The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1885-11-25

n'scs az sspuloher, and l suppose the
hrnsps OF To-day are proud ot their
|csmetary, IL would oa carrying the
critical nshit ton tar ~ indulge it
. noDg foreign tombs. Il 10 not TO erlt
ic;sc, nut Ia aec toe Rmsn people,
s',rred Nv memory add Love, keeping
no the customs az their ANCESTOR,
msking ACT NJ presence before tier
dead. Grouped about graves whole
families, sppareus,y, are seen; here
aud there 4 solitary hgure. stSn1iu v
over sinsis tomb, AID ,honssrd- ~
people trsverae the broader avenues Of
| t.e cemetery.
| 1t rs rot to speak OF m. a ,wers thst
brighten the phase; II ia 10 sell Of the
| fsr more singular cusiom ~ iigh,ing
- fame over the grave tnat write Of
Al sous Day NJ Rome. Taere ARE
| little llntsrns hanging from tee iron
crosses Of tn" poorer sraves: tney give
y fsns red 2liumer ~ lighE In the late
afternoon II autumn. More curious
are tao low ur~serts al oil whiol vita
full aud isUoing asmoe play to am
fro over the tombs. They are placed
low, upon she ground, and mako 4
very weird Effect; grave lights, like
PsSsu lights az living fire, shove ;hs
dreamcss dead The sof warm wiud
beats them; they are 30 quick AID
strange, ~ unexpected, tneir vey
contrast with the Geaa dust, thar
seeming epor.ive H. htnsss, their iiut-
tering, persist MT !ofvor) makes more
solemn, m-re profound, ones
sense OF the silence aud the stiffness
of the dead Aud they are fascinating
Tho sy,nbolism If the thing IL ~ rica
Wherever ono went, If not thesa oil
test cressels, or torch0s, therO was fire
ia sotno shape, though mostly In the
grave !anteru suspended over the poor
ms's grave AS twilight drew near
ths cemetery seemed alive with the
stars OF fire, and higs overhead, on tho
unersl house, the caurcJ OF tue place,
Rreat a .mos were leap,ng, aud here
and there among tho expresses "A fi4r.
lag torch burped in tho gathering
gloom. To bring To this deSd fame,
Ia set IT on the grave, to illuminate the
place Of sparkless ashes and cart
aust, implied constant aud loving re-
membrauce. But now, is more
vail? And instead Of the
solemn ana tender care To light the
funeral lamp, ara We To have gas and
the gas~iignter? l sotiesd one tomb
| where u now Rss-jet promised n per
pemal lame. rbegood Roman OF to-
dsy has on'y to turn tho gss or The
tomb OF The dsar deiuuct, and Al long
as hs paya his gas bills, thera is due
hooor Tor hi+ deac,
there WAS - time when the iu1eral
leap waa u thing Of beauty, There
~as iime whea the grsve-light was
an Onject OF fine taste. But il ia not
~ tho cemetery OF to day that YOU will
ii.d Il The sepulchral lamp OF terra
Gotta is often enough found in Italy,
and they have theirplace in mnseulos.
ih0y nra beautiful auc interest
iug. Tine fragile vessel. stamped with
the iigures and symbols of an
olden religion, with Bsconas, q Diana
ar some one OF the 2ops oil psgaDism OF
minor figures If old story are charm.
ins TO luoe AZ. Even early Cbrisuan
buffalo Ia r me No nitted these funeral
lamps OF bRsed CLAY STAN ped With the
hgure of tue Good Shepherd, tho ooye,
he cross. The little antique pagan
lamps snow tho mc-e beautiint art
AVID tho hguro Of Vulcan, of Venu.
| L'bliins, that goddess with great
power over the iivos Of men. was
ropreseu,td upon The funeral lamp sl
81, for she, according to Tibutius, led
h soul of lovers 10 the Eyeiau
fields. Even pagan death was not
without Its svnIbol OF an
after lilo, and life and
tho hinges If lite, bad it, own rob ex-
prsssioo upon Tho sepulchrsl lamp
From Minerva tn Priapus, from Jup,-
ter TO tae Satyr, ell the classic figures
which pagantsm produged hao their
dns illustration. These lamps arr OF
various forms, oltonest oval, fiat, with
one. sometimes more, holes for the
wick. We have nothing ike them to
day; and our lsinls ara ms poor, CON-
pared with the antique lsmps, az our
tsinbs compared with tho ancient
tomb. . may even say no good
tomb bias baeD mace since the six.
| teenth cgnturY.
Rome waa largely furnished With cast
lttOu epsmeleG flowers, warranted not
| "a tgde, for A S0uis' Day butt was Il
matter OF rejoicing 30 some persons
thar the hieeOus offerings were not
generally purchased. IL it the boat We
can do? Gas for tombs nuG cestIrop
Rreaths for rcmomber6nce's sake!
Think OF The Significance OF mis-
placed industry and be visa. Sat your
face against new mechanical indus.
try whers wo should have handmade
vorN. lsthIiit To prey all over beauty,
even auOng sacred thing, and, acti-
tciel Il lowers having found plsee upon
the altai, are we 20 see them slso upn
tho tomb? There is no. much goon
taste in Rome, but Rome said "no" 10
this auocity,
The lowering sky was deepening and
dafkebing, the Expresses, not less fu-
nereal in the blackuoss, swayipg In
: range unrest, and soon the rain, Tor.
reu,tnl rain fell, ana there was hasten.
ing OF teet nom the place of tears,
Campo Verano Of Rome. The Roman
populaos hurried ew4y. | had seen
inc Roman psOpie in ono or thu most
characteristic manifestations of itself,
The very lowest STRATA oi tho city had
bsen stirred, and 1t WAS mt cheering
sight, Only tho largest humanity
could welcome its llmb-.ike ise. Tn
dead seemed to ne 20 havs ths better
part, they represented order aud =
very strict classification. But II the
impression u; multitude was oppres.
sive, something ike TINT OF the
thronged ways of al oriental city, II
WAS enough TO Let the eve iuterrognte,
or rest upon one prison % the crowd
To tiud rest aud She plea ure of life, for
beauty and youth aud saength were
there, and lheSe hold one when decent
poverty aud sqnslid grief BONES from
all tho narrow waY, aud da,k plpe {
81 RDmc.- C0rre9p ondenco OF tho New
YORK Commercial.