Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1870-07-21
Ostentatious Funerals.

} ner IN which the funeral OF Dick
! ems was conducted, has furnished
r an example which it would be wist
to follow-nay, must he by tho
great and renowned, if we would
ever see any change in the present
mode of funeral ceremonies. Per
: haps no untitled parsonage in Eu-
: rope could have called forth such
an outward display as he, or one
in which there would have been
less heartlessness. Universally pop
ular, his body could have been fol-
lowed to the grave by an immense
concourse, and the daily press been
crowded with descriptions Of the
imposing ceremonies. Yet a hum.
Bile mechanic could hardly have
been buried with less pomp. Says
an English paper, in speaking of
his funeral;
"DickCn,' obsoquies were as sim
pie as he desired. The news that
a special train left Rochester at an
early hour yesterday morning, and
that it carried his remains, was tel
egraphed to London; but every ar
rlngement had been completed be-
torehand, and there was no one in
the Abbey, no one to follow the
three simple mourning coaches and
the hearse, no one to obtrude upon
the mourners. The waiting-room
at Charing.road station was set
apart for the quarter of an hour
they remained there; the Abbey
doors were closed directly as they
reached it; and even tile mourning
coaches were notpermitted to wait.
A couple Of street cabs and a
single bougham took the funeral
party away when the last solemn
rites were over, so that passers by
were unaware that any ceremony
was being performed and it was
not until good hour after that the
south transept began to fill. There
were no cloaks, no weepers, no
bands, no scarfs, no feathers, none
of the dismal irippery of the under
taker."
Three carriages filled with the
numerous relatives alone followed
him on whom the eyes of the world
were turned, to bis last resting
place. 1t was well that one who
had been the advocate Of the poor
should set the world such an exam
pie in the last outward action in
which he, though unconscious, bore
q part, Ii is q little singular that,
although it was universally expect
ed that he would be honored with
q magnificent funeral, yet none ap-
peared disappointed at its simplici
/ ty; on the contrary all approved of
lit. This doubtless, was partly ow-
ing to the general feeling that out
ward display did not become the
funeral Of one who, in his writings
held it in such light esteem. But
| beyond this it shows that the mass
OF men, while yielding to the per
nicious custom Of showy funerals,
in heart condemned them, and,
moreover, that it needs only for
the great to set the example to
drive them out of existence.
1t is useless to preach or write
against them, or to show the folly
or deplore the burdensomc expense
men of moderate means are often
put to by costly funerals, while the
rich and the great practically as
sert, by their lavish expenditure,
that it is the proper way to exhibit
our respect for the dead. Roman
Catholic priests may prohibit their
poor followers from having train
of carriages at the funeral Of their
friends; it avails little, so long as
ut their own, no such economy in
money or display is shown. Nei-
ther will poor Protestants listen to
advice on this matter while the
wealthy do not act in accordance
with it. Nor will the latter class
set an example Of simple decorum
in this matter so long as what are
termed national funerals are distin-
Iguished for their pomp and prodi-
gal expenditure of money. IL we
wish for a thorough reform, VIC
must begin at the beginning. So
long as the people are taught by the
great that pomp and display are to
be in proportion to tho distinction or
worth of him who is dcad-in
short, his value is to be determined
by the costlincss of the outward
ceremonies-thcy too, will, to the
extent of their means, and often
beyond them, honor their friendsin
the same way. And why should
they not?-if such test of re-
spect and worth is proper one,
they ought not to shrink at any
sacrifice to show theirs.
Recognition of a good rulers
death should be wide spread and
general, and it may be without the
aid of gorgeous outward ceremo-
MES over the dead body itself. Let
that be laid tenderly, and without
ostentation, in the tomb. All dis
tinctions disappear at the portals
Of the grave. There the rich and
poor meet together, equal at last
The fact that pompous funeral Ger
emonies are recorded in the Old
Testament as having taken place
over the great and good, is no eyi-
dence of their propriety. Though
Elisha was buried with the pomp of