Morning journal and courier., 1893-02-14
EVERGREEN CEMETERY.

EVERGREEN CEMETERY. The Annual Meeting of the Cemetery
 AssociatiOn-Electio of Directors
 The Reports - The Proposed Now
 Chapel-Care Of Lots-Sunday Fun
 erals.
 The annual meeting of the Evergreen Cemetery association was held in the office of Benjamin R. English last evening. The report of the secretary showed that the receipts for the year were $17, ,452 19, expenses $11, ,s41.14.
 the ensuing year: Burton Mansfield. J. D. Dewell, John F. Douglass, George M. Grant, H. 0. Warren; auditors,E. A. Cess ner and J. P. Augur. The officers will be elected next Monday.
 Leading features of the directors report are as follows:
 Substantially the same number of lots have been sold this year as there..were last year, yielding an increase in the proceeds of about 25 per cent. over the average yearly proceeds since 1868, and about B per cent. over the proceeds of 189l-2; the | interments number about the same as in years past
 With the occupation, however, of the newer parts of the cemetery come increased expenses in the way of improvements and maintenance; expenses which are more | likely to increase than diminish for some time to come.
 The principal improvements of the year have been: The laying of a substantial pavement at the entrance; the building ot a new fence adjoining the property of the Mapledale cemetery; the erecting of 6 fountain in the newer portion of the ground, and the laying out of part of the newly acquired territory with the accom- panying grading, curbing and turing thereof, This, in general way, covers the improvements. The land gained by filling up the bed of the old lake will soor be ready for use, and, as indicated by thil and previous reports, the newly acquired territory is gradually bstng developed, al
 which much labor and material must stil
 be expended before 1t becomes available So much for the condition of the ceme
 tery's affairs and their daily administra tions.
 At your last meeting you instructed tn. directors to pueh the matter of erecting chapel as rapidly as possible. Thereupor
 it was decided, although $2,000 has beer
 subscribed, that the most gratifyin,
 method would be to have a memoris
 chapel. In the absence of this the mex
 best plsn would be to lay aside annual,
 one or two thousand dollars from the re
 ceipts of the association.
 Another matter of equal importance i some provision looking towards the per
 petual care of lots. The board of trustee
 have $7, ,925 entrusted them for this pur pose. It is urged that in addition to tn present trust. 8 fund be established, tn | sevenue from which should be used fo this purpose. This fund can be forme r either by holding back certain uniforr
 percentage from the sale of every lot or f : some other way. It Is unnecessary to men
 tion the desirablity of removing the fence
 and hedges as the argument is eloquentl
 made by 8 comparison with other parts o Z the cemetery where the lawn system ha
 been adopted. It is also recommended tha
 8 further payment of the bonded indebted
 ness of the association be made as there
 8 sufficient amount on hand to enable thi | to be done.
 , The abolition of the unnatural effort | sometimes resorted to preserve the bodie l of the dead Is one of thess. This is deli cate question, for almost every one who's
 loss of friend is recent, possesses to 8 | greater or less degree. desire that tn body of that friend should be preserved a long as possible, and yet to the sober set
 ond thought of that individual no goo 8 reason therefore can suggest itself; on th n l contrary the idea is rather repulslve tha
 otherwise. In these days when crematio is being so vigorously agitated in som l | quarters, and the argument Is being E l much used in favor of that process an
 against inhumation, upon sanitary ground l if for no other reason, all attempts to pr, " serve the bodies of the buried beyond tt :, time limited by nature herself, ought
 be discouraged. That the body should r. n turn to and mingle with the earth in o natural way admits of little doubt. The subject of Sunday funerals
 another of these matters.
 V Towards the abolishing of these we r ., spectfully ask the use of your infuenc
 Of course it is not in all cases possible
 avoid them, but in great majority B. cases 1t Is possible, and there is no goo Il reason why we should not join in tl
 growing tide rising against them. The -, is rapidly increasing tendency in this oi rection. Sunday funerals are objection l. ble because of the throngs of mere i'd
 curiosity seekers which they oftentim II | 0asIooo ohA AoA GIo oPpoI1uulttes oA para T, and display which they afford. Both Ill these things are contrary to the quiet ar
 solemnity which should characterize f ,y neral. They are objectionable because t r. clergy, whose attendance at such a time,
 never before, Is demanded, have alreat St quite as much to do as 6 rule on that da
 as they have time for; and they are fu & ther objectionable for the reason that tn, if unnecessarily employ the services of mt '' who are entitled to one day in seven, B. much as other men, and because they 0,
 usually take place upon the second or Ia ;e day of the week, as well as upon the fir. The death of MT. Kellam is much gretted; though 8 new member of u 'r board, and unable from sickness to attel
 actively to the duties of director, he " d | nevertheless an interested one and gave ,o services freely.
 'e The report is signed by Burton Mar O. field, James D. Dewell, John F. Dough-!
 directors.