Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1867-04-18
JARED SpARxa MsnoRIAL TO II

BRNRPAcrRRss. - The trustees Of the
Evergreen Cemetery, Of Salem, Washing
ton county, N. Y, one OF the prettiest
rural cemeteries In the country-have
published In the Salem Press their eighth
annual report. In 1t, they detail the
history Of cenotaph In the cemetery,
which illustrates the depth Of gratitude
entertained by the late Jared Starks,
LII. D., the eminent historian, towards
his benefactress, Mrs. Chloe Eldrldge:
"The inscription upon a monumental
memorial may sometimes be OF 30 In
teresting nature and so beautifully ex-
pressed as OF itself to render the plain
est stone as attractive to the passers by
as would be the most elaborate work OF
the artists chisel. An instance Of this
Is presented in 5 cenotaph recently
placed upon one side Of the fine, tall
monument upon the Strangers Ground.
1t is plain, massive, smoothly polished
tablet of the best Vermont marble, bear
ing the following legend: in memory of
Chloe Eldridge, sweet, pure, and most
loving woman, who was afiactlonate to
my childhood. ]. s.. And on the ends
OF the thick base on which this tablet
stands, We read what are evidently the
dates OF her birth and death, oct. 5,
177l,' and April %, lsl3,' and upon the
front the year when this stone was
erected, 1886 Thus we gather from
this memorial, that more than fifty
years after this womans decease, and
when she was quite forgotten by all the
rest of the world, one to whom she had
been compassionate ana kind, continued
to hold her in most affectionate remem-
brance, and finally erected this memorial
to preserve name so meritorious from
passing into oblivion. As this stone
will be standing in these grounds and
its inscription will remain legible doubt
less for centuries to come, attracting the
notice of visitors by its beautiful SIM
plicity and eXpressiveness, and as every
one who reads it will desire to know
more definitely to whom it alludes, it
seems but proper that the history of this
cenotaph should here be briefly stated.
Jared Sparks, LII. D., the distinguished
biographer and historian who was so
many years Professor of History and
President of Harvard University, it will
be recollected, died at Cambridge, Mass,
the 14th of March last. We are in
formed that having been left in his child
hood destitute and almost friendless
orphan, some years of his early life were
passed in this vicinity, and Mrs. FL
bridge, who resided in or adjacent to the
south part of this town, compassionate
| ing his situation received him into her
charge, caring for him with mothers
| tenderness. She afterwards removed to
| Western New York and there died.
When after many years OF declining
health, DR.. Sparks became aware that he
had but few days more to live, the
kindness of this woman to him in his
childhood required wildly to his mind ;
and as he knew not where she was
buried, he desired his wife to have a
| stone made and placed in some burying
ground in this neighborhood where she
| had resided, to preserve her name and
! her kindness in remembrance and tax
ing piece of paper he wrote the above
as the inscription to place upon this
stone. Mrs. s., on coming to inquire re-
specting the different burial grounds in
| this vicinity, selected our Evergreen
| Cemetery as the most suitable spot in
which to place the cenotaph. 1t will
ever be regarded with peculiar interest
as being fulfllment of one of the last
wishes of this celebrated author, and as
bearing perhaps the last words which
he penned before his hand became forever
stilled in death"