PARK AND CEMETERY. 
213 
THE ADAMS MONUMENT, ROCK CREEK CEMETERY, 
WASHINGTON, D. C. 
One of the famous mortuary monuments of the 
country, by reason'of the' remarkable figure which 
constitutes its main feature, is the Adams monu- 
ment in Rock Creek cemetery, Washington. D. C. 
This figure which was modelled by St. Gaudens, is 
The monument as shown stands on a pentagonal 
base and forms one of its sides, the statue facing 
inwards, while a granite seat constitutes the three 
sides facing the figure. The whole is surrounded 
by an evergreen hedge, which preserves the seclu- 
sion and adds to the impressiveness of the memo- 
rial. So secluded is it that a perfect photograph 
Photo by Bliss Bros., Buffalo. N. Y. 
THE ADAMS memoriae, ROCK CREEK CEMETERY, WASHINGTON, D. C. — AUGUSTUS ST. GAUDENS, SC. 
one of the greatest, and as an art critic puts it, one 
of the most terrible statues we have in this country. 
It is impossible to name it. It is called “Grief” 
by some, by others “Death.” It cannot be des- 
cribed. The sculptor has modeled the inscrutabil- 
ity of death, and one can study it and study it and 
the longer one does so, the more weirdly fascinat- 
ing it becomes. It appears to know all there is to 
know and is a positive and negative to every senti- 
ment one can suggest concerning the unknown. 
is impossible except in winter, when the deciduous 
foliage is gone. The figure is seated on a boulder- 
like block of Quincy granite and the rest of the 
monument is of pink Milford granite. The shaft 
backing the figure is highly polished and richly 
carved with classic bands. The slab beneath the 
figure is also highly polished. No inscription of 
any kind, not even a family name, serves to 
inform the observer in regard to it. In this it is 
silent. 
