Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1866-11-22
SWISS FUNERAL CUSTOMS.
From the Letters of Rev. Mr. Prime to the New
York Observer

Long before Abraham asked burying
place to put his dead out of sight, the living
had their funeral rite and cermOnies. And
it is wonderful how widely they differ, il
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-five Of them would
not make 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 AppenZell,
in sight of Lake Constance, and by it sepa-
rated from Germany. The lang uage 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, (and
this morning as | walked out and looked
upon the hill and valley landscape, green
as green can be, and lighted with glo-
rious sun, | thought a lovelier picture could
not be seen in all this beautiful world, J.
here, where it would seem that sorrow and
sickness and death would not come, they
die, as they die all the world over and
when they die, they must be buried out OF
sight. Indeed, they die often here. 1t is
usual to have the funerals, if possible, Oh
the Sabbath more, presume, to save
time than from any other cause. 1t is so in
other Christian countries, our own a well
! If the weather will permit, it is customary
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
population of 5000, all belonging to one
church, 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 year Last Sun
day there were three funerals here. The
friends of the several deceased meet 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 the village church, and all
the same hour, as early as nine in the morn
ing. The body is placed in plain deal
coffin, sometimes, but rarely, painted. And
the custom of the country forbids the rich
to have coffin more elegant than the poor
the idea being that death abolishes all dis
d
to be hid away in the ground. At the hour
the coffin with the dead is brought out of
the house, and on a bier is borne on the
shoulders of the nearest male relatives or
friends. One of these funerals was that of
an aged mother. She left eight sons and
two daughters six of the sons were grown
men, and they bore their mother on their
shoulders to the grave The three process
cofhns were then borne in the order Of the
ages of the deceased, to the church, but not
into it. The body is never taken into the
church. But when the relatives and friends
have entered, the body is carried by the
bearers Immediately into the Gottesacker,
Gods Acre; the graveyard, which usually
adioins the church. 1t is there buried, while
none are present except those who do the
work l stood at little distance while
this melancholy service was performed. 1t
was not pleasing to me, that the dead should
be thus put away unwept And another
custom was equally unpleasant to me. The
graves are arranged in regular order, with
out 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 been neighbor with
whom he was at enmity, but now IN death
they sleep side by side, and know it not
Families are separated by the grave, as
we'll as by DEATH and no two of them, un-
less they die together, may be laid togeth-
er in the grave This is surprising when
we notice the remarkable attention they
bestow on the Garden of the Dead For
when the dead are buried, the friends come,
day after day, and adorn the grave with
flowers, and surround it with a border
of green, and water it with their tears of
love.
While the body is thus cared for by the
bearers, the funeral service is proceeding
in the church This is similar to the ser
vice in our own country, the prayers and
selections of Scripture being read, and
sermon preached, the same discourse an
swering, of course, for all who are buried
on the same day. At the funeral, all the
men in attendance wear black mantle of
bombazine or serge, which they may get,
for trihe, of the undertaken, who keeps
them for hire. Persons of property, have
them of their own, to wear only on funeral
occasions, but the most of the people hire
them when wanted, and thus every man at
the funeral appears as mOurner. All the
women dress in black when attending a fu-
neral, and they never go to church in any
other than black dress. This is very
peculiar custom, but is invariably followed
by all the people of this country. Not
light.colored dress appears in the great
congregation ON the Sabbath day, or at a
funeral.
l cannot learn that anywhere in Switzer-
land the German practice prevails of hav-
ing house for the dead to repose in, while
it is determined whether or not they ara
yet alive. Such place is prepared III con
nection with the burying ground in macy
of the larger towns in Germany. In Mu-
Mich, the dead of the city are brought to
this house prepared for all the dead" and
are arranged in ghastly tiers The bride
arrayed for the marriage altar, but who
died in the exta cy of hope, still wears the
orange flowers on her stone-cold, marble
brow. The wasted form of one who wore
out eighty years of life and at last died of
old age, sleeps by the side of the young
bride, in the arms of death. Fifty are some
times seen at one time in this melancholy
hall of silence Each one has thimblcs on
his or her fingers which are attached to a
IL: l.