The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1906-10-12
THE HERALD AND. NEWS.

comparably superior. In England we
have many very good roads, and sons
perfect ones-the Ripley road, for in
stance-but here in almost every part
J the national road is nearly perfect.
1t has not grown, as with us, where
most roads which were not made by
the Romans were originally selected
by those who used bits Of them be-
tween place and place, but it has been
deliberately made as the best routc
between different districts. Some
times for many miles it is as straight
as a string; it is nearly always shad-
ed by a double avenue of the trees
most suited to the particular Soil and
climate; and it is kept in repair by
trained roadmakers, partly resident
and partly moving from place to place.
There are comparatively few sharp
gradients; and, indeed, il it were not
for the dust, that universal nuisance
the French national road would be II
perfect highway. The ve.y perfection
Of the French road, however, robs it
Of some Of the charm OF Inc old-fash-
ioncd English highway. There is
doli:'ht in the winding road Of homo,
bordcred with its rambling, flower
deeked hedges, passing through veri-
tai bowers Of deep-foliaged trees,
mc""y always with the incessant
me- ,ment and sound OF the birds
tha in France are pitilcssly shot
anu eaten, that these wonderful speed
ways cannot give. Nothing is pleas
AM. : than long tour OH horseback in
England; in France it would be intol-
erable. On the other hand, the re-
markable pleasure anil instruction Of
seeing the country n :: whole, unroll-
in1 before your like great scroll,
which come from traversin:g long dist
arces at comparatively high speed,
are to be had in Fral,tc much more
than in England.
There is one difference which con-
stitutes a reproach to MS. On the wall
of the first house and the last house
in every town and village in France,
without exception, is blue iron plate
statin" at the top in small type tho
department and the number Of the
road, i'll large letters the name Of the
place and below this a number of ar
rows pointing in each direction with
The name Of the next place and the
next important place, with the pre-
else distance of each in kilomricrs
and lluldrcds Of meters. There is only
one way to find out the name Of an
English place yon are passing through
to ask somebody who lives there. If
you pass through when people are in
| bed you cannot find out al all, unless
you know your exact position on the
map. At almost every place where
two roads meet there arc two similar
plates upon sisnpost, telling you
eaxetly what is in each direction. At
every kilometcr there is n stone with
a name and distance on each side,
and Il small stone at every 100 meters.
Surely the first duty Of the national
highway department. we get it
will be to give us a similar system
Of road guidance.
French roads, too, are admirably
EQUIPPED with warning notices, most
of which have been erected since the
advent or the automobile. On many
Of the roads of northern France these
have been erected rs advertisements
all admirable and legitimate method
of adveriis:ng-by the firm Of De
Dion Boret,n. In other places the
automobile club or the touring club
de France have erected them. There
is hardly a dangerous hill or an unex-
pccted sharp turning, or a railway
level crossing, Of which ample warn
ing is not thus given. OF course, We
have something of the kind at home,
due largel> to the cyclist touring club
and the automobile club, but it is not
nearly so complete. In fact, the
whole road in France is incomparably
better constructed and equipped for
its work as an artery Of communicn-
! tion than with us.
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