Wichita eagle., 1886-11-24
9ai1yR eagle
A SOLID FUNERAL.
be UP WITH SOME REGARD TO
tu6YMMETRY OF CONSTRUCTION.

Several Important Points to Observe in
the Arrangement of the Procession.
Differences in the Funerals of Various
Nationalities-The American.
That's what I call solid funeral" OBJ
served Grand street funeral director, as he
stood at his window one afternoon and
watched passing procession with the eye Of
connoisseur
May ask what you mean by solid
1uneralF" inquired a reporter who stood
ckseat hand
~ he funeral director smiled with the whole
I s6died and expansive smile peculiar to funeral
directors. II suppose you never noticed any
especial difference in funerals" he said.
well, that's the way with most people. 1t
is remarkable how much people in general
= don't know about such things. Not one man
| in thousand has the remotest idea how
funeral should be put together, beyond the
necessity of corpse, a hearse to carry it, and
some carriages to follow the hearse That's
actually all the vast majority of people think
Is required for a first-class funeral. Why,
sometimes l think persons don't care about
being buried at ALL
Probably some wouldn't if the matter were
left entirely to their discretion. But you
haven't told me what a solid funeral
M sn
ELL, a solid funerals mighty good kind
OF funeral to have. In the first place you
must understand that funeral can be made
up with as much artistic skill as fine piece
of architecture, or it can be thrown together
as carelessly as crazy quilt. solid funeral
is one that is made up with some regard to
symmetry of construction, like the one that
CT la,.a n i ,1..-l
in the fine points, but that was funeral any
man might be proud to have"
SYMMETRY OF CONSTRUCTION.
First came the hearse, then the double
carriages, then the few single vehicles; the
best and most elaborate conveyances at the |
head and the smaller ones in the rear, exactly |
on the same principle that skillful mason, |
building pyramid, puts the largest blocks |
at base and tapers of in gradual and reg |
ula Payers to the smallest. That's one i'm |
port2ht fact. Then if you had known any |
thing about well regulated funerals you would |
have noticed that all the vehicles in that flu |
neral were the same distance apart. That's |
another important point. Only funeral /
director who knows his business thinks of |
those little things. They are just as much a |
part of his duties nowadays as preparing the |
/body and furnishing the coffin Every car |
riage has to be assigned to its place in the line
by number beforehand, and the drivers all |
have to be instructed to keep the same dis
q lance between the carriages. That prevents |
the procession from having Struggling dis
connected look When there are bands or
delegations from societies or secret orders,
must, of course, be properly located in
tn line, generally preceding the hearse.
"This attention &c details is what gives a
funeral the air of artistic symmetry and solid
ity, without which funeral is truly mourn
full spectacle. Some funerals, with plenty of
material for a creditable turn out l have
seen absolutely ruined by lack of proper
direction. For really stylish funeral there
should be at least dozen double carriages,
and eight or ten single carriages, as many
more of each kind as can be had the better,
esl.scially double carriages. Some directors
now insist that all shall be double but most
of us haven't got quite so particular as that
yet A funeral of the kind | describe, prop
erly constructed, wouldn't look out of place
in Fifth avenue or Murray hill. No mourn
~ however fashionable, need be ashamed
DIFFERENCES IN FUNERALS.
"And, speaking about the differences in
funerals, let me tell you q good deal depends
on the nationality of the deceased. There's
as much character in funerals as there is in
faces A German funeral usually has a ten
dency to be solid. 1t is compact and slow
going An Irish funeral is Just the reverse
1t moves briskly, almost jauntily, compared
with the German procession. Its surround
ing atmosphere is one of hope rather than of
morbid depression. The same spirit which
makes the best of mourning at a wake is
noticeable in the Irish funeral Then, too,
rish funerals are not marked by solidity
kae vehicles are generally tossed in, rs it
haphazard, first come first served; and
will frequently be of every known style
j make, from the most elegant landau TO
Tie ramshackle express wagons, with occa-
sionally a man on horseback here and there
in the line.
"This. of course, doesn't apply to funerals
under the auspices of the Catholic church or
the various Ribernian societies. Irish funer- I
ais of that class are always carefully, even
conducted. SO also are high
grade German funerals, in which the best
bands are often to be found The Germans
are particularly fond of the somber music of
the dead marches on such occasions, while
Irishrnen care more for banners and insignia
ench funerals are ordinarily small, and the
snonies areNperformed with as much
Is as decency will permit. Italians have
Ninore patience for the details of death =
:, the French. Their funerals, in this
!, ,Intry at least, are usually insignificant and
{
aThe typical American funeral: The ,
American funeral is the hardest of all to
classify. Sometimes it is one thing, some
lines another. The solid funeral which
.assed here few moments ago was an Amer
am funeral. OF late years the American
funeral has been growing more and more
numerical and artistic. The advance in
Methods and change in customs have done
much to improve the American funeral, and
will eventually result in well regulated funer-
Is for all classes. I
1 aWhat are the advance in methods and
49, in customs TO which you refer.'
70 advanced methods of handling the
a, and the change from the old-fashioned
Som of having one or more of the imme-
10 relatives supervise the arrangements,
- .etimes even so far as preparing the body
Vi buying the coffin. Now all that is left TO
s.e funeral director; in fact, everything con-
ected with .he funeral, from furnishing the
offin to furnishing the carriages, and from
|ressing the deceased to ordering the grave
York Mail and Express.
"
A~Setv 10