Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1860-06-16
A MISisrrns OPINION ON wxAr,so Nouns.

day last the Rev. DR. Butler Of Trinity Church
ueaung on this subject said
"Our life Is sorrowful enough In our sorrovs
As they pass without bringing them and holding
them mp In the world and erecting conspicuons
monuments over them in the lives Of others 10
peiPe'1 T them after they are dead and buried
Christian duty TO trouble Others an little az
we can with our griefs. We may be sure the
wofia mas enough for its own discipline And
u Is nom this view / object 10 a custom which to
my mind Is never good, but which in the excess
to hich il is carried seems 10 me 10 be absolute
wrong 70 society, throwing over II an element of
gloom, which no persons, and Christians least of
all. nave right to cast into this already too shad-
owed light. fear that shall offend the sacred
sentiment and feeling of many who cherish ~ as
CHRISTIAN ceremony when announce NV most
decloeo objection to the practice of putting on
with all respect to the sentiments OF others. 10
utter my very long and matured convictions upon
u lh evils seem TO me to be manifold II looks
II Ike uniform Of organized rebellion against the
providence OF God. IL sheds gloom over the
streets, through the churches, and in the houses
IL creates an impression in the world of the alb
sence OF comfort and of consolation IL helms 10
petPe.uate sorrow, when the Christian duty is
10 cuiuvate peace and JOY. Children or Chris
tan rfienus die and they go to Heaven and we
very properly lay them amid fragrant flowers
with white lilies upon their breast All around
them Is the light Of Christian hope and consola-
1on, and then we come in a dark cloud shedding
night over the scene. This is not Christian but
heather custom. The early Christians forbid
cries OF agonies, the rending Of garments and the
| black emblems of despair which the heather
practised and adopted, and deposited their dead
with sorrowing gratitude; for they Borrowed not
without hope. Indeed, evidence Is not wanting
to prove that they adopted first the opposite Gus.
tom 10 that of mourning; that they wore white
and bright colors, embIematica of their Christian
Joy, when the dead was buried out of their sight
| have sometimes thought whether the habit
which VIII De In the memory OF some OF you, Of
wearing white scarfs at funerals was not derived
from this primitive custom. IL is not think a
Christian sentiment which prompts this gloomy
habiliment. 1t converts women, and saddest of
all, niue children into walking emblems of
despair.
Black! Why it is the symbol of sin, of woe, Of
wrath, and of despair, not of the comfort and the
gladdened sorrow of the Christian. 1t is, more
over, too often mere fashion. And then, to see
it deliberately interviewer, coquetsh in It's adjust
ments, going TO places of amusement covering the
gay and giddy, as ii has a sort of fantasoue mas
querade appearance, and seems incongruous to
the gloom. respect the sentiment which leads
those who are bereaved to put away CAV colors
and wear those which are gloomier But let sot
the fancied respect for the dead or fear that one
may not seem to mourn enough, lead US into the
most mistaken conviction that sorrow is duty
When II Is duty, let grace convert IL into a
peaceful joy. Let 1t not lead US into the epotism
OF ootrudlng our sorrow into the world and a
wrong against Christianity by making it wear a
livery OF despair, and wrong to the world by
being objects of gloominess, when our present
peace should be perpetual testimony to the high
joys, and the sufficient consultations to Christian
faith. Black! What is it, IL is that into which
the light cannot come. Ii is the absence of Iipht
Why should II drape the children of light and of
hope' Why should 1t be used in the case of
those, the memory of whose departure and peace
ful rest is sacred JOY may run counter to your
feelings and preludices upon this subject You
may say 1t corresponds to your own feelings TO
wear this gloomy material; but is that feeling
such as corresponds to the credit of God and TO
the mercies of redeeming love! IL the custom ia
harmony ba,,
green sweet cemeteries, full Of joyful reflection
whose emb!ems are all in conflict with it, altered
Our graves should be placed in rugged pl ices
and have no trees but the cyprus and the night
shade; no monuments but those of black marble
II our religion is joyful, IL does seem to me that
this objectionable uniform Of woe would be soon
discarded.
LECTURE BY Prov HENRY.-This morning at
10 O'Clock, large audience assembled in the
chemical-apparatUs room, 10 hear a lecture by
Prof. Henry, before the Teachers Association Of
Washington city. He proceeded to consider the
general properties Of Observation-Disclosures. re-
pulsion, induction and theory; action of magnetcs
upon each other; method Of developing mag
netism; change in state Of bodies by magnetism:
action Of magnets on all bodies dio-mapnetism
and terrestrial magnetism. A number of expert
ments were made by way Of illustration, and the
lecture was very interesting and instrpctive
throughout The second of the course will he
delivered next Saturday morning, at the same
time and place.
REAL ESTATE SALEs.-A. Green. auctioneer
made tie following sales: Lots ~, 10, IA and Is
in square 469, situated on II and streets south
and Seventh street west, to J. M SDrinOmap 10,
~ cents per foot; lot II. in same souars 10 iobn
Gorinley, for * cents; lot 20, in same square To
w m COLLINS, for : cents; frame house and lot
on NJ street, between Twenty-second and Twenty
third to Patrick Curran for $500; part of lot "a
(adjoining,) to John Hardy, for si52.
UNITED STATES CASES FOR TRIAL.-Several
q laEE nf INN Ffl NJ oh
the Criminal Court, were ruled for a hearing he.
fore Justice Johnson this afternoon The results
are not known as we go 10 press
In the adjoining office (Donn's) a few petty
cases, mostly OF violations of Corporation law
were tried and disposed of in the usual way
------
MONOLITHIc CoLUMNs-The contractors on
the Treasury extension have been receiving
monoilthlc columns for the past year, and have
set up, without accident of ny kind over seventy
five Of them weighing Il2 0U0 pounds each They
were safely and quickly landed by the head
rigger, Mr. Barton, without derrick, and with
four men only.
DoNNELLY SUsPENDED.-"Mercury, >" one Of the
Mayors official organs, says: "On the information
communicated TO the Mayor of an assault COM
mitted by Waterman Donnelly on Daniel Stewart,
on the night of the 18th instant, Donnelly was
Immediately suspended from duty, TO await a
final hearing"
NISETY-FIvE DEGREES IN THE SHADE.-Call
for glass Of ice water The neIc siyle patent ice
pitcher, sold by Mr.. II Semken, $3.50 Pennsy lvania
avenue, are the greatest luxury Of the season One
cents worth Of ice will supply you all day with
ice water as cold as-yOu kHOto! Buy one, and
enjoy comfort.
The CENSUS TAKING.-We are authorized to
state, for the information of such of citizens
as may desire TO anticipate the questions of the
census-taker, by being prepared with a ready
response, that they may obtain blanks for this
purpose by application at the Census Office, De-
partment Of the Interior.
The ANNUAL GRAND FESTIVAL Of the Wash
ington Turner Society is to come off on Monday
next at the Park, north end of Seventh street
See advertisement in another column
THOSE IN WANT of cheap boots, shoes, hats,
trunks and umbrellas, will find com plete stock at
r.. Brice Halls, Nos. 373 and 375 Seventh St. II
To CoNsUMPTIvRs.
QhcrH'S Cod LITER Oil JelIy,
This great specific for Consumption is fast su per-
oeding all others in its curative effects upon those
afflicted with tuhercOIar dlseases. Prepared upon
highly scientific principles Of the pure oil, and