The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1909-02-20
AMONG THE GRAVESTONES.


Epitaphs do not always contain eulogies on the
dead Sometimes they consist of sarcastic speeches
or singing harangues addressed to the living.
On such occasions the marble tomb may be said
to supply the purpose of pulpit or public ros-
trum from which to deal out strong and re-
proach to ears still capable of hearing
If the spoken word cuts deeper and drives an
unpaatable truth farther home, the pungent in
vecti7e carved in stone is far more lasting and may
register for many generations yet to come the We
hement protest against some act of inexcusable
neglect gross deed of injustice perpetuated
against those now removed beyond the reach of re-
dress and unable to plead for themselves.
Among the many thousands of epitaphs scat
| tered here and there all over Great Britain quite
considerable number are the lucubrations of wits
intent on describing in common doggere the hui
morous aspect of life and death These writers are
evidently men who love joke that they will not
forego the pleasure of perpetrating even with
in sight of the charnehouse.
So far from inviting the passerby to shed tear
or to breathe sigh "o'er the graves where their
heroes lie buried" they seek rather to provoke
smile by poking fun at their fobles and personal
weaknesses. Thus poor hen-pecked man and his
masculine-minded wife are referred to as follows:
Here lies the man Richard
And Mary his wife
Their surname Pritchard
They lived without strife.
And the is plain:
They abounded In riches,
They care had nor pain
And the wife wore the breeches
However, by far the most favorite subjects for
such facetous rhymsters the village scods and
the garrulous prattling wives. whose caustic
tongues were always in motion and stirring up
strife as a river steamer strs up mud.
Great satisfaction is generally expressed at
the quiet and peace resulting when, at last death
mercifully and puts stop to their incessant
and wearisome clatter.
Here lies my wife poor Molly,
Let her lie.
She finds repose at last,
And-so do I.
The same idea somewhat differently expressed.
is repeated in the case of THE mucll-beloved
Celia"
Here is my much-loved Celia laid
At rest from all her earthly labours;
Glory to God Peace to the dead
And to the ears of all her neighbours.
The grave naturally calls forth solemn thoughts
and should provoke tears rather than mirth
Dull grave! Thou spoiFst
The dance of youthful blood
Strik'st out the dimpe
From the cheek of mirth
And every Sinking feature
From the face,
Branding our laughter
With the name of madness
ct, as opposltes suggest their opposites so the |
very awfulness and solcmnity of graveyard often
gives occasions to extreme leyity and friYolitv. |
sometimes rendered acute Gas in the following
Instance) by bad grammar
On losing his wife, certain gentleman put ND
stone to her memory On it was carved her nor
trait, which represented her administering consola
ton to her weeping husband. in the following
touching lines;
weep not for me, my dearest dear.
| am not dead but sleeping here
The time will come when you must die
Therefore prepare to follow l.
The husband took the advice and not only
Tried his tears, but soon flung himself at the feet
# another paragon and got married again. Upon
which, some wag, going to the tombstone. armed
With piece of chalk, drew not-too-fattering
ketch of the newly welded husband, with the fol-
owing reply written on scroo flowing from his
ps: