Mooney.] 270 [Oct. 19, 
modern civilization, it would appear perfectly natural and proper to the 
nativs of almost any part of Asia or Polynesia, or to the people of an- 
cient Greece, Rome, Carthage or Egypt. 
Among ancient and modern nations the original purpose of the wake, 
with its games, watching and lighted tapers, appears to hav been two- 
fold: To divert the grief of the survivors and to protect the body from 
the attacks of evil spirits until it was safely disposd of by cremation or 
burial. In addition to this it must’ be rememberd that with the peasant 
class of modern Europe, whose toils ar constant and amusements few, a 
wedding or a funeral affords almost the only opportunity for a friendly 
gathering of neighbors to break in on the dul monotony of every-day life. 
Napier, in his work on Scotch’ folk-lore, describes wake customs similar 
to those of Ireland and says : ‘‘ The reasons given for watching the corpse 
differed in different localities. The practice is still observed, I believe, in 
some places, but probably now it is more the result of habit—a custom 
followed without any basis of definite belief, and merely as a mark of 
respect for the dead ; but in former times, and within this century, it was 
firmly held that if the corpse were not watched the devil would carry off 
the body, and many stories were current of such an awful result having 
happened.’”’ And again: ‘‘The wake in the Highlands during last cen- 
tury was @ very common affair. * * * Pennant, in his tour through 
the Highlands, 1772, says that at a death the friends of the deceased . 
meet with bagpipe or fiddle, when the nearest of kin leads off a melan- 
choly ball, dancing and wailing at the same time, which continues till 
daybreak and is continued nightly till the interment. This custom is to 
frighten off or protect the corpse from the attack of wild beasts, and evil 
spirits from carrying it away.”* Whatever we may think of the wake, 
it is certain that those who take part in it believe they ar paying a tribute 
of respect to the dead, altho in former days the intemperate use of liquor, 
together with the strong factional feeling of the last generation, frequently 
led to disgraceful scenes, while the whole practice is so incompatible with 
modern ideas that for years the clergy hav made every effort to abolish it 
entirely. 
As soon as the news of the death gets abroad the friends begin to arrive 
to pay their respects to the deceasd. They never enter the hous singly, 
but should one come alone he waits on the outside until joined by one or two 
others, when they open the door a little way, take off their hats and recite 
in an undertone the prayers for the dead. Then entering the room, they 
salute those present, take seats and join in the conversation. As a rule, 
only near relativs join in the caoine or kneel down to pray by the side of 
the corpse. The friends arrive all through the day, some coming from 
long distances, and by nightfall there ar as many present as the hous can 
wel accommodate. In the ordinary cabin, consisting of but two rooms, 
the corpse is laid out in the middle of the kitchen, while seats ar arranged 
* James Napier, Folk Lore or Superstitious Beliefs in the West of Scotland, 62, 65-6, 
Paisley, 1879. 
