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Show HIGHWAYS VITAL TO BETTER CIVILIZATION The part that highways play in the progress of civilization is well shown by tiie experience of Europe dining the past 2,000 years. From the golden milestone in Rome great highways were built to the remotest bounds of the Roman Empire. Over thrm went the Roman soldier, and with him law and order. Over them went the Greek schoolmaster, and with him schools and colleges. Over them went the missionary of the Cross, and with him the church, hospital, hos-pital, medical science, and improved agriculture. Present day halls of justice, schools, colleges and universities, great churches and cathedrals, and the maximum of population, wealth and culture, are found along the highways thrown out from Rome. On that fateful July day, when the German thrust the point of his wedge between the English and the French at Chateau Thierry, and there was not a man or a gun to oppose their march to the English Channel, it was the highways which saved Europe. Fifty miles away were forty thousand thous-and U. S. Marines and other troops and a thousand American-made motor mo-tor trucks. Due to the splendid roads of France, they arrived on time, and the "shock-troops" of the German army ar-my were hurled baedf. The mtor truck and the roads of France saved civilization. If for twenty centuries the system of highways has been the mold into which sixty generations of Europeans Europe-ans have been run and have taken shape, who can measure the influence influ-ence on American life of a national highway system, gridironing this land between ocean and ocean and connecting all the county seats of all the States? When the rate of speed on Europe's roads was but three to six miles per hour for passengers and two miles per hour for freight, the highway determined twenty centuries of history. What will be the effect on American life with highways which speed up the movement of passengers to twenty-five or even forty miles an hour and of freight to twelve or even thirty miles per hour, at the same time reducing the cost? |