The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-12-02
OUR CEMETERIES.

An exchange gives a touching &C
count OF the visits OF Edwin Booth the
actor. to the cemetery where sleep the
dead members OF his family. 1t says:
whenever Edwin Booth. the noted
/ tragedian. goes % Baltimore he always
finds time 20 visit Greenm0unt Cemetery.
/ He drives out alone in q closed carriage, and
carries with him several beautiful floral
I designs. The old gardener at Greenmount
| knows the actor well, and is literally paid
for his work in keeping the Booth lot IN
I order. Mr.. Booth always greetS him kindly,
and together they proceed 10 the lot, which
/ is in q secluded part of the large cemetery.
/ NJ. Booth lays the flowers he has brought
on the graves Of his mother and sister; ex-
aInines carefully the condition Of the lot;
gives orders about the planting of flowers
/ and keeping in order of the place, and then,
after = short while spent in sad reveries. re
enters his carriage and returns 70 the city.
There is something noble in thus
keeping green the memory of the dead;
something which gives evidence of
higher nature in man than that
which exists in other animals.
Nothing can be more mournfuly
sublime than 20 see a son step aside
from the hurry and hustle Of the busy
world, TO spenG an hour in quiet reflee-
ton by a mothers grave, and leave
there as token Of esteem and remem-
brance a chaplet of flowers. The ma
ture Of every man on such an occasion
must be exalted and made better.
There is something encouraging to the
living when they see the dead held in
remembrance; for who is there among
the living who would be pleased with
the reflection that as soon as he
was enclosed in the tomb, be
would be forgotten7 Would not
existence be made sweeter if we knew
that when sleeping in the little way
side inn, where stlsst all will rest, some
one would step out Of the hurrying
ranks Of humanity, and all forgetful Of
the present, would call up the past, and
with it our existence, and think of our
words Of encouragement and love,
bringing back the recollection of fond
associations, when the future was
bright and promised a full fruition of
all our aspirations. Or if it was our lot
to tread the path Of adversely and drink
of the cup of sorrow, to remember with
what courage and patience We endured
life's trials7 Truly, we think all men
have such aspirations. All desire i'm
mortality, and
To live in hearts we leave behind,
Is not TO die.
If there Is one thing more than an
other that the people in Utah have
been more neglectfuI of it is
in identifying the "hamlets where
sleep the dead" Perhaps q mistake has
been made in selecting the burying
grounds, as some rather out Of the way
place on ridge has been chosen, where
irrigation Is nearly impossible, and with
out irrigation it is useless to hope
even, to beautify our 6urying
grounds with shrubbery and trees
and flowers. But the ease with which
flowing wells can now be obtained in
most parts Of our Territory will afford
nearly every village an opportunity OF
correcting any mistake which may have
been made in choosing q site for the
cemetery, by supplying water for irri-
CATION purposes, and there is no good
reason why our former barren and
desolate looking burying grounds
should not be beautifed. and made at
tractive.