stant financial drain
on the city churches. Farther out in the country, good roads will make
possible one strong, healthy church where perhaps half a dozen weak
organizations are made to lead a precarious existence because bad roads
make large congregations impossible throughout the larger part of the
year. This also applies to city schools, libraries, hospitals, museums,
and lyceums. Good roads will place these advantages within reach of
millions of country people who now know little or nothing of them. Once
beyond driving distance of the cities, good roads will make it possible
for thousands to reach the suburban railways and trolley lines. Who can
estimate in mere dollars these advantages to the quality of American
citizenship a century hence? American farms are taxed by the government
and pay one-half of the seven hundred million dollars it takes yearly to
operate this government. After receiving one-half, what per cent does
the government return to them? Only ten per cent. Ninety per cent goes
to the direct or indirect benefit of those living in our cities. Where
does the government build its fine buildings, where does it spend its
millions on rivers and harbors? How much does it expend to ease this
burden of six hundred millions which lies so largely on the farmers of
America? A few years ago a law was passed granting $50,000 to
investigate a plan to deliver mail on rural delivery routes to our
farmers and country residents. The law was treated about as respectfully
as the long-headed Jesse Hawley who wrote a series of articles
advocating the building of the Erie Canal; a certain paper printed a few
of them, but the editor sent the remainder back saying he could not use
them--they were making his sheet an object of ridicule. Eighteen years
later the canal was built and in the first year brought in a revenue of
$492,664. So with the first Rural Free Delivery appropriation--the
postmaster general to whose hands that first $50,000 was entrusted for
experimental purposes, refused to try it and sent the money back to the
treasury. Today the Rural Free Delivery is an established fact, of
immeasurable benefit; and if any of the appropriations for it are not
expended it is not because they are being sent back to the treasury by
scrupulous officials. Rural delivery routes diverge from our towns and
cities and give the country people the advantages of a splendid post
office system. Good roads to these cities would give them a