The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-03-10
ABOUT FUNERALS.
SOME REFORMS Badly NEEDED.
Opinion. Of Iaadins wheeling Cl.rrynsn on the
Proposed Burial Service, as asus,tltutefOr
the Present InprOnptu Services.
The Question Of Expenses, etc.

The subject Of funeral services has recently
,een receiving considerable attention among
,lergymeu in several OF the Eastern States,
md has been discussed as far West as Pitts
ourgh. 1t proposed to abolish the sermon
Or address usually delivered at the funeral,
and substitute some set form OF service.
This proposition has been favorably received
by ministers Of all denominations which have
D 10 set burial service. Some OF the cleIgymen
Of this city we're interviewed upon the sub
iect, and their views were found to be
In o sjority OF cases, In &C
cord with those Of the Eastern divines refer
red to. They also expressed themselves on
other points connected with funerals.
Said Rev. DR.. Smith. OF the Fourth Street
NJ. e. Church: "My ideas are fully in accord
with the proposition. It Is something We
must come 70. An address Is always ex.
pscted, but cannot say that l ever knew OF
any good resulting from one, or any change
OF life for the better taking place, the cause
OF which could be traced to words uttered ut
a funeral, While / do not believe there Is as
much promiscuous praise Of the dead as some
people suppose, there Ia without doubt a
tendency In that direction. As the custom
now is, the friends OF the deceased expect the
minister OF their church to say something
nice ut the funeral, and very often, no matter
what the living character, nothing short Of
an eulogy Is acceptable.
SIMPLE, PLAIN sERyICE,
embracing the comforting passages found in
the Book OF God, with an earnest appeal 10
Him, such as would be appropriate on such
occasions, should, think, be used. In fact,
this IS reform that will eventually come.
"There Is another matter connected With
funerals, which to me Is far more important
and calls for more vigorous and speedy re.
form. refer TO the show q, d expense. II
Ia outrageous and abhorrent The Idea OF
holding of or hurryiDg NJ . funeral 20 thai
II will occur on Sunday, In order that greater
show may be made, is simply disgusting; and
the expense connected with them Is often so
great that the family is In debt for year al
forwards. There Is room for very beneficial
change In our mode OF burial"
Rev. ]. T. Mcclure, OF the U. P, Church,
believed that In certain cases an address was
perfectly right; In other cases 1t was at best
Questionable. When one died asthe fool dies,
Il was very difficult thing to ssy anything
without giving offense. Again, II at one fun.
eral the minister believed the occasion and
the life led by the deceased warranted Ger.
tain remarks, and at the next funeral failed
to speak In the same strain, the friends Of the
deceased often became offended. An arrange.
ment that would allow Of an uniformity
would very likely be acceptable to large
majority Of the people and pastors.
THE MATTER or EXPENSE,
He also wanted to speak OF expense con-
nected with funerals. This was serious
matter. An expensive funeral was often
prepared for the father, while the children
were in want OF bread, He was glad TO see
that the example OF private funerala had
been set by rich people-peeple that were
perfectly able to afford large and elegant dis
plays, for 1t was after them that the poor
patterned. He hoped to see many more rich
families hIrying their dead privately.
DR.. Mcclure also commented tho Jews O!
this aud other cities. They bury their dead
quietly aud without display. He hoped for
a general reform in this matter, and thought
that q service would at some future time be
adopted, -
said that the chief objection amopgthe mem.
beers OF bis church to u service such ss pre-.
pared would be that 1t would seem like q
move In the direction OF ritualism, although
he himself saw no objection to the use OF a
form OF SERVICE something like that OF the
Episcopal Church.
ANOTHER DIYtsE's VIEWS.
A well.known divine remarked: ~ would
like TO see the practice OF making addresses
at funerals given up. The minister Is always
Ell pocted to say something respecting the
dead, whether he knows much about him or
not. Again, be Is often called In 10 give an
entire stranger "a good send off, to pse u
slang expression. A nice speech, with elo.
quont language and beautiful thoughts, is
expected. l do not think funeral is the
place at which to administer consolation to
the mourners. They are Of no good to the
dead, and the friends are usually SO over
whelmed by their deep sorrow that the truths
or antFgths Of the remarks do not impress
them"
Rev. George Z. Hite was OF the opinion
that the proposed change was q delicate one
to consider. While he thought theaddreSses
were much shorter now, than those that used
to be delivered, he was hardly OF the opinion
that they should be entirely dispensed with.
At q funeral he believed that minister
should use care and discrimination In his rer
marks. He agreed that on some occasions,
tbs life Of the deceased having been ex.
smpIary, II was an eagy matter tospeak with.
out creating wrong impression.
EusAsalsssEsrs OF THE PRESENT sysTEa.
But where there waa doubt about the
the dead have made for the tual
dissolution, II was sometimes hard 70
iud anything to say. without. wound:
ing the feelings OF the friends or
creating 0 wrong Impression. On such an
occasion he thought the Gospel should simply
be preached, for the preaGhef YES bound 70
feel that he was doing himself and the truth
an injustice by speaking Of the high character
and sterling worth OF O reprobate.
Rev. DR.. Cunningham had looked into the
that has heea carried on in the
East u little, and Thought that the PROPOSE.
ton to substitute set seryice was intended
for certain ps.ls OF the country where reg.
ular funeral sermon was had whenever q
funeral took place. a regular Get SERMON
would often relieve q minister from embar-
raSsment.
"But then there are so many denomina-
tons" said he, land they all have some little
difference, that It would be hard to agree on
Q service that would be acceptable to all"
4 SUGGESTION TO pEpEErAkERs.
He expressed himself as being heartily in
favor Of private funerals, and spoke Of
another matter connected Win funerals 70
which undertakes should give their atten'
ton. 1t Is already the custom in almost
every other city, but Wheeling Is behind on
It as she 10 In several other matters. A min
lister with large congregation has his hands
full all the time. He has 70 go whenever q
funeral calls, no matter what hispther duties
be. Often tho day iz stormy, OF the heat In
tense, and the distance from bis residence to
the house where the dead awaits him, long.
In other cities It Is duty Of the undertaken,
as much so as furnishing the coffin, 10 see the
minister beforehand, as well as member OF
the family, aud see 10 II that one OF the car.
riages onits yay 70 the house stops for the
minister, thereby saving him much time and
trouble. All this can be done without any
Inconvenience to any one.
HOTEL ARRIVALS.
am TINfHa uNTRT