Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1892-02-05
Westminster Abbey.
For the Graphic.

Among the historic places of |,
London, this vast pile of q. chitec-
tural grandeur perhaps stands un-
Arl asse1 in England. Yet to de-
scribe 1t as church and master
piece in archi ecture would be tc
do what has been done 10y poets.
and the worll's most renowned
writer's during the past eight hun
dred years; hence were mere de-
scription the object of this letter, |
should pass the subject by and
seek another With which the world |
is less familiar. Yet apart from
this it is we'll to visit the resting
places of the good and great, eth
er to learn and model after their
merits or garlanC. their tombs
with flowers which are too often
withheld during life. Better is it
TO bestow them when the receiver
can enioy their beauty, lnhale
their fraerancefand be made glad
by the kind words and compliments
which like the flowers are often
reserved for their obituaries. The
fragrance that ris IS and the beau
| ty that fades out Of flowers left on
the tomb can not express to the
departed the devotion we owe
them; yet to the living each with
cred flower and faded leaf becomes
a tender token of living love and
silent grief. Thus it ID well to
build Abbeys, erect tombs and en-
twine them with garlands that we
may perpetuete the nobler deeds
of the nations honored dead, that
the world will Inherit their vir-
tues and the silence of the tomb,
like sweet charity, will cover their
vices. In the Abbey the good that
men and women did is written on
their tombs and the evil they did
has been buried with them. While
the testimony of the tomb is true,
, yet history must be consulted for
other truths of an other character
, which the tombs will never tell.
Passing among the graves IN
Poets Corner we fnd John Dry
den ("Glorious John"), poet
| laureate for two kings, died in
. great poverty and want.
5 Chaucer the father of early
English literature, the favorite of
t three kings, minister to foreign
, courts and author of Canterbury
, Tales, at last being forsaken by
those he once favored, he had to
clerk in a small shop to secure his
> food and shelter.
, Ben Johnson, the ripe scholar
brave soldier and poet-laureate
had to work as a brick layer for
. his living and died deserted by
those whom he popularized in his
t poems.
Edmund Spencer poet laureate
, to Queen Elizsth and author of
Farie Queen, died according to q
> a report of the time. ''For lake Of
:, bread" he received high funeral
honors as a post-mortem COM
V promise for the poverty and hun
ger he had suffered.
Oliver Goldsmith, author of the
Deserted Village and Vickar of
o Wakefield sold the latter work at a
+ sacrifice to pay his lodging, and
often paid for his dinner as an
v itinerant 6fer by playing tune on
his fife or flute.
DR.. Samuel johnson, the author
and critic, after giving the world
a his great dictionary, spent his
latter days in bitter poverty and
; died in great want.
- Richard Sheridan, author, actor
!, and parlismentarlan, died in ex-
= treme poverty. Help was with
~ held until it served only to give
Il him magnificent funeral.
The author of "Sweet Home
p wandered homeless while others
J., provided homes by the proceeds
l. of his poem.
+ Samuel Butler, author of Hudi,
/ bras, received great popularlty,roy-
h al applause and scrap-book full
4 of journalistic puffs for his great
poem, yet not sufficient pay to re-
v lieye the pangs of hunger. The
s dean of Westminster says, ellis
\ monument here was erected, that
he who hsd been denied almost
IS everytf ing in life, might not in
+ death be denied tomb" This
q sad neglect of men to whom the
:, world owed much may be express,
a ed in the memorable words pro.
; nounced over the grave of Robert
g Burns: "In life he begged his
- bread and in death they gave him
+ stones" Each of the above like
Burns and many others did moi
a receive their portion of daily
is bread IN life, but each have beer
"a given magnificent stones in death
This cold treatment towards
n poets, writers and orators could
well inspire the good poet Gray tc
write his famed couplet when he
said:
Life is a jest and all things show it
, Nd I