Thoughts As They Occur.

THOUGHTS AS THEY OCCUR .

BY A SECRETARY . THE summons to attend a funeral of a deceased brother is always more or less shocking to the recipient , but to the Secretary who issues tho summous it is oven more , for

ho must generally go to tho houso of mourning to ascertain tho particulars , and there at onco finds himself in tie midst of griof , and ho should uso great discretion to save and respect the tVel- ' ngs of the bereaved family , and also protect the inteic * t of his Lodge .

I remember , on one occasion , our Master was away on business in an Eastern el ' . y , when I received a very laconic missive from a member that "Bro . Condin had , just died—see to it . " Bro . Condin lived on First Avenue , near Sixteenth f -cct , in a densely populated tenement district .

Ho occupied part of a floor on the fifth story back . Ho had been a bricklayer , was often out of work , and recently had fallen from a scaffolding . From tho

injury he never fully recovered , and finally succumbed , leaving a widow with a large farr"l y to look after ; leaving them , too , with his debts to pay ; lcavi ' iicr them alono to continue the fierce battlo and

struggle for existence . And such an existence ! Five persons in three little rooms , with three more families on the same floor . I counted twenty-seven persons in that little hive , and ascertained that over three hundred human beings were " sardined " into this big trap . I ascertained ,

however , what concerned me more closely , that wc would have to take entire charge of Bro . Condin ' s funeral as well as of his family . The only inheritance they had from the husband and father was his excellent reputation and good name . That of course was very good , but it does not buy bread or pay rent .

I hastened to an undertaker , who took charge of the remains , and then to the Senior Warden , and called upon a Past Master , and it was arianged that the funeral should take place the following Sunday—that gave me two days to issuo my summonses , and have everything in readiness .

Meantime the family had to bo seen to , and through the kindness of some of our brethren and their good wives , this was accomplished easier than I at first anticipitated . The ladies took charge of the female portion of the family , and with great delicacy loaned them the regulation

mourning apparel , and wo also provided them with tho immediate necessaries , and several of the members called at intervals to help and cheer and console the bereaved family . When I had made all tho arrangements for tho funeral ,

and the day and hour had been agreed upon , I hurried home to write out tho propor notices . I had hardly got through tho list of names when a telegram was brought to me , signed by a brother of the Lodge , saying that Bro . Walter B . Clarendon "had just died—j ^ ease call at the bonso at once . "

Brother Clarendon lived at No . — Madison Aveuuo , and when I arrived at the stylish brown-stone mansion , I found the stylishly and highly-varnished wagon of an undertaker already before the door . I was not permitted to ring tho bell , a liveried servant was

stationed at the elegant vestibule to prevent any noise from disturbing the deathly stillness that prevailed . I make myself known to the person in charge , who referred me to the undertaker , who , being a Mason , understood my motive in insisting to sec Mrs . Clarendon at once . I was

shown upstairs , where I found several females busily engaged among a heap of mourning goods—cutting , j sowing and fitting the stuff—as I supposed to have it ready for the coming funeral . I saw the bereaved widow , bowed down with cjrief '

and sorrow , surrounded by her little ones ; she , too , was left alone with four orphaned children ; but what a contrast to the scene I had witnessed in the moraing . Time , both women deeply felt their affliction , and folt their lonely condition ; but the poor , sorrowing ono in tho fifth

story back had , beside the bleeding wound of her loss , tho fearful pang of hunger and want to bear . She could see nothing in the near future but trouble , struggle , and a desperate fight forabaro livingfor herself and children , whilctho

widow in tho Madison Avenue muusion was at least spared that horror—she knew that her husband had left her well provided with this world ' s goods . I finally made the arrangements here , too , and as it was the express wish of Mrs . Clarendon to have the funwru ' .

Thoughts As They Occur.

take place on Sunday . I had to bestir myself and again summon the Lodge for this second funeral on the same day . Wo were to meet in the Lodge-rooms altogether and then

divide—one party headed by the Senior Warden to go to one houso , while another party headed with the Junior Warden to go to the other—each section to be accompanied by some of tho Past Masters .

I confess I watchod with a great deal of cyuical interost to see who among tho Brethren would choose to go to the Madison Avenue mansion and who would prefer the tenement houso funeral , and to tho credit of Masonry in general , aud our Lodge in particular , be it said that a very

large majority thought the poor woman in the fifth story back needed more of our countenance and our presence than the Madison Avcnuo lady—for , argued most of the Brethren , the rich lady on Madison Avenue no doubt has many friends to-day ; even if they do not mean it , they

will show their pretended respect by their presence ; but poor Mrs . Condin will be more neglected than over , and wo must show hor that with us , at least , her poverty makes no difference , and that we thought as much of hor and as much of the ono dead brother in the tenement houso as of

the one in tho brown-stone front . And so wo divided ourselves into two parties , but by far tho larger of tho two repaired to the First Avenue house , while tho other went to the Madison Avenue mansion . At the latter place ample preparation had been made , coaches were provided for

everybody , and all the members of tho Lodge rode from tho houso to Greenwood Cemetery ; ' while tho other " section " walked a short distance from the house , then by street cars to the ferry ; thenco agaiu in cars to same desl ination .

Both the funeral services were performed by our Past Masters , surrounded by tho Brethren and grief stricken families , and when the coffins were lowered into the ground , the earth looked the same over both graves , as there all ranks are levelled , all distinctions obliteratad .

Sometimes , hoAvever , it is not grief or sorrow we have to combat ; occasionally there is even some humour for the Secretary at a funeral , hard as this may seem . Yet another funeral I remember where the widow helped me very much , and where a great deal of anxiety was spared us all by the

business-like way Madam arranged everything . Brother Werdenhcim kept a very prosperous lager beer saloon on Eighth Avenue , and was materially aided by his buxom

wife Mathilda . Tho brother became sick , lingered for about thrca months , and then died . I heard of his death almost immediately after its occurrence , and when I arrived at tho houso I found that Mrs . Werdenhcim had

already scut for an undertaker , a Mr . M ., who was a " neighbour , and a good customer of hor saloon , " said Mathilda . " I may as well give him the job . Ho always

liked Jakey , and , beside , ho and his meu come in here a great deal , and you know , Mr . L ., wc must look out for business ; " this with a smile , into which sho tried hard to throw some mclaucholy tears .

When the day of the funeral arrived , I asked her how many carrirges she thought we ought to have . Hor answer camo very prompt and decisive :

" One is onough for me . If you , or any of your members waut to ride , you can pay for yourselves . I told the same to Jack ' s folks . They shan't go carriage riding at my expense . "

There was no sentimentality in Mathilda ' s composition . After tho funeral service at the grave was over , sho stopped over to where we were standing , waiting for the grave diggers to till in the ground , and told ns nil to call on her on coming homo , as she had a little luncheon ready , aud invited us all to partake .

When we came back we found the saloon open aud business in full blast . Mrs . Werdenhcim took off her

bonnet , put on a . white apron , and waited on hor customors as of old . Tho W . M . whispered to mo admiringly : " There is a woman that can help herself . Wc shall have no trouble with her . " And wc never had . Her Jakcy had belonged to about

a dozen different societies , had his lifo insured in nearly all or them , and madamo reaped a rich harvest , receiving some eight thousand dol ' ars from them all . Sho afterward sold her saloon on Eighth Avenue , aud bought a largo

house in tho upper part of the city , where she still presides over kegs ; md pretzels . This , of course , is an extreme case . The other extreme is the total prostration I have often witnessed where the poor wife is suddenly brought face to face with thu fatflj