Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1900-09-21
5000
HELP FOR GOOD ROADS.

Every one who is interested in good
roads. and this classification includes
nearly every one who walks, rides or
wheels. will be gratitied by the announce
ment which the Hon. James Wilson, see
rotary of agriculture, makes in lIarper's
Weekly, of plan of his department for
the promotion of good roads throughout
the country.
Something has already been done in
this direction by the road Office of the
department, especially in experimental
ton with steel tracks for the purpose of
enabling farmers to get their produce to
market without sticking fast in muddy
roads. The new plan involves the or
ganIzation of the road office on broader
lines. with view to dong more
thorough work. II Is proposed TO divide
the United States into districts, and to
secure an educated agent in each district
to study conditions, confer with practical
road makers. and make reports of work
done and proposed to be done that will
form the basis of road literature. It is
expected that in these ways the best in
formation will be gathered as TO the
needs of the whole country, and the best
methods of inaugurating scheme of
national road improvements In partiCu-
lar. it will be ascertained where the ma
terials for road-making which are absent
in one district can be supplied from an
other. The facilities Of the various eX-
pertinent stations will be placed at the
disposal of agents, and every encourage
ment will be given to the formation of
classes by road experts.
This is a sensible way of approaching
what is really difficult and important
problem. The general government "sn-
not embark upon the work of actual road
construction on large scale, but il can
promote and systematZe thiS work when
undertaken by states and smaller com
munities, and it can accumulate informa-
ton which will prevent the waste of
money and effort. The department of
agriculture. already OF great use to the
agricultural interests, will extend the
value of its services by this new enter
prise.-Bosto ton journal.
%OO%
REFORMS IN CHURcH MUSIC.
The report that the sacred congrega
tion ut Rome and various Influential dig
nltarlcS OF the cnuTcn are uuuertahlnS &c
effect a reform in the matter of church
music becomes exceedingly interesting
when the history of ecclesiastical music
is considered. According to one report
the church proposes TO do away with the
richly harmonized and often ornate
music In use in recent years. substituting
the plain chant and the system of churcl
melody founded by st. Ambrose and st
Gregory. a later report AYERS that the
singing of women in church choirs is tC
be abandoned, all parts of the vocal ser
vice to be rendered presumably, as il
Rome, by chOrs of boys and men.
If either of these proposed changes is
undertaken the church is probably DIES
tined to witness again situation which
has arisen several times in its history
The plain chant, or GregOrian chant, au
thorized by St. Ambrose In the year 80
and defined upon prescribed rules by st
Gregory two hundred years later, has re
NAMED the authorized liturgical music o
the church, and in spite of the intrusion
of other and later music, tending to sec
ular forms, has been revived from tim
TO time in the effort To keep free from
secularsm. The dignity Of the plail
chant and its especial adaptabiity to TN
purposes of the church have caused thes