The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-10-24
Die Gat4Iigenrsr.
!, md e7 rourlecnth street.


n. Expense of Funerals. Al
1.-The nm questions that will not di'
Vss j1 ~ = ' Ietorm is effected is the agita
d InD, ia ,ssard to expensive funerals. a
~ ,.ia, u Of q influential citizens OF cincin'
''s1.s ,ss,eral Of them being among the
-, r,sidents Of the city-was held al
si's 'sa.soitle Superintendent of Spring
y e- Cemetery on Tuesday last, at which
''.. ''.i,, there was a general interchange
iE.,s 'E.5. 4, to the pressing necessity for Q
S,s's y. ,sIorm in the matter of funerals.
o. fs.,s those quoted at the meet
'''+' -, Archbishop Purcell, who
5,t,i he recognized the crying need
,o,m, a.. and that he would be
!. ~ willing to cooperate with a re-
I :, movement. All agreed that funer-
~, ,l,re, were in many instances outra-
,7,orions on those who were lily able
.,,5 the extortion, and yet they
!, ' roserless to resist it. One gentle;
'a' ,iltba, what were called"Rosewood"
a., rerc, in many instances, simply
...,,ion, ...rt furnished by q firm in Indiana
:, az for which the people in cincin-
y =, 1,rc compelled by undertakes to
:, =. .teraItimes that amount, sometimes
|. .reb as $50. The Rev. MY Chester
a ,b,. matters had come to a point
y. Deople could no longer afford a
,.I IN their families. at costs" said
/. .aDe hundred dollars to bury q child"
vS,t /, needed, as the Cincinnati Com;
..;,lv.ll puts it in its head lines over
.,,,oce4Iipr, Of this meeting, is for the
,,tbr TO take this matter in hand. They
,,,.breomnOn consent, can afford to con-
.I,bee.penses Of modern funerals. They.
,,,n,de unnecessary expense atfunerals
blopable They have fastened on society
ctcie. Of terrorism in regard to public
esiou on this subject. So great is this,
sotan that even poor people feel
9srd to take tho bread out of the
pv,h, Of their living children in orderto
il What their acquaintances would call
,.lseu." burial to dead child.
he Cincinnati gentlemen took the
r,Vvd that there should be no funeral
sal,s at funerals; that carriages should
a, be provided for the family Of the de.
s.sd: that burial cases should be simple |
and that all superauities
,L,sa be vigorously. discarded. They
are Instances where the earnings Of fam!
il we're mortgaged for an indefinite time
b D,,ae by reason of expenses that might
M properly have been saved but for this
4olpublic opinion. Such instances are
nsEu to everybody in every city and
ovuOf the country. Everybody says that
s.p should be reform, but nobody cares
sS. an example Of reform when it comes
sartum to encounter public opinion.
However slow the public may be to
4p,this much needed rmin.funerals,
s.r is no doubt that the frequent dis
ssions OF the subject by influential per
-O,.nd associations, and particularly tho
aoa Of ministerial bodies like that of the
tsbytqrian clergy ofPittsburgh recently,
Ill in time inauguratc a reduced scale Of
si4l expenses. The Catholic clergy have
~ long time past used their authority
compel simplicity atfunerals. They saw
aatthe poor under their care were being
isany eaten up by such expenses, and
saa they interposed their authority and
,iEilc spread extent put a stop to these
lllays The Protestant clergy should not
he their efforts in the same direction.
A Adoing away OF present practices rests
rrly with the clergy and with the
1lhy members of their churches.