•382 
AND CEMETERY 
Association of American Cemetery’ Superintendents. 
NineteentH Annual Convention. 
The Association of American Cemetery Superintend- 
ents met in Washington, D. C., September 19-22, in 
its nineteenth annual convention. The meeting broke 
all previous records of attendance and number of mem- 
bers enrolled and the papers were all practical, well 
presented and thoroughly discussed. There were about 
150 present and the list of 35 new members enrolled is 
sufficient evidence of activity and growth. Elaborate 
entertainment was dispensed with and no evening ses- 
sions held, a particularly wise policy in Washington,’ 
where there are so many sights of individual interest. 
Only one business session each day was held, the other 
half of the day being given to a well-arranged pro- 
gram of sight seeing. Fewer papers resulted in a full 
attendance at all meetings and livelier discussion. 
The executive committee and the local officials dem- 
onstrated their ability to handle a large crowd in very 
hot weather, and keep them all cheerful, and earned the 
hearty vote of thanks that was extended to them at 
Mt. Vernon. George M. Painter, of Philadelphia, 
chairman of the executive committee, and chief of the 
local forces, was busy, untiring and ever present, and 
was ably seconded by Messrs. Parkinson, Plowell and 
McKerichar. 
Sessions were held in the banquet hall of the Hotel 
Raleigh and in the chapels of Glenwood and Rock 
Creek Cemeteries. The cemeteries were chiefly inter- 
esting from an historic point of view, Arlington, the 
national cemetery, and Rock Creek, the oldest in the 
District, being among the most interesting of the many 
notable spots near the capital. The wonderful natural 
beauty of Arlington and its commanding site overlook- 
ing the city and the Potomac, and the care given to 
preserving and developing its landscape features make 
it an object lesson both impressive and instructive. Con- 
sidering it as a whole, from the point of view of both 
business and pleasure, the V’ashington convention has 
set a record that will be hard to break. 
First Tuesday, September t9th. 
President James H. Morton called the meeting to 
order at 10 A. M. and after prayer by Rev. Chas. E. 
Buck, of the Rock Creek Parish, introduced Hon. 
Henry L. West, one of the commissioners of the Dis- 
trict. Mr. West extended a cordial welcome to the 
Association and told of some of the unique features of 
Washington’s government and its institutions. He 
called attention to the fact that the city is governed 
by a board of three commissioners appointed by the 
President. These commissioners make all the laws for 
the city without the intervention of any council or other 
representative bod}-. 
Richard Sylvester, Major and Superintendent of 
Washington Police, also made a very happy speech of 
welcome. The District, he said, contained many in- 
teresting historical spots, among the most important 
of which were the cemeteries. The Federal Cemeteries 
— Arlington, Fredericksburg, Antietani, Gettysburg — 
all of which are in reach of the city, furnish impressive 
object lessons for the student of history. Police su- 
pervision of the cemeteries which formerly required 
close attention to prevent desecration of the graves, has 
now become a thing of the past, owing to the moral 
support of the people and co-operation of the police 
department in the management of the cemeteries. 
The Society extended an official vote of thanks to 
both of the local speakers and then proceeded with the 
president’s address, the first business of the morning. 
Mr. Morton spoke in part as follows ; 
Your presence here this morning is the surest index that 
the work for which our association was formed is being con- 
tinued, under the guidance of members who have given free- 
ly of their time and best efforts in promoting a system of 
cemeter}- management that was not general before our as- 
sociation was formed. 
It is very gratifying to know that the action taken during 
our convention of last year in relation to state associations, 
was so successful. We hope each year will bring an increas- 
ing number of delegates until every State in the Union and 
Canada is represented. It is well understood that more time* 
