4 



abridge distance have done most for the civilization of our 

 species." "Every improvement," he adds, "of the means 

 of locomotion benefits mankind morally and intellectually 

 as well as materially." 



Judged by this criterion, our claims to civilization must 

 rank below that of other centuries ; and this is the more 

 remarkable from the fact that we are accustomed to pride 

 ourselves upon our superiority in the affairs of practical 

 convenience. 



A former Governor of our Commonwealth, in his inaug- 

 ural address to the Legislature, used the following words : 

 "Closely connected with our agricultural and other promi- 

 nent interests is the system of public highways. Few 

 things are of greater importance to a community, or a 

 surer test of civilization, than good roads." " Those of 

 our citizens who have visited Europe are unanimous in 

 the opinion that our public roads are far inferior to those 

 of other countries, where the means of easy and safe 

 communication are better appreciated. The science of 

 road-making is apparently not well understood ; or, if it 

 is, the present modes of superintending the construction 

 and repair of roads are so defective that the public suffers 

 to an extent of which few are aware. It may be found, 

 upon investigating the cause of our miserably poor and 

 ill-constructed roads, that the laws relating to this subject 

 need revision, so as to give more uniformity in the con- 

 struction and repair of our highways. It is evident, also, 

 that the science of road-making should have a prominent 

 place in the course of applied mathematics at the Massa- 

 chusetts Agricultural College." The United States Com- 

 missioner of Agriculture, in his report for 1888, made 

 a similar comparison, using the following language: 

 " While our railway sy.-tem has become the most perfect 



