Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-04-23
MOURNING CUSTOMS.
TheCOst and Worry Imposed by Med
ERIN Expressions of Grief.


1t appears that our present mourning.
customs impose upon us a great amount
of cost and worry, at an especially mop
perfume period. And from this the in
quirer proceeds to ask what is the rea-
son why the unwelcome expense and
bother are incurred? Why affection Of
mind more than that Of body should be
proclaimed by attire ? whyssit should be
more important to associate particular
color with grief than with rheumatism,
biliousness. influenza, or any other i'll
ness? Natures, of course, differ widely,
and there are some who probably in
consequence Of having been accustomed
from their earliest years to regard black
as the emblem of death and sadness)
find some amount of relief and comfort
In wearing mourning when friend dies;
and feel satisfaction in marking the
especial event with especial garments.
But all are not of this way Of thinking,
and there are many whose inclinations
are just the reverse. The sort of self
consciousness and strangeness of feeling
which usually accompany brand-new
clothes are distasteful to O. time of
trouble, and they, wish to go about In
whatever they are in the habit Of wear
ing, without any fuss or alteration. Sor-
row may be none the less true and deep
because it shrinks from ostentatious pa
rade-frOm wearing the heart on the
sleeve, for DAVIS to peck at; it may feel
that the inadequacy of outward signs to
give it expression makes any attempt at
doing so mere mockery, and may pre-
fer to conceal itself as far as possible
under its wonted exterior. How can
real grief be represented fttingly by
Grape and hat-bands? And if no real
grief exist, then the whole affair is moth
ing but miserable exhibition of hum
bug and hypocrisy-an appeal to the
world for sympathy and commiseration
upon false pretences. What sort
Of sorrow is felt by relatives
who say: "Oh! we must put
the children into mourning for Uncle
So-and-so-he's left US something in his
will ;" or else: 81 shan't trouble
about black for cousin Such-an-one-
he's left me nothing as the case may
be? It would be surely more honest
for such pretended mourners as these to
assume signs OF rejoicing or woe, ac-
cording as they do or do not find them
selves the possessors Of fresh riches.
Even when sorrow is really felt, it's in
tensity and duration will not be
alike IN all cases where the relationship
is the same, because no two husbands
and wives, brothers and sisters, or
other relations, will love one another in
exactly the same degree, and on this
account there must necessarily be some
thing foolish and unreal in the practice
which assumes that the depth and ex-
tent of regret may be reckoned on ac-
eording to nearness of kin. Is grief to
be bound by hard and-fast rule to be
made to conform to SO many inches Of
black border on cards and writing
paper? to be sent to the mitigated"
and "unmitigated departments Of
mourning warehouses in order to ex-
press itself correctly in graduated shades
of black, gray Or violet? More or less
of shoppiness and hollowness is almost
inseparable from the wearing of mourn
ing, according to the present custom;
yet there is that about death which is
apt to put human nature essentially out
Of tune for all that is artificial and
sham.
Again, how can any one who believes
in the resurrection reconcile it with his
conscience to make everything con-
nected with death dark, gloomy and
melancholy? If he has that sure con-
fidence which he processes to have as to
the departed being safe from all future
dangers, and having passed to a state of
bliss far beyond what is attainable upon
earth, why does he not rejoice in their
happiness? Does he think them out of
reach Of sympathy because out OF sight?
Or is he too selfish to let the thought
of their gain outweigh that of his own
loss Q