The Departed

The human interest stories on National Public Radio's Morning Edition remain unsurpassed in broadcast journalism. The episodes inform and delight, often most vividly when the topic focuses on customs overseas. Yesterday, for instance, NPR reported that while Americans were trick-or-treating, the French -- of all people, presumably -- were going to cemeteries to honor their dead. Visitors to graveyards paid their respects not only to buried family members but to interred greats.

The reporter went to one of the Parisian cemeteries that attract natives and tourists. She interviewed people who had stopped by the graves of those they loved, and the graves of luminaries such as Jim Morrison, Yves Montand, Edith Piaf, and Frederic Chopin. The report referred to the religious traditions of All Saints and All Souls Days. Even in a region as secular as Western Europe, sacred vestiges persist.

These practices are not foreign to the United States, either. We will cede discussions of American attitudes toward death to theologians and satirists such as Evelyn Waugh, author of The Loved One. We would note, however, that relatives and friends frequently return to graves to mark family and personal occasions. Many observe religious rites as well. Halloween is not just about goblins and candy corn. Various denominations hold special services, or incorporate special prayers in regular worship. Yesterday's Morning Prayer in the Episcopal Church included a liturgy for All Faithful Departed. It was read in Richmond as communicants prepared to receive the bread and the wine.

The United States has cemeteries to rival those in France. Cambridge's Mount Auburn Cemetery and Richmond's Hollywood are but two. Although the Paris dateline added a touch of global glamour to the NPR portraiture, the network could have filed a similar report closer to home.