The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1874-06-05
A GRAVE SUBJECT.

A singular, but not rninterest
ing advertisement appears in :
late number of the Plymouth
lind. Republican. AS a literary
curiosity and to illustrate Ela
we have to say on the subject, ",
copy it herewith:
FARMERS. ATTENTION.
Let Us show you thing or two.
When a friend or a relative dies, yoI
come 10 town, and through feeling o
lIbeTality and respect towards the deceas
ed. you pay thirty. forty, and even sixtI
and sixty.fiVe dollars for = coffin. I'm
dertakers are getting rich by so taxing
advantage OF the farmer or a citizen II
distress, and it Is high time you were get
ting posted in this matter. Allow rs Il
show you few figures, giving the cost o.
material and labor expended on social.
ed $50 coffin:
Black walnut lumber, not to eX-
coed. ............ Si.O(
Jour's price for making " f.O(
Upholstering and trimming, with
silver plated handles, etc.. mel
to exceed ...-.-.-... ....--.. 5.0(
Total cost to the undertaken, s7.OC
Retail price. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. $500
PrOniS On one CONN 5S "
"HoW Is THIS FOR HIGHP"
This can be changed into thirty, for
ty. or fifty dollar coffin by emitting fifty
cents worth of stain and Varnish-and,
perhaps. using slightly inferior quality
of silk lining.
We are selling forty" fifty,e AID
sssIxty-fye dollar coffin at $40 10 Sl8.
How would you like il IL We should
charge you $50 for the same cofIinf :. A
dollar saved is q dollar made" Chill
dren's collins al 50 to So.
This is not all of the advertise
ment. but it is enough to show the
spirit and enterprise of the firm.
whose names in bold capitals
Myers d Welch-are signed at the
bottom. Though told rather rough
ly and embellished with phrases
which seem grossly homogeneous
when speaking of things so sol
EMMY associated, we do not doubt
that Messrs. Myers IL Welch are
giving us deal of truth in their
double column manifesto.
Some time ago We published an
account of trial in the Washing
ton courts in which an undertaken
was plaintiff and the Hon. Fer
nando Wood was defendant. The
suit grew out of charge by the
undertaken for coffin, hearse, and
attendance on the occasion of the
death of Mr.. Woods mother-in-
law. The bill was so grossly ex-
orbitant that the Hon. Fernando
absolutely refused to pay it, and a
suit was the consequence. On
the trial, facts closely resembling
those stated in the above adver-
tisement were made public, the
evidence showing that the under
taker had charged profit of more
than 500 per cent. This robbery
seems to have grown into q Gus
tom with the undertakers, who,
taking advantage of the grief and
despair so common on such occa-
sions, and which shrinks instinct
lively from any controversy re-
garding the price for performing
this last sad rite to a cherished
friend, pile up their charges until
dying and being decently buried
is luxury that no one but mil
lionaire can afford. The very ma
ture of the service invites this
but it is time that some
philanthropic individuals put a
stop to it, by rejecting any but
reasonable bills. They may hate
to quarrel over the grave of a rel
alive; but the great service they
will thereby render to the living
should induce them to submit to
the pain of such a controversy,
for the benefit of others.
The practice in the city of fol-
lowing the remains of a friend to
the cemetery with long lines of
costly carriages is another custom
which should be abolished, or at
least not made 4 rule the breach
of which IS mark of meanness
or disrespect. 1t must add q pang
to the parting, for man in mod
crate circumstances to know that
4 tyrannical custom will compel
his widow to indulge in empty dis
play over his remains, squander-
ing valuable means which would
go far toward starting her out
successfully in her solitary life in
the world. This practice should
go down with the eXtravagant
uIdertaker's charges, until a man
may not have added to the fear OF
dying n still worse dread-that his
decease will bankrupt his family.
-Inter-Ocean.