The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1900-02-07
ABOUT COSTLY FUNERALS
THE EEXTRAVAGANCE PEOPLE,
Bill Arp Talks About the Thousands
spent to Bury a Distinguishod Man
Cheaper Funerals Would Save
Money for tho Needy Survivors.

-Cheaper Funerals Would Say
Money for tho Needy Survivors.
solomon says: "A living dog Is be,
ter than dead lion" That may b. )
In worldly sense, but the dead liol
costs the most money. | as iust real
ing an itemiz ID statement OF now murl
1t cost TO bury Senator Morrill,. @
courne he was buried at the govern
ment expense, but it seems to mo h,
coulu nave oeen pat away for le,s
money The sum total iUots up So 4 II
me casket cost SlOO, cedar shippin.
case $50, embalmlug $50, carrlayes
SlOS, special train from Washippton /,
Springfield 1882, Springfield to Mont
peller SLY, fares foe attendants from
Troy TO Washington $347, Pullm.u
cars S30O. commissaries $78.
Inese are the largest Items Ther,
Is page full OF smaller ones. Tber
there is decoration Of the Senate cham.
Der 500 and Grape and gloves and re.
gala and howers $3.50, advertising pre-
gramme $ll3, music $40, etc. Bat thc
largest Item is $5 600, years salar,
after he died. This went to his son.
Inat Is the rule. Ii member dies
while In CMce his salary goes on for .
year. But Vermont was not SO very
lar away. u member from Calif0r.
MIA or Oregon dies the cost OF transpor.
tation for the remains and the escort
runs up into the thousands. All, nv
country ! Where the carcass is tn,
eagles Will be gathered together. Tha,
Is the reason | reckon why the csgleis
our national emblem for the treasury
is the carcass.
L was Illuminating about this grand
parade over the burial Of public men
tne expense OF it-tho glitter and ga.
lore and show OF it, for at the last it i,
u Junket, frolic that members of Con.
gress like and they scheme to get or
tho grand excursion. Booker Wash
ington says that the negro Is never
happier than when going to a funeral.
White folks set them the example, es-
peclally 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 sf
ford to die, for the funeral expenses
take all he has left and leaves the fam
lily penntless. Poor Tom Brumby had |
no wife or children, but for years had |
ooen supporting poor old mother and |
educating an orphan niece. He had |
when he died $500 in bank and it took |
that-the last dollar-to bury him. I |
Imagine that II he could have spoken in
his last moments he would have said +:
" Give it to mother. Oh give it to nv
mother. $400 casket will do me no
good" The very last letter that he
wrote her from Manila SAID: "If | do
not live TO get back there are 500 In
bank for YOU"
Wcll, maybe Congress will grant the
old aly a pension. Maybe so, but |
reckon she will die before she uets It,
and as for that prize money see that
the government is fighting it, and that
means It's non-payment. Dewey's vic
tory Is an old song now. | wonder if
they would bury him at public ex-
pense.
1t seems to me that the cost OF fu-
morals should be proportioned TO the
condition Of the family. AS :or me, |
feel like metal casket that would
keep out the water and the worms and
u plain marble tOmb bstOne would be
enough. No monument and but line
OF epitaph. Some grass and flowers
tha at my unclaimed spirit would like to
see when it hovers over the place
where its prison. house was buried.
.glected graves are sign of inhu.
manity. Costly ones a sign of vanity.
But monument to heroes or to great
and noble men are always proper Not
that they are OF any consc quence 10 the
dead, but they point a moral to the
the modest and gallant Brumby and
place it on the capitol grounds where
1T can be seen and where it will speak
In silence To the people as they pass
Lot the tribute be one Of love, honor
and admin alton from the OF and the
young. Our little grand child who was
his niece and loved him, will open her
little iron bank when it gets full and
send the So to the committee. Every
little school girl and boy should have
a dime or a Dickel in that monument,
for besides his courage and patriotism
he was loving and kind to mis- aged
mother. He deserves monument for
that.
Several times of late have READ the
talks of Carnegie and Rockefeller to
the young men in a Bible class and
their ideas about giving and helping
do not please me. OF course, every
body honOrs them for their large boun.
ties to colleges and libraries, but tney
say that charities to the poor DO no last
ing good and that 30 per cent. OF it is
wasted, but that rich men %hould help
poor young men who are struggling to
climb up In the world. My obs ervaton
is that those struggling young men will
get up anyhow just like Carnegie aud |
Rockefeller | had rather see a hun
area poor people renewed .Om distress |
than dozen young men helped on tie |
way to fortune and success. There is |
too much prejudice against the poor
Most OF them are women and children |
who are helpless and can't get start |
There Ia no work for them and ~ they |
have to beg or starve. The other day |
dropped quarter in the tin cup Of u |
poor old woman who was crouched on !
the sidewalk Of Marietta street. and |
her look OF thankfulness paid me. The
winter wind was blowing and the paw
ing stones were cold, but she sat there
and watched for charity. She was old
and pale and Ditilul and the skin stuck |
close to her b0ny hands. | crossed the |
street and stood and watched for many
m',"tes and never saw anybody else
put any money in her cup. She may
be a fraud-an imposter, but am sure
that she is not impoverishing the mil
lionaires or anybody else. My idea is
that a good Samaritan would stop and
inv ,stigate that wOman's copdit.on and
lift her up from the cold sidewalk and
zee her TO warm, comfortable home
and buy her pair OF blankets and
some coal and speak few kind words
and comfort the children il she ha
ANY. City people get hardened to suct
things and pass by and say why do, Q