LANCASTER COUNTY. 327 



elapsed, and in order to accomplish this, particularly in 

 the summer season, when bodies are more subject to 

 corruption, there is a small building or vault behind the 

 church for the purpose of keeping the departed in a better 

 state of preservation. To this place the remains are 

 removed, which however, is optional with the relatives 

 of the departed ; another reason why they have this 

 arrangement, is, in case a person dies of a contagious 

 disease, that it may be prevented from spreading further, 

 by removing the body from his residence. On all funeral 

 occasions, there is first an address to the congregation in 

 the church, which is closed by the choir singing an ap- 

 propriate anthem. The congregation then assembles in 

 the large yard behind the church, in the middle of which 

 is placed the bier with the coffin, which is covered with 

 a white pall, instead of black, as is the general custom ; 

 on the pall the words " Jesus my Redeemer liveth,'^ are 

 wrought in blue silk. After the singing of a hymn the 

 procession moves in the following order : First the chil- 

 dren, two by two, attended by their teachers, next the 

 music and clergy, and then the corpse and relatives ; if it 

 be a funeral of a brother, the brethren follow next to the 

 relations, and if a sister, the sisters ; as the procession 

 moves, the solemn music of the band is heard playing 

 tunes of well known hymns, expressing the hopes of 

 eternal life, and a glorious resurrection. After the con- 

 gregation is arranged on the graveyard, the corpse is 

 lowered into the grave during the singing of an appro- 

 priate hymn ; after which the funeral service customary 

 at burials is read, and the singing of another hymn closes 

 the ceremony ; the procession then returns in the same 

 order as before described. We have been thus explicit 

 on this subject because the grave yard and funerals, in 

 iiearly every respect are different from those elsewhere 



