20 
PARK AND CEMETERY. 
was paid oft the old debt. The perpetual care fund is now $79,- 
124.65, an increase of $4,340, and the reserve fund $15,730.76. 
In speaking of perpetual care President Chas. A. Stoll said: “I 
confess that I never was so much impressed with the importance 
of perpetual care as I have been since called to the presidency. 
In my rambles about the grounds with the superintendent I have 
come across lot after lot that neeced care and in many cases the 
superintendent has informed me that there was no one known to 
him to care for the lot.” In this same connection Mr. Charles 
L. Knapp, Treasurer said: “While yet in a position to speak 
officially I wish to again point to the fact that there are many 
trust funds now deposited with the corporation which are inade- 
quate to provide for the care of the lots in future years. It must 
be plain to see that the $100 trust fund which earns at present 
$4.00 per annum, barely meets the $4.00 yearly charge for the 
care of lots, and leaves no margin of safety tor accidents. Further, 
it is an undoubted certainty that in the future, and before long, 
too, the savings banks will pay a less rate than is paid to-day. 
The situation has been referred to by me before and it is so im- 
portant that as I have said, I take this occasion to once more lay 
facts before lot-owners. I say unreservedly, that my experience 
in cemetery work convinces me that $100 is insufficient in amount 
to provide for the future care of a 300 square foot lot.” 
CORRESPONDENCE. 
Editor Park and Cemetery , 
Dear Sir: — Park and Cemetery is always a welcome 
visitor, and you may rest assured that the space given to Cascade 
Park in the December issue is greatly appreciated, especially by 
the projectors, who are delighted with the fine cuts so faithfully 
illustrating the beauties of the place. Many people from far and 
near visited the park the past season, and the influence of the 
work there is being felt in other places; your correspondent has 
since been to Meadville with a view to developing a park there for 
like purposes. Arrangements are being made to begin work 
there at an early date on the buildings, so that the people may 
have all the benefit possible this season; later the writer will give 
your readers a detailed description. Other places of like charac- 
ter are under consideration, and it is really astonishing the num- 
ber of parks that are projected from all quarters, from which 
we may infer we are only in the infancy of park work. 
It seems to me that Park and Cemetery for January is a 
little ahead of some of the previous issues. The writer is glad to 
see the excellent and, it may be added, practical series of arti- 
cles from Mr. Simonds, for he knows whereof he speaks. J. 
MacP. talks well every time, and profitably. Fanny Copley 
Seavey’s notes are always interesting, because one can see the 
places she so vividly describes without going there. Joseph 
Meehan, a thorough botanist and horticulturist, and with it the 
finished gentleman, must delight all with his excellent articles. 
With the varied matter from other pens, together with the Ceme- 
tery and Park Notes, surely no other journal gives as much prac- 
tical information for the small fee of one dollar for twelve num- 
bers as Park and Cemetery. The writer read with regret 
your brief notice of the discontinuance of Garden and Forest; 
he has every number, and has had occasion to refer to them very 
often; they are helpful in every particular, and Prof. Sargent 
should be accorded the credit due to him for maintaining it so 
long at such a high standard of scientific accuracy and at per- 
sonal cost; these sentiments are borne out by a very excellent 
article which appeared quite recently in the New York Critic. 
But what do you think of the movement by the authorities of 
Mount Auburn Cemetery? Who would have thought that the 
trustees of that most noted, but conservative, cemetery would 
have petitioned the legislature to build a crematory? Truly 
the “world do move,” and the people also; what will those 
say now who do not believe in incineration of the dead? It has 
evidently come to stay, and why not give it a graceful recogni- 
tion? 
The writer will not venture his thoughts on what the modern 
cemetery may be and the reform that it is capable of bringing 
about, but may at some future time venture to place them for 
consideration in these columns, unless Mr. Salway, Mr. Eurich, 
Mr. Lawson, or the gentleman from Rhode Island, who was 
conspicuous by his absence at the Cincinnati convention, will 
give us the desired light, and spare the pen of an Observer. 
“PARK AND CEMETERY.” 
As this issue of Park and Cemetery will be 
read by several thousand nonsubscribers we are 
prompted to call attention more directly to its ob- 
ject. Meditation on the future in relation to what 
effect on the condition of our country, the present 
progressive movement in art out-of-doors will have, 
naturally calls attention to the work PARK AND 
CEMETERY has aided in accomplishing, in the past 
as well as to that ahead. Specially devoted to cer- 
tain interests as this journal was, under the title of 
The Modern Cemetery , it has taken up during its 
career all the many branches of cemetery work, 
which have resulted in the park-like burial grounds 
of to-day, an improvement over the wretched con- 
ditions of the past, of which there is still unfortun- 
ately ample evidence to testify to the remarkable 
change. Its field comprised not only the details of 
burial practices as related to the cemetery, but art 
in landscape work and art in memorials, and it has 
kept in the van always in the advocacy of the high- 
est ideals and in gathering the knowledge for the 
practical work in the effort to reach such ideals. In 
the broader field under the title of Park and 
CEMETERY, the journal has really only extended its 
operations, for the same rules applying to landscape 
art in the modern cemetery, apply with equal force 
to the park, the public recreation ground, the 
school yard or the homestead. The difference is 
only in detail, after all. The materials to deal with 
in landscape art for both departments are the same. 
The crying need over the major part of this great 
country to-day is more natural beauty about our 
cities and homes, and the scope of Park AND 
CEMETERY covers the field in all particulars. Its ef- 
forts in the future will be to both aid and encourage 
by information, practical illustration and descrip- 
tive matter, the love of nature for her own sake, 
and the love and knowledge of the materials she 
offers to enable one to intelligently choose of that 
material and to adapt it. To this end Park AND 
Cemetery earnestly invites the co-operation of all 
who desire to promote art out-of-doors in its gen- 
eral application as suggested above. 
