The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-08-08
FEAR IS DIMINISHING.
Undertakers' Customers Less Afraid
 of Death Than Formerly.

From the New York Times
 That people stand less in awe of death than they did few years ago is the be- lief of several New York undertakers They say nowadays twice as many per- sons make preparations for their own bu- rial as a generation ago. In accounting for this one funeral director said:
 Tt is my opinion that the displacement or the gruesome wooden coffin by the modern burial casSet, which is not offen- siYe to ti.e eye, has done much to rob death and interment of their horrors Some people when they are sick and are fear fnl that they will never regain their health sometimes call in an undertaken, or his or her friends do 1t for the i'll one, and make all arrangementskfor the funeral se- lecting the caslet and designating what kind of hearse is preferred. It is the same With some persons in advancing years. A well-to-do man living in this neighborhood went Tor trip abroad last year. and be- fore going provided for any contingency that might arise when he was on the vov- age. He Is still abroad, and. peculiar as 1t may seem, 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 triy- ial affair." l could see plainly that 1t was simply a pretense under which he in- formed 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 cem- etery' and everything will be done in strict compliance with his desires as he ex- pressed them to me.
 Men who are going into hospitals i'd have serious operations performed ire quently make arrangements with us for their funeral and burial. should the opera ton terminate fatally. Such men seem to approach the subject with entire calm ness. But 1t is different with the man who Is In perfect health, seemingly, at least but who wants to make arrange ments for the burial of his body after death, whenever that shall occur, because he has no relatives or near friends who he is certain will look after all that is left Of T" 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 approached the subject with manifest embarrassment. 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 he. seeing that he was not the first to think of such a thing. (although he probably thought he was when the sub ject first entered his mind) seemed reas- sured. and we proceeded with the business in business like manner
 Some of these contracts have made for certain number of years, the amount Of money sufficient 10 cover the expenses and the payment for my services being deposited. And it has happened that when that period has expired the other party to the contract has decided that he isn't going to die. or that he needs the money. and he takes the prepayment and goes on his way rejoicing It Is the same way win those who go into hospitals to have opera tions performed. Of course. if they uont' die the contract is null and void, and the patients, regalnlng their health. seem to forget 1t entirely as they go on their busy way through life"