New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-12-20
THE OBITUARY flENp.

| Tho Argosy.
/ THE OBITUARY flEND.
The other day, while travelling In . rail
| road car. had the good fortune to fine
( woman, blonde, of lively but modest man
| ners, who, for moment. was q living epig
ma to me.
! ''Sir," said she 20 mo suddenly, ARE W
far from Lisieux7'
| "About thirty miles, I think, madam
| replied, assuming my most amiable air.
''D0 you know, sir, whether the house q,
Val Richer can be seen from the trainl"
m. Guizot's property, son mesns'
'Yes, cir"
IL think hot, madam"
"Ah, how unfortunate
''You desired TO see the homo Of that IL
luetriOus man, lately deadf
II would have given The world TO have
seen it."
THAT il great deal 70 give.''
happy"
"NOt at ALL"
"Wil you permit me 70 express my aston.
ishment at an admiration which would be
more natural coming from q politician OF .
historian chan from q young womanS''
''But do not admire him at all"
"Ah.'
''On the contrary. according TO fny views.
NJ. Guizot had done great deal Of harm"
''Ab, madam!"
"But for him tho revolution Of i84S
would not have happened, and Louis Phil
ippe. or his grandson, ut least, would be on
the throne, and we would have had q more
peaceful existence.
''Will you allow me 20 say that You do
with politics as did that good Joseph Prud-
hOmme, who, you know, asserted that if
Bonaparte had not possessed ambition and
had remained . simple lieutenant of artil-
lery. he would still be on the first throne Of
the wOrld?"
q! do not suppose possibilities &c distant
as that!''
almost"
"Then. too, NJ. Guizot. as man. does not
please me; it is said that he was austere."
Eyes, madam"
"That is. not gay: and besides his works
are somewhat serious for y wOman's peru.
SAL"
II would like 20 be little indiscreet.
Permit me to ask why. feeling no sympathy
for the celebrated defunct, you should SO
much regret nor to have seen his resi-
dence?'
"Ah, I will tell you." replied the lady.
ut is because NJ. Guizot made SO good
DEATH"
From the most sincere establishment l
passed into condition of amazement. My
neighbor noticed this. and continued, with
Q smile:
eyes, sir, a very good death. He brought
us 1000 francs"
"Ah, that was considerate in him. / Re.
Piled.
felt that was becoming idotic.
"A Thousand francs, and perhaps more.
My husband was very we'll satisfied"
''Ah, your husband was
"Enchantedr'
:'There was reason for it,
~ should say 30. We hadn't had good
death to occur for long time"
"Ahw
Eyes, there are some deaths that seem to
be very good ones, and yet which are worth
nothing ut all.
"Come! come, aowv'
"It is as say, Either they die unexpect.
edly, and there IL no time to prepare them,
Dr. they spend six months in dy ing, and then
hey are too prepared, and are not at all
curious"
l looked at my neighbor. Her face was
,alm, her gaze soft and limpid, her blonde
lair shone under q sunbeam. She was
charming. Nothing in her manner indi. !
,ated insanity. fell back Mortified, while
.sking myself what could be that horrible |
which earned 1000 francs in pre-
,aring select deaths?
A very natural thought presented itself |
o my nina.
.Your husband is an embalmer1'' cried,
And then, with the intention Of ingrati-
ting myself with the pretty traveller, ] /
.dded, not without pride:
II have had the honor of an Introduction
o DR.. Gannal. He is a charming man."
The lady laughed herself into commissions |
lmost, while I felt very much embarrassed.
II am laughing at your mistake she
aid, when she was able to speak. II will
Dng laugh at it, / assure you.'
Don't disturb yourself, implore you"
would like to have been under the ground
t that moment).
my husband, sir. is not at all what you
hink him to be-"
THAT is not foolish business
Undoubtedly; and to tell the truth. my
usband's profession resembles that of DR..
in another way"
"In another wayr'
''Yes, my husband is writer Of obitu-
RES"
II don't understand"
"In other words, Q necrolOgist-that is to
~, moral embalmer'
Il understand still less than BEFORE
Mon Dieu, it 10 simple enough. You
lust have noticed that whenever an illus
.iOus man permits himself to die, all the
ewspapers, just on the day of his death,
ublish long articles about him. The next
ay. another article; the day after that still
mother article. The first OF these Is the
eneral article. 1t tells about his birth, his
Duth, his family, his entrance into the
olit;cal, scientific. artistic, or literary
orld, the share he bore in such and such
, event, in fine, how he reached celebrity,
i'd finally his illness and DEATH"
ITO be sure! / have observed that.
"The next day the anecdoticaI article
,pears. The mans eccentricities, his fol
es. his bon mOts-all are there"
"That's true"
"At last. on the third day, with the details
his burial, appears An article of high
der OF style, in which the defunct ia
aised and cut up in turn. In this is refer
zee made, above all, to the influence he
erted on his times, and the article con-
udes with description Of few traits of
aracter little known. That's the way it
isn't it :"
''Just So"
Have you never wondered at the rapid
with which these articles have been
ought out and written up."
II confess that l have always regarded
at business as real miracle" Ii
well, yOu were only half right. There
nothing miraculous about it."
Explain yourself
u Nom Diex those articles which seem Z
you to be tie most perfect specimens OF !