Mourgues, :Miciiel, a French Jesuit noted fur his profound erudition, was born at Auvergne about 1642. He became royal professor of mathematics and rhetoric in the Academy of Toulouse, and died there in 1713. Among his best works are, A Paralkl between Christian Morality and that of the A ncient Philosophers: — A n Ex- planation of the Theology of the Pythagoreans ; and oth- ers of a secular character. See Feller, Diet, historique, s. v. ; Mortiri, Grand Diet. Hist. s. v.
Mourn (represented by numerous Ileb. and several Gr. words). Orientals are much more demonstrative in the signs of grief than natives of Western countries, as is evinced especially by two marked features: <;. ^\'hat may be called its slmW^A publicity, and the careful ob- servance of the prescribed ceremonies. Thus Abraham, after the death of Sarah, came, as it were in state, to mourn and weep for her (Gen. xxiii, 2). Job, after his misfortunes, "arose, and rent his mantle (jneil), and shaved his head, and fell dov.n upon the ground on the ashes" (Job 1,20; ii, 8); and in like manner his friends "rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads, and sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights" without speaking (ii, 12, 13), We read also of high places, streets, and house-tops as places especially chosen for mourning, not only by .lews, but by other nations (Isa. xv, 3 ; Jer. iii, 21 ; xlviii, 38 ; 1 Sam. xi, 4; xxx, 4; 2 Sam. xv, 30). b. The com- parative violence of Oriental mourning — oftentimes, in- deed, assumed for effect, and even at times artificial or venal, is evident in several of the forms wliich Eastern grief assumes. Many of these acts, of course, as being natural, are common to all times and countries, but others are somewhat peculiar. Most of them are spon- taneous, being simply the uncontrollable language of emotion; others are purely matters of habit. Yet both these classes of manifestation have their significance and uses, and are not therefore altogether arbitrary. It is not difficult, however, to ascertain the philosophy of mourning. Potter thinks that it consisted in receding as much as possible from ordinarj- customs and man- ners, in token that an extraordinary event had hap- pened, and observes that sucli is the diversity of human customs that tlie signs of mourning in some nations co- incide with those of joy in others {Archivologia Greeca [Lond. 1775], ii, 194, 195). Although, no doubt, m.iny modes of mourning are conventional, and originated in caprice, yet there would seem to be physical reasons for certain forms which have so widely and permanently prevailed. We will endeavor to digest the information furnished on this subject by tlie Scriptures, and con- temjioraneoiis as well as modern writers, em]iloying the materials afforded in tlie dictionaries of Kitto, Smith, and Fairbairn. See Geier, De Ebrceoruni Luctu (2d cd. Lips. 1666). Comp. (iuiEF.
I. Occasions. — 1. Instances of mourning for the dead are most numerous in Scripture. Abraham mourns for Sarah (({en. xxiii, 2); Jacob for Joseph ((ien. xxxvii, 34, 35); the Egyptians for Jacob ((ien. 1, 3-10); the house of Israel for Aaron (Numb, xx, 29), for Moses (I)eut. xxxiv, 8), and for Samuel (1 Sam. xxv, 1) ; Da- vid for Abner (2 Sam. iii, 31, 35); Mar>' and ^lartha for their brother Lazarus (John xi); and "devout men"
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for Stephen (Acts viii, 2). These are a few examples out of many. See Burial.
2. Instances of mourning on account of calamities are not few ; for example, Job under his multiplied afflic- tions (Job i, 20, 21 ; ii, 8); Israel under the threatening of the divine displeasure (Exod. xxxiii, 4) ; the Nine- vites in view of menaced destruction (Jonah iii, 5) ; the tribes of Israel when defeated by Benjamin (Judg. xx, 26), and many others. The Lamentations of Jeremiah are illustrative of this point.
3. Mourning in repentance is illustrated by the case of the Ninevites adduced above ; by the Israelites on the day of atonement, latterly called the fast (Lev. xxiii, 27 ; Acts xxvii, 9), and under the faithful preaching of Samuel (1 Sara, vii, 6); by many references in the Psalms, and the predicted mourning in Zechariah (Zech. xii, 10, 11). On the mourning for Adonis (Ezek. viii, 14), see Tamjiuz.
II. 31 odes. — 1. Weejnng appears either as one chief expression of mourning, or as the general name for it. Hence when Deborah, Rebecca's nurse, was buried at Bethel under an oak, the tree was then at least called AUon-bachuth, the oak of weeping (Gen, xxxv, 8). The children of Israel were heard to weep by Moses through- out their families, every man in the door of his tent (Numb, xi, 10 ; comp. xiv", 1 ; xxv, 6). So numerous are the references to tears in the Scriptures as to give the impression that the Orientals had them nearly at command (comp. Psa. vi, 6). The woman washed our Lord's feet with her tears (Luke vii, 38 ; comp. Ecclus. xxviii, 17). Men, as well as women, wept freety, and even aloud. " Lifted up his voice and wept" is an or- dinary mode of expression. Giving vent to them is well known to be one of the physical alleviations of profound sorrow. It is so iniiversal a sign of mourning that we need not detain the reader with further in- stances or illustrations, except to remark that the Egyp- tian monuments have not failed to depict the tears upon the faces of mourners. See Weeping.