The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1916-04-05
IMPROVE THE PUBLIC ROADS

Washington, March 22.-"Come
gentle Spring! ethereal Mlldness!
That is how old James Thompson felt
about it something like two hundred
years ago, and little later Reglnalo
Heber, following his cue, or ventur-
ing among the MUSES. on his own ac-
count, sang of the time "When
Spring unlocks the flowers to paint
the laughing SOIL" Which leads the
American Highway Association to
noint out that the Spring thaws ana
Spring rains will soon be here to re-
mind the people who run about from
place to place, and particularly tne
farmers who live out in the country
among the birds and flowers. now
grave has been the neglect OF tne
public roads in the largest part oi
so-called "highly favored land" inns
NEGLECT has been almost criminal De-
cause the people have sinned against
the light, in that they have not OBJ
tanned the advice and counsel, neces-
sary to the improvement of impossl-
HE conditions, readily available Tor
the asking from State and national
road officials. Either they have IAN,
I'd T to ask for such advice and counsel
or thew have disregarded 1t Wnen
thew have received it, and with the
result that at the happy spring sea.
son. when the heavens are brlght
overhead, the roads are sloppy unaer
foot, and the farmer and hls family
find themselves isolated from their
neishbors, from the schools. from
the churches, from the market towns
from everything that makes NE
.,orth living. Yet men wonder why
Il r. that there has been a steady
drift from country to town and why
the young folk, when their Wings
have grown a bit, take flight from
the delights of rural life TO tne
crowded confusion of narrow streets
and artificial horizons. 81
The farmers income Is small anu
his taxes always seem large. he goes
not zee in the Spring thaws any other
Iesson than that of inevitable drearl-
ness. He and his neighbors often can
not nav for hard roads yet. He knows
that for large part of the year
well-dragged earth road AFFORDS satlsl
factory means of communlcatlon, anu
70 he waits patiently until the water
soals away somewhat and otherwise
iets things drift. He could not make
q oreater mistake. He ought to know
that the preliminary essentials 1or
GOOD road building for light country
travel are not expensive, and wnen
the Spring brings its troubles in a
few weeks he can utilize the condl-
tons of discomfort, if he will, Tor
learning some very important Things
about rational rural road building.
In the first place, he should consld,,
or the very important feature OF ROAD
location. In some parts of the coun-
try. roads were located years ago
without much resepct to grades. AS
a result horses strain at their traces
through muddy bottoms, where no
BODY lives, to the tops of windy hills
with their journey only ly half begun
The relocation of parts OF ROADS SO
that there will be only easy graaes
and so that places may be aVoloeG
where the maintenance OF a good
surface is troublesome is not beyond
the achievement of ordinary common
In a few weeks there will be no
lack of evidence that the drainage OF OF
roads is of vital Importance IN most
narts of the land. 1t will not be ne
cessary cs "a to employ the highest talent
in engineering to determine Wnere
better drainage must be proVloea;;
When the frost leaves the ground ana
IL
the spring rains soak ,e the earn; ;rd;;csted ted
to the dullest observation, and will
show whether or not the road can be be
hest improved by relocation, or by
the digging of deeper bitches, or by
the drainage of the contiguous land' "a
There is nothing mysterious ABOUT II.
which the farmer cannot understand
the drainage of roads is not different
in in principle from the drainage Of Of:
Land. The only reason the farmer
is puzzled when road drainage is sug-
gested is that in the engineering dis-
xrrhirh comes