| Show F r Personal Health 1 r Costly Postmortem Displays Displays' Viewed as Civilization Blot IT Dr William Brady t f- f G General r Joseph E. E Johnston at attending at- at tending the funeral of ot his fortner former for- for mer eer antagonist General William T. T Sherman brave- brave lj ij bar bared e d his held head in Jn the raw February co cold I d dd nd sad d uttered these immortal word wor orA s' s If I Iere Wire ere In his his' place ted nd he w were ere i It tending Banding here in mine nine he would apt t. t apt put t on his hat t. t Theres There's r. r j Just u us s t Dr Brady we tie little defect in the story General Gen- Gen Mi eral Johnston then 82 years old ten days later I hate to mention this here but the cause el of death was pneumonia Now N w now old mollycoddles lets let's I keep tp our balance remember balance remember how I Il circumstantial evidence cc a l be tA LA A Texas editor cites the incident to a a plea plea- for less barbaric display of ot splendor and less Jess rigid ands ds upon the mourners mourners-a a plea for an an editor to tolia lia make e in behalf of ot any corpse Ill I'll IlltA lIy r tA funeral IA-funeral funeral rna may be no occasion for w mirth or amusement but I dont don't believe I t could suppress a atin or maybe a little chuckle Ib old timers spare me Ith emboss embarrassment If ii I had to 11 witness taws such luch nn a ner performance as nn Johnston c staged at Gen Sher- Sher wi ani funeral The very idea that g the head In any circum- circum involves an any s. s risk to health Sr er life li iii ridiculous The he Texas editor says our pall pall- tera should always be the g and and nd able as the task so assumed by men no der young ls Is a real strain strain- I second the toe motion I felt the attain when I served i in n that caY cai ca- ca I ludt ity Y r r I could have ctr Buried i the h Vp corpse myself minus the j Worth liW of trappings trappings- made e me mad mad- because Im I'm euy certain the P poor or fellow horn ham I have loved and oil oS d not have admired sanctioned sectioned the thea a though although I dont don't re- re whether I j ever asked hl hIs va t or of the practice ce But t the aY 1 he hew w aa Packaged the Wed Job f tor or some BOrne me strength J Evenly enlY distributed the aIx of among amon U us it might have been an Y task tuk I But my mv Partner and ethl d ly bore borc the whole r bearers ourselves e for the ether were taller so that i d bearers at the lower had ad to hoist the thc sarcophagus g w high to be before tore the taU tan b boys ys Ore ire lend a hand and I again that lf it more thana than a squandered red disposing o ot of CC t l fa 18 body when th the present Y turn through with it Iland Ill I'll but fA return and the attic groan I Wouldn't V i now now- and everyone be bc as hap h- ere ete hereafter er if there some reasonable standard v b by Y law to control this thi f. f 7 Some uniform max max- permitted In the way of or postmortem display and an an absolute absolute ab ab- ab- ab solute equality in headstones or markers Even if my neighbor n draws down more pay or has better better better bet bet- ter gambling luck than I in this world does his taller headstone or more costly showcase assure his priority in the next It may be naive and Utopian to look to the law for a remedy for this barbaric blot in our civili civili- Perhaps some philanthropist philanthropist philanthropist philan philan- should endow a society for the encouragement gement of decency dignity and humility in our Copyright 1948 John F. F Dille Co |
