The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1900-05-19

| ings of Grnb street.
! Go through TINT Poets corner in West
! minister abbey. There il Handel, the great
| musician, from whose music YOU hear to-
| day; but while look ct his statue [ cannot
| help but think of the discords with watch
| his follow musicians tried to destroy him.
! There is the tomb of John DRYDEN, u beau
| tilul mcanment; but \ cannot hel? but
| think at seventy years fof age he wrote OF
! his being oppressed In fortune and of tue
contract that lie bad Just made for thou
| sand verses at siEpence "a line. Aud there.
| too you find the monument OF Samuel But
| ler the author of "IEdibIa-;' but while [
| TOOL. at his monument i'll Poets corner |
| cannot but ask mvself where lie died. In
a garret. There see the costly tablet fB
| the Poets g eorner-the costly tablet to one
OF whom the celebrated Waller wrote; THE
! old blind schoolnaster, John Milton, has
Just issued a tedious poem on the fall or
man. II the length OF it be no virtue, 1t
| has none" There is beautiful monument
10 Sheridan. Poor Sherden! II he could
have only discounted that monument for
| mutton chop!
| Oh, you unllial children, do not give
your parents so much tombstone, but O
| few more blank6ts-less funeral and more
| bedroom! II five per cent. OF tho money
we now spend on Burns's banquets could
| have been expended in making the living
Scotch poet comfortable, he would not
|
excise man. Horace Greeley, outrageously
| abused while living. when dead IS followed
| toward Greenwood by the President OF the
| United States and the leading men OF the
army and navy. Massachusetts tries to
atone at the grave of Charles sumner ior
| the ignominlous resolutions with Whlch
| her Legislature denounced the living
Senator. Do You think that the tomb at
Springneld can pay for Booths bullet?
| Oh, do Justice to the living! All the JUS
| tice you do them you must do this SIDE tue
gates Of the Metropolis. They cannot wake
| up to count the number OF carriages az tue
obsenues or to notice the polish OF the
| Aberdeen granite or to read epitaphal COM
mem Grafton. Gentleman's mausoieum ID
| the suburbs OF Jerusalem cannot pay for
Bethlehem manger and Calvarean cross
and Pilates ruflian Judiciary, Post NOR
! tenn honors cannot atone for ante-mortem
| ignominies.
Again. standing in this garden OF the
sepulcher, an impressed with the TACT
that Iioral and arboresccnt decorations are
appropriate for the place Of the dead. We
are glad that among flowers and sculptural
adornments Christ spent the short time or
His inhumation.
Icannot understand what l sometimes
see in the newspapers where the obsequleS
are announced and the friends say in con-
nection with it, Send no flowers" Rather,
/
allow-strew the casket with flowers, the
hearse with flowers the grave with flowers.
Put them on the brow-it will suggest
coronation; in their haud-it will mean
victory.
Christ was buried in n garden. Flowers
mean resurrection. Death - sad enough
anyhow. Let conservatory and arboretdm
contribute to its alienation. The harebelr
will ring the victory; the passion IoWer
will express the sympathy; the datfodil
will kindle It's lamp and illume the dark.
ness. The cluster Of asters Will pc tfs
constellation. Your little child loved
flowers when she was living. Put them In
her hand now that she can go forth no
more and pluck them for herself. On sun
shiny days take a fresh garland and put 1t
over the still heart
Brooklyn has no grander glory than It's
Greenwood, nor Boston than its Mount Au-
burn, nor Philadelphia than Its Laurel
Hill, nor Cincinnati than its Spring Grove,
nor San Francisco than its Lone Mountain.
But what shall we say to those country
grayevards with the vines broken down
and the slab aslant and the mound caVed
in and the grass pasture ground tor the
sexton's cattle? Indeed, were your father
and mother of so little worth that you can
not afford to take care of their ashes? Some
day turn out nj! hands and stralghten the
elab and bank up the mound and cut away
the weeds and plant the shrubs and fow'
ers.
Some day you will want to lie down tc
YOUR last slumber. You cannot expect any
respect for your bones IL you have no de-
ference for the bones of your ancestry. DO
YOU think these relics are OF no lmpor-
lance? You will see OF how much fmpor-
tance they are In the day when the arch
angel takes out his trumpet. Turn al!
your cemeteries into gardens.
Again, standing in this garden OF the
new sepulcher, l am Impressed with the
dignity Of private and unpreteEdlng Q Dse'
quies. ,..
joseph was mourner, sexton, ilveryman
had entire charge Of everything. only
four people at the burial OF the hilg or the
Universe! Oh, let this be consolatory to
those who through lack of means or
through lack OF acquaintance have but
little demonstration OF grief at the graves
OF their loved ones. Long line OF glitter.
Ing equipage, two rows OF silver hanalcs,
casket Of richest wood, palbearers gioved
and scarfed, are not necessary. Ii thefe
be six at the grave, Christ looks down from
heaven and remembers that IS TWO more
than were ut His Obsequles.
Not recognizing this idea, how many
small properties are scattered ana widow.
hood and orphanage 60 forth INTO co!n
charity! The departed left small prop
erty, which would nave been enough 10
keep the family tOSetHcT uHth tHty Sou'"
take care Of themselves, but the funeral
expenses absorbed everything. That went
for Grape which ought to have gone for
bread. A man OF moderate means can
hardly afford to die in any OF our great
cities. BY all means, do honor to the DE,
parted. but do not consider funeral pageant
az necessary. No one was ever more loV'
ingly and tenderiy pat away to sepG!chet
than Christ our Lord, but there were only
four people in the procession.
Again, standing IN this garden WITH
new sepulcher, l am impressed with tho
fact that you cannot keep the deai d?"n.
Seal Of sanhedrin, company OF solclsrs
from me tower Of Antonia, floor OF roch'
roc; OF rock, walls Of rock, door o. rock
cannot keep Christ in the crypts. como
ont aud come up He must. Come out anu
come up He did. PrcAguration. FIRST
fruits OF them that slept. Just as certain
IL as we 20 down into tho dust, just 50
certninly we will come up again. Though
nil the granite OF the N fountains. were piied
on us We will rise. Though buried nmio
the corals OF tho deepest cavern OF the
Atlantic Ocean, we will come to the sur
face. ..o
With these eyes we may not look lhto
the face of the MONDAY sun, but we snaii
haye stronger vision, because the tamest
thing in the land to which we 90 Wiz De
brighter than the sun. We snai, nave
bodies with the speed Of the lightning.
Our bodies improved, enerGlzed. sW!itengu, 1S,.
n,rt u