New-York tribune., 1878-03-06
yOTHER FANCY FUNERAL.

The lage for novel ObsequeS continues, ana IL tho
notion of funerea innovation continues to spread,
we shall pretty soon find the good old services
which "rclatves and friends are invited to attend"
quite discarded. The latest gentleman particularly
and peculiarly scpultured, lived in New-llaven.
and was distinguished there as an excellent maker
of ladies' corsets, his name being 7. f. Hamilton
and his philosophy of the posivist sort. Mr.. Ham
ilton did not tako to burning, and was
buried after the usual fashion, under the
directions of Mr. Wakeman. who is a
member Of the Society of Humanity i'll New
York The funeral was held in Loomis's Temple
Of Music. and was attended by 1,2OO people, more
or less mourners. who sang Home. Sweet home'
and also by the Clan-na-Gael Association. lhere
was no prayer, but remarks were offered on the
life, character and principles" of the deceased. III
NAV be interesting 10 the world to know that the
late Mr. Hamilton, having, during the Intervals Oh
corset-making. studied the COpernican system,
came 10 the conclusion that there was no
hell This would not have been so lament
Nbe only Mr.. Hamilton also decided that, as there
was no hell, there could be no heaven-no nothing,
so to speak. His reasons were curious lie heii
that in the Coperncan system, there was " ho room
for either the good place or the bad place. Conse-
orenty there could be neither. and this world must
be the end-all and the be-all. For this reason land
that his mourners should convene in Loomis's Tenn
nile of Music. LOOMS we do not understand to be a
diyinity-he is merely n mortal who owns the
edifce to which he has given his name
The funeral according to the descriptions which
we Laye seen of It., was somewhat scenica The
principal ornament of the room was great SYM
boical bouquet arranged as to represent the sky
the sea, the earth martyrdom, moral and mtelIec-
tual purity and pcrpetuated memory. a more Sus-
gestiye posy was never tied up with string the
only difficulty being that II suggests too many thhss'
and so is little confusing. This however, was
ouite in keeping with the profound observation OF
one of the principal speakers. that the lnmol-
+o,itv of the dead depended on his friends" This
is an entirely new view OF rather
old subject. If you have friends you VIII
be immortal although there is no heaven
But Won will be immortal somehow. IL you nave
no friends, you will bo annihilated any iiow. Inns
is little discouraging, especially If we agree WIN
the poet. that friendship is but name. ms tehs
trre then there is no immortality for anybody-not
even the immortality of being freshly remembered
from generation to generation. All the monrners at
Mr.. Hamlton's funeral wore green rlbDons rs types
of living toll and as memorials of the departed. SO
heaven, suppose is to have large iuheral, with
all the attendants wearing green ribbons. This is
simple but we fear that it will hardly be found sat
isfactory by the generality Of mankind.
Iii rs We supposed that IL would be, when the
Raron de Palm set the example. The eccentrcity
of mankind will now have full scope. Dying men
will give all sorts of odd directions about the dis
position of their relics. So far we have only be-
ginning. 1t wonld obviously be improper to say
chat the thing Is to be run into the ground" bat
something like that, metaphorcally speaking,
likely to happen. Human vanity Will devise q
hundred ways of being talked about after death
There will be melancholy antics and false antiques
and strange dispositions and queer ceremonies and
odd sarcophaguses. and fantastic professions and
lunatc speeches; until sensible people will bt
oule willing to be buried in the old fashioned way
or will be so buried, whether they were willing OF
not