The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1868-10-15
Miscellany
Flowers at Funerals,
RY HENRY WARD BEECuER.

A correspondent in the West, formerly re-
siding i'll Brooklyn, n. Y, and there accus-
toned to see flowers employed freely at fu,
nerals, writes to us to say that ne hau
brought down upon himself severe anlnad-
version by following this beautiful custom, on
recent funeral occasion, ana ne asks us 10
express some opinion OF the use OF flowers at
. the burial of our dead
About fifteen years ago | was called to Of
fieiate at the burial OF sweet girl, about six
teen wears of age. Her parents stood high
In society and she was their only child. When
| entered the spacious parlor, and went to
the coffin. the face was SO fair that il seemed
to me as ii the world on the other side was
shining through it. But she seemed lonely
In her narrow chamber she lay,l in pure white,
without single flower. | could not bear it,
and without saying word to any one | lett
the room. There was, within block, a GAR
den and nursery, whose proprietor | well
knew. l fairly ran to his greenhouse, and
without salutation, cried out, Davidson, cut
me everything choice, that is white, that you
have got"
With my hands full of white roses, tube
roses, orange blossoms, sweet alyssum, &C..
returned and entered the parlor. The mo-
ment passed the door, every one seemed
moved by the same impulse. The father and
mother rose up in tears and came to the cof-
fin. Friends took them from me and began
dressing the coffin with them and the moth
er with a deep sigh, said, "Oh, this is just
what we wanted. But Ne were too full of
sorrow to think Of them"
Will any one tell me why those flowers
ought not to have been there? Can any one
refuse flowers to dying bodies of those who
ire disciples OF him OF whom it is said, Now
in the place where he was crucifed there
was Garden, and in the garden new sep
ulchre. There laid they
Jesus"
For my own part shall never cease TO be
thankful that John (he only of all Evange-
lists,) mentioned that comforting fact.
After the grim horror of the aIrest-night.
the fierce cruelties of the trial, and the bur-
den and anguish of the crucitxion, it is i'll
expressbly soothing TO follow the sacred form
TO the quietude OF garden and lay him down
in cool rock chamber, around which flow
ers hung. There, in the morning, flowers
dropping with the weight OF dew, leaned
their head against the stone, not knowing
whose sepulchre they made beautiful, nor
that the perfume which they exhaled was a
nobler Offering than all the incense OF the
sanctuary! There, IN a garden, among green
leaves, and fragrant vines,and spicy blossoms
and leaves murmuring in the gentle
wind, he rested, and waiting for the auspi-
cious day when, lifting his head with renew
ed life, he should lift upto new hope and sub
lime destiny every man on earth.
Ii there were no other reason, it is enough
that friends are comforted. What mother
but is glad to see her innocent child, never SO
dear and beautiful as in death, lying amidst
fragrant flowers? Who that has true senti-
ment but feels that something is taken away
from the earthiness OF death by the presence
of. flowers?
Must we forever regard death from the
heather standpoint? Shall we1oreyer give
way to grief without restraint? Shall we
studiously endeavor to make sadness vet sad
der, and grief yet more angulshful? Shall we
mufiie ourselves in black and funeral-smell-
ing Grape, and sing doleiul hymns, and weep
out mourntui prayers and meanwhile refuse
all sense OF victory, all hope OF Immortality,
all knowledge that there is no death to
true lsoul, but only exaltation to better
life?
II will not leave you comfortless," said the
Saviour. Yet ten thousand Christians have
SO gloomily borne their bereavements that.
the young, and men of the world look upon
death, as the one awful catastrophe of life
They have dressed their house in weeds and
lett tie corse so bald and bare, in the bodily
dishonor OF death, that men have no reason
to believe that Christ walks with his disciples
in the valley and shadow of death, or that he
plucks heavenly flowers and dresses there
with the hearts of his followers, so that their
griefs, like his own suffering body, shall rest
in Garden.