The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-08

ing fires or for nests for mice. In late years enterprsing citizens have caused the legislature to make better provision for their keeping.
 It is often ignorance or indifference rather than wantonness that provokes acts of vandalism. The bricks from the old church at Jamestown were removed to make a sea wall to preserve the land from the encroachment of the waves of the river, with no thought that the na- tion's most important historic monument was being dsmantled. The baptismal font from the old church at Curle's Neck was used for a hominy mortar for years simply because nobody knew what it was. Some church member finally res cued 1t, had it re-cut and took 1t to Rich mond. The old territorial capitol of Wis consin at Belmont Is now a cow stable and the old home of Francis Scott Key in Georgetown now a part of Washing ton, Is scared and defaced with miscel- laneous signs, while a fruit stand blocks the entrance to the lower floor.
 The famous colonial block house at Fort Pitt, Pittsburg was in a fair way to be torn down to make right of way for railroad, until some publc-spirited wom- en influenced the legislature to preserve 1t as a historic monument. The Daugh- ters of the American Revolution have also preserved the stones from old Fort Steuben from further desecration by builders by having them restored to their original site and held by a deed of their own. Grave yards have not been spared by vandals. When death took its heavy daily toll of Americans on board the ter rible British prison ships of the revolu- ton. swinging at anchor for seven years in New York harbor, the bodies were buried on the shores of Long Island. The waves soon disturbed the bones and they aI ot6 toIr I,xr n1 lectors, until patriotic citizen employed the children of the neighborhood to gath CT them up and had them decently in- tered.
 One of the most fragrant instances of vandalism on record Is the alteration of the inscriptions on the gravestones, and the shifting of the markers from grave to grave in Christ church yard, Alex andria. Some one who was clever with the use of a stonecutter's tools, has per petrated a ghastly joke by placing the figure '1'' before many of the figures telling the age of those inferred there making '1S' for example, read '11S Any one having such perverted sense of humor deserves to be put in jail. Unintentional vandalism has caused confusion in more than one cemetery With the best possible intentions a Bos- ton official many years ago rearranged the tombs in old Kings chapel burying ground 10 Sult HIS own nancy. lie thought they looked best in rows, and placed them that way. Now no one can exactly locate the graves of such noted folk as Governor Winthrop, Governor Shirley, John Cotton or Hester Prynne. It is this same unintentional spirit that has worn away a part of the wood work of a cart in the Smithsonian Institution, each vs- itor placing a hand on the cart to get a better view and so wearing away tho grain.
 Possibly we inherit this spirit Ancient inscriptions on Egyptian monuments are often deciphered as the pleasantries or criticisms of Greek and Roman visitors. Justin tells us that even until the days of Augustus the tools used for making the famous Wooden Horse for the siege of Troy were gravely exhibited by col lector Washington Irving in his Sketch Book refers to that phase of national spirit which provided vandalism in West minister Abbey, depriving Edward the Confessor of his scepter, and the effgy of Henry of its head.
 TomorroW-Winning the Arid West