El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-01-18

At the request of the friends; hymn,
prayer, scripture lesson and brief
remarks. If the service is in private
life it should not exceed thirty minutes.
There should be the utmost consider.
ton of the time of the undertaken and
those who serve, as we'll IS sympathy
for the Borrowing. In many instances
it is an outrage to the undertaken,
pall-bearers and hack drivers for q
minister to preach an hour and q half
when the thermometer is 120 degrees
in the shade or twenty degrees below
zero. 1fssthe service Is under the di-
rect1on of some benevolent order and
the men are exposed, it is much worse.
Fourth, the question I now con-
of interest to ali, namely, the Sunday
funeral. The question has received
the attention OF undertakers' associa-
tions. cemetery associations and
ministerial associations, and in many
places there seems but little chance
for q change. Sometimes q Sunday
funer~l fs q necessity, and if so, there
should be no objection offered. But I
now have reference to the cases where
funeral This is very often done, no
doubt for the convenience of the
laboring man or for the benefit of the
order to which the deceased belonged;
and that which is intended as an ex-
preston of deep sympathy becomes
the direct opposite. The mania for a
large funeral is the cause of much
Sabbath Dissertation. If it were held
in the evening after working hours
then there would be real test of true
devotion. In many cases there has
been manifest disrespect to the dead
in holding them, at increased and long
ontinued pain to the friends ia order
to make display without having to
sacrifice our time.
Fifth, there Is a custom of which [
now desire to speak that 1 think must
and it is with some hesitancy that I
speak of 1t, as it is in direct opposition
to public custom. 1t is that of ex-
hibiting the remains in public and at
the close of the religious service.
That long line of more or less listless
observers with tramp, tramp in front
OF the mourners, is surely q time of
most painful suspense to the bereaved:
and then for the immediate friends to
ing their grief to the gaze of the
curious multitude is the most agoniz-
ing part of oil. Let it be
emphasized that real grief never
advertises itself. That last
look at the loved ones face belongs to
the quiet. sacred hour and ought not
to be a public scene. A better way is
to give due notice to friends wishing to
see the remains to come at a certain
hour before the funeral. Then in the
privacy of thehome let the relatives
be alone with their dead as long as
desirable. But under no circumstan ces
should this be considered q part of the
religious services, as among the vail
ing Jews, and in many cases with US.
The funeral rites are always sad
enough without additional aggravatIon
by . bsrbarous custom. 1t is also Of
fensive TO good taste for the family to
be gathered about the casket in the
home during the service. Let the fam
away from the gaze of all curious. By
previous arrangement between the
friends and undertakes and with the
minister In charge everything may be
done deoently aud In order.
"Sixth, desire to speak a word con-
corning the burial of the poor. Very
often there are poor people not belong
ing to any church who feel q delieacy
about asking the services of minister
on account of additional expense. It
ia mot my purpose to criticize any
charge for funeral services. I think
there should be conscientious scruples
on the part of the ministry about
charging or'receivfIg presents for the
burial of the dead.
THE poor should not only have the
gospel preached to them, but should be
made tO.feel that they may have a right
to the service of the minister to bury
their dead without being placed under
obligation to compensate him, whether
they be in the church or out of it.
Every man that has borne the imaee
of the Creator is entitled to Christian
burial 1t may be proper for the min
lister to be remembered If he has been
to any expense. AS to the rich who
are not members of any church and
who do not contribute to it's support, l
am not so sure that they have any
more claim on the PASTORS time AMI
service, free of charge, than they have
on the physician or undertaken.
"Seventh, 1 have referred to the
various parts of the service, but I de-
sire to say few words about the
music. In private funerals the music
is not a necessity, yet is always copsol-
ing. The preferences of the family
should be consulted or the request of