The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-05-15
Oakw0Od-Ets Decoration Day, and its
Needs,

News stand at Ford's hotel; Leon schaap
l402 Main street. and at our counter.
Oakwood-Its Decoration Day, and il
Needs.
The decoration ceremonies at Oakwoo
yesterday were not without their interest
even as detached from the military display
which was especially designed to commem
crate the virtues Of the heroic dead VIII
fell in and about Richmond during our lat
unhappy strife. The "Boys in Grayu Ii
buried there to the number of about TWEEN
ty thousand, and no time will efface thei
memory or wipe out the recollection O
their heroic deeds. The ceremonial of dec
Grafton will be kept up not so much il
honor of their individual achievements as
from an instructive sentiment of piety in thu
human heart, which prompts all civilized
peoples to adorn and beautify the graves O
their dead, and especially those of theil
heroic dead. 1t will not do to call this
sentiment species Of hypocritical idoIatry
superstitious alteration, or mere ostenta.
tious vanity, in the exhibition which il
everywhere makes of itself, in its reference
to the dwellings of the dead. The higher
the culture and civilization of people, the
grander will be its temples, statues
obelisks, sepulchres, and other memorial
honors paid to departed worth. The most
extraordinary monuments of antiquity and
those exciting the wonder and admiration
of the beholder, after not less than fifty CEN
turies of burial, are the structures erected
in honor of deceased greatness. No
work of man nov extant is so ancient or
so vast in proportions as the mystic
rious abodes of the Egyptian dead. Not
only the pyramids, in their colossal height
and massive grandeur, but innumerable
tombs cut outaof the solid rock, occupied
by myriads of mummies, and extending
far up the Nile and into the adjacent noun
tains, with the majestic temples of Thebes,
Carnac, Luxor, and ancient Meroe, covered
with hieroglyphs and adorned with sculp-
lures and paintings, all attest the presence
of this grand sentiment which so instinct
lively, noblY, and, we may say, universally
honors departed worth and greatness.
But Decoration Day at lakewood is not
confined to the floral honors so profusely
paid the Confederate dead. The ceremony
has become universal the graves of all
are decorated, and, most beautiful of all,
the graves of little children-those inno-
cent in life of all that ever tended to mar
the peace, happiness and purity of this evil
world during their too Abrief stay in it.
There was one grave so beautifully and
profusely covered with flowers, and so del
icately and tastefully shaped withal, that
we were drawn to it as by some myste-
rious tie of sympathy, linking the present
to the past, and bringing tears that should
have fallen upon another and Ito us) more
precious mourd. We almost read upon
the face of this new-turfed grave, the beau
titul life of one of whom it may have been
said that
Hers was life of beauty. All things gave
Expression to it in her thought and soul,
And most of AID fotoer upon grave;
This emblem Of the resurrection stole
Int her thought with power to bless and save
II preached to her sermon-solyed the whole
Unmastered mystery OF this life we see
In the great problem Of Eternity
But we must not indulge in this sort of
reflection. Were we to do so we should
fail of the object we seek in this brief
article. The attendance upon the days
ceremonial was large, notwithstanding the
unfavorable cast of the weather. Not less
than six or eight thousand persons must
have been present during the day upon the
grounds, besides the First regiment and its
company of HowitZers. The entire eight
companies OF this fine regiment, exclusive
of the Howitzers, participated in the cere-
monies of decoration, and their superb
military bearing and admirable exercise
added much to the interest and attractive
ness of the occasion. There is no finer body
of military men in the country, nor one
that would be more prompt to respond to
any public duty that might be required of
them.
But what we more particularly desire to
say is this: That lakewood cemetery
needs some attention at the hands of our
city authorities, as well as our citizens
generally. 1t can be made most beauti-
full cemetery. 1t has been much improved
by the present excellent superintendent,
Lieutenant William L. Smith but he
needs additional help in carrying out the
contemplated improvements upon the
grounds. The fine carriage drive
around the cemetery should
be completed, and something more done to
perfect its finer landscaping. It is larger
by nearly thirty acres than Hollywood,
and, while less beautiful and pretentious, it
is nevertheless capable of being made a
most charming and attractive cemetery. 1t
has an extensive variety of native trees,
many of them large and of vigorous
growth. We counted not less than twenty
different varieties of these trees, such as
are common to our larger and more diver
sitied forests. Besides, the. northern and
eastern portions of the grounds are
handsomely diversified in surface
and are capable of being made very beau
tifnl by the hand of tasteful landscapist,
and that at very small outlay of money.
An expenditure of few thousand dollars
here would increase the value of the ceme-
terry property two hundred per cent, and
cause it to become handsomely remunera-
tive to the city at once. The portion of the
grounds occupied by Confederate graves is
relatively small, and large number of lots
(rendered more valuable by the presence of
these grayes) would come into market al
most as soon as the proper expenditures
should be made. The first thing to be
done is the completion of the contem-
plated drives, the outer one following
as near as possible the line of the hand
some new fence with which the cemetery
is entirely enclosed. These drives should
be submitted to the inspection of fine
natural landscapist, who should superin-
tend the laying of them out, with all the
avenues, walks, paths, etc., after view of
the whole ground for that purpose.
Much of this work has been done, and the
lots in the neighborhood Of the improve
ments sold. 1t only needs the additional
expenditure we have named, to bring more
valuable lots, in large number, into mar
ket, and to secure ready sales. Will not
some enterprising and go-ahead member of
the city council take this work in hand 2