Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1922-03-07
ny Frederic ). risskin

Washington. March 7,--Censorsbip
In now being carried to the very grave.
The latest thing In censors, according
70 serious minded trade journal
which keeps W with Tombstone news,
IL censor Of epI,aphs. This official
has been appointed in an unnamed
English village and entrusted with the
Job OF seeing TINT graveyard soiennity
is not violated by fippnnt quips and
epigrams on tho tofnbstones.
English Wears for n number Of years
have supervised TO some extent tomb
stone sentiments. 10 may seem
strange that now, when epitaphs ore
no longer INDUCED in by poets or poet
nsters, there should be any great need
for n special guardian Of tombstone
dignity.
But the dangers. Il seems, are in the
epitaphs which have been perpetrated
/ In tho past. Gravcd on cd. moss
grown, lettering stones. the verses Of
n century or two ago 0ftentimes ex-
press sentiments regarding death and
the death that are filppant, irreverent,
and In short. unguited for public pc
rusal In this highly regulated age.
Our attitude toward tombstones un-
doubtedly has changed. II is not 80
much that we think more solemnly Of
death; but rather that we think less
Of Il. The churchyard is seldom the
graveyard any longer. Few people
think Of visiting the cemeteries out
side the city when they set out for a
Sunday afternoon stroll. Decidedly
the dead are not SO much with us az
they were few centuries. or even o
few generations, back.
Tombstones Topic Of Talk.
Then, tombstones were q live topic
A man expected 20 have an epitapf
written about him. and II there was
} any fear In his mind that his relatives
, would not make "A good Job Of It, h'
I wrote the label for his stone himself
OF hired a professional 20 write one.
l Ben Jonson. Milton, and Pope wrot'
. epitaphs. Shakespeare wrote his oWi
Y epitaph in four-llne verse of warn
Q ing 10 any who might wish TO disturl
!. his stone. To dash off witty epitapl
for friend or enemy was a parlo
Z trick with which kings and courtier
whiled away dull afternoon.
r Thus when Charles III CASUAL
9 asked Rochester to write his epitapf
the courtier thought q minute an
j. produced the following now famou
lines:
1T Here lies our mutton-eating king,
L Whose word no man relies on;
Is Who never said a foolish thing,
And never did a wise one.
The king took no offense. hut set !.
a. brains TO work and composed = secor
& stanza:
ie II death could speak, the king won
y say.
10 IN Justice 20 his crown,
ut His acts they were the minister's.
10 His words they were his own.
Even II a man was inadvertent
81 misplaced, he had TO have tombsto
and an epitaph. as is shown by {
Of following in an English churchyard
OF Underneath this sod lies John Rop
r. Who WIS lost In the sea and never W
lly found.
az Rhyme or Free Verse.
he Epitaphs were correct style a
It's everybody had them. Those indf
X duals whose outstanding deeds a
characteristics could not be sauee2
into rhymed couplets were glorious
immortalized in free verse. La
O'Looneys epitaph is a good examp
Here lies the body OF
Lady O'Looney,
Great niece Of Burk. commonly
- Called the sublime.
She was
,ut Bland, passionate, and deeply religio
Also painted in water-colors.
an, And sent several pictures
to the Exhibition.
led She was first cousin to Lady Ion'
And Of such is the kingdom Of heay
OF But those days are gone. Poets
longer specialize in epitaphs. II
pecked husbands get even by SO
90 other means than by writing S
castle verses to go on tombstones.
o. epitaph, which started off well in
country in the graveyards OF Mas
chusetts. Is practically defunct.
- Still, the possibilities OF epitaph
co form. even in this country. sho
IN not be overlooked. Like Engla
we have ample material which she