Weekly Trinity journal., 1876-06-10
ISAAC MOSACKER'S FUNERAL.

All the Jews in Lyons were invited to
the funeral of Isaac Mosnckor. What
number of these Jews the city contained
could never have been guessed by the
lawyer who sent the invitations, had not
the deceased left the list of them. He
must have taken years composing this
list, for there figured on it the names of
Jews long dead, and others but just born.
The lawyer sent no invitations to the
dead, but every living Jow, man or child,
was bidden. From the richest banker
in his gilded mansion, down to the pull
ing babies of peddlers who hawked their
wares among the poor weavers OF the
"Croix Rousse," all the Jews in Lyons
received black bordcred card boaring
these words
For the love Of God you arc request
ed to follow tho body of Isaac Mosacker
to its last resting place, on Thursday, the
2lst January instant, at o'clock A. NJ.
And He shall render unto you !ourfolG."
The winter happened to be exception
ally severe, and at the time whom the
postman delivered the cards it was freez-
ing hard, and the streets were swept by
a cold northeast wind cutting as II razor,
II was not likely many Jews we're going
to turn out in such weather, and at o
O'Clock in tho morning, to trudge behind
the coffin OF an humble bric-a- brac ven
4 \ Il. tut -
consequently excited some amusement.
The richer Jews tossed IL aside rs y bad
joke. Some of the poorer ones who had
had dealings with Isaac, and knew him
to have been cross-grained churl hard
to tackol, thought that If it had been
summer time, and il the burial had been
appointed for the cool of the evening,
they might have gone to 1t for brother
hoods sake but @ O'Clock in the morn
ing of winter, with the thermometer
seven degrees below freezing point-no,
thank you Only one jew in The whole
city of Lyons decided that no must at
tend lsaac's funeral, and that was Reu-
ben Manassas, who owed him money
and could not pay. Reuben had an idea
that ii no did not render his creditor the
supreme homage Of mourning, Beolzebub
might possibly look into the matter.
On tho morning Of the 2lst, however,
il showed SO hard that Reuben Manassas
resolved to let the devil do his worst.
There WAS really no going out In such
weather. In the darkness, lean. shiver-
ing Manassas, peoring undressed through
his window panes, saw tho fleecy flakes
falling ia soft, ceaseless succession, and
whitening everything, 80 that tho roofs
Of houses and their caves, the door-steps,
the roadway, all seemed covered with
hoary frost. 1t was never written that
debtor shall catch cold in honor Of his
creditors decease, and lean Reuben Ma
masses was sadly liable to influenza. Let
1t be considered, also, that he had other
creditors to think Of, and he owed it to
them not to let his health be imperied
all Of which explains why he crept back
with chattering teeth into bed and dozed
an extra hours sleep, the cost OF which he
had to remember to his dying dsy.
Meanwhile the hearso had started from
Isaac Mosacker's door, unattended and
unmourned.
II was one horse vehicle, without
trkppings, plumos or pall and the sort Of
hearse that is used in sixth-class funerals.
For Frenchmen can get themselves in
TERED in six styles, not counting n seventh
style for infants. A spindle-egged mas
te~ Of ceremonies shufiled before with
cooked hat and cloak, and high -perched
on the box sat an aged coachman, who
cut wretched figure enough with his
tail boots and benumbe1 fingers. These
two, and pair Of mutes who had come
to help carry out the cofIin, but not to