New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-11-17

with him and as the visitors drew near this GUS
toner took a small coffin from the hands OF the
proprietor and tucked under his arm and made MS
way TO the street . .
"a baby is dead in Of these houses NEAR II
whispered
What is the price of a coffin like this?' inquired
the pioneer OF the party. when duplicate OF the
size the boy had purchased was shown
Fifty cents"
"And how much do you get for grown person
cofin?"
1.-TWO dollars, 81 30"
The collins had no lining. There were pine shaV-
ings in the bottom OF some and they had not even
been planed or smoothed off with any care.
How pathetic for these exiled Jews to be so
| moor that they must bury their dead in THIS
| fashion, commented visitor, sympathetcdiy'
Not so; not So" said the carpenter lhey might
Inv better but they believe that it Is right to nave
| the coffin plain and to have poor iuhe'"" '"'
| man l know is rich, but when his wiie was ue''
| he got her plain coffin like that in the corner
'Then they do not have fine funerals III 'hlS
quarter as they do I'm many sections even among
the very poor? asked one of the girls with interest
mo The bodies often carried away 10 'ne
cemetery just in common cart. IL the emu -
small the father sometimes puts the little DoN Oh
his shoulder and trudges off with 1t. lhey 10"
make anything of funerals down here
And the visitors withdrew. mentally eohtrds'ns
| the solemn dignity of the undertakers shops IN
other sections OF the city with their varnish anu
| ornaments, their satin and silk ana emoro'ueiy >
and this queer collection Of grewsSme VAR art
died together indscrimnatey win eoNhi"o" a. "
cies Of Industrial and domestic use.
"A funeral from Avenue near Secona-s,, ari
a funeral from this section on me hAS' '''e '"'''
Inquiry reveals that the customs OF ortho Sa
back to the traditions OF the Tamud Every ortho.
dx Jew desires to be buried IN eppssnm for the
express purpose Of breathing their last III .nae
bailowed city. The belief is that In the resurrec1io
bodie vii
estine Those not fortunate enough 10 De Jui ~
there il is asserted. will roll through series vi
caves which will be opened under land ana sea
to the destined spot. Some transators substitute
Comm Sns ~oy would be serious interference either
process, the Jews are buried as primitiVeV as pos
This. Of course is a superstion-one Of the many
enshrouding this peculiar custom, when oates
back so many centuries. 1t is known that previous
TO the time Of Gamaliel funerals were conducted
with pomp and luxury so much so tnat ,rs ~
simnlicitv with regard TO their conduct Other
authorities affirm that it Is In compliance W,en '.e
ashes' that the custom of laying the dead directly
upon the earth's surface obtain ..u ,oor,s
rough and unplaned forming the two sides e the
top and the back This form of coffin had no moor
was placed on the ground. ,,., ,o.. ..,or ho
And these shrouds Every Jewish boy WIEN h,s ne ne
read out OF the sacred scroll, and repeat the Com
mandmens goes through an Win tbe ritz
of confirmation practsed In the Cath4e ann anu -
cOpal churches. This ceremony nHhi w a
| robe which eventually will be his burial shroud.
Twice year in future he will don that garment me.
| over and the Day OF Atonement. Previous TO that
| ceremony when he confirmed in the talth OF
| his fathers he was in reality not Jew, thus &C,
counting the scant attention paid TO the burial
| OF an infant any child under the age or thir-
teen. . Al, =,
In the ghetto of New-York the Jews adhere rig
idly TO all these customs. For certain number OF
DAYS after a death they do not wash themselves
| nor vet clean house DO any OF their accustomed
tasks The idea OF sitting in sack cloth and ashes
arriaJ "A
PRAYERS for the dead regularly read. not only
on the prescribed days after the afiiction but on
each recurring anniversary afterward.
| great many Jews who emigrate to this coun-
try bring their burial robes with them. These are
| simply made OF linen II linen can be afforded; II
not OF plain cotton cloth. These ancient customs
| are ignored by the reformed Jews because they
| hold that many of the Mosaic laws, ana those
which emanated from them, were devised to suit
the exigencies OF the times and existing environ
ments; but the orthodox Jew sticks to his old be-
lefs Especially is this the case with those in the
humber walks OF life. who have had lite oppor-
tunty for mental advancement