The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1858-07-15
brutes who cut them down And NO much
for the relict groves. A curse on him who
meditates their spolation'


On Monday two funeral professions moved
by dileren, ways to different resting places
of the dead One Of these filed the streets
Of the city for quite mile with its impo-
sing cortcgc. Nearly hundred carriages
swelled its pomp. Men Of all ranks joined
In the sorrowiul pageant, Military compa-
MES added the glitter Of their uniform to
the display. Surely, the dead they followed
to 30 splendid burial Ind been stricken
from some height ot public eminencc
In the other, n solitary hearse was rcuc-
family followed by some six or seven men
who doubtless bore here the remains Of some
parish pauper--oi ignoblc life and name.
In truth, the man who went down to the
silent chambers OF the dead amid the telling
OF the bells, and the tramp and pomp OF
funeral escort. was humble private citizen,
scarcely known outside Of his immediate
walk bu, from his own social circle, from
the business sphere in which he moved, and
from NIL ranks Of life above and below him,
his friends aud hundreds who had never
been his friends, came out 10 swell the throng
who paid the last sad tribute OF respect 10
his remains.
| And he who sunk unknellod and scarcely
honorcd with funeral, to his unwcpt grave,
was d naan warn; rutssoa.aso had -bT0ssght
down To comparative indulgence from high
social position; man of venerable years.
Of great ability and uprightness, who had
served his country with distinction In the
war Of 1912, and had been Judge of tho
Court Of Common Pleas, IN his native State
of New York,
What called out the copcourse in the one
case What nstigated the neglect in the
o,hcri The difference Ia not only that he
tween Nh Irish funeral and mn American, but
between a Catholic funeral and Protestant
one. A sentiment Of religion inspires the
respect which the Irish pay their dead
The spectacle Of Death cnlls out whatever Is
good In these people. The wall Of sorrow
il tho wall Of despair The lifelc~ corpse 10
never lifclc~s to their lively imaginatons.
A spiritual presence accompanies It which
hovcrs over liz grave. And Whatever may
have been wanting 10 sympathy and kind
ness to the living, IL made up In one grand
act Of denonstrative charity 10 the dead.
The surviving relatives Of u poor Irish Ia
borcr will often cxpcnd the accumulated
earnings Of long years In the celebration OF
his obsequies, and his body reposcs at last
in consccra,ed ground. Among us Ameri.
cans, on the other hand when man IN dead
we have no further use for him, except 10
get rid Of him, "a deccntIy and cl'eaply an
possible. prevailing religion Inns taught
us certain contempt for the soulless clay.
Our cares cease with his VIC follow him TO
the tomb Mt last from no sentiment OF rc.
srect for the dead alone, but from social
feeling Of sympathy for his relatives. The
tribute is paid not for sorrow. but 10 sor.
row. Our funerals nre mere conventional
affairs, like m evening party. II the dead
man has no relatives, everybody will speak
well aud sympatbizingy Of him, mourn him
even in an economical business way but
nobody will attend his funeral. II h only
from the cngrossing ael6shneS Of that hard
utilitarianism, which s fast becoming ma
tionaI character, and which carries the com
mercial principlcs into everything, even into
religion, that we can explain the sal con-
trast between tho@ two funerals on Mon day.