Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1882-09-29
The Cost of Dead Relatives I'm
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II AAAAHa
Miss G. +. c. Cumming in Century. II
Great indeed are the expenses en-
tailed on the living By the dead. In
no land can the loss Of a kinsman be
more seriously felt. To begin with.
there are heavy funeral expenses. The
body must be dressed in fine new
clothes, and another good suit must
be burnt, as also his boots and shoes,
most Of his wardrobe, his bed and
bedding, and the things most essential
to his comfort when living for he is
supposed to require all those 10 the
unseen world; and though paper
representations are useful later, the
real articles are needed for the origi
nal outfit. Then a handsome coffin is
essential, and the priests must be
largely paid for funeral services at the
house Of the dead, and again for their
services in ascertaining the lucky day
for burial-while a professor for
tung shut must also be paid, to choose
the exact spot where they may safely.
prepare the grave so that the dead may
be shielded from the evil influences
which proceed from the north, aud
~eneompassed by all good which
breathes from the south. From the
tenth to the seventeenth day after
death the priests, whether Taoist or
Buddhist, hold services iD the house,
to protect the living from the inroads
Of hosts of spirits who are supposed to
crowd in, in the wake of tlIeir new
friend, and as the relatives and friends
Of the family must be entertained
as well as the priests, this in an
other heavy item Of expense. In
short, many families are often perma-
nently impoverished by the drain
to which they were subjected, and
which, in the form Of masses for the
departed and offerings at his grave or
before his tablet, are certain to recur
again aud again. To omit them would
be to incur the anger of the spiteful
dead, who are now in a position 10
avenge themselves on the living, by
i%nficting all manner of sickness and
suffering. Besides, If the priests
know that there is any possibility OF
extracting money from a family by
playing on their feelings, they pretend
to have had revelations from the spirit
world showing the unfortunate dead
to be tortured in purgatory, and that
the only means by which he can be
extricated is by a fresh course Of
costly service in the house
The price to be paid for these
is fixed at the highest sum which
they judge it possible to extract-say
a thousand dollars, aud though the
family may remonstFate and endeavol
to make a better bargain, it generally
ends in their. raising every possible
coin, aud even selling their jewels to
procure the necessary sum which shall
free their dead from suffering, and also
secure his protection aud good will
The sums thus expended in connection
with tie worship of the dead are
almost incredible. | heard a calcula.
ton ono made by one we'll entitled t.
know what he spoke of, to the efeci
that fully thirty million dollars are
annually expended in China at tn,
three great festivals in honor of the
dead; while, in addition TO the above
by calculating the average expenditure
OF each family at a dollar and a half
year, he computed that fully a hundred
and fifty million dollars are annually
spent in quoting spirits. II