The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1889-07-26
SOME ODD EpITAPHS.
Tombstone Inscriptions POUND In Diner-
ent Parts of the world.


Tombstone descriptions POUND in Differ
! ent Parts of the world.
There is always mysterious .asci-
] nation for most all Of us about grave
| yards, tombstones, monuments, and
any thing appertaining TO the dead.
The word epitaph is derived from two
Greek words meaning an inscription
and a monument The Greeks, the
Romans and the Egyptians raised
splendid tombs over their noble deal,
those OF the Egyptians being probably
the Oldest. although in many cases IT
Ia entirely impossible TO approximate
the date OF some Of the immense
mounds raised in honor Of the dead in
our own country.
II what is written on tOmb5toncs
were strictly true the world would
scarcely have need OF other history;
but unfortunately such Is not the case.
The tender feelings Of tho survivors
influence them % forgot the wrong
and write only the good, and in most
cases expand tho latter as much Us
possible.
One Of the best and most epigram-
matte OF cpitaphs is that Of Alexander
tho Great. II Is in Latin. which.
translated, is as follows:
Here a mound sum o., Tor one for whom the
world wa, not large enough
The following has the virtue Of brcy-
ity, but contains tho now taDboOcd
pun. IL Is on the tombstone Of Charles
knight Of England, and is simply:
Good Kni.ht
Hero Is one from II headstone In
Cornwall, England. and can be- read
both ways:
Shall we all dlo'
We shall die all.
All die shall wei
Die all we shall
This one Is on London cook:
Peas TO hts II she's
A great deal Of libclous matter has
boon written on tOmb5tOnos concern
ing wives; the following is an example:
Within this grave do lie
Back 10 back my wife nnd I;
when The last trump the air shall mi,
II she gets up IN Just hc still.
The next one brcathcs u spirit OF de-
vout resignation;
She once was mine;
Aud now
10 Thee, q Lord. her resign;
And am your obcdicnt humble servant, Robert
Kemp.
Lawyers have always como In for
thcir share post-mortcm abuse. The
following Is taken from the tombstone
OF Lawyer Strange:
Here lies an honest lawyer,
Ana that's Strange.
This Is the opitaph Of James Straw,
attorney, Lincolnshire. England:
Here lies James Straw,
Who forty years, sir, followed the law;
And when he diod the Down cried:
Jimmy give rs ycr paw
The epitaphs Of tho great in West
minister Abbey are rs arulo too long 10
be quoted hero. There are somo cX-
coptions, however, Of which tho fol-
lowing TO Ben Jonson Is one:
O. Rare Bcn Jonson
That Is all OF it, but it speaks vol
umes.
In Denver, Col, is the tombstone OF
policeman which bears this inscrip-
tion:
Move on, Mistor; move on
In rural graveyard in Massachu-
setts is tho following:
Here lies Ezekiel Soundcr who was accident
ally killed IN the I9d year OF his ago. This stone
was erected by his grateful family.
This appears in Southern grayo-
yard;
The Yankee hosts, with blood stained han "a
Came southwark To divide our lands
This narrow and contracted spot
Is all that tins poor Yankee got.
At San Antonio. TcX., in tho mill
tary cemetery, on largo board that
resembles railway guidopost. il
written the military command:
In Plncc-Rcsti
Bcsidos the trail which, leads from
Fort Concho to Fort Davis, Tex. is n
lone grave. At It's head Is placed a
rough limestone slab, on which arc
scratched the Spanish words
Quicn sabcY (who kucwsD
A passcrby has scratched beneath
them:
Dos sabc (God Snows).
Can any high-soundiug phrase on
sculpturcd granite compare in pathetic
grandeur with this simple littlo cpl
taph over that solitary grave on
tho sandy Texas plains? Chicago
Tribune.