Evening star., 1909-06-05

BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence Of The Star and the
Chicago Record Herald
PHILADELPHIA, June 4. 1909.
Benjamin Franklin is buried beside his
wife and infant son In the northwest cor
ner of Christ's Church cemetery on Arch
street. near 9Th street, Philadelphia. This
burying ground has been used for cen
tury and half or more, and several
other famous men mingle their dust under
some old mulberry trees, one OF which
was planted by Franklin. DR.. BENJAMIN
Rush, one OF the signers Of the Declara-
ton Of independence: Gen. Cadwalader
and Jacob Morgan OF the continental
army; Commodores Truxton, Bainbridge
and Dale Of the navy, and long list OF
famous Philadelphians will answer to the
roll call there on judgment day The
cemetery occupies half block and Is sur
rounded by wall Of red bricks imported
from London, but an opening has been
made and an iron railing introduced SO
that Frankln's tomb can be seen from
the sidewalks on Arch street. 1t Is imme-
diately under the shadow of the big
building of the Curtis Publishing COM
pany, which issues the Saturday Evening
Post, the paper Franklin established. and
the Ladies' Home Journal
r
stone, and almost everybody who sees 1t
is surprised that 1t does not bear the
famous epitaph written by Franklin and
generally supposed to have been intended
for his tomb:
The body
BENJAMIN Franklin. Printer
Like the cover OF an old book,
And stripped Of its lettering and gilding),
Lies here, food for worms;
Yet the work itself shall not be lost
For it will (as he believes) appear once
more
In new
And more beautiful edition,
Corrected and amended
The Author.
Instructions as to Burial
Various explanations have been given
to account for the absence Of these beau
tiful words from the place intended. and
that most commonly accepted is that the
heirs of the great philosopher were too
economical to waste their money upon a
stonecutter's Job. But DR.. Franklin died
a rich man. He owned a great deal OF
valuable property, and dSposes of 1t In
a very long will, full Of wise philosophy
and sage observations on human nature.
The will also gives the most precise in
structions as to his burial and his tomb
stone. 1t says:
i
wife, il it may be. and that a marble
stone be made by Chambers, six feet long
and four feet wide, plain. with only a
small moulding around the upper edge,
and this inscription:
BENJAMIN and
Franklin
And the next clause In the will is: ''My
stick 9Ol6
head, curiously wrought in the form Of a
Cap Of Liberty, I give to my Friend and
the Friend of Mankind, General Washing
ton. If 1t were a Scepter he has mer-
tied 1t and would become it,
Dr. Franklin's instructions were carried
out implicitly. The inscription he gave
In his will appears upon the stone. and
the beautiful sentiment suggested by his
trade of a book printer and publisher is
simply piece of literature.
Famous Epitaph Paraphrased.
Franklin's famous epitaph was para.
phrased by George Ritter. a matchmaker
in the town of Newport, N. H. who died
in 1922, leaving instructions to place the
following inscription upon his tomb:
The outside Of
George Ritter,
Whose abiding place in that line
Was an honor to his profession.
Integrity was his handspring,
And prudence the regulator of all
the actions Of his life.
Humane. generous and liberal his hand
Never stopped till he had relieved distress.
He never went wrong
Except when set a-going by people
Who did not know his key.
Even then he was easily set right again.
He had the art Of dispensing Of
His time so we'll that his hours
Glided by in continual round
OF pleasure and delight.
Till an unlucky minute put end
To his existence.
He departed this life Sept. IL. 1922.
His case rests and molders
And decays beneath this sod,
But his good works will never die.
Pugilist in Westminster Abbey.
1 am asked whether 1t is true that a