The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-08-09
FUNERAL FESTIVITIES.
Custom of Making Kerry Over Death
of Ancient ORIGIN.

New York Mail and Express: On
Tuesday of this week curious event
occurred in Hoboken, when the hide
pendent Frauen-V erin (WOmen's uni0n)
gave a celebration in honor of Mrs.
Eliza beth LivermOre, a member who
had died two months ago. In her will
she set aside a small sum, which she
directed to be spent after her death
by the members of the Women's union
for q festival in honor of her memory.
This was done On Tuesday by he 80
members of the club who made merry
as well as they could lnder the cir
cumstances.
This would be an extraordinary ger
Torrance if il were the first Of its
kind, but celebrations Of this class &C.
cur quite frequently N the United
States, and much more frequently in
Europe At one time it would seem a s
if the practice of making merry at
these events was quite general in
Christendom. 1t has been followed as
a custom in the Irish wake from time
immemorial in that country and in
every land to which The Irish have
gone in large mum bers. In the SOS
NeroutsOs Bey discovered beneath the
deep mounds of debris in Alexandria,
Egypt some ancient Christian GAIA
combs. They had not bsen used since
the second century of The Christian
era, and were apparently il the same
condition as when they had been last
employed by some funeral party prior
to the breaking down of the building
which stood either alongside CT over
the entrance to the sub.erranean
chambers The great hall reached
from the entrance to the cells prepared
for the dead.
On either side of the hall were great
banoueting rooms. They were fcored,
walled and rooted in stone. A stone
bench ran around the wall of the room.
handsomely carved and very cOmfor-
table shelves and tables furnished the
place neatly and attractively, and
everywhere were the dishes which
the friends of the departed. Those in
one room were clean, While in the
other little pieces of bone, fishbone,
the seeds of fruit and unacceptable
organic matter showed that a feast
had been held prior 10 the destruction
or closing the place. The dishes were
neat and well made and varied in size,
shape and purpose.
The learned scholar said that the
banquet had consisted of at least one
soup, several stews, two or three kinds
of fish one or two rcasts, one or two
yegeta bles. several (uits, including
dates, figs, pomegranates, plums,
grapes and apricots or peaches and
several varieties of African and Pales-
tine wine. On the wall were queer
drawings of the Savior and his disci-
pies. but without the halo, which was
brought into Christian art later From
the large number of cells and bones,
and from the styles and excellence of
the construction, it was obvious that
this burial place was one intended for
the better classes and bore the same
relation to society in those days that
Greenwood does to the Greater New
York today
In the south of France. where there
is much Gaelic blood, there is cere-
mony similar to the wake.
IN Germany there are sitting up
parties, who are literally supplied with
food and drink. while in Russia many
of the Slavonic communities, if not
employ the cemeteries as pic
mic grounds.