The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1889-01-11
IN A QUIET NEIeHeoRHoop
Buying n Lot I'm tho City OF tho Dead.
Caste IN n Cemetery.

Casio III Cemetery.
''Your first real estate2 Sad, sadi But !
we've all got to come to it. But isn't it
q satisfaction to have few feet in a well
kept place like this3 Why, 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 1t
to your liking2 Pretty heavy. Alb, but
it's iasting-no stained surfaces, no ginger
bread work to crumble off. Take my ad-
vice, young man, and when you buy
your monument don't 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 grief stricken purchaser Of
burial spot.
Nov, let me sec about what you'd
naturally want" said he, cycling his COM
panion critically, rs if sizing him up so as
to save himself needless trouble. 'You
see everybody has his special likings, and
we have to sort of estimate customers
tastes before showing him lot. All
sorts of people apply to us, and we havo
to use 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 q negro comes
to me I've got to sell him lot, but I've
also got to put him in his natural ele-
ment. If didn't there would be Ned to
pay"
'.But that, should think, is difficult
task. Suppose such person as you refer
to wanted 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 q man selects lot whero
1 don't think he belongs, why, the lots
already sold. See? 1t doesn't look just
right, but it's got to be done. What
would ono Of your wealthy aristocrats
think if I should sell 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 $4,000
granite monument? War in the camp
right Off tell you there isn't 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
VIC group VI DlS lOlS Ill tiio
most conspicuous places. Caste lines are
inevitable, even in graveyard
"Well, show me n lot where poor
devil of q scribe would naturally belong"
said the reporter.
Eyes, in just minute. Going to
bury wife or childs Oh, not married!
But suppose you're going to be. Now,
here's some nice slightly lots at $50.
But then there no provision for growth
of family OF extensive local I'M
provcments. Being buried here is
good deal like having standing
room in theatre; you kind of feel
as though somebody were going to tramp
on your toes all the while. And if you
should become rs rich as Jay COULD you
couldn put up a monument. The lots
| too small; you'd have to be content with
headStonc. 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," interposcd the apparent purchaser.
'I'd advise YOU to go into a new SUBJ
DIVISION, where the improvements that
have been made arc good, and bide fu-
ture developments 1t is here just as it
is down town. New streets and subdi.
visions outshinc tho old ones. Now,
here's q mound"-by this timc they had
arrived pretty nearly at the west sido Of
the cemetery-''wherc 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 Il sort of foreign settlement.
You notice how the sens and 'oskis,'
| and dts prcdominatc. You'd scarcely
| feel ut homo here if I'd sell you lot Be-
sides, the locality has one great and per-
mancnt drawback. Yondcr arc tho
single graves in plain sight You
wouldn't like to live always in sight Of
| the poorhousc, and you'd scarcely want
! to be buried in view of potter's field. No,
know YOU wouldn't be satisfied here
You'd better put little more money in
your ground and get something that will
rise in value rather than deteriorate. All,
have it. Just come over here"
The superintendent led the way to tic
southeast, near a pretty eXpanse of Wa,
! ter. Consulting his book, he picked out
particular lot and pointed it ---t With
Now, here you are," said he. "I
couldn't show you anything better in
the whole cemetery. Price moderate,
ncighbors of q high class, near public
drive, where you know things will
always DO kept in order. This lot will
be worth twice its present value a year
from now. One hundred and twenty
five dollars and room enough for dozen
interments besides q monument. You
can't do 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 tho monuments going
up all around you here. Can't havo bet
ter data by which to judge of the local
lty. Night across the driveway yondcr
is one of the largest lots in the cemetery.
We've put fanccy price on it just so as
to induce some capitalist to buy it and
put up an expensive monument ThatIl
lend additional tone to the neighborhood
and all the lots around will feel the in
flucncc. 1t would pay to buy this lot
purely rs a business investment. "-Chi-
caSo Tribune