30 
THE MODERN CEMETERY. 
every large cemetery,) and so is the monument re- 
cently completed in memory of Mrs. Winifred Pat- 
terson, a notably charitable woman who died in 
1891. It is called the “Widow’s Mite” and is an 
adaptation of Dore’s Bible illustration of the same’ 
name. It is beautiful in itself and it typifies a liv- 
ing virtue that every passer-by is the better for hav- 
ing been reminded of. It belongs to the order of 
memorial designs that it is hoped will become more 
general, designs that mean something, that are fitly 
chosen, and that have artistic merit. 
The beauty spot of Calvary is the Lucas Plot — 
one which any cemetery might be proud of. It oc- 
cupies a naturally lovely site on the rounded point 
of a hill top. The grass slopes up in a gentle swell 
from the drive that outlines two sides and the blunt 
point of a triangle. The planting is admirable. At 
the back, the highest part of the plot, on either side 
are groups of tall evergreens. White Pines being 
prominent, in front of them and near the border of 
the turf as it slopes to the roadway are handsome 
plantations of well grown dwarf evergreens, Mugho 
Pines and Prostrate Juniper; while still lower and 
nearer together, as the blunt point of the triangle 
is approached, two large groups, (really small plan- 
tations), of fine hardy deciduous shrubs flank the 
entering graveled walk, and complete the outline of 
the plot against the driveway. As it should be the 
shaft is the only stone on the lot, (unless, indeed, 
inconspicuous markers,) and it is a pity it is not in 
better keeping with its surroundings. It is badly 
proportioned and clumsy, so noble a setting de- 
serves a perfect monument. But, barring the shaft, 
the Lucas plot is the most satisfactory I have seen. 
Calvary being the only prominent Catholic 
Cemetery in this Catholic city it is naturally a busy 
place. It takes always as much as one-fourth, (and 
sometimes the proportion ri'ses to one-third,) of the 
mortality of St. Louis. This means a vast amount 
of attendant work as well, removals, of course, be- 
ing very numerous. Some forty men and ten teams 
are employed. 
The work is conducted in the most methodical 
way. A system of bells, something after the man- 
ner of the plan of fire- bells, is in use and works 
well, tending to save time and prevent confusion. 
One tap announces to the Supt. , wherever he may 
' be that he is wanted at the office; two, calls the 
sexton, Anthony Dwyer, who has spent 33 conse- 
cutive years in the service of Calvary; and other 
taps and combinations direct the movements of the 
various squads of men. The calls are announced to 
the man in the bell tower near the middle of the 
grounds, by telephone from either the upper or 
lower entrance. 
As in all cemeteries where modern ideas are 
sought to be put in practice the public look upon 
them as useless, if not improper innovations, and it 
is difficult to overcome the feeling that dreary, iron 
bound customs that have become honored solely 
through the dignity of repeated observance, are 
right and should be continued. Here a vast num- 
ber of the owners of single graves and small lots be- 
long to the class that gets its ideas of the fitness of 
things from those who sell the “things.” In this 
case they take the very material form of stones, 
and the vendors are of the opinion that the more 
there are of them the better. And among the pre- 
judiced foreigners, of whom there are so many rep- 
resented here, there is the feeling that if one buys 
a stone all the rest must do likewise. The pity of 
it is seen to be the greater when it is remembered 
that in nine cases out of ten the buyer needs bread 
rather than a stone. 
But where every thing good and fitting is so 
heartily welcomed, and every evidence of taste en- 
couraged, progress is bound to be made. And the 
entering wedge is already in place. As is to be ex- 
pected the changes are evident on the plots of en- 
lightened owners, and as soon as enough of these 
accept the better class of improvements the others 
will follow suit, and the new part of Calvary will 
undoubtedly be a far less stony way to travel. 
Fanny Copley Seavey. 
The Humboldt Monument, Berlin. 
In the new park, in the northerly part of the 
City of Berlin, the Humboldt-hain, a park in 
many respects fuller of promise than the older ones, 
the great naturalist Humboldt is at last commem- 
orated in a most fitting manner, and as if for em- 
phasis in this same park by a most unique monu- 
ment. It is described by Mr. C. Bolle, of Berlin, in 
Garden and Forest. 
“The Marsh of Brandenburg is situated in a 
vast plain, far from any mountains. No minerals 
exist thero except scattered boulders — those ‘found- 
lings’ which were transported to us by the disturb- 
ances of the glacial epoch. Nowhere do the foun- 
dation-rocks pierce the soil to recall, amid these 
sands and meadows, the hills and ridges of other 
lands. Even the great isolated stones are becom- 
ing rare, having been used in the construction of 
buildings and highways. But where they still ex- 
ist they attract attention all the more strongly on 
this account. 
It was by the use of these accumulations of 
boulders that the tumuli of very ancient times were 
built — monumental sepulchres of forgotten genera- 
tions. The idea was quickly conceived that the 
memory of Humboldt should be honored with a 
prodigious cairn. Unchiseled stone was appropri- 
