The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-02-24

done is assemble the parts and put one 8 foot on her tail to start the fliver." Coincdent with county and district and government road operations, lum- Der companies of this district are be- ginning to realize the elemental ne- cessity of accessibility to make their cutover and idle lands salable. AL ready the Dierks Lumber company of De Queen, with 75,000 acres west of Glenwood, and the Mazarn Valley Land company, with 10000 acres on the east of Glenwood, are carrying out indi- vidual road building plans that are running into the tens of thousands of dollars, and in the instance of the Dierks people have already initiated an expenditure of $200,000 that has to show for itself a transformation of wolf-infested wilderness into stock, dairy and truck district that leads one to easily imagine he was travelling through the Sacramento valley of Cal ifornia when he gazes upon it.
 Most remarkable is this when it Is understood that seven years ago in the whole 625 square miles of this (Pike) county there was not steel bridge, automobile, painted house, silo
 brick building, electric light bath tub or mile of standard road.
 More readily by this comparison may one understand why the road making movement has become an impluse and a religious day and night agitation in Pike county, with the land interests at it's back and the live towns clearing the way and pulling on the front end of leg islation
 The situation is in any analysis one of complexities. The country is pulsinS with a new spirit of life, undergoing an unfolding process of resource and energy. The towns are still character ized by a certain lethargy. The land
 is awakening under the influence of new blood and new ideas, the contagion of which is even becoming noticeable in symptoms of progress exhibited by a large element of original settlers whose long-nourished desire to be let alone had well-nigh degenerated into a morbid state of voluntary hermitage, if not ac- tual schlerosis of the social and com mercial facilities. The towns with certain exceptions, persist in re- fusing to accept the nem movement as one that will accelerate or even be sus- tained. and, refusing to keep pace with the demand of the country, grow mo- rose over the diverting into new channels of trade territory that formerly be longed'' to them.
 Nor does argument appear to clear the vision of these towns to the true status of what is going on around them and the eventualal useless state into which they must inevitably crumble under the changes which are prevailing and in which they have small part.
 When the towns awaken we may look for a corresponding activity along indus trial lines that will parellel and possibly even exceed the good-roads movement. Stupendous raw material resources in the form of common and fine clays, man. ganiferous alloys, petroleum, kaolin and silica bodies. hot>and cold mineral waters, sates, building stone, jasper pulverizing pebbles, lead and copper these and other valuables in seemingly endless quantities that now lie as they have lain since the beginnig of time-undeveoped wealth. will be touched by capital and in the processes of their transformation into commercial form will cause populous cit ies to grow where now are apathetic settlements.
 As a matter of comparison a recent census of Tulsa, Okla, shows upwards of 90OO0 population. Eighteen years ago the writer saw Tulsa struggling ham, let of a few hundred shacks. as uncon- scious of it's future as is chrysillis of it's future butterfly state. With cer- tain knowledge that the opinion will meet with a smile of incredulity if not a sheer of derision, the writer of this will go on record that within radius of l Glenwood, Ark, exist as spectacular and far-reaching wealth producing re- sources as lie within the same radius of Tulsa, Okla, Joplin, Mo, Birming- ham, Ala, or any other city on the conti- nent.
 The unfolding process that will uncover it is now going on. Good roads are part ing the forests. Highways are letting in the light of knowledge upon the sit uation. and development is already show ing sunrise on the horizon.