Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1890-04-04
THE cEMETERY's OF PARIS
For the Graphic.
Cry OF PARIS, FRANCE. |
March 18th 1890. !

March 10Th 1890.
Paris has twenty-five cemeteries
and about one hundred people die
daily, two thirds Of whom are
buried by the city and are deposit
ed in "Fosses Communes' or
large pits where from forty to
fifty coflins are piled in together.
Those who do not like this con-
fused mingling after death may
rent a lone grave for the period OF
ten years for $50, or may secure a
perpetual lease for $40.
AS in every thing else the
French make their funerals and
cemeteries very artistic. If it is
a child's funeral you will know il
by the white hearse, white horses
and flowers. If it is little girl
her nearest play-mates, covered
with white wells, follow the l!carse
to the grave each one holding Q
long white ribbon that is attached
to the rear of the hearse, this being
emblematic of the tie of true love
and child like affections, which is
severed only at the edge of the
grave; and with n little boy, grown
man or woman other very appro-
pirate customs are strictly adj
hered to. In going to a funeral,
even the very poorest are well
dressed in mourning, and if they
cannot afford the dress they don't
go, regarding it more respectful to
stay at home than to cause offence
to the living or show disrespect to
the dead by lack Of proper mourn
ing. AT the grave a priest who is
paid by the friends Of the deceased
or the city, always presides. The
nearest friends crown the coffin
and cover the grave with flowers,
after which we have seen them
gather in social groups and drink
to the good name and quiet re-
pose of their departed friend. In
this gathering all little differences
are buried with the dead. His
virtues and goodness of soul alone
are re-counted. and the unanimous
expression is, that he was a first
rate good fellow, and now, poor
fellow, he has gone, gone forever.
Often they propose to see to it,
that his grave IS kept green, but
more often adorned with a small
chapel overhead in which small
altar, crucifix, wreaths of flowers,
vases of ivy green, various souve-
Mrs and his own with the picture
of his patron-saint, whose name
he bore In life, are all seen from
the chapel window. Rarely is a
prominent grave seen without its
chapel. Hence the cemeteries are
thickly built cities of chapels
crowned with towers, monuments
OF statues, and they present the
best field for the study of sculp-
ture and marble adornments. And
the interior of the grave cover
1ngs are decorated in the most
tasteful and appropriate manner.
The chief cemeteries of the city
are Mont Martre $50 called be-
cause the martyr Saint Denis
was beheaded here), and Pere
Lachaise. The latter has about
10000 graves. M. Theirs is buried
here, beside saints, princes,
counts, admirals, generals, paint
ers, scientists and in fact all the
most renowned dead of France are
here save the Napoleon family
and the royalty, most of whose
graves have long since been des-
ecrated. On All Souls day this
cemetery is visited by about 100,-
600 Of the living who come with
wreaths and flowers which are
l-ft on the graves. Thus as a
nation the French never forget
their dead, and many who were
burneda alive or beheaded during
seasons Of political wrath now
have monuments wreathed in
flowers marking the site, and the
poor W no are not given a grave
find 2 erpetual rest in the cata-
combs. RAMBLER.