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We buy oId gId, iliver sud pIatinum,~ goId teetia andý breken jew.lry. Highest prc.--f ree e- timt.. 11M. WILMBTTE AVENUE' WILME'ITE 1061 51Min St. Wilmett. Phpne Wil. 32 WIEBQLDT'fS - EVANSTON. On Davis Street, Talbot's High-Back Sailor. In, Terms of Rici, * mat neyer sat 50 vzeli wiui MeUnIl a Chicago newspaper reporter reniarked that the city papers could always rely on Wilmette getting into print several times every year with "something crazy," and be amplîfièd that -by say- ing, çspecjally if it touched upon any- thing having to. do with local gový ermmental affairs. Whatis, the significance 'of sucb a reputation? Does it mean. anything ,to me as an average citizen and taxpayer? Have 1 any obligation in thc case. Have I any rights in it that need atten- tion? Soine mnonths ago I overbeard a con- versation of a group of ý men started by one of their number with the. earnestly expressed desire that something mighl: be done. constructively to improve the reputation of the village. Several, in- teresting theories as to causes were advanced. One had to do with the changing complexion of- thé citizenry i hrough the remnoval of stalwart char- acters* now, and thenl to other north shore suburbs. This in turn was attrib.- uted in part- to the aging of much of the property improvement and to the latent tbreat that une of these days we shall be gobbled up in the onward march of metropolitan"apartment if e. FEveryone admitted the desirability of a reputation fitting the. actually splendid conditions normal to W Milmette village if e, but 1 heard nîo one analyze the average Wilniette citizen in bis approach, to the public affairs of his own village as one of the possible reasous why lEdna Ferber's dig may not be entirely unmeritecl. If the case involves the taxm- payer's attitude, then 1 have certain obligations and I should have certain rigbts, let us say to endeavor hunibly to alter the situation if possible. How Inforan Myself ? But-, after all, how is it possible for me to inform myseîfi, or having donc s0 to -give .exl)ression to MY opinions 0on public affairs, save in gossip.,orby drawing the. sharp focus of public at- tention upon meé personally, a thing I dislike? ]Even if I take' part insm colloquy, what is accomplished therebyý? Finally, have I' any rights, in the case save to cast rny vote at elèction time for My candidates or for or0 gan1 papers, and orgarnze old new namnes, and sotflbodY , Timat uW.ee Issue Yes, 1 think that expresses my aver- -age, attitude toward elections,, save that occasionally there is matter of Public. policy tu be voted upon, such as a water- works, and then after a high dive into a sea of confusing oratory, good, bad and indifferent, I.come up gasping for brceth,, shîut my eyes in the ballotinig, -booth, say to myself, "So and So wore the best looking necktie theérnight he spoke on this subject, su ll vote for his side," and letit go at that. And I ythink my neighbor is so f oolish to get tworked upý on the ýsubject. The Wet issue belongs ini Congress, anYway, not -in our village board. iBut now and then I read somnething ithe paper, or, get a circular letter fromn some, organization, that starts, me *thinking for, a moment. I noticed, the other day in ii WIIrm LiPE a line o11 the eçiorial page about hastening grade separation, and 1 thought it had soane- thing to do with separating the 7th, 8th and 9th grades inlo a junior high school, tilI Sonny told mie there might be no school next year, because. some- body hadn't paid his taxes.. So I.,amn going to flnd out what that line means. Some of My neighbors go to mee!t-ý ings, but 1 don't know what, good it does them, I don't know whether the school boards and the park board have public meetings or not. at least I don't know when and where they meet and >what they do when they do naeet. As for the schools, why, Mr. Harper and Mr. 'GaIiney run them, anyway, that is if there is mofiey to run them with. And if I want to usé the parks 1 have to buy a bathing> ticket. But I >do know there iýs action'in the Village hall be- cause one of my -f riends. who has mo0re CIVÏIC CONSCIOUSNESS than.he has IT took me to a meeting a year or su ago where a lot of men. from Michi- gan avenue got up on their hind legs and shook their first at Po or Mr. « Stod- dard and dared him ýto touch a hair of their parkway. They remindeci me of Barbara Fritchie,.only they didn't have There are no speciflcally organized parties in Wilmette. For one reason, if a party by one identical namne were -to, put candidates in the field twice in succession, primaries would have to be, held.>. Rather, the grou* ative poli- tically in the village clusterabout ce r- tain personalities, miuch as they 'do in Latin-America. The ns' have some- what the, better of it usually, until. an explosion like a 'miniature revolution takées Place and a new personality with his satellites graces the stage for the time.' Meanwhile, the: ms have been struck out, but practically. out for good. Whatever thèy. knew of civic manage- ment has been lost to the village. They; form no opposition party to, heckle the new Ins., The latter have to take their good time about: learning what their jobs are. No one hinders them, but, also noý one helps.. .Now;, the f oregoing applies to the Village Government proper, and not to the park district or the sëvéral school districts,' which almost neyer are, made the subject of conitroversial election contests. In this respect these latter boards are in an. enviable, position (as measured by miy. second axiom). for, they have no gallçry io lplay ,to, they can work out their ýplans without too large an audience and usually can carry out a long-term, consistent pro- gram without having it' thrown .ot o maltreated by a succeeding'and antag- 'onistic administration. Boards when they meet have work to do; they are iîot public forums. Probably the best work is done when they have no audi- ences. But unfortunately there are controversies brought rigbt into, the Village council chamber at times, and often enough i n' the' past they. have been welcomnecl I1 should imagine this; Enot so. good, and stIl without organ- ized, party opposition tokeep the mua- jority un their toe s and wvithout-a sharply critical press there is almùost no way of diliering on public questions save by direct action, for nu one woul d dream of parlianientary parties. in' a group of seven maen. The alternative is word-of-mou th gossip. So-and-so says such and such, often too loosely in, respect to lacts. Occasionally recourse is had to the Public Forum in this naper, but many Other Hats Priced From 81.7r5 >4Uliery Wuon-Second Floor JITrier High school et back when -a ftw p. bond istue of over LIIV Ivte rportL was guuu, .1'lot, Why net unless there is a organizeca means of am hav- se good, or il was discounted anyway. keeping mec infcarmed constantly, I amn 2blamed Se I shalle just have te wait for rny being taken unawares repeatç<ily. A a. New next tax bill, if, as and when I get it. case ini point is, what arn I goiàg to ýw years Su there you have My picture. . do about rny children's edufcation this dl f or a B~ut suppose 1 were to change Mny corning 'school ycar. when there. is every I - dontî habits and stud a little about my homde (Coinued on Page 29>.