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Show Explaining Symbol of the Lemon at Funerals The mystery of the use of lemons at funerals has been solved. The custom cus-tom attracted attention when a spectacular spec-tacular funeral of one of the members of the Hamburger Zlmmerleute, a fraternal society, of North German traveling carpenters and artisans, took place. Fifteen thousand carpenters who were members of the society attended at-tended the funeral. Each carried a glittering hatchet, upon which was spitted a lemon. After the reading of the burial service the Zlmmerleute filed past the open grave and heaped the lemons over the coffin, says a Berlin correspondence. . In Zurich recently another funeral was held along similar lines. At the close the leader of the mourners threw the first lemon Into the grave, saying; "As sour as Is this lemon, so harsh has been your life." Research workers who Investigated the custom explain that when one of the great plagues swept Europe It was considered that the Juice of a lemon provided some protection from infection infec-tion resulting from contact with a plague victim. Those employed In burying the dead used the Juice of lemons freely. Now, so far as Is known, only the Ancient Order of the Zlmmerleute continues con-tinues to use lemons at funerals as implying that life Is sour, but that after death Is peace, Holyoke Transcript |