Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1894-06-05
Cans nE anAnsln1s.

This l. the season for the repair 81
highwsys In country towns. Properly
the condition aud care % the roadside.
NAV come Ia Tor shar. 30 attention.
~inc- III. removal aud doing away with
roadside fences Ia so large extent has
become the praciicc, there has been a
marked improvement In the condition
aud care of that part of the roadway not
needed or utilized for public travel.
Long reaches are found where all stone.
hu .hes or obstruction have been cleared
away aud the field cultivation extended
quite Ia the bitches ~ the roadway. The
improved appearance of On. rcsd.ides
thus made has bcen most marked and u.
readily noted and heartily approved by
every observer possessed of any meas
ure 81 cultivated taste.
Room for criticism aud for advocating
stiIl further attention In this direction
come. In from the fact that this attention
Ia the ruah.ides l. vet so limited a. u u.
II l. all right a far ss u goes, but too
generally l. found confined Ia those sec
tlon. abutiing cultivated fields and only
where fences are not found. In other
sections there l. still seen q general neg
le,t Of these untrayeled portions of
the rosdwAy. Boulders, brush, bashe.
and roots, cleared from the Travelled way
are thrown out In confusion and with
utter disregard 81 all appearances, and
lef, thcr. Ia their unslghtly confusion %
decay or till Kind Nature has time Ia
come forward aud cover the tangled
mas. with her mantle of spreading foli-
age. The owner. of the lands over
~hIch the.. roadwsys are laid are Ger
tainly excusable for not taxing them
.elye. With the labor of keeping these
borders, of which they have no use, Ia
order. Iightfully, u not legally, this
belongs to the town aud should be made
q part IL the highway repairs.
n not the duty of the town To give
that attention to the rosdsides that
d.cency aud a cultivated taste calls for.
by keeping the bushes At hay and clear
ing them up In respectful order, Ger
taInly there IL no reason for the street
commissioner to add 10 the neglect aud
iisflgure the premises with the confusion
of debris As now Ia many cases seen.
Bushe. cut or pulled out by the roots
should be- carefully piled and burned,
and rocks removed from the travel of
the road should be taken to the fence
side instead Of icing left In promiscuous
confusion. Neither good taste nor law
would give the right, and certainly they
do not Justify, the numbering up of the
roadside. AZ now practieed. Occasion-
ally . neglectful owner IL guilty of add.
ing Ia this unslghtly confusion and of
course l. open Ia censure for his slo,en-
In acts. such examples, however, arr
grow Ing less aud would soon disappear
IN those In charge of the roads were
brought under proper restrictions.
Attention 10 these wayside improve
m.nt. Ia called for. The matter needs
90 De talked over aud the people educat'
ed up to higher appreciation OF neat
ness aud order connected with them
Thl. would be a good work for the
grange. Indifference Il the first thine
TO be overcome. This would not be dif'
hcult. Agitation would lead to re-
form that would soon make our road
sIde- llne- of beauty. Nature Will dc
the work N not obstructed and abused
by the hand Of man.