You can't drive through the gates at the Mount Royal Cemetery these days. Instead of this welcoming sight, you're stopped by orange cones and directed to enter by the side driveway.
The ornate gates themselves which date from the 1860s, were taken down last fall, and scheduled to be reinstalled last spring. But, according to staff I talked to recently, examination of the stonework before they were put back showed that water had infiltrated and the cracks compromised the whole construction. Whether the damage can be repaired wasn't determined when we spoke, but I was told that even if the gateway had to be dismanteled it would be reconstructed as before.
That's good. The cemetery is one of the jewels of Mount Royal. That the gateway might have to be completely rebuilt points out the facts that time works its ways unceasingly, and that our vigilance and effort are continually required to safeguard what we hold dear.
That could extend that to other aspects of life too--like democracy--n'est-ce pas?
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