>From a column, ALL ABOUT ANTIQUES, by Ralph and Tery Kovel, published in the Jacksonville, Florida Florida Times-Union newspaper. Copyrighted. Death has always been a part of everyday life. In Victorian times, many children died before they were 10, women died in childbirth, and epidemics like smallpox often killed several members of the same family. The cemetery was a place to "talk" to the deceased while honoring them with flowers. Family outings, and often picnics, were common-place in large, park-like cemeteries. Victorian memorials to the dead included elaborate tombstones, carved statues, cast iron fences, gates, and furniture. Today we often miss some of the symbolism of the early grave markers. A weeping willow signified grief, and a lamb was often carved on a child's tomb. A bridal wreath with a dart symbolized a bride, while a rosebud with a broken stem was used to remember an infant. For-get-me-nots, anchors, tree stumps, ivy, doves, crosses, sleeping children and other symbols of death and rebirth are also found on old artifacts from Victorian cemeteries. The park-like cemetery remained popular until about World War I. By that time, many diseases had been conquered and early deaths of fzmily members were less common. The cemetery was rarely visited and sometimes neglected. The legends of ghosts, goblins and bodies rising from the grave became part of literature and common belief. In the past, attractive carvings and wrought iron pieces were stolen from cemeteries and sold to collectors. Authorities are now prosecuting those who sell such items, and buyers must return them to the cemetery.