The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1911-07-28

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to all the senses.
/ Traversing the same route, we do
not believe that the distance can be
| covered in a much shorter space of
time. We made a short stop at Lees
burg; was detained say about twenty
minutes by rains: stopped thirty min
utes at Orlando, and stopped long
enough between Orlando and Sanford
to partake of generous and appetiz-
| ing lunch. The balance of the time
We were clipping along at fair rate of
speed
Wherever the roads are good auto
. ing is a luxury. No Roman chariot
eer, no ancient potentate, no modern
railroad king, no millionaire yacht
owner, ever enjoyed anything more
delightful; but over rough roads-say
from Apopka TO Orlando-some mod
>ern rante will some day arise and
write another Inferno.
Bad roads nave been the night
mare of nations and nothing has so
retarded their progress.
Macaulay, England's great histor-
ian, did not think it out of the way 10
describe the conditions of the public
thoroughfares and few of us have any
idea what our ancestors suffered on
account of bad roads.
Describing the condition of the
roads in 1865 Macaulay says that it
happened almost every day that
coaches stuck fast in the mud until
a team Of cattle could be procured
from some neighboring farm to tug
them across a slough. Going from
Manchester to London was set about
with as many perils and disasters as
might suffice for a journey 10 the
Arctic Ocean or to the Sahara desert.
The route through Wales to Holyhead
was in such a state that a yiceroy
going to Ireland was five hours travel
ing fourteen miles. In some places
the bogs were so deep and treacher-
Gus that the vehicles had to be taken
to pieces and lugged across them on
the shoulders Of peasants. The con-
ditiOns of the roads is described as
being attributed to the false economy
of officials in refusing to make APP
preparations to make better ones.
H0w0yaY If Voc NOT ol+oua+ba, tho
fault of officials as inn and livery
stable keepers thought that any other
system would be runious to their BUSH
ness and did what they could TO
create a public sentiment against
their improvement When a law was
finally passed which led 10 the build
ing of the first turnpike it met with
strong opposition on the part of some
mOssbacks the same as now. In des-
cribing which Mr. Macaulay says:
1T was not till many toll bars had
been violently pulled down, till the
troops had in many districts been
forced to act against the people, and
till much blood had been shed, that
good roads system was introduced"
Just as soon as a system of good
roads were instituted the nation i'm
mediately began to feel the impulse.
Inn keepers were enabled to tear
down their old habitations and erect
in their places more imposing struc-
lures and the livery business in
creased many fold.
England has long enjoyed a sys-
tenn of turnpikes and they have added
as much to her splendor and pros
perity as her great factories and
counting houses.
The dozen pages that Mr.. Macaulay
devotes to Englands bad and good
roads are as entertaining as any part
of his history.
1t may also be noted that when
Rome was at the zenith of her splend-
or she enjoyed the luxury of good
roads and that they added their just
quota to her comfort and prosperity.
Now that the automobile, the bicy-
Gle and mortocycle are here to stay
the necessity of good roads is more
important than at any time in the
worlds history and these roads
should be built for safety, perman-
ence and comfort We shall pass this
way but once and through our swift
passage we should endeavor to ex-
tract as much pleasure as it is pos
sible for the world to give us.
Quite a number of Ocala people are
at Seabreeze and Daytona Beach.
More would be there if the place was
more accessible. To follow the route
marked out by the around the state
good roads scouts" one going from
Ocala makes a perfect horseshoe and
to make fifty-six miles we
covered one hundred and sixty-six
miles. If one goes by rail he en-
counters a wait of three hours at
Palatka which is very exasperating in