The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-02-09

me. IL 1iAeJ
.o.;+r in reading generally i11parts
5,aras4 and freshness to h is pre-
santed 70 readers. Since May. 1905
haze regularly essaytd cach week
70 offer to the readers OF the Ness
md observer something from my own
Faher whether good, q or 1nnliiei-
ent. [ have sought g~aneraltS 70 con,
fine the useful. the Instructive anu
the entertaining IN 50 tar as ! Maa 90 ~
10. So in my SUNDAY oHerils9 ~
the more than fifty thousand feaoers
If by great odds the most popular
and enjoyable Of all North Caroill!
5ajlies since the first daily appeafeu
not more than a half century ago. l
of course refer to the Daily Raieieil
News and Observer. Mag 1T continue
10 flourish in high appreciation ana
usefulness q century after the present
writer has ceased to toll, to interest
or to distress it's q l ara abont
"a venture upon q discussion that may
not much interest the many, Yet IUi-
.nish some material for reflection 70
some portion Of the numerous READ
ers. IL read inteiligeatly u pc
lieye it may do some good ana NOT
harm to every Intelligent reader. |
am about to offer some views OF the
true subject OF funeral
MANY years ago I read OF a move
ment some where in Canaua among
the ministers Of the Gospel to change
Tie IGSkolAt Va RA"A
funerals. 1t was 10 cease to hold
funerals on the Lords Day. It was
stated that the ministry considered
them hurtful. rather than beneficial.
Tt was stated that the ministry were
influenced by strong convictions or
moral evils connected with these
funerals, and of the benefits which
gard for the obligations Of the Sab
BATH No considerable person can
suppos that the intelligent ministers
would have deemed such an extraOr-
binary procedure, either necessary or
justifiable, if their experience n OBJ
s%ervation had not led them to con
clude that sabbath funerals We're
really open to strong objections be-
of their dileterious effects upon
society. / can not think. however,
that more injury really can result to
those who attend on Sabbath han
on the week days. But it becomes q
question of really grave Importance, if
0 on any day actually entails
upon society the infection Of moral
evils" and has q tendency to desc
crate or render less sacred the Lords
Day. But / am not going into q dis
cussion of the point suggested. but
leave 1t for z more general discussion
of the practice of funeral SermonlZing
vi
preaching funeral ermon over the
dead?
h question has occurred to me.
Are any readers now arch
reologis-s enough to give a
satisfactory answer to this inquiry? I
10 not really appear to be skilled in
that learning enough to answer this
inquiry. ] do not pretend to be
fully up in that learning which treats
Of ancient things. OF the far away Gus
Gums ana manners. that l may here
suggest an answer. I think it higly
was derived from q Pagan source. l
know from Mosheem aud Neanander
that early Christians were prone to
incorporate into their own practice
the usages OF the cultivated Pagan
nations around them. Christianity
from that early time has suffered
from this early tendency. The Ro-
mans, especially. are in the habit Of
p~ronouncing eulogistic orations over
their honored dead. It is sot i'm
probable that the Christians OF the
tlrst and second centuries were moved
by q niOus desire to render every
respect to the dead. appropriated to
their own use this Pagan custom. and
changing it to suit their altered cir
cumstances pronounced religious ora
lons or preached funeral d~iscourses
over those who in this life were distin-
SuIshed for goodness and worth.
we know that among all Oriental ma
lons 1t was deemed q sacred duty of
rehglon to pay fitting honors to the
lead. It is not perhaps astonishing
then, that an earnest and fervid
christianity should reach out in
search OF some additional rites other
IMAM the common ones of s%cpulture.
when We understand the proclivity Of
me huamn mind to engraft upon the
me pure simplicity of gospel teaching
me imposing ceremonies and sonorOus
-i'uallsm. 1t might. therefore, quite
naturally and easily improve upon the
tustom OF one Of the most refined and
IultlVated nations Of antiquity. by
having from the life and death Of
stnna Professors such lessons of in
roakh ana encouragement as
Illght servo to strcnpthen N fnrt