If congressmen, judges, legislators, mayors, or other public servants are not honestly or truly representing the people, if they are not carrying out the will of the people in their official actions, this simply proves that the people have not selected the right kind of men to represent them. There are honest men; there are men who are tried and loyal and patriotic. They are our neighbors. We have the choice of selecting them if we want to. _The truth is_ that nearly all public officers are honest and patriotic. The truth is that as a rule they try to do what the people want. But _the truth is_ that the majority of the American people take so little interest in public affairs that they make no effort to have their servants in public life know what they do want. People are ready to criticise if a mistake is made, but they will do little to help avoid mistakes. I’ll tell you what I would like to see. I’d like to see this assembly room in this school filled one night each week with children and men and women, with parents and teachers. It would be a real community meeting to talk over community, State, and National matters. I would like to see such a meeting in every school in this city, in this State, and in the Nation. I wish someone would start a movement to have the movies closed one evening each week, so that the people might have at least one night to give some little consideration to the serious problems of life. “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.” Vigilance means watchfulness, care, and thought. Every man, woman, and child in America should watch and pray that our liberties so dearly bought with the life blood of heroes should not be taken away. ELEMENTARY QUESTIONS 1. Show how the United States gave citizens of the different States equal rights. 2. Who can vote in the United States? Who are citizens of the United States? 3. Is the power to vote simply a privilege? 4. Why is it that our representatives sometimes do not truly represent us? 5. How can we interest people in voting? ADVANCED QUESTIONS A. Show how it is important that people should have equal rights in the various States. B. Give some illustrations of the variations from State to State of certain local laws, such as automobile laws, etc. C. If the law of New York limits the speed of an automobile to 25 miles per hour and the law of Massachusetts limits the speed to 20 miles per hour, can a citizen of New York travelling in Massachusetts legally operate his car at 25 miles per hour? Under like circumstances can a citizen of Massachusetts while in New York operate his car at 25 miles per hour? D. Show in detail the dangers of not voting. E. How may a person obtain citizenship? F. What has education to do with citizenship or voting? G. Should you vote for a neighbor simply out of friendship? What should be taken into consideration? H. Discuss Roosevelt’s definition of a good citizen given in Note 5. I. Outline a proper program for a community meeting.