Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-08-03
THE DEAD.
Ways Of Perpetuating the Memory of tn,
Departed.


Ways OF Perpetuatfng the Memory of the
Departed.
"Oh yes. I'll always keep our dead
mothers plate at her place at the table"
said the daughter of q rich East Penn
sylvania faEmer I'VE will also keep her
knife, fork. spoon, cup and saucer and
her napkin. don't know why we do 1t.
ohiy that IL is the custom hereabouts
among the large land owners. Whenever
any grown person dies in the family. es-
mother, her plate at the table Is never
% takeh away; save once q month. when
ii lis Is washed No one eyer sits at that
one uses anything belonging to mother
We hold the PLACE sacred.
DOWN at the farm OF one OF our neigh
DORIS they never remove the plato of their
OLDEST daughter who died twenty years
a ago "a al IN ne table articles she used to
occupied her narrow bed in her room
Her things are just like she left them,
Tier dresses are faded and moth eaten
and considerable had 70 be taken away.
out good many OF her things are still
There is not SO much regard shown for
h me boys rs. But when the head of the
Is never occupied. No one would dare to
lake take that seat AT one large farm they
KEPT KEPT ms picture in frame on his chair
frame split from some unknown cause.
To TG this n day the, have an Idea that the
Ike to see 1t there. Next they looked
for the Plate Plate to be knocked OF the table.
It for granted that the farmer thinks
that's al right. Over on another farm.
ago. his room is closed forever. and kept
5 SIstnS as he lief, t. with his gun. boots.
TSeY still cali s"E oh nSs r o the and W
SO continue until the farm passes into
new =. ", hands. Not long ago the sale of
or wanted to stipulate in the deed that
certain roorm, was not to be. occupied
H Know h %n d asta aat the ss ss .
band died eleven, years ago. She pays for
him and no one else ever occupies that
seat. Where a child over seven years Of
sh Sss time tine p ony sssPs the Sss Os
the son or daughter dies. aged twenty
moved. 1 know one place where three
grown daughters died within year OF
aHysr The h, patss IN are
Quently kept near them. Their parents
and brothers and sisters have long since
no more sad: bat everything ia merry
and happy. and they frequently chat with
press asrd SDss asi bar II they
av ,rh m,,s.y years ears ago an cid farmer died
grown children. two sons and 1--WE daugh-
tiers, all unmarried and living Mt home.
There Is rule In the family, and II has
been so ever since the old gentleman. died.
that once week each child shall spend
a half hour In the old mans big rocking
MIN. pray for him. ask his advice us tc
farm management. They believe that he
wants II TO be thoroughly understood that
he Is stil the master of the big farm.
| guess he is too, for the children are
running the place on the cooperative
plan ana they arc getting along all right.
apparently.
1t is u common thing for daughters
to take turn about in reading from their
dead mothers prayer book. This is about
The only thing belonging to dead mother
that may be handled by the children. 4
frame for photograph OF the dead ono
out of the material from which her shroud
Is made. l saw n. very, pretty frame
made OF pearl and purple silk, some OF
which had been used for the gown OF n
young girl who died. They say that with
the photograph of the dead the rcmem-
brance Is more vivid. Probably IL is.
White and black material is not so much
used as heretofore for shrouds among
the farmers OF this region. The layer-out
OF the dead buys more shroud material
some for picture frames. That is, IL tho
people haven't got their own shrouds
made up long before they died.
People have TO be very careful OF the
plates. cups and saucers of the dead. 1t
Is considered very bad luck II any piece
Is broken"
his own history and family relations
n 80 lNn1 In