The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1869-01-02
FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.
THE LAW AND MANNERS OF THE ROAD.

Good manners upon the highway are as
much an evidence of good breeding as in
the drawing room-and we presume no one
who is at all acquainted with the subject
will pretend to deny it. For bad manners
i'll the drawing room, however, the remedy
is social one altogether; upon the high
way it is happily legal one. There is a
law to compel an ill-tempered, careless or
reckless driver of a carriage of any kind to
allow another the free use, equal with him.
self, of any public road.
1t is commonly said that every one has
right to half the road. This is practically
true, and comes about in this wise :-You
and meet on the road-our legal rights
are exactly equal and both have right to
our several ways without obstruction, so,
popularity, we say own half and you half.
The law steps into facilitate matters, and
directs each to turn to his right hand
This is true whatever the load OF the team
for if one can drive such team that another
cannot pass him without difficulty or not at
all, then their rights are no longer equal
This point comes very important in winter,
for it is no joke to turnsyour horse and all
into the deep snow while your neighbor
goes smoothly along in the beaten path
No one has a right so to load his team as
not to be able to give up half of the track
to whoever demands it.
A footman may choose the part which
pleases him, OF any portion of his right
hand half of the way, and the team must
yield to him. This is clearly so in winter,
and no man is obliged to step into the snow
for one or two horses. This is the law and
the court awards it,
Now for the manners of the road, which,
in some instances, vary from the law thereof
The first requirement of the road man.
ners is good nature and an accommodating
spirit. Do to others as you would have
them do to you. Always be willing to
yield more than half the space, then you will
be pretty sure to be equally well treated
They who exact inches will have inches ex-
acted of them. If your neighbor has
heavy load, consult his convenience as far
do pooSiplS you SoiiiStlhSo w hoo>eSNs
1t has become practical rule of courtesy
to turn out for heavy teams especially in
winter, and when the roads are heavy
But remember it was a favor, not your
right, and you have a reciprocal duty to
perform, and one, which it is to be regretted,
is not always borne in mind.
One word in relation to teams going the
same way, in which case many seem to
think there is neither law nor Manners
When a team comes up behind you, that
team has right to a reasonable space and
opportunity to pass on-in fact to half the
the road for that purpose-and your OBJ
structing him in his lawful desire is both
bad manners and bad law. If your load is
heavy, do the best you can. In most cases
the very least that can be asked is that you
should stop. This is particularly SO in
the winter, when it is a heavy tax on a
team to force it into a trot in deep snow,
or deep mud, or frozen and deep ruts-
made necessary by your continuing to move
on. Remember the good old aphorism,
which can be so OPPORTUNITY applied here
"Wheel grease is great lubricator, but
good manners a vastly greater one,