The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1900-08-14
MARTI BURIED
AS A SOCIALIST.
1t Was the Request of His
Dying Hour.
CONDUCT SERVICES.

No Ministers and No Music But Speeches
Were Made BY Socialists Along
the Lines of Their
Faith.
The remains of the late Peter Marti
were quietly laid to rest at o'clock
Sunday evening in Westlawn ceme-
terry after one Of the most unusual
funerals that has ever been held in this
city. The idea Of turning the body over
to the medical college for dissection
was abandoned and q regular burial
given the corpse. The funeral services
were held at the home in East Third
street at o'clock. There was no
preaching, no music, none of the usual
proceedings that go with ceremonies
for the dead. Mr.. Marti was Socialist.
He was deeply imbued with the doc
trines of the brotherhood Of man as ex-
pounded by this organization, and his
request that his funeral should be made
the occasion for calling the attention
of the public to the problem of Social
ism.
The funeral was in charge of his
Socialist comrades. There was quite
a large attendance both Of Socialists
and Of the Swiss Greutli society, Of
which he was a member.
MI. John T. Juergens presided over
the exercises and opened with a paper
and talk in German along the lines Of
the wishes Of the departed concerning
the funeral and the doctrine Of Social
ism.
A SOCIALIST SERMON.
When he had closed DR.. w. H. Miller
spoke in English on his funeral. His
remarks in substance were as follows:
Bury me as a Socialist" this was
his request. Services to be held by
the comrades and the occasion to be
used for propaganda purposes" These
were the words of Peter Marti. In
| response to his request and to
represent the local comrades and say a
few words in the line Of our departed
comrades request, am here.
gladly accept and will, to the best of
time in this place, in such a way that
I may hope If he were still alive, he
would approve. While I feel that it
may be impossible for me to fill the
full measure Of his desires, I can only
say that though my words may be
| weak, I indulge in the hope that the
spirit with which they are uttered may
itself be felt and be productive of an
awakening to a thought in the minds Of
| the listeners, that they may put them
selves in such a condition that they
will seek the light and truth Of this
great subject, which he felt was of such
vast Importance to the welfare Of op-
! pressed humanity, the truth Of which,
| when 1t opens to the mind Of the hon.
| est man or woman finds a lodgment
that remains firm with life and dur
| ing life; a truth which will and
must be recognized and made the rule
Of conduct or human liberty is gone
and human progress stopped. To
| further this truth was what inspired
the requests BURY me as a Social
| ist."
Bury me as a Socialist" what does
1t mean? What could 1t have meant to
him? Such a request, made during
the first moments which succeeded the
fall that finally caused his death, had
deep purpose. Let us ask ourselves
what would be the nature of a request
made at moment when death was an
immediate probability. passed before
before his mind. We can by no means
conclude that 1t would be of a friyo-
| lous nature; it could only be of such
a nature that 1t was part Of the be-
ing; that it expressed the deepest emo
tions; that 1t contained his very soul:
that it was the thought that was first.
Other thoughts and purposes may have
been important but at the very door
of death this one took precedence. He
lives in our memories with his desire
that these services should be propa-
| ganda work; places upon us this duty
OF faithfully carrying out his request.
Permit me to say that socialism is the
expression Of the evolution of the hu-
man race. He called for a readjust-
ment of the system so that the products
of toll shall go to the toilers and that
those who are now living upon the
labor Of others shall be compelled to
go into the markets Of labor and work
as the rest. I'VE demand" said he,
that all shall do useful work. We
| neither shall they eat"
At the cemetery a few words of
farewell were said by DR.. Miller while
the body was being consiRned To the