Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1901-07-20
A QUAINT CEMETERY,
WHERE OVER 100 o. THE COUNTRYs
EARLY LEGISLATORS SLEEP.

Free Intermcnt Of Goa -.r"ssmcn
Dying Away From lIUnir.
ON the eastern outskirts OF Washing
ton. where the city, struggling over the
commons and vacant squares. hultS At
the edge of the marshes of the Ana
costa river stands the old Congress
sional cemetery, with lis rightScore
cenotaphs, memorials OF departed
statesmen. Years ago the tide of pop
ulation surged westward ard north
ward, ovcrrunning he SnluhriouS high.
lands of those sections and establish
ing ~ burial grounds in the new re-
gions. But this little city Of the dead
was left alone in the deserted quarter.
with the Jail. the almhouSc and the
wOrkhousc for ncighborS.
In it are 100 ccnotuphS To dead con.
grcssmcn, stretching in monotonouS
rows through the cemetery, all of them.
with two exceptions, of Il uniform
shape and size, and erected at govera-
mcnt expense TO the memory of the
governments dead representatives.
Some of the stones mark the actual
buryinS place of the dcfunct states
men, but others, like those commcm-
orative of Henry Clay, John Quincy
Adams, Thaddcus Stevens and others,
merely stand in honor of those dis
tinguishcd names. Since 1876 the prl:-
tlCc of erecting ccnotaphs, begun III
1916. has been abandoned.
When the cemetery was established
in 1905 its projectors thought it would
be Il successful idea to secure the inter-
ment in the new cemetery of congress
men who passed away while serving
their country in the then malarial eli
mate Of Washington and that it would
give this mortuary site distinction
above ordinary burying grounds.
SO 100 burial sites were set apart for
the free intcrmcnt of congressman dy
ing away from home, and the place
was named the CongressiOnnl cemetery.
In those days it was impossible to
transport body long distances with
out great expense and trouble, and the
sivc, so the privilege thus extended
was readily accepted. The funerals
were conducted with imposing ccremo-
MES, and the departed solons were laid
away with pomp and circumstance in
the spaces specially allotted and set
apart for them,
AS methods of transportation improvv
ed, however, with the years, and the
families oS the deceased found OppOr-
tunity to take the bodies home for In.
tcrmcnt, the practice fell into disuse,
and ultimately Il law was enacted pro.
viding that Il ccnotaph should be erect.
ed in the cemetery to every congress.
man who died in the harness. and for
Il number of years this custom was fol-
lowed, SO that many of the monuments
merely stand in memory Of the con.
grcssmcn without actually marking the
burial sites.
I'm 1876 Il law was enacted providing
that no cenotaph should be erected I'M
less interment was made in the ccme-
terry, and there has not been a burial
of IL congressman in the plot since that
year.
The ccnotaphs are plain blocks Of
covered with cement to with
Each is inscribed with the name of the
dead man, the state he represented i4
the house or senate and the date of his
death. Some of the Inscriptions are
now lllegiblc, but the oldest one de-
is on Il cenotaph In memory
of Andrew Il. Butler, Il senator from
the state Of South Carolina, who died
In 1916. AS stated, all the cenotaphs
are of uniform size and shape. except
in two instances. One Is q marble mon
to Elbridge Gerry of Massachu-
sets, at one time vice president of the
United States and famous in Rcvolu-
tionary history. 1t is pyramid shaped
of the other cenotaphs, surmounted by
an urn containing Il representation Of
an undying flame. The other is Il mon
to George Clinton of New York,
also vice president of the United States
and active in the war of 1912.
Among the cenotaphs is one to Push
u Choctaw chief, who, the
states, died of Group in the
slXtleth year Of his age while visiting
In 1924. Beneath this in
Is the statement that the red
In his last breath desired the
big guns to be fired over him. He had
the salute he desired.
1t might be economy If the govern
mcnt were content nowadays merely
to honor the departed congressman
with cenotaph for the 1G0 memorials
probably did not cost as much as half Il
dozen modern funerals of dcfunct
Congressional funerals now
are elaborate affairs. There must he
. junkct with every ceremony. The
body is transported To the home of the
deceased in Il special car, accompanied
by one or two pullmnns, containing q
more or less Borrowing congressional
escort, with a well stocked commits.
and flowers and mourning and a dis.
play of white sashcs quite imposing.
Then some day special services are
held in the house and senate, and the
family of the deceased is present to
hear him culogiZed and endowed with
more virtues than ever they dreamed
in his lifetime that he possessed. The
eulogcs are afterward printed in mo.
rocco covered volumes and distributed
among the friends und constituents,
after which congress, dceming that 1t
has performed its duty, dries It's eyes
md proceeds again to MISUNDERSTANDING.
ington Letter in Los Angeles Times.
Too True.