A funeral is not death, any more than baptism is birth or marriage union. All three are the clumsy devices, coming now too late, now too early, by which Society would register the quick motions of man.

Summary

This quote suggests that funerals, baptisms, and marriages are societal rites meant to mark significant moments in a person's life. It underscores that a funeral does not represent death itself, just as baptism does not symbolize birth, and marriage does not capture the true essence of union. Instead, they are merely rites that society employs, sometimes too late or too early, to acknowledge and celebrate important transitions in an individual's journey. The quote highlights the imperfect ways that society tries to recognize and commemorate the changing stages of human existence.

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