Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1881-02-10
PARIS CEMETERIES.
some OF the Distinguished Bead
Buried in Them.
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Inc three principal cemeteries of
Iafls are Pere Lachaise, at the east:
AontHartre, at the north, and Mont
parnasse, at the south. The INDECENT.
VINO comprise two thirds of the popu-
latlon, are buried gratuitously in com
mon losses. A temporary grave for
enc person costs $50, payable to the city
treasury, and IS granted for only ten
wears. The smallest, permanent grave.
Tor person over Z years of age, costs
slOO, of which $50 are given to the city
treasury and the remainder to the
poor.
CONCESSION a perpetuite" is engrav-
ed upon most of the monuments over
permanent graves. All interments at
Paris are undertaken by a company
authorized by the city government, at
fixed prices, varying in their nine gra-
des from So IS to s., 1876. The expenses
OF the church are betrayed by collec
ton at the funal Two priests are at
tached to each cemetery to render the
last honors to the poor. A short walk
from the " Place de la Bastile" bring us
to Pere Lachaise. the most celebrared
OF the cemeteries. situated upon a fine
elevated spot, commanding a magnif-
cent view of the city.
Passing up the board avenue from
the entrance to the chapel on the brow
OF the hill, we notice at our right the
monuments erected to the memory of
AragO, the astronomer; Cousin, the
writer and philosopher, and Ledru
Rolin. At the left are the tombs of
Niscomte Rossini and Alfred de Musset
The weeping willow which was planted
over the grave of de Musset, st his re-
quest, died last winter. The chapel is
very beautiful, and contains many
work ks ofart; it marks the spot formerly
occupied by the residence of Pere
Lachalse, the Jesuit priest, confessor
Louis XIV. The powerful Society of
Jesus was the next proprietor; the ex-
pulsion of this society in 1868 caused it
to change owners several times, and it
was finally bought by the city in 1904
for its present use, The $4,000 monu-
ments, mostly in the form of temples,
give the cemetery the appearance of
city of stone, hard and cold, relieved
only by few shaded avenues Look
ing into one of these sepulchers' which
was IN process of construction. | I'M
derstood how so small a space could
be the burial place of a family. In a
deep excavation. about four feet in
width and eight in length, walled with
cement, there were at one side six shei-
yes rising from the bottom, destined for
the last resting of the six members of
the family. 1t is considered quite la
mode to enter in Pere Lachrise under
tons of granite, but that which most
pleased me in this cemetery was the
burial-place of the " brave" Marshal
Ney, a large plot of ground on which a
few roses bloom, and where there is
not recorded even the name of the
hero, yet not visitor fails to see his
grave. The sarcophagus of the unfor-
| tunate lovers, Abelard and Heloise,
constructed from marble from the ruins
of the nunnery of which Heloise was
abbess, was profusely decorated Their
recumbent statues, side by side, recall
their sad history, and one can read
there HE ambition and her self-sacrifc-
ing love. Beranger's monument is ten
derby cared for by cousin, NJ, Engei-
baurer, who, each year, as All-Saints'
day approaches, freshens the gilt letters
which record the fame Of the popular
sOng-writer. Large crowds pressed
| around the graves of Corot, NJ. Thiesr,
and Lieut.-Gen. Hugo, father or Victor
lingo, which reminds me of the i'm
promptu lines written by the latter on
the shoulder blade of q skeleton in
the study of NJ. Roger de Beauvoir.