AND 
CEMETERY, 
266 
pella are the committee in charge of the 
work. 
In the presence of several hundred peo- 
ple, including some of the most representa- 
tive and distinguished Hebrews from all 
parts of Greater Boston, the Meretz Cem- 
etery at Montvale was dedicated recently 
with impressive ceremonies, according to the 
Hebrew ancient custom. 
The new iron fence along the Pough- 
keepsie Rural Cemetery, Poughkeepsie, N. 
Y., is nearing completion. 
Rev. Father Ciesla, pastor of SS. Peter 
CEMETERY 
The twenty-eighth annual convention of 
the Association of American Cemetery Su- 
perintendents, held at St. Louis, Mo., Octo- 
ber 6, 7 and 8, 1914, was attended by a 
representative gathering of cemetery su- 
perintendents and their wives and daugh- 
ters to the number of approximately one 
hundred and fifty. Members from twenty- 
two states, the District of Columbia and 
Canada were present to participate in the 
excellent program and enjoy for the sec- 
ond time in the history of the organization 
the hospitality of the citizens of St. Louis. 
The weather man and the entertainment 
committee worked together most harmoni- 
ously. Fine fall weather prevailed until 
noon of the third day, when rain began 
falling while the visitors were enjoying the 
beauties of the Missouri Botanical Gardens 
and kept them indoors until the close of 
the convention. 
It was Veiled Prophets week in St. 
Louis, an event not unlike the Mardi Gras 
carnival in New Orleans, observed annually 
by a brilliantly illuminated street pageant 
and followed by a grand ball. The city 
was gaily decorated for the occasion and 
thronged with visitors. 
The well appointed convention hall of 
the Planters Hotel was comfortably filled 
when President M. P. Brazill called the 
meeting to order. Rev. J. P. Harrington, 
trustee of Catholic Cemeteries, Providence, 
R. I., invoked the divine blessing, and Hon. 
Henry W. Kiel, Mayor of St. Louis, ex- 
tended the visitors a cordial greeting, to 
which response was made in a very happy 
vein by James Currie, Milwaukee, Wis. 
Dr. George T. Moore, director of the Mis- 
souri Botanical Gardens, supplemented the 
Mayor’s address by extending greetings 
from the famous institution over which he 
presides. 
The president’s annual address, read by 
Mr. Brazill, was as follows : 
We are now opening our twenty-eighth Annual 
Convention and it becomes my duty, as president 
for this year, to call your attention to some of 
the history, and to suggest some necessary changes 
of policy, tending to the future welfare of our As- 
sociation. For the history I am indebted to our his- 
torian, Mr. Cresy. The suggestion for an improve- 
ment in our future policy is the result of my own 
observations, as an active member for twenty-five 
PARK 
and Paul’s Polish Catholic Church, of 
Spring Valley, 111., is searching for the 
marauders who entered the Polish Ceme- 
tery of that city recently and overturned 
several monuments. 
At a recent meeting of the City Council 
Mayor Eckert, of Princeton, 111., vetoed an 
ordinance regulating the placing of monu- 
ments in Oakland Cemetery. The ordinance 
provided for the erection of monuments 
under the supervision of the superintendent 
of the cemetery and allowed a fee of 50 
cents an hour for his services. This met 
years, and also occasional remarks from other mem- 
bers. 
The necessity of repeating some of the history of 
out Association is to answer questions asked by 
persons not acquainted with the objects of our or- 
ganization, who may think it superfluous or un- 
necessary. 
At the solicitation of Mr. Chas. Nichols, an old 
superintendent at Newark, New Jersey, a meeting 
of cemetery superintendents was held at the office 
of Spring Grove cemetery, Cincinnati, Ohio, on the 
Oth day of October, 1887. There were twenty-five 
cemetery superintendents present, representing twelve 
states. At this meeting was organized the Asso- 
ciation of American Cemetery Superintendents. 
The object of the Association is to educate ceme- 
tery superintendents and other cemetery officials in 
the best and most approved plan of conducting and 
improving cemeteries on modern lines, now gen- 
erally known as the I-’ark Lawn Plan. 
Conventions have been held every year at some 
of the large cities of the States. Some cities have 
been so interested in our work, as to invite and 
entertain us twice. During this time several hun- 
dred cemeteries have been represented at our meet- 
ings. 
The very noticeable improvements in our ceme- 
teries during this period of twenty-seven years, is 
ample evidence of the educational influence of our 
teaching in all this time, and the good work is 
still going on. 
The studies of a cemetery superintendent are more 
numerous than is generally supposed. He must be 
competent to grade and lay out grounds, subdivide, 
survey and plat all subdivisions. Construct and 
drain all roadways and wet grounds. He must know 
something of the ornamental branches of horticul- 
ture, such as planting trees, shrubs and flowers, and 
other numerous details connected with cemetery man- 
agement. 
The papers prepared by our members for the con- 
ventions are considered educational productions, be- 
ing prepared by men of good education and several 
years of practical experience in their line of busi- 
ness. To young students and graduates from our 
colleges, just through with their text books, these 
papers are considered of considerable importance. 
As evidence of this, I had an application from one 
of our western universities last spring, for the re- 
ports of our conventions. The professor stating that 
they were used by the students in studying land- 
scape gardening and floriculture. 
As an educational feature of our meeting here, we 
have assigned the last day for a study of plants 
and flowers at the Missouri Botanical Gardens, the 
Horticultural Department of the Washington Uni- 
versity; this will be a day at school. Dr. George 
T. Moore, Director of the Gardens, and Pro- 
fessor of Botany at the University, kindly ten- 
tered us an invitation. He will be present himself 
and his principal assistants to explain the habits of 
the different classes of plants very numerous and 
varied in these gardens. 
The executive officers experience considerable diffi- 
culty in getting our members to prepare papers for 
the conventions; the general objection is that the 
subjects have been thrashed out, and they don’t 
want to come into the limelight too often. This ex- 
cuse may seem plausible enough, but we ought to 
remember that we must make sacrifices for others 
and that going over old ground is not so objection- 
able, as this is going on since the world was young. 
Repetition is going on in every line of business, and 
especially in literature. While our modesty may 
with disfavor, owing to the fact that it 
failed to stipulate any plan by which the 
cost could be estimated in advance. 
Congress has appropriated $5,000 for the 
removal of Chippewa Indian bodies from 
the grounds in the vicinity of Wisconsin 
Point and their reinterment in an estab- 
lished cemetery in Superior. This amount 
also covers the cost of a suitable monu- 
ment for each grave. 
The old city cemetery of Macon, Ga., re- 
cently caught on fire. The fire was easily 
extinguished by the city fire department, 
however, and the damage was sli ght. 
MEETING 
be commendable, our duty to our associates should 
outweigh this objection. We should aim to write 
short papers, condensing our subjects. This may he 
an art in itself, -but it is the most approved plan 
and is generally most appreciated. It is true 
that the writing of papers is confined to a few of 
our members. This reflects most credit on the 
gentlemen who have labored each year to make 
our conventions interesting and a source of instruc- j 
tion to our members. They should receive the full i| 
credit. 
At our last convention in Buffalo we had con* j 
siderable trouble with some of our young mem- ; 
hers. They accused us of using the “Steam-Roller’* 
in the nomination and election of officers, also that j 
in the appointment of committees, we confined our- 
selves to old members, while the young members 
were forgotten in these appointments. If there is 
any ground for these complaints, it should be \ 
changed and a new mode of procedure inaugurated. 1 
In the nomination and election of officers, the full- 
est liberty should be given to all members of the ! 
convention, and no closing of nominations of officers 
should be resorted to. This course of prematurely 
closing nominations is calculated to stunt the growth 1 
of the organization and confine its operations and j 
benefits to a select few. 
In the appointment of committees it would be I 
advisable to have an unwritten rule of naming art i 
old member for chairman, and the balance of the 
committee to be new members. This would give 
more satisfaction and initiate the new members in 
the working of our Association. 
As was said before, this Association was organized 
for the education of cemetery officials. How is it 
filling its mission? Is there any improvement to be 
made ? 
At the Convention held at Cincinnati in 1897, ten 
years after the first convention was held there, it 
was proposed in the interest of mutual education,, 
to have a selection made of the best papers read 
at the previous conventions and published in pam- 
phlet form, for the use of the members and espe- j 
cially for the use of new members. This proposition 
was fortunately acted upon, and a large pamphlet 
or book bound in cloth was published by “Park 
and Cemetery,” under the title of “Modern Ceme- i 
teries”, was the result. This book is still one of 
reference for many of our members. 
A similar proposition was made at the Providence 
Convention in 1907, but was not received favor- 
ably as the first publication was not a financial 
success. This was a narrow commercial view, and 
entirely unworthy of an educational organization 
like ours, when there were ample funds in the treas- 
ury to carry out the small undertaking. 
It is often said that there is too much commer- 
cialism in this country, and its principles filter into- 
too many classes of business or undertakings not 
essentially financial or commercial. 
I would suggest to this convention that this mat- 
ter be taken up again, and a selection of the best 
papers since the Cincinnati Convention of 1S97 be 
published in book form, for the use of the present 
and future members of this Association. It will be 
found a very useful book of reference, and an im- 
portant contribution to cemetery literature for the 
education of new members. It will have an im- 
portant influence on State organizations, which are 
auxiliaries to the National organization. 
We must make renewed efforts to interest our 
members and attract them to our conventions, and! 
try to add to our literature if we are to keep 
our reputation as an educational association. 
MEN IN GOOD ANNUAL 
