The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1885-08-01

Mr.. James Brown, the head of the
great banking house of Brown Broth
ers & Co., said to me when he was
more than eighty years of age:
81 am thinking of writing an article
for your paper"
AS l was not aware that he was in
the habit of writing for the press, his
remark gave me equal surprise and
pleasure, and replied:
II hope you will carry out your
good intentions without delay" He
continued:
81 want to write against the great
extravaganza of funerals in the city.
1t is bad example set by the rich, and
burden upon the poor"
Mr. Brown did not carry out his
good intention, but his funeral was an
example of simplicity in perfect har-
mony with the views and feelings he
had often expressed. Some of the
most wealthy citizens have given direc-
tons that their funerals should not be
marked by any needless expense. And
meanness, they have directed that the
sum which should have been spent on
their funeral should be given to charit-
able objects. One rich man on the oc-
cason of funeral in his family, avoid
ing all extravaganza, sent hundred
dollars to each clergyman who was
present in the church. whether officiat-
ing or not, and in this way he distrib-
uted at least thousand dollars.
When one is in great sorrow, the
feelings rather than the judgment are
apt to control the action. 1t is CRATE
full to the heart in grief to expend care
and thought and treasure upon the
object that has been removed. And
sometimes it seems as though the
mourners thought the depth and sin
cerity of their sorrow would be esti-
mated by the amount of money they ex-
pended upon the burial. This is a sad
mistake, for the heart that is truly sor
rowful on occount of the death of 6
dear friend, does not eXpend itself II
such tribes as the ornaments of Jun
eral.
In the country the beautiful custom
of going to the grave with the friends
and assisting in the last rites prevails
and ought never to be given up. 1t i
a tribute of affection and respect, ;
token of good neighborhood that tend
to make ''the whole world kim" 1t j
a touching and mournfully pleasin!
sight when long procession, carriage
of all sorts, follows the remains of on
well known, and respectfully gather
about the grave as the dust returns t
its native dust. Some of the earlies
recollections of my life are of lon
funerals making their slow journey t
the rural churchyard. But in the cit
funerals are so many and the distanc
to cemeteries is so great that it is no.
in most cases more convenient to hav
the funeral services public and tn
burial private. This is far more
harmony with the feelings of the b,
reaved, and it may be said that it is til
common practice now.
Funerals on Sunday are by no NEAR
so frequent as they formerly were.
once was the practice of some to haste
funeral by day or two, or delay
as long for the sake of having it c
Sunday. This saves day for bushes
But it entails an amount of labor tn
should not be done on the Lords da
1t imposes heavy burden on mini
tiers, some of whom very properly d
cline to officiate at them on that di
unless it is a work of necessity.
The tendency to have funerals
soon after the death as is decent is I
the increase. There are good reaso
for delay rather than haste. 1t is n
human, it is unnatural to be in hur
about putting our dead out of sigf
But do not think mistakes are ma
and persons buried in state of tran
and supposed to be dead. Now a
then notice is made in the newspapt
of persons being buried in this sta
and a narrowing tale is told OF
dreadful discovery. We have been
the habit of investigating each one
these reports, and IN eUery case tn
have been found to be false. In sol