Middletown transcript., 1875-06-19
Wasting Money on Funerals.

Wasting Money on Funerals.
:. Please give me rose for korpf"
was the unintelligible request Of little
girl at the door.
At my front window was rose-bush
in its wealth of beauty: the child had
seen it. and, ringing the bell, had made
the request. She meant to ask for a
rose to adorn a corpse. but had given
what, in her ignorance, she had thought
to be the proper word for the singular
number. and at first it vas quite impos-
sible to know what she wanted Of the
rose.
It is with no intention to make light
Of a beautiful instinct Of our nature that
/ speak of this incident. What this
poor child asked was the indication of
q desire to initiate what others, with the
means at their command, do so lavishly
when they cover the dead. and the
place of the dead. with living but per-
ishing flowers.
The tendency Of men and women to
extremes and to run everything into the
ground has its most interesting illustra-
ton in the superabundance Of floral
decorations with which the dead are
now honored, an excess which is to be
avoided both on the score of expense
and Of good taste. And such is the
force of custom, (uow called fashion.
that those who can i'll afford the cost,
are often constrained by pride, or fear
Of being thought mean or poor. to 60
to degree Of expense that is really
wrong, 10 embellishing the funeral with
floral tributes, These are sometimes the
gifts Of friends. Often they are not.
When they do not come in Voluntarily
they must be bought. And this ex-
pense is incurred at a time when the
necessary extra expenditure isvery con-
sidel able, and therefore economy is to
be studied as virtue and duty. | reject
as scandal the current report that
florists and undertakers furnish them
for the occasion only. transferring them
Immediately from one funeral to anoth-
er, or taking them back to the conserv-
atory, awaiting other customers.
And this is only one of the many
funeral customs more honored in the
breach of them, than in the observance.
Thus, when we were assembled at the
funeral of one Of our distinguished
Christian citizens few weeks ago,
man whose gifts to works Of charity
and benevolence were counted by hun
dreds ofthousands of dollars, and whose
property amounted to millions. no sign
Of floral decoration appeared, no costly
badges Of mourning distinguished the
pail bearers, but the service was marked
with such simplicity, purity and mod
esty as became the character of the rich
man who did not glory in his riches
Some years ago | attended the funer-
al Of member of family of great
wealth, in this city. There was no dis
play Without scarfs or other tokens,
the clergy and bearers attended, and
the immediate friends only followed the
remains to the grave. Butt happened
to know that whatever was thus saved
in expense, by this example Of simple
was freely bestowed in gifts to
those who had need of it, and thus
double good was done.. ~
One of the most venerable and
wealthy of our citizens, man who does
not stop at one or two or three hundred
thousand dollars when he wishes to help
a good cause, said to me few days
ago: 'e 2 ss's7'a,
"I want to write you letter"
II wish you would write me two"
I replied.
g, I want to write," be said, "on the
subject of expensive funerals, that are
now becoming so common it is great
evil it is an example which imposes a
heavy burden on those who cannot af-
ford it, and it is positive wrong. a
wicked waste"
/ encouraged him to write. and he
did his letter, if I were at liberty to
use it here, would be more powerful,
because of its source. than anything l
Gan say. And was glad to know that
when the time omes.-may it be a long |
way of.-when this city shall attend
his funeral, and pay the respect that is
lue to the character of one of its most
honored, useful. muni6cent, and pros
pered inhabitants. the funeral will be
IS simple as is his modest. unostenta-
;ious, Christian life.
have just been reading Of the pro-
yress Of civilization under Christian
MISSIONS of Africa. Among the Gus
oms of savage life which the gospel has
,bolished, is that of human sacrifices at
he grave of chief When one of
hem died, it was not uncommon for
women to flee away into the wilderness
o escape being slain with the dead
But another custom survived after this