travel. Where a village places
a sign at its entrance "Welcome to Smithville," and at its exit "Come
Again," as is now frequently done, it not only makes a favorable
impression on the tourist, but it gives the community a sense of
identity. In New England these signs are frequently placed, at the
township line rather than at the village boundary. In a few cases
villages have erected dignified stone pillars or arches at the entrance
points.

The building of state roads between village centers has almost
necessitated paving or hard roads in the village, for people resent
traveling over a good road in the open country and then plowing through
mud holes in a village. Not infrequently the streets of the incorporated
village are much poorer than the state roads outside the village and
although incorporation formerly enabled the village to do its own paving
and make other public improvements, the unincorporated village now has
the advantage of having its main roadways constructed as a part of state
or county road systems at less expense to the villagers. In any event
the paving of the principal streets of the village should be considered
an obligation of the whole community, not only of the village but of the
farm area surrounding it--_i.e._, the township, for on them the traffic
of the whole community centers and in many cases the farmers of the
community do more actual hauling over the village streets than do the
people of the village. It is, of course, entirely proper, where state
laws permit, to assess part of the cost of village pavements on the
abutting property, but it is short-sighted economy for farmers to object
to sharing in the cost of such improvements in their community centers.

When we come to a consideration of the general plan or layout of the
village, it is obvious that in older communities it is hardly
practicable to make material changes. In the old New England villages a
part of the original town common has often been preserved as a "common"
or park in the center of the village with a broad expanse of lawn and
stately shade trees, while newer communities have frequently been laid
out around a central open square. Here is the flagpole and the Soldiers'
Monument or other historic memorials, and possibly a fountain or
watering trough, and sometimes a band stand. It is a place where
open-air meetings of all sorts, band concerts and community singing, may
be held. It is the modern substitute for the forum of