As we entered this Bicentennial Birthday year, did you pause a minute and reflect on what a dramatic part your insulators played in the development of this great country of ours? Try to imagine how it might have been without insulators. Much slower progress indeed. Also we would not now have this wonderful hobby of collecting and preserving insulators, a little bit of our American heritage. We would not have the pleasure of seeing our jewels displayed in our homes and at shows. 

But the brightest jewels in my collection are the friendships I have made through this hobby. They mean more to me than anything else. Some of these friends I have met only once or twice at shows. Others I have never met except through their letters. And some friends I see quite often, because they live in our area. But they are all equally important. There is nothing that can replace friends. 

If you try, you can find a whole magazine full of friends with mutual interest in the pages of this issue. The object of this directory is to help you find new collector friends in your area or in your travels while on vacation. We did try to include telephone numbers this year to make it easier for you to contact other collectors, but I am sorry to say not everyone sent in their number before our deadline. (And I have to have a deadline, or I would be until next August getting this issue out.) But we are still receiving telephone numbers with renewals, so next year the directory will be much more complete. I apologize to you for not including your number if you wanted it published, and will include it next year for sure. Also, we have made it easier for you by including the 'Yes" and 'No" question of the directory on the new subscription and renewal flyers. A few omittals were received after the deadline--too late for us to omit. Next year I promise to do better. 

Now comes the bad part of this editorial. A magazine is not run on friendships alone. It takes Money. The printer's costs have gone up--they need more money. You already know about increases in postage; but do you remember that in March 1969, when we started Crown Jewels, a postage stamp for a letter was $.06; and now it's $.13, with forecasts of $.23 by 1981. It seems every office supply I buy has doubled in price in the past seven years. I'm sorry, but in order to keep Crown Jewels coming to you, it is necessary to increase the subscription price. Starting April 1, 1976, the subscription rates will be $7.00 per 12 issues by second class mail and $10.50 by first class mail Hopefully, we won't have to raise our rates again for a good long time, because (believe it or not) it does upset me. Maybe it's the sign I was born under, but I don't like changes, especially this kind, and I've put it off longer than I should have. Another thing I would like to mention--If you receive your Crown Jewels damaged or with blank pages (which doesn't happen often), please drop me a postcard, and we will send you another copy.

The sad part of this issue is the obituary column we had to carry. I'm glad we don't have this type of column too often. We have lost four faithful subscribers all in a month's time. I had a nice telephone conversation with Evelyn Milholland (a most gracious lady), and she assured me that Marion's book (4th Revision) is all ready for printing and will be published sometime in the future, and the Price Guide will be periodically updated by a close associate of theirs. I'm sure all of you join with me in extending our heartfelt sympathy to family and friends of the deceased. Our hobby has suffered a great loss in the death of these fine people. 

In closing I have a suggestion. If you have an insulator club in your area, why not join it and take an active part. It makes the hobby a lot more fun. And if you don't have a club, why not start one. It's not hard to do, even if just a few collectors are interested. You don't have to meet every month unless everyone wants to. Four times a year keeps the interest up; and we need small insulator clubs to activate and increase the enjoyment of our hobby. I'd like to see insulator clubs in every state, and I believe we already have a couple in Canada. The third club is now forming in central California. It would be nice if each club could have a delegate to sit in and represent us at National Insulator Association meetings. 

Our sincere THANKS to all of our contributors of the past year. Your thoughtfulness and efforts are appreciated by all of us. 

I now leave you with this thought: 

• To think kindly of another is good. 
• To speak kindly of another is better. 
• To act kindly toward another is best of all.

Best Wishes for another Happy Year of Collecting, 
Your Editor, 
Dora Harned