The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1877-12-30
FACTS ABOUT FUNERALS.
-Hew-fHR AsefRsTs TREATED THEIR DEAD

ANeFESFS TREATED THEIR pEAD
T. Adds in Columbus, o., Catholic Columbian.
There are few who have not read "Ear-
vey's heditations Among the Tombs," aud
there are as few who have not felt an in
terest In the condition which gave rise TO
them; viz: the most certain of all nDcer-
taiuties-the state of death. There are
some nations, the Chinese, for Instance,
where q persons burial is the most impor
tant event of oil those consequent upon his
existence. Death itself, in the eyes of the
Celestials, ia a mere trIae; Int the quail
ties of his coffin, the ceremonies of hIs ia
neral, aud the adornment of his buryiDg
place, are the objects of his most anxious
solcitude. The Abbe Hue tells US that the
Chinese keep their dead one year after
their decease, in order to do them ostice IL
funerat 0tservauces, aud many t-fhem
spend half their fortunes on the lotermept
of their dead. And although the people of
other countries are less extravagant In this
respect, it will, no doubt, We Interesting to
the readers OF the Columbian TO Learn the
varied observance upon such occasions In
ancient and modern times and in different
nations.
Among the Hebrews the mode of burial
was an important duty. The deceased,
i'm mediateiy after death, was placed upon
the ground, and the face was covered, as it
Was not lawful to look upon the dead. TIE
body WAS then bathed in warm wa er,
after which, being carefully dried, PERU med
oils were rubbed over it, and it WAS robed,
often, in a very sumPtoous manner. After
this, sweet spices were burned over the
corpse. OF Asa, King of Juds, it is said,
"That they laid him on bed filled With
sweet odors and divers kinds of spices,
prepared by the apotbecaries' art, and they
made q great burning for him." In the
East this custom is still continued. The
Jews used no coffin for the dead. The body
had
which it wass carried to the tomb. The
cofia was used only in Baoylo and Egypt
Funeral professions among the Ofientais,
in the far-oH ages, were on grand scale.
In the account of the faneral OF acob, We
read land Joseph went mp to bury his
father; asd with him went all the servants
of Pharoah and all the elders of the land
of Egypt; and all the house of Joseph and
his brethren; only their little ones aud
their fiocks and herds they left in the land
of Goshen. And there went up with him
chariots and horsemep, and it WAS q great
company" The family tombs of the Jews
were generally near their houses, and often
in their gardens.
In ancient Egypt they believed in the
transmigration of soule-that lie, that after
death, the soul of the deceased having
passed q certain time in the bodies of the
animal kingdom, would re-enter and aoi-
mate again the human body in which it
free from decay and in its entirety. Such
believers embalmed the bodies of their
dead, and built catacombs in which to de-
posit them. This practice of embalming
was COMMON in the Oriental nations, and
has been found among the American In
diane.
The Greeks of ancient times decreed tina.
the body should be carried out for burial
early in the morning of the third day after
death. Hired mourners accompanied the
funeral procession, playing melancholy airs
upon musical Instruments. The corpse
was preceded by the men and followed by
the women. The bodies were buried some
times, yet they were more usually con-
sumed by fire. If the latter mode was
adopted. the CORPSE was placed on top of
q pile of wood, and a torch applied. 1t
was coon consumed to aches. Auim ais,
and even captives and slaves, we're often
burned with the dead, where special re-
spect was to be shown them. When the
pile was burned down the bones and ashes
were carefully gathered by the relatives of
the dead aud Deposited in urus, made of
mai BILE alabaster. or auea!ed clay. In come
instances even gold was used for this pur-
| pose. If the body was not burned, it was
! placed in q coffin of baked clay and borne
to the place of iRterment. After the fa
! neral ceremony, feast was held at the
| honse of the nearest relative.
! In Rome all funerals took place in the
night, for period of many hundred years
afterwards this practice prevailed only in
the case of the poor. Eight days were
usually allowed to elapse bstween decease
and burial. In front of the funeral pro
ceesion musicians played plaintive strainI
! of music, and behiuc them followed female
mourners, who sang a hymn in praise o
the deceased then came the mines, one Of
whom initiated the actions and gestures o.
the deceased next came the slaves wh'
had been liberated by the dead, each o
them wearing the cap of liberty all th'
soma of the deceased walked in the process
sion with their heads yelled, aud tn
daughters with their heads bare and thei
hair jishevelled. The practice of burnin
the bodies of the dead was abolished afte
| st. Peter came to Rome, and finally cease
by the influence of Christianity about til
middle of the fourth century.
Under the impulse of the Catholic Relig
ion the respect shown the dead attained
; different development. There was a col
emn procession at which the relatives an
} friends of the dead officiRted as mOurpeT
\ palms and olive branches wefe carried be
! la IN f,Fx Sa oxk