The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-08-23

costumes or In female coiffures The tim,
was when marble men felt perfectly safe il
laying up astoclx of tombstones ready fol
the demand; but no artist in marble woul6
take the risk of doing SO to-day, and many
of them can point out yards full of dead
wood" designs in marble upon which they
would be glad to realize so per cent on the
actual cost. At the present time there is a
perfect mania for elaborate designs, and
monuments, which half a century age
would have been considered far too costly
even for double barrelled millionaire, now
| adorn the resting places of people
who, in comparison, lave left but
limited means. just as the plain,
transformations funerals of years gone by
have given place t. sombre pageants and
| lugubrious I,arades, with all the conven-
| tional trappings of woe which can pos
sibi.- be employed, so the plain headstone
/ of the fathers has been crowded out by ex-
pensive material, moulded by artistic hands
| into numberless designs.
when | first went into the business,
half a century ago" said monument
| builder, "a plain, two inch standing head
stone, square at the top, was the only de-
sign in use, and we could keep them in
stock already for the name to be cut. Then
the fashion changed in favor of oval heads
added After this as the demand for
something fancy increased the designs
with side pieces and bottom slabs came
into vogue. | have thousands of
dollars worth of these old style stones up
stairs, and, elaborate as they were consid-
cred in their day, they look insignificant
compared with the styles of the present
period. Only a little while ago | sent a
so, 900 monument down to Coyington,
Kentucky; but, of course, such prices as
those are the exception rather than the
rule. People of comparatively moderate
means think nothing of paying $500 to
5000 for something handsome to mark the
spot where their loved ones sleep. Italian
marble cut rock style. is now largely in
demand, Here is one pointing to hand
some pile chased in fern leaves and sur
mounted by cross, at the foot of which
two tiny angels were guarding an urn);
sit is worth 5000, and we make many of a
similar pattern" Another idea has also
taken rather deep root" went on the
communicative marble man, land that
is for the business avocation or profession
of the deceased to be illustrated on the
tomb. Not long ago there was quite
fight in a family up the country
because one-half wanted the monument
crowned with big marble boot, the dead
man having been shoe manufacturer
The more sensible of the relatives opposed
the proposal as bordering ON the ridiculous,
and they had their way. I know a milk
man in the city who had big milk can
carved in marble, and intends that it shall
mark his grave. sent out a monument
for a captain recently which had a full |
rugged schooner cut in the stone, with the
inscription, 'Homeward Bound, Full Sail.
For another mariners grave, we cut full !
size statue of the deceased, taken from |
with his compasses under the
arm. Wolverton. the once great lumber
grower, who was buried over in Milton, |
n. J., had a tree cut from the solid marble
rs Il feature of his monument A great
many people have marble busts of their
children taken from photographs, while it
s becoming a common thing to have ma
sonic and odd fellows emblems cut upon
he grave stones of members of these or
iers. The style which is to be the next
popular one is called bed of rest 1t is
n the shape of q cradle, and the interior
makes pretty flower bed l think that
oon it win. supersede the more towering
monuments