Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-12-04


the sidewalk, looking with interest at the
small but handsome door, with finely
worked iron hinges, battered and broken,
with great yawning holes and marks of q
SAVAGE RATCHET.
The sight of that door affected me very
peculiarly, and it seemed such work had
been performed by common house break-
ers, or had been done to arrest thieves
and murderers and when l realized its
real purpose, 1 could scarcely believe
was a child of the nineteenth century,
but felt must be standing in pair of my
far ancestors boots looking upon the work
of the middle ages. The execution of the
DEGREES has rendered the Catholics III their
turn Protestants, and probably the appa-
rent persecution they have been submitted
to may make them more charitable towards
other religious sects who have suffered con-
tempt and abuse at their hands. The Pro-
testants have throughout this campaign
proved themselves the best friends OF the
disbanded religious orders, partly through
principle, and again through sympathy.
At T0urs, rich Protestant gathered within
his house the whole order of Franciscan
priests expelled from their convent.
During the first three days of this last
week ali Parisiens have been busily oceu-
pied in
DECORATING THE GRAVES
OF thei. departed and muchloved friends.
The different n,drchands de couronne have
been hurrying their numerous working
women to prepare sufficient number of
beaded crowns and crosses to satisfy the
unusual demand of this year. The mortality
throughout Paris has been very great since
the beginning of the cold weather, and be-
sides, since the definite establishment OF the
Republic, visits to the cemeteries have
acquired an extended and even political
significance, that the demand for funereal
ornaments has been greater than usual.
The Communists, particularly, congregate
on this occasion at the graves OF some
of their most noted martyrs, and IN
such manner protest against the injustice
of the past and the partiality OF historians.
1t is the occasion for the unvaillng OF monu-
ments, for political speeches, and for
yearly remembrance OF friends otherwise
neglected and forgotten. Those who
have no immediate relatives buried in
the cemeteries of Paris have, however,
some hero, some person whose life or
works they admire, and on this occasion
they are happy TO give expression to their
affection or admiration. The very poorest
and most modest graves are not neglected
In the Jour des morris, for the occupants
friends make sometimes painful efforts TO
adorn the little spot of earth that strangers
who pass by may not say, " Here hes one
forgotten" Again, others, not actuated
by affection, are urged, by pride and con-
sideration Of what the world might say,
to adorn the graves of their relatives, that
in fact none are neglected, and the
cemeteries ore one vast sea OF
beaded crowns, crosses and bouquets
of natural flowers During the three
DAYS devoted to the decoration Of the
graves the flower markets are crowded with
flowers in pots, in bouquets and wreaths,
which had been nursed and tended in view
of being deposited in some graveyard.
Even tue vegetable woman sells flowers on
that occasion, and on the street corners
some tIansitory flower merchant may be
seen with the demanded wares, and the
same objects are exposed in the windows
with stranger merchandise. 1t Is the fruit
full moment OF the year with the crown mer-
chants, who seldom dispose OF their beaded
ware any other time except on the occur
renee OF funeral, but so partial are the
F4ench to
BEADED ORNAMENTS
That hundreds OF poor women are occu-
pied in manufacturing them. know one
old lady who has seen prosperous and
happy days in her youth, now childless,
very aged and poor and dependent on her
exertions for livelihood. Although her
eyes ere feeble, the only thing she can do Is
to string beads on wire the whole day long,
make crowns for the dead, and | sometimes
think of her thin fingers weaving crosses
and crowns for those she must soon JON,
and imagine l see Death standing overher,
mockingly waiting for the crown
to be finished, which is to be hers.
So curious is the scene at the graveYards at
this time of the year that many. very
many, 90 there to enjoy the spectacle.
These persons seem to abandon themselves
to their intuition, and lovers are sure to
seek the tomb of Abelard and Heloise,
where they drop a few tears of sympathy,
signs of regret, and deposit a few flowers
in remembrance OF their own youthful
affections Others seek the poets grave
where they mentally repeat their favorite
verses, whose echo is caught by the birds
which chirp amid the shrubs and flowers.
Others occupied with politics generally
reach the monuments of their favorite
heroes who had valisntly fought in the
battle of life, to be sna,ched away before
the victory was attained, and they have
leisure to reflect ON the folly of worldly
ambition and the apparently useless strug.
gle of mans existence. Many possessed
of less sentiment search for the
TONES OF THE RICH
And influential, toadmire the workmanship
of floral artists and the nurseryman's in
geuuity. These last graves are richly
adorned, but the gifts alone are generally
to be seen, whereas the giver is rarely
visible. Not so with the more modest
! graves, where lie the bodies Of persons who
had been less favored with worldly gifts,
and consequently bequeathed less to their
| friends, but lett behind them souvenirs OF
kindness and affsction-the ever fresh
= MOWERS WHICH : pEliS up IL 9iS
/ hearts of those by whom we are
/ loved. II is said that the ex-Empress
Eugene spent small fortune for vlolets
to be formed in bouquets and wreaths Tor
I the tomb of Napoleon l. at Paris, and for
| her departed husband aud son, to be de-
posted on their toubs in England. An
I immense amount of money was sent TO
Paris by Catholic foreigners for flowers to
adorn some distant grave, and the exporta-
/ ton Of flowers has become a thriving CON-
merce. They are first dipped in lce-water,
and after packed in pine boxes, when
they are sent off in express trains. VAL.
| REST AFTER EATING. An English pop
ular maxim, says The Parisiaa, is after
dinner sit awhile after supper walk a
mile" The two eminent professors, Claude
II 1