Whatever Happens at all, Happens as It Should

A small, unnamed marker in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 in New Orleans features the French word Pourquoi, meaning Why. Located near the French Quarter, the Catholic cemetery contains many above-ground monuments with French inscriptions.

D. P. Curtin notes that the single word on the weathered stone appears to mark the tomb of a child from the previous century. The inscription poses an existential question regarding why suffering and decay occur in the world. Curtin suggests that while modern thought offers technical explanations for suffering, these do not provide true answers to the question of why such things are allowed to happen.