Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-11-14
THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE HAS JUST

THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE HAS JUST
u issued volume Of 500 pages comprising re- !
ports from United States consuls all over the
world respecting the subject OF roads.
Lest it be conceived off-hand that there IL
nothing interesting about roads let il be re-
membered that since mankind constructed
society and became distributed over the world
roads have been necessary to the existence and
progress of the race. From the time of Moses
there have been royal roads. First the Egyp-
tians, afterward the Israelites and then the
Greeks called their lines of travel that were not
used for special purposes royal roads or the
king highways In Greece the royal roads
were inspected and cared for by the senate at
Athens. In Lacedemonia, Thebes and other
states they were under the supervision Of the
most eminent men. Their roads, however,
were not the best of the ancients'. 1t was re-
served for a commercial city, Carthage. to build
the first paved roads.
THE ROMAN ROADS
The Romans followed the example Of the
Carthaginians. and their great highways,
| which connected Rome with its provinces, were
the most renowned and durable ever con-
| strueted. Ali over Europe, Asia and Africa,
wherever their emperors ruled, they built
roads that have been supposed by the vulgar
| OF different ages to be of supernatural origin.
This is attested by the names applied to them
in Italy, England, France and spain. In the
last mentioned they have been known by such
| applications as Calzada del diablo (road of the
devii), Ca!zada de las gigantes (road Of the
| giants, &c.
According to ST. Isidoro the first paved roads
OF Spain were built by the Carthaginians, and
| the same authority states that the Phenicians
opened (and left to their successors) a road
| across the Fyrenees and the Alps many centuries
before the Christian era.
| ROADS MADE By AUGUSTUS.
The most ancient Roman road outside of
Italy was in Spain and led from Carthagepa to
tine Pyrenees, where it connected with others
that led across the Alps to Rome. This road
was travelled by the legions Of Scipio the Less
The reign Of Augustus is renowned for the
roads then completed. This emperor made the
| system of communication SO complete that
little else WAS left for his to do than
| to care for the roads already constructed
The Romans divided their roads into military
highways, called also consular pretorian
| thoroughfares. and local Was. The first were
built TO facilitate the marching of armies and to
connect the capital with the principal cities and
strategic points. The second Were the routes
of commerce and connected towns and trade
centers.
1t is not difficult to perceive how these great
roads, constructed in the interest of war and to
move armies for conquest, became the terror
OF nations. Even in the ocean-surrounded
islands OF Britain, far from imperial Rome,
the roads of the Caesars entered and SO terror
lied the public mind that it was not until long
after the middle of the eighteenth century that
turnpikes were first authorized and were even
| then inaugurated against the vigorous protests
and prejudices of the common people.
SOME STILL EXIST.
The continued existence of some of these
wonderful roads thousands of years after
their completion has proved the skill and
greatness of the master minds which planned
and built them. The Roman via Appia, the
via Aurelia the via Flamina, the roads to the
Rhine and the Danube, and the 1000 miles OF
road from the Wall of Antoninus in Great
Britain through Rome to Jerusalem still re-
| veal lessons OF construction worthy of the
| study of the road builders of the nineteenth
century. They We're accurately divided by
| milestones, and ran in a direct line from one
city to another, with very little respect for the
| obstacles OF nature or private property. The
| middle part was raised into a terrace and con-
sisted of several strata of sand, gravel and
cement, and was paved with large stones,
which, near the capita, were OF granite.
ROADS AS cIvrLIzERs
Adam Smiths assertion that 'the construc
ton of roads is the greatest of all improve.
ments," and the saying of the Able Reynal thai
wherever We shall find no facility of trave
from city to a town or from a village to
hamlet we may pronounce the people to b.
: barbarians'' have long, especially in Europe
acknowledged civIlizers of the world. A road
8 through Darkest Africa" is fast ending human
0 slavery and introducing light. good road
| through Bad Lands would largely settle the
q question of Indian warfare.
o Americans who find themselves in Europe
| are struck with astonishment at the enormou
y loads drawn by horses and dogs One glanc.
of the eye from the loads to the roads and hal
| the wonder would be accounted for, becaus,
r | the roads have almost everything to do with il
t The ancients knew and appreciated the import
= ance of good public roads. Many qhfhe road
: built by the ancient Romans and vAveled b,
I, the proud Roman conquerors remain to thi
= day. This is particularly the case in Turkey
!. | where they have, ever since the Roman era
n been in use, with little or no repair.
4 EUROPEAN ROADS.
g Roads in Europe are quite usually fanked OF
n either side by two and sometimes four rows o
: shade trees, which add much beauty to tn
o country through which they run and from
= distance are particularly picturesque wher
b several roads intersect. One can mark tn
q roads in their windings sometimes as far as tn
eve can reach by these fresh green shade trees
l. which, with the various teams of horse and do
y laden with the products of farms, mines an
- / shop, cOnfplre 10 Dldkc very pretty scene
:, The public roads of Belgium enter into success
10 full cosmpetition with the railroads, so much S
i that man who has bis team does not by an
E. means consider himself forced to send hi
4, products by rail-
70 One can mount mis- wagon at the Englis
VI channel and drive through the breadth G
ie Europe Except in time OF snow, or it's length
II without sinking deep as the fellies of hi
e, wheels in mud in any weather OF at any time G
IN the wear. The roads firm that rain doe
D. not soften them; they are SO thick that fros
does not break them up. There are no slough
to wade through no periods when the factor
IN and the farm cut off from the rest Of tn
10 world by an impassable sea of mud The los
. in break downs of vehicles of breakage i
ID harness, in time to labor, In increased foot
u. shortened life and injuries to horses by ba
IN | roads in the United States would amount to a
e, immense sum of money il ste nstics could
er gathered and formulated. Railroads., also al
st directly interested in good country road
10 Whatever opens up the remote farm lot fo
10 easy hauling to the railway station, or brfus
C. an additional acre of arabic land nearer to th
We city, cheapens the market for the poorest an
be increases the volume Of trade and commers
for all.
THE ROAD SYSTEM rRATcE
At The modern road system of France was ina,
in gurated by the first Napoleon and carrie
es forward to its superb conclusion by the la
no emperor, Napoleon Ill The roads Of Fran,
tw are now practically all built They have bee