ch lapsed from its simplicity into forms and ceremonies,
vestments of all kinds, and for every purpose and occasion, gained
importance; and the first serious protestation against mourning
garments came from the Quakers. To these spiritual men and women it
seemed absurd to wear black garments for those whom they believed had
put on everlasting white. The majority of the early Methodists held
the same opinion, though in a less positive form. It is remarkable,
however, that Christians alone assume the woeful, despairing black
garments which seem to denote not only the loss of life, but the end
of hope. Ancient Egypt wore yellow in memory of departed friends; the
Greeks and Romans used white garments for mourning; the Chinese also
consecrate white to the services of death, and the Mohammedans wear
blue, because it is the color of the visible heavens.

Therefore I ask, if we must wear a distinct dress to typify our
sorrow, why black? Black has now become objectionable from having lost
all the sacred meaning it once possessed. It is no longer the livery
of grief. The blonde belle wears it because it sets off her fine
complexion; the brunette, because it admits of the vivid contrasts so
suitable to her brilliant beauty. The prudent wear it because it is
economical and ladylike; and all women know that it imparts grace and
dignity, and drapes beautifully; so, for these and many other reasons,
it has within the last fifty years become an every-day dress, one just
as likely to express vanity as grief.

The reasons set forth by the Quakers for its abandonment cover the
ground, and are at least worthy of our consideration. They are: First,
that mourning had its origin in a state of barbarism, and prior to the
revelation of "life eternal through Jesus Christ," and is therefore
not to be observed in civilized and Christianized countries. Second,
that the trappings of grief are childish where the grief is real, and
mockery where it is not. Third, that mourning garments are absolutely
useless: for if they are intended to remind us of our affliction, true
grief needs no such reminder; if to point out our grief to others,
they are an impertinence, for true sorrow courts seclusion; and if as
a consolation, they are only powerful to remind of an irrevocable
past. Fourth, their inconvenience: too often the house of death is
turned by them into a busy work-shop; and the souls bowed down with
grief are made to trouble themselves about mourni