ANNUAL MEETING. 47 



trade, in itself a most, desirable thing, indeed I may say the only perfect and 

 unwasteful method ; and though impracticable and dangerous in new countries, 

 yet an end at<which all should aim and toward which we should progress as 

 rapidly as circumstances will allow. 



The second and much the most important, because the most generally prac- 

 ticable, means by which we may lessen our isolation, is one to which I have 

 already alluded, — the improvement of our roads. 



Perhaps the bearing of this factor can lie best illustrated by a little personal 

 experience. It happened in June a couple of years since in La Salle county, 

 111., though there is ample opportunity for similar experience much nearer 

 home. Having six miles to go into the country and but little time for the pur- 

 pose, I took a livery horse and started, but the condition of the roads was such 

 that, straining the quality of mercy and the horse's muscles as much as my 

 conscience would allow, it took me two hours to make the distance ! When I 

 ventured to remonstrate the natives laughed at my innocence, and told me that 

 if I would but visit them in early April they would guarantee me against any 

 such breakneck speed as three miles an hour ! 



The people of that region were virtually twice as far removed from one an- 

 other, and twice as far from town, as would have been the case had they made 

 their roads such as to make travelling at six miles an hour a possibility. Yet 

 worse, to ladies these roads put an absolute bar against going out on foot at all. 

 It is not withia the purpose of my subject to enlarge further upon the extrava- 

 gance and folly of keeping anything but first-rate roads. They are wisely called 

 the arteries of the country's life, and among a self-governing people may well 

 be taken as an index of the degree of civilization. Good roads tempt social 

 intercourse. Bad roads smother it. 



The foregoing methods of ameliorating the isolation of our country life, viz. : 

 the improvement of our roads and limiting the amount of land held by us to our 

 actual needs, are both within the practical reach of everyone of us as at present 

 situated. 



There are other methods possible to those not yet located, by which the diffi- 

 culty can be entirely overcome ; and though there arc decided objections to 

 both, yet the object to be gained seems to me so great that to secure it many 

 minor difficulties may well be endured. The first of these has I believe been 

 tried to a limited extent in this State, aud consists simply in dividing the 

 country into long and narrow farms, fronting endwise to the road along which 

 the houses are built. 



If the land on either side of a given road were thus divided into farms run- 

 ning back one mile, every acre would have a frontage of one-half rod, an 80- 

 acre farm would front 4.0 rods, and if that were the average size 16 farms would 

 front on each mile of the road. This does not seem exceedingly populous ; but 

 please think of some country roads within your knowledge where there are five 

 houses within the mile, and then think of placing three families for every one, 

 aud you will have a very lively little neighborhood. Long and narrow farms 

 are by no means so objectionable as they may at first thought seem. The wood 

 lot may be reserved at the rear end of the farm, a permanent pasture if desired 

 next to that, and in that case a common lane between adjoining farms would be 

 needed, then come the cultivated fields. 



If such extreme difference between length and breadth of farms be objected 

 to, an 80-rod frontage might be adopted, which would allow an 80-acre farm to 

 be one-half as broad as long, or a IGO-acre farm one-fourth as broad as long, 



