches. With the
coming of the colder weather, Shell-
hamer said precipitation decreases.
The long range forecast for
September has no surprises in
temperature variations. Shell-
hamer said September should be a
normal month in terms of both
temperature and precipitation.
What happens after that is
anybody’s guess at this time.
It has been said that you are on
the pathway to a successful life
when you do more for the com-
munity than the community does
for you...
That could very well serve as the
creed of the 300 some volunteers
who make the Luzerne County Fair
member selling penny candy,
L~
workers gave of themselves to raise
funds that will benefit their fellow
man.
Albert Schweitzer once said:
“Even if it’s a little thing, do some-
thing for those who have need of
help, something for which you get
no pay but the privilege of doing it.
For remember, you don’t live in a
hére too.”
Fall Story Hour at the Back
Mountain Memorial Library will
begin Wednesday, Sept. 29 and
Thursday, Sept. 30. Registration for
the fall sessions will be held from
Sept. 13 to 18 in the children’s an-
nex. Children 3 to 5 years old are
eligible. Sessions will run from 9:30
t0 10:30 a.m. and 10:45 to 11:45 a.m.
on Wednesday and from 10 to 11
a.m. on Thursday. Story ladies for
»
John McGowan, Pennsylvania
Department of Community Affairs
‘and Andrew Shaw, acting head of
Wilkes College’s political science
department outlined the implica-
tions of Home Rule for Back
Mountain residents.
Married--Nancy Lee Hall to
Howard Bradway Wiggin.
Deaths--Harry Lewis, Dallas;
Clarence Coolbaugh, Wyoming;
Charles Kupstas, Loyalville; Carl
J. Sorber, Sweet Valley; Lulu Spini,
Shavertown; Emory Newell,
Noxen.
You could get--Whole chickens
29¢c 1b.; honeydews, extra large, 59¢
ea.; Bartlett pears 5 1b. $1; salad oil
24 oz. bot. 59c; sugar 5 lb. 38c.
the fall will be Jackie sed
Lauren Chimock, Mary Pillarel ily)
and Julie Sgarlat.
The library staff is especially
grateful for the many volunteer
hours given by students Heather
Sheehan, Michelle Boback, Holly
Gavazzi, and Robert Marchette,
Dallas; Meg and Monical Flynn,
Bishop O’Reilly; Maria Farris,
Gate of Heaven; and Allyson Luka-
savage, Lehman.
1982 Luzerne County Fall Fair was a smashing
success. People of all ages flocked to the
grounds at Lehman to enjoy the food, games,
exhibits and the crowds. . . Their reasons for
coming varied. Here are a few of the favorite
fair features of some neighbors who were
there.
Ricky Williams,
Plains: ‘‘I like the
rides!’’.
Brian Bayer: ‘‘The
baby sheep’’. This
information was im-
parted by Brian’s
mother, as he was a
bit shy.
Bernard Lavin,
Exeter: ‘‘The 4-H
booth is really in-
teresting.’’
»
Tracy Cave, Carver-
ton: ‘The games.’’
Fred Helfrich, West
Wyoming: ‘I like it
all. I don’t know
what I like best, I’m
just walking around,
takingitallin.”’
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