New Britain herald., 1919-12-11
rent. '"rhe Jewish tombs are fair

>rent. "rhe Jewish tombs are fairer than their palaces
 Again quoting from the Encyclo- paedia Britannica, "The legend is that Christ was buried with his head to the West. and the church follows the GUS tom. more ancient that itself of laN- ing the dead looking to the East, to1 that is the attitude of prayer, and. be- cause at the last trumpet they will all hasten Eastward'' In one instance "a martyr explains to his pagan judge that the heavenly Jerusalem, the fatherland of the pions. lay exactly in the East at the rising place of the sun" ..~ ''. Some writers have thought that the early. Christians were Votarles of the sun. This supposition don btless arose from the Christians practice of turn ing to the east when praying. quot ing from the Catholic Encyclopedla, The practice of praying while turned towards the rising sun is older than Christianity, but the Christians in adopting it were influenced by reasons peculiar to themselves. The principal of these reasons was that the Orient contained mans original home, the earthly pa radise: < ;" that our. Lord lived His earthly life in the East ana that from he East He shall come to iudge mankind * Thus from the earliest period the custom of locating the altar in the Fla stern extremity Of the church was the rule
 No natter in what position the church was placed, the altar was al- ways considered as the eastern part ol the church. The words North, south, East and West as contained in the ru- brics of the church of England Pray CT Book are used on the assumption that east lies in the direction of or be- yond the altar as seen from the nave or body of the church, while south is that side of a church which is to the right of one facing the altar, north being on the left and west in the rear.
 Entics Dictionary, London. 1890, defines the word "chancel as Fhe Eastern part of a church. Johnson < Dictionary, 1756, defines it as Ihe Eastern part of the church in which the altar is placed No other defini- ton of chancel is given Tn ellhef or the said dictionaries.
 In Spain Germany and England generally the eastern orientation is ob- served. but in France and Italy there are many variatio All of the req sons. herein before fixed for the GUS tom of burying the dead with the face to the East Furthermore. the eastern orientation of the churches is reason why one who faces the East Tn the grave may be considered as still pray ing before Gods altar.
 Quoting further from the Catholic Encyclopae edia relating to funerals. it is directed that if the corpse be that of a layman the feet are turned toward the altar, if on the other hand. the corpse be that of priest. then the DO sition is reversed ~ * on the other hand the mediaeVal Htursists appar- ently know no exception to the rule that both before the altar and in the grave the feet of all Christians should be pointed to the East. This custom we find alluded to by Bishop Hide bert at the beginning of the twelfth century * A man ought so to be buried he says. that while his head lies to the West his feet are turned to the East, for thus he prays as it were by his very position and suggests that he is Willing to hasten from West to East
 The rule as to reversed positions before the altar for priest and laN- men, has been followed to some eN tent in the burial of the dead, the idea being that the priest in death should occupy the same position as during life, that is, facing the people whom ne taughtand blessed in Christs s name" Tn that case. on the reSur rection morning the people will all be ia cling their Shepherd and ready to fol- low him.
 At present only d few persons ever consider these former burial customs. The point of the compass toward which tho feet of the dead arc now turned as they rest in the. grave, de