Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-05-17
American Cemeteries.

From Garden and Forest
There is notuing In this country to which for
eign writer's give more praise than 10 our ceme-
teries The student OF social customs sees In them
one OF the chief proofs We give OF genuine senti-
ment on the one hand and wise sanitary foresight
on the other; and the student OF art and nature
Sees In them our most characteristic and best
achievements In the art OF landscape gardening
Their size, their park-llke arrangement, their re-
moteness from the local centers OF population, and
the care and neaIness with which Iuey are Kept,
are held up 10 foreign communities as points in
which they would do weIl 10 initiate US Ger
talnly, as contrasted with the formal, walled-in,
crowded, dreary, sun-baked or weed-grown Gene
teries seen In most foreign lands, GU deserve
much praise. But they are not what Iney ought
TO be. Excellent 10 Intention, they are TOO Often
bad In execution. No expenditure oI money, pans
or skill Is wanting hut In directing tnls eXpeRdi-
ture We TOO often make grievous errors
The cause OF these errors Is that We do not abide
by the general idea Win wnlcn the place was set
aside Tor this special service The characteristic
feature OF American cemeteries Is that they are
rural, no matter how large may be the communal
ties Tor which they serve. But this cnaracIeristc
We do our best 10 conceal or destroy. Nature Is
asked To take our dead In charge, anu then We DO
Thousand things 10 RUN the repOse. the sanctity
and beauty which she Is Ready 20 provide. Too
many and too prominent roads and walks are
for pleasure promenades rather Jnan the retire.
ment oil those whose dead II holds. We take pains
to make ample allowance oI space 10 each pur-
chaser OF ground, partly that Tor his sake the
graves shall not be zoo closely crowded anG partly
That they shall not destroy the unity and reose
the landscape. And then We often null
lily our efforts by inclosing The lots with heavy
Ratings and by building huge and snowy mOnu-
menIs. We THINK We want a natural landscape.
and then We plant the cemetery-not the private
lots alone, but the parts which have been pre-
served intact for the sake Of landscape beauty
with tropical pants formal beds VI gaady flowers
and riDpon-patterns, borders ana endless puerle
devices, wrought with bright folaged plants.
which only support our climate a few weeks or
months and then disappear, leaving dTeary naked
ness behind In SNORT, we lose slgnt of the main
purpo-e Tor which the cemetery Was desig ned Iail
To keep any general idea or scheme In mind, and
instead or a rural burial-ground produce solne-
thing which Is a meaningless, unnatural and es-
sentially vulgar compound VI a cemetery, PARK,
a horticultural exhibition and collection or WORKS
OF architecture ana sculpture And this we do by
means OF vast waste OF pains and money. No
one who has not Inquired into sucn matters can
imagine what IL costs TO plant out year by year
the exuucs which are supposed 10 adorn our ceMe-
ter1eS and to winter them from one year 10 an
other Few realize the degree TO wnicn cemetery
companies now compete with one another In this
direction. bidding Tor public Patronage by means
or costly horticultural establishments and verbose
advertisements OF their horticultural Resources
and achievements.
All TINS is wrong-wrong from the point OF view
OF good sense from the POINT o. view VI true sent
ment and frOLn the point or view OF art The true
ideal for the making OF an American cemetery
whether large or small, Is this: That SPOT s.ould
be selected OF which the natural charms great
est In direction OF peaceluIness and the harmony
which means variety In unity. It's features should
be carefully preserved as possible In laying out
numerous than actually required for purposes OF
burial and OF visiting the graves Such planting
as Is needfui should De done In a way 10 compete
the existing beauty. and accentuate. not disturb
the natural character OF the spot Costly exotlcs
should not be introduced, no snowy flower beds al
lowed, no formal arrangements OF planting OF any
Kind d Knitted They are out OF Keeping alike with
the kind Of beauty that Is desired aud with the
spirit in which cemetery Is properly visited
owners OF lots should not be allowed 10 surround
them with ratings. They are paipably useless;
they glaringiy injurious 70 unity and repose OF
effect; they serve merely 10 display proprietor
ship, and nothing Can be IN worse taste than such
a display In such place. Owners should be en-
couraged, too. 70 make their monuments not only
as artistic, but as simple and unootrusise. as pos
sible. Only q great man, one 70 whose grave
future generations are likely 10 make pilgrimages
is entitled TO have his resting place consplcuously
be thus marked Something which Will Indicate
where body lies and waose body IL IS while dis
turDing as little as possible the unity ana peace
fulness OF the scene-Lhat Is what graveslone
IL Is needless to say that color as well as form
ssni1e u Is fSe Ssss possioe our iaSorue WnSe
marble the worst possible, material for cemetery
monuments; and nat slab Is preferable 70 q ver- |
be strewn over the ground nothing Is more appro-
pirate for monuments simple Inscription being
cut upon space made smooth ior the purpose
surface remains In It's natural condition Owners |
should be restrained In their oesire to plant |
that Il is not justiable for them 70 Indulge their
personal wishes In this way II they Conflict with
Inc greatest god O. Sns S1ssse es number As
Cemetery as q whole should have. And finally. |
while the cemetery should be carefully kept and
tended, there must be no evident stralning after
excessive nnish the most sirable OF ali oual.-
ties In ali portions OF the grounds.
Mr.. LAzee (returning late from once May ~
"0reat Cesari NY vile forgot 70 tell me where we
were going 70 move V. and never bothered my
head about &c TO ask. Augh!r-H0rpeyss Rosar
She" Sir, what DO you mean By putting your
arm around my wa1st7s
he" DO you oo1ect?"
she" Mr.. Arthur Gordon. III give you inst 0ve
hours 20 remove your arm-"-ysdge
$50 Nuttonhsdds and Puhwen have quarrslsa
~Yes-an awful row.
~H'mi They're both pretty bad-eeuperea %
them?" 1870
.Qvits the contrary. dear bog: good many low
onoG"-1fueh