Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1894-09-16
DUST UNTO DUST.
SOME PECULIAR BURIAL CUSTOMS or AZ
GENT TINES.
How the Savage Tribes in Barly Days Disposed Of
Their Dsad-Frum Cromlsch to Pyramid Gre
nation ihs Fayoriis Mods in Many Countries.

VIC COuultlOu Ot tuc CuatoOtot Va tuo
Inhabitants Of q country Is by the maa-
ner 10 which they dispose Of their dead.
Ii is interesting to note the various and
peculiar modes Of burial In different
lands aud among different nations. The
old story OF how the robins covered
with leaves the tiny bodies OF tho babes
10 the wood, whether founded on fact
or fiction. will be remembered by oil as
one o! the most touching burial scenes
on record.
Ii was the custom OF one OF the early
tribes OF North American Indians,
when q warrior died, TO place him with
bow and arrow in hand, erect upon his
favorite pony. They then led the pony
TO the banks OF a river and placed 10
facing the stream in the belief that the
dead rider could see the birch canoes
OF his brethren as they passed up and
down sleng the surface OF the water.
After this was done they covered both
living steed aud CHASTITY rider with .
huge mound Of earth. Thus We see
that there existed in the breasts OF even
the most bloodthirsty savages some
sentiment worthy Of the most civilized
races.
| III tuCitub NiNuN> Nuo iOWNos uua ulObt
barbaric types permitted the remains Of
tie dead to lie in the way OF the living.
yoA have in history o number OF In
| slanesA whore decorated portions OF the
anatomy-of~ NE deceased have been
preserved among Ms>prvivors, such as
| a gilded skull for the nsnter Hfeceua
pair OF thigh bones, highly colored and
hung Oh the wall. Even at the present
day we often hear OF the skeleton in
the closet" exposed to the public
gaze. The general tendency OF man
kind, however, Is to- bury the dead
from view, aud there are three CLASH
fcations. namely: simply closing
| the body In earth or stone. burning aud
entomblug the ashes, and embalming.
| The first class is the earliest on record
and the most generally referred TO in
| the Scriptures. Sarah wac buried by
Abraham in q ave In Canaan which
belonged TO Ephron and which. after
solemn negotiations, was secured Tor
the purpose,
In the prophecy OF Jeremiah against
Jehoiakim. where he says ale shall be
buried with the burial OF ana -, drawn
and cast forth beyond the gates Of Je-
rusalem," the fate OF being left unIn-
| TERED, either from disdain or neglect,
is powerfully told.
Embalming OF the body In antiseptio
and fragrant substances was q Common
form In early BIBLICAL times, aud Saul
and his sons were burned only because
their bodies were too for decayed 10 be
thus embalmed.
The Israelites no doubt learned the
art OF enbalming from the Egyptians,
among whom II was an art so greatly
cultivated and so extensively practlced
that the corpses were as unoffensive "a
any article OF wood or stone, and are
even now scattered over the civilized
world Ia museums, and may often be
| found as curiosities In private resi-
dences.
In the huge vaults Of the monastery
at Born the dead monks have been pre-
served In their costumes for years.
Among the Etruriabs IL was,the custom
to first bury tho dead. then disinter thu
bodies and burn them. after which thu
ashes were kept In urns OF baked clay.
On the ground supposed TO have been
| occupied by the besiegers OF Troy, YES
sells OF terra-cona, large as ordinary cof-
fms, were found full ofhuman bones
and ashes. So many small cineIafy urns
have been found In nearly ali portions Of
the world that II Is difficult TO tell TO
what period they belong. The burning Of
bodies and the preservation OF the ashes
came with the age OF bronze, and urns
were made OF this metal.
ln Egypt the pyramids were used for
the burial OF distinguished dead. and
the Irish tumulus Of New Grange forms
the connecting link between the simple
barrow on the moor so frequently found
in Northern Europe and the towering
pyramids OF the Egyptians.
II was the practice centuries ago.
amongst somo nations, TO bury bodies
In tombs which were themselves ancient
when their CHASTITY tenants were re-
ceived. Many magnificent sepulchrss
were also constructed for the purpose
OF holding the remains Of the departed.
Some OF tho grandest buildings In The
world have been used as tombs, such IS
the Pyramids. castle Of ~. Angelo,
tomb of Napoleon, OF Carcilia MetiIls,
aud the Mausoluem-which IL one OK
the seven wonders OF the world-be-
sides many beautiful tsm piles scattered
over Hindostan and other eastern conn-
tries.
Thus the respect for the dead has
preserved 10 the world many triumphs
Of architectural skill and genius, and the
habit Of some ancients OF burying with
their dead the things OF which they
were fondest IN life, has spared many
curious relics OF the past
T. k.taa fka faunrtlQ alauQn AMI
horses were sacrificed 81 the holocaust
OF the departed chiefs, and ib The linda
sut,l the wives left the world with
their dead husbands. The early wan
derlng tribes along tho river Volga
were accustomed TO offer human sacri.
fees 10 their funeral ceremonies. which
were as grotesqus as they were weird.
The origin OF purials Ia churchyards
grew out OF the following practice: In
Christian countries IL was customary,
after ~dedicating a church 20 . certain
saint. to bury In the choir near the
altar. the remains OF such saint. 10
then s%traightuay became . prevalent
desire 10 be buried near these remains.
and the bodies Of persons eminent 10 the
church we're usually eniombed In the
sacred edlAce and gradually the popu-
lace came to be buried In the church
yard.
The palaollthic ave dwsllers Of sn-
Gent France and Belgium buried their
dead In natural grOttos aud crevicss In
rocks. AT Rome 10 The fret four cens/
turtles Of the Christian era the ChristlaQ
dead were buried Ia the Catscombl
The early Norsemen used occasional