Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-08-11
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THURSDAY KvnINo, AUa. II, lssl
4 SenSiSle Family.

L Sensible Family.
General Patterscn-s family have de
elined an offered military funeral for the
reason that the general was not in the
military service at the time OF his death,
and was not entitled to be buried with
military honors. Never during his life:
his son writes. would he consent to aQ-
propriAte h0nors no. strictly his due, and
in his burial his family feel ike observ-
ing what they know would Be his wish.
The determination is creditabie to the
sense and sentiment Of the surviving Pat
tersons II is refreshing. in these days
of humbug and silliness and false PIE
tension. 20 come acrJss such honorable
and homes. ways of doing. If nen would
but try to be the bes: they may, and not
b. constantly striving TO appear some
thing else than they are and be strug
Cling to appropriate honors and credit
TO say nothing of more material things
not belonging to them, what world
i: would be. But such honesty and good
sense cannot be expected Of men who
are not both homes; and wise. as it
must be concedej most men are not.
1t takes great and strong men, such as
General Patterson was. to lie content
with the measure Of honor their OWL
abilities can win them and to refuse /:
accept anything they do not deem theiI
just due. Few men, comparatively, are
noooII. Of cSnv Nor,
are vir:uous enough not TO seek to ap-
propriaie what is not their OWL, of i'm.
material as we'll rs material things OF
value. whose courage would fail them to
decline such as may lie thrust upon
them. We can safely say that few men:
with as good claim Us General Patter-
son to the druils and bugles and
pageantry of a military funeral, would
have impressed upon their children IT, :
conviction that the thought of such {.
burial would not he agreeable to them ::
and few children would themselves have
been SO full Of desire to glorify their
dead-with contingent remainder to
themselves-as to Lave hearkened to
fathers silent voice forbidding his burial
with martial music and a soldiers vol
ley over his grave. AS a soldier of higl
rank and repnte during the rebellion
Gen. Patterson body might have been
laid to rest with military honors without
anyone ventucing to say that he
was not entitled to them, though
the letter of military etiquette
reads otherwise. But certainly his
children lave hOnored him far more
in strictly constituting his privileges than
they could have done with the muffied
drums and fife and musketry that they
rejected. Will the example be needed !?
And may We hope that the relatives OF
those who once were soldiers, will re-
member that their dead died as citizens,
and rs citizens should be buried. The
commonness of military funerals has
taken from them pretty much all their
distinction, and General Patterson's 8
family may we'll have been inspired to
reject the drum because it's frequent
sounding has made it after all very
common way of being buried. There is
not much appropriateness in brass
band din 1T funeral, anyway; "the
Dead March in Saul 'greeting us from
the mourning Ministries going, while
a lively air like " Johnny Comes March,
ing Home - is rs likely rs not to proceed
from the horns of the returning musi-
Clans. There is too much blowing done
in the world; and he who is fondest of
Flowing andbeing blown ought to he con-
tent not to be blown into his grave,
since it is a blow he can't hear and
enjoy nor honestly claim. a wise
man wouldn't want it; or get it, if he
leaves wise children behind him.