The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1877-09-13


n notice that the pavement has bean stfew
ID four men in long, rusty black Howns an
i broad -brimmed hats; each cafryiD3 I
/, candle In lantern. Next comes q bar<
1t headed man withia holy picture which b
'e carries in front Of him against his breasI
t. the frame being carefully wrapped i
o white cambricss0 as to avoid the contae
ltlO his hands. Then comes the c0fin.lid
Il borne by two men, and on 1t a cooked hs
Y and sword, for this, itseems, is thefunera
IS of IN officer With this are men and boy
y carrying on velvet cushions the crosse
4 and medals of the deceased. TIE priest
y and deacons fellow, dressed now IL robe
II Of black velvet, trimmedsWitA silvpr, mi
covered with silver crosses. The deac0n
r have candles and censers, and togetha
I with the choir, are chanting : funera
d hymn. Immediately next, with candle
n bearers on either side, is the coffin, car
c ried by the nearest relatives and friends
e It is very shallow and open so as to show
e half of the body Of the deceased, with hi
e face uncovered and his hands clasping
0 cross over his breast The coffin itself il
8 covered with rich blue and silver brocade
s very different from the polished rosewood
+ and the black pail we always see at home
{ 1t must be on its way to the church. fol
when it goes to the graveyard it will b,
6 carried on a hearse-a sort of gorgeou!
triumphal car, in the form of tempt,
hung with gold and silver brocade-wher,
e | it will be raised up on a lofty platform
t The relatives and friends then follow, no
j | il formal procession, but in an irregular
| and confused crowd. Every one but thu
lansern- bearers in front is bare headed
. and all passers.by uncover themselves a.
! they meet the procession, and, crossing
I themselves, mutter an inaudiblc PRAYER
: We're it winter, these.bare-headed mourn.
! ers would have handkerchiefs tied over
their ears, and as each man seems to pre-
1 fer a different color, the motley effeci
would be odd enough. - Z
i There is to me something inexpressibly
| soothing in the Russian services for the
, dead. From the time when the body il
laid out to the funeral, the Psaltcr, inter.
| spersed with prayer, is read aloud, day
} and night, in the same room with the
J corpse. The readers take turns, SO that
| this low, dull, mournful sound never
7 ceases. Twice a day there are prayers in
the house, by the priest and church assist
ants, at which all the friends of the fami.
1y are expected to be present. The gem
tlemen are always in full dress, the ladies
/ in black. All hold lighted candles and
stand around the body, which lies on a
table in the center of an empty room
for most of the furniture has been re-.
moved, and all of the mirrors have, from
superstitious motives, been covered up.
\ The chants are very sacred and mournful,
and there is one passage, the g Everlasting
Remembrance, when all kneeI and touch
/ hni ahoAd dc ~ t1
too infirm for this they at least touch the
| tips of their fingers to the ground. After
| praying for the repose of the soul of the
deceased and for.the forgiveness of his
sins, voluntary and involuntary, the priest
says: With the saints let the soul of thy
deceased servant Ivan always naming
him), o Lord, rest in peace and keep him
| in everlasting remembrance.n This prayer
is then taken up by the choir and sung to
avery sad air. At this mention of the
name of the dead man it is difficult for the
friends to keep dry eyes, and sobbing is
infectious. This very repetition of the
prayers, this solemn and impressive meet
ing twice day Of all the friends, acts as
sort of opiate on the feelings, and the
mourners reconcile themselves sooner to
The actual funeral ceremony at the
uptuIned face in the coffin between the
Swax-ligLts in the middle of the church,
the clouds OF incense, the low prayers, the
solemn gospel and epistle, the sweet
hymns and weird chants sung by pure
voices, without admixture or accompani-
ment of organ or instrument, the lighted
tapers in the hands of the standing and
kneeling mourners--all produce their Pc
culiar effect. After the mass is said there
is short address or sermon In the case of
any one Of distinction, and the priest
reads aloud aprayer, or rather form Of |
absolution, u printed copy Of which is
placed in the folded hands of the dead |
mana custom originating in Kief eight |
centuries ago. All present then kiss the
hand of the deceased; the officiating cler-
gyman pours on the body the wine and !
oil which had been used in the extreme
JUNCTION, and sprinkles it with the ashes
of the incense, or with simple earth; the,
lid is placed in the coffin, which is car
ried to the grave, the accompanying |
friends usually walking all or a greater
part of the distance. There are several
cemeteries outside of the city; but most
people prefer to be buried in some of the
outlying monasteries, if they have the
means to afford grave there. The ]
grounds of the Donskoi, Semenof and /
NOvo. Devitchi mOnasteries are full Of |
the tombs of the great and rich of Mos
COW, Few ale pious or fortunate enough |
to obtain burial in the hallowed soil of the
great monastery of Troitza. .
On the fortieth day, on the names day
and on the anniversary of the death, Oft
en- for many. years, commemorative
requiem is sung at the monastery or Gem
etery where the body is buried, and the |
friends are expected to be present.. There
is one curious custom observed at these |
commemorations. The friends stand with |
lighted tapers about small black desk on |
which are candles and a dish containing |
rice mixed with honey and raisins, which |
they eat or taste. On these occasions a |
dinner Or lunch is often provided at the |
house. The Archbishop Benjamin tells /
usthe mystical meaning OF this odd dish
"T The rice, (" he says, Tor, as in ancient
times ordained, wheat grainl typifies the
deceased Christian, who will hereafter |
rise again like the buried seed (J0hn xii,
24). The honey implies that on resurrec-
ton q sweet and Joyful existence, awaits /
us in the Kingdom of Heaven. The rails
ms, dried up as they now are, will, on
coming up, be beautiful and lovely, as /
the glorified Christian will be II Cor. xv.,
43, N.n In spite of the }ArchbishOp's /
learned explanations the custom remains |
q Pagan one. Brought here from Greece, /
where it is also fxed in the ceremonies of /
the church, it Is nothing bussa q remnant.l
of the old sacrif]cesfk 4, the names of the dead
with the fruits OfsDemefer and Dionysus.
Much as ] dislike funerals, j have had /
to'see many, and Of al kinds, but none,
except at times in the form Of the EPisco-1
pal Church, are to me 30 beautiful or sol
pleasant as these Russian funerals. The /
Rresbyterian form il too cold, too black II
tocletill. W. bufy cur dead too much as /
il we were trying gtp draw Aslesson frOmJ
The. dead, and as if I'VE doubtet whore the1
soul had gone. The Catholic service isl
to Rfandiose. Th6fe I'LL fhe music, butd
the ceremony is, tQQ long and 100 enfirely |
confined to the officiating priest. In the |
Russian Church every one seen3S t0;B64
taking part n the seFyi yice, and thA dead
are treated with . tzndernees and 1--we n0t3
elsewhere found. The bows and ffostFa-
tigts the tapers III Zach ol1ess hands, thed
kissing theshnuds Die rayfh throwhin fhed
oo6inwith its! bekutifuix aymbolic mean
1n4, hye marks df ff6nale yesfet as 1
VelFae the calIyiRg ot the co65n md the{
sarth fhrown into he Grevehy TIN hands4
U9'thg friends x{d IN iye1 TSsfe are1
~ obllck pain, ga 9e - lux1al !
caskoA, NO horrible iscrsWinG down d the 4
Id = Dust thou ext " delt mplt theu
fetufI " y : txnt4 3MhicM man hf9e dccsI
not attempt 3 eyale. AZ ~ qaid Above, I
I g ee.sIoay ~ 5syssx 3|Ss7 t'2 hsEsj 3 4
lhest dsstIoy Z !SiaE q i /!