The Opelousas courier., 1900-12-01

4A 0AV @ w q OACI ~ q
simple and sufficient way of
~ starting q cemetery They
shoot O man. In the efete
East they dc the thing differently.
There land Is bought and improved by
q company Of capitalists and perma-
nent residents are lured to the spot
by much the same method used in
disposing of suburban building sites.
The modern cemetery is ar excellent
real estate Investment, a benefit to the
railroads, and profitable to the general
public, living or dead. Many bus
mess men, recognizing it as a good
thing, push it along; yet it is an
amusing fact that most of the capital
lists interested in the cemetery bus
mess still cling to time-honored tradi-
ton enough to feel themselves a trife
embarrassed by their situation.
"My reason took me into the bus
iness," said a well-known business
man to a New York Sun reporter,
shut 7 can't to save my life help feel
ing ashamed of it, A cemetery is such
queer property"
Sentiment isn't commonly supposed
to be the strong point of the average
American, but when it comes to fu-
nerals, sentiment has interfered might
lily with the famous American business
spirit. The burying business in Eng
land and on the Continent of Europe
is q commercial enterprise, in the
hands of various corporations and SUBJ
iect to the usual laws Of trade and
competition. The Burial Company,
Limited, under one name or the an.
other, fourishes, prospers ANA cheer
fully advertisers in all conspicuous
places. One can have a funeral of
any grade at bottom prices, and no
one seems to consider 1t his duty to. a
dead friend to pay for his funeral five
times what it is worth. For once
American sentiment has stood in the
way of common sense and public con-
venience, but q change is making it,
self felt.
The railroads have revolutionized
cemeteries. In old days, when even
the ordinary roads were often i'm
passable, it was necessary to locate
the graveyards under the very shadow.
of the churches. With improved
roads and vehicles came cemeteries
separated from the churches, but still
SO near the towns that the growth of
the town would necessarily wipe out
the cemetery. Year by year ceme-
teries moved farther away from city
limits, but never far enough. New
York has at least a dozen burying
grounds that when located were sup
posed to be beyond all chance of in
reference by the city's growth, but
are now ingulfed by it. Even the
more modern cemeteries, that were
considered absurdly far from town,
are being elbowed and jostled. and
roads are cut through them by I'M
sentimental officials.
AS long as the old-time funeral sys-
tenn was adhered to it was necessary
to have the cemetery within driving
distance. Hence the complications.
Now, improved facilities for trans
p~ortation have made it possible to dis
pense with the dreary line of car
riages, and consequently to locate
cemeteries beyond all chance Of mo-
lestation. The ACCESSIBILITY of locating
cemeteries far from any possible city
| line has been recognized all through
the country, and almost every large
city has already made provision for
such a city of the dead, or is planning
it. Funeral cars are in readiness at
the city rail way stations, and railway
companies make every arrangement
for the convenience of funeral parties.
A railroad man who is interested in
the new cemetery and burial move
ment throughout the country talked
about it to a Sun reporter the other
day.
ssIt was an experience with an un-
| dertaker shark that first called my at
| tention to the cemetery business" he
said. "I was an executor for q
wealthy man who died. The wife
died a few days later. The two were
buried together, and the family ar.
ranged the funeral after the usual
fashion. A few days later the bill TO,
funeral expenses vas sent to me-
| S14OO-for the double funeral. I PAID
| it. OF course; but + did q lot of think.
ing about it, and began inquiring in.
to the subject. The more I inquired
the more disguised with the system ]
was. I found that other business
men felt as I did about it, and thai
there was a movement abroad to fur
nish something better. I went in fol
| it. found it q fair business proposition
and a public service.
.tIt is only a question of a few years
until the revolution will be complete
You know how it was in the old days
Al man died. His widow and imme
date family were too much overcome
by grief to haggle over funeral ar
rangements. Some one went to tn
nearest undertaken and put the thing
into his hands. He would attend t.
everything, certainly, and he did,
Everything was correctly done. A
the proper hour the undertaken turned
M with q long face and the required
number of camp stools; managed tn
services, provided the carriages
Everything was according to rules lai'
down by custom, and the undertake
charged what he pleased. The bill
was paid. It's a mean mai tina
snuabbles over a bill for funeral ex
penses. The whole programme wa
immeasurably dreary, and forthe maj
with little money the bill added greatl
to the horrors.
ssTo.dav things are better done