The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-07-13
From the Pulpit.

The unique manner in which a por-
ton of a Missouri county obtained
coed roads will be Of especial interest
in Georgia, with sentiment for that
issue at foodtide. ~
1t is not often that the aid Of the
pulpit is invoked in the cause OF
highway improvement, but that agen-
ey has set Jefferson Township, in No
daway County, to unusual activity,
according to the Kansas City Star. ,
For several years Rev. Father Ftp
Placid, pastor of the Catholic church
at the Benedictine monastery, near
Conception, Mo-, preached to his peo-
pie that the building Of good roads
constituted not only a civic, but a
Christian duty. w.
He pointed out in a series Of SER
mons that bad or impossible thor
eughfares caused farmers to stay at
home on Sundays, which initiated
strongly against the uniform observ-
ance of their religious duties.
He did not, however, confne his
efforts to. oral argument. And this is
how our contemporary describes the
manner in which the monastery with
which he was affiliated set the lear
by farmers a practical object lesson:
THE monastery owns a section of
fine land and several fine draft horses.
The fathers didn't purpose to have
their horses struggle along bad roads
every time they desired to drive to
town. or to market in the, rainy sea-
son, or just after a rain in any ,sea-
son. The fathers began by grading
the road from the monastery, Old
Conception, to Conception, a distance
Of three miles. Then they chained
two pieces of railroad iron together,
and after a rain they dragged the
road several times. That was several
years ago. They have kept it up con-
sistently eve since. The result Is a
road as smooth as q boulevard. There
have been heavy rains in that section
for a week; the creeks and branches
are out of their banks and It is not
possible for a horse to wade through
the mud in some sections of that
county or township. It is different
with the three miles of road leading
from the monastery to Conception.
The weeks rain, the heaviest of the
year, has had little effect on the road,
and 1t Is possible for a team of horses
pulling a loaded wagon to trot along
this superior thoroughfare."
Such initiative on part Of the mon
astery had its logical effect upon the
landowners of the surrounding terri
tory.
The roads are now dragged on an
average of ten times a year, at a tri-
fling expense after the first operation.
The deadly rut has disappeared and
from years end to years end the
highways are passable to heavy loads
hauled by n or two mules. The
farmers view the movement as n OF
the best investments In their exper-
fence and the fever has spread to-
other sections Of the county.
Substantially, the interest Of the
clergy of Georgia in good roads is
equal to that Of the clergy Of Missouri.
Already many preachers Of various
denominations in this State have spo-
ken a good word for the crusade that
has so wonderfully inspired the in
dustry Of all classes Of Georgianss
Persistent agitation in this direction
would not only exert a salutary inf1u-
ence on religious phases Of commu-
nifty life; it would, as well, be reflect
ed in commercial and industrial as
poets. r.
And the preachers are citizens az
well as-preachers.-Atlanta Consti-
tuition.