The Cecil Whig., 1870-08-06
Public Improvements.

We notice of late several items from the
Sixth in your columns, about public and
private improvements, and the want Of
improvement in various places, that show
at least q disposition for move i'll the
right direction. How that move can best
be made, is the question that seems to be
the one that should claim public attention,
but which no one seems to have the moral
courage to meet.
1t is an old provcrb, that "The love of
money is the root of all evil - and this
appears to be the root of many of the evils
that are deplored. Any enterprise that
gives a promise of a moneyed improvement
is looked upon with favor until, perchance,
some one thinks he is losing money, when
the whole is deserted. Now, political econ
omists tell lis that it is not the amount of
money that is used, but the way in which
wealth of community.
We will instance our public roads, as
about the greatest means of wasting our
time and money. The plan suggested in
The Wing some time ago, would, if carried
out, save hundreds of dollars yearly, that
ought to be expended in improving the
minds of our young and rising generation,
who will give tone and character to our
future state.
The character of our roads, as we'll as of
our people, often depends upon having a
good foundation. Springs are very good
thing in their places, but when they spring
up in the middle of public roads, in spring
time, springs are neither useful nor orna-
mental. Many of our worst quagmires
could be entirely prevented by short un-
derdrain that would afford the water an
outlet without rising to the surface and
making it a mud-hole. Yet, how many
days have been spent by some Of our road
every succeeding year, when half the labor,
judiciously' expended, would make the
road dry for a generation.
Onr roads in the vicinity of the Rising
Sun are not generally Of a quicksandy ma
ture, though there are some quagmires yet
that have. never been thoroughly fixed, but
they are mostly clay, without any solid bot
tom, and can only be kept tolerably smooth
during summer or dry weather. Stones
are not as plenty as i'll some places, yet
there arc enough to be had to make a part
OF the road good every year. Some parts
of the road have been partly turnpiked in
this way, and are vastly improved by it t.;
but the work has generally been done in
two much Of hurry, without breaking
the stones at all in many cases, simply cov-
ering them up with dirt, which soon wears
off the big ones come to the top and the
smaller ones go down, thus making rough
road, which any IIiln in his must
know can never be made as it should be,
by piling on mud. :
One way in which we now use OF abuse
the stone we have, is by throwing cart
load in place, in the holes that are left
in the road, after every spell of wet weather,
which only makes a chuck, and deeper
hole on each side, when the roads become
soft again. Roads of this nature require a
bed Of stone at least four inches thick, and
uniformly distributed, with none larger
than mans fist, to make good road-bed.
Well do we remember the efforts to keep
the streets of our neighboring borough Of
Oxford in passable condition, by patching
them up in spots, and know that they were
very little improved, until they went to
work and made a thorough turnpike of it.
Our road from the town to the railroad de-
pot requires the same kind of treatment
Shall it be done, or will it continue in its
present condition for the next ten years?
The desire to have Town Hall has beer
mentioned, but whether it will amount tt
anything more than talk, remains to bt
seen. A Town Hall would no doubt be a
desirable thing to have as place for hold
ing all kinds of public meetings; but here
the question at once comes up, Will it pay
From what we know by experience, of-the
success that has attended any former efforts
at getting up lectures or entertainments oil
a beneficial character, we are afraid it vii
not.
The place is not yet large enough to sup
port entertainments of more questionable
moral nature for those who can now find
sufficient entertainment in our bar-room,
and other loafing places, From our obser
yatioH, we cannot but believe that if the
time and money that are now worse thar
wasted in our bar-rooms, were turned int
other channels, all our young men coult
obtain liberal education, and there wepl.
be the means and tho will to make al
pseded public Improvements. AS it is
those who would. see better times for our
village, must work for it. Let the foupda
tions be now laid well and deep in TIL
training OF our young men and women
and as they grow in years may they grow
in wisdom, as becometh good citizens O
our free Republic.