Evening star., 1900-06-14

| last night II have made q study of ce1ne-
| teries for some tin&e and have come to the
| conclusion that there are a number of
things about giving the dead a handsome
| burial which many people do not know
In several cities havc. visited the ceme-
terfes were placed some distance from the
cities The growth of the municipality re-
quired the removal Of the bodies from the
old burial grounds To new places, far be-
ycnd the limits of habEation.
Il am acquainted with the fact that the
peculiar situation OF this city prevents the
pla cling of the cemeteries very far from the
CITY, II they to remain under the jul
risdiction of tho local health authorities.
But why should the District health off,
they are buried? There are many places
outside the limits of the District. any one
of which would make an ideal burial spot.
What could be more beautiful than the Ar
lington cemetery? People will complain of
the distance from the; city and the difficulty
in reaching such places through the medium
OF the ordinary funeral cortege. There is
where the Washington people will show
their disbelief in modern customs. In every
city l have visited where the cemetery has
been situated several miles beyond the town
limits an electric car runs directly to the
place. Now, when the undertaken makes
ARRANGEMENTS for the burial of one of his
us.omers he notifies the management of
the cemetery, and when the head of the
line of carriages reaches. the end of the
car line leading to the cemetery, the mourn
crs find an elegantly fitted train of electric
cars waiting for them. There is coach
for the body, the forward part of which is
fitted up with u'estles on which to rest the
casket, the rear end being reserved for
the palibearers and the undertaken and his
assistants The next coach is tastefully
arranged for the mourners. Partitions are
50 fixed that the car can be divided into
partments. and the chief mourners can
be as exclusive as if they were seated in
carriage. There is no gaudy decoration and
the arrangements are Just as solemn and
impressive as they possibly be ar
ranged. When every one is aboard the train
the cars are started and Il quick run is
made TO the cemetery, into which the train
is run on a side track. A small truck is
then brought out, and the body is con-
veyed to the place of burial in the most
expeditions manner.
THAT is the modern way of conducting a
funeral. and when one thinks of the beau
tiful spots along the Potomac and in Mary
land where cemeteries can be laid out for
this city 1t seems strange that one has
taken hold of the matter to give Washing
ton people the benefit of a modern sys-
tem.'
1.-The chances are that there will not be
crab famine this year. as there was last"
said Myer Jones of Old Point Comfort at
the Metropolitan last night. Tho soldiers
at the Hampto on Soldiers Home are getting
to work grabbing and will send any guam
tity of crustaceans to the northern mar
kets this year. Many people do not know
that these men supply almost the entire
rket of Baltimore and Washington with
crabs. 1t is a fact, however. The old
soldiers have nothing to do all day. and in
the summer time when the days are hot time
hangs heavily on their hands. There
many boats the home. scme of them be-
longing to the soldiers. The inmates go out
on the bay with these and catch crabs
simply a pastme as they are we'll
taken care Of at the home.
Within the last few years. however.
they have found that grabbing is some
thing more than a pleasure. In two hours
they can easily take in several hundred
crabs for which they have use and
a consequence 1t Is easy for them to dis
pose of their catch to the fish dealers in
Norfolk and surrounding towns In late
years the dealers have been supplying the
soldiers with barrels and have fallen into
the habit of depending upon them for crabs
with which to supply the markets of the
north. The soldiers do the work cheaper
than man supporting family could do
it. and cheaper eaaan the wholesale mer-
chants get it done anywhere else.
Few people know what caused the fam
Inc during the latter part of last summer.
II will be remembered. that several cases
of yellow fever WIRE discovered in the hos
pital at the Soldiers H0me ard the epi-
demic spread to such an extent that all
of the towns in thd in mediate vicinity were
quarantined and the St5ldters in the home
were absolutely. tbroidten to leave the
home grounds. The result was that none
of them could get on the bay for crabs and
the market went to pieces in short time
There Were quantities, of crabs sold in
Washington and BALTIMORE during the time
the quarantine lasted. but the price
high and few of them came from our part
of the country. Special precautions are to
be taken this year against yellow fever.
The disease was brought 10 the home last
nv soldier WlO had from
Cuba
The British are not the only people who
have suffered from the effects Of having
too many women at the front" remarked
an old soldier at Chamberlain's recently.
Il will never forget while l live the ex-
citement In this city during the early days
of the civil war, and the women of the
country, through earnest but misplaced
patriotism, caused "a heap of trouble to the
officers of the army They all wanted to
help. but there were too many OF them
and they got in the way. When the troops
commenced to arrive in the city after the
first call. before the first battle OF Bull Hun.
there were almost as many volunteer
nurses as there were soldiers. We did the
best we could for them, as their tenders
of aid Were made in such manner that
they could not be turned aside without
embarrassment
1T was thought at that time that the
war was only a question of Few weeks
and no one had any idea as to what 1t
would bring about On the day of the
battle of Bull Run you would have thought
there a circus in town. The troops
had advanced to meet the enemy at Man
assas, and men. women and children went
out to see lick the rebels. Everybody
knows the story of that defeat There
never was such scrambling or such a
crush as that which filled the roads lead
ing into this city. The women all wanted
to attend to the wounded VINO mad peen
brought back. and there was such crowd
at the hospitals that the surgeons could
not attend to their work. The mothers
and sisters and sweethearts OF the boys
who were hurt all wanted to help IN the
care of them, and they would do the most
unheard of things to get into the hospitals.
There We're few women who knew
something about nursing and who would
obey the doctors orders, but they did not
count among the hundreds who entered
the service and literally killed the men
with their attentions.
Nothing was too good for the soldiers
and the amateur nurses fed them Things
the surgeons absolutely forbade them to
have. Besides this they could not under
stand why soldier should not do as they
bid. regardless of the orders of his su-
peror. That's the trouble the British nave
been having in South Africa, and 1t has
been brought out in a very practical way
the Thara not very nlucn