CIVILIZATION'S HIGHWAYS 



SHALL WE HAVE THEM AS STREAKS OF CONCRETE ACROSS THE COUNTRY 



BLISTERING IN THE SUN OR SHALL WE MAKE THEM 



"ROADS OF REMEMBRANCE?" 



TWENTY years ago automobiles were barred from 

 Central Park in New York City. Today the auto- 

 mobile is our second great means of transportation 

 for men and merchandise. Figures compiled by Alfred 

 Reeves, of the National Automobile Chamber of Com- 

 merce, show the motor industry to be nearing the two 

 billion dollar class. In addition to this a tremendous sum 

 has been voted for improving our roads. Here are the 

 figures: Alabama, $1,000,000; Arizona, $6,250,000; 

 Arkansas, $4,397,398; Cali- 

 fornia, $20,000,000; Colora- 

 do, $8,000,000 ; Delaware, 

 $8,528,000; Florida, $8,000,- 

 000; Georgia, $7,911,000; 

 Idaho, $2,100,000; Illinois, 

 $6,013,304; Indiana, $12,- 

 000,000; Iowa, $20,498,534; 

 Kansas, $8,000,000 ; Ken- 

 tucky, $3,500,00; Louisiana, 

 $2,000,000; Maine, $1,630,- 

 000; Maryland, $6,750,000; 

 Massachusetts, $6,000,000; 

 Michigan, $15,000,000; Min- 

 nesota, $11,127,986; Missis- 

 sippi, $7,000,000; Missouri, 

 $5,413,079; Montana, $6,- 

 300,000 ; Nebraska, $2,000,- 

 000; Nevada, $1,377,499; 

 New Hampshire, $1,630,000; 

 New Jersey, $6,500,000 ; 

 New Mexico, $4,000,000 ; 

 New York, $2,000,000 ; 

 North Carolina, $5,000,000; 

 North Dakota, $1,082,000; 

 Ohio, $13,321,500; Oklaho- 

 ma, $3,600,000 ; Oregon, 

 $8,000,000 ; Pennsylvania, 

 $8,780,000 ; Rhode Island, 

 $1,470,000; South Carolina, 

 $7,000,000 ; South Dakota, $6,767,276 ; Tennessee, $3,650,- 

 906; Texas, $60,480,000; Utah, $10,092,794; Vermont, 

 $1,797,650; Virginia, $3,400,000; Washington, $6,500,- 

 000; West Virginia, $2,000,000; Wisconsin, $3,200,000; 

 Wyoming, $6,500,000; Total for the United States, 



$340,394,536. 



From voting $340,000,000 for good roads it is a long 

 look back to the time of Jean Frederic Oberlin, of 

 Alsace, whose fame is based upon the fact that he built 

 a road. This man for whom Oberlin College in Ohio is 

 named, took, in 1767, an isolated pastorate and at once 

 saw that its very isolation was the cause of its poverty 



WHAT IS YOUR TOWN DOING? 



Which state will make the best record in 

 Memorial tree planting? The American For- 

 estry Association announces that Minnesota and 

 New York are in the lead among the Northern 

 States, and that Georgia and Florida are in the 

 lead of the States farther south.. The American 

 Forestry Association is registering all memorial 

 trees on a national honor roll, and will send any- 

 one free instructions on tree planting and a tree- 

 day program. 



In Minnesota a campaign has been started for 

 memorial tree planting by the school children 

 by the Minnesota State Forest Service. Arthur 

 F. Oppel, of the State Forestry Department has 

 issued instructions to the forest rangers and of- 

 fered aid in tree distribution. Rangers will be 

 allowed a certain number of trees. This is the 

 first attempt of this kind, so Mr. Oppel reports 

 to the American Forestry Association, and the 

 service is limited as to trees, but has bigger plans 

 under way for next year. 



The New York State College of Forestry sends 

 out a call for memorial tree planting and directs 

 all tree planters to register their trees with the 

 American Forestry Association. Every indi- 

 vidual or organization planting a tree is urged 

 to register it with the American Forestry Asso- 

 ciation and get the free certificate of registration 

 which the Association will send. 



and ignorance. His answer to the problem was good 

 roads, which were non-existent in the Ban de la Roche. 

 The mountain passes were constantly broken up by tor- 

 rents, and avalanches of loosened earth, and there were 

 no bridges save stepping stones. Oberlin decided to 

 open communication with Strasbourg, a short distance 

 away ; but the peasants were at first so suspicious that 

 they conspired to waylay and beat him. However, he 

 called the chief inhabitants of the region, and proposed 



that they should blast the 

 rocks and make a wall a 

 mile and a half long to pro- 

 tect a projected roadway to 

 the river Bruche, over which 

 he also proposed to build a 

 bridge. When they refused, 

 he, with one servant, took 

 pickaxes and started on the 

 task. His sincerity produced 

 a reaction and presently he 

 had a small army of workers 

 to assist him. With financial 

 aid from friends in Stras- 

 bourg he completed the road, 

 the protecting wall, and the 

 bridge in three years. Com- 

 munication established, an 

 industrial revolution began 

 in the Ban de la Roche. The 

 boys learned the crafts of 

 carpenters, masons, glaziers, 

 blacksmiths, and wheel- 

 wrights, trades previously 

 unknown to the region. 

 Wretched cottages became 

 habitable. Is there a section 

 in the United States to 

 which the Oberlin formula 

 can be applied? It seems that our citizens think so. 

 Now there is a fine opportunity for making our roads 

 memorial highways by the proper planting of roadside 

 trees. In many states such plans have long been under 

 way. Reports to the American Forestry Association 

 show the plan is being taken up in hundreds of munici- 

 palities. Perhaps the most interesting activity is in the 

 little state of Delaware. General Coleman duPont 

 has provided four million dollars for the building of a 

 highway. The fund has been accepted by the State 

 Highway Department of which J. G. Towsend, Jr., is 

 the chairman. In General duPont's scheme of things is 



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