Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1885-05-30


sunday in Anthem Memorial Church,
othe minister's visit may be welcomed,
bat the chief thought IL given in many
a household at such times to the milliner
and the dressmaker. Too often funeral
customs are in reality the parade Of
grief. and not It's expression. There Is
room for improvement in many Of our
forms Of grief. The sashes which the
old Knickerbocker custom dictated
tyrannously in the past are still by many
desired on these sad occasions, and the
clergy are asked to deck themselves
conspicuously with a symbol whose
meaning no memory Of man can now in
terpret. dislike the show Of this Gus
tom, and / object to any symbol which
has become q mere conventional sign,
signifying nothing. OF far greater i'm
portance are the still prevailing excuses
In mourning dress. It is very question
able to me whether 1t is right at all to
garb our children from head to foot in
the deepest black. Highly nervous
children are sensitive beyond our reali-
cation to colors, TO the quality Of the
material, and to the associations In
VOWED in mourning dress. Some
proper marks OF grief may naturally be
placed on our children, but parents
should study watchfully the effects Of
The prevalent excessive customing Of lit
BE ones in black upon their health. As
30 the use of black by women, ! have
been some instances of sensitive natures
persisting in shadowing themselves In
gloom, injuring their health, affecting
heir spirits, and wronging their house.
hold unconsciously, lest they omit mis-
called duty to the dead. Let rs not
wrong the dead by thinking to honor
hem in that which Injuries ourselves or
bur households.
Following the body to the grave-in
nilder and more equable climates how
beautiful the custom, but how irrecon-
biIable with the conditions OF our life
pere to-day. During any portion Of the
rear the custom is attended with newt
bile risk. Through our winters the
lays are exceptional when the ground
dry enough and the air mild enough
allow of such usage without peril.
When a storm RACES the observation Of
bis custom is n wrong. Again and
gain l have concluded a service feeling
5 though could scarcely stand, and
then, after such service, draining ones
ympathies in heated, crowded house,
here follows a long drive to the suburb
b cemetery and standing with uncov-
red head round the grave in inclement
heather, the service is rendered at an
Imminent risk of ones future work on
arth. The minister who loves his peo-
10 cannot protest. He must submit.
be Church is to-day without the SER
Ice of men who could be Ill spared, be-
use Of mistaken notions Of duty we
We The dead.
physicians should unite to protest
gainst holding funeral service when
cath ensues from infectious disease.
he air is death-laden, and to enter the
ome Is to invite sickness and death.
My ignorance or thoughtlessness can
an excuse for inficting so cruel
rong on the friends Of the dead. I
hall never again oficiate at such SER
ces.
Another custom which IL wrongly
pnceived to be a duty toward the dead
that Of interment as we now practice
The custom is to me unspeakably
voting. The old Greeks, when they
lried at all, placed their dead truly in
e bosom Of the earth-mother, draped
flowing robes, flowers sprinkled above
cir breasts, nothing around them to In
rfere with the chemical processes which
Ature sets Immediately at work when
bath ensues, ia order 10 return earth 10
nth, ashes 20 ashes, dust TO dust. We
py the form, but we add every pos
Bile hindrance to the natural process
dissolution. We place our dead Ia
70 or three cases. W., enclose the
ooden casket In q metallic box, and
al il tight Is possible. We cannot
event the inevitable dissolution, bat
caI and do prevent natures purify
3 ill., process. We can and do delay
is process. We can and do turn what
puld be an innoouous process into one
Aught with danger 10 the living. The
I'D are a standing menace No sani-
" science in our homes can save us
pm perpetual danger while the homes
the dead violate the laws Of nature.
ON our graves gases are liberated to
ison the air. Fountainheads Of water
tainted. Germs Of disease are
med up to the surface Of the earth
n every change made by the cems-
y superintendent. hope TO see the
reduction Of cremation. For, seek
to use my lie in some real and
NEST work for my fellows, it would be
PREF n ma Al think that ~, vn~eas,,s