St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-07-06

stones or other memorials of the departed
Every one of our acquaintance summoned
by death is dismissed from the scene with
words which no honest mind believing in
the strict integrity of definitions would apply
to the subject when living--unless they were
very rich, or influential enough to be OF some
disposing service for the specous tribute.
But the hypocrisy goes bravely on. 1t
seems to be o transparency which poor hu-
mainly expects to see at every burial, ana
which poorer humanity is ever ready to fur
nish.
1t keeps pace with the extravagant styles
of mourning, and the carved and polished
indications of affiuent grief Bereavement,
which is claimed to be civic, and social, and
domestic, is couched in language OF hyper
bolical absurdity. No one in the life OF such
person would say such things to his face
without suspicion of downright chaffing,
and yet no sooner is the sordid breath frozen
out OF him by death than you read an obitu-
airy which is scarcely more than a joke, and
monstrousy well worked one.
During his life when such an expression
of opinion-if we believed it---would have
done him some good it WAS penuriously and
perhaps rightfully withheld. Yet, when
it cannot be of the slightest earthly use, save
to minister to family vanity, we become gen
erous of praise with most sinister mockery.
Of course we don't mean it either way.
We are impelled by a respectable tradition
that it is the proper thing to do, and every
body that is any body wants to be proper.
| ic 10 10 ,toE1 chaI
order of the worlds usages-to be an exem-
plary member of the Society for the Encour-
agement of Fitting Hypocrisy.
Once in while there are some folk of an
insurgent spirit, born without any IF the ten
tacles that take kindly to the grisly conven-
tionalities, the exploded mockeries of our
civilized scheme-so called-who think that
the moral of a mans career who has
never been remarkable among his
fellow citizens for anything but the most
sleepless and encroaching greed, would be
best shown by silence, and the most signifi-
cant indication of his place of burial cairn,
whose stones should be reminder of the
worlds great charities, for which he had little
else. Such lawless disposition of the sshon-
1 ored rcmains,' ETC., is always impossible if
they once represented money. They have
the most towering monuments in every Gem
etery, and as for obituaries, resolutions and
other extraordinary lies, why, it would seem
as if the spirit of Baron Munchausen fur
nished the inspiration.
Perhaps some reformed biblical student
will yet construe the interrogatory about the
sting of death as meaning an obituary which
will put the disembodied spirit to fresh shame
by this gratuity fpuffery.
But what will you have!
The sentiment of the world, somewhat on
the pagan dctum, is averse to saying any
thing but good of the dead. Still it might be
improved into reading, say nothing but the
truth, if you must speak.
Some statements are not always to be taken
literally. The ingenious mind is forever
discovering fresh interpretations. To speak
or say only good of the dead may simply
mean to pray for them.
If you say nothing but good of the living,
you will say nothing evil of them after death
certainly, partly, perhaps, through semi
superstitious Difference to this mysterious en-
vironment of death, and the almost common
accord of forbearing sentiments among all
generous minded people.
This forbearing restraint Of truthful ex
preston in current speech is very different
matter from the deliberate classifying
work of regulation obituaries where the
known career of man is antipodal to every
syllable of glorifcation, and the public knows
| a
| has made.
Thackery says of George II, "Here was
man, who in youth, manhood, old age, was
| gross, low and sensual; and Mr.. Porteous,
afterwards my lord Bishop Porteous, says the
earth was not good enough for him, and that
his only place was heaven. The divine who
! who wept these tears over George the Seconds
memory wore George the Thirds lawn
| One of the convincing touches of Hamlct's
alteration from the mental equpoise of the
usual type of men, is given, as he is dying,
to his good friend Horatio, whom he charges
to draw his breath in pain to tell his story.
Pain, indeed! The Unbalanced loon
Had he been up to our sane standard he
would have gasped, 'spuff me, good Horatio,
|
matter of those two courtiers sent to England,
and as regards that meddlesome old bore,
Polonius-yet puff-'tis the proper thing to
do"
When Queen Katharine tells 'shonest Grit
| fths'' that she wishes no better chronicler
after death, she knew that she was up in all
the essentials of first-class obituary.
| ,,,o,o ac+obIebad that doo+I,
each one had the exact truth written about
him, without malice or extenuation, and ac-
| cording to the estimate his fellows had of him
| while he was alive.
| Doyou believe it would make some differ
ence in his conduct to note in the eyes Of
his fellowmen his obituary as he went along
| As it is our method. is wrong. We have
the same stereotyped form for the good, bad
and Indifferent at the time of their death.
What have you left for the First Citizen
and Albertus Magnus whose every impulse
has been for charity and generous humanity,
and exalted public spirit, when you print
such eulogy of Mr.. Greedygut, and Mr..
| Gouge-it-all.
| What an abiding impression of hypocrisy
| is given to youth as it notes the difference
between the real status of opinion, and then
compares it with the obituary, trying vainly
| vainly to see when grain of truth comes in.
tell you ---
| O, bother, says Mrs. Harris, let me tell an
instance of something. so rare in sincerity
that the person deserves to be put among the
consultations for his courage in bucking the
conventionaities. He is a widower, so
satisfied with his release that no suspicion
of Grape mars even the appearance of his
contented bereavement. am reminded of
| witty mot of gentleman on seeing sweet