East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1866-11-22
Swiss Funeral Customs.
Correspondence of the N. Y. obser

Long before Abraham asked a bury
ing place to put his dead out of sight,
the living had their funeral rites and
ceremonies. And it is wonderful how
widely thay differ, in the different
parts of the world. There is, doubt
less, great difference in the customs
of the various Cantons of Switzerland,
for though the whole twenty -one OF
them would not make a State larger
than. New Jersey, they have costume
or dress peculiar TO each, and many
Of their habits are equally singular. !
am in the Canton of Appenzcll, in
sight of Lake Constance, and by it
separated from Germany. The Ian
guage Of the people is German, and
their manners are German more than
French or Italian, and their customs
are in great degree like those in the
country over the lake. Their funeral
rites may be more or less common in
Switzerland, but | cannot say how far
they prevail.
In this rural and elevated region,
land this morning as i walked out and
looked upon the hill and valley land
scape, green as green Gun be, AMI
lighted with glorious sun, thought
n lovelier picture could not be seen in
all this beautiful world, J. here, where
it would seem that sorrow and sin
ness and death would not como, r:77S
die, as they die all the world over /;
and when they die, they must be bu-
ried out of sight. Indeed, they die
often here. 1t is usual TO have the
funerals, if possible, on the Sabbath !:
more, i presume, to save time than
from any other cause. 1t is so III other
Christian countries, our own rs well,
If the weather will permit, it is Gus
tomary here to defer the funeral until
Sunday, even if the person dies on
Monday; and thus it often occurs that
there are two or three on the same
day; and sometimes more. In popu-
lation of 1900, all belonging to one
church, and the funerals being held in
it, the number is frequently more than
one or two at the same hour. The
average number of deaths is about
ninety in wear. Last SUNDAY n.,--
were three funerals here. The friends
of the several deceased met in front Of
the respective houses where the dead
were lying. None but the relatives
enter the house. The three funerals
were to be attended at tho village
church, and all at the same hour, a.
early as nine in the morning. The
body is placed ina plain deal coffin,
sometimes, but rarely, painted. And
the custom of the country forbids the
rich to have coffin more elegant
than tho poor; the idea being that
death abolishes all distinctions, and a
plain coffin is good enough to be hid
away in the ground. At the hour the
cofIinwith the dead is brought out of
the house, borne on the shoulders Of
the nearest male relatives or friends.
One of theso funerals was that of an
aged mother, She left eight sous and
tw daughters; six of tho sons were
grown men, and they bore their moth
er on their shoulders to the grave
The three professions met near tho
church, and the three coflins were then
borne tih,the order of the ages of the
deceased, to the church, but not into
it. The body is uever'taken into the
church. But when the relatives and
friends have entered, the body is car
ried by the bearers immediately into
the Gottesacker, Gods Acre, the
graveyard. which usually adjoins the
church. 1t is'tfere buried, while none
are present except those who do the
work. / stood at a little distance
while this melancholy service was per.
formed. 1t was not pleasing to me
that the dead should be thus put away
unwcpt. And another custom was
equally unpleasant to me. The graves
are arranged in regular order, without
any distinction Of families, and as each
person in the place dies, he is buried
in the grave next to the one who was
buried before,him. 1t may have beer
a neighbor with whom he was at en-
nifty, but now in death they sleep sids
by side, and know it not. Families
are separated by the grave, as well a.
by death, and no two OF them. unless
they die together, may be laid togeth
er in tho grave. This is surprising
when we notice the remarkable atten
htlon they bestow on the Garden of th,
Dead. For when the dead are buried
the friends come, day after day, an'
adorn the grave with flowers, and sur
round it with a border of green, an'
water il with their tears Of love-