Simpson County News from Mendenhall, Mississippi • 1

DIXIE RINDING CO. 111SOUTH PRES. ST. Organ of Simpson County Formerly the Westville News- -Established in 1872 Oldest Established Business in County Simpann County Neura VOLUME 77 Mendenhall, Mississippi, Thursday, 9, 1948 NO. 26 OUNTY APITOL OMMENT (N.

B. We had begun to think that the little folks who read the Simpson County News didn't believe Santa Claus was on our mailing buth this week we list, found out better, for there has been a deluge of Letters to Santa coming in. If they are not all printed in this issue, we will try to get them in next week. And speaking of Christmas, we notice that the merchants in Mendenhall and Magee have certainly prepared themselves to take care of the shopping in this area. Never have we seen prettier and nicer gifts than are displayed by these stores.

And it is not altogether the giving of presents that make Christmas, for Christmas is TINY people lying awake in the night, hearing the hoofbeats of Santa's reindeer. Christmas is TWO people kissing beneath the mistletoe. Christmas is OLD people, sitting by the fire- remembering the warmth of youth. Christmas is SOLEMN people, bending their heads in reverent prayer. Christmas is MERRY people, lustily singing carols in the frosty night.

Christmas is YOUR people, family and friends, gathering in the parlor to exchange their Christmas greetings. Christmas is MANY people, doing their stardust best to wrap the gifts that grace your tree. Christmas is ALL people- -those in our town, our land, and thro' out the world--who believe in who live and who hold sacred the Christmas spirit. Congratulations and good wishes. to our friends and neighbors, Mr.

and Mrs. W. R. (Bill) Fortenberry who will on next Sunday celebrate, with open house, their Golden Wedding Anniversary. The following poem, by an anonymous writer, was contributed to this column by Miss Alice Davis.

The title is "Let Me Be Kind Today:" Let me be kind today, Nor carelessly let fall One cruel hurtful word Which I cannot recall. The heart I wound today Tomorrow may be stilled; I cannot gather up The poison when 'tis spilled. I must not waste today Life's harvest time is brief; How scant the hour allowed For me to glean my sheaf; Haste! Haste! Oh, laggard hand, To plant the goodly seed; Bear in the golden grain, Perform the noble deed. I would be true todayToday is all my' own; Tomorrow may not dawn And yesterday has flown. May I be given strength To do my task I pray, And in my humble place Let me be true today.

Heart Attack Is Fatal To J. E. Brassell Mr. James Edward Brassell, Ident of Star, Rt. 1, died at residence on November 29, ing a heart attack.

He was a tive of Scott county. Funeral services, conducted the Revs. Hughes and were held at New Zion last day afternoon at 2:30 o'clock, burial, supervised by the Mitchell Funeral Home, in New Zion cemetery, Mr. Brassell- was the son of late Mr. and Mrs.

Edward P. sell. His survivors are, his mother; three brothers, John and A. R. Brassell three sisters, Mesdames Jefranaker, W.

D. Bridges George Henford. LOCAL LIONS WILL BE HOSTS TO MENDENHALL BAND AS THEY OBSERVE LADIES' NIGHT Arrington Will Be Guest Speaker Members of Mendenhall Lions Club have arranged one of the best programs of the year dies' Night which will be observed at the Legion Hut next Monday evening. Hon. James Arrington of Collins will be guest speaker, and in addition to this outstanding treat, Mr.

Morgan, president of the club, has arranged to have Mr. "Chinny" Hay, of McComb, the district's widely known Tail Twister, who will serve in an "official capacity" at this meeting. Members of the Mendenhall Band will be guests of the Lions. Air Force Needs 10,000 Vets for ETO Ten thousand former servicemen are needed immediately as replacements by the United States Force for assignment in the United Kingdom and Western Europe support of "Operation Vittles" the current B-29 training program, according to Sergeant First Class Ennis Turner of the U. S.

Army and U. S. Air Force Recruiting Station located in Room 504 of the Post Office Building in Jackson. Assignment of the 10,000 will not increase the total assignment Air Force personnel in Europe because they will be replacements for men who have completed their foreign tour of duty and men in Europe on temporary duty. Sergeant Turner also stated that qualified veterans will be accepted for enlistments in grades commensurate with their agility and military experience.

Skills needed include aircraft mainten-1947 ance, radio, radar, communications, automotive equipment operators and repairmen. Unmarried men up to 34 years of age who have been discharged more than 90 days will be accepted in all grades up to and including Technical Sergeant. Married men with dependents who have been discharged more than 90 days must qualify for grade of Staff Sergeant and Technical Sergeant to be accepted for this assignment. Dependents cannot be sent overseas. Personnel serving outside of the United States automatically receive an extra 20 percent in pay.

All qualified applicants will be sent to an Air Force processing station, then to the Overseas Replacement Depot at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, and as soon as possible, to European assignments. For additional information, Sergeant Turner may be located every Wednesday at the Courthouse in Mendenhall. LOCAL PTA HOLDS REGULAR MEETING A large group of patrons, teachers and friends of the Mendenhall school were present at the regular meeting of the PTA on Thursday afternoon, November 18. The meeting was called to order by the president, Mrs. Delbert Bailey.

All joined in the singing of America. After the business, the meeting was turned over to Mrs. J. C. Furlow, who was in charge of She gave a most inthe program.

spiring devotion. Two of Mrs. Slay's pupils rendered piano solos and were enjoyed the group. Mrs. John Henningby ton then gave a very interesting talk on "The Needs of the Elemenfollowed by a talk Dan McIntosh on "The Itary School," from Mrs.

Needs of the High School." the program everyone was After the dining room of invited into building and the home economics were servdelicious refreshments Delmas Dykes and Mrs ed by Mrs. Williams, the parent hostesses Bill for the afternoon. meeting will be Our next regular moved to December holidays. 16, because, of the Christmas meeting we will be entertained by Mendenhall band and we are the anxious to have every parmost and friend interested meeting will be in the ent, teacher present. The at 7:30 on high school auditorium of December 16.

the night WILL CELEBRATE ANNIVERSARY Piano and Voice Recital December 9 Piano and voice -pupils of Mrs. Frank Slay, take this opportunity to invite the public to the Christmas rectial December 9, in the Mendenhall high school auditorium at 7:15 o'clock. Selections from our great composers Chopin, Tschaikowsky, Schumann, Rurihold, Rimsky, Korsakoff and others will be heard. school glee club will be heard in "Deck the Halls," also high school quartette -in "White Christmas." hope that all of you may be present. State Oil Producers Double Last Year's Oil Severance Tax State oil producers paid $579,623 in oil severance tax last month, a nice increase over the month before and enough to make the total tax paid so far this year double that of a year ago.

Increased production this year and higher crude oil prices resulted in the increasing tax total; Hall Wallace, director of the oil severance tax division of the state tax producers have paid severance commission, said so far this es of $5,951,201 as compared to 063,738 for the first 11 months of (Although the report was made in November, it is on October production, as taxpayers have until the 26th of the month following to compile their complicated reports and make The tax is levied at the rate of six cents per barrel, or six per cent of the well side sale price, whichever is higher, and figures six per cent since no state oil is now selling for a little as $1 a barrel.) Lincoln county, home, of the Brookhaven and Mallalieu fields, was again the biggest tax producer, with Adams county was next with $119,958 from the Carthage Point, Cranfield, LaGrange and Pine Ridge fields; they were the only counties to yield more than $100,000. The state collected $78,846 from Yazoo county, home of the Tinsley and Pickens fields; and next two highest were Lamar county, site of the Baxterville field, with $66,354 and Jasper county, with its big Heidelberg field and part of Soso, with $59,355. Producers in other counties paid tax as follows: Clarke, Franklin, Jefferson, 326; Jeff Davis, Jones, 505; Madison, Marion, 387; and Wayne, $44,133. Among the individual fields, Baxterville was largest, producing 566,623 barrels in Lamar and 424 in Marion county; while Mallalieu, in Lincoln county, was second with 566,223 barrels, although its oil is of higher grade and brought the highest price. Tinsley in Yazoo, the state's first oil strike, produced 501,264 barrels for third place, and Cranfield field, in Adams and Franklin county, was next with 458,000 barrels.

Altogether, the state produced, 4,003,182 barrels of crude in October, the only month in which the 4,000,000 mark was topped outside of August, to date the largest single month, when the figure was 095,000. MERRY CHRISTMAS $1948 USA FIGHT TB Buy Christmas Seals Mr. and Mrs. W. R.

Fortenberry of Mendenhall, will celebrate their fiftieth wedding anniversary Sunday, December 12th, with open house, from one until three o'clock in the afternoon; they take this method of inviting their friends to call at this time. Fortenberrys To Have Open House Next Sunday Mr. and Mrs. W. R.

Fortenberry of Mendenhall, Mississippi, will celebrate their fiftieth wedding anniversary Sunday, December 12, at their home here. Before this marriage fifty years ago, Mrs. Fortenberry was Miss Carrie Berry, of Shivers, in Simpson County. She has a brother, Mr. Dave Berry of Shivers, and one sister, Mrs.

Lou Ross of Hattiesburg and a brother, Ernest Berry, of Magee, Miss. Mr. Fortenberry has two brothers, Dan Fortenberry of Newhebron and Bob Fortenberry, of Shivers. His three sisters are Mrs. Ella Berry, Newhebron; Mrs.

Fannie Millis, Shivers and Mrs. Tom Vanzandt of Mendenhall. To this union were born five children: Ray Fortenberry; L. B. Fortenberry, Mendenhall; Buford Fortenberry, Shivers; Mrs.

M. A. Stephens, New Orleans, and Mrs. Sadie Claytor, of Jackson, Miss. These children, with the e- leven grandchildren, will join in the celebration.

Social Security Manager Will Make Visit Mr. M. B. White, Manager of the Jackson office of the Social Security Administration, which serves Simpson County, states that the number of people receiving OldAge and Survivors Insurance in this county increased 38 per cent during the last fiscal year. As of June 30, 1948, 101 retired wage earners, their wives, widows, children under 18, and dependent parents were receiving 1265.00 a month These benefits are paid to quaified workers and their families under the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance system.

Before anyone is eligible to receive the payments, a worker has to work for a considerable length of time in covered employment. Persons who do not work in business and industrial establishments do not participate in the system. Benefits are based on the average monthly wages which the insured worker has earned since the insurance system went into effect. Both workers and employers pay a tax of one per cent on the wages, and this is kept in the Old-Age and Survivors Trust Fund to pay the benefits. The system actually works as a retirement and death benefit plan, payments being made when the qualified worker retires from covered employment after he is 65 or when he dies at any age.

The Jackson office of the Social Security Administration is located at 124 South Farish Street. Regular monthly visits by representaItives of that office are made to Mendenhall. The next visit is for December 16, at 11- 30 A. at the City Hall. Everyone interested in Old-Age and Survivors Insurance matters may call on that date.

CHARTER MEMBER HONORED BY OES Under the supervision of the present Worth Matron, Mrs. Dora Wiggins, a most impressive ceremony, honoring Mrs. Minta B. Hales, only surviving charter member of Mendenhall chapter Order Eastern Star, was held last Tuesday evening. It was also the chapter's 25th anniversary.

The ceremony, in which members of the Order, all wearing evening attire, represented the hands of Father Time. Each player Carried a pendulum of gold or silver, and as the worthy matron assumed her station, the clock struck "one," to open the ceremony. Mrs. Wiggins read from Eccleasiastes: "To everything there is a reason and a time to every purpose under the heaven; a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; a time to weep, and a time to sew; a time to keep silent, and a time to speak." She further expressed her gratitude for the cooperation she had received from her members and paid especial tribute to Mrs. Minta Hales, who had been so loyal throughout the years.

A handsome anniversary cake, bearing 25 lighted candles, was placed on the altar, and following the impressive ceremony, the candies were extinguished by the youngest member of the order, Mrs. Hazel Couson, who presented the lovely past matron's pin, a gift from the chapter, to Mrs. Hales. The Worthy Matron asked all past matrons to be seated in semicircle near the East, and each of these ladies were presented a beautiful corsage. A huge arrangement of asters, in the colors symbolic of the Order, was also given the charter member as a token of love.

Other than members of the local chapter present, Mr. and Mrs. L. L. Reed, of Jackson, were guests for the program.

Last Rites At Macedonia For Mrs. Nina Hampton Mrs. Nina Hampton, age 23 years, who was a resident of Garrett, aKnsas, was buried on November 27, at Macedonia. She was the wife of Mr. Don Hampton.

Officiants at the funeral were Revs. Henderson and Hemby. Interment, conducted by Mims Mitchell Funeral Home, was in the church cemetery. The deceased is survived by her. husband; her parents, Mr.

and Mrs. H. S. Williamson, of Mendenhall, R. F.

and the following brothers and sisters, Frank and Larry Williamson; Mrs. T. J. Williams, Miss Ella Williamson, Mrs. Wm.

B. Adams and Mrs. Mae Williamson. COUNTY TEACHERS TO MEET DEC. 13 The following program will be rendered by the Simpson County Teachers Association on Monday, December 13, at 7 p.

in the high school auditorium, Mendenhall. Song, "Onward Christian Soldiers," led by Prof. J. R. Hamilton.

Devotion, Rev. M. F. Lytle. Special Music, Pupils of Mrs.

Frank Slay, Mendenhall school. Minutes of last meeting, business session. Keeping up the professional attitude by E. C. Traylor, superintendent of Magee high school.

Announcements by R. S. Berry, county superintendent of educa- tion. Address, Dr. D.

M. Nelson, president of Mississippi College. Adjournment. Because the present abundance of pecans, there are other reasons for eating them. Pecans are nutritious, containing 73 per cent fat, over nine per cent protein and 13 per cent carbohyrdate.

MARTHA BROWN REVEALS PLANS; NAMES PERSONNEL FOR HER DECEMBER WEDDING reshis followna- by Mallery, Thurswith Mims the the Brosstep- Virgil, and Fannie and Miss Martha Carolyn Brown, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Hulon Banks Brown, 318 Millsaps Avenue, Jackson, and bride-elect of Robert Edward Lee of Forest and Mississippi College, is today announcing plans for her wedding and naming the personnel of her bridal party. The wedding will take place December nineteenth at half past four o'clock at Galloway Memorial Methodist church in Jackson. Dr.

W. B. Selah, pastor, will perform the double ring ceremony. The nuptial music will be rendered by Miss Mary Ethel Griffin of Clarksdale, Mississippi, organist, and Wayne Coleman of Louisville, Mississippi, vocalist. Miss Brown will be given in marriage by her father.

Serving as matron of honor will be the bride-elect's only sister, Mrs. Howard C. Cook, of Jackson; Miss Mary Lou Spier, of Jackson will be maid of honor, and the following have been chosen as bridesmaids: Miss Beverly Ferrell, Miss Beth Meeks and Mrs. J. P.

Morris, all of Jackson. James Walter Lee of Forest, brother of the groom-elect, will be Mr. Lee's best man; Howard Cook, of Jackson, brother-in-law of Miss Brown and Dunbar Lee of Rolling Fork, will serve as usher-groomsmen. Other groom's attendants are Jeff Underhill of Jackson and Sidney Cooper of Forest. Candle lighters will be Billy Lowe Gill, of Jackson, cousin of the Bride-elect and David Lee of Forest, brother of the -elect.

4 Following the wedding ceremony, a reception for the families and friends of the couple will be held at the home of the bride's parents. Miss Brown is a former resident of Mendenhall, and through the medium of this press, is inviting all Simpson county friends to attend her wedding,.