The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-01-22
ABOUT FUNERALS.
LNeW York World

New York World.
| There evidently are some very sensible PEG
. pie In South Australia, for it is stated tina
"A meeting was held recently at the tow
hall, Adelaide to consider the cost Of funer
ais and the subject of funeral customs gen
orally. The meeting was attended by Dear
Russell, who had convened it, and by the
Mayor by Archdeacon Marryat, and about
hundred others, including bankers, mer
chants, ministers, and representatives Of va
rious classes. Strong opinions were expressed
in favor of the discontinuance Of the use OF
plumes and scarfs at funerals, and of gifts
of hatbands and gloves, and the supply of
refreshments and also in favor Of the
substitution of ordinary carriages for the
more expensive mourning coaches, and a
| simpler bier on wheels for the gloomy struc-
| ture denominated hearse. Several speakers
noticed the heavy expense of putting large
| families in mourning, and the inconvenience
| OF requiring persons in an Australian climate
| to wear a suit of black cloth, and it was sug-
gested that a band of Grape on the arm would
suffice as an expression of mourning. COM
mittee was appointed to consider and report
upon the details of the reform to be recon-
mended"
We should be very glad to hear Of meet
ing held here for the same purpose. Ameri-
cans are about the most undertaker-ridden
people on earth. Funeral pomp has gradual
ly been dying out in Europe, at least in the
most civilized nations. Lord Chesterfield
struck heavy blow at it in England by that
clause in his will:
"Satiated with the pompous follies of
which | have had an uncommon share, l
would have no posthumous ones displayed
at my funeral, and therefore desire to be
buried in the next burying ground to the
place where | shall die, and limit the whole |
expense of my funeral to one hundred dol
lars" . .
The late Lord Derby too, was rigorous in
MS testamentary commands on this head.
he decease Of head Of his house had
hitherto been on scale which would have
ent Caleb Balderstone into ecstases, but the
Earl with a vivid recollection Of several hun
red OF his fathers tenants drowning their
REF in drunkenness resolved that he him
elf would never be the cause of such NOR
uary orgies.
1t is not one word beyond the truth to say
nat funerals in this city are a source Of con {
nual danger to hundreds of men. On day, {
II example, like Sunday Tor yesterday, men a
ho have passed middle age are kept dab \
ling about in the wet and cold until they lay t
he foundation of an illness which soon sends q
lem, too, into coffin. il
Then, again, there is the outrageous, the b
reposterous folly of the poorer classes Of "
'ish in this matter. Fashion rules as i'm o
and often with far more serious a
feet, among the poor as among the rich IL
I'd there are thousands Of servant girls and p
hers with resources as slender who feel O.
ound to attend in carriages-two horses o
elng de rigeur at cost ruinous p
them, the funerals of those whom, OF
many cases, they don't care two ii
raws about, thus wasting an amount of time el
ID money-for thousands are drawn from m
e savings bank for such expenses-which is
ally deplorable.
II wish, said the late good Queen Dow
er OF England from whom the aforemen- a
ned city of Adelaide gets its name), when sh
ling directions about her funeral, ''to give ha
little trouble as possible" "a motto for wise w
n and women the world over. co