The Sedalia weekly bazoo., 1883-05-01
LUXURIOUS LORE.
Interesting Particulars Re.
lating to Expensive Flu
nerals Of the Day.
What it Costs to Inter q Body in
Good Style in the Seda-
liza Cemetery.

Perhaps there Is no one thing, which,
within itself Is a matter of 80 little mo-
ment To the individuals themselves, which
SO occupies the minds of the living friends
and relatives lett behind, as that of the
last sad rites and disposition of the mortal
tenement of a departed soul. And per-
haps there is DO one thing which gives
| rise to a greater diversity of opinion end
sentiment than this same matter.
The natural tendency of the human
heart under the trying ordeal of separation
by death, is to tendern.ss, sympathy and
respect, no matter what the living re-
latiOns and associations, or character Of
the dead may have been.
And to the majority of individuals,
there is q consolation AID seeming balm
to their poignant grief, in the lavishment
of kin.iness and costly obsequies over the
cold clay of their departed, that impels
them frequently to expend for that pur-
poses with free hand, tar more than they
ever did or could have been induced to
expend for the comfort and we'll being Of
the same individual living Aside from
this cannot. be denied that an innate, lurking
superstition, handed down from The dark
ages of mythology and transfused into the
very nature, from generation to generation,
lends an additional, though often unad-
mitted force. 10 this impu-s--
Vi late years, the cu-ioIn has been the
subject of much crItici-m, and bold de-
nunciation by :hose who rrvfess to see in
1t great evil ;ud extravaganza, and
efforts have even been made to overthrow
it, and Substitute for burial, cremation.
But the change has not only met with DIS
favor, but, where tried experience has
proven it to be quite if not more ex-
penslve, than the custom il would dis
place.
An additional evil, If evil it be, which
has resulted from the agitation OF the sub
ject, is an increased tendency in direct pro-
portion to the extent OF the agitation, to
even more elat crate and expensive funerals.
So marked indeed has been this result that
the press throushou the land has found it
necessary to note and comment upon ii.
In order to ascertain, il possible, to what
extent extravaganza in funerals prevailed
in Sedalia, BAzOO reporter was yesterday
detailed to interview the various under
takers of the city, and as there seemed to
be . marked unity of opinivn among them,
perh. ps TO better way could be adopted to
convey to the reader . clear conception of
the sutjec, than to give dst siled inter-
view with one Of the leading members OF
the fraternity or trade.
Reporter.-I want to ask you few ques-
tions concerning your business which /
think the general public wsuld feel an in
terest in knowing.
Undertaker.-Anything can do for you
or the generous public shall be done with
pleasure.
Reporter.-Well. to begin, what class Of
burial cases and cofhns do you ind most
generally in demand?
Uudertaker.-WLst we call good. sub
stan,ial, medium price case or coffin finds,
by odds, the greatest sale, though articles
in that line are carried and sold by Us,
ranging in price from S. to$ $3.50. Very few
of the higher price are sold, however. One
Of the most expensive cases recently bought
ior use in Sedalia was that of Wash Hyde,
who was shot some time since by Frank Nc
Nally. a. cost f175. The NOE expensive
ones are general, purchased for transfer
ring corpses to other localities.
Reporter.-What is about the average
pri. of coffins and cases sold?
Undertakes. From $40 to $50. COf6ns
and cases in Sedalia are sold much lower
than in larger cities, where undertakers
not only furnish them, but
take entire control of tie funeral,
furnishing the flowers, decorations,
hearses, carriages, and even pail bearers,
and in some instances mourners, all of
whom are clothed in uniform regulation,
black, Such q case as is sold in Sedalis
for SIS will sell In ST. Louis, Kansas City
and other large places for 500 or $l25
trimmed just rs We trim them. 1t is not
the plain coffin or case which is so costly,
but the trimmings and mountings. Lace of
the same pattern will vary in price from
25 cents to So so per yard, and yet per-
son, not Judge, would scarcely be able TO
notice the difference in the appearance Of
two cofins, one trimmed with the costly
and one with the cheap quality. The
same may be said of the mountings, which,
when fresh and new, have the same ap-
pearance; yet one Is cheap washed ar-
ticle and the other . costly, heavy plate OF
silver and gold.
Reporter what is the cost Of
funerals in Sedaliaf
Undsrtaker-Well, the average cost il