Brookings County sentinel. (Brookings, Dakota [S.D.]) 1882-1890, 1883-03-22
What Ais the People ?

al ever held in this country was that
held at Gowanda, N. Y, few daya
ago. Mr.. Stebbins editor of the Pat
riot, at that place, follower of the
not SO very meek, and not 50 terribly
lowly, Ingersoll, died, as all good
and bad must die. Previous to his
death he stipulated that there should
be no minister within gun shot of the
funeral, and no services except those
of society he belonged to, which
consisted of planting body to quick
music. 1t was requested that on the
way to the grave the crowd would
sing, "When Johnny Comes March
ing Home," and on the return from
the grave they should sing, "Good
bye My Lover, Goodbye" The re-
quest was carried out to the letter,
and those who were on streets when
it went along say it was the worst
cross between melancholy and hilarl-
ty that was ever witnessed. Tie
cold clay of the late lainented was in
the hearse, and as the driver of the
solemn looking wagon raised his
voice to sing about Johnnic's march
through Georgia, and the mourners
took it up, and the rest Of the follow
ers to the tomb joined in, the horses
were the only ones who seemed to
appreciate the mournful occasion.
1t is hard TO make people laugh at a
funeral, put when the corpse pre-
pares the programme Of hilarity, peo-
pie who are mere spectators are apt
to smile, even if it hurts their feel
ings. OF course we do not, any of
US, know but that deceased person
laid to rest under the auspices Of a
colossal aggregation of minstrel tai
ent, will reach the sweet ultimately,
as well as though given send of at
the hands Of presiding elder and
paid choir, but the way the world
wags it looks good deal better 10
have little praying than good
deal Of profanity at funeral, and
the grand old song, "Sister. Thou art
Mild and lonely" sung at long metre.
sounds more appropriate over a grave
than, "She's Daisy, Shes Dump
ling" This is only matter of taste,
to be sure, and there is no law against
an infidel or any other man being
hauled to the cemetery in a hand
cart, followed by dancing Zulus, to
the music of bass drum, with a va
riety show behind the cart and doub- |
le-clog dance artists hoeing it down
on raised platform, and a boxing !
match and rooster fight following
the procession, but it looks bad.
Most intidcls lesire certain solemn !
itv to attend their iuterment, even if !
they do not have the attendance of /
clergy, and this case Of the deceased I
editor who made his funeral a variety /
show is an unusual one. The funeral !
of Ingersoll's brother. year or two /
ago, though not under the auspices
Of the church, was very solemn, and |
the brother OF the deceased made !
some most beautiful and touching re-
marks, which caused people of a diff ,
ferent belief to at least respect his |
views Of the hereafter. But if Bob |
had invited a lot of nigger singers :
10 sing, "Shoo Fly, Don't Bodder
Me-" on the way to his brothers grave
and had them sing "Mulligan's Pic
mic" songs on the way back, people
would have said he was lacking in |
common sense. The grave is sol
emn thing, and death is no picnic,
and those who make the grave a va
riety show and consider death joke.
are lacking in sense, whatever their
views may be on the hereafter
Peck's San.