493 
PARK AND CEMETERY. 
PENALTY OF TIMIDITY IN CEMETERY PLANNING 
People are tender toward their dead. 
In the presence of the great mystery 
the warmest feelings of the heart are 
quickened. It is natural that a desire 
should be awakened to do something- 
in memory of those who have passed 
away. The most beautiful and most 
natural expression of this tenderness 
is in some personal touch in connec- 
tion with that last resting place. The 
movement to make more attractive 
and beautiful the homes of the dead 
if properly exploited, will always find 
a sympathetic chord in the hearts of 
the people. Judging from the condi- 
tion of rural cemeteries, this does not 
i seem to be true. But the fault lies 
in a proper education, of the senti- 
ments which are ready to be awak- 
ened into activity by the proper touch. 
On the part of the management of 
rural cemeteries, the reason for the 
lack of embellishment lies largely in 
the fear of not getting returns to car- 
ry on a continuous work of this char- 
acter. There is a certain timidity 
about making an investment of this 
character, which should be overcome. 
There is a lack of recognition of the 
sentiment which exists and which 
only needs to be awakened to find its 
legitimate expression in tasteful em- 
bellishment. In certain country 
graveyards that I know, if 20 years 
ago a little taste had been exhibited 
in rendering the entrance attractive 
and in establishing certain areas en- 
tirely devoted to purpcrses of orna- 
mentation, the suggestions would 
have found their way to individual 
lot owners, and where now we have 
simply a waste of uncared for space, 
we migh.t have had park-like effects 
which would have been the pride of 
every lot owner. The small initial 
expense would have been met a 
thousand times by the growing in- 
terest manifested in the sale of lots 
— in the appreciation in the values of 
lots to be sold. 
The way to educate a rural com- 
munity in a manner to bring about 
desirable results in cemetery man- 
agement, is through state cemetery asso- 
ciations which shall suggest some sim- 
ple, practicable ways of educating com- 
munities with reference to what consti- 
tutes an attractive rural cemetery. Ob- 
ject lessons are the best possible argu- 
ment in favor of the adoption of simple 
landscape methods in the manage- 
ment of cemeteries. 
Judging from the appearance of a 
large number of country cemeteries, 
the management thinks it is neces- 
sary to have the stakes defining the 
limits of lots, strongly in evidence. 
It probably never has occurred to 
many managers that this is entirely 
unnecessary, and the lots can be 
more easily cared for and more at- 
tractive if these markings are entire- 
ly beneath the surface. 
It is just as certain that many 
people in charge of these cemeteries 
lionestly think that an evergreen 
cut into some artificial form is more 
in accord with a place of sepulture 
than a group of shrubs naturally ar- 
ranged. 
It probably never has occurred to 
many village and town cemetery 
managers that a drive around the 
outside of the cemetery is economi- 
cally the poorest possible arrange- 
ment. And that it is a more appro- 
priate remembrance of the dead to 
have a group of pretty shrubs above 
the grave of the departed, than to 
liave an unsightly mound. People 
are not always blameworthy for 
what they do not know, and I am 
glad to have State organizations 
that shall enable people who are in 
the management of cemeteries to 
come together and learn about the 
very best attributes of modern cem- 
etery management. With so fine an 
opportunity available for education 
in simple and attractive methods of 
handling rural cemeteries, those who 
do not avail themselves of the oppor- 
tunity and become better equipped 
to do their work, will certainly be 
blameworthy. 
Charles \ Y . Garfield. 
Grand Rapids, Mich. 
SMALL TOWN MAKES FINE PARK PLAN CEMETERY 
Flillside Cemetery, Torrington, 
Conn., is a striking example of what 
a small town may do in the develop- 
ment of a beautiful lawn plan ceme- 
ter}', where leading public-spirited 
citizens get back of the movement 
from the start and develop the 
.grounds on a thorough-going lawn 
plan with expert direction. The views 
shown herewith speak for themselves 
and tell of what has been accom- 
plished in the making of good land- 
scape effects. 
It is estimated that enough of 
flillside Cemetery is now developed 
to fill the need of the town for at 
least fifteen years. Previous to the 
completion of this new burial place 
the people of the town were depend- 
ent on the grounds of the Wolcotville 
School Society Cemetery, a small 
tract of land situated in what is now 
the center of the town. This ceme- 
tery has been in use for nearly a 
century and little available space re- 
mains for burial purposes. A worthy 
movement is now on foot to secure 
an endowment for the maintenance of 
this cemetery. 
About three years ago several citi- 
zens interested in the welfare of 
Torrington were fortunate in obtain- 
ing as a gift, a desirable tract of land 
for cemetery purposes. The Hillside 
Cemetery Association was then in- 
corporated and subscriptions for the 
development of this ground were re- 
ceived from individuals and from the 
manufacturing concerns. 
With commendable foresight the 
association obtained the services of 
Olmsted Brothers, landscape archi- 
tects, to plan for the complete im- 
provement of this si.xty-five-acre 
tract. From these plans six sections 
