Gravely Speaking

The crown with the initials V. M C. is a symbol representing the Supreme Council of the Royal Arcanum, a membership organization founded by John A. Cummings and Dr. Darius Wilson in Boston on June 23, 1877.  The State of Massachusetts granted the society a charter on November 5^th of that year.

The Royal Arcanum is a fraternal benefit society founded to deliver insurance to its members.  Their mission from the start was to provide benefits to its members that would improve the lives of the membership and those of their families.  The society was founded on their expressed values found on their insignia—V for Virtue, M for Mercy, and C for Charity.

According to their official Website, the objectives of the society are to:

• Unite all eligible male and female persons of sound bodily health and good moral standing, who are socially acceptable.
• Give moral and material aid in its power to its members and those dependent on them.
• Teach morality without religious distinction, patriotism without partisanship, and brotherhood without creed or class.
• Educate the members socially, morally and intellectually.
• Assist the families of deceased members.
• Establish funds for the payment of Death Benefits, Educational Loans and Annuities.

The society is alive and well today still delivering benefits long after many other organizations of the same kind have long since ceased to operate.

Greenwood Hills Cemetery, Portland, Oregon

The Knights of Pythias, a society based on the Greek story of friendship from 400 B. C. between Damon and Pythias, became the very first fraternal organization to receive a charter under an Act of the United States Congress.

Pythians promote cooperation and friendship between people of good will, find happiness through service to mankind, believe that friendship is essential in life, view home life as a top priority, show an interest in public affairs, enhance their home communities, respect and honor the law of the land, and expand their influence with people of like interests and energy.

The symbol in the marker above features many of the symbols that are significant to the Knights of Pythias.  A knight’s helmet, above a shield with three letters, “F”, “C”, and “B”, which stand for their motto, FRIENDSHIP, CHARITY, and BENEVOLENCE, surrounded by swords, battle axes, and a spear, representing the weapons that were used against their enemies.  The secondary shield also displays the skull and cross bones, one of as many as 20,000 different symbols used by the Pythians.

Greenwood Hills Cemetery, Portland, Oregon

The symbol above marks the grave of a woman who belonged to the Order of Pythian Sisters.  The organization is the auxillary organization for the Knights of Pythias.  On October 22-23, 1888, the Order was founded at Warsaw, Indiana, by Pythian Knight, Joseph Addison Hill, of Greencastle, Indiana.  Hill was a master of creating order and ceremony and imbued their symbols with meaning.  A laurel wreath surrounds a Maltese Cross with a crown in the center, the cross is crisscrossed by a rapier and star baton, topped with falcon-crested helmet.  The four letters, P, L E, and F, inside the arms of the cross stand for Purity, Love, Equality, and Fidelity.  In a final salute, ALL HAIL SISTER FAREWELL, the member sisters say goodbye.

Greenwood Hills Cemetery, Portland, Oregon

The Greene County Chapel Cemetery, rural Greene County, Indiana

The word morel comes from the Latin word maurus meaning brown and refers to edible mushrooms from the genus Morchella.  Around the country, Morel mushrooms are called many names—molly moochers, dryland fish, sponge mushrooms, hickory chickens, merkels, and miracles—but whatever you call them they are delicious.  These honeycombed sponge-topped tasty morsels pop up in the spring and are sought after by chefs everywhere.  For me, the best way to prepare them is to wash them, lightly flour them and fry them in butter.  Pure delight.

These carved morels on a gravestone in rural Greene County, Indiana, surely marks the grave of a passionate mushroom hunter who enjoyed the search and better yet the reward of a fresh cooked batch of woody tasting delights.