Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1882-06-28
Scotch Funerals.

Everybody knows that there is no ser
vice at the grave yard in Scotland, al
though the clergyman under whom the
deceased "sat" is often, indeed usually,
present The hsfs OF those IN attendance
may be taken off the moment after they
have lowered the coffin into the grave just
for an instant. but even this is not always
the case. This habit Of dispensing with
religious exercises had It's origin, no boubt,
IN the Scotch horror of doing anything
that might give color to the charge OF
following the Roman Catholic fashion CT
praying for the dead. The reading of n
chapter of the Bible and short prayer in
the house before the coriege sets out for
the churchyard is the sole religious ser
wee. and the prellminaries to this are
sometimes of a kind to raise the idea that
care is taken to disconnect it from the
peculiar circumstances Of the occasion.
That terrible scourge. the cholera, which
visited the country in 1882, gave fatal
blow to the bacchanalian orgies with which
II had been the fashion TO celebrate fIn-
erals in Port Glasgow. Men were willing
enough tn pay the last possible mark of
respect to the dead, but naturally took
every precaution to avoid exposing them
selves to unnecessary risk. So, instead
of meeting in the house, as had teen the
custom, they simply gathered in the street
before the door and followed The hearse
to the place of burial. The old Port Glas
gov gentleman, who is my informant,
would not enter into particulars ane2t the
proceedings prior to that date; but he
made the signihcant remark that while the
new fashion involved tie loss of an hour
under the old system attendance at fun.
eral meant the less of a whole day.
When an invitation Is beng given ver-
balIy to funeral in Scotland the person
invited usually asks: "When did you
lift I" meaning Sat what hour is tie fun
eral to take placeln The manner of con-
veying the coffin from the house to the
place of Intermeni, still followed in lag
lesham, q village IN the south OF Renfrew-
shire, abundantly explains this phrase As
can be well enough understood, hearses
and coaches are institutions belonging TO
towns and cities, lot to villages. In the
latter the coffin is borne TO the grave on
three poles, which are passed under ii,
long enough TO leave a sufficient portion
for two men to grasp on either side. OF
course it is impossible to place these
.'spokes" IN position in the house, so
couple Of stools gre brought out to the
street, the coffin Is placed upon them, and
when the cortege IS ready to so the spokes
are passed under, the coffin is lifted"
and the procession moves off,
Though EagleSham Is not ten miles dis
tant fror.i Glasgow, the old fasnlon of
warning everybody to the funeral is still
followed, and as the houses generally are
small, the company often enough meetsin
the church. Even in the sacred edIhce,
after the performance of short religious
exercises, tray with glasses on it is &C
casionally brought IN, and supply OF
liquor served out 10 all who care to par
take of it. In this village it Is also the
custom for the entire company TO wait IN
the chIirchyard till the burial has been
quite completed, Eaglesham IN this re-
spect presenting favorable contrast to
ether places, where only one or two of the
nearer relatives are left to see the sexton
complete his work The last shovelful of
earth having been put on, the chief
mOurrer gels up on a stone, and, taking
off his hat, saws, in loud voice, 'Gentle-
men, | thank you for your company
which Is the signal 10 disperse.
Waking the dead has been practiced in
one Of the northern counties f Scotland
from time immemOr1al, and is still IN
vogue there. W hen a d5ath occurs in
Glen Uurquhart, the survivors in the
husehold lre never suffered to be alone
!, laoA ffi1 ha hau n ha f,1pa-al
The bOdyis not confined till the day of
interment, for the simple reason that the
coffia has 10 be mace by the village Joiner
after the death takes place. a house
with q corpse Ia 1t becomes for two or
three days and nights that intervene be-
tween Ceath and burial the rendezvous of
all the neighb0rs, who SIT and tell stories
ghost stories having a decided preference
-ostensibiy to keep the btreaved family
from feeling eerie, but really for the puI-
pose OF entertainment. Such gatherings
differ from IRISH wakes" IN this particu-
lar, that tobacco and pipes are not pro.
yiGed by the relatives OF the deceased,
each attendeT bringing his own supply OF
these luxurIes; but whisky is supplied by
the fam ly in whose house the wake Is
held, and pretty freely dispensed. Such
gatherings are favCriie resorts of blushing
lasses and strappIng lads who are courting,
and are often The scene OF more laughter
than tears.
The funerals present an imposing specta-
Gle, Often as many as a hundred men,
decently clad II black broaGcloth, wind
ing slow procession through the valley.
IN the rear of the bearers who carry the
coffin. But here again we have an Illus-
tratiOn OF local variations Of custom; for
though it Is the habit 10 invite all the
male inhabitants of the district, the next
door neighbor OF the deceased would not
go to the funeral without receiving a
direct invitation while over the hills, IN
the adjoining glen, no invitations are
issued, but everybody Is expected to at |
lend. OF course, where drink Is supplied |
at the wake 1t is not withheld at the |
burial, and besides the round served at |
the house there is another often al the |
churchyard. Enough drink and bread |
and cheese to supply hundred men is no |
light weight, ana where to cortege has to |
60 few miles to the place of Jnternent il /
is usual to send a small pony-csrt, bearing |
the refreshments, after the party. A jar
OF whisky invariably forms part of the |
of the cart, whatever may be the
more solid portion OF the refreshment pro-
vided. The people are Free Church to
man, but they are not teetotal, and it is
nothing out of the common, after the
grave has been filed up, to see an old
Free Church elder standing. possibly on
HAT tompstcne, engaged IN asking bless
ing On the refIeshment about TO be par
taken, with bolte OF whisky IN one
hand and glass in the other.
Work of the L. 5. Fish Commission.