, 1884-02-24
A NEGRO FUNERAL.
A Protest Against Lavish Extrav-
aRance and Absurd Displays
at Burial Ceremonies


Joaquin Miller's Washington Lettsr.l
1t is the strongest, saddest mingling Of
pathos and comedy in America 1t is unique
entirely. And men tell me here that the
negro funeral In all its full splendor of to-day
Is a recent development. The other day down
l. street, and not n stones throw from one of
the fashionable centres, a block of black men,
women, children, boys, girls, old folks and
young folks lean and fat, ragged and well clad,
moved in such a mass as to sweep everything
before 1t from pavement, sidewalk, and
everywhere as it passed And this tremen-
dous cloud OF funeral comedy as
1t moved on, from alleys, crozs-streets, any
where, till the vast level street was one com
pact mass OF ragged, miserable, and mirth-
provoking blacks. And they were all 80
happy; these miserable people at the funeral.
l pushed my way finally with great effort.
and by cutting around on q run through a
back street up to the vicinity Of the chief
mourners, / got a good look at their
faces They all seemed to DO exprczsibly
1%ubtlant, as now and then they looked
out and back ut the tremendous follo wing.
for the funeral was really n great success. A
dolorous brass band moved at tho head of the
throng close up to the hearse. And this
band, with its monotonous, yet really Inn
pressiVe and not inharmonious music kept
the crowd together. and called for and OBJ
~ NNo bAcNIuk n Ut every
corner. 1t was a revelation to me-a real
discoyery-and so l record 1t. No one visit
Ing Washington city can afford to omit see-
ing a negro funeral in all its sad and impress
sive splendor.
And now does not this ridiculous display of
these poor initiating blacks teach US that 1t is
nigh time for us to call a halt in our own
like, though possibly more refined, folly. In
fact, the great funerals in the great city of
New York ara hut N lftfIa .k1,o All -f.sf.t
orass-band negro business in Washington
City. The real "swell' thing 10 do there of
late il to charter a special train" for mourn
ers to go out to the funerals. l see no differ
ence In the two mobs except the very vulgar
difference of dollars. There Il lust about as
much real mourning in one mass as In tina
other. And both are instituted for the graft
hcanon OF the living; not as a lAmsntation
for the dead.
But take even an ordinary funeral Of New
York. 1t stretches its obtrusive black string
Of dilapidated carriages across your path At
least twenty times a day there. Theso strings
OF mock solemnity, empty half the time or
hlled with ~loafers, any one who will get in.
are often half a mile long. Now this IL a
delicate, even sacred, subject to invade, but
l must say frankly that 1t has become tho
most insolent nuisance in all Now York, and
must In some way be curtailed II not stopped
entirely.
And these absurd shows" should b
stopped, not only here, but evsrywhere. And
they should be stopped, not SO much In the
interest OF the unconcerned In this or that
Immediate funeral, as in the interest OF and
Tor the protection of those who institute
them. Let US SEQ what a really fashionable
funeral costs 1 have gone among undertak.
ars-these mournful frauds, these entirely
introduced impostors who defraud uncom-
planning widows and rob outright hs.p.s-.
children, who In meek and patient ini-
tation OF Others, like the poor negro, submit
TO anything rather than seem mean toward
their dead, and l tell you 1 have found out
some queer things
II is the undertaken who IL responsible in
nine cases out OF ten for the unexamplod eI-
travagance and absurd displays at funerals
ordered by those who can il-afford such
folly. They take advantage Of sacred things
And these ghouls feed on the weakness of
women. They touch the tenderest cords of
the human heart at a time that is sacred and
they take a woman to practice upon, il ono
can be found in the family, nearly every
time. Her mind at such times is almost a.
helpless as hat OF the poor black mans, and
she is made by this cofin-maksr to load her.
self and family with a debt for car
riages and trappings that must be
felt for years And all for the purpose OF
blocking the streets, forcing their folly upon
the attention Of u~nsympahte strangers busy
in tho battle of life. "Lst the dead bury the
dead" This saying means much l lind an
ordinary city funeral Gusts $500. Then how
much money, toll, time. must be put undsr-
ground and be forever lost In buryinx what
few millions Of people we now have in tho
United Statesi Put it at an even half that
figure, count it up and you will find that you
could not get enough gold together on the
face OF this earth to pay Tor It'll Come, let US
stop this pitiful display. Remember how
Dickens and all good men who ever wrote OF
this denounced it and sought to be Laid ut rest
in silent simplicity. Let this ludicrou. lesson
OF the negroes not be lost
l belong to a small band Of scribes who
have covenanted with each other that our
funeral cost shall not DO above $40. The
dead is to be wrapped In the sheet In which
he dies, placed in n box and burned at once.
That is all; the end. or course all do not
like this mode, But ono might easily bs laid
In tho earth for twice or thrice thar sum, l
think.
dined, or tried to dine, with a couple Of
undertakers the other day In New York.
while in search for Information on this sub
ject But there lay such an awful pail OF
mock solemnity upon them, as they dis.
coursed upon the beauties of a hrst-class flu
neral. that 1 could scarcely finish my soup
And then, when the elder one began to carve
the meati I tell you he held his Knife as IL IL
was a scrswdriyerl 1 had nearly 10 leave
the table.