The sun., 1916-11-05
IOWNy WITHOUT LH6ELS.
So Many Hide Their Identities From,
the Interested Tourist.

made recent week end tour throurn
Newark, going TO Montclair. Caldwell.
past the lakes made famous 10y The Man
From Pompton.' then to SufYcrn. Tuxedo.
Monroe. Chester. Goshen, Middletowr.
Otisviiie. Westbrookville. Wurtsboro
and up the mountain TO Rock Hill on
sunday went back to Wurtsboro
and down the valley to Charlottesville
and Port Jervis. crossed to the Pcnnsyl-
vania side. passed through Milford and
the always interesting Gap. down to
Portland and over the new bridge. for
merry the railroad bridge. above Meyers
Ferry: to ButsvilIc. Hackettstown. Nor
ristown Chatham. Madison and Eliza
beth. In addition to the towns named
] passed through dozens Of smaller VII
lagos. hut in all this trip | saw the
names Of only two municipalities dis
closed to the gaze OF the passerby as
the result OF public enterprise. There
may have been few others. but II 80
they did not catch my eye.
At Suffern n large banner across the
street proclaimed This is Sufiern' and
then went OH To describe the beauties
and advantages Of the place.
The State road over which | came
home does not pass through the village
Of summit. " j.. but close to II and
within the town boundary. There 7
discovered at the corners OF two or three
roads. branching on from the main
State road. clean looking white sign
boards painted with black letters OF a
size that would readily catch tho eye,
This IL summit. the lin Town" ON
seeing the third one decided to detour
and give the place a once over. 1t was
well worth the extra half hour | spent
In DOING II.
AZ other places the names of the
towns we're frequently disclosed by sign-
boards erected by enterprising garage
men and hotel keepers.
presume that in most of these towns
the inhabitants have a certain amount
of local pride and public spirit. as is
Indicated by their we'll kept properties.
but do these people realize that more
strangers view their towns from auto.
mobiles at tine present time than in any
other way? Would 1t not lie to the ad-
vantage Of such municipalities =" pro-
claim their identity to the stranger
within their gates"
When We come back from a iide like
this. We can perhaps describe to our
friends the beautiful flowers We saw in
village somewhere in New Jersey at
tine corner OF Rose street or We can
tell them Of the enormous size of the
sandwiches We found in I'VE Oldc Green
Inn" but when they ask us the name
OF tho town We are ofttimcs compelled
to say We do not know IT,
We often 500. "n approachinc a viii
laae or borough. this sign: Borough
Limits speed Laws Enforced" hut We
pass through and never know What hor-
ough it Is.
For three year. | have used yertain
brand OF Iubricatins oil. not because I
think IL is any better than several
other brands I could name. but as my
contribution to the company which has
erected So many road signs. an incalcu.
Ia BILE aid to the motorist. These sicns.
when erected In towns and villages. Oft
times contain tho name Of the place osi
the top line. but the signs are not the
result Of public enterprise, They are
erected by a private company for pri-
vate gain. like the hotel and garage
signs.
one day last summer | was standing
at the curb in a Jersey town. \ Michi-
gan car drove up and one Of the party
said 10 me. This is Red Bank. is it
not" They were ten miles from Red
Bank in a town which only a little over
year ago gave away the only piece Of
waterfront II had TO promoter OF a
steamboat company for putting her ON
the map as tho local papers said
Most of the towns and horoushs along
the Jersey coast. ] am Informed. make
appropriations each year for advertising
purposes. yet the man who starts at Long
Branch and rides to Belmar will pass
| through a number Of different munici-
palitics but, SO far as appearances go
and signboards indicate. ne will never
know that he has been in more than
one town.
Along the Boston post road there
are a few sisns, evidently ercvtcd by
the municipalities, informing the trsv-
eller OF the name OF the town. one In
particular, which might he adopted as
model for others to follow. is near
New Haven. 4 large dark board. sus-
pended where the rays Of an are lamr
! fall upon II at night. bears in large eilt
| letters the one word milford" which
means that II il the Grand old Puritan
| town. characteristic OF the land OF
wooden nutmegs and steady habits
noted for such men as Robert Treat
Jonah French and Loncy Burns.
| THE MAN WHO RIDES ALONE
NEW YORK, November 2.
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