| Show V 01 mw f Z M ZA 10 X V C ilk EYES ON THE BALLOT BOX anxious to exercise their voting privilege yet not so anxious as to forget its significance are these new voters at two rivers wis who are shown reaching toward a sample box during one of the manitowoc county classes classe s born in the great war era they are anicil among g the county groups being schooled in what the american form of government means both in theory and practice making it mandatory for country school superintendents to see that similar programs are set up in each county every year and when he finds time to return to his office dr colbert is greeted by of mail from all parts of the country asking information about the project its apparently clicked and one very good reason is that most americans consider democracy on t trial rial today an institution which can exist only if citizens learn to fight for it to dramatize it like the dictators have dramatized totalitarianism whipping up of an eagle scream ing sort of americanism false patriotism is not the aim says dr colbert emphasize local government what we hope to do is acquaint the new citizens with their government because most of the tax dollar is spent at home our emphasis is placed on the local unit of government we try to show them how they can get the most out of their government if we can encourage and stimulate te discussion and inspire and create a more dynamic enthusiasm in governmental affairs I 1 believe we shall have made a big step toward our goal dr colbert takes this success in stride wisconsin is an adopted home to him has been for 20 years he is one of the few persons with a joint doctorate degree in the three branches of social sciences economics political science and sociology oci this is important i only because it shows hes a mixture of the academician and practical applicator a man to whom public administration is something of a fetish for several years as head of the university of ins extension sociology division hes been conducting roundtables round tables in cities throughout the state making each group adopt a major majo r project as a demonstration of how they can participate in public aff affairs airs citizenship day at manitowoc is the outgrowth of one of those projects dr colbert chuckles as he recalls how the idea was suggested to other groups before he went to M manitowoc anit not from him but from other sources you can learn that these other cities are quite peeved with themselves for missing opportunity that manitowoc a golden snapped up between tearing open his letters dr colbert will recall for the visitor at his quiet office in madison how he came of A age quite a number of years ago there was no fuss about it he simply reached 21 and became a voter automatically which is about the experience of every other native born citizen learning most important strange then it that we have many classes rituals and ceremonies for naturalized citizens who become voters why not something for native born citizens as well however being an educator professor colbert saw the problem from an n educational standpoint he realized iced that the learning was more important than the graduation although there was a definite place for both so he worked out his program in such a manner as to stress its educational end and yet have a dignified and appropriate ceremony to climax it thus citizenship day was conceived he stresses again and again that this is an objective program strictly positive there are no negative isms iams this is a program of americanism not anti other isms iams professor Co lberts idea is to make americanism so interesting and desirable that young americans and others too will not have any time for foreign isms iams which if you ask the man on th the e street is what america needs a darn sight more than a good f five ive cent cigar released by western newspaper union |
