The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1960-02-12

by 1000 AID, which isn't so very far
away, the population Of the United
States will be 800 million people
Eighty-five percent of them will be
living in urban areas. Great metropoli-
tan centers will grow up around present
cities. For example, "Chesapeake and
Potomac City" will include Baltimore,
Washington, Annapolis. A T Ii n G n
Silver Springs, Aberdeen, and surround
ing areas, with 100000 concentrated
there. The same will happen to Phil
adelphia, Miami, Boston, Cleveland, etc
Thus predicts the metropolitan plan
ners.
Transportation will be by new
method, yet uncertain But one could get
into contraption in Miami, be cata-
pulled into space far above the earth's
surface and twenty minutes later see
the outlines of New York City.
People will work only twenty hours
a week. The balance of the time they
will find their own pleasure, recreation
and relaxation. The homes in the urban
centers will be planned so that every
family will have communal garden
right behind their house, where they
can raise food stuffs, etc. The houses
will be a paradise, with heated swim
ming pools, air conditioned, with every
comfort and luxury imaginable.
Local transportation from home to
work will be new facilities. maybe con-
traptions which will fold up when the
destination is reached, thereby solving
the local parking problems. All city
streets Will be mobile platforms and
public transportation will be sizrail"
which travels on single rail 100 miles
and hour
Such is the dream of metropolitan
planners.
Crazy idea? Well, we think So But
after having experienced all of the de-
velopments since the beginning Of this
century, we hesitate to give it the horse
laugh.
When 1900 dawned all transport
tation was animal drawn, except the
huff and puff" steam railways. There
were no highways and few roads which
could be negotiated during the rainy
seasons. Houses were lighted by kero-
sene lamps, heated by tin heaters using
wood as fuel Sidewalks found only in
the cities, were of brick and the streets
of cobbestones, most of them were earth
paths, banked by weeds.
The mai ority Of the American people
lived in the rura9 areas, produced their
own food, carried their water from the
spring or the we'll. breathed fresh air,
accumulated very little money (but the
money had an intrinsic vaIue), lived and
died in the community in which they
were born, and Travelled to the city once
or twice in a lifetime. 1t was no easy
life, but it was simple and generally
happy. There was a sense of being, Of
interdependence one upon another, of
mutual individual assistance in times
of trouble, and universal pleasure in
times of joy
The electric age was developing E.
lectric lighting of homes, electric power
for motors, and most important the
gasoline combustion engine.
Twenty years later, I920) the auto
mobile had changed the living habits of
America. Roads and highways, pro-
duccd, more automobiles, and America
began to get on wheels. Radio was
born and new HORIZONS opened. A world
war had been fought and won in defense
of democracy" Ga misnomer for our
constitutional republic), and airplanes
made their appearance generally.
Twenty years later, 1910, the second
world war was to be fought and won
"for democracy" Television changed the
habits Of the American people, and fast
travel brought the nation and the people
of the world closer together
Twenty years later, 1860, urbaniza-