The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1885-08-29

mind were lac to spend few hours in the
holy silence and calmly beautiful shades
of the Moravian graveyard at Salem
Graveyards generally arc not very at
tractivs places--indeed most people keep
as far away FROM them rs they convent
emily can. There is no beauty in the
hodge-podge of little and big gravcstones
that stand up like spcctYes TO frighten
the tiniid. There ought 90 be law TO
oblige people to haze grayestones all cut
to the same size in their respective grave
yards. If there is any rhyme or reason
in erecting all sorts and sizes of grave
stones we fail to see what il eau be. The
finest and plainest teaching of the tr,iism
that "death levels all" is to be found in
a Morayian graveyard. All the graves
are the same size. A child has as large
a grave as the largest man, and the
prince doesn't get shovelful more dirt
over his remains than does the pauper,
only there are no Moravian paupers.
The eravestones all lie fiat OH the we'll
kept mounds, and but few of them have
more than the name and age of the
sleeper engraved upon them. The Salem
graveyard is beautifully shaded with ce-
dar trees, land the ground is thickly coated
with cool, yelvetv grass. In the north
ern section repose the remains of the
maiden sisters and the girls who have
been gathered to the 'great majority"
The southeast section is the resting place
ofthe single men and boys. The married
men slumber in the southwestern section,
while the married women rest sweetly in
the northwestern section.
One cannot help feeling that the silent
city before him is u city of rest. And it
seems comforting to those who have an
interest in that Goods Acre" to feel that
after the Cheat and burden of the day"
have been faithfully borne, they may be
as one who
- wraps the drapery of his couch about
him
And hes down TO pleasant dreams"
GEN. wAsHINGrOSs VISIT.
On May 9lst, 1871, President Wash.
ington visited Salem. He was on visit
to Alexander Martin, Governor of North
Carolina. He remained there one day
and night, and attended divine service
in the Moavian church. He visited the
houses Of the Single Brethren and the
Single Sisters, and saw all the sights that
were to be seen in the little village The
town boasted of a water works, pump
logs leading to the water from a spring
on the hillside to the village below. The
noble old patriot examined the "wuter
works with deepinterest and expressed
himself as deeply pleased with their ef-
ficiencv. When the news went forth that
he was to honor Salem with his presence
there was great excitement. The hotel
at which he was to stop was the centre
of attraction. The proprietor with a
wise forethought sent men to prepare a
huge stick of timber, which he fastened |
beneath the floor on which the chieftain |
was to sleep, and where he also was to |
hold his reception, for fear the floor
would give way beneath the weight of
those who would pay their respects to
him who was "first in war, first in peace,
and first in tho hearts of his country
men,"
The room in which the noble Wash
ington slumbered is still intact The |
heavy stick of timber is still retained in |
position, and the writer feels that he has |
been on sacred ground because his eyes
have rested on objects that were gazed |
upon by Washington, AID because he has
breathed the air in the identical room
where Washington slept.
The trip between bethlehem, Pennsyl- |
vania, and Salem, North Carolina, is a !
long one-not long now, in this age of
steam, but long as the 'forefathers ofthe |
hamlet" used to make the journey. 1t |
took from two to three weeks to cover |
the distance on foot, but as the early set
tiers had considerable more time than |
money, they did not mind little thing |
like few weeks, more or less. Game |
was plentiful in the forests, the streams
were alive with fish, and there was con-
sequently no need of providing scrip for
the journey. Deer were so plentiful that
they were killed for their skins, which
were exported by the way of Charleston,
). c., to the larger markets.
The Moravian church was built in 1900 |
1t is large brick structure, with an open
steoplc, and will stand for generations
yet to come. The organ in the church
was built especially for the building. The
pieces were brought from Bethlehem in
Il wagon and were placed in position in
Salem.
FIRE PRECAUTIONS.
The founders of Salem had a righteous
dread Of fire. They had seen the torch
applied by treacherous savages, and had
heard the despairing cry of the uniortu-
nate settler as he saw his earthly all re-
dnccd to ashes. These clear-headcd pio-
neers of civilization believed that nine
tenths of the fires in the village were
caused by carelessness rather than acci-
dent They believed that the right way
to protect is to be careful, and so rule
was made at a very early day-fully one
hEndred years ago-that once every year