Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-08-05

the influx of returning sons, the waste
places made beautiful. hope to see an
intelligent system of forestry intro
duced. The tendency of Old Home
week has been and will be to draw
people back to the farms, back to the
soil, away from the crowded cities, and
every man that you take away from
the city and plant in the country is
a distinct gain to civilization. The
true life of man is lived out of doors,
upon the soil. where he can study the
ways of plants and animals, the move
ments of the heavenly bodies, and get
close to nature. A man can have no
particular attachment to house deslg-
mated by a number in city street IN
a row of brick structures-lt has no
identity. no significance. There are
no sentimental thoughts attaching to
it. But no matter how humble may be
the home in the country, with its sur
roundings of green grass and tall trees
and songs of the birds and babbling of
the brooks, it is home; it has sisnifi-
canoe. The people who are coming
Lack to us now, more and more rapid
ly each year, are taking up the old
farms and rebuilding the old home
steads, giving their children the bene-
fits of a closer intimacy with nature;
and I notice that during the winter
they find it possible to come back for
Christmas, Or thanksgiving, or New
Years, for n week at a time, to en-
ioy the delights of our beautiful New
England winters. This habit will grow
upon them until they find the old
home is a good place to stay in per-
manently. In other words, they viii,
reverse the order of things and make
their visits to the city, while they
claim the country for their true resi-
dcnce."
OF the plea for preserving the forests
as another means of attracting the
tourists there is also much to be said,
but however much need of reform there
is in our careless and wasteful methods
of numbering we do not feel that there
is great danger that Maine will ever
be denuded of its forests to an extent
spirit of Arbor day should not be al
lowed to flag, for our lawns and streets
and public grounds need the presence
of trees and their constant care. Our
villages and cities need trees for shade
and ornament and without them can
have few attractions for summer WISH
tors. Maine rcadsides should have
more trees and forest husbandry is
much needed in our great timber re-
cions. but. as far as our tourist bust
ness is concerned, these things are not
of such present and pressing impor-
lance as better roads.
In his article Commissioner Perkins
sets and points to The great benefits of
it's state highway systems. The better
roads have developed property every
where and vastly increased the tour
list travel. He says: IF Maine and
New Hampshire should improve their
roads connecting with those of Massa-
chusetts, thereby making it a pleasure
TO ride over them, it has been estimated
that the travel over them would in
crease many fold. These states cater
for pIeasure-seekers, and to make them
more attractive they must make access
easy. Every year touring is becoming
more popular. The bicycle was the
factor to bring this about, and as the
automobile becomes more common peo-
pie will avail themselves of the oppor-
tunity to tour, passing their vacation
in this way. 1t is common knowledge
that distances shorten as the roads inn
prove. After ALL about all there is to
any locality is the scenery, to enjoy
which we must have good roads. Tour
lists are bound to select the pleasantest
and easiest road, and are, today, de-
man1ing the best. New England should
undertake on n grand scale system of
roads connecting the mountains and
lakes with the seashore There should
be road running along the entire
coast. If this were done thousands OF
tourists would travel back and fourth,
circulating millions of dollars among
hotels and stores. 1t would cause peo-
pie to settle along these roads, largely
increasing the taxable valuation of the
towns In this connection it is worth
noting that the present extension OF
Names trolley system is doing much
10 attract the tourist. These lines, sup
plementing our splendid railroad and
steamboat service, open many new sec
tions and are bound to be one of the
most important factors in the future
development of Maine as Il summer re-
sort State But their existence does
not lessen the need of better highways.
Raffied but not beaten" says Ex-
plorer Baldwin, returning from his vain
fuuest for the pole. The phrase makes
a good headline in the papers but does
not really mean what it says. 1t is
the old familiar message that intrepid