The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1890-02-14
JOTTINGS FROM MEMORY
HERE AND THERE.
Written tor the MIDLAND JOURNAL.
ROADS AND DRIVEWAYS

TUm OuT OUSeEVatIOu vi TuTal lie III
Switzerland in your issue of the 3 lst
ulto., it will appear plain why SO many
break the bands that once bound them
to "Faderland'' and adopt our country
Cor their future home, as hundreds OF
thousands Of them do annuity, simply
for the reason that cur country is the
better Of the two, two to one. We
there INDUCED in criticism regarding
the lack of advancement as compared
with our people, in modes Of agriculture
and the tools they used, yet there is
much in the character of their work and
the completeness of the same that we
must admire; and their frugal habits
and consistent economy is most COM
mendable. The facts Of the case cor
respond with the statements made as
every one who has passed through that
section could recognize; and yet these
people are to be credited for many good
traits as we'll for the neatness and order
around their houses, the ever present
flower garden at the front door and
their general good taste and wisdom in
the management of their little farms.
While we lead the world in progress,
enterprise and prosperity, in our appre
citation of woman and her virtues and
her graces, yet in our rush and push
we do not always do what is for the
best or excel in everything; hence from
other nations then We can borrow lea
lures of life that will be to our ad-
vantage.
Every one who travels the old coun-
try is struck at once with the roads and
driveways as one of the features in
which they excel. And to every for
eigner who comes here our bad roads
strike them most unfavorably.
This is accounted for in part from
the facts that they do not have as many
roads as we do by less than one half,
and their countries are so much older
than ours that much Of this perfection
in roadways has come OF age and long
years of constant addition aud labor.
In our drive from Geneva to Chamo
una distance Of So miles-made in
an afternoon, we took little note of the
distance, and returning we did not
leave Chamouni until between two and
three o'clock p. m. and came back that
evening. Suppose We should get out a
span of horses, hitch them to heavy
cab and load on six persons between
two and three p. IN and drive from
our borough to Philadelphia, even
with change of horses. and expect to
arrive there before midnight hour
would close the day, how would the
result correspond with the expectations?
The distance is the same, but the re-
suit would signally prove the odds
against the cond ton of the roads.
These broad macadamized roads, the
main driveways from town to town, all
we'll graded, hard and smooth, rounded
upon the middle with uniformly we'll
made side cutters, without breaks to
impede travel, and measured off by mile
stones marked with the distance from
and distance to given points. 1t is
divided into subdivisions and each sub
division placed under the care of one
man.
We were unable to converse with
these men but on one or two occasions
we examined their book, which they
always had with them in tin case,
which showed the amount of work done
to each portion and the number of days
devoted to same. The best of system
controlled the work. Stone repairs
were constantly made when the need
for same first became evident and on
the principle "a stitch in time saves
nine," all the work is done. On the
roadside here and there are recesses in
the stone fence into which stone are
hauled and these laborers on the high
way break them up very foe with
tapping hammar while in these places
of deposit. and from there they hauled
them to the spots to be repaired, in a
hand cart. A drive on such reads
means that constant trotting is always
permissible as the footing is not only
good but the grades are all made easy.
STREETS OF TIE CITIES.
The same perfection which character
ICES the driveways in the rural districts
is evident in the cities upon the streets.
Our Kansas City friend who travelled
with US, whom we called Governor"
by way of retribution, sent us the fol-
lowing Ginning concerninO the streots