Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1877-10-25
NO. 255.
A(efan0rra Gaxettc
THURSDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 25

| llIRING COFFINs. The people Of this city
have an unaccountabsman for funeral pomp
and ceremonies; consequently when n member
ola family dies all available funds arc expended
10 laying the body in state. and in an impressive
c0rtegc. The matter of carriage is not xeXai
Gus to the purse Of the mourncrs, as their oc.
cupants arc expected TO contribute their quota
to the cxpcuse Of conveyance, privilege eager
ly embraced by hundreds who regard a funeral
procession in the light Of n gala parade. But
the lying in state. to be imposing, is costly lux
| ury, particularly with the impecuniou>; conse-
quently, as ii corpse is an object Of curious iu-
spection by adniring friends, the beauty Of tue
exhibition can be secured at smaller expense
! through the hire Of casket than through its
purchase outright. 10 an undertakers widow
can be seen coffin OF the most costly ornamcn
| tatiou, lioed with rich satin, and otherwise
adorned munilicanty y fac-simile OF this
$500 caskct can be hired Of its exhibitor, who
| supplies an exquisite lining in accordance with
the rules of trade, pink Tor ! brunette. light
blue for blonde, and SO ou, and into the loaned
receptacle places the corpse until the hour OF
burial arrives when the inside frame Of the
coffin is slipped out, aud the deceased trans.
outer caSkct, and ''plantcd" without the i'm
some external case demands rental of So
day, and as the body is generally ''laid out for
three days, this, with ncideDtals constitutes a
good source of frcvcnuc.-iSan Francisco Letter.
THE BEDS OF ANTIQUITY. ABOUT the car.
licst data that we have concerning beds arc OF
Egyptian origin, and they arc very slight. Sir
Gardiner Wilkinson Thinks that the Egyptians
usually slept on their day couchcs. which were
long ard straight, sometimes with back, some
times with carving Of the heads and feet Of an
imals at the ends, made Of brorze, Of alabastcr
of gold and ivory, Of inlaid wood, and richly
cushioned. Where these wcro not in use mats
replaced them, or low pallets made OF palm
boughs, with wooden pillow followed out for
the head. What Egypt had the AsSyrian and
the rest Of the world had, and the Greek, when.
ever he could, improved upon other countries
notions; and the Greek couch, judging from
the bas relicIs on many vases was Of great Gle.
gancc.
The Romans, although receiving 50 many Ct
their customs and 50 much Of their art from
Greece, had very simple beds until after their
Eastern conuucstS. Indeed beds which, with
their pillows, were merely ilollows ia 4 slab o;
stone, lave been found among Roman remains.
But from the period when their Asiatic DO.
miDian increased, the Rnmans borrowed fash
ions from the conquered, aud they developed
strong taste for luxury, especially in the matter
of beds. Examples OF the Roman form OF bed
were still preserved in the days OF Charic"
magne. In the mcanimc Of course, in the bar
baric life Of northern and western Europe,
these forms generally beng lost, it was an All
vanoo in clviliZ ltiOn when tho bench becatuo
the bed. and people were lastllioui enough at
last to feel above sleeping on thin bun Hes OF
straw or heaps Of skins upon tl!gs.
A HINT FOR PovERrY-CURSED BELLEs.--
The other day a grooeryman at Vallejo gave .
large party, at which the daughter OF the CAT
riage painter who lived next door created dc
ciled sensation 1t WAS not that she WAS more
handsomely attired that the other ladies pres
emf, but that when she gyralcl in the "lanca
Of death" she wa, observed to display the only
pair oi' pink silk stockings in The room. She
left the house for L few monlAntI at the X?lra
ton OF tbs dano1 anl in the next waltz cXh'
btah pair Of H.!,t blua dlttnc'. An hour lat.
er her crushed and rXtSparatal icaialc friends
belield these Suppencnte'! bF ur'li'r hose OF
2 delicate chocolate shade.
And 30 it went on unii her miserable rival,
determined to follow her the next time she dis
appeared. They traced her b. her fathers
paint shop in the back yard, where she wa
discovered, brus!. in hand, and about orna
mcnting her neither cxtrGmitlcs With final
coat OF light samon. Tho cxuting spies rush
ed back with the damaging news. bat It was
too late. The mon we're all too tight to under
stand, the music had gone homo and The lights
we're being put out. Thus it is that fraud and
dupoity triumph, while honest simplicity walks
around with darn 90 its clIl and 4 hole in lts
heel.
PLEASANT FOR HARD DRINKERS. The
Louisville Courier. Journal, which is pahlishcd
in State where whi,kcy ought to be good il
an, where confirms the statement that probably
nine hundred and ninety nIGe gallons out OF
every thousand that are sold as brandy arc
made rrom vile compound cl Whiskcy sWlll,
distilled spirits and chemical denominations, and
adds: And ai it Is also equally true Of whis:
key, what in tho name Of goodness arc we all
to do for something to driuk? 1T looks as il VT
arc TO be driven to the pump in spite OF us. II
the world at large knew Of what vlllalnous stutls
brandy and whiskcy and wncs arc made ol, the
present crop Of drunkards would be about the
last, or at any rate all future crops would be
small Nearly or quite all the liquors that arc
retailed now days arc undoubtedly slow but
sure poison and to drink them habltuaIy ii
simnly roundabout way O! committing suicide,