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Show FLORAL OFFERINGS AT FUNERALS Over the radio last evening was heard a broadcast of short news items, among them being one telling that at the funeral services of Amy McPherson, the evangelist, evange-list, the floral offerings amounted to 10,000. We are indeed a peculiar people, even as peculiar as the Chinese people as is evidencd by their customs as told in the following story: a tourist visiting that country coun-try at one time witnessed the burial of one of their dead when loved ones of the deceased placed a basket of food on the grave. The onlooker asked an acquaintance acquaint-ance if they thought there was any sense in doing that because surely the dead person could not arise from the grave and eat the food. "No," said the one questioned, ques-tioned, "neither can the dead in America arise to smell the flowers you place on their graves!" It is a lovely thing to have a tew flowers to decorate decor-ate the casket and rooms at our funerals. They are a token of respect and a symbol of life in all earthly things for no matter how lovely, how useful, how noble, how great or humble one may be, he or she will sooner or later be called from this life's activity and will fade, and die as does the flower with all its beauty and fragrance. Why we should be so extreme in this custom we cannot say, but it appears that at times like the present pres-ent more modesty would be in order. The large sums of money spent for flowers does not relieve the bereaved be-reaved from sorrow, but. it could be used to help those that are left behind in a financial way, if needs be, or it could more properly be distributed to the relief agencies or be used for the purchase of bonds. We must remember that many thousands of our young . men who are fighting for the preservation of freedom are being placed in undecorated graves. The absence of flowers there does not take away one iota from the life of service and sacrifice they have given. |