Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1893-05-20
and Tins the history Of the cemc.cry

bishop OF baltimore for the use OF tho
Roman Catholics of this city as cemc-
terry. Who she was or what she was
no man to-day can tell. Manifcstly
she was woman of property, and OF
devout religious turn of mind The
land was accepted by the archbishop
and II was consecratcd Us all Roman
Catholic cemeteries arc. Therefore 1t
Is no wonder that the words of the
Scripture came to my mind. when |
stood upon the ground last fall and
saevned to hear the words; Take OH
thy shoes. for the place whcreon thou
standcst is holy ground. The ancient
and dismantlcd cemetery is only one
mile from the capitol, but when it was
given to the church it was regarded as
way beyond the city limits, where the
entertainments of trade and commerce
could never disturb it. To-day this
city has grown around and beyond it,
and this afternoon drove mile
north Of the place and inspected prop
erty which is selling for Sl.00 per
square foot. The ground upon which
the cemetery is located is to-day worth
$3.50 per square foot. All around it
close it there are magnificent resi-
dcncc, builded, not one of which could
be purchased for less than $1,000. And
yet that place is holy ground in which
rcposc the bodies of u number of the
elect; and the cardinal archbishop is
obliged to go to the secular courts in
order to secure absolute possession of
the ground.
The broken and scattered tombstoncs
bear many marks of age. Their faces
are scanned and furrowed with the
tracks made by rain, snow, sleet and
hail. The inscriptions made ''in MEM
DRY of" the loved and lost by hands and
hearts bercaved are wcll-nigh gone
forever. Even the letters which once
stood forth to tell the future genera
tons the names of those who were
consigned to mother earth are nearly
NIL obliterated. And so all memory of
fathers. mothers. husbands and wives
and prattling babes has faded away
and disappeared like the long-forgot-
ten tears which fell upon the cold
clods around the graves when the
priests said: Earth to EARTH" and
the sexton old his mournful task per-
formed.
Old Tiber creek flowed once along
the border of the quiet and beautiful
city of the sacred dead. To-day, it is
archcd over and become Il portion OF
the sewerage system of u great city.
The little hills and dales which once
were within the Enclosure of the Gene
terry which Ann Casanave gave unto
the church. have all been leveled by
the hand of man. The trees through
whose spreading branches the rains
fell, slowly pattering and weeping
with the mourners who came to that
spot to bcmoan their losses, have ali
disappeared from the surrounding
country; but, within what remains of
the former silent city stately oaks,
beautiful willows, evergrecns and
hemlocks have their homes. They
too, living now SO uncared for and so
aimlessly, will soon fall before the re-
lentless AK of progress.
The long, unpaved thoroughfare, the
country road along which the funeral
professions used to drive, is now Sew
enth street, the principal scene of traf-
fic between the arsenal and the
heights north of the city. Adjoining
the sacred place, stretching away for
half a mile, is place called lie Droit
park, which was purchased some twelve
years ago by Ohio's distinguished
senator. John Sherman. Even so re
Gently it was properly named n park;
but to-day that is a misnomer. The
statesman-financiera and business man,
through an agent, laid it off into town
lots, and now it is n village which has
become n recognized portion OF the
city proper To the south and east of
the cemetery we can see electric cars
rushing along with overhead trolleys.
They have brought into the city that
tract of land now known as lexington,
recently a portion of the estate of Kate
Chase Sprague. Howard university,
established directly north of the
ancient burying ground, n school for
colored people, has formed the nucleus
of q village called Howardtown, and
thus the graveyard is surrounded by
growth and thrift.
There may be no doubt that after
life's fitful fever the loved and lost
sleep well, even in that spot so circum-
scribed by human energies and ambi-
tions. Whether or not by litigation
the cardinal may have permission to
remove them remains to be seen. But
the graveyard, it's past and present
constitute sufficient food for thought
upon the mutability of affairs, the deep
impression of the reflection: "How
soon we are forgotten when we are
gone" Smith ID. FRY.