Marshall County independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1894-1895, 1894-11-23
FOND OF FINE FUNERALS.
French People Make the Last Rites An DC
casion for Great Display.

French People Make the Last Rites Co
casion for Great Display.
The love of the French for display
In burial ceremonies has beeu pointed
out as characteristic Of the nation.
The people have a pathetic way Of
saying although it costs much to
live in Paris, it costs still more to
die" This is. in a measure, true,
and that it is so, says the baltimore
Sun, is due to the fact
that the Government has mon
OpOly OF the work OF buying
the dead, and has esta bllshed a scale
OF prices LY which the style OF funeral
is regulated, from that costing hun
iredS of dollars to the one which
opens the fOoSe commune common
gravel. AS a rule the French are
fond of fine funerals. For statesmen
Of he first rank the Overnment de-
crees a State funeral. which is an oc-
aSiun of great display and fire. Iuently
leads to political demonstration i. but
private funerals are also costly, and
many man who has lived with the
utmost meanne all his life is laid to
rest with princely pOmp. The door
o. his residence Is hung with black
curtains. emb oidered with silver;
his monogram, in silver, Is on ii the
mourning coaches which follow the
hearse; the drivers are dressed in
back, with knee breecheS, high
boots, three cOrnered hats and long
crepe streamerS on their arms; the
horses for the hearse are caparisoned
with sweeping draperieS of black and
Silver, and on the hedrSe itself are
plumeS and silver Lgures angels
and cherubs. Then. too, the custom
of sending out notices OF the death
and invitations to the funeral Is very
common, I'D sometimes those no.
tees are as elaborate and as eleg ..ntIy
engraved as the most expensive invi-
taLiOnS to ball.
In striking contrast with the de-
cOrous funerals of the rich are the
scenes when the body CT a very poor
person is to be laid in the grave.
The city is strict liz regard to them.
The body can only be kept twenty.
four hours from the time Of Death,
and it must be buried in collin
made of thin deal boards, implanted,
unvarnished and SO slight that IL IS
always wrapped up and ia tened
with ropes lest 1t should come TO
pieces. 1t is taken to the grave in
hearse which is hardly letter than ii
dray. At the tO>Se co.nmune tile
priest is allowed to inc ude six tuner.
in rt,i. ~
the necessity for the fOSSe commune,
it Is necessary 10 sd d wO d aDnut
French gFaveyards They are gov
erned entirely different from ours,
and their object seem TO be 10 d o d
graves to the millions VINO are dead.
without taking too much spa from
tn millions who live. In certain
parts of the cemetery graves may be
bought outright, though at enormous
prices, and remain forever In the pos
seS ion of a family. In other Sec
lions the graves are bought singly for
five years from the date OF burial.
and at the end of the specified time
the boxes are taken up and buried in
the fOSSe commune. The fOSSe COM
mune- the lowest grave of all--iS a
ditch twelve feet deep, twelve feet
wide, and as the size of the grave
yard permits. Here the COINS are
put side by side in two rows, the
heads meeting IN the center When
a certain number are in the ditch it
is closed and on another layer of earth
more collins are afterward laid.
When the ditch is filed to the sur
face another one alongside opened.
and SO until the available space is
used up. Then the first ditch is re.
opened and fresh collins are put in
place of the old ones, which have de-
cayed.