The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1907-03-19

the same manner. A man can take
his choice of great number Of cere-
monies.
s. Lewis ,rillotson, Baltimore
undertaken, has made study of
the burial customs of the world with
a view of improving, If possible, the
means of disposing Of bodies used
in most civilized countries and to
discover behind the ceremonials and
the rites of burial and the methods of
disposing of the bodies the odd be-
liefs of the people.
His discoveries and Investigations
have shown many strange things, but
as yet he has made no recommends
tions looking toward Improvement of
present systems.
One thing he has found, says the
| Chicago Tribune, is that every tribe
| of people in the world except two
the Veddas of India and the Bantus
of Africa-shows some mark of rever-
ence to the dead-even those that eat
them-and that every one except
those same two shows from its treat
ment of the dead some belief In
future existence.
About three-fourths of the people of
the world are sorry, or pretend they
! are sorry, when death happens
among their friends or relatives, and
the other fourth are glad. About four
| fifths object to death and the other
| fifth welcome it.
Among the Karens of Burma there
| is close relation between the burial
and the wedding ceremonies, and a
| death is made the occasion of whole
sale courting," said Mr.. Tillotson
The body is placed on a bamboo
platform and girls gather there, sing
| ing and laughing. The men seat
themselves on one side of the body
and the girls on the other and there,
as If made happy by the presence of
death, they carry on their courtships
and the men select their wives
The kirghiz-Kazaks are stong in their
remembrance of the dead-and here
may be food for religious thought
for Bigle students in their customs.
After death the body is hastily bur-
led, arrayed in white clothes, and ev-
cry day for forty days after the death
the mourners visit the tomb The
forty day period apparently is counted
for no special reason as yet discov-
cred
"The Shans give the dead a good
sendoff, putting money into the mouth
to pay passage to the other world.
The souls are supposed to go into
butterflies that fit away and the body
must wait and pay it's fare. The
coffins are highly colored tinsel and
paper under gaudy canopy. The
wives parade with the body and the
eldest son walks ahead with a sword,
clearing the evil spirits from the way.
The bodies of chiefs and priests are
burned.
The Bantu and the Veddas, alone
of all tribes, have no ceremonies and
appear to care nothing whatever
about death In both tribes the bodies
are thrown into the bushes, covered
with leaves and brush, and left.
"A Niam-Niam corpse is handsomer
than live Niam-Niam- The body is
dyed bright red and decorated with
feathers. The men are buried facing
the east and the women facing the
west and no earth is thrown on the
bodies
The ruling passion strong in death
is exemplified by the Shoho-a tribe
of inveterate beggars-for the dead
are buried with their left hands ex
tending above earth, still asking aims.
Every good Arab is buried with his
face toward Mecca, his sword and
girdle and turban beside him. The
women only mourn and hired female
mourners howl for days.
Probably the most economical fun
eral OF all is among the Fans, who
have no cemeteries. They eat their
dead. Out of respect they do not eat
their own relatives, but trade them
OF to some other bereaved family.
The question Of weight is not consid,
cred
The desire of every civilized person
Ito be buried at home'-is shown by
the Mumias, who are Nilotic negroes.
They first bury the body in the floor
of the hut with the head above ground
and watch it for months. Then they
disinter the bones, wash and polish
them, and carry them scores of miles
to the old home Of the tribe, where
they are buried in sacred ground.
This same 'homing' desire is shown
by the Sakalaya of Madagascar. There
the bodies are buried in canoe shaped
possibly so they can cross the
Madagascar Styx-and the funerals
are accompanied by human sacrifices.
A small portion of the body is cut
of, placed in the hollow tooth of a
crocodile and the tooth is deposited
in the sacred house at Mojanga.