Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1915-05-06

|
knows whereof he speaks)
According to the State automobile IL
cense register Of last year there are over
| 100000 men and women licensed to OPP
crate automobiles I appeal to every
autolst in the United States and every one
of the hundreds of thousands of others
throughout the United States TO Join in
movement to place markers on country
roads, just as they are placed on city
streets I have thought, talked and writ
ten Of this subject for several years, and
now believe the time is ripe to call for
| concerted action.
While address this appeal first Of
all to the autoists, I insist Il is some-
thing that applies to the whole country
at large. I insist that the farmer the
merchant, the telephone and telegraph
companies. our own Uncle Sam and his
mail service. as we'll as the autoist, are
| all concerned.
Suppose you. Mr.. Autoist are driving
along country road and you ask a
farmer to direct you TO some given point.
Here Is sample reply:
Keep right on to the turn at the
creamery. Jog left, then right and follow
| tIlc TpdI W tHe WIllte ScUOOlHOuSe tTOsS
the plank road and turn to the right for
a mile until you hit the creek road and
the first big house with a red barn be-
hind It Is your place"
Why Is the farmer who may be living
like a prince, denied the privilege of a
definite geographical location? Why is
the autoist, or any one else who is a
stranger to the locality. compelled to
grope his way If he were in the dark7
1t Is bad enough during the day. but it
is a thousand times worse at night It
is algebra by day. It is a combination
Of Greek higher mathematics and the
fourth dimension by night
FARMERS GOOD NATURED.
Most farmers retire early. IF the auto
list gets lost he must awaken the farm
er--something ! do not like to do, for
have some consideration for the other
, fellow.
Usually the farmer is good -natured. He
directs YOU in such manner as would be
perfectly clear to a resident Of the neigh
borhood, but the autoist has to trust
to luck and a kind providence. And
sometimes it happens that the farmer Is
! angry. Worse yet It often happens that
the autoist gets out Of the front gate
about two jumps ahead of a dog. Once
in awhile he isn't ahead.
Worst of all are the nights when
, storms raging, II there is anything
worse than being lost on country road
at midnight in the midst of a driving
thunderstorm I would like to know It,
1t Is not right. 1t Is not fair. either
to the autoist or to the farmer. Suppose
instead Of the foregoing lin my compari-
sons I am using Chicago and vicinity
as an example), we had a condition like
), this.
. The autoist is overtaken by night. He
= reads a name on a sign post and finds
that he is on the De Soto road.
Driving ahead short distance to the
first farm house. he reads the number
on the gate post-l6.+ 400. He consults his
:, map and like a flash knows he Is on the
- De Soto road at point close by thu
CORVALLIS road.
r ALL ROADS HAVE NAMES.
:. Or. if the gate post is not numbered
8 he drives ahead until he comes to tn.
s first cross road. which he finds by thu
r. sign post is Lafayette turnpike On h
:. goes to CORVALLIS road. proceeds via
k this road to De Kalb highway. He passe
(, Anderson, Argyle and a score Of othe
r roads and is soon at home rejoicing.
There is scarcely any road in th
country that does not posses a NAM
, Of some sort. 1t may be Potato Creel
road, or Swamp Hollow. but it has
name. known only to those who live near
y by or travel 1t very frequently.
II Why keep these names secret? 1t woul'
II cost so little for each county or township
y government to place markers at ever,
$ cross road that I have often wondered
II why the farmers do not do 1t themselve
II for their own convenience.
Yet so many different interests ar
: concerned that l am taking this oppor
. tunity to call on the autoists Of tn
l. country to start a movement. embracinl
all. that will rectify this deplorable con
IL dition
- I believe community is prosperous il
direct ratio to it's progressiveness. Dis
- tricts where sign posts and direction
W are frequently encountered are almost in
II varably In prosperous agricultural com
10 munities where conveniences are highl
regarded,
~ There is absolutely no sensible reaso
- why the myriads of city streets shout
be any easier to name. or to mark. tina
the lesser number OF country roads
HOUSE NUMBERS NEEDED
It Further. l believe il would be a wis
to and an economical move to apply mum
or bers to the houses and buildings alon
is the country roads. The farmer now ha
g his telephone and appreciates II highly
A. Yet his name in the directory. In mos
1t cases, has a meaningless location. Fo
of instance, his line may terminate In River
,e side exchange. His listing in the director
ID IL usually John Smith. Riverside Az
q, Rural" or something like that
,e His friends who would like to vis
r. him. the telegraph company that has
,e telegram to deliver to him. the merchar
in the big city who has a parcel to delive
to him. etc. know simply that John Smit
lives somewhere in the vicinity Of River
side. The person desiring to find hi
1t may call John Smith on the telephone
y, and the directions given are as lucid a
d: it is possible to give them But II job
{. Smith could say
b. Strike the Downer's Grove turnpik
s. at --th street, follow II to Blan
he road turn west at Plank turnpike, an
st my house is No. 1890" wouldn't 1t /
Us a lot better for all concerned?
ce There will shortly be big aptomob
IT. race at Indianapolis. Indiana has prol
We ably more good roads comparatively tina
Is and other state In the Union. and the
IS are all named but they are not marked
NJ Thousands of autoists will motor to II
of naoa. frar, c,,,as nc far as ,oo r,,,.s A,
IA tahlt and more They will approach II