214 
PARK AND CEMETERY. 
the opportunity and advisability of group- 
ing several of the buildings together in 
connection with the entrance design. This 
is often a gain both as regards con- 
venience and beauty, whether the compo- 
sition is symmetrical or irregular. The 
general tendency in cemetery entrances 
seems to be to make them more inviting 
and cheerful, less forbidding and solemn 
than in the past. This is in keeping with 
the change being wrought by the introduc- 
tion of the lawn plan in the landscape de- 
velopment. 
The service buildings, stables, storage 
sheds and foreman’s cottage, although 
probably not visible from the developed 
portion of the cemetery, should not be 
wholly forgotten as regards beauty. Beauty, 
so far as it is compatible with, or the out- 
growth of, utility, should be encouraged in 
every department. 
Monuments, while less numerous in the 
modern cemetery, are undoubtedly show- 
ing a marked gain in quality. This is due 
to the general awakening to good design, 
and much credit can be given the maga- 
zines and publications which have trained 
and guided the tastes of both the dealers 
and the public away from the maze of 
meaningless carving and ugly shapes to the 
simple elegance of good proportions and 
harmony of line and curve. In the place 
of a mass of stone giving almost vulgar 
publicity to the family name, how much 
more of a real memorial would be a truly 
artistic slab or bronze plate set in the 
lawn, the work of some high-class sculptor 
and perhaps in design typifying something 
of the life of the departed. A more elab- 
orate and larger monument with a suitable 
setting would be appropriate to mark the 
resting place of a person of local or na- 
tional importance. Perhaps 90 per cent of 
the monuments of the ordinary cemetery 
bear names which would be of interest 
only to a small circle of friends. The 
monument is> erected in many cases merely 
to forestall the criticism of others. This 
is fairly well demonstrated by the large 
percentage of sales in sections where 
monuments or markers above the level of 
the ground are prohibited. Monumental 
art as well as architecture is being in- 
fluenced to some extent by the work of the 
modernist or -the futurist. Some of this is 
spoken of as the Modern German, and it 
must be admitted that many of the crea- 
tions in this style are more than pleasing. 
Others approach the danger line of origi- 
nality where the monument becomes more 
of a curiosity than a memorial. 
The enclosure for a cemetery is worthy 
of some consideration. It should present 
an ornamental appearance and be difficult 
to climb. In cases where the rock is 
abundant and has to be cleared from the 
land a stone wall, either dry or with mor- 
tar, topped with a few well-placed barbed 
wires and overgrown with vines, will make 
both a beautiful and safe boundary. A 
simple type of wrought iron fence is not 
unduly expensive and is effective. Less 
costly still, and by no means undesirable, 
is the woven wire fence. This can be over- 
grown with vines, making quite a solid 
screen, and if doubly galvanized will last 
for fifteen or twenty years, or even more. 
Care should be taken to secure a fence of 
coiled spring wire, so that it will remain 
tight through all conditions of expansion 
and contraction. Extra protection can be 
had by several barbed wires stretched on a 
framework at the top, making the fence 
practically unclimbable. 
PLANTING AND CARE OF CEMATORY GROUNDS 
Address by J. Franklin Meehan, at the Third Annual Convention of the 
Cremation Association of America, at Buffalo, N. Y ., August 26 and 27. 
Death is the result of life, and while 
one of the most natural effects of life and 
the open door to a place of love, peace and 
eternal joy, yet it is often approached with 
dread and hesitation. Do doubts arise, or 
is it merely the fear of the death strug- 
gle and thoughts of the disintegration of 
the body? The latter more than the for- 
mer is probably true, and therefore, it 
seems our duty to dispel this feeling as 
far as may lie in our power by making 
the surroundings of the places in which 
the last sad rites over the remains of our 
loved ones are performed as beautiful as 
possible. Particularly is this true if the 
grounds of the crematorium are also occu- 
pied by a columbarium or urn-hall, a 
peaceful place of rest of our dear ones 
until that great period when we shall all 
meet together at the end of time. 
Generally speaking, there is less difficul- 
ty in laying out large tracts of land for 
crematoria sites than small ones, hence a 
few general suggestions concerning the lat- 
ter may not be amiss. 
Nothing can possibly be more beautiful 
or restful than Nature’s own works un- 
hampered by the hands of man. This is 
particularly noticeable, or at least greatly 
emphasized, in views covering a great ex- 
panse of territory, for instance, valleys 
as viewed from some high, mountainous 
elevation extending far out over the land 
until the trees and sky lines seem to meet, 
or again a view to some great river as it 
winds here and there in its sinuous course 
from mountain to mountain until it finds 
itself meeting the sea. 
Those who love to wander through wild 
parts of the country right in Nature’s 
wildest tangles have found great masses of 
the most beautiful flowers or mounds upon 
mounds of ferns. Has anyone ever seen 
similar works of man which would begin 
to compare with these effects? They seem 
to have been placed with the main thought 
of showing just what Nature can do. 
Again, what can possibly be more wonder- 
fully effective than the autumnal foliage? 
Every color and every shade are repre- 
sented ; apparently miscellaneously spread 
over a great extent, yet always in harmony. 
The reds and the yellows of the deciduous 
trees vie with the greens of the firs, spruce 
and pines for prominence. Notwithstand- 
ing that hundreds of varieties are repre- 
sented and found growing indiscriminately 
in one place or another, yet they all unite 
to make one perfect picture. Truly the 
works of Nature are perfect. 
From the works of Nature the land- 
scape architect draws his inspiration. The 
physical and economical needs of man 
compel the use of artificial treatment to a 
very great extent. Buildings must be erect- 
ed, roads and paths constructed for utility 
and convenience ; even trees and shrubs to 
a certain extent must be grown in unnat- 
ural positions and under unusual conditions 
which in many instances are more or less 
foreign to their natural environments. 
Even to the grass itself. Ordinarily it 
would mature, seed and reproduce, but 
with the necessity of lawns and tidy ap- 
pearance it must be cut short. 
The general layout of the ground 
should conform as nearly as possible to the 
natural topography, both for economical 
reasons and for beautiful and pleasing ef- 
fects. Buildings should be so placed that 
they will become a part of the one big 
picture. A location should be selected 
from both a practical and aesthetic stand- 
point, with due consideration given to 
drainage, exposure, approaches, vistas both 
on and. off the property, and the general 
layout of the balance of the grounds. 
Avoid as far as possible the usual dead, 
straight lines and symmetrical buildings, 
and, as in the case of the general plan- 
ning, conform to the natural sweep of the 
ground. 
In laying out the roads and walks, con- 
sider first the requirements of ingress, 
egress and the internal necessities, and 
then once again follow the general topog- 
raphy wherever practical. This system will 
simplify construction and conform to the 
general lines which it -seems desirable to 
emphasize. A thorough system of drain- 
age is of most importance. This refers 
not only to surface drainage from build- 
ings, roads and lawns, but also to sub- 
drainage, which is frequently of more im- 
portance than the other. 
Let us now consider the planting, which 
is the necessary connecting link between 
the artificial and the natural. This also is 
the starting point of that very important 
item, maintenance, and is frequently the 
determining feature of a beautiful and 
well-kept establishment compared with one 
of an unattractive and unsightly property. 
It is entirely possible to so plan and plant 
