, 1870-06-12
Touching Tributes Of Memory.
Henry Ahner.
A Duty Tnfhl1lfed.
Anusements


CHICAGO, juno II.
To The Editor Of The Chicago 1s1buns:
I like now and then to make little pill
grimago to the- cemetery, the rcposo in the
great City of the Dead is so refreshing after
the turmoil in the great City Of tho Living. It
seems to me that perfect peace, beauty, and
rest brood above the s1eepets. It seemat to
me that you think deeper thoughts among tho
graves, and get higher and nobler yiews Of tho
sanctity Of life and the dignity Of living in tho
midst OF all this bounding childhood, lusty
manhood and frosted age, resting here for
spell until the great trumpet's blasta shall
open the doors Of tho tombs aud unfaaten the
tramtaels Of the graves. Nowhere else do
flowers bloom so beautifully, birds sing 80
sweetly; nowhere else does nature temper
itself go perfectly to the great calm which
reigns under ground. and to the stilled life
which does not even interfere with the growth
Of daisy or the upshooting Of single blade
Of grass, It il place where one loses for the
time all the little petty passions,
meanpeEses, jealousies, and envies OF the out
side world, for tho world here is all alike. The
warrior il ~ gentle as the maid lying by his
side; the pauper as. powerful rs Dives sleep-
ing under his mendacious marble; tho outcast
as pure as the saint, and ono rests as peace
fully IL tho other; and the hand that smoto
and tho hand that cAressed, that hand that
begged and the hand that withheld, the hand
that cursed and the hand that blessed, ali rest
alike in the beatitudo Of death, impotent nov
for good or evil.
And get it is only step from Hero to
There from the great fact Of Life to the
great mystery Of Death; from moments
strife to an endless peace growing. f,oua,.
mr. and f1n;t;nc ,,,era nd t,en raat,l. n1" ,ae
~, 7nu t4u.'ae 1nele' ano .hen resting tor
time, ns the Kernel OF wheat rested for thou
sands Of ycars in the Egyptian mummy-case,
that it might grow again when broueht fro,n
perfect darkness into perfect light. For al
not be death. aud vithnnt death thcre cou1d
MT ba 1;fe arair e10-e -e1-0
want to fell ron of a ncw roro,at;on ,v,;c,,
btoke in unon ma dnrinT = recent v;a;t -
Gracc]aud. I had wandered a,,o,t for .o aon,o ~
time. reading an inscription hare and ID ,7mr. 5uHo
wien 7 hnnnenei info cnrna~ ~ ~,
cnneterr wfern tha Jahorsra 800 ~ ,~nr,s ars
moving the Grass, brincinc to mind mora
forc;h1T thnn erer l,efore }l,e ty1,tb and ,a,utv
ri tl,a scr;ninrsI rarsa aii Taal, a - ouauy
il the morning il croWatb mn IN ~ - oIoninG
II ia cnt dnHn n12i uitharati, y ~ oieopIaS
thst in tb;s corner tbeTa xTara aooroa ~ III
drens, c1.res is;d mt i, rer1,,:+ 1,aoe ~
;ns 1;te i;tt1a rrean b;iio,r1 1rh;o,, nea.
Enddenlr frn5en in so,na anaI,,ntod ~. ueSa .aa
There VIA on1r here and ,isre ,,1a;,, SO.
ato,,a ~ ~ tI,raa -, ~ s-.rP P'An - etase.
s',,1ai,. ~ a.saa ~ - ne tae eseat
.I,a ,Era"nd ~ ~ 'IaAa otxeh s a1to
tSS;,'eta- .u a:1a ~ Aa nnpelea
Gr.naiand so sarath;nn n1s ~ noe, M Soflsa: NY
~ md -' +rrch;no. Il. no41 1h;,I.a..!l.
Ho'"e'' ~ ,,,,ora-. m4h.teo o. one OF
nsI, ,v bur,e1 hspa tn1s{,s, .,a Wa ha slasen
nes meie ne cnafen th o. me p1or who had
ttc .ifs ho br =. nu p4oa ..1s
nros;Ianna H,1ttera ~, o3 ,ta ~, x;1 HHtage =.
lot ;a shott 1'as tae Ioau o. Po'erty and depfl-
@ saa1n ana az ~ WIZ ~ 5oe c5osses
hnd 1e" ol the cro"ns OF cnuahood, And then
I e sleep ne.e = N3. 40 9s ~. q, o9t Known 70
d1nn VINO ha9 nn1noefea me halrs of our heads.
ae,s because tne h1ngoom o1 heaven IL made up OF
among ~ these graves there was but one
Wnieh conld boAbt any decoration, md here q
motnsf 9 loYe 9aa erected PLAIN stone, bear
fns the slmple, bnt touching INSCRIPTION
Hler ruhet zu elnen besseten Leben, mein
engages tnmg 9ehepte hind. Some one had
memory Of the chud, and 1t was laid upon the
grave neatly ffamed' IN glass; There was also
lald upon Tue staSo anpthe1 i1ame' IN #Mch
Mas oaeGer1eo!{peoi o. me chiia surrounded BY
tHe auuS11 II "ieaaat, ~ tnHt eacn tme ne motner
visited the grave she could look at 1.-THE coun-
tetfeit presentnent" OF the child, and think Of
her M Us 3 she m was IL LIE, tho "einziges gcliebte
kind The mother'y hands had also set out .
Ge1mnn ny Winch h7d alleady commenced to
t~lne Its graceful BRANCHES about tho little
stone. ~
Some Of the graves wero marked ut their
heads by little plaster Of Paris imagcs-the fig
| u1e Of Meeling child, and Of u dove with out
spread wings, and sometimes Of an angel, be-
ing the most common. At one grave email
plaster medallion OF one OF Kaphaels Madon-