Daily gazette and comet. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1856-186?, 1860-07-17

FvMous CEMETERY or THE CAPro-
oisI-The cemetery is beneath the
church, but entirely above ground,
and lighted by row Of bopg grated
windows without glass. A corridor
runs along beside these windows, and
gives access 10 three or four vaulted
recesses or chapeIs, Of considerable
breadth and hight, the floor Of which
Of the cunsecrated earth of Jerusalem.
II is smoothed decorously over the
deceased brethren Of The convent, aud
is kept quite free from grass or weeds,
such as would grow even in the gloomy
recesses, IL pains we're not bestowed
10 root them up. But, as the GENE
terry is small and IL ia precious priv.
lege TO sleep In holy ground. the
brotherhood are INNER ORALLY accus
toned, when one Of their number
dies 10 take the leagest-baried skel-
ton out Of the oldest grave, and lay
the new slumberer there instead.
Thus each Of the good friars, IN his
turn, enjoys the luxury Of consecra-
ted bed, attended with the slight
drawback Of being forced to get up
long before daybreak. MS il were, and
make room for another lodger.
The arrangement Of the uneartbed
skeleton is what makes the special
interest of The cemetery. The arcbed
and vaulted walls Of the burial Of the
burial reoesses supported by massive
pillars and pilasters made Of thigh
bones and skulls the whole material
Of the structure appears to be OF a
similar kind and the knobs and EN-
bossed ornaments vf this strange
architecture are represented by the
joints Of the spine, and the more
delicate tracery by the smaller bones
Of the human frame. The submits Of
the arches are adorned with entire
skeletons. looking rs they were wrought
most skillfully in las relief There
is no possibility Of describing how
ugly and grotesque is the effect,
combined with certain artistic nett,
nor how much perverted ingenuity has
been shown in this queer way, nor
what a multitude Of dead monks,
through how many hundred years.
must have contributed their bony
framework TO build up these great
arches of mortality. On some Of the
skulls there inscriptions, purporting
that such n monk, who formerly made
use Of that particular head piece, died
on such a day and year. but vastly
the greater number are piled up
indislinguisbably into the architecture.
al design like the many deaths that
make up the one glory Of n victory.
On the sidewalks Of the vaults are
aitehes where skeleton monks sit or
stand, clad in the brown habits that
they wore in life, aud labeled with
their names and dates Of their decease.
Their skulls some quite bare, snd
Others still covered with yellow skin
and hair that has known the earth
damps look out from beneath their
hoods, gripnipg hideously repulsive.
One reverend father bnd his mouth
wide open, ms IL he bad died in the
Uidst of howl Of terror and remorse,
which. perhaps, is even now screech-
ing through eternity. As gentle
eral thing, however, these frocked and
hooded skeletons seem 10 take n more
cheerful view II their position, and
try with CHASTITY smiles to turn II into
n Jest. But the cemetery Of the Capu-
cbins is no place TO nourish celestial
hopes; the soul sinks forlorn and
wretched under all this burden Of
dusty death /; the holy earth from Je
rusalem. 81 imbued Is Il with moriali-
ty, has grown rs barren Of the flowers
of paradise as il is of earthly weeds
and grass. Thank heaven for its blue
sky. Il n eds n long, upward gaze
10 give us back orr faith. Not here
can we feel ourselves immortal, where
the very alters in these cbaPels Of
horrible conservation are heaps Of
human bones.