National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1867-08-23
A Funeral in the Holy Land.

A correspondent Of the State GA
zette thus describes Il funeral near
Jericho:
Our tents are pitched near the
village burial place, and Just as we
arrive natives are engaged in con-
mitting one Of their number to his
mother dust. We dismount and
draw near to witncs the cere-
monies Of an Arab funeral. Two
men are digging the grave, and
probably twenty others standing
around giving directions, sometimes
III loud and almost qucrulouS voice;
little way Off the corpse lies wrap
ped up i'll white muslin shroud,
/ tied at the head and feet; and not
4 far from this sit probably fifty wo-
men on the ground, some bcmoan-
ing in a loud voice, while others
seem to be comforting them. Occa-
sionally ten or Il dozen of the y0un-
ger women form a ring and dance
around another-prObahly Il sister
Of the deceascd-utterlng mean
while a dolorous song.
In the digging Of the grave, we
notice no less than six human skulls,
with a corresponding number OF
other bones of the body. thrown out
among the dirt at the side Of the
grave
When all is ready, several men
pick up the body and carry it to the
grave. in which they lay it upon its
side, with the face turned toward
Mecca. Stones are then fitted III
around and above the body, some
mortar and dirt thrown in upon the
stones, then the bones which had
been taken out, and finally every
man present. with his hand or foot
scrapes in some dirt until the hole
is filled up. Stones are set at tho
head and foot, upon which one o
the men pouS n little powder, anc
rubs it with spittlc anH his finger
until black mark is left upon each
The significance of this we do moi
understand, though it doubtless
mcaus something. The men keel
. up a sort of chant while all this j,
being done, and in conclusion, al
the men approach and salute two o
3 the men present, probably brothers
Of the deceased, by pressing thel
3 own torchcadS against those OF the
p brothers, twice in succession. lh'
= women. during the burial, contlnu
? seated on the ground, SGme diStanc
D grave. One old woman, however
: the mother of the deceased, Whe
| the men are gone away, craWlcd III
on her hands ana kuces to the fuc
/ of the grave, and with upllite
: hands and streaming eyes, bcmoal
ed the loss of her darling boy. Thi
is the sadest sight of the whole pre-
: ceeding, and could not but bring
tears to our eyes. MiScrably poo
- and degraded rs She is, She su
: loved her boy, and bcmoaned h
a loss with all mothers love.
While standing near the gray
:. as the grave diggrrs are doing the
2. work. some ask us for buckshec,
1t and others for tobacco. We give
/ both-of the latter all we have
g onr pouch, and think nothing mo
+ Of il but when we get back TO OF
II tents and feel in our side coat poe
;, ct for our rubber tobacco.pouch III
q handkerchief, find them both mE
III ing. Not content with what we hi
le Given them. these raScals had Stol'
'd both our tobaccopouch and han
a kerchicf while we We're standu
~ among them at the grave Sidc-th
y illustrating in our own case Wh
tt Christ had said of tie man "
n went down to Jcrichoandtel amo
d thieves. Our conclusions are tn
to the Jcrichoians of to-day are no b
's, ter than they were in the days
ur our Savior; and perhaps they 4
even worse, since it is not rcpor,
of that man chat he was attendi
funeral at the time he was roDD