Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1894-04-19
ENTRANAGANT FI'NER AIS,
Imperative NeeNi of Steps Looking to
Il Reform.

Very many efforts have been made
IN this country and in Europe to hriag
about some reform in the management
of funerals. but thus far With most UNI
satisfactory results.
As matters now stand many tami-
! lies, upon the death OF one of the
members. are by custom called upon to
sacrifices that are ont Of all reason
Take for example the household Of u
man working for moderate salary,
The death of the head Of the family
not only deprivcS the household of its
! means of support but involves II in eN.
penseS that there seems no reasonable
prospect Of paying. The most cNtrSlva-
CANT and oStenntiouS mourning and
equipments are demanded, and Incl,
dental expenses OF all sorts pile up an
aggregate which, to perSol avcus-
| toned to graphing with the serious
! problems of life. would be appalling;
but the wife and mother habituated to
| dependence upon another and pros
| trated by the shock. in her grief re-
| signs the charge OF the last rites into
the hands OF that usually indifferent
individual, called an undertaken. or
course, it goes without saying that 1t
Is his business TO make as good a
showing for himself as he can. and as
| q natural consequence Il good-Si2ed bill
Is to pay Perhaps there are relatives
Of the deceased who help the matter
along, and any number of friends who
have such high respect for the dear
departed that they must have n seat
in carriage and some share in the
| final proceedings, all of which adds to
the cost and increases the burden of
| debt that must be frequently paid by
the most fearful sacrifices,
! 1t may he said that such great cost
| is not necessary and that many things
are done that are by no means need
tul While this is true in Il certain
sense, it must not be forgotten that
public opinion, that most unyieldinE
of all tyrantS, has something to say
on this subject Any reluctance to pro
vide all Of the requirements of the oc-
casion is used with telling effect on the
wife. who would herself rather die and
be comfortably buried than to face
the charge of stinginess or unwilling
ness to give her departed husband Il
decent burial, the word decent III
such eases usually including plenty of
carriages for the acquaintarces and
the most ostentatious and eXtlavagant
mourning attire for herself and her
children.
Many woman has almost starved
herself, and many child has gone
without the necessaries Of life, because
1t would never do to have the neigh
borS say that there was any reluctance
in giving all she had to the memory
of her dead husband The old heather
fashion of sacrificing the widow on
the funeral pyre has its counterpart In
the sacrifice that the modern widow
often makes, in order to emphasize her
devotion to her liege lord. and well
would 1t be II the criticism stopped
here.
A number Of years ago there lived
in western town n family of well
to-do people. whose domestic life was
by no means ideal. The man, who was
a hard drinker, finally came to his
death in what his physician decided ia
be fit Of debauchery. The wife, who
had for years been made wletched by
his incorporate and disgusting habits,
and who, 1t was we'll known, remained
with him only on account of the chill
dren. refused to put on mourning for
him. In less than twenty-four hours
after his burial, relatives of the dead
man started the rumor that his wife
had more to do with his taking-or
than the doctors were willing to admit
For weeks this poor woman was the
object of the most outrageous perse-
cution, and it was only when dis
intcrmcnt and pOst-mortem was held
that public clamor was satisfied. That
she. after having half n dozen years Of
her life made on unceasing struggle
with shame and humility, had not
made great parade Of sorrow was
something that the community seemed
unwilling to overlook.
She argued, and with every show Of
| JTuIn tldL Slle tOul't not D' Shlli1 VI
the hypocrisy of wearing widows
mourning for a man who had know
ingly intelligently and pcrsistently
violated every law Of deccncy and
humanity, who had turned her days
into wretchedness and her nights into
terror, had beaten her children, one Of
them into semi-idiocy and another into
J Il l,, ,.hrnpin
invaldism, and that too, In the very
face and eyes OF a disguised com.
munity.
For many reasons there is the most
imperative need of some steps toward
a radical reform in the methods OF
conducting the services attending the
burial OF the dead.-New York Ledger