The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-01-07
THE CEMETERY QUESTION
Carefully Dissected by DR.. L. A
FalliQant

FdIllSdnG.
Editor Morning Nelcs: AS my views
concerning the ''old cemetery" question
differ materially from most of those have
heard expressed by either side in the contest
to take place to-day, | have thought that
perhaps they might be read with some
interest by the number of my fellow-citizens
who have formed either no very definite
opinions on the subject, or whose opinions
have originated in comparatively limited
investigation of it,
To arrive at fair view of the cemetery
question, it is advisable to eliminate en-
tlrely from our minds any intermiXture OF
"the new court house" question In the
first place no removal of the court house is
even contemplated by the authorities,
either county or municipal other than that
which was predicated upon the possible sale
of the present court house site as a location
for the new government buiding-a rather
doubtful basis of calculation at present
Secondly, the city and county both
have loads enough to carry for a
series of years yet to prevent
any serious consideration of too
greatly, too unwisely, or too unnecessarily
increasing the existing burdens of taxation.
In view of these insurmountable barriers,
we may safely put aside from our argument
the question of constructing new court
house for some time to come, and conflne
our dissection to the cemetery question pure
and simple Some years ago, in a matter
involving the passage of a roadway through
private lands for the public convenience
and safety, great cry arose from the feu-
dial landowner about the iRrdSioR Of the
Sdnciity Of has pirate premises And yet
when we inspected those sacred or Sdnctj-
fed private premises. we found them neg
lectad aud decaying, a roOst for mildew and
rot, and a range for swine and Africans.
just so with the 0id cemetery! It's vaults
decaying, its monuments crumblirg to dust
and the bones of the dead III the open vaults
and tombs a ghostly ana CHASTITY exhibition
for frightening children and generating
nightmare! Where is the family showing
love for the dead by repairing and renewing
these decaying Sepulchres! Whence gather
around them the sons of honored sires,
smoothing the green carpet of nature that
sOds the graves OF departed ancestry. |
hear some of these waihngs waited from
the distant cloisters, but do not see the
soft foostep treading lightly these hal
lowed precincts of our forefatherS. Now
what is the practical question before us?
Shall we leave these sacred grounds to the
lullabies of vermn and the unchaste tread of
the siren. or shall we remove to better
kept grounds the visible remains that lie
naked to the eye, and smooth down and
cover with Gods beautiful green CARPET of
nature the uudisturbed and forever 10 be
undiSfNTbed, dust Of the dead that has
crumbled once more to Its earthly origin,
and eau neither be gathered for removal or
even discovered for rccoguitionl | take it
that those now living, who feel far more
veneration for their departed relatives and
friends who were buried in this old GENE
terry, than thOse of a generation or two
hence, (who are more likely to furrGw this
sacred sod with the cold and heartless steel
of transient public interest or selfshness,
than TO be worried by scruples concerning
understandable Dones,) are tine proper ones
to DO this loving and sacred work
l take it that ,the fUll and clear under.
standing that Hc%oH teton the surface is
not TO be disturbed, and the soil on the sur
face IS 10 rear daisies and green sods instead
of feeding worms with its crumblng bones
will give far more comfort to hearts veneer
atlng the memories of the dead than the
sickeuing evidences of existing decay that
now blot the grounds.
This question viii come no again and
again, and will continue to come up, until it
finally receives perhaps the very settlement
which | have suggested Then why
not do this work tendery ourselves
Christ church certainly is not going to re-
pair and keep in order these old and crum-
bling monuments. The taxpayers are not
going 20 repair private family monuments.
Indeed, they have no legal right to use the
public moneys for any such purpose As
result. nobody, nor any corporation, Is 90
ing torepair them: and unless the grounds
are converted into a well-kept park these
existing hollow Sepulchres must continue
more and more 10 expose their scat tered and
disjointed bones. We the living, are the
ones to settle this matter nationally and ten
derby. Why not do it now whilst we are
still the iiringl
InI.Is 4 lNALIIGANT M ID