Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-01-05

tween the Customs of Villagers and Lon-
 doners-The American Funeral Car
 riage" Not Popular.
 From gay to grave, let us turn from the
 London wedding to the London funeral. If l the former is full of most quaint and | curious customs, the latter is grewsome with | pomp and circumstance. Woe is shown fin
 somher trappings indeed. The queen has set
 the example. Her aff1ctions have been full | sore and many. Her grief has been reveled Ill most ecstatically. To those who believe
 Ill the grand words, "I am the resurrection
 ana the life, there seems a most superstitious
 fetlch worship in the custom of making pill
 grimages to the tomb where rest only the
 ashes of the loved one
 Of course, the wearing of black is entirely
 matter of taste and temperament. It is
 unknown among many religious sects. But
 It IS out of the pale of religion, and under
 guidance alone of individual preference
 Naturally there are those who are so sad dened by death that the bright sun and bright colors are alike painful to their vision
 To such the chastened character of black garments alone accord with their feel fngs. Who shall say, then, that this is not perfectly natural-nay, even poetic7 But the extra wide bands of black on letter paper this seems needless thrusting of grief on other peoples sympathies.
 In the rural districts there are numerous pretty customs relative to funerals The window of the room in which the death oc- cured Is always opened immediately the breath leaves the body to permit the spirit to take flight. After this the inside blinds are closely shut. Also the house door Is left aiar on the day of the funeral until after the re. turn of the mourners. Because they say.
 hn IpN,. h corpse To leave it open is to show willing ness to welcome the return of the disembodied spirit" In the counties of Somerset and Hampshire the usual shroud of the simple Village folk Is q white cotton wadding sheet. wrapped about the ordinary underclothtne. The coffin is borne on the shoulders of family friends to the cemetery, the other mourners following afoot
 THE HIRED MUTE MOURNERS
 In London all is reversed. Only men go to the cemetery, and these the intimate family islehos' women never go, and retire to g9e1r chambers for the day to weep silently Ihele Is service at the cemetery chapel. and sometimes a second one at the grave itself Only when the deceased has been n great public man Is there service at the church he attended in life, or in some noted church, as St. Pauls, Westminster abbey or the like, which is called Ia mourning func- tlon." Again there are memorial services every year for noted people,
 Crape never figures on door handles or bells. The blinds are down, the door knocker mufhed, and very often straw is laid down in tue street. to deaden the sound of traffic It IS also an unWritten law for the immediate ne1ghbors to draw down their blinds Thus we know that the 'King of Terrors' holds grim court within the house with muffled l knocker
 1hose who observe olden rites employ | 'mutes" to stand one each side the street door | to weep. These ''mutes" are furnished with | long crape streamers on their hats, and they weep" for so much the hour.
 Truth compels the fact that these tears are otten the result of copious potations of gin rom pocket fasks. They seem like pen and ink sketches, every one droll exceedingly. Ihls, by the bye, is a Nineteenth century survival Of custom of the early Romans Another Roman custom, that of funeral baked meats,' Is still adhered to. Poor in- deed the London family who have no funeral banquet provided for the mourners.
 It IS regarded as barbarous or tAmerican. dont you know," to keep the body less than Q week or ten days. Tue humid atmosphere helps this "fad" somewhat Little Ice is used and often none at all. Of course. tn the case of contagious disease the law steps in, con- pelllng Immediate burial No one can be buried lacking burial certificate from the parish physician. Thus tho law aids the in a way. Lacking the medical an inquest is imperative.
 HEARSE HORSES MUST BE BLACK
 Floral displays are even more extrayasant than 1n America. White flowers, colored ones and everlasting" ones, these are heaped up Ill wholesale manner. The "everlastiup" ones come from Africa, and are sorts of dried white pinks, sometimes called ''wraith flow CTS, They are graceful if ghost like blos- 'oms They are symbols of hope, and ara strangely enough, as ominous of good Then there gre Dresden china floral used on graves; also composition ones
 The funeral hearse, called "a car," is open at the sides, without glass Or 1t is boxed in quite dark. The American funeral carriage" IS the one with glass sides, but they are hot popular. The hearse Is ornamented with auge waving plumes of coal black. The horses are jet black and have tails sweeping % the ground Their names ere long and .ui! They walk solemnly and are specially rainec- They have to be broken to their work, as they have originally tendencies to oreak over the traces from excess of animal pirits
 This allusion will be understood obviously. The drivers sit up high, with a pail of black 'elvet thrown over their perch like seats. The horses heads have decorations of huge black ostrich plumes. An English funeral crawling solemnly along is an impressive, if grotesque, spectacle. Most passers y uncover the head, as on the continent. It 5 mute reverence to the ''dunb monarch" Ill passers by are hushed and reverent. , Funeral cards of invitation are sent to rlends. Mourners also wear funeral me norial rings. Funeral etiquette here is abored and strict. Undertakers say they eldom have bad funeral debts.-Annte Wake nan in San Francisco Chronicle.