The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1870-03-12
Town and Country ROadS.

large measure of the increase of SUI
burban towns is due to the accession OF
city inhabitants who count upon the pleas
urc of a good and easy drive as one of the
great charms of such locality. But with
such roads rs are provided during one
hall OF the present winter, and nearly all
the spring months, their carriage expert,
ence must be only welter through mire.
And 1t fortunately happens that the finest
days of such winter as we have had. and
of our ordinary Aprils, are precisely those
when the road beds are in the most intoler.
able condition.
While New Workers have been enjoying
their equipages in the month past on the
smooth, even surface of the Park-roads,
what solace have the carriage holders of
Newark. or Newburg, or Poughkeepsie, or
New Haven, been enjoyingo For all
pleasure to be derived from them. they
might as we'll have converted their carria-
ges into breeding places for fancy pigeons
"a fate to which some of them have very
likely come from disuse
The pretence that our frosts forbid of
good road construction is idle: good roads
can be made. and the Telfair and Nacadam
systems are the methods.
But even these will not run alone; they
must have care. We recall now two miles
OF Macadam laid down some years since in
the outskirts of suburban city: from wear
to year, OF at even longer intervals-when
the finer metal had become triturated into
fine dust, and blown off on either side-the
city teams were called into service, to
scrape this outlying dust back upon the
stono surface, which they did from time to
time with whimsical ignorance and assid-
ulty. 1t gave a sham appearance of round
ness and smoothness that usually lasted
week, when the old wear upon the larger
stones of the Macadam began again. Just
now the whole reach of road has the aspect
Of long streak Of aggravated small pox-
the continent pustules being represented
by angular pieces of trap-rock about the
size Of a calfs head
This makes bad wheeling-exaspcratin
wheeiing-all of which might have been
remedied by timely droppngs of fine metal
i'll all the abradcd portions. which portions,
after rain, the most stupid of laborers
can determine by the little pools of water.
There are scores of macadamized roads
throughout the country which have been
treated with the same neglect and the same
results.
When can we hope for better things .
Not, we think, until road-making and its
supervision are taken out from the leash of
politics and established in the hands of a
commission, who shall be Independent, ex-
perienced in their duties, and devoted to
those alone.
Great cost will, Of course, attend proper
road construction in the neighberhood of
our suburban cities: but to no manner of cost
can such cities direct their superfuous
wealth with greater certainty of adequate
return-return in increased trade, return
in activity, return in enhanced value of
property. and. not least of all, return in
self respect. Good, firm. well managed
roads are great civilizers; and every citi-
zen 5 dignity is added to sensibility in pres
ence of them and enjoyment of them.
We shall return to this subject, and find
somewhat to say OF the proper layout and
grades of suburban highways. 1t is
grand, but not unusual mistake for a small
town just waking to the necessity eff good
roads. TO entertain the belief that they can
only be made by cutting down all the hills
and leyeling all the valleys
Easy grades are certainly very desirable:
but an easy curve is often preferable to
straight cut-not only as being more eco
nomical in the working, but as adding
largely to the attractiveness of a particular
neishborhood for suburban residences.
Roads in the country are rot to be fash
Toned as if Broadway warehouses were to
line them. If they arc, they will carry
their rawness to the end of time.
Hearth and Home.