The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1882-04-15
Regular MOurners.

town undertaken, who stood beSide a
carriage in Kensington recently and
spoke to some one inside the vehicle A
streamer of black Grape fluttering from
the door-bell of neat three-storY dwell
ling near by, and long line of carriages
preceded by hearse told that funeral
was in progress. The first, second and
third carriages had been filled with the
near relatives of the deceased, and as the
fourth vehicle drove up woman, dressed
in shabby black and with her face closely
yelled, came down the steps of the house
of mourning, and opening the carriage
door herself, got in and sank back into
the farthest corner The action, quick
as it was, did not escape the eye of the
,solemn-faced man standing on the steps
lof the dwelling. Quietly advancing to
the curbstone, and in voice Just loud
enough to be heard by the person for
whom it was intended, he spoke With
iout word the unwelcome occupant
alighted, drew her rusty black shawl
more closely about her shoulders, and
walked slowly up the street.
THAT is an annoyance peculiar to
Philadelphia, said the undertakeA,to
reporter who happened to be witness
of the episode, g and is probably more
of an institution in Kensington than in
nay other section of the city The Ameri-
can custom of exposing the dead to the
gaze of the general public, which has
been in vogue for more than half cen
tury, has naturally led to abuses, of
which this is one of the most marked. l
refer to the attendance of persons at
funerals who have no possible interest in
the deceased nor connected by the most
remote tie of blood or marriage. Not
only do they mingle their tears with
those of the mourners, but they actually
force themselves into the carriages and
ride to the cemetery there to witness the
final scene with apparently as much emo
ton as the nearest and dearest rela-
tives." ...
"There are very few funerals taking
place north of Girard Avenue and east
of Fourth Street" continued the speak
er, as he closed the door of another cab,
''where you will not find what we term
regulars They are an evil tolerated
simply because the solemity of the oc-
.casion prevents such measures being
taken as would prevent repetition of
the annoyance. The fainter to use
another trade phrase, is similar
nuisance, but not seen as frequently as
hermore ubiquitous sister. The fainter
,swoons suddenly while looking at the
corpse, and is only revived by copious
draughts of brandy. She usually picks
out soft chair to fall upon, and is quite
expert at assuming a graceful position.
The precise object of the fainter | have
never thoroughly understood. Whether
to gain sympathy, or whisky, or to dis
play an attitude, is a question. Of the
two characters, however, the regular
is the most familiar and the most auda-
cious. At an ordinarily large funeral, say
of twenty or more carriages, she is seen
most frequently. The body is laid out
in the parlor as a general thing, some
times a day before the funeral and
is there viewed by the relatives and
friends. The neighbors usually testify
their esteem for the deceased by calling
at the house, although they may not be
acquainted with the family. Inmany
cases this visit is expected, and it is
looked upon as slight if it is notmade.
English people, however, show de-
cided aversion to have any one gaze on
their dead, except those very near to
them, but custom is so arbitrary that
the residents of any neighborhood, and
especially in this section of the city,
would feel insulted if they were not al
lowed to take the last look. AS | said
before, one of the outgrowths of this
lcustom is the regular funeral-goer. She
reads, besides her weekly story paper of
sensational trash, the marriages and
deaths in the Ledger. She notes care
fully all the funerals that are to take
place within a reasonable distance of
her home, and appears to have an
especial weakness for interments at the
Palmer Street burying- ground. If two
funerals occur in the same day, one in
the morning, and one in the afternoon,
the regular is delighted, and makes a
strenuous effort to attend both. She
dresses herself early in the morning,
and, provided with large handkerchief,
she repairs to the house of death. The
first thing the regular does is to make
"a mental estimate as to whether the
Grape on the door belongs to the under
taker or to the family; to speculate as to
whether the coffin handles are solid silver
or plated; to take an inventory of the
furniture, the carpets, and the probable
cost of the coffin.
'She examines the quality of the
shroud, and passes judgment on the pro-
fusion or poverty of the floral offerings.
Then she makes critical survey of the
mourning worn by the grief-stricken rela-
tives, and is usually able to tell whether
it is owned or borrowed, and if the latter
1t becomes almost duty to find out who
the owneris, and how often the Grape has
done duty on similar occasions. With an
experienced regular this is an easy mat
ter, and these points once settled to her
satisfaction. she opens the foodgates of
her ever-ready grief. She looks on the
face of the dead and weeps. She sniyels
and sobs, and says: How natural! How
very natural! Poor, dear man; he inst
looks as if he was asleep and then
usually turning to some one near. she
offers consolation by remarking that 1T
is the prettiest corpse ever l see d in nv
life, so peaceful and life-like.' 1t makes
not whit of difference whether the dead
man or woman is wasted to skin and
bone from lingering disease or not to
the regular the corpse is always $50