The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1890-03-26
OUR CEMETERY.
Citizen's', VS.. strangers
S'ImpressiOnS'' as to its
management.

Arrangements.
A strangers impressions of any place. form
ed after short inspection of that place. and
perhaps warped by the conversation and in
| fluence of some person who has an interest in
| putting the best or the worst features in prom
| inence, may be very erroneous. We may look
| upon finished production and call it beautiful
| and perfect, and yet if we knew the details of
construction we would in many cases become
disgusted with it.
The above thoughts were brought very forci-
| bly, to my mind upon reading "The impressions
of Stranger about RaTenna in the Republi-
can of March IL. In a column article our
| = Stranger" gives more than three e-fourths of
his space to the beauty ana attractiveness of
Maple Grove Cemetery. While we may pei haps
agree with him to a certain extent in reg ard to
its present comparative beauty, we cannot help
| but think that had he known the steps which
have been taken TO produce this superficial
beauty he would not have written as he did.
From our present recollection of the facts, we
| believe that he far overreaches the truth when
he says: when MIR. King took charge. years
ago, the grounds were hills and hollows where
6rana6Ies ran riot.'' We believe the grounds
were in as go shape and as well kept as was
the average cemetery in place the size of this
|
private individuals than at present, and more
| fully showed who remembered his departed
friends. There was not that uniformity of
| landscape that there is now. and we do not con-
ccive that the beauty of the place requires it.
We admit as our stranger friend says, that
| Z" now the grounds are well graded,'' but did he
know at what cost? We do not now refer to
the money expended in this work. which, as he
| admits, was large, but to the destruction of
private property and to the desecration of
graves which was accomplished in prosecuting
this work. He was told of the removal of the
curbing about tine burial lots. but did Mr. King
| inform him that they were taken away in direct
opposition to the wishes of those persons, who,
with loving hands and tender hearts. and in
some cases at large sacrifice. had placed them
there in honor of their dead? Did he inform
him that beautiful evergreen hedges and trees
and lovely plants had been ruthessly torn from
their rootings. thrown upon the rubbish pile
and there burneds Did he tell him that. al
Though these were considered appropriate and
beautiful appurtenanceS to their burial lots,
and had been placed there and cared for-some
of them for many years-with the full consent
of the authorities having the grounds in charge
at that time, the present trustees had taken it
upon themselves to consider them nuisances,
and as such, to have them removedt Did he tell
him that private property, which, in the aggre-
gate. had cost thousands of dollars to place
there. bad thus been rendered nearly, and in
many cases altogether, worthless? Was our
stranger" informed that in doing this grad
ing horse and plow were driven across the
graves of our loved ones. that in many cases
the coffins were lefs barely covered with soil,
and that in a number of instances the horses
feet broke through into the coffins? No. we
think we are safe in saying that he was not in
formed of these things, yet they are facts.
Read quotation from Stranger" "Eight
here beg leave to say that money should not
be spared to make cemetery attractive. 1t
shows to the world that the living have not
FORGOTTEN their dead-the loved ones laid away.'
Truly this is what it should show, but does it
not rather show in this case that our trustees,
perhaps largely influenced by the sexton. have
used the authority which they claim to possess.
to levy high cemetery tax to carry out their
pet schemes in regard to our rying grounds,
regardless of common Justice to the living and
the deadf 1t looks tn at way to us.
We do not now care to enter largely into the
direct money cost OF our cemetery. but will give
a few figures for your careful study. From the
Democratic PRESS of March 5th inst, we find
that our township trustees have paid out dur
ing the past year:
For cemetery purposes es............-...$2,13 So ,135 80
For all other township purposes w 2,727 40
According to the county Treasurer's notice
published last fall. taxes have been levied for
cemetery purposes for $780,.
For Ravenna township and village 81 $50 rs
For all the rest of Portage county ...-.. 1913 30
One more thought. We do not know who this
" Stranger" " may be. but we cannot help but
feel that he is not as much stranger as he
would like to have us believe. and that there's
"a co!ored man in the chip yard" somewhere.
CITIZEN.