The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1863-11-17
For the Guardian
Gem eteFies.
odd THOUGHTS on the Prairie ia relation thereto
No

organization Of ladies in our place for
improving the grave yard grounds. The
object in its design is such as ought to
commend itself to every one. From the
earliest historical ages, burial places for
the dead have engaged the attention Of
the living, not only by the civilized and
refined, but by the rude and barbarous.
How beautiful and touching was the
language of Jacob TO his son, as he was
about to pass cover the river" irons a
foreign land, when he said unto them,
Il am to be gathered to my people,
bury me with my father in the cave that
is in the field of Ephratte The Hittite in
the cave that is in the field of Machpelak.
There they buried Abraham and Sarah
his vile; there they buried Isaac and
Rebekah his wife and there | buried
Leah" There appears to be an in
stinciive desire in almost every breast,
that" the earthly house Of this taberna
cle," shall, when the immortal part has
passed away, rest near the loved ones
that have gone before, and the hope that
those who ga little longer wait" and are
watching over them with tears of affec
ton, may, as one after another they
"jon the great caravan that pass to the
pale realms of shade" be buried near to
their slum bering dust,
But generation OF two have passed
away since the very idea OF graveyard
was repulsive. And the youth who
could pass one in the still hour of night,
without whistling to keep his courage
up, was looked upon as prodigy OF
valor. And well it might be so, as every
thing in their pertainiugs was of the
most dreary character. The dead pack
ed with mathematical precision, in such
manner as to have ne ayaste of land.
while the monuments arose in serried
lines like an army Of ghosts in hostile
array. The change that has taken place
within the few past years is not less
philosophical, than in accordance with
tie love Of The beautiful in our nature
Death should be looked upon as the
portal to a better life, If we have given
due heed 10 the teaching of the monitor
within, as the portal to "sweet fields +"
dressed in living green" where the i'm
mortal that is within us may luxuriate
forever Who is there that has ever
planted or watered with a tear, a flower
on the grave of one beloved, but has
tondly hoped that the spirit departed
was lowering near, and in silent sympa
thy rendering. lis communings. How
natural then il is, that the hand of affec
ton not only loves to beautify the spot
where the departed friend rests, but de-
sires that all its surroundings should be
in accordance herewith in short, Il at
il should combine as much as is possible
of the grand and imposing with the
beautiful. The foregoing thoughts sug
gest to the mind the ideas | would pre-.
sent on The subject of cemeteries. The
application | would make is, are we,
as yourg, growing, tasteful, aud nee
essarily economical community, in
proper position 10 beautify either of the
cemeteries that we now have, 10 any
great extent without the probability
arising almost TO a certainty, OF wasting
all our efforts Ii there is an inherent
} desire in every breast that its last resting
place shall be near its kindred, then il
is of the first importance that in estab.
fishing a Cemetery, it should be of a
sufficient size to ACCOMMODATE the popu
laton of numbe: OF the generations
tha, are 10 follow. The largest of the
two near town consists Of only two acres,
and although our town has had an exist.
ence scarcely a third 90 generation,
still its available ground is more than
hall occupied, laid off even as it is. with
sole reference to pecuniary profit. II
this one could be enlarged sufficiently at
a reasonable expense, the manner in
which il is laid off would be a sad draw
back upon any ones ideas of taste, who
is at all familiar with what has been
done, and is doing, in other places, in the
way OF beaunfying and rendering attrac-
tive our modern cemeteries.
II my preliminary observations are
correct ihen as a second requisite, it is
highly desirable TO find place that is
susceptible, from its natural rural aspect,
and lis inequalities of surface, of the
highest adorning-a place, 100, that is
sufficiently retired from !" the busy
haunts of men ;" and commercial activity,
to be in harmony NTH true grief-shun-
ming, as it always does, notoriety or
! - a.; Lao,ra,;o, The 1ncay;o,, &c -.