The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-05-10
Greek Funerals are Not
so Very Funereal.
Parades and Brass Bands
Figure in Them.
Women as Risks for Insurance.
The First American Railroad.


ing 10 Greece and the GTecians is OF inter
est, even their funeral customs, which are
far less funerel than in moro northern
climes. The typical Greek funeral of the
poorer sort is led by six or eight men,
bearing between them an opcn cotiin In
which the face of the corpse is fully visible
10 passers by. III the bearers are in the
Greek national costume--red caps, white
kits, knife plated, and log white stock
inrs with embroidered gaiters-thoy GER
tainiy look rather gay for inourners If
a hearse is used, it is not "a black affair
with heavy plumes, but as gay with gi!u'
inr anC red and white paint as circus
wagon and so arranged that the race OF
tine corpse is visible. II the family OF the
dead man are rich enough To afford 1t.
brass band accompanies the process
SION. besides the group of Greek priests
walking beside the collin. There is always
A crowd OF onlookers. Public notice OF
deaths and funerals Ii always given IN the
towns by printed cards, posted on the
church doors, lamp posts ana dead walls.
In Athens the funeral Of an eminent
man is always made tie excuso FOR some
thing like public festival On such oc-
,asions the state hearse is brought out
drawn by four white horses lhis hearso
is a high affair, made In close imitation
of Coripthan temple. The claborately
carved columns are gay with gliding, ana
the roof is OF white and gold. On every
possible pretoxt there Il military parade
In honor OF the distinguished departed, ana
tito brass band Is never omitted. When
the late Austrian minister, Baron koszck,
was buried there was parade of several
regiments of Greek Infantry, Let OF
marines from the Greek navy. Austrian
sailors and attaches music was furnished
by Greek and Austrian military bands,
the former winding up rhe day by playing
popular airs in the Pace Go In Constltu-
iion. To an audience OF several thousand.
Fully half the population OF the city was
rathercd in dense masses along the wide
Academy avenue. and saw the parade, in
which the gay frontier troops In their Al
bantam dress were the most conspicuous
feature and next 90 them were the beau
tiful floral designs borne upon long poles
by men IN European dress. The King was
present ia plain carriage driven by a
coachrnan in silver and blue uniform, but
he attracted little attention. Athenians
can see the king almost any day.
Insurance men have always claimed
that women between certain ages are not
as safe risks as men. Now comes DIR.
Clara Bliss Finley, who says that the in
surance men are in error and she proceeds
20 support her statement 10y facts and
figures.
DIR. Finley is the daughter OF DIR. Bliss,
one of the surgeons in charge Of the ease
of President Garfield. DIR. Finley says
more male than female children are born
aud more men than women die between
the ages of l5 and 10. Ono physicians
fifty years experience showed "A total of
3239 boys and 3lS5 girls born. In Eng
land and Wales the women live about one
year longer than men. In London two
or three years arc in favor of the women.
In the census OF 1870 the percentage Of
deaths per thousand was: Male, %, 81;
female. 20 %. Our own census i'm 1870
shows deaths between the ages OF 10 and
.h. men, ~ j75; women. 90, 100. Oi cur
immigrants between the same ages, men,
l,2l0 5Ss}; women, ga, 100 Mere men
than women die of nervous disorders
and diseases. DR. Finley admits that
the books OF insurance companies show
that more insured women than men die.
She reported interviews with IL managers
OF large insurance companies who when
asked IL they regarded women rs safe
risks as men replied: Eyes, If women
had as rigid medical examinations. DIR.
Finley, therefore comes To the conclusion
thar women in general are made TO lay
tie Tonalty for the results of lax examl-
nations.
Dr. ~ F. Shrady thinks that II people
would labor without worry and with
moderation there w, uld be no need of
y
emphasizes walking as natural exercise.
au1 says men ana women use up their
energies In training thoir muscles when
they have crippled heart, stomach or
liver. Muscles are merely a case for the
vital organs ana also carriers TO serve
them. In his Interview no does not re
mark upon the fact that tho arm and
chest exercise. even severe work fer dav
or two, as In moving from one house 10
another. Or doing some amateur Carpcn-
try work, will olten tone up a doDilitatcl
digestive system for days or weeks as
proved by the experience of some whose
occupation Is with book and pen or other
Wise scdcntury.
Gridiev Bryant n civil engineer. in
1885,, projected the first railroad in tic
Duited States. IL was bult for the pur.
pose OF carrying granite from the quarrics
II Quincy % the nearest tide water. It's
length was four milos inciudng branches
anu its first cost was sjl 40. The sio.D.
c.s we're Of stone and were laid acrvss
she track eight feet BDuTi. Upon rails of
wood SIX inches thick, wrought iron
plates three incnos vice and quarter
Ci an inch thick were erise1 Nt f-o
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