When the services of the undertaker are required, the party or
parties—generally some friend of the deceased—who may have charge of
the arrangements will, in a few words, make the undertaker acquainted
with the nature of the case and the particular duties he is expected
to perform.
Sometimes they will there and then select the style of case or
casket, order the carriages, and arrange all the other details of the
funeral. At other times, again, these particular points are to be
decided upon only after consulting the wishes of the family in this
respect.
In either case it is the undertaker’s most imperative duty to hasten
to the house of mourning with all the implements necessary for
washing, laying out, dressing, and if necessary preserving the body.
That is, where the party has died at his own house; for, in many
cases, where death has taken place either at a hotel, boarding house,
or any other place of a like public character, the proprietor thereof
may wish the remains removed, at as short notice as convenient, to
the rooms of the undertaker, where the remains may be properly cared
for without any annoyance or discomfort to the other inmates.
Before the undertaker brings in any of the appliances necessary to
the laying out of the corpse, it will be well for him to make his
entrance unincumbered, and be introduced to the persons present. He
must also view the remains, and make such arrangements or alteration
in the furniture of the room as may be necessary to facilitate the
operation of laying out, washing, etc.
The assistant may then be called in, and he shall dispose of
the funeral implements according to the directions given by the
undertaker. After the preliminaries have thus been disposed of, none
but the intimate friends or relatives of the deceased are allowed
to remain while the work of dressing the corpse is being performed.
This is subservient to the wish and good judgment of the undertaker,
who is supposed to be vested with powers of expelling those whose
presence is not justifiable, or retaining others who may have claim
to the privilege.
It should be here borne in mind that the work must be done as
silently and noiselessly as the nature of the case admits of;
and that any subject of discourse between the undertaker and his
assistant, not immediately connected with the matter in hand, is very
much out of place, and will be regarded by the persons present as a
lack of good manners, not to say a disrespectful behavior.
Let it be also remembered that a mortuary chamber is not the place
fitly chosen to consummate the ulterior arrangements of the funeral,
but some other apartment in the house, or even the undertaker’s own
office, are the proper places to perfect subsequent proceedings.
The laying out and dressing of the body being completed, the
assistant may retire, after having carefully removed whatever
articles may have been used in the process; while the undertaker,
who may have some directions to give about the proper care of the
body until the time of burial, or some instructions to receive from
the persons in charge of the funeral, will wait until every point is
settled; or some other time and place may be selected for the purpose.
It is not the sphere of the undertaker, especially at such time, to
press with questions the parties whom he may chance to serve; but he
will abide his time and accept their decisions with becoming respect,
unless some imperative object should make it incumbent upon him to
hasten the proceedings, as, for instance, the danger of contagion
from some infectious disease, or some other equally important reason.
In the matter of dressing the body, especially if it be that of a
lady, this duty is usually performed by some lady attached to the
establishment, or by some lady friend of the deceased, although the
undertaker is often called to perform this office himself. It is at
such a time that good taste and refinement will show conspicuous in
the professional undertaker.
The same may be said about the floral decorations and the ornamenting
of the casket; a certain amount of good sound common sense and
discrimination should be used in both cases.
Some parties will consider it a mark of good taste to have but a few
elegant and well chosen gold or silver trimmings, while others would
consider a superfluity of these as needful to the complete decoration
of the casket. This part of the business must be well understood by
the undertaker, and it requires a certain amount of tact to pamper
successfully to the taste of the different parties he may be called
upon to serve.
The remains, after being placed in the coffin a few hours previous
to the time of the funeral, do not require much of his attention,
but he is expected to be on hand at the specified time. As the
hearse and carriages arrive at the house of mourning and take the
places allotted to them without confusion or unnecessary noise, the
undertaker will see that each carriage driver has his place assigned
in the _cortège_ and observes the directions given him.
The assistant stands ready to receive the casket and help the pall
bearers in placing it properly in the hearse; he will also see that
each carriage approaches in time and receives the occupants, as his
employer may direct. Should the religious ceremonies be performed
in the house of the deceased, his duties will end there until the
cemetery is reached; should, however, the services be performed at
some public place of worship, it will be his duty to precede the
arrival of the procession, to see that everything is in readiness,
to give timely warning to the sexton, and to assist in removing the
casket from the hearse; also in preserving order in the loading and
unloading of carriages; while the undertaker takes the lead in the
carrying of the remains into the church, and will see that the casket
is laid up with proper care at the place appointed.
The undertaker is expected to occupy a position not far remote from
the officiating clergyman, so as to be within hearing of the latter
should it be necessary for him to request some service or make some
inquiries.
The funeral services over, the undertaker is expected to lead the
march out of the church, preceding the casket bearers, but following
the minister, who, in many instances, will walk at the head as far as
the door.
The assistant will be found ready to assist in placing the casket in
the hearse, as before mentioned, and will also have the carriages
move up in the right order, open and close the carriage doors, while
the undertaker ushers the occupants into the vehicles.
The undertaker may also require the services of an assistant at the
grave, but this will depend in great measure upon the nature of the
funeral itself, whether it be of a certain magnitude, or if it be one
of less importance.
This brief elucidation of the duties of an undertaker in the
discharge of his functions is not given as a general rule to be
strictly adhered to without any exception, but merely as a ground
plan to work upon, and to be subject to different modifications, as
circumstances may require.
One undisputable fact is, that in the general management of a
funeral pageant, and for the better and more systematic working of
the details, especially if the funeral is one on a large scale,
the services of a well trained assistant will be found almost
indispensable to the undertaker, and will be conducive of the
happiest results in securing perfect system, dispatch; and also in
preventing delays and mistakes, which might otherwise happen where
the responsibility and the smooth working of the whole rests upon one
man.
The laying out, washing, dressing, etc., of a corpse, under any
and every circumstance, ought to be so systematized and arranged,
that either the undertaker or his assistant may be able to perform
these duties alone and singly, with ease and promptness, should
circumstances so require.
As the undertaker is supposed to understand the wants required by
different cases, it will be his duty, so soon as he is acquainted
with the nature of the cause of death, to take such steps as his
experience will suggest, as regards the safety of those who may trust
him with the care of properly disposing of the remains.
Should the disease be of a contagious or infectious character, it
will be incumbent upon the undertaker to see that perfect ventilation
be established in the chamber where the body lies; that all cloths
which are removed from the corpse be disposed of in a cautious
manner; that the bed-clothes be either carried immediately out of
the room and exposed outside to the light and heat of the sun, or
be burned up, if the character of the disease be so dangerous as to
require it.
He will see that proper means of disinfecting the house be used, so
as to a great extent neutralize, if not completely destroy, the germ
of the epidemic.
A good preparation to combat noxious and poisonous miasma, besides
the other disinfecting liquids which have been enumerated in previous
chapters, consists of the following:
Nitrate of potash (saltpetre), 6 ounces.
Water, 2 quarts.
Sulphuric acid, 4 ounces.
Dissolve the nitrate of potash in the water. If the water be
moderately warm it will dissolve quicker. For this purpose use a
large _china_ wash bowl (no metallic vessel), which must hold at
least twice the amount of the solution, or about one gallon. When the
solution is completed, gradually pour into it the sulphuric acid; it
will effervesce, and care must be taken not to let any of it fall
on the carpet, as it will not only destroy the color but also the
texture of the fabric; the effervescence will, however, soon subside,
and the foul effluvia of the room will soon lose its offensive odor.
This fumigation has been successfully employed in Southern cities, in
times of severe epidemics.
Although it may be questioned by some whether or no these measures
come within the sphere of the undertaker’s duties, it is by no means
a reason why they should be discarded by our professionals, or why
undertakers should not be familiar with all the means that will tend
to enhance the success of the profession, as well as to promote the
comfort and safety of those whom they may be called upon to serve;
besides the credit they will receive from the family for their well
directed efforts in securing their approval.