Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1875-12-23
Reform In Funerals.


one department Of national economy r';.t
thorouehncss which promises i,nportsn,
results. Both in church and out OF church
tie question of reform IN funerals Is he;n.
discussed very warmly. At the rscer,
meeting of the Church Congress. a, S,s,ss
on-Trent. an entire days session was ~.
cupied with . discussion Of this kind +,
which nearly all the prominent Enrlish
clcrgymen spoke in favor OF more rigid
economy in funerals and return to the
simplicity Of other times. The Rev In
Collis, of Stratford on Avon, read a rcrv
lively paper upon the subject, In which he
advocated not only the cheapening hu,
also the Outstanding Of funerals. He
presented the following rather PICTURESQUE
protest. against the average English
funeral:
The present funeral ceremony was not !,
was believed, more than 100 years old. and
why, therefore, should we keep IL up as 4 il
were of hoary and venerable antiquity,
What. for instance, was the use of mutes.
except that both In grammar and at funer.
ais they invariably suggested the constantly
accompanying " liquids"y What was the
use of pages, except that they suggested
pages OF q ledger, The items Of which We
should have TO pay for, What was the re-
conditc mystery of dingy black velvet horse.
trappings, Opfaf sphippia Dos" said Hor.
ace, but why should the poor innocent
horses be made guys" off What did
piumes mean, and why should there be
particular number. and why white black, or
boihy And why was q set Of plumes some
times carried by page-boy ON a tri.ngular
tca-tray In front of the cofiina Why too,
were they put on the horses and the hearse,
The type Of funerals, moreover, never varied,
and they were as hideously ugly as they were
100 years ago. Was il not time to change
this costly, this Pagan uglincss for some
thing more Christian,
The Rev. Coils plan was to do away
with plumes, trappings, hired mournen.
mutes, pages and all other attendants, as
savoring Of worldly pomps and yanities;
TO have the clergymen head the procession
with cross or crucifix; to adopt the
walking funeral. and that all persons at
tending should be dressed in simple, mod
est mourning attire; and that the people
should be Indocirinated with the notion
that simplicity was not shabbincss, and
thai economy was no dlshonor to the
dead" Mr.. Beresford Hope, Member OF
Parliament, who has been an advocate OF
funeral reform for many years, seconded
The recommendations of Dir. Coils by
urging that the people should look to .he
church for their funerals as much as for
their baptisms and marriages. The Earl
of Shrewsbury gave very practical turn
to the discussion by informing the Con
gress that he had directed in his
will that he should be buried at
no great expcnse--not from eco
nomical motives, but because there
were so many other and better ways OF
spending money beneticially in behalf of
the church The discussion in the
Church Congress evidently inspired Mr.
John Bright also to express his views
upon the subject in letter 10 Mr.. George
Phillips, of birmingham, anG, rs all Of
Mr. Bright's views are peculiarly marked
by sound, practical common sense, and
always tend toward The Use of simplicity
and economy In matters of everyday life,
as well as in political affairs, they will
undoubtedly exercise widespread in
fiuence In the adoption of the proposed
reforms. In his letter lie discouragcs dis
play of every description, and advocates
the general adoption of the funeral Gus
toms of the Quakers (of which society he
is a member), and especially the Quaker
practice of discarding black as an EN-
blem of mourning.
1t isa healthy sign that this discussion
has taken such wide range In England
The same necessity for reform exists in
less degree, as our funeral practices are
not carried to that extreme of display
which charactcrizes the English funeral.
We have no hired mourners mutcs or
pages, no varicgated trappings or plumes
carried upon triangular tea-trays. New
ertheless, fashion makes itsellmanifest in
equally frivolous ways and Involves an
expense wlthal which is by no means
frivolous. II perhaps will be impossible
ever 10 convince the majority OF people
that the adoption OF dismal, lugubrious
black Is really more suggestive OF despair
than of grief invests the life of the SUI.
yivor and the memory Of the departed
with the feeling Of remediless woe, ard
banishcs every suggestion OF cheeriulness.
But is il not in the nature of friyolity and
mockery when fashion alone. dc
tatcs the wearing of complete black
at the outset, and then, rs time passes on,
grades the shading of dress doy0 to
black edged handkerchief or blaeK.lined
collar, and. rs rhe last CLEAN oil sorrow
fades away, expresses the last regret on
black bordered envelope or q black ieath
cred fan. And is it not ffiyolity ana
mockery when fashion steps in and lndi'
Gates the number, character and com
plexion of the flowers that shall be USED,
the nature OF the DEVICES into Whicu they
shall be woven, the form of letter for
monogram on the pail, and so on, "a
nduseam? There isprobably not sensible
person In the United States who does not
believe II a mockery that fashion should
presume to dictate how he shall express his
grief at the loss Of friend, and an outrage
that he shall bc suspected OF inhumanlty
IL he docs not follow her dictates. To all
such people the recommendations OF Mr
Bright and Of the English clcrgymen, 70
which allusion has been made. will appeal
with great force and will influence them
10 make decided stand against the dis.
play, the bad taste and the expensiyeness
incurred thereby. 1t is a reform. how
ever, which in thi. country can hardly be
instituted by Church Congresses or gen;
cral meetings. 1t must be accomplished
by individual action. Chicago Tribune.