Great Falls tribune., 1889-05-29

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FRONT VIEW OF ARTHUR's MONUMENT.
OF the four presidential graves In New
York state those of Arthur, Van Buren
and Grant are in the valley of the Hud-
son. The ebb and flow of the sea passes
them, and commerce up and down that
magnificent highway is hurried past
them day and night by rail and keel.
Grants tomb on the heights of Riverside
park in New York city looks out upon
the palisades Of the lower Hudson and
southwark to where it broadens into the
finest harbor on the continent. Van
Buren's grave at Undertook is back a few
miles from the river, near the shore Of a
beautiful lake Of that name, and some
thing like thirty miles below the head Of
Hudson navigation. Arthur's remains
lie on one of the west side bluffs Of the
river, only three miles below the termi
nus of navigable water. Northward
from that terminus the Hudson is a
stream Of inferior dimensions flowing
from the solitudes Of the Adirondack
forest.
The home of the Arthur family was in
this region of the upper Hudson. Ches-
ter Allan Arthur, the president, was the
son Of Rev. William Arthur, native of
County Antrim, Ireland, and a Baptist
Clergyman by profession. While the fa-
ther was pastor Of a congregation in
Fairfield, VT, the child who was to sit at
the head of the nation was born. The
family subsequently removed to Albany
county, where, in the little hamlet Of
Newtonville, William Arthur died on
the 9th of October, 1875. He lived to
see his son grow into manhood, and
that manhood ripen.
A family burial plot had been selected
in the Albany Rural cemetery some years
before the presidents father died. It
now contains the graves Of the father
and mother of the president, those of his
wife, son, sister, a brother-in-law and
his wife's mother. All Of these went be-
fore the president to this silent sunny
family home. The late ex-president died
in New York city on Nov. 18, 1885, After
funeral service in the metropolis his
remains were taken to the Albany ceme-
terry, accompanied by a large number of
personal friends. The funeral was private
in the sense that everything was done by
the family and by the personal associates
of the deceased. The newspapers in
dulged some afterward in the usual talk
about monument befitting the man and
u president of the United States, but no
official action was taken in the matter
either by congress or the legislature OF
IL ctot No hoc hoo
necessary to properly mark the grave.
Personal friends, men of high rank in
politics and in public affairs, who were
collaborators with Mr.. Arthur in the
latter years of his political and social
career, have caused to be set up at his
grave granite memorial as modest il
proportions as it is simple in design anf
indestructible in material.
The Arthur plot is on the western Dor.
der Of what is known as the old part Of
the cemetery, and at the summit of the
first ascent of the hill from the rivel
valley. The outlook is toward the north
west, terminating on the right in {
woody ravine, at the bottom of which
clear cold brook flows, summer and win
ter, over stony bed down through th'
cemetery and across the plain to thu
Hudson; and on the left in broad ex
panse of burial plots, thickly studded
with granite blocks and shafts, which
denote at the same time the graves o
dear friends departed and the wider dis
tribution Of wealth in these more moderl
times. At the bottom of the ravine, di
rectly in front of the Arthur lot, sprin
of cold, delicious water bubbles ou
from the foot Of a gigantic elm. 7
this fountain everybody visiting til
locality and knowing of its existence re
sorts for refreshing drink.
Among the monuments in the field {
vision toward the left of the Arthur pla
are those of Thurlow Weed and the lat
secretary of the treasury, Daniel Mar
ming. Further round to the left stano
magnificent polished granite shaft
the memory Of the revolutionary ger
eral, Philip Schuyler, the defender {
the upper Hudson valley during the wa
for independence, while on the margin
Of the ravine above spoken of and abor
half way down the slope of the cemeter
bluff are the monuments, standing nearl
opposite each other, of the revolutionar
general, Gansevoort, and Governor Will
lam L. Marcy, Of this state.
The memorial block which the frient
of President Arthur have now set up
his grave stands little to the westwal
Of the center Of the family plot. 1t
approached by rise of five granite step
curving inwardly and 16 feet wide b
tween the granite newell posts, whit
are feet square, with caps to corr
spond. The base stone of the monume
is 10 feet long by 8 feet inches wide al
] foot inches thick. It is dressed gra
ite. not polished. Next above this is