Iron County register., 1899-11-23
A CREDIT TO BE DEAD
High Plane of the Funeral Directors
Art ms Pracficed i'm sam
Francisco,

The senior partner had been absent
| several days from the establishment
| where you can be embalmed at any
hour of the day or night. There had
been a convention of some sort which
had attracted funeral directors from
all over this land to compare notes.
The convention had been a good thing
for the senior partner. 1t had fresh
enes him up to meet the leading lights
OF the profession, and he had returned
refreshed and ready to do his part to-
ward the elevation of his art.
This is not exactly sociable place."
he said, shortly after his temperance
in the familiar scenes. Somehow, peo-
pie don't naturally incline to drop IN
here for a chat. In fact, I've known
some to be a little squeamish about
using our telephone. They seemed
what you might call solemn. 1t ought
to be different, and it can be made
so. Just look at San Francisco. Why,
from what I hear it's positive luxury
to be dead out there. Anything would
be better than living in that climate,
you say? Well, I don't know. 1 never
was there. All know is what heard
at our late national convention from
the San Francisco directors who were
delegates. 1t seems that the profession
out there has come to occupy the most
sympathetic relation to the family. We
must elevate the profession here to the
same high plane.
''The first thing to do is to foster
refined public sentiment against both
domestic funerals and church obse-
quies. The one is as bad as the other.
In the house there is never enough
room. In the church there are never
enough mourners and sympathizing
friends for the room. No, don't think
such elevation of the art would ever
work in Brooklyn. You see Brooklyn
rallies around the church and the
home I've watched friends who have
moved over here. They begin in fiat
all right enough and if they would
stick to that there would be some hope
for them. They'd move back again in
time. But they get nibbling at the
plan that makes you buy two-family
house where the rent of the top story
pays the interest on the mortgage. You
ought to become a millionaire at that
by owning enough of the two-family
houses and letting them work while
you slSep. But what's the advantage
of being a Brooklyn millionaire unless
you live in your own home and have
a stepping block with your initials on
it? So the next thing you buy house
out in Flatbush or Flatlands or some
other similarly appropriate place.
That's your finish. You put in the
rest of your life scrambling along on
mortgage and when you die you go to
Greenwood. No, indeed; Brooklyn is
no place for the elevation of the grave.
Il have hopes of New York. Really,
there is no reason why it should not
have the same high class of professional
work as San Francisco, and / am sure
it will before very much longer.
assure you it was really inspiring to
hear the reports at our convention as
to the practice of the art in San Fran
cisco. Nobody ever thinks of having
a funeral in his own parlors, and the
churches are used only for state OBJ
sequies. Out there every director has
as the principal feature of his estab-
lishment mortuary chapel, stationary
peWs, pipe organ, stained glass win
dows. permanent catafalque and
plumed baldachin. Polite attention
and gentlemanly ushers. Clergymen
of all denominations to conduct the
services and every facility afforded for
the conduct of the ritual Of the order.
Friends requested to leave the matter
of floral tributes to the good taste of
the director. Interment private at the
convenience of the family. There YOU
have the whole story as it is in San
Francisco. If it were only done on
that system here in New York it would
not only be a credit to be dead but it
would also be positive pleasure to
officiate at such function" IN. Y.
Sun