The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1917-03-15
GOOD ROADS BETTER MORALS
Bad Roads Are Keeping People Out
of Heaven.

'''~ 'N~~F''S
of Heaven.
Arcadia, Mo.--Among the speakers
before the meeting of the women at
the land congress here was Mrs,
Frank de Garmo of st. Louis, who is
at the head of the good roads com
mittee of the National Mothers con.
gress. Mrs. de Garmo advocated
a good road from a good home to a
good school for every child of the
field and the foothills" She called
bad roads "the arch enemy of the
rural world. Many men and women,
she said, have left the farm on ae-
count of deprivations, resultant from
bad roads. In the name of the thou
sands OF child farmers who despair at
the almost superhuman task or ac-
curing the rudiments of an education,
on account OF the almost impossible
condition of the roads. at the only
season of the year when their little
brown hands are not busy all day
long. ] pray you, for their sakes, wage
an educational campaign for systemat
ic, permanent road building, under the
patronage of the state, and by an ex-
perienced road engineer.
''ln the name of the hundreds OF
thousands of the women farmers, pa
tiently toiling, toiling. toiling. through
out the neverending days, carrying
with sanity smile their heart
breaking load, | implore you to lend
your sweet womanly influence to
arouse public opinion in favor OF
quick and easy means of transit to
rural social centers, where the spell
ing bee and the singing school shall
be supplemented by dancing, athletics
healthy theatrical attractions, cooking
clubs, road cadet drills. parent'teach-
err cooperative clubs, and last. but OF
greatest Importance, the religious de-
yelopment that comes from q nom
sectarian, but deeply spiritual Sunday
school and Sunday sermon. ! beseech
you to crystalline public opinion and
public spirit into system of high
ways; which shall not only connect
the great commercial centers OF your
state, but into which shall be built
the byways OF travel, the cross-coun-
try roads on which not only CONNER
cial prosperity shall be transported,
but also the intellectual, social and
moral development which will restore
TO the country the glory which has
almost departed to the city, that of
the earth's geniuses.
mot only the hookworm, but SO
far as white children are concerned.
II is largely matter of bad roads.
that causes the shiftlessness that pro
duces total Indifference to pride Of
appearance and to normal ambition in
rural districts There is nothing which
hurts the people more, or costs the
people more. or keeps them back
more. than bad roads. They make It'll
hard to leave. hard to get back, hard
to haul. hard 70 visit. hard to go to
school and hard to get to heaven,
sometimes. There is nothing that al
man can think of that will do more
to help all the people than good
roads. They make it easy TO travel
easy to bling goods home, easy to
haul your produce and manufactures
to market, easy to 80 to school. easy
to get to church and easy to avoid
many bitter thoughts that bad roads
cause.
THE lack OF good roads breeds
A man gets tired OIL
a horse that always gets
muddy whenever he is taken from the
stable. He slams a gate-and breaks
a panel in it-because there is pud
die between him and the post and he
has not had time to drain that puddle
in IS years. In some parts of the
country, il seems to be the mental
state for those accustomed TO bad
roads. to be without pride and anlbi-
ton. They may work hard and plod,
but their plodding does not bring