Perth Amboy evening news., 1903-09-02
FEAR OF DEATH DIMINISHING.
Twice as Many Persons Nowadays
Make Preparations for Their own
Deaths as Formerly.

That people stand less in awe of
death than they did a few years ago is
the belief of several New York under
takers. They say that nowadays twice
rs many persons make preparations for
their own burial as a generation ago.
In accounting for this II funeral di-
rector said:
1T is my opinion that the displace-
ment of the gruesome wooden coffin by
the modern burial casket, which is not
offensive to the eye, has done much
to rob death and interment of their hor-
rors. Some people when they are sick
and are fearful that they will never re-
gain their health sometimes call on an
undertaken, or his or her friends do 1t Tor
the i'll one and make all arrangements
for the funeral, selecting the casket ana
designating what kind of hearse is pre-
Rarred. 1t is the same with some per-
sons in advancing years. A Well-to-do
man living in this neighborhood went
for a trip abroad last year, n before
going provided for any contingency
that might arise while he was on the
VOYAGE. He is still abroad, and, pc
culiar as it may seem, a few weeks ago
received a letter from him, dated at
Amsterdam, telling me that he was still
alive. OF course he did not say 1t in
those words, but, while he wrote me
about some trivial affair, could see
| plainly that it was simply a pretense
| under which he informed me that he had
not died yet. When he shall die he is
to be taken to his native town and there
buried in a specified cemetery, and
| everything will be done in strict COM
| pliance with his desires as he expressed
them to me.
Men who are going into hospitals to
/ have serious operations performed fire.
| u|uently make arrangements with us for
their funeral and burial, should the
| operation terminate fatally. Such men
seem to approach the subject with en-
| tire oalmness. But it is different with
the man who is in perfect health, SEEM
ingly, at least, but who wants to make
arrangements for the burial of his body
| after death, whenever that shall occur,
because he has 10 relatives or near
friends who he is certain will look after
all that is left of a. or because he
fears he might not have the money at
the end that he has at that time. One
day a middle-aged man came into my
office and approached the subject with
manifest embarrassment. | understood
what he was driving at, and pulled from
my drawer a score or more OF contracts
such as he wanted to make, and he, see
ing that he was not the first to think Of
such a thing, (althOugh he probably
thought he was when the subject first
entered his mind) seemed treasured,
and we proceeded with the business in
a businesslike manner.
Some of these contracts | have made
| for q certain number of years, the
| amount of money sufficient to cover the
expenses and the payment for my serv-
| ices being deposited. And it has hap
| pened that when that period has expired
the other party to the contract has de-
cided that he isn't going to die, or that
he needs the money. and he takes the
prepayment and goes on his way rejOic-
ing. 1t is the same with those who
go into hospitals to have operations
performed. OF course, if they don't die
the contract is null and void, and the
patients, regaining their health, seem
to forget it entirely as they go on their
busy way through life"