PARK AND CEMETERY. 
648 
As soon as possible every department of 
the work in the cemetery should be assumed 
control of completely by the board, no per- 
son being allowed to disturb the turf on 
any lot -without special permission, and 
when a definite rule has been established as 
to the location of flowering plants, we be- 
lieve it advisable and economical to provide 
for the use . of lot owners, free of charge, 
the services of gardeners who -wdll under- 
take entirely the placing of these plants, 
thereby eliminating the possibility of indi- 
viduals displaying their several and varied 
artistic ideas. 
Considering the nature of the soil and the 
contour of the land, the best style of road- 
way should be decided upon, and a syste- 
matic scheme of roadmaking undertaken 
with the object of arriving some day at 
complete uniformity in this department of 
the work. 
As a valuable assistance in the work of 
improvement, an example should be pre- 
sented yearly by the judicious planting of 
public portions of the cemetery of what ordi- 
nary good taste would produce, and the su- 
perintendent, no matter how inexperienced, 
will find in this department one of the most 
interesting studies, as well as one of the 
greatest pleasures, in connection with his 
work. 
And now, when all plans are laid, the one 
great effort should be to give to^ these own- 
ers, who are supporting the efforts of the 
managers, full, and more than full, value 
for their investments. 
Good workmen are necessary and (at the 
risk of contradiction) the division of the 
cemetery into sections and the placing of 
groups of these men, with some recognized 
head in each section, seems to be the most 
reasonable method. 
In this way a visitor would always be 
able to find an employe near by to whom 
his or her troubles may be told, so that 
even without telephone connection these 
troubles may be forwarded promptly to the 
office, thus enabling the superintendent to 
supply a remedy when the section foreman 
is unable to do so. 
Again, by this plan, it is possible for the 
foreman, under the guidance of the super- 
intendent, to gain an intimate knowledge of 
each lot, eventually learning the peculiar 
conditions attached to each, and (especially 
in the case of the class of cemetery under 
consideration) knowing just the kind of care 
to which each lot is entitled, for we believe 
that there should be a marked distinction 
made between the care given to the special 
care lots and that given to the ordinary 
or rough care portions, and as an aid to 
this, marked maps should be placed in each 
section, which would result in a more intel- 
ligent interest being taken in the work of 
the assistants. 
The foregoing ideas, the result of many 
educative disappointments, touch in not the 
most complete nor clearest way upon some 
of the questions involved in undertaking the 
reclaiming of a neglected burial ground, the 
adding to a city of another creditable insti- 
tution and the relieving of the lot owner of 
much of the sorrow, so necessarily con- 
nected with a cemetery, however beautiful. 
The remainder of the afternoon was 
devoted to visiting Fernwood Ceme- 
tery, in Delaware county, Pa., whither 
the party went by the Pennsylvania R. 
R. The cemetery was established in 
1871 and is now under the care of 
John G. Kline. Certain sections are re- 
served for lawn plan, in others coping 
and various styles of lot inclosures are 
permitted. Opportunity was afforded 
here to inspect a “community mauso- 
leum,” erected by the Pennsylvania 
Mausoleum Co. on land bought from 
the cemetery company. The building is 
of concrete construction, with an or- 
nate entrance of Indiana limestone. 
The interior is finished in Vermont 
white marble. There are approximately 
si.x hundred crypts, a few of which 
bore inscription tablets. Representa- 
tives of several mausoleum companies 
were present to defend their respective 
claims. An animated discussion is said 
to have taken place between them and 
one or more of the cemetery superin- 
tendents. 
In the evening the unique undertak- 
ing establishment of Oliver H. Bair, 
1820 Chestnut St., was visited. The 
four-story steel and concrete building 
it without doubt the most thoroughly 
equipped funeral establishment in the 
world, yet there is nothing to suggest 
this in the handsomely furnished foyer, 
offices, parlors and private apartments 
on the first and second floors, with their 
Oriental rugs, statuary, paintings, and 
antique furniture. In the show room 
on the third floor fully two hundred 
caskets are on exhibition, no two alike, 
suited to the means of all classes. The 
mortuary is on the fourth floor, where 
bodies are kept as safely as in a ceme- 
tery receiving vault awaiting final in- 
terment. After an inspection of the 
building the visitors were pleasantly en- 
tertained with an organ recital. 
The second day was devoted prin- 
cipally to sight-seeing. Shortly after 
9 a. m., a procession of forty-seven tour- 
ing cars and taxicabs left the Continen- 
tal Hotel and before their return in 
the evening at least seventy-five miles 
had been covered. The route included 
Fairmount Park, the beautiful Wissa- 
hickon creek road, Laurel Hill, Mt. 
Peace, Northwood and Ardsley Burial 
Park. 
It is interesting to note in passing 
that Philadelphia has more ceme- 
teries and burial places of one de- 
scription or another than any city 
in the Union, if not the globe, the 
exact number said to be 366. Prob- 
ably the greater part of the inter- 
ments are now made in less than 
twelve of that number. Laurel Hill, 
situated on the eastern bank of the 
Schuylkill, and containing nearly one 
hundred acres, was the second rural 
cemetery in the United States. It was 
founded in 1835, a few years after 
Mount Auburn, Boston. The ceme- 
tery is divided into three parts, known 
as North, South and Central Laurel 
Hill. One of the interesting pieces 
of sculpture seen here is a group rep- 
resenting Walter Scott’s famous char- 
acter Old Mortality at his favorite 
occupation — cleaning tombstones. 
The Thomas Meehan & Sons Co. 
nurseries at Dreshertown, Montgom- 
ery county, were reached after a de- 
lightful ride through a picturesque 
country. At this point tlie ride had 
covered forty miles and the party 
were quite in readiness for the buffet 
luncheon, served by a Pbiladelphia 
caterer in the Meehans’ big packing 
shed, which had been decorated for 
the occasion, Mr. Thomas B. Mee- 
han and his son Bert assisted the ex- 
ecutive committee in caring for the 
visitors. Time was too limited to 
permit of anything more than a hasty 
inspection of the nurseries and this 
was also true when the autos reached 
the Andorra Nurseries at Chestnut 
Hills. Sufficient was seen, however, 
to create a favorable impression on 
the minds of the visitors, many of 
whom are recognized experts. Light 
refreshments were served here amidst 
sylvan surroundings that would be dif- 
ficult to equal. The magnificent trees 
seen here and elsewhere along this 
enjoyable drive must have inspired 
Mr. Falconer to make some mental 
notes that he will doubtly share with 
Park and Cemetery readers in the near 
future. Mr. William Warner Harper 
and Mr. Humphries did the honors 
at Andorra. West Laurel Hill, Phila- 
delphia’s justly famous cemetery, ded- 
icated in 1869, was reached late in the 
afternoon. A short stop was made at 
the Tower, to visit the temporary of- 
ficials and new receiving tomb. 
Work is in progress on the founda- 
tion for the new and modern office 
building that is to stand on the site 
of the one recently destroyed by fire. 
This cemetery long since adopted the 
community mausoleum idea, building 
and controlling its own structures. 
A large number of costly mauso- 
leums are to be seen here, and many 
fine trees in great variety. Charles B. 
Jefferson, secretary and treasurer of 
the Executive Committee for the 
Philadelphia convention, is the super- 
intendent. The last cemetery to be 
visited was Westminster, where the 
same picturesque landscape prevails 
that abounds in the beautiful Schuyl- 
kill Valley. This is a comparatively 
new cemetery of 110 acres and its de- 
velopment is proceeding along modern 
lines of cemetery practice. Its broad 
undulating lawns with their unbroken 
stretches of greensward were admired 
by the visitors during their brief vis- 
it. George M. Painter, chairman of 
the executive committee of the Phil- 
adelphia convention, and one of the 
best known cemetery men in the 
state, is superintendent of Westmins- 
ter. 
At the evening session the Question 
Box brought out some unfavorable 
comments on white bronze monu- 
ments. They are prohibited in 
