The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1916-11-10

disappearing citizen viii 70 blithely
on opinion that the language OF
Shakespeare. and Milton, and our
Bible Ia good enough for him.
Tho professors are dtruistic
enough about the matter. for II their
Language and spelling reform had
their way. the philologists would be
out OF jobs. there would be no need
for experts to recall the exceptions
and to rule on fine points.
Sophisticated as We are. and as
highly developed as are our means
OF communications, the question OF
grammar and spelling reform re-
calls that most of US still spend our
time in one locality. When we 20
somewhere else we carry our down
East twang. our Boston enunciatiOn.
our down-South drawl. our Western
explosives. our Bowery slang. and our
cockney dialect with US. SO 1t is
with every other tongue. He who
would talk with all mankind not only
must learn many tongues. too many
for one person to master. but must
know all the dialects OF those
tongues.
Even the most advanced programs
Of simplihed spelling only make be
ginning on the things one could do In
that field. and the perfect" lanGuag-
n. made to order. are not yet beyond
the nurture OF societies and clubs. "
Homo Materials for BODYBUILDING.
When a competent engineer Is en-
aged to look after roadbuildinR and
maintenance one OF the ffTst econo-
mics he makes in many cases is the
utilization OF local materials pre-
viously neglected or undiscovered.
Sometimes plans for BODYBUILDING
are prepared without proper investi-
cation Of local materials supposed to
be abundant, and after the work has
commenced It is discovered the plans
must be changed because the quan.i-
ty or quality OF the materials was
oyerestImated. Gravel and crushed
stone are very heavy and heir trans
portatlon is costly. and every cndeav-
or should be made to ascertain
whether suitable materials can be OBJ
tanned locally before they are import
ed at heavy expense.
The surfacing OF road costs more
than most people believe. In the case
of elghty-seven gravel roads. the
grading and drainage cost thirty-sev-
en- per cent and the surfacing sixty
three per cent. In nfty-three bitumtn-
GUS macadam roads. these proper
lions were tweuty-seven and seventy
three per cent. These figures show
that more than half the cost OF a
surfaced road is general spent for the
materials and labor employed In sur
facing the graded and drained road
bed.
The good judgment that comes 10
an intelligent highway engineer
through experience will often show
him that instead OF using local ma
terials exclusively. as originally pro-
posed before he was employed, the
annual cost OF the road to the tax
payers will be reduced by bringing IN
some material by rail. What he can
accomplish in this way will depend
on the knowledge OF local materials
which he can acquire. Usually he Is
too busy to do much searching him
self. but he can obtain much assist
auce IL the local authorities will
make systematic endeavor to ascer-
tain the location of all lodges, sand
banks and gravel beds in their neigh
horhood. These are public resources
or real importance. and should be a
matter of record. In some communi-
ties school children have been en-
couraged to search for them. and in
many places local amateur biologists
and mineralogists have done public
service while riding their hobbies.
There can be no question thatthel lack
of complete knowledge Of this nature
is needlessly increasing the cost OF
road construction and maintenance in
many parts of the country.