The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1900-02-08
ABOUT COSTLY FUNERALS
THE EXTKAVAGANCE OF PEOPLE
Bill Arp Talks About the Thousands
Spent to Bury n Distinguished Man
Cheaper Funerals Would Save
Money for tho Needy Survivors.

Spent to Bury n Distinguished Man
Cheaper Funerals Would Savo
Money for tho Needy Survivors.
Solomon says: !: "a living dog is bet.
ter than dead lion." That may be so
in worldly sense, but the dead lion
costs the most money. | VAS just read
| ing an itemiz ID statement OF how much
| IT cost to bury Senator Morrill, or
course he was buried at the govern
mont expense, but it seems to me he
could have boen pat away for less
money. The sum total iOots up So 4l2
The caskct cost 800, cedar shipping
case 800, embalming $50, carriages
$l0S, special train from Washington to
Sprlngii field 1872, Springfield to Mont
| pellcr Sill, fares fOr attendants from
Troy to Washington $347, Pullman
cars $500, c0mmissuries $7S.
! These arc the largest Items. There
| is IL page full OF smaller ones. Thun
there is decoration OF the Senate cham
b3r SlOO and Grape and gloves and re.
| gala and flowers $3.50, advertising pro-
gramme $ll3, music $40, etc. But tho
largest Item Is So 900, years salary
after he died. This went to his son.
That is tho rule. Ii a member dies
while In ohlce his salary goes on for
year. But Vermont was not so worry
far away. II Il member from Califor-
MIA or Oregon dies the cost Of transport
tation for the remains and the escort
runs up into tho thousands. All, my
country Where the carcass Ia the
eagles will be gathered together That
is the reason reckon why the eagle is
our national cmblcm for the treasury
Is the carcass.
| was Illuminating about this grand
parade over tho burial OF public mon
| hn nf hN -
lore and show OF it, for at tho last 1t Is
junket, u frolic that members OF Con-
gross like and they scheme to get on
the grand excursion. Booker Wash
ington says that tho negro Is never
happier than when going to Il funeral.
! White folks set them the example, es-
pccially In the towns and cities. The
truth Is that common man who barely
supports his family and is struggling
| along to educate his children can't af.
ford to die, for tho funeral expenses
take all he has left and leaves tho fam
lily pennilcss. Poor Tom Brumby had
no wife or children, but for years had
been supporting d poor old mother and
educating an orphan niece. He had
when he died $700 in bank and 1t took
that-the last dollar--to bury him. l
imagine that IL he could have spoken in
his last moments he would havo said
"Give II to mother. Oh give it to m y
mother. il SOC caskot will do mo nc
good" The very last letter that he
wrote her from Manila SAID: "lf dc
not live TO got back there arc 800 ir
bank for you.'
Wcll, maybe Congress will grant the
old ally q pension. Maybe so, but
reckon she will die before she eets it
and as for that prize money | sec thai
the government is fighting It, and that
means its non-payment. Dewcy's vic
tory Is an Old song now. | wonder il
they would bury him at public cx-
l1enso.
1t seems to mo that tho cost OF fu-
nerals should be pr0portioncd to the
condition OF the family. AS for me,
feel like metal casket that would
keep out the water and the worms and
u plain marble tombstone would be
| enough. No monument and but Il line
Of cpitaph. Some grass and flowers
that my unclaimed spirit would like tt
500 when it hovers over the plac,
where It's prison house was buried
, | Neglected graves are u sign OF inhu
| manity. Costly ones sign OF vanity
, | But monuments to heroes or to grca
and noble men are always proper. No
+. that they are OF any consequence o tn
dead, but they point q moral to th
living. Let US build that monument t
: the modest and gallant Brumby an
place it on the capitol grounds wher
1T can be seen and where it will spcal
in silence to the people as they pas
Let the tribute be one Of lOvo, homo
and admiration from the old and tn
young. Our little grand child who wa
his niece and loved him, will open he
little iron bank when it gets full an
send the SIS to the committee. Ever
little school girl and boy should hav
dino or nickel In that monument
for besides his courage and patriotism
ho was loving and kind to bis aget
mother. Ho deserves monument fo
that.
Several times of late l have read the
talks Of Carnegie and Rockefeller tt
tho young men in u Bible class anC
their ideas about giving and helping
do not please me. or course, every
body hOnOrs them for their large boun
ties to colleges and libraries, but the,
say that charities to the poor do no last
ing good and that 80 per cent OF it |,
wasted, but that rich mon should hely
poor young mon who arc struggling tt
climb up In the world. My Observation
is that those struggling young men vii
get up anyhow just like Carnegie ant
Rockefeller. | had rather soc a hun
uIcu pUoi pCOplS fCllCVCu lcOm ulSJrCS
than dozen young men helped on tn
way to fortune and success. There /
too much prejudice against the poor
Most OF them are women and childrel
who are helpless and can't get start
There Is no work for them and so the,
have to beg or starvc. The other da,
| dropped quarter in the tin cup OF ;
| poor old woman VINO was crOuChed 0,
the sidewalk OF Marietta street, aut
, her look Of thankfulncss paid me. The
winter wind was blowing and tho paw
ing stones were cold, but she sat tie
, and watched for charity. She was GlC
, and pale and pitiful and tho skin stuck
close to her bony hands. | crossed the
street and stood and watched for many
minutes and never saw anybody else
put any money In her cup. She may
be frnud-an impostcr, but ain sure
that she 10 not impoverishing the mil
lionaires or anybody else: My idea II
that Il good Samaritan would stop ant
investigate that woman's condition ant
lift her up from the cold sidewalk ant
sec her TO warm, comfortable home
| and hnv her a nair pf hlo Of