The native American., 1839-11-30

:
however, as in tie case Of WAsHiHGToH ard liar
sIAtL has never leen redeemed, and th remains Of the
| iuGrions WRIT were fany thrown iHtn obscure
Igravc. 10 neuder with the dead around bin.
in tha southwest corner Of this sIave gard The eye
rPsls Gfoh broken marble Shaft which indicates the
spot where The tenaias Of Tie bTaTa hEo'S repose.
'The paths Of glory lead biI 10 the grave"
| What thrilling events does not this mute memorial Of
the deal recall But even they, to- fast passing
away from the memory OF lis counrylnea, and the
ceeding generation will know them, only from the page
| ef history.
In the northeast corner of this burial ground s'and
neat marble monuments. erected to the memcry OF fs"n
who filed large sHare il The ruhiic eyc-;EoRGs
CLiNToT and ELBRiJc4: GEahY, who died here While IN
the discharge of their official duties as Vice Presidents
of the Unified States. These, al present, the primer
| pal monuments in this cemetry. Almost in line with
these and ranging from north 10 SOUTH tonhs OF such
members OF Congress as have died at TIE Scat OF Go
vernment, and been buried al the pnhc eXprns' They
bnt of free aaaA stone painted white have each
fonr panels, of which are engraved in black 1T
tiers, The NAME pero ct death, &c OF lie deceased"
and topped with s,aall pyramid. brick wall IS form
ed at the bottom Of the grave, III which sp ndld ma
hogany coffin decorated with plated rscutch ons, an
contanng the body of the deceased member is deposited
and over which biick arch is cast and The whole sur
mounted by the very plain and Their tasteess tomb Of
which have spoken. Some beautiful design
might be substituted without adding much 10 the ex
pense; and the material shonld b. marble instead cl
The very ordinary sandstone Of which they con
stricted. As burial ground, partly national, great
architectural might be united 10 fine horticultural taste,
and thus form retreat to which the stranger we'll as
the citizen would feel melanc oily pleasure in repairing,
to ranquze the agiiatons Of feeling, while medilating
in solitude. amid the silent repositories Of the dead.
Among those mute but eloquent memorials of mortal.
ity where the s'btteness of hatred the instability OF
avarice, and the fire Of ambition" longer exist and
forever buried in the tomb which covers them. the
mind naturally sinks into train Of melancholy rehnc'
ton which such scene is always calculated 10 inspire
and becomes sotened and meliowehby the calm and sal
utary meditation into which it is irresistiby led we
feel in looking around us, that all is indeed vanity thai
but ciphers in this beautiful world, and that in
few eetng years we, too, shall become kneaded ciod,
and omit all that rendered life delightful, and per
haps rest amid the very Wondering heaps over which our
eye now codly but pensively wanders. :" we are sha,
dows," says Pniar; +" the dreams OF shadows are all
that our ancies imagine" Man is cnphatically dust,
and to dust he must return after LIES tf fever is past
All his greatness. and glory and power, are bnt me agnes
faui of living corruption meteors, that blaze Tor mo
ment and then disappear forever, in the long night Of
DEATH BIT to this "savor all must come at last" The
grave is mans last resting place; there terminate the
joys and sorrows, the hopes and fears the cares and
pleasures of existence. But one consolation remains
can angels arm can't snatch me from the grave,
Legions Of angels can't con6ne me there
Tn the course Of thirtyeght years during which Con-
gress has assembled in this CITY, there have not been
more than thirty five forty interments of its members
Two of these buried in rural church yard a lew
miles from Washington having died in the infancy OF
the City. when public burial ground existed. Their
remains were few years ago transferred by order OF
Congress- to this cemetery and inferred with those who
had been previously buried here After this lapse OF
time. bt little could be found Of what constituted
the bodies of men who had, perhaps, while IN beng
been gifted with physical beauty. and animated with al
the hopes and Joys and pleasures of life All had mould
cred away, except few bones which We're collected
together and deposited those who bad Subsequent
ly sunk into the long sleep Of DEATH and been honored
with public funeral and all the sable mockery OF
wo.'' But here repose the statesman the orator. and
the warrior: the illustrious and the obscure and all
that beauty all that worth e'er gave" alike crumbe INTO
dust, and ninge with the common elements from which
they sprang
Among those who " lie in cold obstruction and who
rot in this burial ground two who weared with the
world in fit of frenzy -saugh for quiet and repose
in the grave They honered with nearly the sane
memorial those who had the courage to live out THEN
term Of life earth and their dust comminges viii
that of the mighty dead around them. MI mortuss aas
bonum is not always correct maxim. The vices asWel
the virtues of the dead should be recorded
pies to be stunned or followed By the living
While strolling through this cemetery one cannot bu
exclam
GLOW pophous, how vital is the grave
This is creations melancholy vaults
The vale funereal, the sad cypress gloom,
The land Of apparitions, empty shades;
All, all on earth is shadow
But few years have elapsed since this spot was GOV
cred with prmeva forest the haunt Of the savage tia
lurking place of the wild beast; and now, how popuou
with the dead the last abiding place Of those who onc
fascinated and led the mind captive by their eoqn"nce
who charmed the eye with the spendor of their beauty
or excited admiration BY Their bravery and patriotism
Here rests too the body Of the Indian warrior, whose
Hast wish was that the big guns might be fred hin
wait his spirit in triumph to the rgion where wande
the souls OF his fathers PGsHMAHATAs wish graft
fed, and tomb has been erected his body to ndi
cate that he the friend or the white Woult
that it could be said that The white the friend
of the Indian This brave of the forest died he
had ived-the lofty and fearless warror-and, like
Outaassi, he
''Would not stain with grief
The death song of an Indian chief"
The rude child of Nature, and the polished occupant
of the drawing roon-the Demosthenes of the Senate
and the humble laborer Of the edthe old and ecrept
and the young and beautiful -repose together in the
bosom Of their common mother. What eveller is
DEATH But
"Were death denied, poor man would live in vain;
Where death denied, to live would not be life;
Were death denied, cen fools would wish to die
Those who have the superintendent and management
Of this interesting battle-ground have done much, aided
BY appropriations by Congress, to beauy and improve
lit convenient brick lodge edihce has been erected
near the western wall tor the accommodation of the
SEXTON Avenues and walks have been laid ont graveled
and ornamented with appropriate trees and Towering
shrubs The tree Of Heaven the Baby onian willow the
elm, the cedar, AMI the fir c beginning TO afford shade
and give beauty to the cemetery The arbor vita
cacanthus, myrtle, &c. also planted and nourished
by the hand of affection and tenderness; and is curious
TO "many Wondering heap" where lie the bodies