Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1911-06-01
The gospel of Good Roads.
Midland Methodist.

Midland Methodist.
1t is reported that up in Holston, in
certain community where the second
blessing was much in vogue under the
high-sounding phrase of "a full gospel, ="
the presiding elder one day ask the pas
tor in the Quarterly Conference if he
thought he had preached full gospel to
his people. The pastor said he thought
he had. Then the presiding elder ask
him if he had preached 1.-THE gospel of
good roads," The pastor had not. That
gave the presiding elder a chance to
talk to the officials little on the gospel
of good roads. We ware not present
and do not know what the presiding
elder said in the course of his remarks,
but the story furnishes US with n text
to do little preaching of our own on
the same subject.
We have heard the question asked at
at good many District Conferences:
do your Sunday schools run all the
year," To which, in substance, this
answer was given: mo; the roads are
in such condition most of the winter
that we have to suspend" Sometime
it is said also that 1.-THE creeks have no
bridges, and the children cannot get to
the church" So the whole religious
training of the children inSunday school
work has to stop because of bad roads
and bridgeless streams. That is only the
religious side of this question, but it is
a large side, nevertheless. This does
not touch the industrial and economic
side of it.
There is nothing that advertises a
country more than its roads and public
buildings. 1t can be set down as a rule
that county that will not build good
roads is behind in almost everything
else. The farms are generally in poor
state of cultivation, the stock is scrub
by, fences are falling down, houses I'M
painted, and schools and churches I'm
kept. All public intrests are neglected,
and the farms are valueless. Strangers
passing drought such county laugh at
the people and advertise it far and wide
as thriftless, ne'er-do-well sort of
citizenship. On the other hand, good
roads advertise the people as thrifty.
Industrious, and up-to-date. We could
name few counties, not so rich in nat
ural resources as some others, that are
known far and wide simply by the roads
they built.
Some people are so afraid of taxes
that they would rather kill their horses
over muddy roads and steep hills than
to tax themselves to save their stock
and to work with ease. So many people
are penny wise and pound foolish"
They are like the Arkansas Traveller. 4"
They don't cover the house in dry
weather, because it doesn't leak then;
and when it rains they can't cover it,
because it rains too hard. They tear
up wagons and buggies and kill or break
down horses and mules enough in five
years to build good roads, just to keep
from taxing themselves few cents on
the hundred dollars worth of property
to build roads and thereby save their
stock and wagons. The increase in
valuation to their farm and homes alone
is worth far more than the cost of build
ing the roads. Besides, with good roads
they could haul much more with the
same team and hurt it less, not to men
ton the ease of travel.
We are persuaded that the gospel of
good roads needs to be preached. People
who will not build good roads deserve
to be laughed at, and laughed at till they
become ashamed Of themselves. Afew
years ago we talked with a farmer
whose county had voted down bonds for
good roads. He said: II would pay ten
dollars year the rest of my lifetime
for road to the county town, five or
ak miles away, rather than haul my
produce over such road as we have,
and make money by doing it," But,
alasl the majority Of the citizens were
against him. and they are pulling
through mud TO this day. n