As Benjamin Franklin once said:
“Show me your cemeteries and I will tell you what kind of people you have.”
Or actually:
“Show me your burial grounds and I’ll show you a measure of the civility of a community.“
The internet (and cemetery sites, plaques, flyers, etc) give Mr. Franklin credit for one or the other. I have yet to find anywhere claiming he said both. Nor have I found anything that actually cites a source of the quote. It does sound like something he could say, I guess. Especially if you etch it in metal next to a picture of him with his frilly tie or tiny glasses or kite or whatever.
But I don’t think he said it. He DID say that thing about reliablity re: death / taxes. But that’s not relevant now.
William Gladstone, however, seems to have definitely said:
“Show me the manner in which a nation cares for its dead and I will measure with mathematical exactness the tender mercies of its people, their respect for the laws of the land, and their loyalty to high ideals.“
I only bring it up because we live in a country that has made an effort to preserve “Baby Head Cemetery.”
Death Becomes You 