The Afro-American advance., 1900-03-17
NEW ORLEANS FUNERALS
Factt"aaI FIaht for the Malnte-
nance OF Customs New
and Old

A fierce war, impossible anywhere
else in the country. is waging in New
orleans over what are known as death
posters, the odd little bills Ia be found
tackled ON every lamp-post or telegraph
| Poie anu every vacant board In the city
announcing the death Of MIR. So-aud- so,
GIVING his birthplace, etc, the hour of
his funeral aud inviting friends aud a.-
quaiutaneeS to participate in the cere-
monies The war has been brought
about by the proposition of member
OF the city council 10 prohibit the post
ing OF funeral notices in public places
ON the ground that it produces most
unfaNorable impressions ON strangers
aud visitor. he proposition is resist
ed as tins custom is of the greatest an
tiquitS,Z GonserN atism Is very #stroug
here the disposition of people is 10 do
as their fathers and graudtathers did;
and there Is very general resentment
at the constantly repeated demand that
old customs and habits should be ahan-
doHed here lest they might offend or he
misunderstood by stranger. Such rad
ieal changes, they declare, have been
made in the last ten years. so many
cherished privileges surrendered, that
New Orleans will soon lose all its pecu-
liarities and drop down To the dead level
OF the average western or southern
town. The duel has been abandoned In
Difference to this new sentiment, the
throwing OF -four and confetti on the
carnival prohibited, sunday law en-
forced on the least SUNDAY observing
community In the world, and hundred
other changes insisted on 10 make New
Orleans, with its large Latin povula-
ton, it's cosmopolitan idea and It's an
cient traditions conform to the habits
aud ideas of other American cities. The
war over death posters. therefore, il a
clear fight between the supporters Of
the old regime and the innoVaturs or
iconoclasts, who insist that New Orr
leans must be made a modern city and
drop It's old habits and customs.
Funerals are matter of far mnrs
moment in New Orleans than In any
other American city. They are larger.
more impressive and more expensive,
or old, brass bands AZ funerals plan lug
funeral marches were almost universal.
hut that was complained of by people
living on the streets lending Ia the eetr
eteries, who said that Sunday, the usual
day for funerals In New Orleans, wbS
made hideous by constant Succession
Of funeral parades, Playing the deed
march from "Saul," and other luguhrt-
Gus tunes. As for the expense, II has
become at times so heavy as To swallow
UP most Of the estate Of poor peop p
and the Catholic clergy have more than
once intcTfered and urged that, IN the
interest Of the widow and the orphans
the funeral be less elaborate and expt'.
sive.
Among the creolcs the practice p, =
wallis of wearing mourning for even Dis
tant relatives, and there is funeral eti
, quette which determines Just how hong
first and second mourning shall he fni
uncies nunts. cousins. etc, Strangers
are always struck by the lnrRe num|tel
Of creole women In mourning. and e,fr
this il objected to by the advocates al
new customs on the ground that il pro
duces an unfavornble impression Civ
ing rise Ia the idea that New Orleans
II very uuhcalthful, aud that II suffer,
from large number ut deaths. whereas
In consequence of the intermarriape oi
creole families single death mHt
plunge several hundred persons ia
mourning, Hut the respect which New
Orleans feels for the dead is best shown
on All Saints day, which ranks next "a
Mnrdi Graa as the city's great hn,Idby,
The entire population visits the eere-
ieries 10 decorate the pruvcs with haw-
ers and other emblemt. and spends The
day there IN communion with the deed,
Few customs have yielded less to IN.
uotatlons than these in regard ia
funerals. hence proposition 10 make II
misdemeRnor 10 invite persons "a
funerals by sticking up posters has
raised storm Of protest, and the whole
battle between the old regime and the
new will be fought over. When first iu-
trod uced, some weeks ago. the ordi-
nance was tabled In the council, Al
strong was the sentiment against II,
but II has come up again this week. re-
enforced in strength. Strange Ia sBi
the uudertAksrs are generally against
II. They say that Il adds considerably
10 the expense Of funerals to post thete
death notices oil over the city. More
over II il no longer necessary. az all
deaths and notices df funeral ARE pub
liyhed iu the papers. AZ II iR, the death
posters are not taken down and remain
tackled on the posts aud boards perhaps
for months until the weather removes
them. The consequence is that "a lurge
number accumulate. and give The I'm.
preston ~ much sickness and q very
sravy mortality. II ia a. though pro-
pie would see Grape hung on every other
door
The death poster has been somcw bat
modified ~ laie years. Originally u Waa
~ the usual mourning p8per pattern.
With some funeral scene ou ~. perhaps
a hrarte. tomb wlfh weeping willows
over Z, Of something else ~ a character
90 suggest death. The old posters were
20 varied as 20 b. interesting. and Ne
high ne E8o hss hfen paid for n oollrc-
tion ~ them. L8tteriy these posters
and moriuors mottoes and poetry have
gone nut - fnshl9n ard they merely
give the formal noiice ~ death and
! funeral and az initiation 90 friends,
families ard socif'ieE to attend the
/ fnnefai x Y sun.
Hts EHpertsses with sosnd.
| The man xifh the piece ~ plaster