The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-03-12

ing out from Raleigh. The roads are
good roads, too, and are so good that
until the city began to improve the
streets the roads were much better than
the streets in the city of Raleigh. For
that matter they are better now than
many of the streets of Raleigh. A few
days ago l went with a friend riding
about the city. We went out Martin,
Morgan and Hargett street in the East
ern section of the city. These streets are
fine as far as they go and have trans
formed things in that section of the city.
But before you get out of the city, the
macadam stops and you get stuck in the
mud soathat unless you have two horses
and a light load you can hardly pull
through the bog in order to get from
the good city roads to the good country
roads. The county authorities have
built a good road up to the city limits
the city has stopped it's good roads sew
eral squares before it reaches the
country roads, leaving an impossible
gulf between them right in the limits
of the city. The former street commit
tee expected this year to continue the
good city streets so as to connect them
with the country roads. But the failure
of the bond issue made that not feasible.
But the present street committee has
$4,000 year for street improvements.
OF course with that sum it cannot put
macadam on the streets, but it can con-
struct good gravel street to connect all
the macadam streets to a point where
they will connect with the country roads.
And that should be done at once.
Think of it, men and brethren: There
is only one macadam street in the city
of Raleigh that is connected with the
go0d country roads surrounding the city
-Hillsboro street. If you wish to &c
into the country on any other road you
must first drive through a bog in bad
weather. after driving the fine maCadm
streets, before getting to the good
country roads And that is the situa-
tion in the capital city after the Good
Roads Congress. l was talking about
this condition of affairs last night with
a public spirited citizen of Raleigh, and
he said:
LET me tell you story. During the
muddy weather of last week, / saw a
sight which illustrates the need of con.
Meeting the country roads with the city
streets. A farmer, who lives five miles
from Raleigh, put big load OF wood in
his one horse wagon and logged along
in a good lively trot over the good
country road until he got to the city
limits, and then he went down into the
mud up to the hubs. He was stalled
and his horse couldn't pull the load
through the mud. What did he do:
There was but one thing he could do:
he deliberately threw out half of his
load OF wood and carried it to his Gus
toner and made another trip to get he
second load. He had handled the whole
| load easily in the country: he could
haul it easily on the good city roads;
but the few squares in the city between
the macadam and the country road was
so deep in mud that he couldn pull the
! load through it. l saw that sight my
self" added my friend, land / felt that
it was sad commentary upon the
street Improvement of the capital city
of .he State" l'f .'' -'.. '~.r
There's a sermon in that Incident but
not sermon in stones. Rather a ser
mon in mud