New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-01-17
FASHIONS IN FUNERALS.
THE PREVAILING TENDENCY TOWARD
GREATER SIMPLICITY.
PRIVACY NOW FREQUENTLY souGHT--A HAIR
DREssER's GREwsOME TAsK-PLAiN
COFFINs ~ FAVOR.

|
| CoFFINs ~ FAVOR.
| II produces a rather strange impression upon the
average mind to discover that not even funerals ars
exempt from the ever-chang.ng demands OF fashion,
Having been ruled more less by that authority
in every situation In life not unreasonable
for the poor mortal to expect TO have done with II
| before he dies Why should there he fashionable
| and questionable methods Of arranging and dis
posing OF a dead body Without doubt. the ma
joriiy OF Intelligent people II consulted regarding
their funerals would ask to be buried. or Gre
mated. as the might he. with the least possible
parade and show Such IDEAS however. have COM
| mory beel dIsregarded. and the bereaved relatives.
thinking that by doing they paying tho great
est honor to the dead. have prepared an elaborate
burial In accordance with the prevailing style OF the
day
Fortunately. since II seems imperative that the
style be followed. there is now marked tendency
toward simplicity In funeral arrangements. The
large public ass.mbliges to which not only every
who had ever remotely known the dead
person. but crowds OF strangers. came. at
ractod by a morbid curiosity. are practically
things OF the ,sst only In the OF some great
man whose public career has made him known 20
thousands of people Is the immense church funeral
still regarded necessary. A comparative few Of
the Intimate friends OF the family all that are
now generally expected to be sent at tho house.
\ sign that the idea OF quietness and simplicity IL
frequently carried stl further t. TO De- found IN the
words now often appended 10 a printed death
notice Funeral private" The same reform has
been carried out in the matter OF following the body
TO the cemetery few years ago a long procession
OF coaches In the o: the hearse the regular
and expected thng-he very sign and symbol OF
funeral Now Two carriages are more COM
mon than greater numbers. 1t II no longer consd-
cred in good taste 10 make. as IL were. literally .
parade OF ones grief.
A HAIRDREsSERs "REMINISCENCES.
Some peculiar and rather grewsome "reminiscences
told by woman hairdresser last week indicate .
decided improvement In one direction toward funeral
reform.
You don't know what relief It is 20 me-, she
said mot to have to go out any to dress the
hair OF corpses. II the most dreadful ordeal
ever experienced. and finally nervous over
II that had TO tell the proprletors here that they
would have TO send some one else thought. per-
haps. a younger girl might stand It better than
could But fortunately. she has not had to go
much. either. The custom Of making elaborate
arrangement OF the hair in honor of the funeral Is
fast dying out and IT is blessed thing that II IL
so. Why. inappropriate II sounds now. few
years ago people wanted the hair OF n dead woman
to be frzzed and cLred and pulled extent
usually much greater than she had ever worn II In
life The fussiest coiffures that We could possibly
have designed for ball no; bit too fanciful
for funeral. An experienced hairdresser had to
my apprenticeship at the work.
Il suppose 1t was partly the utter incongruity OF
such frivolity with the GOODNESS and solemnity OF
death which made the task horrible. II seemed
that shrank from 1t more each time. Then
1t very difficult. you can imagine. 10 keep
the corpse in such position that could manipu-
late the long hair The body always perfectly
rigid. IT lay upon the table or bed. The under
taker his assistants had to bend IT forcibly in
order TO raise the head so that could work, and
then support 1t in that position.
ABHORRENT ROUGH TREATMENT.
What added TO my dislike of the operation was
seeing how roughly most men handled the bodies.
They would pull and bend them about unfsel-
ngly as II they were wood, instead OF the remains
OF delicate human beings II seemed particularly
horrible TO have the corpses OF women treated In
that brutal way. and | often wished / could have
worked with woman undertaken. They would
naturally be more gentle, and II seems more ap-
propriate. The hairdresser's work is not called for
so much now. as told you. The hair is just parted
and smoothed away from the forehead. usually by
some member of the family and certainly think 1t
is fitting to have IT az plain possible
The suggestion regarding women as undertakers
Is not There are, In fact several in this city
and Brooklyn and they have been successful az the
business. Many people have the natural feeling
pressed by the hairdresser, that women should take
charge OF the bodies Of women. and II l. In this
line that the women underwriters have obtained
their patronage. Without doubt the idea IL des-
tined to spread and the only obstacle even now to
women feel Of dealing with death and the dead.
The representatives of one Of the largest coffin
Tribune reporter the other day about the styles OF
MS wares which were now most used
collins covered with plain black cloth are pre-
ferred on the whole" he said. ito any others. al
5mSngh GRAZ @ amd white cGIa are f
do make collins covered with cloths OF All colors-
dna but should regard them as being in queer
taste myself. People have all sorts OF ideas
recommend these fantastic styles. have TO make
them. in order that every one NAV be suited" AS
he spoke. he pointed out startling looking casket.
in brilliant purple plush. and told how II had been
admired i!sI by woman the day befors J..
signs" he continued ARE sold for the inland trade
York iHe and Bookn ayod hem as Tn e
resist the bright coors."
THE HANDsoMEsT COFFINs.
The handsomest collins in the place those OF
solid mahogany and quartercd oak. and the manu-
facturer said that these were much used.
4 umir UNI has been pressed into service here, a.
for many other things. but collins made OF It
are rather TOO SNOWY looking 10 please most poo
having no ' nsde IInins e ~ an idea Which,
has not we. gained much popularity here The in
to dust" take place as rapidly possible Instead
Of trying TO preserve the body for what Is at best
used in this country. but their original purpose has
been destroyed by fitting them with an alright
1t is Impossible to write anything at the present
time the subject or funerals without taking note
OF cremation "A process which is both ancient and
extremely modern and which is doubtless destined
in time to supersede entirely the burial OF the body
in the earth. Cremation has encountered host OF
preiudlces but appears to be gradually overcoming
Them as people discover that there may be just
much reverence and respect I'm burning the bodies
Of the dead as in putting them UNDERGROUND %
suffer slow decay. In the last year The number OF
ncineratons, TO use the proper term. at the Fresh
Pond Crematorv on Long Island. has Increased 20
per cent Considering that by this method the cof-
I'm and everything which has touched the body Is
also burned. the safety of cremation particularly
IN cases Of contagious disease. Is strong point In
rs favor Wherever possible. the burning OF the
lead in the epidemic now raging in india is made
compulsory as the only means OF preventing s;ill
wider spread OF the plague.