The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1913-10-03
Gold and Silver Medals offered to
Children For Best Essay On Re-
pair and Maintenance Of Earth
Il Roads.

UAlT anu AszA1kpW@hOC "a 38AsA
i loads.
washington. .. c., October 3.-The
Director of the Office of Public Roads
OF this Department. Logan Waller
PAGE. has announced that the time in
which children may submit essays ON
the repair and maintenance or earth
roads. in competition for the gold
medal and the two silver medals, has
been extended to March 2. 1914.
The conditions for the essay contest
are as follows:
1. The subject OF the essay will be
the Repair and Keeping Up Of Earth
Roads.
2. 1t is open only to children from
ten to fifteen years, inclusive, who are
actually living on farms and who are
actually attending some school.
3. The essay should be not more
than eight hundred words In length,
in the handwriting of the child, and
should be written on only one side OF
the paper.
1. In the upper left hand corner of
the first page should appear the fol-
lowing statement: Essay on Earth
Roads by name of child, age of child;
actual residence of child school at
tended by child.l
D. Children wishing to enter TINS
contest may ask the advice OF their
parents, teachers, neighbors, highway
commissioners, and other people, and
read books or magazines giving In
formation about the subject. They
must not give the information they
gain in this way in the exact words OF
an adult or the author OF book. they
must express the ideas in their own
language. They will not be expected
to use technical terms and any words
that make the meaning clear Will be
acceptable.
G. The essays will be rated by an
impartial committee according TO the
understanding of the subject shown by
the child and according to the pen
manship, English, and spelling Inc
writer of the best essay will receive
gold medal, the writer of the next best
essay, a silver medal; and the writer
of the third best essay, silver medal.
7. All essays should be plainly ad-
dressed, In an envelope stamped with
a two-cent stamp, TO: Committee on
ehildren's Road Essay Contest, once
of Public Roads. L. $. Department Oh
Agriculture. Washington. D. C., and
should De Hdllsa W itash NM
not later than 0 a. m. on Monday,
March 2, 1914.
3. Children who have already sub
mitted essays in that contest which
was originally announced 10 close DC
tober 18th. may If they wish. submit
second essay.
As a help to children. the sugges-
lions given below are made. Children
need not follow the suggestions alb
solutely. They must not submit es-
saws In the form of direct answers To
these questions. They must not quote
any of the following material word Tor
word.
To the children In getting facts
to write your essays for the prize con
test on the repair and maintenance oil
earth roads, use your eyes. LOOK al
\ bad piece of road and a good piece
of road when both are dry. STUDY
particularly the ruts and holes and
uneven places In the road to see
whether they make It easier or harder
for the wheels Of wagon 10 20 along
study the kind of footing that the two
roads give to the horses.
Now, study the same stretches oil
road after a good rain storm You
will see that one road holds small
puddIes, or pools, OF water that keei
the road soft and so ALLOW Il 10 be cul
I'D by the wheels OF the wagons and
the hoofs of the horses. How do road
builders keep water from gathering on
the Travelled Hay OF road? Should
the road slope to the side bitches
How much higher should the center
or crown, Of the road be than the out.
side edges Of the road? Why do Rooe
bitches at the side OF the road he'll
make the center OF the road better for
hauling? What happens when bitches
get full of rubbish or weeds? When
a ditch along a road holds water OF
collects IL into pools. how does THU
Injure the road?
Have you ever seen a homemade
road drag? It Is made BY splitting In
Two a log six or eight inches In thick
ness and about six or eight feet long
The two halves of the log are set thret
feet apart With smooth faces forward
and upright. They are fastened To-
gether with braces. A pair Of horses
are hitched to chain fastened 10 the
front half Of the log. Should thesi
logs be drawn straight down the road
or should It be dragged n slant st
that a little Of the loose earth vii
slide toward the center Of the road
Should the dragging be started mex
to the ditch. or at the center OF th'
road? Should you drag the whoi'
road in one way. or drag each half o
It in an opposite direction. Should th'
dragging be done when the road Ii
dry, or after 1t has rained7 A goot
strong pair Of horses with a we'll bull
drag can drag about three or foul
miles Of road In a day. What woult
It cost a farmer TO drag four miles o
road? How would he be repaid foi
the cost of his labor?
Remember. children, you are not 4
answer these questions az II you weri
answering an examination paper. Yol
are to think about the answers AM
ask people for information and watcl
people actually working on roads. AM
then write composition that will b
Just the same as II you were writing |
letter to a friend, telling him. or her
how they made the earth road near yol
better, and kept IL from getting full
of holes ruIE and puddIee,