Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1885-09-24
ABOuT FUNERALS.
Customs In Ancient and Modern
Times-HOnOring Great Men.

custom to do honor to the illustrious
dead, and the sentiment of Immortality
has been encouraged by pyramid and
pillar, by monumental bronze, by church
and by tower. The monuments Of the
old world what are they in most in
stances but monuments to the dead? In
Jerusalem, at Cairo. at Westminster, by
the banks Of the Hoogley and by the
banks Of the Ganges, what Is it that
most interests the traveIer2 It is the
tombs Of the illustrious dead-the tombs
Of prophets and Of kings, Of mighty
warriors and of sainted men.
Public funerals were common among
the ancient Greeks, and many Of the cer-
emonies which are still observed among
us have come down from the earliest
times. A public funeral was considered
a great honor. In the days Of Augustus
Caesar they became more common than
formerly. On the day of the funeral,
when the people were assembled, the
dead body was carried out, feet fore
most, on couch covered with rich
cloth, with gold and purple, and borne
on the shoulders of the nearest relatives
of the deceased julius Cesar was
borne by the magistrates; Augustus was
borne by the senators; Germanicus was
borne by the tribunes and centurions.
In the earlier times, both among the
Greeks and Romans, the custom was to
bury at night. Hence the prominence
Of the funeral torch in classical liter
ature. Later funerals were celebratedin
the afternoon, but the torches were used
all the same. Then, as now, the pro-
cession was headed BY bands Of music.
1t was customary, also, to bear. before
the corpse the images of the deceased
and Of his ancestors, and if the deceased
had distinguished himself in war there
was display of the crowns or other
trophies he had won. At the funeral of
Sylla, it is said, two thousand crowns
were thus exhibited. The Grafton also
is Of very ancient date. In Rome the
custom was to bear the body to the
forum, where the procession halted, and
where the Grafton was delivered. During
the oration the body was laid before the
rostra. The body Of julius Cesar was
placed in a gilt pavilion, like a small
temple; the robe in which he was slain
was suspended on pole, and on NOV
able machine was an image of the body
nation was common among the Romans
of the republic. It gradually died out
under the empire, and with the growth
of Christianity interment became popu-
lar, the graveyard becoming an accom-
paniment Of the church.
Some very singular practices connected
with funerals, public and private, at one
time common, are now no longer wit
messed. In some parts of England it was
customary, not so long ago, to carry, as it
was said, "the dead with the sum- to the
grave. AWest Hartlepool clergyman was
struck one day with what be considered
an extraordinary movement made by a
funeral party When the procession had
reached the gate the entire party turned
back and marched around the church
yard wall, thus traversing its west. north,
and east boundaries. One inquiring the
reason one of the mourners quickly re-
piled: "Why We wad nae hae them carry
the dead again the sum- The dead men
age 60 VII the sum- A strong preju-
dice at one time existed against the north
eide Of the church" At one time, too,
IL 1ntion was paid to the position
of tn It must be due east and
west.
In his domestic Folk Lore" Mr..
Thistleton Dyer mentions pretty Gus
tom which at one time prevailed in some
parts of rural England. At the funeral
Of young unmarried girl or Of bride
who had died during her honeymoon, a
chaplet of flowers was carried before the
corpse by young girl, and afterward
hung up in the church over the accus-
toned seat Of the deceased.
In earliest times the church was very
hard on offenders against her laws
There was generally part Of the church
yard left unconsecrated for the special
benefit Of communicated persons. i
was considered unlucky to meet fun
eral, and there are many people in rura
districts to-day who would walk good
mile out Of the way to avoid such al
event. One popular belief was that th'
ghost of the person last buried KEEP
watch over the churchyard til the mex
funeral These old superstitions art
RAPIDLY becornino things of the past.