The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1905-11-27

ally sealed lead coffin. which fits close
" inside the other, a glass insert per
hitting the face only TO be seen.
As soon as person dies the room in
which the body il TO be laid out Is
transformed by the undertaken into u
scapilla ardiente." or lighted chapel
that is, the room is darkened. the walls
are all hung in black, an altar is erect.
Cd at one end, In front Of which the
body Is laid, and the whole Is lighted
up By from six to dozen large can
dies in heavy silver candlesticks three
feet high.
As the time between the actual
death and the burial is 50 short. there
q usually not time TO send individual
notices to friends, 50 the invitation to
take part in the funeral services, as II
q called, IL printed in the papers In
the following form:
GUILLERMo PIZARRo.
Q. L. p. d.
Date Of death.)
His wife Mariana ". his children Man
uel. Benedicta and Amanda his mother.
Francisco G. LAvelle. his father-in-law.
Antonio p. yaldex, his brothers Luis and
Carlos, his sister Maria. his brother-tn-
law Jose. his grandchildren. uncles.
nephews, cousins and other relatives, In
yite you TO accompany the remains OF the
deceased 10 the Recoleta cemetery. FRI
day, the I7th. at $50 p. m.
In the Church of the Holy Cross a mass
for the eternal repose Of his soul will be
sung from to 10 a. m, the body being
present The family viii take part in
the one at 10 n m.
The leave taking Of the deceased VIII be
by card.
Only invitation.
o. E. P. d. mean "Que en- paz
descanse" (May he rest in peace.
II the death has been long expected.
10 as to give time to have cards print
ed, one about 3 by 9 inches, with a
mourning border three-quarters Of an
inch wide, with the same wording, Is
sent to the nearest friends, In which
case the words only invitation" are
omitted from the death notice In the
paper.
II will be noted that the funeral serv-
Ices and the burial are distinct cere-
monies, II not being the custom for
women to accompany the body TO the
cemetery.
The expression, leave taking will
be BY card" means that friends attend
ing are not expected to come up per-
sonally and condole with the family
at the funeral. but there Is usually a
servant in black livery, furnished by
the undertaken, either at the house or
st the church, with a silver salver on
which visiting cards can be placed.
In default Of this, on arrival at the
cemetery, on one side Of the entrance
sate is a high wooden desk painted
black, and on 1t pencil and paper, and
fastened to one side regular kind Of
lstter box, also black, with q slit In
the top.
Into this the card IL dropped or the
name written on piece Of paper, and
these are collected by an attendant
and sent to the house after the funeral.
In a few days, to all those whose
cards have been received as well as TO
those friends who have written notes
Of coincidence, the visiting card Of that
member Of the family to whom you
may have addressed yourself is sent or
the card Of the member of the family
who may know you best with the
single word "AgradecidO," meaning
Thanks for kind sympathy"
The funeral procession Of the well
TO do is preceded by large, covered
landau, with glass sides, in which are
piled the floral offerings, and just be-
hind this comes the hearse, drawn by
four or six black horses, with two men
on the box in black and silver ltveries
and wearing cooked hats.
The hearse is huge affair, open at
all sides, the top or canopy being sup
ported by four life sized figures Of
Ethiopians, carved out Of ebony, and
it is surmounted by six huge plumes
two feet in diameter, made OF black
ostrich feathers. The coffin lies on a
black cloth, with the initials Of the
dead IN full view at the sides, worked
in silver.
The cemetery itself is a veritable
city Of the dead, for, instead Of hay
ing mound with headstone or mon
ument, regular little mortuary chap
els, called "panteones," are built by
every lot owner, completely covering
the plot OF ground he holds.
These are Of stone or marble, about
twelve feet high and from five TO
twelve feet square, and they are built
in rows like city houses and laid out
IN squares like city streets, with broad
sidewalks and a roadway between.
Each Of these ''panteones" contains
an altar Of marble. on which are can
dies, flowers, sacred pictures and other
religious emblems and symbols OF the
Catholic church.
In front Of this altar is a large slab
which when lifted discloses a ladder or
stairway leading down TO a vault,
which is a whitewashed chamber with
spaces one above the other In the walls
of sufficient size to receive a coffin.
After each space is filled 1t is sealed
np with a marble slab, giving the
name, age and date Of death.
Private vaults will usually hold from
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