THE high spot of any journalist's week is dealing with the biggest piece of news. After that, probably the greatest satisfaction is writing about unusual people who find themselves involved in some extraordinary situation--or see to it that they are so involved. As this week's Essay on "The Sad State of Eccentricity" points out, the grand old style of nonconformity has fallen on hard times. Still, no week passes in which journalism is not brightened by the views, habits and idiosyncrasies of people who are willing to question conventional wisdom.

A sampling of questions from this week's issue:

> What should a college teacher do if he finds a wild party in progress on campus at 3 in the morning, with most of the participants stoned, and calling the fuzz would be considered medieval? (See EDUCATION, "Can Hip Harvard Hold That Line?") --

>Must the leader of a beleaguered nation insist on all the pomp and perquisites of office? Or can she act like a Jewish grandmother, preparing gefilte fish, eating with her chauffeur and maid, baking a cake for a Foreign Ministry party? (See THE WORLD, "Israel's New Premier.")

> Should a prosecuting attorney admit that he is beaten when a jury finds the defendant innocent? Or does he have another recourse? (See THE NATION, "Garrison v. the People.")

>What happens to a champion hurdler if competitive pressure tends to make him relax, and he all but falls asleep in the starting blocks? (See SPORT, "Willie the Predictable.")

> Can an author pick his characters out of phone books, turn plot construction over to his subconscious, then write an entire novel in eight days and hope to attain a respected literary reputation? (See THE WORLD, "A Happy 200th to Simenon.")

>Why do farmers and tradespeople in Belgium take mental patients into their homes and turn their whole town into a haven for malades? Clue: Money is not the answer. (See BEHAVIOR, "A Town for Outpatients.") -- Why do U.S. astronauts feel so strongly about open communication circuits from orbiting spacecraft to earth, particularly when they are ill? (See SCIENCE, "A Spectacular Step Toward Lunar Landing.")

> Can the man whose functions include bringing the Pope bad news manage to interpose himself between Pope and Curia and force everyone to channel all Vatican business through him? (See RELIGION, "The Pope's Powerful No. 2.")

> What is Hamlet without the Prince of Denmark? (See THEATER, "The Zombie Hamlet.")

>Why should a TV celebrity who becomes annoyed when his fans recognize him off-camera really worry that he is part of a disappearing crew? (See TELEVISION, "Mr. Brinkley Goes to New York.")

> What happens when a splenetic mayor, who does not take the mildest kind of criticism in good grace, thinks that a loquacious politician, whose ambitions he did not approve of, has become cheeky? (See THE NATION, "Of Heart and Spleen.")

>Can one man find in the world's proverbs valuable clues to the history of human intelligence? What is the origin of such familiar advice as "Waste not, want not"? (See BEHAVIOR, "The Wild Flowers of Thought.")

>How can a man who does not drive a car, fought rearmament and has small respect for authority be elected President of a country where the auto is a status symbol and where militarism and obedience to authority seem part of the national character? (See THE WORLD, "The Winner Gustav Heinemann.")

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