The Irish standard., 1903-04-04

most distant and retired parts of the
Kingdom (Englandn. where fashion and
innovation have not been able to
tilrong in and trample out all the cur
ious and interesting traces of the olden
timc'
Tidy fortunes have sometimes been
expended on funeral wreaths. AS much
us $1,000 to 5000 is quite commonly
expended in providing perishable
| display OF blossoms for the funeral of
| Il notable person in England and the
United States. When Mr.. Augustine
DAILY the Ango-.\merican playwright,
had passed in his checks and was
about to be placed beneath the surface
OF mother earth, the oppressively odor-
our funeral wreaths piled in a colorel
cairn about the coffin represented an
outlay of ST., 500-one of them, sent by
Mrs. George Gould, cost $4,000. The
wreaths that smothered the coffin of
F., the late Lord Leighton cost over $25,-
600. At the funeral Of President Car
not a sum Of over $4,000 was spent on
flowers. This amount has been eX-
pended at the interment of several
American milionaires and it is said
| that 100000 would not have pur-
chased the ''floral tributes" that figur-
ed at the obsequies of the Duke Of
Clarence. Without counting the cost
of the flowers. the expenses of the
set down at $177,5OO that of the EN-
peror William of Germany $125,OOO,
while it cost over 50 $1,000 to consign
Grand Duke Nicholas of Russia to the
resting place where he is to await the
last sound of the Archangels trumpet.
1t takes Il good deal of minted coin to
get deceased royalty out of sight. But
perhaps the cOstliest contract of this
kind that was ever undertaken was the
interment of Alexander the Great.
Some S1,O0O,OOO was spent before the
hard-hitting conuueror was safely
planted" in mother earth. '"The
body" says a writer, twas placed in a
coffin of gold filled with costly aro-
matics and diadem was placed OH
the head. The funeral car was embel-
lshed with ornaments of pure gold,
and its weight was so great that it
took 81 mules more than year to
convey it from Babylon to Syria"
The fashion OF floral tributes has
taken a strong hold upon Australia
and New Zealand during the past
quarter of century or thereabouts.
"A reform is needed and there are in
dications that it is coming, even
though it's feet he laden and it's pace
be slow. The Sydney Synod of 1895
the habit. Some four years ago the
aged and venerable Bishop Murray of
Maitland, said in the course of a SER
mon on the subject: "When l die
there will be no flowers strewn about
me; but I hope there will be plenty
of rosaries for me. plenty of prayers
and masses and holy communions."
'"rhe fashion of flowers at funerals"
he said, sis Il worldly pomp which is
growing into a very great abuse, and
on and after the first day of January
next no flowers will be permitted to
enter the church with the coffin and
no priest will assist at funerals where
this unbecoming custom of flowers is
adopted The clergy, of course, cam
not interfere with people in their own
homes. They have, however, author
ity over the church and over the con-
secrated ground of Gods acre, and are
determined that no flowers shall be
permitted to enter either of these
places in connection with funerals af-
Ter the first day of the new year
| 09Om." Sometimes-but all too rarely
we read at the close of the funeral
announcements the brief and sensible
notice: FLOWERS respectfully de-
clined." We wish that every Catho-
lie funeral in the colony were con-
Quoted on similar lines. so far as this
! abuse of flowers is concerned.