Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-06-02
REFORMED FUNERALS.
The Old-Fashioned Parade of Woe
Gives Way to Better Customs.
From the Brooklyn Eagle.

1t accorded with cid beliefs that funeral
should be a scene and occasion of gloom
absolute hopeless gloom. The front room,
with it's dismal ornament, its black hair
cloth furniture chairs and ''sofy." its franz
ed wedding certifica ties. its wreaths of flow
ers preserved from other funerals was re
duced to darkness by the lowering of the
shades and closing. of the blinds, so that
the guests fell over one another's legs wnen
they entered and fumbled their way to the
chairs. The deceased was dressed in black,
nailed into BLACK coffin that rested on
black bier. and all the company dressed IN
the blacklist things they could dig up from
their wardrobes. No light, no air. no color,
and from the minister, little comfort. his
voice creaked for the occasion. Then the
company went away in. darkened carriages
to bleak buryinE ground where the last
rites were as dismal as might be.
This was the Yankee way. Some other
people did differently. The wakes held over
! the remains were very comforting to the
survivors and added much to the reputa-
ton Of the departed for hospitality. And
the German fashion of going to a hotel
after the burial and ordering unlimited
beer proved that there were still a few
solaces left on earth. Americans reverence
their dead too much to make q funeral
scene of festivity; but they are mitigating
, the gloom of these occasions TO degree.
Flowers and music take the edge from
.
, darken the windows. White is more and
more used in place of black for dress and
decoration. and in placing the body in the
caSket-or better on a couch-there Is
/ avoidance of the stiffness of attitude that
suggests a pose before the old-fashioned
photographer.
I Reform in these matters comes, in part.
/ through the holding of funerals in other
places than the home. Some undertakers
have mortuary chapels parts of their
establishments. Cemeteries have buildings
for similar purpose. Mount Auburn, In
particular. has beautiful little chapel
near the gate. which replaces the gothic
structure in the middle of the grounds, now
become crematory. In this chapel, wit h
Its organ. carved oaken roof stained wilt
! dows and electroliers in the form of funeral
! II can be turned by a single hand; hence,
much of the struggle to place and carry
away the casket is foregone.
But what especially marks the difference
between the funeral here and the home
| funeral. between the new fashion and the
old. Is the lack of mourning emblemS and
the presence of plants and palms The
chancel is mass of green-kentias cocus.
/ rubber trees. oelanders and smaller plants.
with its usual burden OF flowers. in the
! center. suggests rather a great bloom itself
in a whirl of leaves than the depository of
| a dead body. The clergyman delivers his
address from pulpit at one side, and IL he
/ Is wise clergyman IL Is hopeful and en-
| couragtng address. rather than the old
/ fashioned threnody When that is over,
| there is music from the organ-a fine in
| strument-and the company files out into
fashioned funeral; that type OF absolute
woe