Omaha daily bee., 1884-12-01
down hr death.

After setting forth In detail the con
} torting faith Of the Christian, the speake
commented upon the inconsistency q
Christian people mourning as those with
out hope. There should DO rejoicing tina
the babe 10 taken from the sin and toll o
; earth. The mother knows that the dea
child is more blessed to learn from ange
lips the story of Christ which fell so fal
tering from her. 1t was far better for tn,
aged saint to depart and be at rest. AL
this was what Christians were supposed
to believe, but yet the customs Of funer,
ais did not indicate that this conception
had really taken hold of the hearts. The
tears shed, the hablliments Of mourning
after, indicated that there was no hope,
and that there was q clinglng to the out.
grown Hebrew idea. Death was in fact
an entrance to a fuller and freer life, but
this conception had not become such a
living force as one would expect after 80
many centuries of Christian teaching.
Missionaries had been sent to teach the
heather, but the heather could send mis-.
sionaries to teach Christians better ideas
of immortality, in at least the Gus.
toms common to times OF bereavement.
The Chinese at times Of deaths wore
white. Blue and brown were used by
some of the Oriental natives. Tho Mo.
hammedaus were forbidden to wear
mourning, because of the faith that In
death as in all else "God is good" The
Egyptians used yellow, the color iudica-
tory of exultation, but Christians, who
alone are taught clear ideas of the future
and alone have the doctrine of the resur-
rection and the life, wear black. Arbi-
trary fashion dictates that the poor, frail
body of the loved one shall be decked in
rich robes, placed i'll q costly metallic
casket, followed to the grave by a long
string of carriages, the friends wearing
heavy crepe, and after the funeral a large
expensive monument muat be raised to
mark the spot where lies only the mould.
ering body.
To the speakers mind it seemed that
the chief object of many funerals was to
see how expensive they could be made.
Often times such extravaganza deprived
the living Of needed comforts, or plunged
them hopelessly in debt. A reform was
needed In this respect and it must be the
wealthy who should start the reform, for
they would not be charged with parsi.
mony, and the poor readily follow the
fashion of the rich. Extravaganza shall
be done away with, and while it was
proper and natural to grieve, yet tho
christians grief should not be that deep
gloom felt by those who had no hope. If
black must be worn let no crepe appear,
except. perhaps, on the day of the funer-
al. Why not let grief be expressed by
grey, the absence of jewelry and orna-
ments, as well az by black and ostenta-
tious showings of sorrowl There were
societies for the prevention of cruelty to
animals, there were various reform asso.
Citations, all doing good, but a
should be organized
the widows and orphans
from the demands of society that they
should yield up their little means to swell
the profits of the undertaken.
Another reform was In exposing the
remains of loved one to the gaze of curl
GUS and gaping crowds. This was a priv.
ilege for the near and dear friends only, |
and should be guarded sacredly. Charles
Dickens instructions in regard to his own
funeral are worthy of imitation. He
wished no public announcement of time
or place, no pomp, or expense beyond the
needful, no black s%carfs, and only three
plain coaches. 1t was right to show grief,
but Christians should not allow their ex-
preasions of sorrow to hide the real mean
ing of the Christian hope.
In closing, the speaker called attention
to the beauty and comfort of the teach
ings of Christianity as shown in tho ritual
for the burial of the dead, end how in
contrast with those teachings were the ex.l
travagant manifestations of sorrow.