The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-02-03

money in collins. You see. most rich
business ii is to keep down expenses
all the time, and the undertakers have
found to their sorrow that they are
just as strict when 1t comes to funeral
expenses as in anything else. They
want the best always but they won't
order anything that is extravagant or
unnecessary.
IT'S the people who are not so rich
that put money into collins" he con-
tinued II remember the costliest one
our firm ever turned out. 1t was for
a man in Brooklyn, and was supposed
to cost $1,000, but it didn't. Nothing
would do the family but that the plate
and handles should be of solid gold
The undertaken who had the order
told us to put on plated ones instead.
He managed TO spend about $1,000 on
the coffin. The rest, l suppose, went
into his pocket. There is one thing
certain-the family never knew the
difference. There are some undertake
ers in New York who are willing to
give people what they pay for, but
the most of them are not. An under-
taker seldom pays more than $3.50 for
a coffin, no matter how much money
the family Is willing to expend. AL
you that when you get beyond $3.50
you are throwing away money.
Experience has taught me that the
undertaking business is one line In
which you cannot Judge a customer at
all according to his appearance. Some
times the very worst looking persons
are the ones who spent the most
money. Several years ago an old Ger
man woman came into our establish-
oil nd
"a shawl over her head. When she
said that she wanted a coffin for her
husband I made uD my mind at once
that something very ordinary would
do, so / showed her one for $50. 'Nein,
nein,' she replied. shaking her head
Then | showed her another for $50,
one for $75 and one for 500. All the
time she was shaking her head. I was
beginning to think that our prices
were too high for her, when she caught
sight of something that took her eye
at once. II was a patent coffin that
j had been experimenting on for
year 1t was deliberately trimmed in
old gold plush. and other fancy colors
which ! had used to attract attention
to IT at different exhibitions where less
conspicuous collins were shown. | sup
pose the bright colors caught the old
woman's eve. She took such a great
liking to Il that | sold IL to her for
$500 before she left the building.
had another experience with ragged
woman who bought $500 coffin for
her husband When ] delivered II
found that she lived In basement
with water three inches deep in Il.
such persons are singular" con-
tinued the undertaken. but I'm my esti-
nation they are not TO be compared
with persons who go to the expense or
buying collins for dogs and pet anil
mails. You would be surprised to
know the number we have made for
dogs. The orders come mostly from
women. Not long ago my men worked
nearly all night on a coffin for a dog
that died in one OF the towns up the
Hudson river. II had to go out on an
early train the next morning. 1t was
made OF rosewood. box and all. and
the plate and handles were of silver. 1t
cost $50, which, I'll venture to say, was
a great deal more than the dog was
worth.
There is one idea have found prev
alent In all OF the big churches in New
York. The people who belong to them
seem to think that the funerals In their
families are for the sexton. and no
one else. This is especially true OF
the rich people. Nearly everybody who
belongs to the big churches employs
the sexton to bury the dead. II they
uit III the country the local undertaken
Is called In 10 do the embalming and
then the sexton of the chuch Is sent
for. He has the nice part of the work
ana draws the money. / know of one
woman here In New York who was so
firmly imbued with this idea that when
she called In an outside undertaken.
who happened 10 be a close friend OF
the family, TO bury her husband she
wrote TO the sexton a letter OF apology.
as II she had done something to NOR
tally offend him. and inclosed her check
for 5000 to compensate him for his loss
or profit on the funeral. This r. what
makes the job Of sexton Of big church
such a nice thing. II Is worth any
whore from $4,000 10 $4,000 a year, ac-
cording 10 the size OF the congrega-
ton or parish and the wealth Of the
people. Not infrequently the choice for
sexton falls to men who have never
earned large salaries and their sud
den rise 10 prosperity undOes them.
The list Of church sections Who have
gone to the bad Ia New York Is 4 long
one. Drinking seems tO be- their main
falling, although IA number have lost
their places by specializing aud play-
ing the races. ! knew of one church
in rim avenue that had three sextons
In aH many years. They were sober
aud industrious men when fhoy were
appointed. but they couldn't stand
prosperity"