The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-03-29

Dearest Willie. thou hast left US.
We thy loss most deeply feel;
But It's God that hath bereft US,
He can all our SORROWS heal"
This stzrza, or some other equally bad,
follows the concise, though comprehen-
sive. notice OF the death OF the loved
one Ii is probably intended TO convey
10 the world a more adequate idea OF tho
family grief than is expressed In the
cold brevity OF the form preceding IT.
Its effect, far from that desired is 10
excite the ridicuie Of the careless reader
and 10 cause the deeper observer to won
der how any bereaved person can seek
10 express the greatest of human sor-
rows in such a shallow doggerel.
Nor is the present generation alone In
having to endure this ridiculous travesty.
An editorial comment upon this subject.
published in the "KnickerbOcker Maya
zine OF August. 1872. was recently
brought TO the notice Of the writer. II
made complaint against this self-ssDe
Dearest Willie elegy. showing that
nearly half a century ago II had begun
TO be considered a nuisance
IL obituary notices must be ornamented
with poetical illusions, why not select
something possessing at least the merit
of originality, and not insert mediocre
qustrain of doubtful parentage which
has been the laughing stock OF the pub
lie for decades? Possibly this ev! may
be confined TO certain classes OF human
lily, or may slip into print through the
onciousness OF some oyer-Zealous friend
whose Intentions are better than his
taste Whatever may be advanced In ex-
tenuation OF this evil. 1t still remains an
evil, blot on the escutcheon of our re-
spect, as people. for the dead.
The sorrows Of a family beFeaFed by
tho loss Of some dear one should be look
ed upon as sacred. The world. intent
upon its own affairs. cares nothing for
Sentimentaiity as IL glances up and down
the columns of its papers. 1t demands
that its daily information shall be as
clear-cut and TO the point as possible
Unnecessary phrasing must be eIimin-
ated. If morzlizing or soliloquizlng must
be done, the world Will read between the
lines and do its own thinking. II Dear
est Willie" dies, his death concerns the
world simply as piece OF news Of greater
or less personal interest. His relatives
must be endowed with an innate human
ity, consequently they feel keenly the
grief which naturally prevails under such
circumstances. The world knows this.
There j. no necessity for the obtrusioa OF
funereai sentiments upon those who are
already aware that some one Is shedding
Goals 10 Newcastle" the mourners. per
haps too sore at heart to think ration
ally about anything. believing that all
mankind must appreciate their interpre-
tation OF the idea OF the little verse send
II to the newspaper. on the morrow its
readers laugh.
Any public demonstration Of a personal
sentiment is an egregious erfor against
taste Though the idea may be set forth
in some chaste and beautiful line from
the Scriptures, and may be the very
essence of comfort to the sorrowing ones
IL assumes an air OF vulgar namhy-
psmbyism when 1t stands as the only bit
Of sentiment in a prosaic psner. News
paper notices should not be epitaphs. To
the directly Interested parties they mean
a world OF sadness and heartache: 10
the newspaper reader they are news. and
news only. on monument in some
beautiful city OF the Dead" WELL
chosen scriptural verse is in perfect har-
mony with its surroundings. When one
enters a cemetery he expects to see a
spot characterized by perfect peace. and
filled with the unspeakably beautiful
sentiment pervadiHg such a place
FRANK J. CRAIGIE. JR.
Richmond Va, March 9th. 1896.