The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-04-25
THATCHER TALKS
ABOUT GOOD ROADS
Apostle of Road Movement
Pays Visit to Jackson
ADDRESS TO CHILDREN
Mr.. Thatcher Tells the School Children
All About His Good Road Plans
and Then He Appears Before
the Citizens

Jackson, Miss. April 4.-(Special.)-
Charles Thatcher, the great apostle of
good roads, as he is known and heralded
over the country, and as he deserves to
be according to those who had the pleas
ure of hearing his address before the
Central school Friday.
| Mr.. Thatcher arrived in Jackson about
| II o'clock in the morning. 1t had been
| scheduled for him to arrive an hour
earlier than that and for him to be met
| TWO or three miles out on the Rankin
turnpike. but there was a slight mis-
| carriage of the programme, and all be-
cause of the arrival in the city of the pa
| triarchal old gentleman, who reached
town from the Rankin side of the river
an hour or two before and who told sew
aral parties he met on the way that he
was 'the good roads man." This old man
eft his mule team and rig, all venerable
looking, on the principal street of the
city, in charge of four dogs, and nobody
Jared modest it.
In the meantime pictures of Mr. Thatch-
er were hunted up as they had appeared
IN Birmingham and Atlanta papers, and
it was found that there was no similarity
5etween the two. 1t was then that Sec
retary Pollard Of the board of trade, the
Clarion-Ledger reporter. H. b. Jenkins;
Capt. r. L. Saunders, President Newton
# the board of trade, and others got
busy and with two autos went to hunt
ror the apostle of good roads.
The search was soon rewarded, as the
visitor was found waiting on the Jackson
end of Pearl river bridge.
Mr. Thatcher stated that he had trav-
eled for the past five or six years in be-
lalf of the great movement he has I'M
iertaken--the improvement of the pubic
~oads of the country generally, and the
construction of a magnificent boulevard
TO run from Detroit, Mich, to New Or
leans via Louisville, Nashville, jackson
md other cities of the south. He had in
terested many thousands during the time
he has been riding around over 600 miles
Of territory, and hoped that he would
he able to interest Mississippi in the
.ause. as to his mind good roads are the
best investment any state or country can
make-better than all the factories and
BUSINESS enterprises for the reason ina
they do more good to a greater number
and make life worth the living
1t did not take the speaker many NM
ltes to enlist the sympathy and excite
the interest of the hundreds OF girls ana
Joys who were assembled in the big study
hall at the Central school to greet NM
and they got next to the visitor by
singing pixie" with vim and energy
that could not have been surpassed
He was introduced by Superintendent
Bailey as a representative of the govern
ment who had come down TINS way 70
talk good roads to them, and start them
in the way they should go. But TINS the
visitor denied, stating that ne was hot
he representative of the government,
that he received no pay for what he Is
foing and that he never had taken UP a
collection. He simply does the work OF
,rousing enthusiasm and the communities
he visits do the rest because of the great
good he is accomplishing. He stated fur-
thermore that he is a native OF Virgin
and the strains of Dixie always appear
TO him as nothing else can. He told the
children of some of the peculiar ways OF
the mountain people of his state, or how
he went off to college and staid rev
months. and returning home, thought ne
knew a great deal more than MS olo
father. a minister, did, and 1t TOOK MN
several years to understand that his
father must have thought him the biggest
fool in the county. He had Knocked
around over the world a good deal since
that and had learned great many
things. .,.,..
He had gone first to live in the cities
of the east, but soon discovered that
there was little happiness TO be touna
there. and turned his steps to the ROCKY
mountains, where he had lived for years,
close to nature, and had come TO appre-
ciate the great necessity of good puplle
hi ehways He had gone to work with
that object In view and now had the
Measure of seeing that the western states
are building hundreds or miles OF mas
nihcent roads, and the movement 10 IAN
ing hold and growing in every diree-
ton. -, a
ar all the roads the speaker had seen
in all his travels he was sorry TO nave
20 say that the worst he had struck We're
right here in Mississippi, ana between
Meridian and Brandon. though he founo
some between Brandon and Jackson over
which he could not MAKE Hioie 'i"" W.
miles an hour. -.
Mr. thatcher proved himself an actor
as well as a well-informed and impress
siye speaker, and 1t was not only 'he
school children who enjoyed and appre-
ciated his half hour talk. He tells a
story with a fine grace and great lacial
expression, and captures MS auoieheo "s
few other men can.
After the speaking at the school Mr..
Thatcher was taken in charge by Secre-
tary Pollard of the board or trace anu
shown through the capitol. He was de-
lighted with the building and declared II
the handsomest he had ever SEEM save,
nerhaps that of Connecticut
The board of trade will take charge OF
the visitor and show him some of Kinds
county's good roads" 1t is proposed that
he shall spend two or three DAYS III
Jackson. and that on Monday night he
will address the business men and the
ladies of the community.
Mr.. Thatcher declares that he mas
passed through sections of Mississippi
where he found the very best or road
building material and yet he had always
been hearing that there was no ma
terial here out of which a lasting
road could be constructed. me
citizens of the state need to be posted
on that proposition, and that is one of the
matters on which he will touch. Sand
and clay he thinks better than what Mis-
sissippi is using in the way of roads, but
is convinced she has materials still bet
| ter. and which should be made use OF.
Mr.. Thatcher came into Jackson driving
two small mules that We're hitched to
light wagon, while his team is followed
bv a Rocky mountain burro, and he is ac-
companed by faithful dog that took
up his position under the wagon as soon
| as it came to a stand.
Driven Out BY Fire