The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1882-09-08
Scotch Funerals,

Vetpaily 10 1uneral in Scotland, th,
person invited usually asks, "When de-
you liftP' meaning, cat what hour doe,
the funeral take placer" The name,
OF conveying the coffin from the house
to the place OF interment, still followed
in Eaglesham, village in the south o.
Henfrewshire, abundantly explains thi.
phrase. AS can be we'll enough under
stood, hearses and coaches are institu-
tions belonging to towns and cities,
not to villages. In the latter the ooffir
is borne to the grave on three poles
which are passed under it, long enough
to leave a sufficient portion for two
men to grasp on either side. OF course,
1T is impossible to place these "spokes'
In position in the house, 30 q couple OF
stools are brought out to the street,
the coffin is placed upon them, and
when the cortege is ready to go, the
spokes are passed under, the coffin i.
"liited," and the prncessinn movea off
l feel persuaded that 1t il one OF th,
Things not generally known" thai
waking" The dead has been practiced
ia one OF the northern counties OF SCOT
iland from time immemorial and is stii
In vogue there. When death occurs
in Glen Urquhart, the survivors in the
household are never suffered to be alone
with their dead till the day OF The fu
neral. The body is not coflined till the
day OF interment, for the simple reason
that the coffin has to be made by the
village joiner after death takes place.
house with corpse in it becomes
for the two or three days and nights
that intervene between death and LurisI
the rendezvous OF all the reighbors,
who sit and tell stories-- ghost stories
having decided preference-ostonsib
to keep the bereaved family from feel.
ing eerie, but really for purposes OF en-
tertainment Such gatherings differ
from Irish wakes" in this particular
that tobacco and pipes are not provided
by the relatives OF the deceased, each
attender bringing his own supply OF
these Injuries; but whisky is supplied
by the family in whose house the wake
is bold. n~A r-~t.y Goeiy ctspvuseo,
Such gatherings are favcrita resorts OF
blusLing lasses and strapplng lads who
are counting, aud are often the scene OF
more laughter than teers. The funerals
IN this locality present ar imposing spoc.
tacle, often as many as a hundred men.
decently clad in black broadcloth, wind.
ing IL slow procession through the
valley, in the rear of the bearers who
carry the coffin.
But hore again we have an illustration
OF local variations OF custem, for thorql
1t is the habit to invite all tho male in.
habitants of the district, the next-door
neighbor OF the deceased would not &C
to the funeral without receiving dirsc,
invitation; while over the hills, in the
adjoining glen, no invitations are issued.
but everybody is expected to attend.
OF course, where drink is supplied at
the wake it is not withheld at the burial.
and besides the round served out at the
house, there is another often at the
church-yard Enough drink and bread
and cheese to supply hundred men is no
light weight, and where the cortaoe has
- % -,'so w Tue place OF inter
ment il is usual to send small pony.
cart hesring the refreshments, after the
ever may b. the more soliI per ION OF
the retreshment provided ihe reo. L.
are Free Church 10 man, but tEoy arl
not teetotal and it is nothing oat .: ,hl
common, after the grave Iq3 1sGn AIS! Ii,ycaI
up, uu Oiu IEtc-ChuiSN SAtSA
standing, possibly on hat tom hstole,
engaged in asking blessing on ;tho
refreshment about to be partaken, witt
q bottle of whisky in the one hand snd
a glass in the other.
A gentleman resident in Glasgow, n
native OF the district, informed ne that
on o recent visit to Glen Urquhars he
took palt in funeral which w,s We
largely attended, but of all the com
pany ass embed round the grave he was
the only one who refused to drink the
whiskey. Ono man, however had
become an abstainer, aud member OF
his family having died. he had no
liquor at the funeral, but provided al
abundant supply Of milk instead. The
strict adheranee to his temperance
principles gave great offence, his neigh
bors universally ascribed Lis conduct
solely to meanness. For his plea of
principle they had nothing but scorn.
"Principle had nothing, aud could have
nothing to do with it," they asserted.
1.-THE minister had no tcruple in taking
off his dram, and was he going to set
himself up as better than the minis
ter% So widespread was the discon-
tent that it is doubtful if as numerous
a party will gather the next time an
interment takes place from bis house.
Indeed, at funeral which took place
in the north of Argyllshire some time
ago, feeling akin to this was openly
expressed. Tho deceased, If not q
member OF tho ministers family, was
least one of his household, and an
axtra large company had assembled, the
carishpners coming from the remotest
formers of the parish, ont OF respect
or tie clergyman. Tho hour of inter-
ment arrived, the shoit religious
exercises were gone through, aud the
coffin was lifted by the bearers but
still there was no sign OF anything in
the shape OF retreshnent, aud, in any
thing but an agreeable framo Of mind,
the numerous party ranged themselves
in procession and proceeded toward the
burial ground. On the way confident tisl
communications passed between the
mourners, which took the form OF such
calculations as "Horrid mean J" wish
Ihad never come a step" and Others of
like nature. But in the ehurchyard
disappointment gave plsce TO expecta-
iton, in consequence of an invitatlo TO
ali prese Mt TO return to the manse for
refreshment. In the manso there IS
little cause to doubt that satisfaction
followed upon expectation. What the
nature of the refreshment might be was
not stated but good guess may %
hazarded from the TACT that few OF the
mourners reached home that night. A
sharp shower of snow fell in tho after
noon and evening; and at night the
white country roads presented curious
spectacles OF uncouth figures, clad IN
black, bobbing up and down, sometimes
struggling along for a short distances
in lgzsg fashion, bat in most cases
resolving themselves at last into snoring
black heap in tho ditch Hnpsrs'.
Through the many changes to which
| o,.a.ru IiIn Ia nhinck hn urhn nnltiratal