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 Mildness!'
That is how old James Thompson 1el5
about it something like two hundred
wears ago, and a little later Reginald
Heber, following his cue, or ventur-
ing among the MUSES. on his own ac-
count. sang of the time "When
Snrirg unlocks the flowers to paint
the laughing SOIL" Which leads the
American Highway Association to
point 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. no"
grave has been the neglect OF tne
1ublic roads in the largest part OF
so-called "highly favored land" Ihls
neglect has been almost criminal De-
cause the people have sinned against
the light, in that they have not OBJ
tained the advice and counsel, neces-
sary to the improvement of lmpossl-
ble conditions, readily available Tor
the asking from State and national
road officials, -, Either they have fail,
ed to ask for such advice ana counsei
or they have disregarded it wnen
they have received it, and with the
result that at the happy spring sea
son. when the heavens are brlgnt
overhead. the roads are sloppy under
foot. and the farmer and his family
f;nd themselves isolated from their
na;.hhors from the schools, from
the churches, from the market towns,
from everything that makes Ire
worth living. Yet men wonder why
it is that there has been steady
drift from country to town ana why
the young folk, when their wings
have grown a bit, take fight from
the delights of rural life to the
crowded confusion of narrow stree1s
and artificial horizons.
The farmers income is small ana
his taxes always seem large. he does
not see in the Spring thaws any otner
Lesson than that of inevitable drearl-
ness. He and his neighbors often can
not pay for hard roads yet. He knows
that for large part of the year d
weIl-dragped earth road affords satls,
factory means of communication, anu
so he waits patiently until the wafer
soaks away somewhat and otherwise
iets things drift. He could not make
a oreater mistake. He ought to know
that the preliminary essentials 1or
GOOD road building for light country
travel are not expensive, and when
the Spring brings its troubles IN =: a
few weeks he can utilize the condl-
tions of discomfort, if he will, Tor
learning some very important things
about rational rural road building.
In the first place, he should consld,,
er 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 no
body lives, to the tops of windy nils
with their journey only half begun.
The relocation of parts of roads so
that there will be only easy grades
and so that places may be avoided
where the maintenance of good
surface is troublesome is not beyond
the achievement of ordinary common
sense. =,
In a few weeks there will! be no
lack of evidence that the drainage OF
roads is of vital Importance in most
parts of the land. 1t will not be ne.
cessary to employ the highest talent
in engineering to determine Wnere
better drainage must be PROVIDED;
When the frost leaves the ground ana an q
the spring rains soak the earth, the
soggy places will be clearly indicated
to the dullest observation, and Will
show whether or not the road can be
best improved by relocation, or by
the digging of deeper ditches, or 1snS Dy
There is nothing mysterious about II,
which the farmer cannot understand
the drainage of roads is not different
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
cussions of the subject which comes