, 1888-11-07
IN A QUIET NEIeHeoRHoop
Buying a Lot in the City of the DoaG.
Caste in n Cemetery.

Your first real estate2 Sad, sad! But
we've all got to come to it. But isn't ii
n satisfaction to have a few feet in a well
kept place like this? Why, I grow fonder
and fonder of it every day. Surveyed
and built up most Of it myself, you see.
There's a monument for you'll How is it
to your Hking7 Pretty heavy. All, but
it's lasting-no stained surfaces, no ginger
bread work to crumble off. Take my ad-
vice young man, and when you buy
your don invest in marble.
'Taint worth twopence a ton. except to
the dealers. Nothing like granite"
The superintendent led the way along
the eastern limits of the cemetery and
then paused as if to get his bearings. His
strange combination of business tact and
harmless gossip made the reporter feel
little like a grief stricken purchaser of a
burial spot.
Nov, let me see about what you'd
naturally want, " said he, cycling his COM
panion critically, as if sizing him up SO as
tpsave himself needless trouble. "You
see everybody has his special likings, and
we have to sort of estimate 4 customers
tastes before showing him a lot. All
sorts of people apply to us, and we have
to use a good deal of tact and judgment
so as not to offend present lot owners or
new customers. We have to discrimin-
ate even in the gravel If a negro comes
to me I've got to sell MIN a lot, but I've
also got to put him in his natural ele-
ment. If 1 didn't there would be Ned to
pay"
''But that, 1 should think, is a difficult
task. Suppose such a person as you refer
to wanted a fine lot in what you call an
aristocratic neighborhood, how would
you get around the matter2" .
"Oh, bless you, that's easy enough.
Nobody knows what lots are for sale but
myself; and if a man selects a lot where
1 don't think he belongs. why, the lots
already sold. See2 1t doesn't look just
right, but it's got to be done. What
would one of you wealthy aristocrats
think if 1 should sell q little lot next to
his big one, and the owner of the little
lot should erect a $25 white bronze tomb
stone right under the nose of his So, 900
granite monument? War in the camp
right off 1 tell you there isn't a popu-
lar cemetery in Chicago that hasn't its
South Side and its West Side, its Michi-
gan avenue and its South Clark street.
You notice in laying out the cemetery
we group a number of big lots in the
lhOob SOllopiSuOub pldCCDs OdSlt liz dId
inevitable, even in a graveyard"
"Well, show mt a lot where a poor
devil of a scribe would naturally belong"
said the reporter.
"Yes, in just a minute. Going to
bury wife or child2 Oh, not married!
But l suppose you're going to be. Now,
here's some nice slightly lots at $50.
Blu then there's no provision for growth
of family or extensive local i'm
provements. Being buried here is
a good deal like having standing
room in a theatre; you kind of feel
as though somebody were going to tramp
IN you toes all the while. And if you
should become as rich as Jay Gould you
couldn't put up a monument. The lots
too small; you'd have to be content with
a headstone. l want to sell you a lot
that you'll be satisfied with hereafter and
your children be proud Of.
LET me see something q little better,
then" interposed the apparent purchaser.
"rd advise you to 60 intc a new sub
division, where the improvements that
have been made are good, and bide flu
ture developments. 1t is here just as it
is down town. New streets md subdi-
visions Outshine the old ones. Now,
here's a mound"-by this time they had
arrived pretty nearly at the west side of
the cemetery-''where the lots are large
and open. There's plenty of room here;
the grade is high and the drainage good.
But / seldom bring the likes of you here,
because it's a sort of foreign settlement.
You notice how the sens and 'oekis,'
and dts predominant. You'd scarcely
feel at home here if I'd sell you a lot. Be-
sides, the locality has one great and per-
manent drawback. Yonder are the
single grave in plain sight. You
wouldn't like to live always in sight of
the poorhouse, and you'd scarcely want
to be buried in view of potter's field. No,
l know you wouldn't be satisfied here.
You'd better put a little more money in
your ground and get something that will
rise in value rather than deteriorate. All,
l have it. Just come over here"
h superintendent led the way to the
southeast, near a pretty expanse of wa
ter. Consulting his book, he picked out
a particular lot and pointed it out with
satisfaction.
Now, here you are" said he. Il
couldn't show you anything better in
the whole cemetery. Price moderate,
drive, where you know things will
always be kept in order. This lot will
be worth twice its present value a year
from now. One hundred and twenty
fv dollars and oom enough for a dozen
interments besides a monument. You
can't Edo any better. Just let me put
your name down for it now and you can
arrange the details at the down town
office. Look at the monuments going
up all around you here. Can't have bet
ter data BY which to judge of the local
ity. Right across the driveway yender
is one of the largest lots in the cemetery.
We've put a fanccy price on it just SO as
to induce some capitalist to buy it and
put up an expensive monument. That1i
lend additional tone to the neighborhood
and all the lots around will feel the in