PARK AND CEMETERY. 
better; it helps the superintendent to 
make a better cemetery. 
Washington, the headcpiarters of 
the Grand Army, is naturally the cen- 
ter of the official memorial exercises, 
and the most impressive ceremonies 
of the nation are those held in the 
Arlington National Cemetery, where 
rest more of the soldier dead than 
anywhere else in the country. The 
weather this year was ideal and thou- 
sands made their annual pilgrimage 
to Arlington, where "Corporal'’ James 
Tanner, former commander of the G. 
A. R., was the orator of the daJ^ 
The decorations were in charge of the 
various committees of the Woman’s 
Relief Corps, which has probably a 
greater task in this respect than any 
other organization in the decorating 
WAITING FOR THE PARADE. 
of the 40,000 graves in Arlington and 
other cemeteries. There are 20, 
000 of the soldier dead in Arling- 
ton’s beautiful grounds. Its tow- 
ering hills, clothed with majestic trees, 
giving a glimpse across the historic 
Potomac, of the nation’s capitol and 
the Washington monument; its se- 
cluded valleys, with occasionally a 
massive monument among the trees; 
its broad stretches of well-kept lawns; 
its long regular ranks of headstones 
to humble privates, varied with more 
imposing memorial's to officers; the 
old Lee mansion, a landmark of his- 
tory; all combine to make this a spot 
where nature and historic association 
compel an appreciation of the fullest 
meaning of Memorial Day. 
Especially elaborate exercises were 
held in Indianapolis this year, owing 
to the presence of President Roose- 
velt and Vice-President Fairbanks, 
who were there to dedicate the Law- 
ton monument. Hands assembled at 
the great soldiers’ mr)nument at '■> 
o’clock in the morning, remaining 
until 1 1 The school children be- 
jtan assembling at !)::!() o’clock, bring- 
ing flowers and floral attributes to be 
used in the decoration. Each child 
was also requested to bring a small 
national or President’s flag. After 
distribution of the floral offerings the 
children were massed on the steps 
and at the base of the monument, 
where they greeted the President and 
Vice-President as they passed on their 
way" to the Vice-President’s home. 
The grounds surrounding the monu- 
ment were decorated with badges of 
the different corps and with flags, ami 
details from the U. V. L. and the 
Spanish-American veterans looked 
after the protection of the children in 
which assistance was also rendered by 
the police. 
Memorial Day" is, of course, the ceme- 
tery superintendent’s busy day, and he 
might be pardoned if he were occasion- 
ally inclined to regard the day before as 
agony, the day itself as a riot, and the 
day after the day of mourning for his 
grounds. In the larger cities the holi- 
day crowds bring conditions that are 
trying to a degree. But to the credit 
of the men in charge, be it said that 
very few of them are pessimistic about 
the day, a considerable force of extra 
police, however, being one of the es- 
sential aids to a moderate degree of 
cheerfulness. It is a long day and a 
hard one, for the vendors of floral 
decorations and of peanuts and other 
interior decorations arrive before day- 
light and vie with one another in 
securing sites as close as possible to 
the entrance. Perhaps only the vigi- 
lance of the authorities prevents the 
establishment of a portable bar and 
temporary dance hall within the en- 
trance to add to the gaiety of the 
ball game in the adjoining field. The 
monument dealer across the way pol- 
ishes up his sample stones and the 
saloon-keeper on the corner polishes 
up his glasses to slake the Decora- 
tion Day thirst, and then the trolley 
cars begin to come. In general, how- 
ever, the crow"ds are mindful of the 
time and the place, and the police are 
required to do nothing more violent 
than to .keep order, see that none of 
the school children get run over, and 
that parties coming from a distance 
allowed to lunch on the grounds this 
one day in the year, do not turn the 
privile.ge into a picnic or contest in 
athletic sports. 
From some questions regarding the 
character of the crowds we' learn from 
superintendents in different parts of 
the country: 
“Tlie roug’h element we 'used tn get. 
elsewhere.” 
"The merely curious visitors we had in 
such larpe numl»ers in the first fifteen 
years following’ the war now in great 
I Ub‘ 
measure go to the beaches. There is also 
a tendency on the part of lot owners not 
having a special interest in the day to 
have their decorations placed a day or 
two before, and go out of town for the 
holiday.” 
‘T think that 00 per cent of the lot own- 
ers \isit the cemetery on Memorial Day 
and never come again till the next Me- 
morial Day.” 
“Dot owners come out to protect their 
lots from the crowds.” 
The following are some suggestions 
for reforming the observance of the 
day : 
”1 would sugge.?t that the Memorial Day 
exercises be held on a Sunday and that 
some other secular day be set apart for 
a hcliday in May. I would be Puritan 
enough to forbid by law baseball and 
other such exercises on the Sunday set 
aside for Memorial Day.” 
“Hold all services in the churches; send 
the flowers if they must be placed on the 
graves of the cemetery in charge of a 
suitable committee. Make this committee 
small, say. two or three. Det the ceme- 
tery authorities place the ^ bowers on the 
COLORED CHILDREN DECORATING 
SOLDIERS’ GRAVES. 
graves. This would do away with the 
rabble that generally follow the G. A. R. 
Post and the Band.” 
“Stop ail excursions, street cars, ball 
games, etc., and impress upon the minds 
of the people that the day is set aside 
for honoring the dead.” 
“Repeal the law inaking this a national 
holiday.” 
Perhaps the best summing up of 
the conditions and the attitude of the 
modern cemetery superintendent is 
found in this admirable little essay 
from IMr. Edward G. Carter, superin- 
tendent of Oak Woods Cemetery, 
Chicago. 
“Perhaps the members of no other call- 
ing have the same re ’son to feel pessi- 
mistic regarding Decoration Day observ- 
ances as the cemetery superintendents, par- 
ticularly of the larger cities. For weeks 
before the day, evei-y effort has l>een put 
forth to make the cemetery perfect in 
appearance. In our latitude, generally un- 
certain weather and late frosts shorten the 
season of preparation so that the rush of 
work is equal to that of the busy season in 
most commercial and industrial lines. The 
whole year’s work is influenced more or 
less by the requirements of the day and 
the demands of the lot owners are centered 
about it. The day arrives and -with it the 
superintendent’s reward. 'Th(‘ peanut vender 
comes early and with unlimited resources 
for fertilizing (?) the well kept lawns and 
closely following in his numerous wake, loud- 
voiced hucksterers of light refreslmieiits 
