PARK AND CEMETERY 
367 
of the friends of deceased at interments. He suggested 
that cemetery employes should dress neater and that 
the responsibility of lowering the casket into the grave 
should be undertaken by the cemetery authorities. The 
family should assume the responsibility of selecting 
the place of interment. Tents should be provided in 
all cemeteries, and interment fees should not be ex- 
acted from the undertaker. 
Mr. Waterman thought cemeteries should be run 
by their superintendents and not by trustees. 
Gov. Dewell of New Haven defended the trustees, 
and said that there were times when they came in 
very handy. He thought undertakers were not wholly 
blameless. Bellett Lawson, of Paxtang, Pa., thought 
that in modern cemeteries there was no dififi- 
cultv either over the fees or about lowering the cas- 
kets, and tents were furnished without 
charge. 
Leonard Ross said that he sympathized 
with the undertakers, and thought that 
interment fees should be paid b\' the fam- 
ily. 
Mr. Litchfield said that the interment 
fee was no small matter, and thought the 
matter would be attended to by executors 
of estates. 
Mr. McCarthy, of Providence, had a 
grievance against undertakers. He said 
that cemetery superintendents often ar- 
ranged flowers, etc., for which under- 
takers took the credit. He said that no 
profession was so near or so dear to the 
public. 
The president announced that for the 
first time in the history of the society they 
would have an address from a dealer in 
memorials, and introduced W. B. Van 
Amringe, who read a paper on “Progress 
of the Cemetery Memorial Industry During the Past 
Twenty Years.” He said that memorials to the dead 
were as old as the world and would last as long as the 
world did. No trust among cemetery owners would ever 
prevent the owners of small lots from erecting some 
form of memorial for their beloved ones. He de- 
scribed graphically the old and the new methods of 
manufacturing monuments, etc. Granite memorials 
are sold as cheap or cheaper than they were twenty 
years ago notwithstanding increased wages to work- 
ingmen and decreased hours of labor. There has been 
a marked improvement in the size, cost and artistic 
character of memorials. He described the memorials 
on the battlefields of the South. He closed with statis- 
tics regarding the production of stone in the United 
States during the past year. 
Mr. McDonald corroborated what the preceding 
speaker had said about the Southern battlefields. 
Mr. H. Wilson Ross read the paper on “Road Build- 
ing,” written by his father, L. W. Ross. He empha- 
sized the necessity of making roads in cemeteries of 
the very best quality, as they had to bear the strain of 
heavy trucks loaded with heavy monuments and at the 
same time were expected to be in condition for light 
driving or walking. The best roads were the cheapest 
in the end. He would put four inches of broken stone 
on a foundation of loam — well rolled — then two inches 
of finer stone, finished with the dust from the crusher. 
Only stone of superior quality should be used. Ten 
cents per inch in depth for every square yard was a 
good average price for stone roads. 
A discussion followed regarding the bituminous and 
macadam roads. They were claimed to be cheaper and 
better than asphalt. 
Mr. Oscar L. Stephens of the Boston Transcript, 
read a paper on “Cremation.” It gave statistics re- 
garding the growth of cremation. The total number 
of cremations during the present year will probably ex- 
ceed 3,000. He described the method of cremation as 
practiced at Mt. Auburn. 
Mr. Alfred Stone, president of the Swan Point Cem- 
etery, Providence, R. L, was introduced by Mr. Mc- 
Carthy and said he favored cremation, and invited the 
members of the association to visit Providence. Mr. 
Roy of Montreal spoke of the economy of cremation. 
Thursday Morning Session. 
The Auditing Committee and the Committee on 
Resolutions for Deceased Members made reports. A 
paper prepared by W. N. Rudd, entitled “Some Mis- 
takes,” was read by James H. Morton, of Boston. The 
first mistake noted was a failure to keep a complete 
LILY POND AND ORNAMENTAL PLANTING, PINE GROVE CEMETERY, 
LYNN, MASS. 
