St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1936-09-18
W. Squire Neal
Gives Review of
National Meeting
Convention of Negro Funeral
Directors Is Impressive
By w. SQUIRE NEAL
President, Neal Funeral Homes,

PRESIDENT, Neal Funeral homes,
Incorporated.
The Independent National Flu
neral Directors Association held
it's annual convention August 10
to 81, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Cincin-
natl being an outlet from the south
to the north, the place of meeting
was an excellent one as it could
be reached by Funeral Directors
from all parts of the United States
conveniently.
Almost every city in the United
States was represented by its lead
ing mortician. It being the policy
of our organization to keep abreast
with the times, relative to the lat
est equipment and newest methods,
I thought it fitting and proper that
member of my organization
should attend the convention and
bring back new ideas to the finest
and largest institution of its kind
in the Northwest.
We have always been the first
to give the public the very latest
in equipment and funeral directing.
We feel that the Twin City public
is entitled to the best for the sup
port they have given our establish
ment.
On our arrival we Immediately
became busy in committees. Every
day there were demonstrations of
Importance to the progressive NOR
tician. Having never attended a
convention of this kind before, I
was surprised to see it's large mem
bership of cultured and well trained
men in their profession, men con-
Quoting business equal to that of
other groups, qualified and equipped
to serve.
The most impressive thing was
to learn that the Negro public
throughout the United States has
begun to expect from the Funeral
Director modern service; that to
succeed he must not only prepare
himself but his establishment must
be modern and well appointed. We
were reminded of the fact that the
old style store front establish
ments, antiquated equipment and
ambulance chasers are things of
the past, and will no longer be
tolerated by the intelligent public.
The only way such establish
ments continue to exist is due to
the fact that they are supported
and maintained by small per-
centage of non-thinking unappre-
ciative individuals who are salts
fled with anything.
was reminded of an expression
I once heard from a very intelli-
gent negro leader: 'That the per-
son we often patronize merely be-
cause of friendship often proves to
be our enemy" because what he
took from US in dollars and cents
was dissipated. That is, year after
year because of bad management
or dissipation of his earnings he
has nothing to return to US in the
way of modern establishment or
up to date equipment.
Service as matter of fact rep
resents sixty per cent of the
charges made for funerals and SER
vice cannot be given without a
modern establishment and up to
date equipment. The point was
brought out that a city or COM
munity that is fortunate to have a
strictly modern funeral home
should show its appreciation to the
men who made it possible for them
to have something that they would
not feel ashamed to show their
out of town friends. A man of
truly business qualities is rare in
any group and especially true in
our group and on the shoulders of
these men rest the responsibility of
| Continued on Page 81