The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-05-28
THE BLUE AND THE GRAY.
Introducing the Patriots Pillow Of
Dust With Natures Blooms.

son BonaparGe ana the venus
George Eliot Peacefully Sleep in the
Great Commander Presence.
Copyright 1899
New York, May Eft was just a
bunch of white roses, but the ribbons that
tied it together told its histOry-one was
blue and the other was gray. II was to
be placed on the grave Of boy who had
fought for what he believed was right,
and the gentlewoman who was to put it
there believed that all animosity had
passed by. and the blue and the gray
might be firm friends. So the bunch she
carried for her own boys grave was tied
up in this way and in her hand was an
other one tied the same; it was to be laid
upon the grave of the stranger. That
stranger whose name was even unknown
to her, but who died fighting like a brave
man, and who, therefore, deserved to be
remembered and to have tribute shown
his courage. / think it a beautiful idea
this one of decorating the graves of all
the soldiers, but | like II better when the
custom is carried even further, and when
not grave III the cemetery is overlooked.
LOVING FLORAL REMEMBRANCEs.
1t seems to me n goodly and proper
thing for the living to remember the dead,
81 least once a year, and it seems a kind
and loving thing to mark this remem-
brance with sweet flowers. AS a people,
we are not very emotional, and if there is
any way in which we can bring our kind
ness to the surface it should be done. and
so the encouragement Of the day sacred
to the memory of those who have gone be-
fore is worthy of much consideration.
Way down south there is never a grave
Il +.
everybody, rich and poor, goes out to the
resting place Of those who are sleeping,
and makes, by putting a posy here, a rose
there, a wreath of ivy some place else
and cluster of forgct-me-nOts
in another corner the whole place
blossoms out as if to say that for one day
the living and the dead alike are happy.
Sometimes some tears are shed; some
times over very little grave you see
woman quietly weeping; but much Of
tener the flowers are laid down in
reverential way and the giver walks off
quietly to make lovely some other spot.
The little children go IN great bands,
every one carrying pOsy, and all eager
to decorate the grave of some hero, 1t is
a day when people forget the faults and
and remember only the virtues of those
who have gone before, and that is the
reason it is a good day.
SUNNY ITALY S DECORATION DAY.
I cannot say like the way they do in
New York, where ugly pots of flowers
are carried out in wagons and set around
here and there, in a stiff fashion. | like
better the way they do ii in the south and
the west where whole households turn
out and everybody has quiet sort of
gladnesS about them-a gladucsS that
means sweet memories The day of the
flowers in Florence is probably the most
beautiful in the world. for in a country of
flowers it goes without saying that even
the lowliest can make the bed of his be-
loved glowing mass of beauty
with crimson roses that typify his
love, white ones her purity, while the blue
forget-me-nots look up at you and remind
you that where a true love has once eX-
listed II never dies. Then he who has
looked TO the making beautiful of his
loves couch goes off and makes equally
lovely the bed of the stranger, who has
died alone and friendless. The people
seem TO feel that the dead are happier for
being remembered with the flowers, and
somehow 1t always seems to me that it is
So At PcTe Ia Chaise the tawdrv
wreaths made of beads and bright red
and yellow immOrtelles are very offensive
TO the stranger, and yet there is in their
use certain sentiment which even their
own ugliness cannot kill. The idea being
that as the wreath will last forever, so
does the memory within the heart.
UNHAPPY ADA IsAAcs MENKEN.
Probably the most interesting grave in
Paris is that of Ada lsaacs Menken in the
Jewish cemetery. / went out especially
TO see this grave, because this woman
stands almost alone in her century; pos
sessing every talent, she seems to have
been incapable of making good use of any
OF them; having heart overlooking with
love, she wasted il on those who were
u~raHseA q Ns.reu =.
mixture of intense scorn for herself and
what she had made of it. No wonder that
on the simple little tombstone is carved
the one word, "InfeliX''-fOr certainly she
was unhappy. The day ! saw this
there laid just in the center
OF the mound, overgrown with
grass and weeds, single red rose. / do
not know who put it there, but was told
by the gatekeeper, who had guided me to
the spot, that an elderly gentleman fire.
quently came, always brought Just one
rose, stayed awhile, and placed it above
what had been beautiful, an erratic, a
talented and very unhappy woman
Who was the man, Surely it was not
Swinburne, for he was far off in his En-
glish home. Gautier, Flaubert and the
the other noted men who had been friends
OF hers in her gay bohemian days were
dead and only Dumas was left could it
be her
AnOtnef woman grave which Is curl
Gus is that of Elizabeth Patterson Bona
parte, who sleeps in the cemetery near
Baltimore. a woman whose ambition
ruined her life. The great heavy block of
granite that marks her grave looks as if
II were put there TO weigh down the rest
less spirit. There is upon it no word of
sweet consolation. / have never seen a
flower near it, but carved at one side is
this quotation after life's ftful fever
she sleeps we'll" Does she2 Do those
people sleep well who live life of ambi-
ton, and that alonc2
GRAVES OF GEORGE ELIOT AND RACHEL.
The grave of George Eliot was. when ]
saw it, deserted and miserable looking
and il seemed to me that the brain Of the
woman must have been 50 much stronger
than her heart that there was no one
after her death 10 come and put the frag-
rant blossoms that tell their own story OF
love and tenderness. Rachel's grave is
deserted looking and, except that the
skeleton Of palm leaf is upon IT, there
would seem 10 bee no memory of the wo-
man who made multitudCs bow before her
genius
That is why like our southern idea of
putting the bowers on every grave; then.
u the dead can look. they think al least
mat stranger was good 10 them and
"a