The Literary echo, and Pawcatuck advertiser. [volume] (Westerly, R.I.) 1851-1854, 1853-01-06

steam power reduced to q granular
state, from thence transported to Dor
chester, and there used for agricultural
purposes, would this information have
produced no dread, no horror' Have
we no choice whether the rude plough
shire shall remove the last distinctive
marks of our sleeping dust, or whether
around our graves shall bend lovely
forms of childrens' children, to plant
and train the dianthus, the clarkia, the
mathiola and water them with affections
choicest tears, then has this enterprise
no claim upon us.
We are migrating nation; contin-
ual change is going on, your children
adopt other and distant lands as their
future homes, and l ask is it of no con-
sequence, when in after years they visit
the place of their birth, whether they
vainly search for your grave, every trace
OF which under the pitiless hand of en-
eroachment have long since disappeared,
or whether amidst the winding avenues
OF River Bend Cemetery, they find your
sleeping dust cnshrined by the fairy
rose, the honey sucklc, the violatum and
the yandal.
Again, often in the course of human
events the stranger that sojourns amongst
you, may siclzen and die. Who can de-
scribe the feelings of those distant
friends on hearing the sad tidings, but how
Is their anguish increased as the thought
steals across the mind, we know not what
disposition was made of his remains
anxiety sends some one, perhaps a lovely
daughter to learn the particulars of his
death and burial, and amongst the be-
nevolent sons and daughters of Wester-
ly, is there one whose heart would not
beat with joy in conducting the father:
less child along these consecrated paths
to the resting place of his affcctionate
parent; and from that moment River
Bend becomes sacred in his memory,
and your munifccnce is rewarded a
thousand times by the strangers graf.
itude.
Permit me now to say, that in con
sideration Of the many evils of private
burial grounds, few friends have been
moved like Abraham at Machpeleh to
seek permanent resting place for our
beloved dead, and like him they have
paid their four hundred shekles of silver.
Honorcd be their names, and embalmed
their memory, childrens' children to the
the latest generation, shall rise up and
call them blessed. No filthy lucre
prompted them to this work, no specu.
lation drew them to this enterprise
humanity called and they obeyed, the,
laid the foundation, and this day, with
out distinction of ct Or party, invt,
you, all Of you, to build thereon. What
has sect or party to do with these
grounls' a few years and power and
despondency, grandeur and poverty shall
be laid together in the dust.
A word upon the other object of this
gathering, and my task is done. We
have here assembled to consecrate these
grounds by religious service, to tn
solemn use of the burial of our dead
here we have come to acknowledc,
Gods sovereignty and our mortality, t,
acknowledge the fulfllmcnt of divin,
revelation-dust thou art, and to learr
meekly to bow to this divine decree
this place is solemn. These fields have
annually remunerated mans labor, bu,
this days conservation reminds us of the
sentence pronounced by the Saviour
upon the fgtrec, let no fruit grow OF
thee henceforward forever. No NOR,
as long time endures, shall tho husband
man in autumn gather from the ground
bis harvest-no more shall the bleatinc
focks or lowing herds here crop thei
wonted food.
We this day dedicate these ground
"a tba ,r;Jou,o lo.x, A. Al