The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-05-29
A QUEER FUNERAL.
Services Held Over the Remains Of
Baron De Palm Yesterday.
PECULIAR CIVIC CEREMONIES.
PECULIAR CIVIC
Returning to the Religions Of Antiquity, but
Avoiding Their Customs.
WHISPERS OF CREMATION.


Tempe, in Twenty street. yesterday the rites be-
Ing performed by OF immature philosophers,
who havo discovered u way Of obiitcrating evil aud
robbing the flesh Of all tho lls TITS heir They have
also In large measure-at least IN this primary IN
ssancc--succeeded In robbng death OF It's gloom and
imprcssivcness by providing what was very generally
accepted agreeable sort OF entertainment Tor an
nsscmblaee OF thousand well dressed and In
telligent looking persons OF both
Armed with chcerfuncss and Il triangular piece Of
pasteboard bearing mysterious symbols, large crowd
surged and swayed about the doors OF the Masonic
Temple in Twenly-third street yesterday before the
commencement Of the ceremonies, pressing eagerly
forward TO obtain admttance witness the theosophi
cal funeral VI Baron dc Palm As there were police
20 regulate the hrong admission obtained under
tho disadvantages incident to such gathering Within
the hail everything conducted in an or
tho platform rested tho coffin encasng the
embamcd remains Of the deceased Some orders aud
decorations attached ribbons, with pendant seals.
were displayed IN iron: OF tho bier. On the coffin ~ero
seven candles OF red, white, green and blue coiors.
sword and hour glass with lis sands run out were
also placed beside the candles. Al little distance
from the foot oil the coffin placed an urn, from
which flame and smoke escaped, typical Of fire wor-
SHIP and the head the cross, with twining
serpcnt, which ~ accepted as tho ancient
SYMBOL cREArIvE POWER
Shortly before four o'clock tho little organ in the
southeast OF the hail. about which company OF
musicians gathered. pcaed forth its notes Al this
time tho audience Tutoring and chatting that
cxpectant way which people await the rising
OF tho curtain on tho first night Of new play--ox-
pectng to have very lively evenings entertainment
No absolute disregard was had 10 the pres
Of the caskct but present seemed to feel
that he she had como TO attend funeral When
tho slow tonos of the organ dcd away men, up
parcntly Of average intelligence, with long black gowns
worn their ordinary clothes, walked tho plat
form from q side door and ranged themselves
In semi. circle about tho cofan. Colonel Olcott
stood IN the middle. Before commencing the business
In hand Colonel Olcutt advanced TO tho front
Of the platform, and complained that tho papers had
INDUCED in good deal Of unjust criticism the
monies they werc about to perform. II was not the
ptcntion he said, to make this thoroughly IN Egyp-
tan theosophical funeral; It was 10 be simple
ceremonial in accordance with the wishes OF the de-
ceased He then reminded the audience that they
In the presence OF death, and that nothing would
trsnspire in any tending 10 excite mirh he hoped
they would behave themselves ut any funeral
His SIX ASSOCIATES stood whlc Colonel Ocott WIS
speaking ard when he had finished they all retired to
the end Of the platform and seating themselves,
renamed, holding IN their hands little bunchcJ Of
palm and trying look unconcernedy at the audience
while an "Orphic" hymn was being sung. The air OF
the hymn was that or IN Italian chant about three
hundred years old
Al the end OF the hymn Mr.. T. Fred. Thomas offered
tho following prayer:-
ON, SPIRIT or LIGHT Axo wrsDox
soul OF the world whose breath gives aud xithdraws
rown oi everyth'ng-the universe is Thy utterance
aud revelation Thou, before whom tho lie Of being
shadow that changes and vspur that passes away!
Thou brcathest forth and the endless spaces
pcoped Thou drxwcst breath, and all that forth
from Thee returns again Intending movement ~
awe and reverence. We praise and boss the chang
Ing cnpIre OF created lie, OF shadows aud OF rcfcc-
tions and OF images and We necessarily aspire
toward Thy mmovabe and imrcrishabe spendor.
Let tho ray OF Thy intelligence anI the warmth o Thy
love reach unto u.s. Then. what is movable will DO
liked the shadow become body, tho dream thought
Incline w. y spirit vi spirits, 10 obey Thy will Help
US, y Eternal Soul Of souls, to perform our dut'esl
and tagest away tho existence oil all beings IN the how
and reiow of Thy eternal world which is the divine
cicclua and lot lshtoi Thy divine truth snlnc in
the souls Of all mankind Amen! Amen Amen
Amcn
After the prayer, Mr. Olcott and his six
again advanced toward the coffin, and he commented
to deliver the following ''lesson':-
The divine light that outshlning OF tho Supreme
Reason Word of the Deity, which lghtcth every
that comsth INTO the world, has not been alto
gether wanting to tho devout Of any creed The per-
inanent revelation. ana universal, is written IN
visible nature, ~ explained by reason and completed
By the nnalogics Of faith.
Musical reslonse-What call death Is change; tho
Supreme Reason being Interchangeable Is therefore i'm
perishaLic Thoughts once uttered are immortal
Qucstion--ln what condition Is the invisible worlds
Musical respousc-There ~ no invisible world There
only different degrees Of perfection tho organs.
The body Is the gross representation, and Is AZ IL wcre
the temporary envelope Of the soul
Qucsslon-By what process does the soul perceive?
Musical Responsible soul perceive by itself
and without the intervention OF tho bodily organs by
means VI Us sensibility and lucidity, tho things,
whether spiritual or corporal that exist IN the unit
Question What is death ? What do you call thats
Musical rcsponso--Wc call death change. We die
ana are again every day, Tor day forms
change There ~ no real death IN nature: all ~
living.
Musical rcspousc-That there is no death Even
the body, " dead would not dccompUsc. All atoms
that compose y retain life, and move 10 free them
Qucstion-How ~ the equilibrium or motion pre-
scrvcdy
light aud shadow, good and evil, spirit and matter
by these the scales kept evenly balanced
In concluding this part Of the services Colonel Olcot
satd:-
Yhere is but ono First Cause uncrcated. eternal in
finite and unknown. The soul oi Is immortal and
his earthly lilo but point the centre VI eternity
Harmony Is an cquilIbrum and equilibrium subssts BY
TIKI ANALOGY oy coxTKARss"
During the recital OF these questions and responses n
man in the audience heard 70 say :.'rhzls lie"
10 the person who said In to Of tho qucs
lions, "By law OF contrarieiy." &c Then ths man
who spoke pointed to tho young lady ut tho organ and
said come along" While he spoke some Kisses wcrc
heard and most Of the people rosc 10 their icct but
in quiet orderly way Soon tho voice
was heard at the organ and The man,
whose daughter had been manipulating tho
touched the lady the shoulder aud
asked her 10 leave Then turning about he Lett the
hall murnuring hts d.spIcasurc. Those the audi
who had been standing resumed their seats aud
The services continued although evident that
some Of the ''performcrsn were trinc unhiUgcd. A
female Theosophist standing the platform re-
marked, as the man len the ROOM "0h, he's bigot;
that's what hc is--a Christian"
This furry over. Mr.. UcotI delivered address Ho
said:
ON the nth OF November last, In this city, few
earnest mon and women met together and organized
III Theosophicai Socscty tho mortal Of
whose fellows lie here before you. Its study
OF anc'ent mystic symbols. religions and
sncc the psychological pnwers Of and his rcIaous