The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1892-07-08
GOOD ROADS AND SOCIETY.
Highways Have an Influence on the
People.

People.
1t is hard to put any money esti
mate upon the value of an improv-
ed social condition.; indeed, it is
impossible. But our bad roads
have no serious influence upon
country life and the happiness of
the men and women who lead rural
lives that in all probability pure
ly social aspect of the case is more
important than any other. One
can scarcely pick up newspaper
nowadays without reading that in
farming communities it is most
difficult to get competent and
trustworthy agricultural laborers.
When any thoughtful observer sees
in the great cities who do what Is
called laborers' work are lodged
when he sees them huddled togeth-
er in a great, badly smelling tene-
ment houses, he marvels that they
should prefer this to life in the
country; where fresh air is free and
wholesome food is cheap, but there
can be little doubt that there is
preference for this kind of exist
tence IN cities, even though it be a
fact that work is harder to get
there than in the country and not
bit more regular.
Not only is this the case with la.
borers. but we find, whenever we
choose to inquire, that the best
youths born of country families
early begin to feel a laundering for
town life. If they staid at home to
till the soil or fields there would
not be this scarcity of agricultural
laborors which has just been noted
but no sooner does an adventur-
some youth begin to feel the down
upon his cheek changing into
whiskers than he is fired with an
ambition to 60 to some city and be.
come member of the great hustle
and strife which the close compe.
ton Of men with men produces.
This doesn't mean that he is
afraid of the hard work that mas
to be done on the farm, for none
but fool would believe that a man
to succeed even moderately does
not have to work just as hard in
the town as in the country, and
farmers boys are not fools-at
least they have not proved them
selves to be in America, for the
great majority of our distinguished
and successful men have been re-
cruited not from the colleges and
Universities of learning, but from
these very fields which now suffer
because there are not men enough
to cultivate them.
Among those who conspicuously
advocate the idea that the national
government should take a part and
lead in this matter of road improve
ment is General Roy Stone, of
New York, the engineer and in.
ventor. The restless activity Of
Stones mind has been directed to
this problem for many years and
he has recently secured the Coop
Grafton of several prominent states
men in Washington in a project
soon to be formulated in bill to
be brought before Congress. The
bill proposes the formation of
national highway commission
which shall examine the whole sub
ject, formulate a plan for nation
al school of roads and bridges and
make an exhibit at the Worlds
fair.
The suggestion that is shall be
shown during the Worlds fair that
America Is alive to the necessity
Of improving her interior method
of communication Is particularly
happy. lii true that the larger
portion OF foreign visitors who will
come to America in 1898 will see
only such highways as railroads
and city streets; but those who
come really to study us and meas
ure our civilization and progress
will go further afield. and they, of
course will see the disgracefu con-
dition of our common roads. 1t
will be well worth while to show to
such as these that we are alive to
tic Importance Of the subject and
aware of the reproach of our
wretched ways.-John Speed in
IIarper's Weekly.
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