Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1896-02-27
1AURMONT, Frederick County, Maryland Thursday February H. 1885,
OiD FASHIONS IN FUNERALS.


10o U0DxM0o0 VOm0 1ooxoo u NOW &o8s
land Families Half Century Ago.
"A ready made oofiln is thing I
never saw until I was a grown man."
said the reminiscent person, who Is
not 80 very old either. II was
brought up In a small village in Ver-
mont where broadoloth coffin with
silver trimmings would have Great
ed AZ much wonder and speculation
as q cable car. II such coffin had
strayed into the neighborhood. It
would doubtless have been placed
upright in some ones best room and
been used as a cabinet for choice
bits of china, it's funereal purpose
remaining undreamed of.
Each farmer saved from his out
ting Of timber q few of the finest
boards. Especial attention was CIV
en- to the seasoning and finish, and
they were then stored away until
the time when they should be need
ed. There was always rivalry among
the neighbors as to who had the fln-
est coffin boards in his loft. They
would no more think of using the
coffin boards for any other purpose
than they would of wearing the
clothes which had been put away in
the cedar chest for them to be laid
out In.
lowing to the uncertainty as to
the time when they might be called
for, nothing more could be done to-
ward making the oofins than to
have the boards ready. Men were
too thifty in those days to run any
risk Of making up a coffin and then
having it a misflt, and It was gener-
ally conceded that q mans last oon-
versation with tho minister should
not be accompanied by the unmis-
taxable sound of hammering from
the barn. So the coffin making had to
be left until all was over. When my
greatuncle died, ! remember, father
and my elder brothers staid up all
night making his coffin.
"Who did the laying outp Oh,
there was at least one woman in the
village who was first class at that
sort of thing-generally tailoress
or seamstress-andw was always on
hand. She took right hold and did
everything-made the shroud, gave
advice about the latest style in
mourning, saw the callers If she was
allowed to. Generally the family
took a mournful pleasure in per-
forming that duty themselves. This
self appointed undertaken never e1-
pected any remuneration for her
services, though she didn't object If
after next shearing you sent around
enough wool for a new dress, pro-
vided you were perfectly able to do
80.
"No, the shroud wasn't of home
spun linen. That was one time
when a man was allowed to wear
store clothes, though all his life he
had worn homespun linsey woolsey
shirts, homo woven natural gray
trousers and oowhide boots made by
the travelling oobbler. He was buried
In q white shroud Of the finest mus
lin which his means afforded and
the village store could furnish.
There was nothing brief about the
remarks of the minister. The serv-
ioe usually took q good two hours.
We always had regular sermon.
It gave the minister an opportunity
to expostulate with baoksliders
suoh as he never had in church, for
the most irreligious man In town
would turn out for q funeral.
"FlowersP Where should they
get themp Nobody had time to
bother over posy beds, and If they
did happen to have a few hollyhooks
and marigolds scattered in among
tho garden sass you couldn't get
them to pick them for love or mon.
ey. So flowers were unfashionable,
and there was no need of requesting
friends not to send them.
"Hearse? Well, not unless you
use so high sounding a name for q
box wagon with two board seats
across it for the bearers. The coffin
was placed on the bottom under
their feet. There was generally
some one in the neighborhood that
had such q wgon, and the neighbors
were free to borrow it. At other
times it was used for hauling bar
rels. New York Tribune.