The National tribune., 1910-08-04
The Color Of Mourning.

The Color of Mourning.
| Just now, when the whole Of the
Eastern Continent has gone into mourn
ing, and that mourning black, the ques-
ton arises how it happens that black
should come to be known as strict
mourning attire.
Rabelais explains that "black is the
sign of mourning, because it is the color
of darkness, which is melancholy, and
the opposite to white. which is the
color of light. of Joy and of happiness"
In France the mourning robe was
formerly white, and continued so until
the reign of Charles VIII.
| An explanation of how this change
came about tells that Anne, Queen of
Charles VIII, on the death of her hus-
band in 149s. surrounded her coat-of-
arms with black and clothed herself in
| the same color, in opposition to the
then prevalent habit, which was for
widows to mourn in white attire
Why certain colors are supposed to
symbolic mourning is thus explained:
| White is the emblem of purity; celeS.
tial blue indicates the space where the
| soul ranges after death; yellow, or
dead-leaf, exhibits death as the end of
hopes, and man falling life the leaf of
autumn; gray is supposed to represent
the color of the earth. our common
mother; black, the color of mourning.
now general thruout Europe, indicates
eternal night"
The wearing of black, white, violet
or any other color as symbolic of
mourning is, of course, purely matter
of sentiment, but is a sentiment that
has become engrafted into the customs
of times until it has developed into an
unwritten but acknowledged law.
Besides symboliZing death by colors
Various other customs were followed in
ancient Rome that applied to the de-
parting of soul. One was that before
the door of a house of mourning a
cypress tree was placed, to indicate to
all who approached that one of the oc-
cupants of the house had passed into
the region of shadows"
Another custom was that herald in
-yited people to be present at the cele-
bration OF any grand funeral-where it
was usual for public games to form part
of the spectacle. and for the procession
to be Joined by Mimi who Iaudcd the
qualities of the departed. quoted ap-
propriate passages from the dramatists
and poets and then. by way of contrast
acted the part of verita BILE clown.
Funeral orations and commemorative
banQuets-the latter held about nine
days after the death-were customary
in ancient Rome, the funeral repast
consisting of simple fare, and beans
forming a standing dish.
Flowers played their part in funeral
ceremonies then as now. Pliny men
tons that flowers were strewn before
the bier of Scipio Serapi3. and it was
no uncommon thing for chapIet of
flowers to adOrn the brows of the dead
while from superstitious reasons coins
were sometimes put into the hands Of
the deceased as paSSage-money for
crossing the river Styx. and inside the
tomb bottles filled with perfume were
placed, these being the 'tear-fiasks."
or lachry matoeies, so often mentioned
in ole. books.
For brief spell a few years ago the
Eugene Iimmermans. of Cincinnati, So
journed in Washington to get into the
running in society circles.> Then it will
be remembered that the beautiful young
daughter of Eugene Zimmerman, rail-
road magnate, insisted on marrying the
Duke of Manchester. and Father Eu-
gene Zimmerman threw 81 varieties of
fits over his daughter fOrswearing her
country and becoming a subject of
Great Britain. Now Father Eugene
Zimmerman is at it again. His daugh-
ter, the Duchess of Manchester, as most
Americans do, is making good over yOn-
der, and while it's dollars to doughnuts
that she is putting up for the whole |
Manchester tribe, she is at the same |
time very well liked and makes
charming Duchess. Father Eugene
mas SotItN over nlS SpPU
of AngloPhobiac, and now he threat
ems TO become a "blarsted Britisher"
And what do you suppose is the reason |
This is what he says: IF Roosevelt is |
elected, am going over to England to |
become citizen and stay there. Roose- |
welt to-day is ourADig National menace"
Now, wouldn't that jar you.
The Interstate Commerce Commission
has decided that it has no jurisdiction
over railroads III Alaska. The decision
was made in a proceeding undertaken
by the Commission on it's own initia-
tive. The Commissions decision is as
follows:
The District of Alaska is not q Ter
ritory of the United States in the sense
in which that phrase is used in the act
to regulate commerce as amended, and |
the Commission has, therefore, no au-
thority or jurisdiction over carriers en-
gagged in transportation of passengers
or property within the district of Alas |
ka."
John NJ Atwater, who served in the |
56th Congress as Populist from North |
Carolina. died on his farm near Dur
ham, that State. recently He was |
plowing on his farm and dropped dead |
in the field He was 10 years of age. |
At the outbreak of the war he enlisted |
in Co. ID. 1st n. c.. and served until the |
surrender at Appomattox.
Who Were They.