152 



NEW ENGLAND. 



performed by a clergyman, but sometimes by a justice of the peace. It is, however, by far 

 the most general practice to consider it a religious ceremony. Before marriage, the " inten- 

 tion " must be published at the churches of both towns where the parties may live, for from 

 one to three weeks. A great many marriages in the country take place at Thanksgiving. The 

 following description of the ceremonies attending one in Boston, is by an English traveler. 



" A family circle of about 20, gradually assembled, and at 7, the ceremony was perform.ed 

 in the drawing-room, with considerable solemnity. I was glad to find the bridemaids very 

 agreeable, and that one, of whom I was to have the especial charge, was very handsome. Our 

 duties began immediately after tea, as it is the strange custom in Boston to see company the 

 same evening ; it is the office of the groomsman to meet the ladies on the stairs, and conduct 

 them to the bride, who sits or stands at the end of the drawing-room, with her maidens, to 

 receive all who are presented to her. We had the honor of presenting to her nearly all the 

 beauty and fashion of Boston, and I have not very often seen more beauty in one room. Some- 

 times while marching up, an unknown belle on my arm, and the insignia of my office, a white 

 rose, on my breast, 1 was almost thrown into an involuntary fit of laughter, by thinking how you 

 would be amused if you could see me. Towards the close of the evening it was no easy mat- 

 ter to work our way through the assembled crowd. About 10 o'clock all had disappeared but 

 the bridal party, and after a little social supper prepared for the bridemaids and groomsmen, 

 we dispersed also." 



Tn the cities, a great change has occurred in the manner of observing funerals, which are now 

 conducted with little publicity. In the country, the change is going on. The corpse is gene- 

 rally kept till the third day. Eight persons of a similar age with the deceased, are selected as 

 bearers, and some person of dignity in the neighborhood assumes the conduct of the funeral. 

 The body having been placed in a coffin in a room, the " mourners " sit near it, a prayer and 

 sometimes an exhortation is made by the clergyman, who often inquires previously in public, the 

 state of the deceased's mind, with regard to religion. The mourners then go, one by one, to 

 take their last look at the features of their lost relative, and the corpse is then carried out, 

 where it stands awhile and is also looked at by the rest of the company. The procession is 

 then marshalled to the grave. The person who assumes the direction of the funeral, arranges 

 the carriages for the procession, which moves at a slow walk to the grave-yard, which is often 

 at some distance. Arrived at the grave, the mourners form a circle round it, and remain long 

 enough to hear that hardest of all earthly sounds to bear, the earth falling on the coffin of a 

 friend. They then retire, though one of the principal among them, generally returns thanks to 

 the company, for their kindness on the occasion. A supper is generally prepared for the friends 

 of the deceased and for the bearers ; though this is becoming disused. It was formerly the 

 custom to have ardent spirits for all who attended funerals, but this is now obsolete. 



The grave-yards in New England are not such as are generally found adapted to keep alive 

 the memory of the departed. They are every way repulsive, and it is uncommon to see any 

 person in them, except at burials. The older monuments are half buried in the earth, or broken, 

 or overgrown with grass, and the later ones denote little improvement in taste. They are free, 

 however, from the death's-head with cross-bones, which were sculptured on the ancient monu- 

 ments, and seemed to grin at the beholder. They generally announce the name, title, and age, 

 of the deceased, and are often closed by some passage of poetry or verse from the ['salms. 

 There are, however, many burying-grounds in better taste, and at New Haven is one that might 

 be taken for a model. At Cambridge, too, a large and appropriate tract of land, finely diver- 

 sified, has been consecraled as a cemetery, and divided into lots for separate families. It is 

 called Mount Auburn, and is one of the most beautiful spots in the vicinity of Boston. 



The superstitions in New England are not very peculiar ; they are partially those common in 

 England. The divining rod has been held in some respect, and some persons, even now, will 

 not dig a well before the favored man, in whose hands the mystic bough will " work," has 

 tested the vicinity of water. These rods are also used to discover buried treasure ; for there 

 IS in many parts a belief, that large sums of money have been long buried in their vicinity, 

 though it is difficult to conceive how the Indians, or early European inhabitants, had so much 

 to bury. A belief m buried treasure, however, rises with the decrease of evidence. 



25. Laws. The laws of Nevs^ England are modeled in many respects on those of Great 

 Britain ; and the common law is also, to a certain extent, the law of the land. The statute 

 'aws are particularly devised for a religious as well as moral and enlightened people. 



