PARK AND CEMETERY. 3^7 
WHAT A MODERN CEMETERY SHOULD BE. 
The Modern Cemetery! What does it mean? It means 
everything possible to lighten the grief of those who are called 
upon to part with some dear one. How is this brought about? 
It is brought about by keeping the grounds neat and attractive, 
clean avenues, well kept lawns and lots, trees and shrubs in var- 
iety, flower beds here and there, and a superintendent who is in 
touch with everyone, easy to appioach, sympathetic in nature, 
courteous at all times. Let these conditions be brought about, 
and we have what a modern cemetery should be. 
When the dead has been laid to rest in its bed of mother 
earth, and the greensward has been replaced, and tender hands 
have arranged the flowers on nature’s carpet, and the friends de- 
part, they feel as if the modern cemetery had robbed death of 
half its horrors. 
Compare the grave yards of the past with the cemeteries 
of to-day, and mark the progress. An extract from the Ameri- 
can Gardening says: The tendency of the times is to make the 
cemetery a park, rather than a marble yaid. Ghosts have van- 
ished with old fashioned head stones, with skull and cross bones, 
and poetic epitaphs. 
To-day, our cemeteries are called gardens of the dead, and 
the work is still going on in the direction of beautifying grounds 
that are now beautiful. And for this reason, our association was 
formed. Those who have attended our conventions have cer- 
tainly been benefited. Whatever one’s occupation, he will neve^ 
make a success unless he loves his work. The superintenden 
should understand the construction of avenues and lawns, should 
know the name and nature of trees, shrubs and flowers, and not 
be obliged to ask any man of his employ . He can only learn 
this by practice and study. Books and papers are always in his 
reach, touching upon every subject of interest to him. We read 
of some experiment tried, or some idea advanced, just what we 
wanted to know, and we at once avail ourself of the courtesy of 
our unknown friend. The catalogues issued by our leading seeds- 
men, are full of valuable information. The mouthpiece of our 
Association, the Park and Cemetery, has enlightened us on 
many a subject, and has done much towards educating the super- 
intendent in the better discharge of his duties. It is still in its 
infancy. Long may it live and flourish, and continue to in- 
struct us and those who may follow in our work. 
Let me read an extract from Downing’s Essays, and see 
what a master mind said nearly fifty years ago. One of the 
most remarkable illustrations of the popular taste, in this coun- 
try, is to be found in the rise and progress of our rural cemeter- 
ies. Twenty years ago, nothing better than a common grave 
yard, filled with high grass and a chance sprinkling of weeds and 
thistles, was to be found in the Union. If there were one or two 
exceptions like the burial ground at New Haven, where a few 
willow trees broke the monotony of the scene, they existed only 
to prove the rule more completely. Eighteen years ago, in 1831, 
Mount Auburn, about six miles from Boston, was made a rural 
cemetery. It was then a charming natural site, finely varied in 
surface, containing about 80 acres of land, and admirably 
clothed by groups and masses of native forest trees. It was 
tastefully laid out, monuments were built, and the whole highly 
embellished. No sooner was attention generally roused to the 
charms of this first American Cemetery than the idea took the 
public mind by storm. Tra ellers made pilgrimages to the 
Athens of New England, solely to see the realization of their long 
cherished dream of a resting place for the dead, at once sacred 
from profanation, dear to the memory, and captivating to the 
1 magination. He then speaks of the leading cemeteries of New 
York and Philadelphia, and says the great attraction of these 
cemeteries to the mass of the community, is not in the fact that 
they are burial places or solemn places of meditation for the 
riends of the deceased, or striking exhibitions of monumental 
sculpture, though all these have their influence. The true secret 
of the attraction lies in the natural beauty of the sites, and in the 
tasteful and harmonious embellishments of these sites by art. 
It awakens at once the feelings of human sympathy, and the 
love of natural beauty, implanted in every heart. He then says 
in the absence of great public gardens, such as we must surely 
some day have in .'America, our rural cemeteries are doing a 
great deal to enlarge and educate the popular taste in rural em- 
bellishments. They are for the most part laid out with admir- 
able taste. They contain the greatest variety of trees and 
shrubs to be found in the country, and several of them are kept 
in a manner seldom equaled in private grounds. 
Since these lines were wi'itten, rapid strides have been made. 
Parks have sprung up all over our country, and no doubt many 
a hint was obtained from our cemeteries. Then lawn mowers 
were not invented, and of course lots did not present so smooth 
an appearance as now. The Modern Cemete'-y,^ few years ago, 
said, more monuments are not necessary, but may be admissible 
under the lawn plan. Head and foot stones, however, should be 
abandoned and not allowed under any conditions. They are 
the multitude of closely huddled stone piles that obliterate and 
destroy the beauty of any landscape, natural or artificial. Only 
by concerted efforts, and by a display of good taste under the 
guidance of one controlling plan, can proper effects be secured, 
and the cemetery given unity in an endless variety, and yet be in 
harmony with its distinct purpose of burial. 
I will add to this by saying that no fence nor structure of 
any kind should be allowed to enclose a lot, or corner post al- 
lowed above the grass. I am pleased to say that fences are con- 
stantly being removed as soon as the consent of the owner can 
be obtained. I understand in some cemeteries, the consent of 
the owner is not asked. In my own case, I get the consent of 
the owner, and, in some cases, it has been reluctantly given, 
feeling that it would be regretted, but I have found only one 
case where it was regretted: but on the other hand, they have 
wondered why they did not have it done before. I have taken 
down four this year, and have only 28 more left in the cemetery, 
and am in hopes, inside of three years, that not a fence will 
be left. There are only 10 lots enclosed by stone curbings in 
the cemetery, and one of those will be taken away before long. 
The graves on our public or free lots are marked by numbers on 
the end of a marble block set level with the grass. No other 
stones are allowed. Thus we are gradually working towards the 
lawn plan, and gradually working towards the perpetual care 
system. Some cemeteries sell under both, perpetual care or not. 
I sell nothing only under perpetual care. Any cemetery that 
sells lots to-day without the perpetual care system, will at some 
day regret it. 
A carpet of green is the beauty of the cemetery, and let us 
remember that we cannot have that unless we start right, and I 
will notenter into the details of making a lawn, because you all 
fknow. The kind of grass seedgused may vary with the locality. 
But one thing is certain — anything that is worth doing, is worth 
doing well. 
How beautiful the trees ! Weirs cut leaf maple, with its 
foliage touching the gi'ass. The cut leaf birch with its white 
branches, in lovely contrast with the foliage. The purple and 
other varieties of maples, the purple beech, and the giant oak 
with its outstretched branches, that have defied the elements 
for generations. The many varieties of evergreens, and many 
varieties of our native trees that I will not mention, all contrib- 
ute to make our cemeteries what they are. 
Again, I will quote Downing. . He says : An American may 
be allowed honest pride, in the beauty and profusion of fine 
forest trees, natives of our western hemisphere. North America 
is the land of oaks, pines and magnolias, to say nothing of the 
lesser genera and the parks and gardens of all Europe owe 
