The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1871-12-05 00:00:00

EPIT&PHS.

The Weymouth Young Men's Christian Association
aunounsed a lecture on this subject for Monday evening
last, it{ the National Schoolroom. A tolerably owner-
s= audience assembled at eight o'clock, and the Mayor
book the chair; but the gas, am if sympathising with
the gloom of the sub) rot, refused to illumine the room,
inapt In suoh • way am might be called " making
darkness visible."
The hymn " hall the power of Josu's name," was
elltitud the Nev. S. A. Walker offered prayer.
gas went out utterly during the prayer, and
Dharwar& Mr. Dennis informed the Mayor that the
pa manager said It was necessary to put it out for a
brir minutes.
The M•von hoped that though they wine In darkness
at present, Mr. Welker would be able to throw some
light upon the subject—(a laugh).
Lights having been procured, and the gas caused to

hurl,
The Leeman said that on • former occasion, the
subject of "Epitaphs" was selected for him at Ports.
mouth, in connection with the Church Association,
as a controversy had arisen there about an epitaph
which had been objected to, causing much paper
warfare. Be than continued with the lecture,
remarking that however unpleasant the subject of death
may be. It Gannet be avoided. Epitaphs show that
some ens has lived and had • history, and persons
Interested In him take that way of showing their regard
for him. Among the Jews the graves of friends were
very much thought of, and there wee often great anxiety
as to the particular place where the body should be
bladed. Abraham, Jaeob, and Joseph showed great
saxiety about their graves, and we must believe that
they bad an idea of the future resurrection. Nebemith,
too, was meals grieved because the graves of his lathers
were disturbed. The Assyrians and Egyptians at-
tached great importance to burial, so did the Greeks,
end their distinguished men were buried with great
pomp, and epitaphs were considered essential. The
Romans buried by the highways, that they might
attract the attention of travellers to the inscriptions on
their memorial stones. In our own country there is
always a solemn sense of obligation on survivors to
bury their dead respectably. The burial in churchyards
or cemeteries is moot - up to the 7th century the dead
were buried in the open fields ; but when Augustine
owe over bishops and archbishops were buried in or
near the churches. An archbishop afterwards
formed burying grounds in connection with churches.
Coffins were used here in the 12th °eatery, though the
Egyptians used them far earlier. Epitaphs arose from
the laudatory hymns sung in praise of the dead. In
our coentry, previous to the KOZorMaiioD,Opiiilphl were
were brief, mostly a Latin request to pray for the dead.
/afterwards the laudatory epitaph was introduoed, as
may be noticed in Westminster Abbey. It has been
said that there were epitaphs on Jewish toinbstones,frorn
the enquiry of Josiah as to the inscription on the grave
of the prophet who came from Bethel. On Jewish tomb-
stones there is generally • short inscription, stating that
She body lies below,but the soul Ls bound up in the bundle
Of the Lord. The Turks inscribe a verse of the Koran,
end we may well follow the example. We remember the
practice of Leigh Richmond, who sent his Sunday
school children into the churchyard to read the verses
is the tombstones, and one of these was blessed to the
Young COT tteger'
us conversion. Johnson considered
=l,:rsedezam
In y but
cases ryderi,,tPuoreped , CrAur
bb ,
says °The shortest and plainest are the best," he., and
upon his tombstone are exhibited these simple words
'Feller's earth." Johnson thought they should always
he written in Latin, and refused to write Goldsmith's
Laglish. The lecturer read specimens of Egyptian
almost unintelligible; and of the Greeks, who
ouppesed that the souls of great men were taken up to
heaven, sad became demigods;
_whence it is supposed
the Roman Catholics' got their Wes of mints. One on
NM tomb of a Roman Christian allowed that priestly
Maw was not the rule in the early days of the
M:tdOr lt was an ealogium on the wife of a
. Up to the 6th oentery there has not been
in any Christian epitaph reference to
die prams few the dead. The Lecturer himself found
VW In the Oateeembe of Rome among the epitaphs
bent the 2nd century there was not one which eon.
Iteloed any retinues to UN peculiar doctrines of the
present Chetah of Rome. When the Christians were
noreseeted they fled to these subterraneous
end there lived and died, and were burled, SDI=
IMIN PLOW outside recording the feelings of the
ennrivers. These passages were lost sight of till some
time ago, when theY were re•fotind, and found to
Is lined with tablets. They were taken out to the
Yellen, and the wails of a pemege there are covered
With them. Then is DO Ronsish doctrine connected
IMs the lamsiptiesOD these tablets, which we,,, of
Oath a shareeter as "Be reeks in piece." "They rest
411,40h:ha; or "Rare deposited with great sorrow •
toe lb. Lord Jim: 'lies, depolhed in hops,"