The New York herald., 1878-03-05
A STRANGE FUNERAL.
BURIAL OF PROGRESSED PosITIvIsT WITH
NOVEL cEREMoNIEs-A LARGE ATTEND

BURIAL OF A PRoFEssED PosITIvIsr WITH
NOVEL cEREMoNIEs-A LARGE ATTEND
ANCE.
New HAVEN, March 4, 1873
Thomas r. Hamilton, VINO died At bis residence In
George street. in this city, last Friday in religion
positivisI He rejected ell generally accepted ideas
of religion and once, refusing to be bound by the Gus
tomary oata in court, developed his uncommon
views and gained some notoriety thereby He was
however, thoroughly good citizen and conscientious
a degree, and nad hosts Of friends He had local
reputation as an amateur scientist His hostility to
regnant religious ideas Is evidenced by request made
lately that should the lodge OF knights Of Pytnias Of
which he was a member, conduct his funeral
services, the mention Of GOD should be omitted
The lodge refused TO do this but the individual
members, out OF regard TO their dead brother, at
tended. AS was generally expected the funeral ser
vices were OF very uncommon kind, aud In them
much interest manifested, nothing OF the same
nature ever having occurred here II was the request
oil the deceased that alter remarks al his late resi-
dence his body should be removed to public hail IN
which services held every sunday by an ass ca-
ton OF which he was member and which embraces
ali shades of liberal thinking on religious subjccts.
Several organizations. among them Clan na-Gael
club and temperance society," attended the services
the residence and then escorted the remains TO the
hall, where not less than one thousand people had
4. ID.
memDer OF the Society OF Humanity, spoke at
tho house and the nail At the house he said that IT
lion IN the memory OF the deceased TO Try 10 drown
her greis in an effort TO alleviate the general sor-
row III the higher Interests oil humanity.
AS the procession entered the hail. led by officers OF
the free religious association previously named, each
wearing green RIBBON on his coat lapel as an en-
bem OF ever verdant memory and vital progress,
brass band played a dirge. Tho casket was down
in 'front.' o the hall stagc, anu the officers o the asso-
ciatlon took the stage accompanied by MIR. WaKeman.
opened with the reading OF a poem the sentiment OF
which is contained IN tho following stanza:-
For here he hes sleeping the life force gone;
KIND Nature has claimed him. the right Is her own;
Anu. thonah We may call he no waking sound hears.
Though cAlins in sorrow, in sadness and tears.
Following this Mr. Wakeman mado the address. He
that every mans liie Is inevitably followed by
death and dsment Death Is the demand o. nature
aud judgment the result OF the organization nj
cieiy. The old faiths have transferred judgment 10
aud there perhaps ho mig escape the
ol his acts through The stonement OF another. The
latin empnasizes inc idoa that judgment must DO
IN the minds oi now and here. Every man has
Two hves-a spiritual and material fe-and a
knowledge OF this Is essential 10 tho formation of
u lust Judgment concerning man. The spiritual
Ife IS that winch mau lives to himself and which
be entered by no man. The material lie is that
which he lives with his friends, bis family and tho
world at largo. Men commonly judge Dy the mate
rial or outer life. The proper way 10 judge Is TO con-
sder inc cond,tons oil society aud the surroundings
en- vlronlng man imagine yourself IN his place.
Every mans character Is determined by ideals, which
ideals make ur MS inner or spiritual lie.
THE POSITIVE HEAVEN AND HELL
One ol the most vial sayings IN the New Testament
is jesus statement. sine Slngdom Of neaven Is
wlhin you" Inc iul realization Vi the Copernican
system OF philosophy brushed away from the
mind OF the deceased tho belief In tho
CHRISTIAN heaven, Tor be iouDd nowhere to
locate il. aud could not regard the earth as
centre OF the universe. In closing be said that
tue died with JOY his only regret beng that
had leave his frlenus. He did not in his bolIef
necessarily do away with the idea OF heaven ana he'll
but believed them both TO DC here. He was mate
raliss In the that all see Is matter tho
rcsult of matter, but he was humanst, rs his good
works evince Taxing up peculiar looking bouquet,
in which flowers OF distinct Colors were arranged IN
respective rows. tne rows beng Of different Sizes
tho speaker said that he would present this
in the place OF the Christian cross. The
base was OF blue flowers. which were indie.
alive OF tho ana the sky. The next
row was Of purple flowers indicating tho earth whero
men pass their lives ana from which they draw sus-
teuance. The third indicative vi blood (r ed
howersl recalling the past martyrdom OF men. 1neu
came WINE flowers, indicating the intellectual aud
moral, ana last came green leaves, typiiying perpet'
uai memory anu even fresh remembrance. "Home,
Sweet Home" at The wish OF the deceased was sung,
ana this closed the exercises AS in the churchyard
tie casket was beng lowered the sun suddenly APP
peared Mr. Wakeman said that this might be u por.
teut of the freshness in which the memory oil the
ceased would DO hold.