The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1903-03-07
ANCIENT Z MsDERA Roads
History Of Means Of Local Inter.
toHlnuRieatloa I'm the yarsSus
Countries state ana National
Aid for Highway Bettarment.
Duty Of The Farmer.
Gentlemen of tn Formers
Institute.

In tins, the opening session OF
your organization, which, let us
hope, has come to stay, you are to
be congratulated on the wise fore
thought that has lea YOU to put the
subject oil roads on your program,
and ia the language OF another, you
should let il ''stay put. Yes, If
lyou will accept suggestion, keep
this subject on hand, until you see
results, Tor like everything requir-
ing wise legislation and of this
magnitude, il will take cline upon
lire. here little and there a little, &"
before the state moves effectively.
In all ages and CHIMES roads have
engaged much of the attention OF
rulers, and among the excavations
in South America and other re.
gions, sections oil roads have been
brought TO light that shame US IN
Icomparison.
| The Appian Way, which the Ro.
mans buiIt from their metropolis
entirely across Southern Italy to
the sea, has always stood as a
model. artistic and extravagant,
and that portion OF il restored by
Excavation has been remarkably
well preserved.
| Two centuries alter ITS construc.
ton there arose in Rome Leader
that was to eclipse all other mer
before him, and outside OF being !
warrior. statesman, historian and
orator, Caesar has left US, among
other productions, has methods o!
building roads and bridges; and II
is affirmed that the greatest bridge
builders OF succeeding centuries
have found their most valuable
ideas in the bridges they have bull
10 this country and Europe iron
! his plan OF bridging the Rhine, and
that McAdam himself, the creates
road builder OF all time, got hi.
hrst moving Impulses from th'
books Of Caesar. where he told o
his methods Of constructing roadi
in the wtldernesses and through thu
moTasses OF the barbarian countriet
he conquered.
la the gap between barbarisn
and civilization roads have eve
been counted among the most lm
por,ant influences, and any his
tory OF the growth and progress o
, CIVILIZATION, without mention o
roads, would be almost as ''th'
play OF Hamlet with Hamlet lief
out So that in his great work
the History OF Civilization in En-
gland, we hnd that Thomas Henri
Buckle, IN telling OF the growth
and improvement going on IN Scot
land, says: The interests OF civil
ixation, that IS, the interests o
! knowledge Oh liberty and OF wealth
gradually assumed the upper hand
and reduced men lake the High
. lan1efs 10 utter lnSignIilcance
Roads were cut through their coun
TRY, and for the first time traveller
from the South began 20 mingl,
with them IN their hitherto mac
cessible wilds Then Pennant
travelling through Scotland, aite
the road influence had begun 10 d.
It's work, says: These pniicl
works were al first very disagree
able 10 the chiettaIns, and lessene,
their inhueaee greatly, Tor by al
hitting strangers among them thei
i clans were taught that the Laird
4 were not the FIRST OF men. Show
ing still the influence OF the neN
: idea, Sinclair wrote a little later
: till OF late the people OF Kintail a
. well as the other Highlands, had
! strong aversion to roads. The NOR
: inaccessible the more secure, wa
] their maxim.
: II now, with this introduction,
/. find you asking yourselves whethe
I by these standards we are civllize'
: or barbarian, think you mus
I agree 10 a compromise, and sa
: that. so tar as our roads in tn
i black lands of Texas are a test, W
: belong to the hali-civilized.
Again, in giving time and inteI
est in the road idea. you are onl
: in harmony with the entire Union
}, Tor never before IN the history {
the country has there been sue
general interest on tins subject, !
: the further proof vi which, / sug
: gest the measure OF which you hav
already seen notice, TO appEopriai
sac, 600, 600 from the nations
{ treasury to aid and encourage IN
; states in road building. and cor
I corning which the Giles Count