West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1884-11-21

! The Life of an Undertaken AnythIn. lint a
| Sad One-stories Told by One of Them
Race for the Graveyard-A Mania for
Attending Funerals.
"All things considered an underiak-
er lie is very pleasant business"
Inc speaker was one of Philadelphia's
best-known uudcrtakers, one who for
more than q quarter of century has
seen the bodies Of many of her best
citlzeiIs dccently inferred
II do wrong TO say an undertaken.
though, he continued, and some of
! the younger professional brethren
would take me severely To task for do
| ing so. We don't call ourselves under
takers any more, but funeral director. -
''ls any special preparation necessary
70 become an undcrtaker?'
son, yes; like every other business il
: has TO be learned. l was employed in
an undertakers Office when a boy and
though | afterwards tried apother occu-
| patton i went back to undertaking, be-
cause found It agreed better with my
health
is it healthy vocation?"
| There is none more so, because
there IS no confinement about it. An
undertaken, when busy, is constantly
| IN the open air, going TO the houses of
his patrons. riding to cemeteries, etc"
is it a profitable businessP"
1.-The profits are considerable, but
there IS so much loss that very few over
get r.ch a. it.
:" In what does tho loss consistP"
UNDERTAKES Losses.
| In not being paid for your work.
We arc so o.ten compelled TO get up
elaborate funerals, for which we know
we Will never receive cent. You are
| surprised to hear me say that we are
compelled to do so. will tell YOU WHY.
Say that am employed by very
wealthy and influential family As ii
| includes many bran hes there are n
| host of children and funerals are fre-
| quent Consequently their patronage
IS OF very great value. They not only
I employ me themselves. but they recon-
mcnd me to their wealthy friends. Now
almost every family, no matter how
wealthy, has poor relations. These
! also desire my services. / know they
con not pay me. but il / do not 90 I
| shall offend the wealthy members and
lose not only their patronage but their
recommendation and good will, so
must bury the poor ones for nothing
and lose enough by them to more than
counterhalance what | make by the
rich ones"
There are many different types of
| grief, arc there nOt?"
yes; the grief of n husband for his
| wife Is different from that OF n mother
| for her child, while the grief of children
for their parents is different from that
! of wife for her husband The last is
the most intense form Of grief, except
| that of mother for her child. which il
! very closely resembles.
"The grief of a wife is usually much
! greater than that OF q husband, and
| both husbands and wives who make
the loudest and most paroxsymal dem
| onsiratiOns Of sOrrow are generally
! the ones who soonest console them.
| selves with another cOniugal partner.
! Experience has convinced mo, how
| ever that for man to marry within a
| short time after the death Of his wife.
| or for woman TO do so soon after the
death Of her husband. is by no means n
mark OF disrespect - D,s memory Of
the dead. On the contrary. ! have
| come to regard il 10 tribute 10 their
worth, for have noticed that IL Is gcn-
| orally people who have had happy
/ married life that soon marry second
| time, while those whose marital reln-
/ tiOns have been unfortunate are usually
in no haste 10 again adjust the matri-
mOnial moose about their neok5."
UNDERTAKES JOLLY MpS.
Does not your business make YOU
| sad and gloomy? ~ would seem that
constantly coming in contact with in
tense grief must inevitably affect your
( spirits
Not a bit Of IT, Undersakers away
/ from their business arO the iolliest set
| OF men living. You know il is said
/ that clowns and comedians are very apt
| 60 be grave in private life, becauss their
| work consisting in being funny
| IL is relaxation 9or them 10 be
| serious. Just 80 with an undertaken.
| lie must wear n mOurnfui cOuntenanc,
and affect grief or at least mournful
| sympathy as q very important part Of
I his business, and hence Il is in itself y
| recreation for him TO throw all that on
and be lively and cheerful ] thin<
Dickens errs in making Mark Taplcy
think Of an undertaken life "a one in
/ which he could be Jolly under difficult
| ties. | think it q life naturally calcu-
| lated to make a man Jolly, not only for
| the reason ] have just mentioned. but
/ because 10 has an intensely humorous
| side and because the very funniest
| thing ! have ever se9r IN real life have
| been occurrences ~ OF iuy connection
| with funerals To many of tby 2o-called
lower classes The SvrfAl ~ a fri01d . an