The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-08-25
THE COUNTRY CROSS ROADS.

In the popular literature Of a gen.
Grafton ago the country cross roads
was a never failing joke. With pass
ing time the edge has somewhat worn
OF these cheap witiciams. but the ply
sical facts on which they were founded
are just as important as ever. There
are still In this country a good many
mere cross roads, with their combina-
ton post Offices. stores and social CEN
tres, than there are Chicagoes or Seat
ties, according to Prof. Frank A.
Waugh in the American City.
US to know them for what they are
These simplest expressions Of social
aggregation are worth most careful
study for many reasons, but chiefly
for the following three:
I. Being organically simplest. they
give the best opportunity for the study
Of all the strictly elementary prob
lens Of social organization, whether
physical, economic or social.
3. These cross roads nuclei often de-
velop into larger organisms. IN which
the original structures may still be
traced. Wherefore specialists who are
studying problems Of city planning,
and who are beginning to see that
most cities grow instead OF being
planned, will find 1t important to study
the phenomena Of civic growth from
their beginnings.
.. All students Of social problems
are thinking that too much attention
relatively. has been placed on the big
cities and not enough on the smaller
social units. The civic demand of the
day Is for better things in the little
towns, at the cross roads and in the
farming country.
The typical cross roads group Is To-
Gated at the point where twQ impor-
angles. But this typical form has
many notifications, the strictly rec
tangular intersection being less fire.
quent than might be expected. Oblique
angles appear. and sometimes more
tnan four roads radiate from the CEN
tire. Not infrequently there are three
roads instead Of four. thus presenting
a for a foundation figure instead
of an X.
At this intersection. whatever its
ground form, are located the universal
types of civic centre buildings. These
are:
The post office, often combined with
q general store.
The church.
The school.
The town hall.
The grange hall.
The library.
1t Is, of course, unusual to find all
these elements in a single combina-
ton, but three or four of them are
usually present. Sometimes the group
ing Is rather loose. certain Of these
units being found at a little distancs
from the physical centre.
AS civic form the four corners, OF
cross roads. Is to be distinguished
from the higher type Of civic centre
formed round an open space or town
common. 1t Is simpler form. and IN
cases of further development leads Il
q less desirable town plan.
For this reason alone the cross roads
civic centre would very rarely bs
adopted by the civic planner. It might
properly be employed for strictly rural
conditions where future growth from
this nucleus would pretty surely no,
ensue. Under such conditions the
GLOSS roads might be embellished by
trees. BY setting the buildings some.
what back from the road a feeling Of
spaciousness could be introduced prac.
tically equivalent to that secured by &
small common. The customary fur
niture. such as watering trough ant
sign post. can be given some good de
sign and placement. adding interest L
the grGrlp.
Inda&k the cross roads has notori
ously lever lacked local atmospher,