Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-05-22
ROADS WILL BRING
FAME TO DELAWARE
When Completed, System Now
Being Built Will be Excelled
Nowhere.

highways oil DelaWATe WIS utuSSiC" JOY.
terday before the State Federation OF
Women's Clubs at Dover, by Samuel
Knopf. engineer in charge of division OF
State aid. Josiah Marvel was To address
the club women at their afternoon meeting
Yesterday, but was not able to be present,
and MIR Knopf was induced to take hls
place on the program. His address ioi-
lows:
Every citizen of Delaware may take
an honest pride in the national fame that
is bound to come to our State when our
system of highways, now IN course OF
construction, will become reality.
'"rhe State Highway Department., not
yet three years old, has established
comprehensive system of designing, con-
structing and maintaining permanent
roads, based on giving the greatest service
at the least expense. 10 date ABOUT one
third of this comprehensive plan IS under
construction, and IN lew years the re-
mainder will he completed.
I'VE are all interested IN civic art.
Civic art means n constant endeavor to
secure in our public works the maximum OF
utility combined with the maximum OF
beauty. Cities have realized the import
ance Of this and have given large atten-
ton to park. play grounds and boule-
wards So along with this road construc-
ton program, we have planned TO put 'he
finishing touches upon this superb system
bv finishing the roads with everything
necessary for the public safety, health,
comfort and pleasure, including roadside
planting -,
at Is not enough to build good roads,
II Is not enough to maintain good ROADS,
it is vitally important when we b,uid ana
maintain good roads that we Deautliy
them. Things useful need not necessarily
be ugly. Roads without embellishments
such as trees, shrubs and flowers, are ugiy
and prosaic II is not enough TO CONSIDER
the financial side of roads, It Is our ann
also to consider as we'll the Joy that one
receives travelling upon them In iac1'
propcr attention to rOadsides means Q
definite increase in the pleasure OF travel
ING and substantial addition TO the value
Of the adjoining property. -,
eve admire a home with trees, shrub
berv. flowers and trailing vines about ",
We now the pleasure that is eNclteo
in our hearts hy those adornments- How
sorry we feel for those Obliged 70 hive IN
homes where no attention ls gwen To
nlants flowers and trees a little atten-
tion 10 flowers and trees will transform
uqlv lawns into spots Of beauty. The shade
and freshness Of trees along the roads
running out Of our villages and cities are
needed now more than ever before. Con-
crete roads and hard surfaced roads OF
All kinds are harsh and need thus soitening
effect
..Wc cannot afford to have tourists
who will come here 10 see our roads 9e-
clare that we Dclawareans have no APP
probation for beauty, no feeling Tor ma
turc, no desire even TO hide unsightiy oo-
No htDhNaNS.
Inst as ~, receive our friends and enter
tain +hcrn in the most comfortable rooms
az our homes. for the same reason We
want Ia make our visitors our friends by
imprcssinu upon them that we are mann
! tanning useful as we'll as beautiful roads
| The portals the gateways, the entrances 10
1 orr community homes are the highways.
"Nsny az our cities understand the
/ value Of having inviting boulevards ana
streets for guests To enter. Conslderaoie
1 attention is gwen To the main entrance 70
| commercial and residential centers. They
! Eeartjfy the streets with park rows, trees,
/ tridecs shrubhery and flowers, so that the
visitors NAV feel more welcome. Ii -
| along this same line we intend TO create
4 the same interest about our roads.
! Until recent years road builders have
neglected roadsides Many road builders
/ have DESTROYED beauty by permitting the
j careless cutting Of trees. shrubs and hazei
] bush. Telephone companies have had an
active hand In this. What was lett was
/ barren highway. Other dlstracting sights
I along the highway have been the bill
/ boards containing advertising We see
the hill-lsoards destroying many pretty
views and beautiful curves Near the
ritlcs much has been done TO curb this
nuisance. little has been done to restrict
/ s,lrh advertising in the rural districts. On
| roads under the state Highway control,
/ bilI-boards advertising and useless cutting
of trees have been restricted.
1T Is with point in view OF beautiylng
the Delaware highways that competent
Landscape architect has been employed
nv the Highway Department through the
gcnefoeity of one Of its members lie IS
( r Lancaster. Who built the world
famous Columbia River Highway He IS
recognized as the foremost highway land
/ scape architect III the world.
The department feels that nothing
! counts Ike expert advice and direction IA
the handling of this important problem
Wc cannot afford - let TINS matter OF
r1ral ulanplng continue 20 9e worked out
under our Indifferent amateur pohcy u ne
wish to make our roads ornamental as we'll
as useful
"A start has been made The splendid
du Pont road traveTsing the county Of
Sussex is IN the process OF beautlilcation.
Beauty spots have been established at the
town and village entrances. These have
been planned aud supervised by COM
/ petent landscape architect The remainder
! OF the right Of way where ever passible has
been planted with farm products, laid out
n regular tracks Where the road passes
/ through the woodland, the surroundings
have been left in its natural state with
the exception that Towering shrub and
the occasional planting Of trees % intro
I d,lce color spots Will be planted.
''In New Castle county along the Phila
+ delphia pike, an experimental stretch Is
now beng planted.
"In Kent county, trees have been set
/ out along the Dover-Smyrna road. Plans
/ are being formulated TO continue putting
4 the finishing touches on the roads rs soon
/ as they are completed, and IN years TO
I come our splendid achievements will add
| lasting and national fame Of the right
/ kind To little old Delaware who was on the
Job, while her less Fortunate neighbors
may be forgiven for t0lerating bare and
| ugly surroundings, a decade after con-
creting is finished We cannot endure the
| idea Of unlovely surroundings Tor our
| splendid achievements.
I'VE know that good roads mean good
schools. education and prosperity and
that bad roads mean poor schools, ig-
norance and poverty Beautiful roads are
silent educators Each thing beautiful
makes good and lasting impression upon