The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-04-08

half toe expense of that mausoleum
IN The making of Christs life on
earth comfortable, the story would
Dot have been so sad. He wanted
bread; they gave him stone. Christ,
| ike every other benefactor of the world
/ was better appreciated after He was dead.
Westminster abbey and monumental
! Greenwood are 10 a certain extent the
! words attempts by mortuary honors to
atone Tor negiects to the living. Poets
| Corner In Westminster abbey an attempt
10 pay for the sufierings of Grub-st. l
/ ga into that Poets Corner of Westminster
abbey and there | find the grave of Han
1 del, the musician from whose music we
hear today, as it goes down reverberating
through the ages. While / stand at the
costly tomb OF Handel | cannot forget the
/ fact that his fellOw-musicians tried to
| destroy him with their discords. / go a
! little further in the Poets Corner OF West
minister abbey and ] find the grave OF
John Dryden. the great poet. Costly
monument, great mortuary hOnors, but l
cannot forget the fact that at seventy
| years OF age ne wrote about the Oppres-
sions OF misfortune and that lac made
contract Tor 1000 verses at sixpence
line. l co a little further on in the
Poets Corner and find the grave OF
samuel Butler,the authorof "Hudibras."
Wonderful monument, costly mortuarv
honOrs. Where did he die? In a garrett.
L move further on IN the Poets Corner,
and find the grave OF a poet of whom
Waller wrote: IAN old schoolmaster by
the name of John Milton has written
tedious volume on the fall of man. If
its length be no virtue, it has none" |
go little further on in the Poets Corner
and lind the grave of Sheridan Alas
for Sheridan. Poor Sheridan! Magnif-
cent mortuary honors. What a pity it
was he could not have discounted that
monument for a mouthful of something TO
eat o, unfilial children, give your old
parents less tombstone and more blankets,
less funeral and more bedroom. Five per
cent. of the money now expended at
BurneS' banquets would have made the
great Scotch poet comfortable and kept
him from being almost harried to death by
the drudgery of an exciseman. Horace
Gree.y. outrageously abused while he
lived, going out to his tomb was fol-
lowed by the president of the United
States and the leading men of the army
| and the navy. Some people could not
say bitter enough things about him while
he lived; all the world rose up to do HIM
| honor when he died. Massachusetts at
| the tomb Of Charles Sumner tried to
atone for the ignoninious resolutions
with which her legislature denounced the
living senator 1t was TOO late. The
costly monument at Springfield, ILL.,. can
not pay for Booths bullet. Costly mort
uary honors on the banks OF Lake Erie
| honors that cost between $4,000 and
| $780, 00-can not pay for the assassination
| of JamesA. Garfield Do Justice to the
| living. All the Justice you do you will
have to do this side the gates OF the ne
cropolis. The dead can not wake up to
count the number of carriages in the pro-
| cesSiOn, or see the polish on the Aberdeen
| granite, or to read the words of epitaphal
cOmmemoration. Costly mausoleum aof
| the gentlemen in the suburbs of Jerusa-
lem can not atone for Bethlehem's
manager and Calvarean cross and Pilates
| rutfian Judiciary.
Again Standing in this place where
| the Lord lay, l am impressed with the
| fact that floral and sculptural ornaments
are appropriate for the places of the dead.
! We are all glad that in the short time of
the Savior's inhumation He lay amid
flowers aud sculpture. l can not quite
| understand what l see in the newspapers
| where amid the announcements of obse-
| quies the friends request 'send no flow
ers." Why. there is no place so appro-
| pirate for flowers as the casket of the de-
| parted. If your means allow repeat,
| If your means allow-let there be flowers
on the casket flowers on the hearse. flow
ers on the grave. Put them on the brow;
| it means coronation. Put them in the
| hand it means victory. Christ was buried
| in a garden. Flowers are types OF resur-
| rection. Death is sad enough anyhow.
| Let conservatory and arboretum do all
they can in the way OF allevia-
ton. Your little girl loved flowers
while she was alive. Put them in her
| hands, now that she cannot go forth and
pluck flowers for herself. On sunshiny
| days twist a gar and for her still heart.
Brooklyn has no grander glory than her
| Greenwood, nor Boston than her Mount
! Auburn, nor Philadelphia than her Lau-
| rel Hill. nor Cincinnati than ner Spring
| Grove. nor San Francisco than her Lone
| Mountain. What shall | say of those
/ country graveyards where the vines have
| fallen down and the slab is aslant and the
mound is caved in, and the grass is the
| pasture ground for the sections cattle. Are
| your father and mother OF so little ac-
| count you have no more respect than that
| for their bones? Some DAY gather to-
| gether and straighten up the fence and
| lit the slab, and bank up the mound, and
and tear out the weeds, and plant the
| shrubs. After awhile you yourself will
want to lie down to the last slumber. Ii
| you have no regard for the bones of your
ancestors, your children will have no
| Difference Tor your bones. Do you say
those relics are OF no importance You
will see Of how much Importance they are
when the archangel takes out his trumpet
| Turn all your graveyards into gardens.
Standing in this place whore the Lord
lay. l am also impressed with the dignity
OF unpretending obsequies. Joseph that
day was mourner, sexton, liveryman-ha had
the entire charge of the occasion. Four
people only at the burial of the King of
the universe. Let this be consolatory to
those who through small means, or lack
OF large acquaintance, have but little
demonstration of grief at the grave OF
their dead. 1t is not necessary. Long
line of glittering equipages, two rows of
silver handles, casket Of costly wood,
pallbearers scarled and gloved are not
necessary. Christ looks out from heaven
at burial where there are six in attend
ance and remembers there are two more
than he had at his obsequies. Not recog-
nizlng this idea, how many small proper
ties are scattered in the funeral rites, and
widowhood and orphanage 90 out to the
cold charity OF the world. The departed
left enough property to have kept the
family together until they could take care
| OF themselves but il is all absorbed in the