Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-12-31
A DOleful Subject.

The Chinese, by way of making them
selves agreeable to their aged relatives,
sometimes present them on their birth
day with coffin. That these venerable
almond-eyed celestials receive the gift
joyfully, is somewhat doubtful; such
reminders not being calculated to raise
the spirits even of an aged Chinaman.
The Egyptians had an unpleasant way
of keeping their dead about them for as
long time as year, before they
buried them. After they were re-
turned from the embalmer,s,
room was set apart for them, and
they were placed against the wall.
Sometimes they were even carried to
the table. They tried to make their
tombs as agreeable as circumstances
would allow, by ornamenting them with
paintings and sculpture; but they gave
them the discouraging name of eternal
habitations."
The Turks are buried without cof-
fin, and are carried to the grave on the
shoulders of bearers. They are buried
at the hour of prayer, either morning
or evening. Friday, the Moslem Sab
bath, is the women's day of mourning,
when they plant the jasmine or rose, in
small saucers, on the graves Free
quently stone turban is placed on the
tomb.
At one period. even in England, per-
sons were not buried in collins It was
not until the reign of Henry III. that
they came into general use; previous to
this date, they were confined to persons
Of rank. Royal coffins were generally
lined with lead.
Shrouds, as we understand them,
were not in use. The body was wrap
ped in a waxed cloth, called a cere-
cloth. When Philip, Duke of Burgun-
dy, died, he was wrapped in thirty-two
ellis of cere-cloth The body of Edward
I. was wrapped so closely in cere-cloth
that when his grave was opened his
features were found impressed On the
cloth. Thomas Graham, apothecary to
George II, furnished cline double cere-
cloth" in which to wrap the king. An
act, passed in the reign Of Charles H.,
prohibited shrouds to be made of any
thing but WOODEN. An affidavit had to
be taken that the deceased twas buried
in wooden, and nothing but WOODEN"
Some people have shown very singu-
lar ideas about their burial, and reso-
luton to have things their own way to
the very last. A Mr. Thompson, who
died id 1874, in England. was buried by
his own request, as follows: His coffin
was without ornamentation he was at
tired in a flannel shirt two yards long;
a strip of the same was wound around
his neck, and after he was placed in his
coffin, two yards of plaid flannel was
thrown over him. Around the middle
of the coffin three iron hoops were
placed, and the same at the head and
feet; in each hoop an iron ring was
inserted to put the ropes in by which
the coffin was to be lowered into the
grave.
A man who was not afraid of his own
coffin, was John Oliver, who died in
England. in ITO. He erected his tomb
thirty years before he needed it, and
kept his coffin, which was painted white,
under his bed. The body was borne to
the grave by eight men dressed in
white; a girl eight years old read the
burial service, afterward sermon was
delivered from the tomb.
Abraham Simmonds, who died in
1923, in England desired that his body
should be wrapped in blanket, and
that he should be buried in the garden
or orchard attached to his house. He
also wished that when his favorite dog
died it should be buried in the grave
with him.
Mrs. Margaret Thompson, of Eng
land, who was addicted to the use of
snuff, could imagine nothing more de-
ightful than to be in an atmosphere of
this pungent powder when carried to
her grave. She left in her will that ali
her unwashed handkerchiefs should be
placed in her coffin. and that the best
Scotch snuff should be sprinkled over
her body, as the perfume of snuff was
more refreshing than that of flowers.
Six men, known to be great snuff-takers,
were to bear her to the grave, wearing
snuff-cclored hats, which were to be
given to them Six maidens were to
bear her pail, each bearing a box of
snuff, which they were to ''take for their
refreshment'' as they went along. The
minister was to accompany the funeral
procession, and refresh himself by talk
ing snuff, but he was not to exceed
pound. Should he comply with this re-
quest, she bequeathed him five guineas.
Sarah Stuart, her old servant, was to
walk ahead of the corpse and strew on
the ground every twenty yards a hand
full of snuff, and two bushels of ''this
grand cordial of nature" as she called
it, were to be scattered before the door
of her house. That there was more
sneezing than weeping at this funeral
can very we'll be imagined.