The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1851-02-22

where Ny SISTER was Lald, COPIED INTO
some of the country papers as coming
from the Philade}phm Saturday Express,
appeared originally in The Cecil Wig
on the 21st of September last.
1y-The sickness of the Editor pre-
vents him from paying his respects, as
usual, to his ''Rcaders and Correspon-
dents in this column. In lieu OF his
remarks, the following communication
is given.
For The Cecil H,Mg.
Ralph Rambler and ''Nourning.'
Mr.. EHitor:-In The Wing Of Feb.
Is, under the head of"W aysidc Epistles,
No. s." appeared an article on "Mourn-
inc;' strange article, penncd by
strange man or woman no doubt; Tor II
"Ralph' cannot perceive any use or any
thing human in expressions of sorrow for
the dead, even in the common way Of
putting on the "gloomy black,' he is
quite unlike the great body of mankind,
and is therefore strange. lie appears to
Us TO be thorough-going wfi/tfa17"n
even in matters Of grief and taStS; it
seems that lis whole theory if, like a
vulgar fraction, it would be reduced TO
practice, would stand thus, numerator,
c0l, dcnominator, steep. He begins by
asking indirectly, why or where this SOM
brc custom originated. We admit that
this is rather hard question: but quite
as useless to the thing III hand, as 1t Is
hard-he answer, perhaps, must be
sought for far away in the years that are
dead. But has X, yet to learn that Sor-
row is a naIuraI lerling--that we call
the man who is destitute of it, monster,
not TO he endured at all; not fit to live
with the cattIc-crrtainly not with the
,ors! Does he not know that we sum
mon men into the Court Room who
swear right away, that they saw him poi
son his mother-cut his child's throat,
and that we forthwith swing him by the
neck upon the nearest tree that hangs
over the "Wav-'id-."
1t seems to Us that Rs article has an
undcrcurTcnt most hcrctical, which aims
to throw dust not only upon the express
sion of sorrow for the dead, by the wear
ing of black apparel or white apparel, or
"hnocking The brcast;" but upon the very
feeling itself; upon any thing that might
force tear from the eye upon the couch
of our dying sister or brother, or friend
any emotion of the soul that would
lead us to plant the little rose-tree, or
the evergreen by our mothers mound
out in the still graveyard, just because
our sister or brother or friend must die
ANYHOW, al some time, and our mother
as dead and--''it can't be helped!'
If this is not RS sentiment, he has eN-
pressed himselfquite unguardedly. W hat
hatred he must have, of the cypress
and the view, yes, baJies too, for they
come into the world mourning, weeping,
vailine, and do little else for the first
six months of their being. r, says, he
wonders why and where the custom was
adopted, of dressing in black, &c. BY
"drcssing in black,'' we understand him
to mean visible expressions of grief for
the loss of our friends by death, and the, e
of ali kinds. This we have right to do
by what he afterwards SAYS, for he filings
tears and ''gloomy black and ''regrets"
and 'knocking on the breast" all to-
grthrr, into dirty hole by the "Way-
sidc,' and struts on, a contemptuous
snccr upon his lips. He makes no dis
tinction between the gloomy garb and
s1ears,' or sighs or mourniul faces, or
breaking hearts; they are all one with
him. He seems to assume the wearing
OF black as a kind of genius or universal
representative Of sorrow for the dead, OF
which he makes clears and "regrets'
and other signs of grief, species. He
assumes that the first is hypocrisy, and
therefore, tears, means, wringing of the
hands, any visible or audible expressions
of grief you please, are all hypocrisy.
We think, Mr.. Editor, that dogs and
even wolves have been known to eN-
hibt feelings or instincts, if you like the
term better, on being deprived Of their
offspring, or on being separated from
their masters or keepers, very much like
sorrow; indeed, we think there is good
testimony, that they have been known
to pine and die of grief. Therefore,
they are hypocrites, although they may
never have paraded the streets in black.
lfthis is not a just conclusion, the fault
lies with Ralph; it is what one might in
fer from the construction of his article.
With Just as much propnety might
he ask, why and where was adopted the
custom of admiring a glorious sunset, a
splendid landscape, or a beautiful flower.
Why does he not inquire who first adopt
ed the custom Of laughing at ridiculous
thing, or of running from danger, OF
seeking the fire on winters day! We
are half of the opinion that the writer
did not know what he was talking about,
that he wrote in doee. Does he not
lnnur thnt rnnn,- nc the fnnlinns nav all