The Charlotte News from Charlotte, North Carolina • 4

It's too late to change the finish line in the ERA race said that many women suf fer "depression" because they believe they are considered second-class citizens and passage of ERA would be therapeutic But even if a considerable "if" ERA would buck up those who are downcast it is perverse to tinker with the fundamental law for psychological purposes Regarding extension of the deadline Schoreder noted that many states that have refused to ratify ERA are in the "sun belt" population is growing faster there than elsewhere so these states are "out of apportion" and apt to he redistricted after the MO census lier implication is that the actions of these states' legislatures are somehow less than legitimate This argument has an almost redeeming audacity hut it is no more persuasive than a placard waved at last weekend's demonstration The placard proclaimed: ji4--- iN elt: ii- '7kiiisi1 OW' i( a at- 4 A 41 411rAt 4 1 AR-- lilviiisivt L1' 4 :41 11 (11011111 IVA 111 0 'A 1- ilk 1 ll qh1 1 i' '1 '11 il 0 ri f' I 111f ii'' 1 1h ak Iltki ll -0 14 1 Ifr- t'''AA iteki 74 i 110 or I '14-Alh' 11 pl) 0 14g 21e4-'k :2 1 )1111 it l'olre Il I 4 'ZIPS' 'ti 24: iw i 4 f'' I II 1 ztz: -i A-:" 1 1 'it timir id 3 1----' 1 l' 1 I Idle te1 1 L(' a i) 1 ottowfr i 4 Lott r7 tr4 pi ''cuosttio ''ilf 4 la-)-4: 0t 1' r1'7111 k4' sora! i (416 tempt ilk Afti ":17) 46' 't 9' IL 41A417414150-- tyAll kil '11 1 ty -7'-'dw 1- go iloommom mi 4 '-h X'' A By GEORGE WILL WASHINGTON At the ERA demonstration here last weekend Gloria Steinem was not as fierce as the lady who announced that "I came out of the womb with a clenched fist" But Steinem did warn that the "revolution" may not remain "peaceful" unless Congress extends by seven years the deadline for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment In March 1972 Congress sent ERA to the states with a seven-year deadline Twenty-two states ratified it that year but in the last five and one-half years only 13 have ratified Fifteen states have refused repeatedly and three states have voted to rescind earlier ratifications ERA is at least three and probably six states short of ratification Without an extension it is dead But revocation of the original understanding about ratification would violate constitutional values as well as standards of fair competition Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes explained why a constitutional amendment once proposed should not be open for ratification Indefinitely: ratification must he sufficiently contemporaneous in the required number of states to reflect the will of the people in all sections at relatively the same period of time" A reasonable ratification period is long enough to amendments as now exuberantly construed guarantee it To guage the frivolousness of what Steinem is pleased to call the ERA "revolution" imagine what the middle-class "revolutionaries" could have (lone for less advantaged women if the energy devoted to introducing redundant "equal rights" language into the Constitution had been put to serious purposes A counselor for "Ambitious AmitZ011S" an organization of lesbians in Bay City Michigan insists upon the importance of "just having it down there on the books" But the Supreme Court is highly skeptical about laws involving classifications according to sex unless they are reasonably related to an important social objective ERA of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of could not be reasonably construed to do significantly more for women than the court is already able and prepared to do Recently had the pleasure of arguing about this with Rep Patricia Schroeder D-Colo on a "Town Meeting" run by Mobile the cultural affairs conglomerate that also produces petroleum products Schroeder's mind has a razor-sharp keenness but the same cannot be said for two arguments she Used A presidential commission on mental health has reported she 'Art4411M WD oRGANinl) Tk MNC FOR A 1NDAY LILLY? a 94S ON SUNDAYS 11-iERS IsN'T A ftLITICIAN 11M VOLE JOINT! LI: fr 1776-1789 Rejoice! 'here was no 7-year limit The author of that placard evidently believes that ratification of the Constitution took 13 years The placard may be persuasive to all who do not know that the Constitution was submitted to the states in 1787 That placard is a sample and a symbol of the arguments to which ERA advocates have been reduced constitutional values perhaps because ERA is an ideological gesture not justified by considerations of constitutional law No provision of the Constitution denies equality to women and the due process and equal protection clauses of the Fifth and the 14th allow ample debate and short enough to assure that states' decisions will be "contemporaneous" Congress has considered a seven-year limit reasonable for all amendments proposed in the last 50 years No amendment has ever required even four years The first ten were ratified in 27 months The most recent amendment (low ering the voting age) took four months Yet ERA supporters having failed in 84 months demand now at least 168 Those who advocate extension are impervious to arguments about The gentle vital art of learning to think THE CHARLOTTE NEWS ROLFE NuLl Prestdent end Pub Whir The Rev John Bradley STEWART SPENCER Editor KENT BERNIIARI) Managing Editor TOM BRADBURY Associate Editor ROBERT SUAREZ General Manoger GUEST COLUMNIST FRIDAY JULY 14 1978 The Rev John Bradley a native of GlasgotvScolland and a graduate of Oxford was president of Belmont Abbey College for eight years and is now the college's provost Potato chips are out but Some time ago the curriculum committee of Harvard University complained that Harvard was not teaching its students to think I believe that many educators associated with various colleges and universities throughout the length and breadth of the country would nowadays agree that this is their experience also No doubt there is a great range of reasons why little time and opportunity is devoted nowadays to challenging the student to think as contrasted with information gathering and merely regurgitating that information in tests The enormous growth of information about almost everything in recent times is in itself a constant temptation to the educator or textbook writer to cover as much information as possible thus leaving less and less time to exercise our most important faculty the faculty that works on that informa poem about was: "The Marriage Feast at Cana" Three hours were allowed for the students to complete their Latin poems Almost at once all the examinees except Housman began to write recounting the facts of the New Testament story of Jesus changing the water into wine observing meticulously the rules of Latin poetry as they did so Housman however seemed to be gazing out the window observing the lawn in the quadrangle outside Two hours went past and the other students had some twenty lines on paper and Housman had none Then he took up his pen wrote two lines of Latin poetry handed in his paper and left the room He won that year's Latin Poetry Prize Here is the English translation of what he wrote: "The water looked at its Creator and blushed" Allen Norwood CHIEF EDITORIAL WRITER An Editorial Allen Norwood we) CHIEF EDITORIAL WRITER ing on the examinations for degrees For example there is the Latin Poetry Prize examination The student who wins this does indeed receive a small prize but it is the prestige of winning such an examination that is most valued Many years ago the famous English poet AE Housman took his place with a few other students in the examination room and the professor supervising that year's Latin Poetry Prize examination entered and announced that the topic they should write a Latin lion criticizing it analyzing it synthesizing it In other words leaving less and less time for thinking Concerned about this and about the consequent danger of students confusing real thinking with mere information gathering I used to tell the freshmen honor students at Belmont Abby College a story I heard 'ears ago at Oxford University At Oxford various exininalions are held throughout the year that have no direct bear Few would quibble with the goals of the six-member Food Service Study Committee which wants local students to eat more appetizing nutritious food in school cafeterias What parent would prefer potato chips to fresh fruit for a growing youngster? These days what's loosely dubbed "junk food" is under attack from all quarters with valid reasons in many cases The very words conjure up the image of some omnipresent calorie out to do everybody in That's why it came as no surprise to hear the committee recommend that potato chips and other goodies be banished That's why Superintendent Jay Robinson's decision to implement the suggestions seems proper and is likely to be favored by parents For a complete understanding of the question at hand though several facts need to be added to the equation: These days what's loosely dubbed "junk food" is under attack from all with valid reasons in many cases The very words conjure up the image of some omnipresent calorie out to do everybody in why it came as no surprise to hear the committee recommend that potato chips and other goodies be ban- ished That's why Superintendent Jay decision to implement the suggestions seems proper and is likely to be favored by parents For a complete understanding of the question at hand though several facts need to be added to the equation: letters Some definitions of religion for the courts Holy: A supernatlrai spiritually pure transcendent power or being involving awe Worship: Expressions of reverence to a Divine or supernatural being or power (A note: These are offered for criticism not endorsement And they're legal definitions not religious or secular unless they'd stand up in court covering a bit broader field ie Church Religion Philosophy Holy and Worship and I have sought definitions the courts might accept General agreement on such basic subjects hardly can be expected But some light may arise At any rate we would all do well to give the basic deliniton much thought before the related issues get too high in the courts Church: A group of people held together by a common belief in a supernatural power or being Religion: A system of beliefs held to by faith rather than logic involving the supernatural Philosophy: The pursuit of wisdom values and reality generally by speculative rather than observational means Charlotte Editors The News: A month or so ago acting as a guest columnist Harcourt Waller wrote a four-column bit entitled "What Would Happen if Churches were Taxed?" He didn't really answer the problem but who could without generally acceptable definitions? By coincidence I have been working on a set of definitions committee pointed out and the food service folks agree that extracurricquarters ular groups selling sweets to raise money sometimes violate the rules What we mean to say is that the issue is less "junk food" and more stuThat's dents' eating habits Chips aren't the subject of the moment because they're evil They're being eliminated because there are junior and senior high stuRobinson's dents whose version of "balanced meal" is a bag of chips in each hand Because they have more choice older students are freer to choose only sweets But then older students are supposed to have more sense Now the schools have a legitimate interest in the habits of students Parents expect the schools to take a passing interest in proper supervision even at lunchtime and it's proper for the schools to respond Taking poand tato chips out of high school cafeterias will temper the eating habits of some students It might boost the business of the fast-food joint down the street and it will deny chips to the student who eats only one bagful with his milk and sandwich But it's easily enough done and no student will be able to make a meal of them But it's also important to understand that any student can go to any school cafeteria and buy a nutritious lunch It's important for groups such as the study committee to say that clearly if they're to paint an accurate picture It's important for parents to know that because they have to place a cergone tam amount of faith in the schools It's important to the larger question because responsibility for what a 17- year-old eats lies in three places: with his parents himself and his school All of this is not to say that the corn- And taking potato chips out of school mittee's concerns are overblown The cafeterias changes that not one iota The Ivory Tower HOWARD SNOW I In drawing up rules remember 'Joe Tell Privette to stay out of debate here The first is that no student discovers potato chips in a school cafeteria And he doesn't learn about them from some sleazy type out behind the barn lie first encounters potato chips and develops a taste for them at home No doughnuts or potato chips are sold in elementary school cafeterias in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg system The food service folks have already eliminated them at that level And no dessert is supposed to be sold to an elementary student unless he buys or brings lunch Because of the size of the system there might be some exceptions to that rule on some days But the rule is there and experience tells us that it's enforced Food service planners have worked hard to give junior and senior high school students more choices to make food more appealing The day of the take-it-or-leave-it "goulash" is gone The committee recommended salad bars for all junior and senior high schools that's fine but the concept has been in the works for a year The first is that no student dis- covers potato chips in a school cafete- ria And he doesn't learn about them from some sleazy type out behind the barn lie first encounters potato chips develops a taste for them at home No doughnuts or potato chips are sold in elementary school cafeterias in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg system The food service folks have already eliminated them at that level And no dessert is supposed to be sold to an ele- mentary student unless he buys or brings lunch Because of the size of the system there might be some excep- tions to that rule on some days But the rule is there and experience tells us that it's enforced Food service planners have worked hard to give junior and senior high school students more choices to make food more appealing The day of the take-it-or-leave-it "goulash" is The committee recommended salad bars for all junior and senior high schools that's fine but the concept has been in the works for a year cent Right away this eliminates who knows how many establishments here in Charlotte that presently sell alcoholic beverages and food hut whose food sales do not make up most of the establishment's money Charlotte Editors The News: In drawing up the regulations for the sale of mixed drinks the state Alcbholic Beverage Control Board should consider the fact that no we do not necessarily want wide-open bars or a bar on every street corner However it should also be taken into consideration that "Average Joe Citizen" would like to be able to take advantage of mixed drinks The obvious direction the board is moving in indicates that since I live in Charlotte unless I belong to some private social or patriotic club I am not going to be able to take advantage of mixed drinks in a private dub The other alternative that would be available to Average Joe regarding mixed drinks would be to patronize a restaurant that has a Grade A sanitation rating This is a plus in favor of us Average Joes The restaurant must seat at least 36 people and 1 do not think Average Joe can find reason for complaints in this regard But this restaurant must also make the most of its money from food sales The word "most" in this case would have to mean at least 51 per Charlotte Editors The News: I have never written a letter to the newspaper before hut this I feel is warranted I Just 4 want to say what a lot of ahA 4 people in Mecklenhurg 4' County are thinking right now 4 Is there not going to be a place where Joe can go sit down have a couple of drinks and say order a cheese plate? If you ordered a $3 cheese plate and two mixed drinks at $150 each then your food consumption has not made up 51 per cent of the sale Heartbeat of public radio is sounding stronger The board members should consider that Average Joe the middle-income regular guy in the neighborhood cannot frequent the Radisson Slug's or even Nakato's on a weekly or even hi-weekly basis In other words now that we have got it what good is it going to do for us to have it unless we can afford it? We are still going to be sitting there slipping our bottle in and out of that old brown bag 40 1 ylo Please tell Coy Privette who does not live in Meck11 BE' lenburg Coun- JIM --101 ty to mind his I AlMtitY iliLii own business and take care xiwily4 of caba rrus 0 4iii County and leave Mecklen- -41 burg County 84404144 '447'-ci-4 alone Since he does not live here what right does he have to get involved in Mecklenburg County business? I haven't really given liquor by the drink too much thought but I will now And even if I was not for it I would be now because of Mr Privette's butting in where he does not belong The ARC staff should consider that Average Joe Citizen would like to have mixed drinks but not necessarily wide open bars and the key to that solution appears to lie in the definition of private club" k' If 7 i 4 1 f1 4-)0 '4' 1 li 45 '1 14 ks: 'U' g-' 74 xif )1 1 psoy 4-2 II 1i 4 1 4440000 A40011 MRS NANCY KNIGH I' MRS JANE STEARNS Pu ing of Us antenna to beam more of its signal towards Charlotte WPRV has been on the air since the first of the year during daytime on weekdays only carrying instructional programs of the South Carolina educational network Beginning next Sunday its -broadcast day will begin at 6 am and run until midnight seven days a week What WPRV will bring to Charlotte is a cornucopia of good music and features from National Public Radio radio's equivalent of the PBS television network In the beginning the radio programming will all come out of Columbia But by fall WPRV hopes to begin local programming for the northern South Carolina area After a long drought the Charlotte area is about to be flooded with good non-commercial radio not only good music but a choice of good music It hasn't come easily and it doesn't come cheap Both WFAE and WDAV depend heavily on listener contributions for money Checks made payable to UNCCWEAF can be sent to WFAE Radio UNCC Station Charlotte 28223 Checksto WDAV-FM can be sent to Box 278 Davidson 28036 For the equivalent of the price of a couple of record albums you can help fill the air with hours of Beethoven Bach and Brubeck And that's not a bad deal of volunteers who have slogged on through ankle-deep red tape hip-deep forms and regulations and head-high frustrations to get a full-power full-time station for Charlotte With if not the end at least the next big step now in sight Pittman is optimistic He plans to start some studio remodeling in the next couple of weeks in anticipation of FCC approval of the power boost and the HEW grant On Sept 1 WFAE plans to expand its hours from VI' hours a day five days a week to 12 hours a day seven days a week WDAV having recently boosted its power to 18000 watts is reaching most of greater Charlotte now with a 50-50 mix of classical and rockjazz programming Station manager Don Lovell says listener response seems to indicate that it is a good balance and the station has no plans to materially change it although some minor programming changes have been and will continue to be made The station is about half-way to its $70000 goal in fund raising There have been some problems with the WDAV signal in parts of Charlotte WDAV's signal at 899 and the signal from WPRV in Rock Hill at 889 reach Charlotte with about the same strength and occasionally overlap each other Lovell said this should be taken care of within a couple of weeks when WDAV does some fine tun To mix a metaphor the public radio picture around here is getting a lot brighter WDAV-FM the 18000-watt station in Davidson is on the air 18 hours a day seven days a week the 100000-watt South Carolina Public Radio station in Rock Hill is going full-time next Sunday with evenings and weekends full of National Public Radio features and music WFAE-FM UNCC's tiny but energetic 10-watt station at 909 is in the final stages of getting FCC approval to boost its power to 100000 watts And the possiblity of money from an HEW matching grant says station manager Robert Pittman "looks real good" All that is music to the ears of the none-too-few folks around here who just a year ago were despairing of ever having even one good-music good-features non-commercial radio station In addition the University of North Carolina administration was handed $125000 by the General Assembly last month to design a statewide public radio network to bring public radio to all parts of the state as the WUNC-TV network has brought public television The university and WUNC-FM in Chapel Hill are cool to the idea of simply rebroadcasting a single set of programs across the state feeling that a public radio station should reflect and adapt to individual communities But the leg's lature very broadly defined "network" and university officials are toying with the concept of a loosly affiliated group of independent stations WFAE would be an excellent candidate for such an arrangement The station and its mostly volunteer staff have worked miracles to get the station as far as it has come Even with its weak signal which keeps it from being heard well in most of Charlotte the station has built a loyal following and pulled in more than $8000 in listener contributions The UNCC administration has lent as much support as it could and is right now ironing out with community leaders the details of a fund-raising drive But much of the credit goes to Pittman and his staff "n-------------- illio 0-7--) 11 of 117 F9- Ai I L-- i 1 3 1 lg'r''' 1 7S1i4 16 GI PRI ()N IS 51-WC)P PA F40C IT $StkE I IrT1' II3 4: 4- 2 UNIT ii) i 4 fr 11 re 4 (rtD strip4'0 1 -7---- 1114L 8 ROB COINER.