The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1912-09-18
FOR BETTER HIGHWAYS
Appeal Made by Thomas Nelson
Page for Betterment
Noted Author Holds improvement OF
Roads VIII increase Prosperity
OF Country and Distribute
Population Equally.

Mr.. Thomas Nelson Page, the au-
thor, in a statement which he has
issued as chairman of the American
Association for Highways Improve
ment, points to the association as the
proper vehicle through which all the
people OF the country can take part
In the great movement for the I'M
provement Of the roads, which, he
holds, will increase the prosperity OF
the country and provide a more equal
distribution of population. The officers
of the association include some Of the
most prominent men Of the country.
"Of all the material affairs Of the
country at present." says Mr.. Page,
the improvement Of the public roads
seems to me the most important and
far reaching. Every improvement OF
our roads Is a direct increase in the
value Of property and a direct assist
ance toward the improvement, phys
oally. morally and mentally. OF our
people. It is not too much to Say that
in the southern portion of this country
We are 80 years behind at least a
part Of the north in this matter OF
roads and we are 200 years behind
Europe, at least that portion OF Eu-
rope over which I have travelled, e2-
tending from the northern flords OF
Norway down to the southernmost
points Of Italy and Spain.
Both urban and rural communities,
Of course, are interested vitality IN
roads, but the country Is far more In
terested than the city. for good roads
shorten the distance to the market, TO
the school, to the railway station and
the country store, precisely DO much
as the road Is improved. It Is not %
much to say that the agricultural land
of the south would BE more Than
doubled tn value II the roads were
only half as bad as they are.
Our people need to be educated IN
this matter Of good roads as much az
on any other subject In the world. and
the most important work perhaps mat
the American Association for Highway
improvement can perform is TO estab-
lish clearly in the minds OF our people
that their personal interests are bound
up with the improvement OF their
highways.
1T takes a long time to establish q
new idea In the minds Of a great con-
~,eryative population; but this new idea
Is taking root among our people and
will tn time become established. The
new Ideas Of farming are being intro
duced, which are already increasing
materially the productivity OF the soil
and the knowledge OF our farming
population as to the value Of improved
methods, and it Is as certain as any
other law Of nature that In time the
Improvement OF the public roads will
come. The only question is whether
we shall allow this improvement to be
postponed until our generation are al
dead and buried or whether we shall
bring the Improvement In our
time and get the benefits OF It
whether we shall 9 u knowledge
and our opportunities to give to the
Using generation throughout the NJ
try the benefits which come directly
from a great system Of good roads
opening the way to enlightenment n
comfort Of all kinds, or whether we
shall leave them to suffer from the
want OF such a system and possibly
even from the want Of knowledge that
such Improvement is essential"