The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1903-11-04
FEAR OF DEATH DIMINISHING.
Undertakers' Customers Less Afraid Than
Formerly.

| Undertakers' Customers Less Afraid Than
Formerly.
That people stand less in awe of
death than they did few years ago
is the belief of several New York ul-
dertakers. They say that nowadays
| twice as many persons make prepara.
tions for their own burial as a genera.
ton ago. In accounting for this, one
Suneral director said:
"It is my opinion that the displace'
| ment of the gruesome wooden coffin
by the modern burial casket. which is
| not offensive 10 the eye, has done much
| to rob death and interment of their
horrors. Some people when they are
sick and are fearful that they will
never regain their health sometimes
call in an undertaken. or his or her
friends do it for the i'll one, and make
all arrangements for the funeral, Sc
iecting the casket and designating
what kind Of q hearse is preferred.
1t is the same with some persons i'll
advancing years. A well-to-do man
! living in this neighborhood went
abroad last Year, aud before going pro
vided for any contingency that might
arise while he was on the voyage. He
is still abroad, and, peculiar as it may
seem, a few weeks ago l received o
letter from him, dated at Amsterdam,
telling me that he was still alive. OF
course he did not say it in those words,
| but. while he wrote me about some
| trivial affair, could see plainly that II
was simply pretense under which ne
informed me that he had not died yet.
When he shall die lie is to be taken
to his native town, and there buried
| in q sDecified cemetery, and everything
| will be done in strict compliance with
his desires as he expressed them to me-
"NIen who are going into hospitals
to have serious operations performed
frequently make arrangements Win
us for their funeral and burial, should
the operation terminate fatally. Such
men seem to approach the subject with
entire calmness. But it is different
with the man who is in perfect health.
seemingly, at least, but who wants to
make arrangements for the burial OF
his body after death, whenever that
shall occur, because he has no rela'
tiyes or near friends who he is certain
| will look after all that is left OF II
or because he fears he might not have
the money at the end that he has at
that time. One day middle-aged
man came into my office and ap'
preached the subject with manifest
embarras ssment I understood what he
WAS driving at, and pulled from my
drawer a score or more of contracts
such as he wanted to make, and ne,
seeing that he was not the hrst 10
think of such q thing although prob
ably he thought he was when the SUD-
iect first entered his mind seemed re-
assured. and we proceeded with the
business in a business-like manner.
Some of these contracts l nave
made for a certain number OF years.
the amount of money sufficient to
cover the expenses and the payment
for NV services being deposited. And
it has happened that when that Pc
riod has expired the other party to the
contract has decided that he isn't gong
to die or that he needs the money, ana
he takes the prepayment and goes on
his way rejoicing. 1t is the same way
with those who go into hospitals 10
have operations performed. OF course.
If they don't die the contract is null
and void. and the patients. regaimng
their health. seem to forget it entirely
rs they so on their busy way through
life."-New York Times.