THE MODERN CEMETERY. 
19 
den from the lawns surrounding Mr. Shaw’s coun- 
try residence, and in plain view from many of the 
windows. Every detail of its construction was car- 
ried out under the interested supervision of its owner. 
It is awell proportioned octagonal, red granite build- 
ing in what may be called the Italian style, since at 
least its details are Italian. It is twelve feet in dia- 
meter and about thirty-five feet high including the 
gilded bronze cross which surmounts the semi-ori- 
ental roof of copper. It is this roof which gives the 
structure its misleading summer-house appearance. 
It has tall windows on seven sides and a door on the 
eighth all protected for half their height by gratings 
of vertical iron bars finished at the top with gilded 
spear heads. The door is distinguished from the 
windows only by a padlock. The door and windows 
are of clear glass surrounded by a narrow border of 
indifferently good stained glass. The castings are all 
of bronze. The entire building is made as nearly 
indestructible as possible and its most unusual fea- 
ture is the massive masonry which underlies the visi- 
ble structure. This foundation is of stone and con- 
crete to a depth of seven feet and projects beyond 
the building six feet on all sides. The projecting 
part supports a stone pavement of the same width. 
In the middle of this mass, which is also the middle 
of the diameter of the Mausoleum, is a solid block 
of limestone in which a space just large enough to 
admit the casket was cut. The question of the 
size of this opening troubled Mr. Shaw a great deal. 
After it was made he thought it too small and spoke 
to Mr. Barnett about it. The architect, whom Mr. 
Shaw jokingly alluded to as “his undertaker,” made 
inquiries from a true undertaker and found that it 
really was too small. 
Some three years before Henry Shaw’s death 
there arrived from Germany the recumbent portrait 
statue of himself made by Von Muller of Munich, 
from photographs as the sculptor never saw his sub- 
ject. With the statue were drawings of the marble 
sarcophagus on which it was to rest, together with 
the sculptured poppy leaves and seed pods and 
laurel wreaths in gold bronze which were to adorn 
the sarcophagus itself. The sarcophagus was made 
from these drawings in St. Louis under the direc- 
tion of Architect Barnett and was put in place over 
the opening in the block of stone beneath the build- 
ing. The plinth of the sarcophagus, rests on the 
top of the rock which now contains the casket and 
mortal remains of Henry Shaw. 
The portrait statue was inspected many times by 
Mr. Shaw and pleased him thoroughly, but was not 
taken from its case until after his death. It was 
then placed in its permanent position on the sarco- 
phagus facing the west, presumably because the 
walk connecting the Shaw mansion grounds with the 
Garden Conservatories runs by the west side of the 
Mausoleum and visitors pass that way. 
The statue is of the purest white Carrara mar- 
ble of finest grade, and is a full length, life size re- 
clining figure, with the head and shoulders lifted 
well above the horizontal by cushions or pillows over 
which a simple drapery is thrown. The lower part 
of the figure also is concealed by well handled drap- 
ery, but the upper part is shown clad in a frock 
coat. The left arm falls naturally along the couch 
outside of the drapery, the fingers curved in an easy 
life like way, and the right rests on the figure, the 
hand holding a carefully and artistically chiseled 
rose. The face is calm, eyes closed, and the ex- 
pression of it as well as the pose of the entire fig- 
ure indicates sleep with no suggestion of “death 
dews” nor, I am sure, did the sculptor intend to 
represent or suggest anything of the kind. 
The flower in the hand does at first glance sug- 
gest that it is the sleep of death, but on second 
thought one realizes its appropriateness as typical 
of the tastes and favorite pursuits of the founder of 
Shaw’s Garden, now known as the Missouri Botani- 
cal Garden. And while the formal coat, collar, and 
old fashioned stock may seem 'a little out of place 
for a sleeping figure, they are quite in keeping with 
the dignified formality of the Englishman repre- 
sented. The inscriptions are few and simple. On 
one side of the marble sarcophagus in sunk, gilded 
letters is seen: 
Henry Shaw, 
Born at Sheffield, Eng. 
1800. 
on the other: 
Henry Shaw, 
Died at St. Louis 
1889. 
and on a block of polished blue granite above the 
door, in larger sunk, gilded letters: 
Henry Shaw. 
There is no epitaph save the sculptured rose 
which at least, in some degree, indicates what man- 
ner of man bore the name, and lived the long life 
recorded by the graven letters. 
The face of the marble figure leaves a pleasant 
recollection. It is as though a benevolent, flower 
loving old man had fallen asleep after a walk in 
his garden, a lovingly gathered rose still in his 
hand. The features are full of character, but a be- 
nign peacefulness overlies thern which seems to in- 
dicate a mind at rest. Withal the marble is a work 
of art, and while one that would be inappropriate 
in many situations, is fittingly placed in this sub- 
stantial building, under the shade of noble trees, 
in the quiet seclusion of a garden that will continue 
to be a garden as long as the present civilization 
endures. For the Missouri Botanical Garden is 
the only legal heir of Henry Shaw, and by his will, 
its support is provided for while time lasts. 
Fanny Copley Seavey. 
