The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1882-11-14

A Glass of Women Who Bother
Undertakers.
People Who Actually Like to Ride
to Cemeteries-The Gossips
Who ATTEND all the Fune-
rails They Can.


Mr.. Lynch, the undertaken, in CONVEX
satien with aChroDicle reporter last
evening. "The term is rightly applied
to persons who hire out their services
to undertakers or the friends of the
deceased who have charge of funeral.
to mourn. In England they are used
more than i'm any other country; also
extensively In Ireland. In the former
country deaf mutes are usually em-
ployed. They are dressed in long
black robes aud walk in front Of the
iunera' procession weeping and exhibit
ing other signs of grief In Ireland
professional mourners are known as
keeners. The profession there i, al
most exclusively adopted by women,
woo assemble around the corpse and
vail aloud the virtues of the deceased
lr is customary with the lower classes
10 have jug of 'iqu"r. which enables
hem to recount the virtues and add
loudness to their weird walls. "A good
kHeuer is looked upon rs an accom-
always I'm demand.
! Europe,i countries are adopting our
funeral customs rapidly and protes
sional mOurners are not SO much en-
ploved as they we're few Years ago.
although the lower class still retains
the old custom.
There is also a tendency though"
added MIR Lynch. "among some peo-
pie In this country to- attend all the
funerals they can. AMI mourn ON every
occasion; they are usually women who
tive In the peighbt.rhood of church
AMI are known among undertakes as
dead beats" When the bell tolls for
funeral they will put on their things
aud 70 TO the church alter the service
is through. if the coffin is opened. they
will always go up 10 look at the CORPSE
and exhibit great emotion when the
coffin is carried out. This is all put On
Just to get ride out to the cemetery.
The undertakes know most Of these
dead heats now aud do not allow them
10 get IN the Carriages.
There is another class of counterfeit
mourners which is even worse than
the "Iead heat" At the funerals of
the middle class she can be seen more
frequently. The body il usually laid
out in the parlor the day of the fune-
raj and the neighhors testify their es-
TEEN for the departed by calling at the
house, although they may be strangers.
i The would-be mourner takes advau-
tage of this custsm. She provides her.
stlf with her black bonnet and shawl
and repairs to the house of death about
the time the funeral is to leave. She
goes in and views the remains. II
there is any one she can get into con-
versation with she makes it point to
offer consolation. 1t makes no differ
ence whether she has ever seen the de-
ceased before or not. She is as loud
in praising his manv virtues AS if che
had known him all her life. A corpse
always looks so natural to her. Whether
it has wasted away to skin and homes
or not she tries to offer the tenderest
consolation by saving it looks pretty.
While waiting for the undertaken to
remove the cloth she bushes herself bv
making a general survey of the rela.
tives and friends and the funeral ex-
penses. From her long experience in
attending funerals sho can tell Jus. the
expense the friends have gone. When
the coffin is closed after the friends
have taken the last look she exhibits
as much grief as ,yone. If the uud r.
taker don't know her she is the frs;
one to get into the carriage.
At the bu'ying ground she secures
a place as near the grave as possible
and the first cIoeis that fall en- the
coffin box bring as many signs of grief
to her as it does to the relatives.
At many of the colOred funerals you
will notice number of colored women
dressed all alike in deep mourning
These women. although they do a
great deal of mourning, cannot be
called professional mourners. as they
are members of benevolent societies
and their work is principally charity.
In some parts of the city thickly set
tied with the lower class of Irish peo-
pie they still keep up the custom Of
having wakes, where good weepers are
always welcome and often paid to
mourn over the corpse. this being the
only class who receive anv remunera-
ton for the melancholy calling in st.
Louis"