The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1898-10-25

Va. writes me that Colonel llllam
Holt. Of the Eighth or perhaps the Tenth
Georgia volunteers died at my mothers
home during the civil war. His body was
teuderly buried. for he was 4 soldier. a
gentleman and 4 Christian. and We be-
came much attached 10 him. | think
he was from Macon, but We have never
heard from his kindred. l was then 4
boy Of sixteen. and now there are only
two of US living who know OF his grave.
The headboard that marked il has . n
to decay. Recently l learned that Your
wife was 4 Holt. and possibly may be
related to or know Of this Colonel VII
liam Holt. and hence / write 70 YOU"
Who can respond to this letter. and
who will mark that soldiers grave: My
wife was not 4 Holt, but her mother was.
and as all the Georgia Holts are kin.
either near or remote. she wishes me t.
make inquiry and do something for this
forgotten man. She says Mr.. HoSh u
and his mother have been kind ard
thoughtful. and now that grave mus lie
remarked. 1t Will cost only 4 dollar
or two for a marble headstone. | won
der what branch of the Holt family
this Colonel William Holt belonged TO-"
have looked over Colonel -Avery>
catalogue and find that Captain Willis G..
Holt commanded Company { in the
Tenth Georgia regiment: that he after
wards became major and then colonel OF
the regiment. This regiment was com
manded first by Colonel Lafayette Nc
Laws next by Alfred Cumming. next by
John B.. Weems. mex by w. c. Holt and
last by \. ]. Mcbride. OF course some
surviving comrade can tell US about this
Holt. and will write to Mr.. Hoshour. II
the spirits Of the dead DO hover around
their graves. how neartleSS It is to neglect
them. 1t IS sad enough To be buried by
strangers afar from home and kindred.
and Sadder still to be among the I'M
known and unrecorded dead. Of cours
this cannot be avoided during war, bur
there is no excuse for negtectfng the
graves of kindred who are buried within
easy reach Of home. If there be ghosts
and haunts and spectres freqUentinc
grayeyardS. they must come from these
neglected graves. Respect for the home
Of the dead-the craveyard-tne Gene
tcrv-is one IF the best evidences of {
civilized and kind-hearted people. Graves
do not require monuments. but they do
silently demand attention.. They should
he protected from wanton intrusion.
There is i grave here now IN an aban-
doned cemetery. a potter's field. over
which rude and careless feet tramp daily.
and in this grave was buried the fathel
Of a man long hOnored and loved in
Georgia. \ broken. mildewed marble
slab that has his name and age lies upon
the ground where it has fallen. It : Il
blepliSh upon the family name that this
grave of the ancestor has been 50 long
neglected. Once | wrote 20 4 man and
suggested that Il simple shaft or tomb
stone To Ice placed over his fathers crave
"a father distinguished in his day-anG
he wrote ne saving that the wants Of the
living were more important than sentl-
mental honorS to the dead.
That man was wealthy. | had 4 mar
bic headStone placed to mark that grave.
Woman has more heart. more sentiment
about such things than man. Il is the
mother who visits the grave of her child
and decks it with flowers. The poet Bar
rett Il that Woman was last at the
cross and earliest at the grave. and
Halleck says that The graves of our
! loved ones are our pilgrim ShrineS."
I wonder If there i q charnel house in
this country. Where Go they fine room
for the dead in New York city and Chi
cago: We read that in England and
some parts OF Germany the bodies Of tn
dead are allowed but thirty years 10 sleep
in the cemetery and are then taken III
and the bones thrown in the charnel
house and there they decay and settle
down into dust. Land Is TOO valuable to
keep on spreading it into grayeyards and
50 they keep on using the same ground
every thirty years The sentiment OF
respect for the homes Of the lead Is pre-
sumed to pass away in that time. There
is nothing there but bones and not many
of them. This IS At least better than ere
nation: no better for the dead. of course.
but more grateful 10 the living who loved
them. Sacred and profane history
, aboundS in mention 10 the dead
and respect for their burial place. The
a Y Of Machpelah is positively known
and was the burial place Of Abraham
and Sarah. Of Isaac and Rebekah and
), Jacob. 1t is the oldest burial place in
the world. Jacob built a monument u
Rachel. but none IS recorded TO Leah.
Leah. poor woman. was not good looking.
The children of Israel took up the bones
of Joseph and carried them along with
them on their forty years journey. Even
in our day the remains OF DISTINGUISHED
| dead are carried thousands of miles 10
+ their home and country. as W. w. Cor
: coran did the bones Of John Howard
= Payne. Columbus does not seem 10 rest
: anywhere permanently and can Well eN-
+ claim ~ Samuel did t. Saul. why hast
+ thou diSQuieted me-" I think that Spain
f might let Us have the remains of either
:. Columbus or Amcricu> Nespuccius. for
: the latter. though an Italian, is buried
,. in Seville.
I, The graves Of our Confederate dead
: are by this time pretty generally marked
: with marble headStoneS. | nave often
/. wondered that the State has not pub
n lished in pamphlet or booklet form the
= names Of all our soldiers by companies
: and regiments and other designations. Il
: wouldn't cost much and would be a
:. great comfort to the veterans and their
= families. Colonel Avery'S catalogue con.
e tains officers only. | need such a bo /
:. almost every day. 1t would be a home
evidence Of the services Of fathers. broth
l. erS and uncles in the confederate arm,
n and should have a place on the parloI
l. table beside the family Bible. Why cam
d the next Legislature have such a bool
aA-,n,1A2 I 49,