The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-12-22
DISPOSING OF THE DEAD.
CONSIDERING FUNERALS FROM 4 BUSI-
NESS POINT or VIEW.
Poor Mothers DeprIving Living ChiIdrcn Of
Neces.arIes 60 give Dead Ones "a Hand
some BurinI-Iosing Conn md Corpse.


many n queer story II could recall them but
you see. when you come to n man and breach n
subject like this, you kind o. take his breath
away. Now. I've been in the business thirty
years or moro. and I've seen lots ot queer
things. but II you want to get at them you must
20 to work with some system. I'm something
like Abe Lincoln in one thing. II in no other
I'm always reminded Of an anccdotc. You see
that even the buryingof the dead. horrible asst
may seem to you. becomes nm every dry matter
to the undertaken. and its monotony 10 broken
only ut rare intervals Thus II happens that he
may 90 on in tho beaten truck for year or
more and never como across an incident worthy
Of public interest and so in time he becomes
creature Of routine. mere machine"
Tho speaker was james Wintcrbottom Of
Spring street who has probably buried more
persons in the past thirty years thnn any other
undertaken in the city. He Ia a plump and
jolly Engishmon. with n constant inclination to
smile that would seem to render him unfit for
his lugubrious calling. but does not He sat in
n grove OF collins. cnskeis. and ether mortunry
embcms that seemed TO darken the light Of day
and inpart death-likc odor to the atmosphere
As the door crcaked on its hinges Mr.. Win
tcrhotom. who had been looking into tho
street. started from his scat changed man.
VI
Appearance OF deep sympathy. There we're no
tears in his eyes. it is true. hut To look at him
you would have judged that he had just under
gone some great domestic nnlirtion. Every
crease IN his ample vest dcnuicd grief and
his attitude EXPRESSED profound sorrow,
IL WIS not hnrl to s"e that Mr.. Wnterhottom
had lHpscd all ut once from the man Of the
world into the undertaken. The now conner
was woman OF middle age. and Of prepossrss-
ing appearance. but her eyes wrrc swollen with
weeping. and her voice. when she spoke. was
chokod with soils From her app'aran'. II WIS
evident that sho was poor. and from her in
quirles i was asccrtained that sh, had lost
ch!ld. ~,
retired. unhondng his undertaken ylsngo and
smiling onco moro. there IL specimen NJ u
very large class NJ tho patrons 81 downtown
undGtakrrs. That woman Is widow and the
mother ot several children. don't know what
she does hut do know that she works harder
Tor n living ihan most ot our men 10. We'll
what do YOU think she wantedf III tell YOU.
She wanted n funeral that would cost her 800 or
s1O, and IL was all Gould 10 TO persuade her Ia
make the display ht her means. ! us. that
altogether displny shc wants. Her d"sir" To
have good funeral is an "utgr9wth Of her 10y"
for her child. II had allowed her 10 do IL. shc
would have mortgag"d her earn ingS for months
"a come. nj the expense 81 her living chillrcn.
too. in order 10 give burial 10 the drRl one"
Nou say she II the type 81 n clnSs. Do you
moan that tho very po.r arr. ambitious OF dis
play at the funerals o. thor load ?"
Mo-i nssuredly. And | lav" noticed that
with women. this desire breaks out most
strongly when they hHva children To- hurry
Poorer women than the ono YOU iust SAW hnve
come to ms to order a funeral aud hav" ins ~trd
upon a white hearse at a cost ~ so. when they
knew that such an nduig"nc" IN Ga" luxury ~
woe would involve perhaps ten weeks ~ extra
saving ana pnrhing. In tln prrs"n'" ~ death
women usually los" all notion of the economy
that rules ihrr daily lives. AMI exhibit u dc~ira
10 launch ont into unwnrrantahie "Ntrnvngnnre
II Is a point ~ prid" honor. and affection with
them 20 bury their dead in good -tylr. ani they
q rink from no sacrin - To- attain their desire
Most OF item pny for their funerals 10y INSTALL
menis and my collector tells me TINT h. ire
quently culls for money at houses where living
children nre barefoot and almost naked because
their mothers savings have gone To bury IA"
one that died. II did not check thcm they
would rush into all sorts OF rNtTuyneaur hut |
do chcrk them. bath Tor my own good and THURS
| veniur" 10 say that in proportion 70 Their
mlly as good burial as the children OF the rich
receive"
&c j. there rs much extravaganza in funerals
" on, MOI Isupposc few trndes sufr'r more
severely from ia" hard tunes than ours Per-
sons who used 10 spare no expense at the IN
neras Of lhoir dead now calculate every lsenny.
and in all classes. except. strange To- say. the
very poor. tho desire for display has given
place To strirt economy. There are exceptions.
Of course. hut they are few and tar between. In
tie past twenty years an almost entire change
has been worked in one essential ui funerals.
mean thu carriages. In old times II was Gus
tomnry Tor families 10 send out funeral invita-
tons. and provide carriages for those who
came. but now the practice Is for friends % tho
family 20 hire their own carriages. This custom
was in vogue among the Irish many yrnrs n:o.
but now IL is gaining ground among tho Ger
mans and Americans. IL N no uncommon
thing In Irish funerals for four friends ~ the
dead person 10 hire a carriage. md attend the
funeral. and the Germans are rapidly adopting
the same economical habit. Since 1873 the tall
ing on in the number Of carriages has been
gradual. but steady. Then n h"arse followed
By 100 carriages WIS not regarded ms rarity;
now II hHli that numhor OF carriages We're ia
line prisons would wonder who Mns dcAd. Tn"
French AMI Italians generally Ike u provide
carriages Tor those invited To- funerals. hut the
former are gradually settling into the Irish
American custom.
=" But talking about poor persons funerals"
Mr. Wlnterbottom resumed. after having
opened a case and gazrd ior n while In silent
ecrtncy ~ n group Of polished caskots. YOU
ought To 20 10 u colorod PERSONS hurying. You
have no idea how proviirnt and melhodicul tho
better class 81 cOiorel folks are rs 10 thrir
funerals. Why, in this n,ighborhool alone
they have established a number OF burial soc-
cites that are well supported. The principe Of
these Institutions IL much liKe that ~ the
building associations so popular In phiaie-
phia and other cities. The members pny 20
much each per month until certain sum is
reached. should death overtakn them before
that sum Is paid, the society burirs them out II
IFS surplus funds. know color"d women who
belonged 10 three or four 81 these sOciet Mt ono
time. On" that We buried last week had n burial
fund OF 5000, and ov.ry cent Of Il was spent ON
her funeral 10y the heirs. Poor things They
inherited nothing. But in all colorrd funerals,
mostly, the family hires the carriages. and
friends are Invited pretty much ns they would
be- To a feast. The undertaken Is handed "a list
OF those who are To ride To the com"trry. and
seats the persons accordingly. SO thoroughly
IL each detail arranged thnt the load for ca h
carriage is designated. tho preference being
given first to relatives. and then 10 friends.
Do You attend many Hobrcw funerals -
Not many; but still they come in our way
once in "A while from the sexton of q Synagogue.
The rule among the Jews Is that their ,inud shall
be handled only by people Of their own re-
llglon, but now and then ther" Is a cas-" whore
Gentilcs must De employed. Orthodox jews.
the strnlght-hacked. Old Testament school. YOU
know. are buried in plain pine boxes. and with
ns little show as possible, but the reformed
jews are quite IA lavish in funeral "Np"Edi-
lures ~ any other class. remember once hhY-
ing to bury jew at the order NJ his burial So
ciety ltho jews have many of these uSsocia-
tionsl. and the Job WIS neither Il pleasant nor =
profitable one. Tho synagogue sexton ordered
u plain coffin hut when gut II To- the house the
widow positively refused To have N used. Shn
had set her mind on a Satin-lined caskct. md
nothing less would MI the bill. There was only
ono thing for the society to do. and they did H.
Thoy ordered the caskrt. Some years ago the
Jews used 10 have "A hcarse of their own, with
no end OF Hebrew emblems inside hut II ia
gone now IL couldn't do the bus mess, AMI they
have TO rely on the Grntilrs They do not like
TO have their dead borne 10 the grnv" in n hearse
that has performed tho same service Tor Chris
tians.
Another strange funeral is that Of II Quaker
There are not many Of this scot here. hut what
few there are stick closely together and adhere
strictly to the rules OF their religion. Their
hrarsr il u very plain wagon, with top not I'M
like that of grocer's cart, but everything about
ie ag "a nj Thpv huNa n