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A  MODERN    CINERARY    URN. 

(Frontispiece.) 


THE 

CREMATION  OF  THE  DEAD 


CONSIDERED 


FROM  AN  ^ESTHETIC,  SANITARY,  RELIGIOUS,  HISTORICAL, 

MEDICO-LEGAL,    AND    ECONOMICAL 

STANDPOINT 


HUGO   ERICHSEN,   M.D. 

Licentiate  of  the  Royal  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  Kings- 
ton, Canada;  Member  of  the  Committee  of  Organization  of  the 
First  International  Cremation  Congress;   Corresponding 
Member  of  the  Cremation  Societies  of  New  York  and 
Berlin;  Foreign  Associate  Member  of  the  Hy- 
gienic Society   of  France;    Honorary 
Member  of  the  Cremation  Soci- 
ety of  Milan,  Italy;  etc. 


SEttlj  an  Etttrotiuctorg  Note 


Sir  T.  SPENCER  WELLS,  Bart.,  F.R.S. 

Late  President  of  the  Royal  College  of  Surgeons  of  England; 
Surgeon  to  the  Queen's  Household;  etc. 


ILLUSTRATED 

Delenda  est  inhumatio! 

DETROIT 
D.  O.  HAYNES  &  COMPANY 

1887 


H-frJ 


"  Why  should  we  seek  to  clothe  death  with  unnecessary  terror,  and 
spread  horror  round  the  tomb  of  those  we  love  1  The  grave  should  be 
surrounded  with  everything  that  might  ensure  tenderness  and  venera- 
tion." —  Washington  Irving. 


"Die  Leichenverbrennung  verdient  die  Achtung,  welche  ihr  um  ihres 
hohen  Werthes  willen  ini  klassischen  Alterthum  gezollt  wurde,  auch 
heute  noch,  da  sie  die  einzige  Art  der  Todtenbestattung  ist,  die  vor  den 
schrecklichen  Folgen  der  Verwesungsduenste  sichert  und  das  bei  der 
Leichenbeerdigung  so  oft  vorgekommene  Wiedererwachen  im  Grabe 
verhuetet."  —  J.  P.  Trusen. 

"Si  nous  sommes  une  statue 
Sculptee  a  l'image  de  Dieu ; 
Quand  cette  image  est  abattue, 
Jetons-en  les  debris  au  feu ! 

Toi,  forme  immortelle,  remonte 
Dans  la  flamme,  aux  sources  du  Beau, 
Sans  que  ton  argile  ait  la  honte 
Et  les  miseres  du  tombeau  ! " 

—  Theophile  Gautier. 


Copyright,  1887, 
By  Hugo  Erichsen. 


J.  S.  Cushing  &  Co.,  Printers,  Boston. 


TO 

WILLIAM    EASSIE,   C.E.,   F.L.S., 

Honorary  Secretary  of  the  Cremation  Society  of  England, 

and 

DR.   PROSPER   DE   PIETRA-SANTA, 

of  Paris, 

THIS    VOLUME    IS    DEDICATED 

as  a  mark  of  high  esteem,  and   in   recognition  of  their  untiring 

labor  in   behalf  of  that  greatest  of  all  sanitary 

reforms,  cremation,   by  their 

sincere  admirer, 

THE    AUTHOR. 


PREFACE. 


]~  T  is  hardly  necessary  to  explain  the  purpose  of  this 
-L-  work.  It  is  an  appeal  to  the  general  public ;  a  plea 
for  the  burning  of  the  dead.  The  period  of  fierce  and 
fanatic  opposition  to  cremation  has  passed,  and  made 
way  for  a  calm  consideration  of  the  subject.  In  1874 
a  Persian  gentleman,  then  a  resident  of  one  of  the 
Eastern  States  of  our  own  free  and  great  republic,  who 
wanted  to  have  his  wife  cremated,  was  compelled  by  an 
ignorant  mob  to  resort  to  interment.  Happily  we  are 
over  that  now. 

It  is  astonishing  that  the  cremation  question  has  not 
been  taken  hold  of  by  the  literarians  of  our  country ; 
there  is  hardly  a  subject  that  rewards  its  student  so 
well  as  cremation,  and  future  writers  on  incineration, 
not  hampered  by  the  literary  inexperience  under  which 
I  have  labored,  will  reap  a  rich  harvest  indeed  when 
they  devote  their  talent  and  time  to  the  reform. 

I  would  counsel  those  who  are  in  favor  of  cremation 
to  immediately  put  in  writing  their  desire  to  have  their 
body  committed  to  the  flames  after  death  instead  of 
having  it  consigned  to  "dirt  and  darkness."  Such  writ- 
ten requests  should  be  preserved  in  places  where  they 
can  be  easily  found  after  decease ;  for  instance,  in  the 
writing-desk.  If  every  individual  promotor  of  the  re- 
form, male  or  female,  considering  the  uncertainty  of 
life,  would  follow  this  advice,  cremation  would  speedily 
prevail. 


Vlll  PREFACE. 

I  am  sensible  of  the  many  defects  of  this  book,  but  I 
trust  that  it  will  be  found  to  furnish  some  useful  infor- 
mation which  cannot  well  be  obtained  elsewhere,  be- 
sides proving  an  assistance  to  those  who  are  desirous  of 
stud}7ing  the  question  more  fully. 

I  desire  to  express  my  indebtedness  to  crematists  in 
all  parts  of  the  world  for  the  valuable  assistance  I  re- 
ceived from  them  in  the  preparation  of  this  volume. 

For  all  who  like  cleanliness,  for  all  who  love  true 
sentiment,  for  all  friends  of  economy,  for  all  who  ven- 
erate their  dead,  and  for  all  who  are  not  afraid  of  re- 
formj  the  following  pages  were  written. 

It  only  remains  to  express  the  thanks  due  the  follow- 
ing gentlemen  for  permission  to  use  illustrations  with- 
out which  this  book  would  have  been  decidedly  in- 
complete :  Messrs.  Dodd,  Mead  &  Co.,  Cyrus  K.  Rem- 
ington, Augustus  Cobb,  Albert  Meininger,  and  Dr.  M. 
L.  Davis. 

H.  E. 

Detroit,  Feb.  28,  1887. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAGE 

The  History  of  Cremation 1 


CHAPTER  IT. 

The  Evils  of  Burial;   the  Sanitary  Aspect  of   Incin- 
eration   66 

CHAPTER  III. 
Cremation  in  Times  of  War 129 

CHAPTER  IV. 
The  Processes  of  Modern  Cremation ,  140 

CHAPTER  V. 

The  Medico-legal  Aspect  of   Incineration.  —  The  Ob- 
jections to  Cremation 157 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Burial    Alive.  —  Cremation    from    an    ^Esthetic    and 
Religious  Point  of  View 180 

CHAPTER  VII. 

The  Economy  of  Cremating  the  Dead.  —  The  Present 

State  of  the  Cremation  Question 224 


INTRODUCTION. 


Dr.  H.  Erichsen: 

Bear  Sir,  —  In  reply  to  your  request  that  I  should 
write  an  introduction  to  a  work  which  you  are  about 
to  compose  on  cremation,  I  am  placed  in  the  great 
difficulty  of  knowing  nothing  of  your  book,  not  even 
having  seen  its  title-page  or  table  of  contents.  It  is 
quite  impossible,  therefore,  for  me  to  say  how  far  your 
views  and  my  own  may  accord.  But,  as  I  suppose  your 
object  is  to  bring  before  the  people  of  America  proof  of 
the  evil  effects  to  the  living  inseparable  from  the  pres- 
ent mode  of  disposal  of  the  dead  by  burying  them  in 
the  earth,  as  well  ^as  to  show  how  these  evils  may  be 
avoided  by  burning  dead  bodies,  —  in  a  word,  by  the 
substitution  of  cremation  for  burial,  of  purification  for 
putrefaction,  —  I  have  great  pleasure  in  doing  the  little 
that  is  in  my  power  to  assist  in  bringing  a  very  impor- 
tant question  of  sanitary  reform  before  a  thoughtful, 
intelligent,  and  advancing  nation. 

I  do  not  know  how  far  I  am  right  in  supposing  that 
with  you  in  the  West,  as  with  us  in  the  East,  a  knowl- 
edge of  sanitary  science,  of  the  conditions  which  are 
necessary  for  the  health  of  mankind,  is  still  confined  to 
the  comparatively  few  who  may  be  called  the  well  edu- 
cated class.  Nor  do  I  know  how  far  this  knowledge 
has  been  diffused  among  the  classes  of  your  population 
who  have  received  but  little  education.    But  I  do  know 


Xll  INTRODUCTION. 

that  with  us  it  is  the  highest  classes,  in  the  sense  of  the 
best  educated  classes,  who  are  the  most  earnest  in  their 
efforts  to  disseminate  that  branch  of  knowledge  or 
science  which,  in  the  words  of  Parkes,  aims  at  render- 
ing "youth  most  perfect,  decay  less  rapid,  life  more 
vigorous,  and  death  more  remote."  Parkes  is  dead, 
but  he  still  speaks  to  us  by  his  book,  and  he  says :  — 

"  The  disposal  of  the  dead  is  always  a  question  of 
difficulty.  If  the  dead  are  buried,  so  great  at  last  is 
the  accumulation  of  bodies  that  the  whole  country 
round  a  great  city  becomes  gradually  a  vast  cemetery. 
After  death,  the  buried  body  returns  to  its  elements. 
If,  instead  of  being  buried,  the  body  is  burned,  the  same 
process  occurs  more  rapidly.  A  community  must  al- 
ways dispose  of  its  dead,  either  by  burial  in  land  or 
water,  or  by  burning,  or  chemical  destruction  equiva- 
lent to  burning,  or  by  embalming  or  preserving.  The 
eventual  dispersion  of  our  frame  is  the  same  in  all 
cases.  Neither  affection  nor  religion  can  be  outraged 
by  any  manner  of  disposal  of  the  dead  which  is  done 
with  proper  solemnity  and  respect  to  the  earthly  dwell- 
ing-places of  our  friends.  The  question  should  be 
entirely  placed  on  sanitary  grounds.  Burying  in  the 
ground  appears  certainly  to  be  the  most  insanitary 
plan." 

Parkes  died  before  we  had  learned  how  perfectly  and 
cheaply,  how  rapidly  and  inoffensively  cremation  could 
be  carried  on ;  and  he  favored  burying  in  the  sea  rather 
than  in  the  earth,  whenever  the  distance  was  not  too 
great  for  transport.  He  knew  well  how  impossible  it 
is  to  prevent  graveyards  within  towns,  or  suburban 
cemeteries,  from  becoming  sooner  or  later  a  source  of 
danger  or  nuisance  to  the  living,  how  difficult  it  is  to 


INTRODUCTION.  Xlll 

find  a  suitable  site  and  soil,  sufficient  space,  and  to 
secure  proper  regulations  and  management.  These 
difficulties  may  not  be  so  great  amid  your  unlimited 
space  as  with  us ;  but  they  must  be  an  increasing  evil 
in  and  around  your  large  cities.  I  trust,  therefore, 
that  your  work  may  assist  in  the  more  rapid  progress 
of  cremation  as  a  substitute  for  burial. 

With  us  the  legal  objection  has  ceased.  It  is  now 
acknowledged  by  the  government,  and  has  been  de- 
cided by  three  judges  that  if  cremation  is  so  performed 
as  to  create  no  nuisance,  and  incite  to  no  breach  of 
the  peace,  it  is  not  illegal. 

The  religious  objection  has  been  answered  by  the 
Bishop  of  Manchester,  by  Canon  Liddon,  and  by  the 
Earl  of  Shaftesbury.  The  bishop  said  :  "  No  intelligent 
faith  can  suppose  that  any  Christian  doctrine  is  affected 
by  the  manner  in  which  this  mortal  body  of  ours  crum- 
bles into  dust  and  sees  corruption." 

Canon  Liddon  said,  in  a  sermon  at  St.  Paul's  Cathe- 
dral :  — 

"  The  resurrection  of  a  body  from  its  ashes  is  not  a 
greater  miracle  than  the  resurrection  of  an  unburnt 
body ;  each  must  be  purely  miraculous." 

Lord  Shaftesbury  said  to  me  that  any  doubt  as  to  the 
resurrection  of  a  body  because  it  had  been  burnt  was 
an  "  audacious  limitation  of  the  Almighty " ;  and  he 
asked,  "  What,  then,  has  become  of  the  blessed  martyrs 
who  were  burned  at  the  stake  in  ancient  and  modern 
persecution  ?  " 

The  medico-legal  objection  that  murdered  or  poisoned 
persons  if  burned  could  not  be  exhumed,  as  is  some- 
times done  if  suspicion  of  foul  play  arise  after  burial,  is 
answered  by  the  strict  observance  of  proper  regulations 


XIV  INTRODUCTION. 

before  cremation.  -Much  .more  complete  medical  cer- 
tificates as  to  the  cause,  of  death  ..are -Tequired  by  the 
cremation  society  of  "England  than  by  any  cemetery 
company;  and  in  some  cases,  a  post-mortem  examina- 
tion is  insisted  on.  In  this  way,  cremation  becomes  a 
security  to  the  public  against  secret  poisoning  or  any 
form  of  murder. 

The  sentimental  objection  is  that  which  can  only  be 
overcome  by  time  and  education.  When  the  people 
know  how  great  are  the  evils  dependent  on  burial  in 
the  earth,  even  when  this  is  done  under  the  most  favor- 
able conditions,  how  seldom  these  conditions  can  be 
secured,  and,  when  the  knowledge  becomes  general 
that  when  a  human  body  which  would  require  five, 
ten,  or  twenty  years  to  slowly  putrefy  in  any  soil  can 
in  one  hour  be  cheaply  and  inoffensively  converted  into 
a  white  ash,  public  sentiment  must  favor  cremation  in 
place  of  corruption,  and  for  putrefaction  substitute 
purification.  The  same  religious  ceremonial  might 
accompany  either  mode  of  disposal  of  the  dead.  The 
ashes  might  be  dispersed  to  the  winds,  harmlessly 
buried,  or  preserved  in  urns  near  monuments  or  memo- 
rial tablets  in  our  cemeteries,  or  beneath  or  around  any 
place  of  worship,  or  in  any  family  mausoleum,  or  in 
some  park,  public  garden,  or  any  ornamental  open 
space  near  a  great  city,  as  the  wishes  of  the  dead  or  of 
the  surviving  relations  and  friends  may  prefer. 

Here,  we  hope  the  city  of  London  will  be  the  first 
municipal  body  in  the  Kingdom  to  set  the  example  in 
this  sanitary  reform.     But,  perhaps,  the  impetus  may 
be  given  by  our  American  cousins  and  brothers. 
I  am,  dear  sir,  faithfully  yours, 

T.   SPENCER   WELLS. 


'  JAN   5    1888 r 


THE   HISTORY   OF   CREMATION. 

Ye  in  the  age  gone  by, 
Who  ruled  the  world  —  a  world  how  lovely  then 
And  guided  still  the  steps  of  happy  men 
In  the  light  leading-strings  of  careless  joy ! 
Before  the  bed  of  death 

No  ghastly  spectre  stood — but  from  the  porch 
Of  life,  the  lip  —  one  kiss  inhaled  the  breath, 
And  the  mute,  graceful  genius  lowered  a  torch  ! 

Schiller  :   The  Gods  of  Greece. 

"DRIMEVAL  man  most  likely  disposed  of  his  dead 
-L  by  carrying  them  into  the  woods  or  leaving  them 
anywhere  above  ground,  a  prey  to  animals  of  all  kinds. 
But  soon  the  organs  of  sight  and  smell  took  offense 
at  the  mutilated  and  decayed  corpses,  and  they  were 
buried.  With  the  increase  of  population  it  became 
necessary  to  render  the  dead  innocuous  to  the  living, 
and  then,  perhaps,  cremation  was  originally  resorted  to 
as  a  means  of  protecting  the  living  from  the  effects  of 
corruption. 

In  the  early  stages  of  the  world's  history,  when  there 
was  plenty  of  available  land,  interment  was  of  course  a 
very  cheap  process,  and  therefore  often  resorted  to  by 
the  poorer  classes,  but  persons  of  intelligence  and  educa- 
tion always  preferred  incineration  as  the  better  method 
of  clisposi::j  cf  dead  bodies. 

In  the  gradual  growth  among  scientists  of  the  belief 


CREMATION    OF    THE    DEAD. 


A  ROMAN    COLUMBARIUM. 


THE   HISTORY   OE   CREMATION.  3 

that  cremation  is  preferable  to  the  present  system  of 
inhumation,  is  seen  another  instance  of  modern  civiliza- 
tion borrowing  the  ideas  of  the  far-distant  past. 

The  pendulum  by  which  the  world's  age  is  measured 
swings  in  an  immense  arc.  Now,  after  thousands  of 
years,  the  views  of  the  leaders  of  human  thought  are 
swinging  back  to  that  expressed  by  some  of  the  earliest 
peoples. 

Incineration  is  a  most  ancient  practice.  It  has  always 
been  a  matter  of  difficulty  to  ascertain  the  origin  of 
ancient  customs.  In  the  case  of  cremation  the  histo- 
rians have  not  been  able  to  discover  the  date  when  it 
was  first  practiced.  The  history  of  ancient  crema- 
tion, however,  can  be  traced  to  nearly  2000  years  be- 
fore Christ.  Incineration  is  regarded  by  some  authors 
as  the  outcome  of  the  sun-worship  of  the  Phoenicians. 
Their  solar  god  (Helios)  —  the  Melikertes  of  the  Greeks 
—  was  represented  by  them  as  burning  himself,  whereby 
they  wanted  to  indicate  the  ever-returning  solar  year. 
Among  the  ancient  nations,  the  sun  was  especially  re- 
vered and  worshipped  by  the  Persians,  Egyptians,  and 
the  Sabian  Arabs.  At  Heliopolis,  Phoenicia,  and  Pal- 
myra, Syria,  there  were  celebrated  temples  consecrated 
to  the  sun.  In  some  of  the  countries  mentioned,  horses 
which  were,  on  account  of  their  celerity,  regarded  as 
symbols  of  the  sun  were  sacrificed  to  this  celestial  body. 

Some  authors  ascribe  the  origin  of  cremation  to 
the  self-immolation  of  Hercules.  Dr.  Le  Moyne,  the 
founder  of  the  first  crematorium  erected  in  the  United 
States,  asserted  that  the  first  authenticated  case  of 
burning  the  dead  was  the  proposed  incineration  of 
Isaac,  and  that,  although  it  was  not  consummated,  it 
was  fully  authorized  by  the  Deity.     In  consequence  he 


4  CREMATION    OF    THE    DEAD. 

argues  that  cremationists  stand  in  the  shadow  of  the 
Lord,  and  that  any  one  who  opposes  them  commits  a 
sacrilege. 

I  do  not  believe  that  incineration,  as  some  of  its 
antagonists  have  imputed,  had  its  origin  in  a  heathen 
religion,  but  I  am  quite  certain,  from  existing  evidence, 
that  it  was  originally  resorted  to  upon  sanitary  grounds, 
and  as  a  means  to  protect  the  living  against  corruption. 

It  may  be  possible  that  incremation  owes  its  origin 
to  the  ancient  nomadic  tribes  that  burnt  their  dead  and 
carried  the  ashes  with  them.  Among  agricultural  peo- 
ples, those  who  died  in  war,  and  while  hunting,  were 
sometimes  consigned  to  the  flames,  either  because  the 
grave  would  not  protect  them  from  wild  animals,  or 
because  it  was  desired  to  return  the  ashes  to  the  rela- 
tives, who  would  keep  them  sacred. 

The  origin  of  incineration,  as  appears  from  what  I 
have  said,  is  surrounded  with  a  great  deal  of  obscurity. 
It  is,  however,  an  established  fact  that  the  Orient  was 
the  birthplace  of  cremation. 

The  Egyptians  first  buried  their  dead,  then  embalmed 
them,  and,  according  to  Walker,  at  a  period  not  stated, 
abolished  embalming  and  substituted  burning.  They 
performed  incineration  by  placing  the  corpse  in  an  ami- 
anthus receptacle,  which,  remaining  intact,  kept  the 
bones  apart  from  the  fuel. 

The  tombs  of  the.  Assyrians,  discovered  on  the  banks 
of  the  Tigris  and  Euphrates,  furnish  us  with  unmistak- 
able evidence  of  the  fact  that  the  burning  of  the  dead 
was  not  unknown  to  them.  The  same  applies  to  the 
Babylonians.  The  tombs  of  both  peoples  when  explored 
were  found  to  contain  urns  holding  human  bones  and 
ashes;   these  urns  were  often  very  large,  being  some- 


THE   HISTORY   OF   CREMATION.  5 

times  of  sufficient  size  to  admit  the  body  of  an  adult. 
The  Persians  either  burned  their  dead  or  dissolved 
them  in  aqua  fortis.  Yet  they  also  practiced  burial  in 
deep  sepulchres  that  had  niches  in  which  the  bodies 
were  deposited  upon  slabs. 

The  Hebrews  commonly  interred  their  deceased,  but 
incineration  was  likewise  practiced.  The  Mosaic  code 
prescribed  that  those  who  transgressed  the  laws  of 
wedlock  and  chastity  should  be  put  to  death  by  fire. 
In  I.  Moses  xxxviii.  24,  we  find  the  first  evidence  of 
this.  The  third  book  of  Moses,  xx.  14  and  xxi.  9,  also 
bears  testimony  to  this  fact.  Thus  we  see  that  cinera- 
tion  was  looked  upon  by  this  people  of  antiquity  in  the 
early  period  of  its  history  as  a  punishment  for  offenders 
against  the  married  state  and  chastity.  It  is  barely  pos- 
sible (deductions  one  may  draw  from  certain  passages 
in  the  books  of  Moses)  that  the  ancient  Jews  first 
stoned  these  disobedients,  then  burned  their  bodies 
publicly,  and  finally  erected  a  so-called  mound  of  in- 
famy over  their  remains. 

But  as  we  follow  Hebrew  history,  we  soon  find  that 
cremation  was  transformed  from  a  humiliating  act  of 
punition  to  the  highest  honor,  to  a  distinction  that  was 
only  accorded  to  royalty.  The  first  king  of  Israel  was 
cremated  after  the  battle  with  the  Philistines  in  Mount 
Gilboa,  where  he  and  his  three  sons  fell.  The  Holy 
Bible  relates  how,  when  the  inhabitants  of  Jabesh- 
gilead  heard  of  that  which  the  Philistines  had  done  to 
Saul  (I.  Samuel  xxxi.  12)  :  "  All  the  valiant  men  arose, 
and  went  all  night,  and  took  the  bodies  of  Saul  and  the 
bodies  of  his  sons  from  the  wall  of  Beth-shan,  and  came 
to  Jabesh  and  burnt  them  there." 

And  verse  13  of  the  same  chapter  informs  us :  "  And 


6  CREMATION    OF    THE    DEAD. 

they  took  their  bones  (ossilegio)  and  buried  them  under 
a  tree  at  Jabesh  and  fasted  seven  days." 

Asa,  king  of  Judah,  was  also  consigned  to  the  funeral 
pyre,  as  we  glean  from  II.  Chronicles  xvi.  14 :  "  And 
they  buried  him  in  his  own  sepulchres,  which  he  had 
made  for  himself  in  the  city  of  David,  and  laid  him  in  the 
bed  which  was  filled  with  sweet  odors  and  divers  kinds  of 
spices  prepared  by  the  apothecaries'  art ;  and  they  made 
a  very  great  burning  of  him."  Of  Asa's  grandson,  King 
Jehoram,  it  is  said  that  his  people  cremated  him  not 
like  his  fathers,  because  he  had  furthered  idolatry. 

On  the  other  hand,  Isaiah  xxx.  33  refers  to  a  large 
pyre  that  was  kept  alight  to  consume  the  bodies  of  the 
deceased  :  "  For  Tophet  is  ordained  of  old ;  yea,  for  the 
king  it  is  prepared ;  he  hath  made  it  deep  and  large ; 
the  pile  thereof  is  fire  and  much  wood;  the  breath  of 
the  Lord  like  a  stream  of  brimstone  doth  kindle  it." 

Jeremiah  (xxxiv.  5)  prophesied  of  Zedekiah,  another 
king  of  Judah,  that  he  would  be  burned  with  the  same 
honors  that  attended  the  cremation  of  his  predecessors. 
And  in  Amos  vi.  10,  we  find  the  following,  which  also 
points  to  incineration:  "And  a  man's  uncle  shall  take 
him  up,  and  he  that  burneth  him,  to  bring  out  the  bones 
out  of  the  house,"  etc. 

The  last  passage  cited  and  the  one  mentioning  the 
Vale  of  Tophet,  are  construed  by  some  writers  as  mean- 
ing that  the  ancient  Jews  had  recourse  to  cremation  in 
great  plagues ;  id  est,  for  hygienic  reasons. 

Now,  although  these  quotations  plainly  show  that  the 
Israelites  of  old  did  execute  incineration,  we  also  learn 
from  them  that  the  practice  was  never  general ;  at  first 
confined  to  criminals,  at  last  to  kings. 

It  is   impossible   to   determine   when   the   custom  of 


THE   HISTORY   OF   CREMATION.  T 

burning  the  dead  originated  among  the  Hindoos.  It 
was  always  connected  with  religious  observances,  and 
known  to  the  people  of  India  since  the  earliest  times. 
It  was  restricted  to  certain  classes  or  castes :  mainly  to 
brahmins  and  warriors.  The  merchants,  mechanics,  and 
the  tillers  of  the  soil  were  interred.  Children  under 
two  years  of  age  were  barred  from  cremation,  and  had 
to  be  buried  in  the  earth.  Some  religious  sects,  how- 
ever, were  an  exception  from  this  rule  and  executed 
cineration  indiscriminately  —  for  instance  the  believers 
in  Vishnu.  When  a  Hindoo  died  away  from  home,  or 
when  his  body  was  lost  and  could  not  be  found,  his 
relatives  instituted  a  symbolical  ceremony.  They 
gathered  360  leaves  of  a  certain  shrub  and  as  many 
woolen  threads.  The}^  were  under  the  impression  that 
the  human  body  consisted  of  360  parts.  Of  the  threads 
and  leaves  they  formed  a  figure,  somewhat  resembling 
the  human  form,  which  was  wound  round  with  a  strip 
of  the  hide  of  a  black  antelope,  which  had  also  been 
previously  wrapped  closely  round  with  woolen  thread. 
This  figure  was  then  besmeared  with  barley-meal  and 
water  and  burnt  as  an  effigy  of  the  missing  body. 

From  India  cremation  extended  to  Europe,  and  was 
adopted  by  all  Indo-Germanic  peoples.  This  was  proven 
by  Prof.  Jacob  Grimm  in  an  oration  on  the  burning  of 
the  dead,  delivered  before  the  Royal  Academy  of 
Sciences  at  Berlin,  in  1849,  in  which  the  famous  scholar 
highly  commended  the  ancient  custom. 

In  old  tombs  on  the  island  of  Malta,  urns  of  a  kind 
of  clay  containing  ashes,  lachrymatories,  several  mort- 
uary lamps  (some  of  excellent  workmanship),  and  the 
model  of  a  mummy,  formed  of  a  green  semi-transparent 
substance,  were  found.       This  discovery  demonstrates 


8  CREMATION    OF    THE    DEAD. 

that  the  orientals  who  inhabited  this  isle  of  the  Medi- 
terranean in  the  earliest  times  were  in  the  habit  of 
cremating  their  deceased. 

The  Thracians  were  the  next  to  embrace  burial  by 
fire.  Of  them  Herodotus  relates  that  they  exhibited  the 
corpse  publicly  for  three  days,  brought  many  offerings, 
and  bewailed  the  deceased.  At  the  termination  of  the 
period  stated,  they  cremated  the  body  and  then  buried 
the  ashes  and  bones.  After  they  had  erected  a  mound 
over  the  remains,  they  played  gymnic  games. 

From  Asia,  by  way  of  Thrace,  cremation  reached 
Greece.  Among  the  Greeks  burial  was  originally 
exceedingly  primitive,  as  we  learn  from  a  law  that  com- 
pelled passers-by  to  place  a  handful  of  earth  upon  the 
breast  of  every  unburied  corpse.  Interment  undoubt- 
edly preceded  cremation  in  Greece.  Heraclitus  ad- 
vanced the  theory  that  everything  in  existence  was 
created  from  fire.  Therefore  he  argued  that  all  corpses 
must  be  burned  to  free  the  soul  from  all  material 
matter,  and  to  return  it  to  its  primitive  elements. 
According  to  JSustachius  Hercules  burned  the  body  of 
Argius,  the  son  of  Likymnios,  1500  years  before  Christ. 
He  had  promised  the  father  to  return  the  youth,  but 
when  the  latter  fell  in  mortal  combat,  nothing  remained 
for  him  but  to  cremate  Argius  and  to  bring  home  with 
him  the  ashes  to  the  sorrowful  parent.  Hercules  was 
unquestionably  the  first  to  cremate  himself.  When  he 
was  tormented  by  the  pangs  of  approaching  death,  he 
built  a  pyre  and  ordered  his  servant  to  ignite  it.  When 
the  servant  failed  to  set  the  wood  afire,  Hercules  de- 
scended from  the  pyre,  kindled  it  himself  and  again 
mounted  it  to  await  his  fate. 

Pliny  was  disposed  to  attribute  the  origin  of  incinera- 


THE   HISTORY   OF   CREMATION. 


9 


do u  among  the  Greeks  to  their  custom  of  burning  the 
dead  on  the  field  of  battle,  to  render  them  secure  from 
the  revenge  of  the  enemy. 

Be  that  as  it  may,  certain  it  is  that  incineration  never 
became  the  only  mode  by  which  the  inhabitants  of  Hel- 
las disposed  of  their  deceased ;  except  in  Athens,  where 
it  was  practiced  exclusively  for  some  time.  Suicides, 
those  who  had  been  struck  by  lightning,  and  unteethed 
children  were  not  cremated,  for  it  was  the  prevailing 
opinion  that  the  pure  flames  would 
have  been  defiled  by  them. 

Homer,  that  incomparable  Hellenic 
poet  (There  is,  I  know,  a  dispute 
whether  the  name  Homer  stands  for 
one  person  or  for  a  number  of  bards. 
As  far  as  I  am  concerned,  I  believe 
that  Homer  was  an  individual,  a  poor 
mendicant  perhaps,  wandering  all  over 
Greece,  singing  or  reciting  his  heroic 
epics,  and  living  on  the  grace  of  an 
admiring  public.  No  collection  of 
bards  could  have  possibly  written  the 
Odyssey  and  Iliad,  which  are  so  uni-  greek  funeral  i 
form  in  character  throughout.),  has 
preserved  for  us,  in  immortal  verse,  the  records  of  the 
Trojan  war,  in  which  we  find  many  instances  of  cre- 
mation chronicled.  The  recent  explorations  of  Dr. 
Heinrich  Schliemann  on  the  site  of  Troy  have  dem- 
onstrated beyond  a  doubt  that  the  poems  of  Homer 
rest  on  a  basis  of  actual  fact. 

During  the  war  that  was  fought  for  Helen  the  beau- 
tiful, it  was  customary  among  the  Greeks  and  Trojans 
to  reduce  to  ashes  the  bodies  of  those  who  had  been 


10  CREMATION   OF   THE   DEAD. 

slain  in  battle.  Line  69  of  the  first  book  of  the  Iliad 
proves  that  the  Greeks  burned  their  dead  for  sanitary 
reasons. 

The  bodies  of  cowards,  criminals,  and  slaves  were 
not  incinerated,  but  left  unburied,  a  prey  for  the  beasts 
of  the  field  and  the  birds  of  the  air.  Agamemnon, 
the  king,  addressing  his  warriors  warns  them  (vide 
Pope's  translation  of  the  Iliad,  B.  II,  L.  466)  that,  dur- 
ing battle :  — 

"  Who  dares,  inglorious,  in  his  ships  to  stay, 
Who  dares  to  tremble  on  this  signal  day, 
That  wretch,  too  mean  to  fall  by  martial  power, 
The  birds  shall  mangle,  and  the  dogs  devour." 

Incineration  was  denied  Ajax,  one  of  the  greatest 
Grecian  heroes,  because  he  had  slain  himself  in  a  fit  of 
indignation.  Hector's  defiance  of  the  Greek  princes 
(Iliad,  B.  VII,  L.  85)  shows  that  it  was  also  the  cus- 
tom among  the  Trojans  to  burn  the  dead.  There  is 
further  evidence  of  this  in  the  truce,  between  Priam 
and  Agamemnon  (vide  Iliad,  B.  VII,  L.  398  and  450), 
for  the  purpose  of  burning  the  dead  of  both  armies. 
Homer's  narration  of  the  burning  of  Patroclus,  Achil- 
les' friend,  gives  such  an  accurate  description  of  the 
method  then  in  use,  that  I  will  be  pardoned  for  quoting 
it  here.  The  passage  to  which  I  refer  occurs  in  the 
twenty-third  book  of  the  Iliad,  and  is  as  follows :  — 

"  They  who  had  the  dead  in  charge 
Remained,  and  heaped  the  wood  and  built  a  pyre 
A  hundred  feet  each  way  from  side  to  side. 
With  sorrowful  hearts  they  raised  and  laid  the  corpse 
Upon  the  summit.     Then  they  flayed  and  dressed 
Before  it  many  fatlings  of  the  flock, 
And  oxen  with  curved  feet  and  crooked  horns. 


THE   HISTORY   OF   CREMATION.  11 

From  these  magnanimous  Achilles  took 
The  fat,  and  covered  with  it  carefully 
The  dead  from  head  to  foot.     Beside  the  bier 
And  leaning  toward  it,  jars  of  honey  and  oil 
He  placed,  and  flung,  with  many  a  deep-drawn  sigh, 
Twelve  high-necked  steeds  upon  the  pile. 
Nine  hounds  there  were,  which  from  the  tables  of  the  prince 
Were  daily  fed  ;  of  these  Achilles  struck 
The  heads  from  two,  and  laid  them  on  the  wood, 
And  after  these,  and  last,  twelve  gallant  sons 
Of  the  brave  Trojans,  butchered  by  the  sword; 
For  he  was  bent  on  evil.     To  the  pile 
He  put  the  iron  violence  of  fire, 
And,  wailing,  called  by  name  the  friend  he  loved. 
********* 

.  .  .  They  quenched  with  dark  red  wine 
The  pyre,  where'er  the  flames  had  spread,  and  where 
Lay  the  deep  ashes  :  then,  with  many  tears, 
Gathered  the  white  bones  of  their  gentle  friend, 
And  laid  them  in  a  golden  vase,  wrapped  round 
With  caul,  a  double  fold.     Within  the  tents 
They  placed  them  softly,  wrapped  in  delicate  lawn ; 
Then  drew  a  circle  for  the  sepulchre, 
And,  laying  its  foundations  to  enclose 
The  pyre,  they  heaped  the  earth,  and,  having  reared 
A  mound,  withdrew." 

These  lines  are  from  William  Cullen  Bryant's  trans- 
lation of  the  Iliad,  and  give  one  a  very  good  idea  of 
the  cineration  of  a  warrior.  In  times  of  peace  the 
favorite  animals  of  the  deceased  were  placed  with  him 
on  the  funeral  pile,  and  he  was  covered  with  costly 
robes  and  rugs.  Not  infrequently  the  pyre  was  deco- 
rated with  an  abundance  of  flowers,  and  rich  folks  had 
their  trinkets  and  jewels  thrown  into  the  fire.  The 
weapons  of  warriors  were  consumed  with  them.  The 
extravagance  at  funerals  finally  became  so  great  among 


12  CREMATION    OF    THE    DEAD. 

the  Greeks  that  special  laws  had  to  be  enacted  to  put  a 
stop  to  it.  Solon  ordained,  for  instance,  that  no  more 
than  three  robes  and  one  bull  should  be  placed  upon 
the  cremation  pyre.  After  the  bones  were  placed  in 
an  urn,  the  Greeks  covered  it  with  the  fat  of  the  ani- 
mals that  had  been  slaughtered  at  the  funeral  ceremo- 
nies, to  protect  it  from  the  influence  of  the  atmosphere. 
Many  of  the  celebrated  men  of  Greece  were  cremated : 
Solon,  Alcibiades,  Timoleon,  Philopoemen,  Plutarch, 
Pyrrhus,  and  many  others. 

According  to  Pindar  (01.  6,  23,  Nem.  9,  54),  during 
the  combat  of  the  Seven  against  Thebes,  funeral  pyres 
were  burning  at  each  of  the  seven  gates  of  the  city,  to 
consume  those  slain  in  battle.  The  heathens,  as  they 
are  called,  were  not  to  be  charged  with  any  lack  of 
respect  to  their  departed  dead.  On  the  contrary,  the 
most  tender  sentiments  conceivable  were  attached  to 
the  practice  of  cremation.  There  was  a  Theban  regu- 
lation that  no  one  should  build  a  house  without  a 
specific  repository  for  the  dead. 

^Eneas  and  the  other  Trojans,  who  escaped  with  him 
from  the  burning  city  of  the  hundred  gates  (as  Priam's 
capital  was  sometimes  called),  introduced  cremation 
(Virgil's  ^Eneid,  B.  IV,  7)  into  Carthage,  if  it  did  not 
exist  there  previous  to  their  arrival.  It  is  possible  that 
the  inhabitants  of  Carthage,  which  was  one  of  the  Phoe- 
nician cities  in  Africa,  derived  the  practice  from  the 
mother-country.  At  all  events,  the  tragedy  of  love, 
in  which  iEneas  was  involved,  ended  with  the  suicide 
of  Dido,  who  cremated  herself. 

The  eleventh  book  of  the  iEneis  gives  a  description 
of  an  incineration  among  the  ancient  inhabitants  of 
Latium. 


THE    HISTOKY   OF   CREMATION.  13 

Self-cremation  seems  to  have  been  one  of  the  favor- 
ite means  of  disposing  of  one's  self  in  ancient  times, 
especially  among  the  royalty  and  aristocracy.  Both 
tradition  and  history  report  of  many  women,  friends, 
and  servants  who,  of  their  own  free  will,  mounted  the 
funeral  pyre  with  the  departed  head  of  the  family. 
Besides  Hercules  and  Dido,  already  mentioned,  Sarda- 
napalus,  the  last  king  of  the  Assyrians,  burned  himself 
in  the  year  600  before  Christ,  because  the  Tigris  had 
destroyed  the  fortifications  of  besieged  Nineveh,  and 
the  following  also  mounted  the  pyre  for  the  same  pur- 
pose :  Marpessa,  Polydora,  and  Cleopatra  (Vide  Pausa- 
nias,  4,  2),  three  noble  women  of  Messenia,  and  Euadne, 
the  wife  of  Capaneus,  who  threw  herself  into  the  flames 
which  consumed  her  husband.  The  pyre  of  Sardanapa- 
lus,  we  are  told,  was  very  large  and  contained  many 
rooms,  which  were  elegantly  furnished,  and  in  which 
the  royal  treasures  were  heaped  up,  before  the  king 
entered  them  with  his  women,  while  his  servants  set  the 
pile  on  fire.  It  is  well  known  that  the  widows  of  India, 
until  very  recently,  perished  of  their  own  free  will  in 
the  flames  that  consumed  their  husbands. 

Herodotus  states  that  the  women  of  the  Thracians, 
in  Eastern  Europe,  who  were  probably  of  Germanic 
origin,  frequently  disputed  among  themselves  as  to 
which  of  them  should  be  allowed  to  ascend  the  pyre 
together  with  the  deceased  husband.  (Enone,  the  law- 
ful wife  of  Paris,  whom  he  had  forsaken  to  live  with 
Helen  the  beautiful,  forgot  all  her  grievances  at  the 
sight  of  his  misfortune.  When  the  man,  whom  she 
had  formerly  loved  so  ardently,  wounded  by  the  arrow 
of  Philoctetes,  fled  to  her  into  the  Ida,  she  refused  to 
cure  him ;    but  when  the   greedy  flames,   after  death, 


14 


CKEMATION     OF    THE    DEAD. 


devoured  his  form,  she  voluntarily  ascended  the  pyre 
to  intermix  her  ashes  with  his.  Thus  are  the  ways  of 
the  world;  the  noble  deed  of  the  faithlessly  deserted 
wife  is  hardly  ever  mentioned,  but  frivolous  Helena  was 


CREMATION   IN  CALCUTTA. 


made  the  subject  of  many  works  of  art,  and  leads  an 
immortal  life  in  the  songs  and  poems  of  man. 

The  ancient  Etruscans  practiced  cremation,  both  be- 
fore and  after  Etruria  became  a  Roman  province ;  they, 
no  doubt,  adopted  it  from  the  Greeks,  who  were  first 
their  rulers  and  afterward  their  close  neighbors.     The 


THE   HISTORY   OF    CREMATION.  15 

tombs  of  Etruria  were  rich  in  art;  the  urns  in  which 
the  ashes  of  the  dead  were  kept  were  either  of  alabas- 
ter or  baked  clay,  the  latter  often  being  decorated  with 
tasty  paintings. 

The  ancient  Latins,  in  turn,  borrowed  the  practice  of 
incineration  from  the  Etruscans.  According  to  Mazois, 
some  cinerary  urns,  found  in  the  neighborhood  of  Alba 
Longa,  prove  that  the  custom  of  burning  the  dead  was 
current  among  the  original  population  of  Latium  long  be- 
fore any  recorded  epoch  of  Italian  history,  for  the  place 
in  which  those  urns  were  detected  was  covered  entirely 
over  with  dense  layers  of  lava,  which  apparently  came 
from  the  mountain  Albanus,  a  volcano,  the  eruptions 
of  which  have  long  been  buried  in  oblivion.  The  urns 
mentioned  are  especially  noteworthy,  because  many  of 
them  bear  pictures  of  the  habitations  of  the  earliest 
residents  of  Latium,  which  shows  that  cremation  was 
known  to  them  at  that  time.  Such  a  hut  of  the  abo- 
rigines of  Latium  was  preserved  for  a  long  time  in  the 
capitol  at  Rome  and  was  regarded  with  great  rever- 
ence. It  is  but  natural  that  the  Latins,  on  becoming 
the  founders  of  Rome,  should  have  introduced  inciner- 
ation into  their  new  home.  Pliny  asserts  that  the 
burning  of  the  dead  was  not  customary  among  the 
Romans  of  old,  but  Virgil  describes  it  as  a  usage  that 
existed  long  before  the  foundation  of  Rome,  and  Ovid 
affirms  that  the  body  of  Remus  was  committed  to  the 
flames. 

Cremation  was  not  in  general  favor  among  the 
Romans  until  towards  the  termination  of  the  republic. 
Pliny  relates  that  Sylla  (78  B.C.)  was  the  first  of  the 
patrician  Cornelians  who  wanted  his  body  to  be  burned ; 
most  likely  because  he  feared  that  his  remains  would  be 


16  CREMATION    OF    THE    DEAD. 

dealt  with  as  those  of  Marius  had  been  treated,  whose 
body  was  exhumed  by  the  order  of  Sylla,  and  thrown 
into  a  glutted  general  grave.  During  the  decline  of  the 
republic  and  the  period  of  the  empire,  till  the  accession 
of  the  Christian  emperors,  incineration  was  very  popular 
in  Rome;  it  was  not  only  general  in  the  capital,  but 
also  in  the  provinces.  Julius  Caesar,  Antonius,  Brutus, 
Pompejus,  Octavius,  Augustus,  Tiberius,  Caligula,  Nero, 
and  Plinius  were  cremated.  The  ashes  of  Tacitus,  the 
model  of  historians,  who  was  likewise  consigned  to  the 
flames,  were  cast  to  the  winds  in  the  middle  ages  by 
Pope  Pius  the  Fifth,  in  order  to  punish  the  heretic. 
Just  think  of  it !  a  pontiff  outraging  a  scholar's  remains 
to  punish  him !  Caligula  and  Tiberius  were  only  par- 
tially burnt,  because  they  had  been  tyrants. 

At  Nero's  obsequies  it  was  but  with  difficulty  that 
the  train  achieved  complete  cremation.  The  Roman 
aristocracy  looked  upon  partial  cineration  as  a  great  dis- 
grace, which  adhered  to  the  respective  family  a  long 
time.  Yet  this  infamy  was  often  meted  out  to  the  poor 
and  unfortunate,  as  we  shall  see  later  on. 

During  plagues  cremation  was  compulsory  in  the  city 
of  Rome. 

It  is  not  my  intention  to  describe  in  detail  the  funeral 
rites  of  the  ancient  Romans,  because  a  description  of 
cremation  as  practiced  by  them  may  be  met  with  in 
every  encyclopaedia.  Moreover,  a  very  good  account  of 
incineration,  as  customary  among  the  Romans  of  old, 
may  be  found  in  Lord  Bulwer  Lytton's  "The  Last 
Days  of  Pompeii." 

It  was  the  fashion  at  Rome  to  pour  fragrant  oils  and 
balsams  over  the  corpse  before  the  pyre  was  ignited, 
and  to  cover  it  with  Cyprus  boughs.    Previous  to  crema- 


THE   HISTORY    OF   CREMATION.  17 

tion,  the  corpse  was  enveloped  in  asbestos,  to  keep  the 
ashes  of  the  body  separate  from  those  of  the  funeral 
pile.  At  times  locks  of  hair  were  sacrificed  to  the  de- 
ceased. At  last  one  finger  of  the  defunct  was  ampu- 
tated, to  make  certain  that  death  had  taken  place. 
Everything  being  ready,  the  nearest  relative  present 
unclosed  the  eyes  of  the  deceased,  and  then  lit  the  pyre 
with  averted  face.  While  the  flames  rose  to  heaven, 
the  favorite  animals  of  him  who  was  now  being  con- 
sumed—  dogs,  doves,  and  even  horses  —  were  flung  into 
the  fire.  Costly  robes  and  arms  of  the  dead  were  con- 
signed to  the  same  fate.  During  the  early  period  of 
Roman  history,  prisoners  of  war  were  also  committed  to 
the  flames. 

The  amount  of  spices,  oils,  and  balsams  destroyed  at 
incinerations  was  enormous.  Pliny  reports  that  Nero 
used  up  more  myrrh,  incense,  and  other  aromatics  at 
the  cremation  of  Poppsea  than  could  be  produced  by 
entire  Arabia  in  one  year. 

While  cremation  was  practiced  in  Rome,  at  the  time 
of  the  empire,  the  mourning  garments  were  white ;  but 
when  incineration  was  displaced  by  interment,  the  rai- 
ment of  the  bereaved  assumed  a  black  hue,  sombre  as 
death  itself. 

The  deceased  poor  of  Rome  (especially  the  women 
and  slaves)  were  treated  shamefully  after  death.  Mar- 
tial avers  that  invariably  one  pile  had  to  serve  for  a 
large  number.  In  times  of  pestilence,  thousands  were 
so  disposed  of.  A  cremation-ground  was  provided  for 
the  indigent  in  a  wretched  suburb  upon  the  Esquiline 
Hill,  which  was  inhabited  by  the  outcasts  of  society,  the 
lowest  prostitutes,  executioners,  necromancers,  and  so 
forth.     These  localities  were  called  culince  by  the  peo- 


18  CREMATION    OF    THE    DEAD. 

pie,  the  literal  translation  of  which  is  "roast-places." 
The  attendants  were  police-slaves,  whose  hair  had  been 
shaved  off,  and  who  wore  a  brand  on  the  bare  pate. 
These,  hurrying  to  and  fro,  placed  the  emaciated  dead 
poor  upon  one  of  the  many  funeral  piles ;  hardly  singed 
by  the  fire,  they  were  taken  from  it  and  thrown  into  a 
universal  ditch.  To  every  ten  male  corpses  one  female 
body  was  added,  which  facilitated  the  cineration  by 
means  of  the  great  quantity  of  adipose  tissue  which  it 
contained.  The  funerals  of  the  poor  were  generally 
held  at  night. 

The  urns  of  the  rich  were  of  marble,  bronze,  and 
sometimes  of  gold  or  silver ;  those  of  the  poor  were  of 
baked  clay  or  glass.  Glass  urns,  enclosed  in  others  of 
lead,  were  discovered  at  Pompeii.  The  urns  were  gen- 
erally deposited  in  a  tomb  at  the  roadside  or  placed  in 
the  pigeon-hole  of  a  columbarium. 

These  columbaria,  surrounded  by  beautiful  gardens, 
were  situated  on  the  Via  Appia,  Aurelia,  Flaminia,  and 
Lavicana.  The  Appian  Way  was  a  favorite  resort  of 
the  fashionable  Roman  world;  here,  daily,  ever-chang- 
ing life  was  seen  ;  here  the  traveller  took  leave  from  the 
remains  of  his  ancestors ;  here,  too,  lovers  met  and 
unfortunates  took  refuge. 

These  columbaria  were  subterranean  chambers  which 
served  (as  I  have  already  explained)  to  hold  the  ashes 
of  the  deceased,  the  urns  being  deposited  in  arched  re- 
cesses, hewn  out  in  the  rock  for  the  purpose.  These 
niches  resembled  pigeon-holes;  hence  the  name,  colum- 
barium. The  rare  beauty  of  these  columbaria,  which 
may  yet  be  seen  in  the  Eternal  City,  led  Nathaniel 
Hawthorne,   our  great  romancer,   to   exclaim    that   he 


THE  HISTORY   OF    CREMATION.  19 

would  not  object  to  being  decently  pigeon-holed  in  a 
Roman  tomb. 


CREMATION    IN    SIAM. 
The  late  queen  and  her  little  daughter  on  the  pyre. 

Campana  discovered  columbaria  between  the  Porta 
Latina  and  the  Porta  San  Sebastiana,  which  are  memo- 


20  CREMATION    OF   THE   DEAD. 

rials  of  the  time  of  Augustus.  They  contain  not  less 
than  400  inscriptions  on  marble,  commemorative  of  the 
dead,  and  many  urns  of  marble  and  terra  cotta. 

In  the  city  of  the  Caesars  the  ashes  were  placed  in 
upright  urns,  while  in  Greece  the  urns  lay  horizontally 
on  the  ground,  and  were  covered  with  rugs.  In  Greece 
the  ashes  were  preserved  in  beautiful  mortuary  cham- 
bers in  the  houses,  a  custom  that  also  obtained  at  Rome 
to  a  certain  extent. 

The  great  contrast  between  the  cremation  of  the  opu- 
lent and  the  poor  finally  led  to  the  re-introduction  of 
earth-burial,  which,  however,  strangely  enough,  was 
coincident  with  the  decline  and  fall  of  the  once  mighty 
empire. 

The  last  Roman  funeral  piles  expired  in  the  fourth 
century,  while  the  Indo-Germanic  nations  practiced  cre- 
mation till  late  in  mediaeval  times. 

The  Germanic  tribes  and  the  Celts  (according  to 
Tacitus  and  Diodorus  of  Sicily)  burned  their  dead  with- 
out exception.  The  testimony  of  these  historians  is 
confirmed  by  Ovicl  (Met.,  Lib.  Ill,  v.  619-620),  who 
adds  that  cremation  was  highly  esteemed  by  these 
peoples. 

Tacitus  (vide  Germania,  Lib.  37),  writing  one  hun- 
dred years  before  Christ,  relates  that  the  ancient  Ger- 
mans preferred  a  plain  funeral  to  funereal  pomp.  Only 
the  bodies  of  celebrated  men  were  cinerated  with  some 
ostentation  on  pyres  built  of  certain  costly  kinds  of 
wood.  They  neither  ornamented  their  funeral  piles, 
nor  did  they  use  spices  at  cremations.  The  arms  of 
every  warrior,  however,  and  sometimes  the  battle-horse, 
were  burnt  with  him.  An  unadorned  mound  was 
raised  over  the  ashes,  and  nothing  was  left  to  mark  the 


THE   HISTORY   OF   CREMATION.  21 

spot  where  one  of  their  kin  had  been  laid  to  rest. 
Criminals  were  not  cremated,  but  pat  to  death  in  vari- 
ous ways;  traitors  and  deserters  were  hanged  to  con- 
venient trees,  and  cowards  drowned  in  swamps. 

The  Thuringians  burned  their  dead  as  late  as  the 
seventh  century;  the  Anglo-Saxons  down  to  the  end  of 
the  eighth  century.  The  Swabians,  Franks,  Lombards, 
Ostrogoths,  Alemanni,  and  Burgundians  disposed  of 
their  deceased  by  fire  till  740  A.D.  Winfrid,  or  Bon- 
iface, the  so-called  apostle  of  the  Germans,  in  a  letter 
refers  to  the  custom  of  fire-burial  among  the  Saxons. 
Charlemange,  who  brought  about  the  conversion  of 
the  Saxons  by  fire  and  sword,  made  a  special  enact- 
ment against  incineration.  The  custom  of  crema- 
tion was  so  deep-rooted  among  the  Saxons,  that  the 
death-penalty  had  to  be  set  upon  its  consummation  in 
order  to  cause  its  abolishment. 

The  ancient  Lithuanians  and  the  forefathers  of  the 
present  Prussians  were  wont  to  consign  their  dead  to 
the  flames.  When  the  ancient  Prussians  were  defeated 
by  the  knights  of  the  Teutonic  order  in  the  year  of  our 
Lord  1249,  their  vanquishers  caused  them  to  promise  in 
writing  that  they  would  henceforth,  after  cremating 
their  deceased  with  horse,  armor,  and  weapons,  collect 
the  remains  and  bury  them  within  the  churchyard, 
according  to  Christian  usage.  There  is  evidence  to 
show  that  cineration  of  the  dead  was  extant  in  Western 
Prussia  until  after  1300  A.D. 

Cinerary  urns,  containing  ashes,  were  discovered  near 
Dantzig,  Prussia,  and  in  Silesia. 

In  the  course  of  forming  a  vineyard  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Wasserbillig,  near  Trier,  numerous  graves  were 
laid  bare,  in  some  of  which  urns  were  found  with  the 


22  CREMATION    OF    THE    DEAD. 

remains  of  cremated  bodies ;  in  others,  skeletons.  In 
the  former  case  the  cinerary  urns  (vide  Sanitary 
Record)  were  surrounded  by  chalkstone  slabs;  one  of 
the  skeletons  was  contained  in  a  sarcophagus  composed 
of  fourteen  roof-tiles.  Nine  of  them  had  the  stamps  of 
the  manufacturer,  the  same  names  being  given  as  those 
of  the  manufacturers  who  furnished  material  for  the 
erection  of  the  Roman  church  which  forms  the  basis  of 
the  cathedral  of  Trier,  and  for  the  Roman  thermal  baths 
at  St.  Barbara.  Judging  from  these  circumstances,  it 
is  assumed  that  the  tombs  date  from  the  middle  of  the 
third  century.  In  one  of  the  graves  a  small  urn  with 
the  representation  of  a  face  was  found. 

In  Trier  itself,  a  large  glass  urn,  with  cover  and 
handles,  was  recently  unearthed.  It  is  a  relic  of  the 
Romans.  When  opened  it  was  found  to  contain  bones. 
Beside  this  urn  five  vases  of  baked  clay  and  several 
ornamented  lamps  were  found. 

The  ancient  Swiss  were  in  the  habit  of  cremating 
their  defunct,  till  the  year  56  before  Christ. 

Julius  Caesar  reports  that  the  Gauls  burned  their 
dead  with  sumptuousness. 

Several  ancient  glass  urns,  containing  calcined  bones, 
were  recently  found  between  two  round  stones,  in  the 
vicinity  of  Chatenet,  France. 

The  Slavonians  observed  incineration  from  the  earliest 
times  to  the  end  of  the  fifteenth  century.  When  one 
of  their  kings  died,  everything  he  might  need  on  awak- 
ening in  paradise  was  placed  with  him  on  the  pyre. 
Beside  intoxicating  drinks,  weapons,  horses,  falcons, 
male  and  female  servants,  and  his  wives,  his  entire 
household  —  comprising  the  minister  of  state,  secretary, 


THE    HISTORY   OF    CREMATION.  23 

mate  at  drinking,  and  physician  —  was  cremated  with 
him. 

The  Slavonian  woman  was  invariably  burned  with 
the  corpse  of  her  husband ;  but  not  vice  versa,  the  hus- 
band with  the  remains  of  his  wife.  When  a  bachelor 
died,  single  women  were  substituted  for  spouses.  The 
chronicles  that  have  descended  to  us  from  the  monks 
affirm  that  these  women  longed  for  such  a  death, 
because  they  hoped  to  secure  eternal  blessedness 
thereby. 

Large  mounds,  called  Kurgani,  were  erected  over  the 
ashes  of  the  cremated.  These  mounds  may  be  seen 
to-day  in  the  boundless  steppes  of  Russia,  where  they 
afford  a  rest  for  the  eyes  from  the  monotonous  scenery. 

Eckehardt  relates  that,  when  Germany  was  invaded 
by  the  Hungarians  in  925  A.D.,  he  witnessed  the  intrud- 
ers cremate  the  bodies  of  the  slain  upon  rack-wagons. 

The  Bohemians  practiced  cremation  as  late  as  1000 

A.D. 

The  Arab  Ibn  Forszlan,  who  was  ambassador  from 
his  native  land  to  the  Russians  in  the  year  of  our  Lord 
922,  states  that  he  attended  the  cineration  of  a  man  of 
rank,  on  the  banks  of  the  Volga  River.  Previous  to  the 
cremation  the  deceased  was  interred,  till  the  robes  of 
state  requisite  for  the  ceremony  were  finished.  Then 
the  ship  of  the  dead  was  drawn  ashore,  the  defunct 
owner  placed  upon  a  bench,  which  had  been  covered 
with  gorgeous  rugs,  and  supplied  with  food,  intoxicat- 
ing beverages,  and  a  number  of  slaughtered  animals. 
Thereupon  a  young  girl,  who  had  voluntarily  offered 
herself  for  incremation  (probably  to  be  the  companion 
of  the  deceased  in  the  other  world),  was  led  aboard  and 
—  after  singing  a  long  chant  to  the  people  and  drinking 


24  CREMATION    OF    THE    DEAD. 

a  goblet  of  mead  —  strangled  and  stabbed  at  the  same 
time.  Then  the  ship  was  deserted,  and  set  afire  by  the 
nearest  relative,  who  performed  this  sad  office  with 
averted  face.  Thereupon  every  one  present  threw  a 
burning  piece  of  wood  upon  the  vessel,  which  was  soon 
consumed.  A  mound  was  erected  on  the  site  on  which 
the  ship  had  stood,  in  the  centre  of  which  a  plank  was 
placed,  bearing  the  name  of  the  departed. 

Old  German  chroniclers  mention  the  cremation  of 
Attila,  the  king  of  the  Tartar  Huns,  who  was  burned 
while  sitting  —  fully  armed  —  upon  his  war-horse.  It 
is  still  an  undecided  question  whether  incineration  was 
general  among  the  Huns,  or  only  a  royal  honor. 

The  Scythians  and  Sarmatians  of  old  reduced  their 
dead  to  ashes,  as  also  did  the  Kurds,  till  1205  a.d.  ;  and 
the  Esthonians  till  1225. 

Cremation  was  likewise  practiced  by  the  ancient 
Scandinavians,  —  more  especially  by  the  Norwegians 
and  Swedes  than  by  the  Danes.  The  national  Scandi- 
navian epic,  the  Edda,  mentions  the  funeral  piles  of 
Sigurdh  and  Brynhilde. 

The  ancient  Britons  disposed  of  their  dead  by  fire. 
Some  workmen  engaged  in  excavations  in  the  bail 
within  the  boundaries  of  the  old  Roman  city  at  Lincoln 
lately  came  across  a  crematorium  and  a  sarcophagus. 
In  the  latter  ten  urns  were  found,  which  contained 
ashes  and  calcined  bones.  The  urns  were  of  different 
sizes  and  shapes,  and  were  all  provided  with  saucer- 
shaped  covers.  Only  one  of  them,  however,  was 
extracted  perfect.  The  interior  of  the  sarcophagus  was 
lined  with  long,  thin  bricks,  that  perished  on  being 
exposed  to  the  air. 


THE   HISTORY    OF   CREMATION.  25 

The  Mexicans  of  antiquity  also  cinerated  their  de- 
ceased. 

Incineration  was  practiced  in  India  since  the  most 
remote  ages,  and  is  now  as  much  in  vogue  in  this  coun- 
try as  it  was  in  the  earliest  times.  At  Calcutta,  Bom- 
bay, Madras,  —  in  fact,  all  over  India,  —  cremation  is 
executed  daily. 

The  Vishnavites  burn  their  dead;  the  worshippers  of 
Siva  bury  them,  deliver  them  up  to  beasts  of  prey,  or 
throw  them  into  the  holy  river  Ganges.  Folks  who  are 
too  poor  to  dispose  of  their  deceased  by  burning,  also 
consign  them  to  the  waves  of  the  holy  stream.  This  is 
done  at  night,  since  it  is  against  the  law.  It  is  not 
unusual  to  see  a  whole  procession  of  corpses  float  down 
the  Ganges,  while  crows  feed  on  the  remains. 

At  Calcutta,  cremation  is  performed  within  the 
"  Burning  Ghat,"  outside  the  city,  in  a  walled  en- 
closure which  is  frequented  by  numberless  vultures 
and  other  birds  of  prey,  near  the  Hoogly,  as  the  Ganges 
is  thereabouts  called.  This  place  is  seldom  visited  by 
the  British  inhabitants  of  Calcutta;  for  they  regard 
this  rude  cineration  (properly  so)  far  too  horrible  to 
witness. 

By  order  of  the  government,  a  cmerator  Avas  built  on 
the  banks  of  the  Hoogly,  which  is  used  only  by  a  part 
of  the  Hindoo  population.  The  Hindoos  are  hard  to 
wean  from  their  old-fashioned  method  of  cineration 
(which  is  substantially  the  same  as  that  practiced  by 
the  ancient  Romans  and  Greeks),  and,  therefore,  sel- 
dom make  use  of  a  cinerator,  as  Mr.  William  Eassie 
was  informed  by  the  sanitary  commissioner  of  Madras, 
where  a  cinerary  apparatus  had  also  been  erected.  The  * 
commissioner,  however,  was  of  the  opinion  that  if  the 


26 


CREMATION   OF  THE  DEAD. 


THE   HISTORY    OF   CREMATION.  27 

Siemens  principle  of  a  furnace  were  exhibited  before 
the  educated  Hindoos,  they  would  very  probably  adopt 
it. 

Thanks  to  the  efforts  of  the  British  authorities  in 
India,  imperfect  cremation  is  a  thing  of  the  past  there. 

Cicero  already  relates  that  the  widows  of  the  Hindoos 
allow  themselves  to  be  cinerated  with  the  remains  of 
their  husbands.  Self-cremation  of  Indian  widows  does 
not  occur  nowadays ;  the  barbaric  custom  has  been  put 
down  by  the  English. 

It  was  not  before  1831  that  the  English  government 
in  Hindostan  attempted  to  abolish  the  practice  of 
burning  widows ;  and  up  to  that  time,  as  Max  Mueller 
observes,  "  women  were  burned  wholesale,  even  in  the 
immediate  neighborhood  of  Calcutta."  But  the  custom 
was  jDrobably  not  exterminated  before  late  in  the  sixties 
— 1868  or  69. 

Cremation  was  practiced  on  the  isle  of  Ceylon  as  late 
as  1841. 

The  people  of  Burmah  cremate  their  rich  dead,  and 
inhume  the  poor  or  consign  them  to  a  stream.  Persons 
of  rank  are  embalmed  before  incineration,  and  placed 
on  exhibition  in  a  convent  or  temple  for  six  weeks.  At 
the  funeral,  the  body  is  borne  in  a  coffin  on  the  shoul- 
ders of  men,  who  are  preceded  by  female  mourners 
chanting  an  epicede.  The  corpse  is  followed  by  the 
relatives.  When  the  slowly  moving  train  arrives  at 
the  pyre,  which  is  commonly  six  or  eight  feet  high, 
the  remains  are  placed  upon  it ;  the  wood  of  the  funeral 
pile  is  generally  laid  crosswise,  to  bring  about  a  stronger 
draught  of  air.  The  pyre  is  set  on  fire  by  the  attend- 
ing priests,  who  pray  before  it  until  the  body  is  de- 
stroyed;   then   the    bones  are  collected   and   interred. 


28  CREMATION   OF   THE   DEAD. 

According  to  Mr.  W.  Eassie,  when  a  Buddhist  priest 
of  rank  dies  in  Bnrmah,  the  body  is  embalmed  in  honey, 
laid  in  state  for  a  time,  and  then  sometimes  blown  up 
with  gunpowder,  together  with  its  hearse. 

Miss  Feudge  asserts  that  the  inhabitants  of  Pegu  and 
Laos  also  cremate  their  dead. 

In  Siam,  cremation  has  undoubtedly  existed  since 
primeval  times.  It  is  a  universal  custom,  practiced 
both  by  the  common  people  and  the  aristocracy ;  even 
the  kings  are  incinerated.  Crawfurd  states  that  in 
Siam  the  ashes  are  sometimes  interred  in  the  grounds 
surrounding  the  temples,  and  a  small  pyramidal  mound 
erected  over  them. 

When  one  of  the  Dayakkese  inhabitants  of  Borneo 
dies,  the  body  is  deposited  in  a  coffin,  and  remains  in 
the  house  till  the  son,  the  father,  or  the  nearest  of  kin 
can  procure  or  purchase  a  slave,  who  is  beheaded  at  the 
time  that  the  corpse  is  burned,  in  order  that  he  may 
become  the  servant  of  the  deceased  in  the  next  world. 
The  ashes  of  the  departed  are  then  placed  in  an  earthen 
urn,  which  is  adorned  with  various  figures ;  and  the 
head  of  the  slave  is  desiccated,  and  prepared  in  a 
peculiar  manner  with  camphor  and  drugs,  and  placed 
near  it.  It  is  said  that  this  practice  induces  the  Da}^ak- 
kese  to  buy  a  slave  guilty  of  some  capital  crime,  at  five- 
fold his  value,  in  order  that  they  may  be  able  to  put 
him  to  death  on  such  occasions. 

Cremation  is  an  established  and  time-honored  usage 
in  Japan,  now  the  oldest  empire  in  the  world.  Here 
all  incineration  establishments  are  under  government 
control,  and  are  to  be  found  not  only  in  all  the  chief 
cities,  but  also  in  the  provinces.  The  Japanese  govern- 
ment, with  shrewd  appreciation  of  the  advantages  of 


THE   HISTORY   OF    CREMATION.  29 

sanitary  laws,  has  of  late  years  carefully  fostered  the 
practice.  Since  the  earliest  times,  cremation  is  univer- 
sal among  the  Japanese. 

Before  the  introduction  of  Buddhism,  the  Shinto 
doctrine  was  the  prevalent  system  of  faith  and  worship 
in  Japan.  This  religion  held  sacred,  beside  a  small 
number  of  domestic  gods,  a  long  series  of  celebrated 
historical  personages,  who  were  worshipped  after  their 
decease.  It  taught  that  the  mikado  (emperor)  de- 
scended from  the  gods,  and  he  was  its  clerical  superior. 
This  doctrine,  of  course,  was  not  favorable  to  crema- 
tion; and  that  accounts  for  the  absence  of  the  latter 
prior  to  the  introduction  of  Buddhism.  Beginning 
with  the  year  of  our  Lord  552,  attempts  were  made, 
with  varying  success,  to  establish  Buddhism  in  Japan. 
In  624,  Buddhism  was  officially  recognized ;  the  court 
bestowing  the  title  of  high-priest  upon  two  priests  who 
had  come  from  Hakusai.  The  new  doctrine  spread 
through  the  medium  of  the  Chinese  literature  that  cir- 
culated in  the  country ;  and  soon  temples  had  to  be 
built  to  accommodate  the  converts. 

In  700  a.d.,  D6sho,  a  high-priest  of  a  temple  at  Nara, 
in  the  province  Yamato,  ordered  his  pupils  to  burn  his 
body  after  death,  and  it  was  done.  This  was  the  first 
cremation  in  Japan. 

Three  years  later,  the  corpse  of  the  empress  Jito  was 
incinerated ;  her  example  was  followed  by  41  emper- 
ors and  empresses,  who  occupied  the  throne  from  that 
period  till  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century. 
The  last  mikado  whose  body  was  burned,  was  Goyozei, 
who  reigned  from  1587  till  1610  a.d.  At  this  time 
much  attention  was  paid  to  the  doctrines  of  Confucius, 


30  CREMATION    OF   THE   DEAD. 

which  are  as  unfavorable  to  cineration  as  the  Shinto 
doctrine. 

In  the  ninth  century  Buddhism  made  considerable 
headway  through  the  efforts  of  Kobo,  a  priest.  Up  to 
the  fourteenth  century,  however,  Buddhism  remained 
the  religion  of  the  military  and  the  aristocracy ;  the 
common  people  knew  nothing  of  it.  It  owes  its  adop- 
tion among  all  classes  of  Japan,  to  the  arduous  labors 
of  two  missionaries,  Shinran  and  Nichiren,  who  became 
the  founders  of  great  sects,  and  who  had  their  corpses 
burned  as  an  example  for  their  pupils. 

Cremation  is  fast  becoming  general  in  Japan,  burial 
more  and  more  obsolete.  At  the  present  time  the  num- 
ber of  bodies  disposed  of  by  incineration  is  very  great. 

The  greatest  number  of  believers  in  cremation  are 
found  among  the  Shin  and  Yoto  sects,  likewise  among 
the  Zen,  Tendai,  and  Nichiren  sects ;  the  fewest,  among 
the  Shingon  sect.  Incineration  is,  however,  not  com- 
pulsory among  these  religious  denominations.  In  1868, 
when  the  shogun  (commander-in-chief)  was  deposed  by 
the  revolutionists,  when  the  mikado  re-obtained  his 
former  authority  and  the  power  of  the  almost  independ- 
ent princes  of  the  provinces  was  destroj^ed,  the  govern- 
ment attempted  to  re-establish  the  Shinto  religion. 
Among  other  measures  they  prohibited  incineration 
(July  23,  1873),  claiming  that  it  was  contrary  to  the 
Shinto  doctrine. 

They  soon  discovered  that  it  was  impossible  to  carry 
out  the  interdiction,  and,  therefore,  revoked  it  (May  23, 
1875),  granting  thereby,  as  it  were,  religious  freedom 
to  Japan. 

The  young  generation  of  the  Japanese  physicians  and 
naturalists  regard  cineration  from  a  sanitary  standpoint, 


THE   HISTORY   OF   CREMATION. 


31 


and   constantly   urge   the   government  to  promote  its 
interests  on  hygienic  grounds. 


It  must  be  conceded  that  the  Japanese  mode  of  cre- 
mation is  by  far  superior  to  the  method  of  the  Hindoos, 


32  CREMATION    OF   THE  DEAD. 

who  still  adhere  to  the  ancient  funeral-pile.  The  cost 
of  incineration  is  small.  The  body  is  reduced  to  ashes 
completely  though  slowly,  and  the  process  takes  place 
in  clean,  well-kept,  closed  buildings,  in  a  manner 
which,  as  far  as  the  simple  arrangements  permit, 
offends  neither  the  eye  nor  the  olfactories. 

At  Osaka  cremation  is  carried  on  in  stone  furnaces, 
which  are  closed  by  iron  sliding-doors.  There  are 
three  large  crematories,  situated  at  the  outskirts  of  the 
city ;  they  are  enclosed  by  high  walls,  and  when  seen 
from  a  distance,  if  it  were  not  for  the  chimneys  60  feet 
high,  one  would  take  them  to  be  temples.  The  princi- 
pal crematory  contains  twenty  large  furnaces,  each  of 
which  is  capable  of  reducing  three  bodies;  thus  it  is 
evident  60  bodies  can  be  incinerated  at  the  same  time. 
The  corpse  is  placed  upon  an  iron  grate,  the  fire  being 
underneath,  and  covered  with  a  straw  mat,  that  has 
been  previously  saturated  with  salt  water.  Incinera- 
tion under  these  circumstances  is  said  to  be  entirely 
satisfactory.  The  cremations  begin  at  11  p.m.,  and 
are  finished  at  3  A.M. 

At  Tokio,  and  most  of  the  other  cities,  a  black 
earthenware  urn  is  fashionable ;  but  in  the  province 
Totomi  the  ashes  are  placed  in  an  urn  of  red  color. 

When  the  Asiatic  cholera  raged  in  Japan  in  1877,  the 
people  were  compelled  by  the  authorities  to  cremate 
its  victims.  But  the  sanitary  measure  met  with  no 
resistance,  its  wisdom  being  recognized  even  by  the 
lower  classes  of  the  people.  By  the  decree,  making 
cremation  obligatory  in  times  of  cholera,  the  Japanese 
government  has  given  an  example  of  sanitary  legisla- 
tion which  should  be  imitated. 

Most  of  the  books  on  cremation  inform  us  that  incin- 


THE   HISTORY   OF   CREMATION.  66 

eration  was  and  is  not  practiqed  in  China.  This  is  an 
error.  Marco  Polo  repeatedly  asserts  (Travels.  New 
York:  Harper  &  Bros.,  1845.  pp.  153,  155,  158,  159, 
160)  that  the  Chinese  wherever  he  travelled  were  in 
the  habit  of  burning  their  dead. 

On  the  other  hand,  Chinese  historical  works  make  no 
mention  of  the  practice,  and  burial  is  the  almost  univer- 
sal custom  at  present.  The  books  in  which  the  subject 
of  cremation  is  treated  only  speak  of  it  as  being  prac- 
ticed upon  the  bodies  of  Buddhist  priests  and  lepers. 

In  the  last  issue  of  the  Chinese  imperial  maritime 
customs  medical  reports,  Dr.  A.  Henry  contributes  some 
remarks  upon  cremation  in  that  country.  In  only  one 
of  the  many  Buddhist  temples  at  the  town  where  Dr. 
Henry  is  stationed,  are  the  bodies  of  the  inmates 
burned  after  death.  The  method  of  incineration  is 
commendable  as  efficient,  aesthetic,  and  inexpensive ; 
but  it  is  too  slow  except  for  Buddhist  priests  in  China. 
In  the  grounds  of  the  temple  is  a  small  dome-like 
edifice,  the  interior  of  which  communicates  with  the 
open  air  by  a  small  door  only  —  a  charcoal  kiln,  in  fact. 
The  dead  priest  is  placed  in  a  sitting  posture  inside  the 
dome,  and  charcoal  and  firewood  are  piled  around  him ; 
fire  is  applied,  and  the  door  is  shut  until  combustion  is 
complete.  Children  are  sometimes  burned,  but  for 
superstitious  reasons  only.  When  several  young  chil- 
dren of  a  family  have  died  in  succession,  the  body  of 
one  of  them  is  burned,  under  the  belief  that  the  cer- 
emony will  insure  the  survival  of  the  next  child  born 
to  the  family.  In  these  cases  the  body  is  simply 
brought  to  an  open  field  in  a  box,  and  placed  upon  fire- 
wood, which  is  ignited. 

Although  incineration  is  known  in  Corea,  the  most 


34  CREMATION   OF   THE   DEAD. 

« 

usual  way  of  disposing  of  the  dead  is  by  inhumation. 
Mr.  Carles,  in  an  official  report  of  a  journey  into  the 
central  provinces  of  Corea,  says  :  — 

"At  one  village  the  remains  of  the  body  of  an  old 
woman  who  had  been  eateu  by  a  tiger,  were  being  burnt 
in  a  fire  of  brushwood  lighted  on  the  spot." 

Cremation  in  America  is  not  a  novelty.  When  I 
began  to  investigate  the  subject  of  cremation  among 
North  American  Indians,  I  was  at  first  quite  disap- 
pointed; and  well  I  might  have  been,  for  Schoolcraft 
(History  of  the  Indian  Tribes  of  the  United  States. 
Vol.  I,  p.  38)  asserts :  — 

"  The  incineration  of  the  bodies  of  the  dead  was  not 
practiced  on  this  continent,  even  in  the  tropics ;  and  is  a 
rite  unknown  to  the  tribes  of  the  United  States." 

Although  slightly  disheartened,  I  continued  my  search 
for  information,  and  was  in  consequence  speedily  re- 
warded. John  Mcintosh  (The  Origin  of  the  North 
American  Indians.     New  York,  1853.    p.  164)  states :  — 

"  The  bodies  of  those  who  die  in  war  are  burned,  and 
their  ashes  brought  back  to  be  laid  in  the  burying-place 
of  their  fathers." 

My  studies  in  this  direction,  however,  received  the 
greatest  impetus  through  Dr.  H.  C.  Yarrow's  excellent 
"Introduction  to  the  Study  of  Mortuary  Customs  among 
the  North  American  Indians  "  (Washington  Govern- 
ment Printing  Office,  1880,  pp.  49  to  59),  which  was 
kindly  sent  to  me  by  the  author,  and  from  which  I 
obtained  much  valuable  information. 

Dr.  H.  C.  Yarrow  affirms  that  cremation  was  per- 
formed to  a  considerable  extent  among  North  American 
Indians,  especially  those  living  on  the  northern  slope  of 


THE   HISTORY   OF    CREMATION.  35 

the  Rocky  Mountains ;  but  also  (as  indisputable  evi- 
dence proves)  among  the  more  eastern  ones. 

The  Nishinams  of  California,  the  Tolkotins  of  Ore- 
gon, the  Se-ne'l  of  California,  and  the  Cocopa  tribe  on 
the  Colorado  River,  practice  cremation. 

The  Unotello  Indians  of  Oregon  also  cinerate  their 
dead.  On  Oct.  9,  1884,  several  of  them  got  drunk  at 
Lastine,  Ore.,  and  engaged  in  a  bloody  fight.  One  was 
cut  to  death,  and  two  others  badly  slashed.  The  In- 
dians burned  the  body  of  their  dead  comrade,  and  held 
a  war-dance  while  the  body  was  slowly  consumed. 

Mr.  George  Gibbs  avers  that  the  Indians  of  Clear 
Lake,  Cal.,  burn  their  dead  upon  scaffolds  built  over 
a  hole,  into  which  the  ashes  are  thrown  and  covered. 

The  Digger  Indians  have  a  queer  custom  ;  they  mix 
the  ashes  of  the  dead  with  gum,  and  smear  them  on  the 
heads  of  the  mourners. 

The  Comanches  also  burn  their  dead. 

The  Indian  method  of  cremation  is  like  that  of  the 
ancients;  the  corpse  is  burnt  on  a  pyre  six  feet  high, 
amidst  exclamations  of  grief  and  sorrow,  funeral  songs 
and  dances. 

Incineration  is  current  among  some  of  the  native 
tribes  of  Alaska,  principally  among  the  Thlinkets. 

In  the  summer  of  1884,  I  received  a  letter  from  a 
former  fellow-student  of  mine,  —  Dr.  Hugh  S.  Wyman, 
—  who  was  then  assistant  surgeon  in  the  United  States 
Marine  Hospital  Service,  and  stationed  at  Sitka,  Alaska. 
This  missive  contained  the  following  :  — 

"  The  Thlinket  Indians  cremate  their  dead  in  every 
instance  except  one  —  that  of  the  Indian  doctor,  whose 
body  is  never  burned,  but  placed  in  a  sort  of  s  cache,' 
constructed   of   timber,    above    ground.      Carvings    of 


36 


CREMATION   OF   THE  DEAD. 


images,  etc.,  representing  the  family  history,  are  made 
on  the  grave,  or  a  tall  pole  is  erected  by  the  side,  with 


INDIAN    CINERARY    URN. 
Found  in  Kentucky. 


INDIAN   CINERARY  URN. 
Found  in  Indiana. 


a  red  flag.  With  the  body  of  the  doctor  are  placed  all 
his  personal  effects.  These  are  supposed  to  remain 
undisturbed;  but  the  empty  appearance  of  the  caches 
and  the  skulless  skeletons  of  the  few  graves  I  have 
visited,  with  a  curiosity  to  look  inside,  have  led  me 
to  believe  that  the  effects  and  body  do  not  always  lie 
unmolested. 


INDIAN    CINERARY  URN. 
Found  in  Georgia. 


INDIAN  CINERARY  URN. 
Found  at  Lake  Nicaragua. 


"  The  cremation   of  a  Thlinket  takes  place  in  open 
air.     The  body,  after  lying  in  state  for  a  few  days,  is 


THE   HISTORY   OF   CREMATION.  37 

taken  out  of  the  house  through  some  opening  made  for 
the  purpose,  never  through  the  regular  entrance.  It  is 
placed  on  a  pile  of  logs,  which  are  ignited,  and  the 
corpse  rolled  about  with  long  poles  until  thoroughly 
consumed. 

"  The  ceremonies  attending  cremation  vary  very 
much,  according  to  the  standing  of  the  deceased,  age, 
sex,  and  so  on. 

"  The  only  reason  I  have  ever  heard  given  by  the 
Indians  why  they  cremate  was  that  if  not  burned,  the 
body  would  always  remain  cold  in  the  happy  hunting- 
grounds. 

"I  was  unable  to  find  out  why  they  do  not  burn 
doctors. 

"I  believe  cremation  among  the  civilized  will  neces- 
sarily become  generally  practiced  in  the  future,  and 
without  ideas  of  horror,  when  people  are  more  fully 
enlightened,  especially  in  hygienic  principles." 

In  recent  times,  the  missionaries  are  trying  to  put  a 
stop  to  cremation  in  Alaska.  This  is  a  great  mistake ; 
and  they  will  find  it  out  before  long.  The  missiona- 
ries should  endeavor  to  do  what  the  English  in  India 
have  done  and  are  doing  still  —  attempt  to  substitute 
scientific  incineration  for  the  crude  ancient  method  of 
burning  the  dead  on  pyres.  And  in  this  undertaking, 
I  am  sure,  they  would  have  the  support  of  the  most 
intelligent  among  the  Indians.  The  natives  of  Alaska, 
no  doubt,  learned  by  some  terrible,  never-to-be-for- 
gotten experience  the  dangers  and  evils  of  burial  in 
the  ground;  and,  although  their  method  of  obviating 
these  dangers  and  evils  is  rude  and  barbaric,  the 
principle  which  impelled  them  to  adopt  cremation  is 
right. 


38  CREMATION    OF    THE   DEAD. 

The  first  Caucasian  who  was  cremated  in  the  United 
States  was  Colonel  Henry  Laurens,  who  was  the  presi- 
dent of  the  first  Congress,  which  convened  at  Philadel- 
phia in  1774;  he  was  also  a  member  of  the  military 
family  of  General  Washington.  Laurens  was  of  Hugue- 
not descent,  born  in  Charleston,  S.  C,  in  1724,  and  emi- 
nent as  a  statesman  before  and  during  the  Revolutionary 
War.  He  was  educated  in  one  of  the  best  universities 
of  Europe,  and  although  following  the  vocation  of  a 
merchant  during  many  years,  he  achieved  great  distinc- 
tion as  a  writer  on  political  topics;  his  pamphlets  on 
the  public  questions  of  the  time  received  much  consid- 
eration. Appointed  minister  to  Holland,  he  was  taken 
captive  on  the  voyage  thither  by  a  British  man-of-war, 
and  was  imprisoned  for  some  time  in  the  Tower  as  a 
rebel.  Among  his  visitors  there  was  a  friend  of  other 
years,  Edmund  Burke,  by  whose  influence  he  was  finally 
set  free.  One  of  Laurens'  daughters  had,  when  a  child, 
apparently  died  of  small-pox,  but,  being  placed  near  an 
open  window,  she  revived.  Since  this  occurrence,  the 
colonel  lived  in  constant  fear  of  being  buried  alive,  and 
therefore  requested  his  daughters,  by  an  injunction  and 
detailed  directions  given  in  his  will,  to  burn  his  body 
after  death;  his  fervent  wish  was  carried  out  in  his 
garden  at  Charleston,  S.  C,  in  1792. 

The  second  to  be  burned  was  Mr.  Henry  Barry, 
who  lived  and  was  cinerated  in  the  vicinity  of  Marion, 
S.C. 

In  the  spring  or  winter  of  1855,  Count  Pfeil,  a  Ger- 
man aristocrat,  then  proprietor  of  a  farm  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Milwaukee,  attempted  to  incinerate  the 
corpse  of  his  wife  in  accordance  with  her  own  request. 
He  accordingly  erected  a  funeral  pile  in  his  own  yard, 


THE  HISTORY  OF   CREMATION.  39 

on  the  soil  that  he  owned.  'When  his  intention  to  burn 
his  wife  became  known  among  the  farmers  in  the  vicin- 
ity, there  was  a  great  uproar ;  they  finally  went  so  far 
as  to  march  in  a  body  to  the  residence  of  the  count, 
and  to  declare  that  they  would  mob  him  if  he  would 
dare  to  execute  the  cremation.  He  then  proposed, 
since  the  matter  was  creating  a  disturbance  in  the 
neighborhood,  to  transfer  the  incineration  to  the  lake 
shore.  But  the  prejudice  of  the  farmers  was  so  great 
that  they  would  accept  no  compromise.  They  finally 
petitioned  the  governor,  and  were  successful  in  ob- 
taining a  decree  prohibiting  the  cremation.  The 
count,  disgusted  at  the  lack  of  our  boasted  liberty, 
interred  his  wife,  sold  his  estate,  and  departed  for 
Europe. 

The  third  reduced  to  ashes  in  the  United  States  was 
the  Baron  de  Palm,  prince  of  the  Holy  Roman  Empire, 
a  native  of  Augsburg,  Bavaria,  who  was  incinerated  in 
the  Le  Moyne  crematory  at  Washington1,  Pa.,  on  the 
6th  of  December,  1876.  The  baron  had  died  at  the 
age  of  sixty-seven  at  New  York,  in  May,  1875,  and  his 
body  had  been  immediately  embalmed  and  placed  in 
the  receiving  vault  of  the  Lutheran  cemetery,  where 
it  was  kept  until  the  Le  Moyne  crematorium  was 
finished. 

On  this  day  mentioned,  many  members  of  the  secular 
press,  and  delegations  from  various  scientific  and  sani- 
tary societies,  assembled  at  the  crematory  to  witness 
the  cineration  of  the  defunct  nobleman;  many  of  the 
leading  newspapers  of  this  country,  and  also  of  France, 
Germany,  and  England,  were  represented.  About  30 
invitations  had  been  issued,  and  many  members  of  the 
prominent  boards  of  health  were   present.     The  fires 


40  CREMATION   OF  THE  BEAD. 

had  been  started  at  two  o'clock  in  the  morning.  On 
opening  the  casket  it  was  found  that  the  weight  of  the 
bod}'  had  been  reduced  from  175  to  92  pounds.  At  27 
minutes  past  eight  o'clock,  everything  being  pronounced 
ready,  the  body,  lying  in  the  iron  cradle  and  covered 
with  a  shroud  (which  had  previously  been  soaked  in  an 
alum  solution,  to  prevent  its  too  rapid  ignition),  and 
decorated  with  flowers  and  evergreen,  was  consigned  to 
the  retort,  which  was  instantly  shut.  The  actual  tem- 
perature of  the  retort  could  not  be  ascertained,  as  no 
pyrometer  was  at  hand;  it  was,  no  doubt,  a  little  over 
2000°  Fahrenheit.  Through  a  small  opening  in  the 
cast-iron  door,  which  closed  the  retort,  an  occasional 
glimpse  of  the  interior  was  obtained,  and  the  effect  of 
the  heat  upon  the  body  observed.  In  about  15  minutes 
the  aqueous  vapor  had  all  been  expelled,  leaving  the 
shroud  completely  charred,  but  still  retaining  its  form 
sufficiently  to  completely  conceal  the  outlines  of  the 
body.  In  an  hour  the  outlines  of  the  prominent  bones 
were  plainly  visible,  and  an  hour  later  the  incineration 
was  complete,  but  it  was  deemed  advisable  to  continue 
the  heat  for  four  hours  from  the  time  the  body  had 
been  first  placed  in  the  furnace.  When  last  seen,  much 
of  the  form  of  the  body  had  remained,  owing  to  the 
exclusion  of  the  atmospheric  air.  During  the  burning, 
the  ordinary  draft  of  the  furnace  was  increased  by 
means  of  a  fan-blower.  The  body  was  not  removed 
from  the  furnace  until  some  24  hours  had  elapsed,  to 
allow  the  retort  to  cool.  During  the  entire  process 
there  was  no  offensive  odor,  either  at  the  top  of  the 
chimney  or  elsewhere.  The  cremation  was  entirely 
satisfactory,  and  nothing  of  an  unpleasant  nature  oc- 
curred.    The   residue  left,  after  the   incineration  was 


THE   HISTORY   OF   CREMATION. 


41 


completed,  was  three  pints  of  ashes,  which  were  care- 
fully collected,  and,  after  being  sprinkled  with  perfume, 
were  deposited  in  an  antique  vase,  which  was  delivered 
to  the  officers  of  the  Theosophical  Society  in  attend- 
ance, of  which  the  baron  was  a  member. 


CREMATORY   AT   WASHINGTON,    PA. 


Forty  bushels  of  coke  were  consumed  in  burning 
Baron  Palm,  the  whole  cost  of  the  operation  being 
•7.04. 

In  the  afternoon  a  meeting  was  held  at  Washington, 
presided  over  by  J.  Lawson  Judson,  Esq.,  at  which  ad- 
dresses were  made  by  Colonel  Olcott  on  the  history  of 
cremation ;    Rev.   George  P.  Hayes   (president  of  the 


42  CREMATION    OF    THE    DEAD. 

Washington  and  Jefferson  College)  on  the  bearing  of 
the  Bible  and  Christianity  upon  the  subject  of  crema- 
tion;  Dr.  James  King  on.  incineration  from  a  sanitary 
point  of  view;  Dr.  Le  Moyne  on  the  general  advan- 
tages of  cremation ;  Boyd  Crumine,  Esq.,  who  spoke  of 
the  popular  prejudices  against  this  method  of  dispos- 
ing of  the  dead;  and  Mr.  Nicholas  K.  Wade,  who 
alluded  to  the  mechanical  necessities  of  a  perfect 
cremation. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  so  many  of  the  persons  who 
attended  this  incineration  had  a  preconceived  notion  of 
the  practice,  which  rendered  them  totally  unfit  to  judge 
of  it.  Being  prejudiced  from  the  beginning,  it  is  not  at 
all  surprising  that  they  should  have  given  unsatisfac- 
tory, highly  sensational,  and  misrepresenting  accounts 
of  the  affair  to  the  world ;  but  as  Mr.  W.  Eassie  perti- 
nently remarks,  the  same  thing  has  occurred  in  every 
case  of  modern  cremation  up  to  the  present  time,  and 
will,  no  doubt,  continue  until  the  reform  is  more  com- 
monly practiced. 

The  fourth  body  that  was  cremated  in  the  United 
States  was  Mrs.  Jane  Pitman,  from  Cincinnati,  who 
was  destroyed  in  the  Le  Moyne  crematorium,  Feb.  6, 
1877.  The  fifth  disposed  of  bj  fire  in  America  was 
Dr.  Winslow,  of  California,  who  was  burned  at  Salt 
Lake  City  on  the  31st  of  July,  1877,  in  a  primitive 
furnace  temporarily  erected  through  his  request  by  the 
administrators  of  his  estate.  The  sixth  was  a  child  of 
Mr.  Julius  Kircher,  who  cremated  it  in  his  oven  at  New 
York  City,  in  the  fall  of  1877. 

The  Le  Moyne  crematory  was  closed  to  the  general 
public  Aug.  1,  1884.  After  that  date  no  bodies  were 
received  by  the  trustees  of  the  crematorium,  outside  of 


THE   HISTORY   OF   CREMATION.  43 

Washington  County,  for  cremation.  Bodies  were  ad- 
mitted to  the  Le  Moyne  furnace  for  incineration  from 
all  parts  of  the  country,  only  in  order  to  carry  out  Dr. 
Le  Moyne's  view  of  reform  —  keeping  the  subject  be- 
fore the  public.  Since  the  interest  manifested  by  the 
people  of  the  United  States  in  the  subject  of  cremation 
is  speedily  growing,  other  crematories  are  building 
where  the  public  will  be  accommodated ;  and  as  the  busi- 
ness increased  to  such  an  extent  that  it  occupied  more 
time  than  the  trustees  could  possibly  devote  to  it,  they 
were  compelled  to  limit  the  use  of  the  crematory. 
Hereafter,  therefore,  no  body  will  be  cremated  in  this 
furnace,  who  has  not  lived  within  the  county  in  which 
Dr.  Le  Moyne  lived  and  died.  And  whereas  not  one  of 
the  persons  consumed  in  this  crematorium  (except  the 
owner  himself)  hailed  from  Washington  County,  we 
may  presume  that  this  pioneer  furnace  of  cremation  in 
America  has  been  closed  forever. 

Of  all  the  cremations  which  took  place  in  the  Le 
Moyne  furnace,  that  of  Professor  S.  D.  Gross,  M.D., 
LL.D.,  attracted  the  greatest  attention.  It  was  in 
accordance  with  his  expressed  wish  that  he  was  com- 
mitted to  the  flames.  He  more  than  once  declared  he 
had  no  desire  that  some  "  curious  impertinent "  should, 
a  hundred  years  hence,  hand  around  his  jawbone  for 
inspection  and  comment,  and  to  avoid  such  a  contin- 
gency he  gave  positive  directions  for  the  burning  of  his 
body.  Cremation  as  a  mode  of  decently  disposing  of 
the  dead  could  receive  approval  from  no  higher  source, 
and  in  no  more  conspicuous  manner,  than  in  the  dispo- 
sition of  his  remains  by  that  means.  Dr.  Gross  stood 
without  a  peer  among  his  fellows ;  he  was  venerated 
not  only  by  the  medical   profession  of   America,  but 


44  CREMATION   OF   THE   DEAD. 

even  by  physicians  of  foreign  lands.  He  was  to  the 
profession  of  medicine  what  Charles  O'Connor  was  to 
the  profession  of  law,  and  his  deliberate  choice  of  in- 
cineration in  preference  to  burial  attracted  wide  and 
respectful  attention  even  in  so  conservative  a  class  as 
doctors.  Perhaps  no  man  ever  drew  breath  who  was 
better  qualified  to  express  an  opinion  on  this  subject. 
Who  is  so  well  entitled  to  form  a  correct  opinion  as 
the  man  who  for  nearly  three-quarters  of  a  century  had 
the  closest  possible  relations  with  the  dying  and  the 
dead  ?  That  his  example  gave  a  new  impetus  to  incin- 
eration there  is  no  room  to  doubt.  He  sought  to  be  a 
teacher  even  after  his  death;  he  wanted  to  benefit  his 
race  even  in  his  decease.  Perhaps  he  believed  that 
others  might  follow  where  he  led,  as  they  had  done  in 
life.  Others  will  follow  his  example,  and  the  work  go 
on  until  the  present  custom  shall  give  way  to  the  better 
one.  It  may  be  long  before  that  time  comes,  but  come 
it  will. 

On  its  way  to  Washington,  Pa.,  the  body  was  accom- 
panied by  Mr.  A.  H.  Gross  and  Dr.  Horwitz.  There 
were  no  ceremonies  at  the  incineration,  and  the  remains 
were  reduced  to  ashes  in  two  hours.  The  ashes 
weighed  about  seven  pounds,  were  hermetically  sealed 
in  a  tin  box,  and  placed  in  the  coffin  in  which  the  body 
was  carried  to  Washington.  On  reaching  Philadelphia 
the  coffin  was  removed  to  the  late  residence  of  Dr.  Gross, 
and  subsequently  the  ashes  were  enclosed  in  a  marble 
urn  about  three  feet  high,  unornamented  and  without 
inscription,  and  placed  beside  the  coffin  of  Dr.  Gross' 
late  wife  in  the  family  vault  at  Woodlawn  Cemetery, 
where  the  Rev.  Dr.  Charles  Currie  read  the  Episcopal 
burial  service. 


THE    HISTORY   OF    CREMATION.  45 

Voltaire  derided  his  contemporaries  by  declaring  that 
they  could  not  protect  themselves  from  the  fatal  power 
of  the  dead.  But  when  the  great  Revolution  came  along, 
overthrowing  the  then  existing  order  of  things,  and 
performing  a  painful  but  necessary  work,  the  same 
France  that  had  listened  to  the  voice  of  the  great 
philosopher  became  aware  of  a  means  that  shielded 
from  the  dangers  of  the  burial-ground — cremation. 

On  the  28th  of  March,  1794  (28  Germinal,  An  II), 
the  deceased  republican  Beauvais,  physician  at  Mont- 
pellier  and  member  of  the  National  Assembly,  was  cre- 
mated in  the  Champ-de-Mars  at  Paris.  The  urn  con- 
taining his  ashes  was  deposited  in  the  archives  of  the 
nation. 

In  the  year  V  of  the  republic  (1797),  a  motion  by 
Daubermesnil,  to  introduce  facultative  incineration,  pro- 
viding that  the  act  would  take  place  outside  of  Paris, 
was  rejected  by  the  Council  of  the  Five  Hundred;  but  in 
1799  (year  VII  of  the  republic),  a  law  was  passed  by 
the  Seine  department  in  favor  of  cremation.  Advan- 
tage was  frequently  taken  of  the  permission  granted. 
At  this  time  the  Institute  of  France  offered  a  prize  of 
1500  francs  for  the  best  essay  on  the  question  whether 
interment  or  cineration  is  preferable.  In  consequence, 
40  dissertations  were  sent  in,  and  all  of  them  de- 
manded optional  cremation.  The  prize  was  accorded 
to  two  essays:  those  of  MM.  Mulot  and  Amaury- 
Duval. 

From  1856  to  1867,  the  French  cremationists  were  led 
by  M.  Bonneau  and  Dr.  CafTe ;  the  latter  has  retained 
the  leadership  till  the  most  recent  times,  and  has  done 
much,  by  his  admirable  expositions  of  the  subject,  to 
popularize  cremation  in  France.    One  point  was  brought 


46  CREMATION   OF   THE   DEAD. 

out  by  him  that  is  deserving  of  mention  here,  namely, 
that  one  tempted  to  stray  from  the  path  of  honor  and 
virtue  may  be  restrained  by  the  presence  of  ancestral 
urns. 

Dr.  Prosper  de  Pietra-Santa  is  to-day  the  foremost 
incinerationist  in  France,  a  position  to  which  he  does 
honor  and  which  he  well  merits.  His  essays,  first  pub- 
lished in  £'  Union  Medicale,  are  the  chief  contribu- 
tions to  modern  French  cremation  literature.  In  1873, 
he  issued  a  complete  "manual  of  the  subject,  in  which  he 
deplored  the  absence  of  popular  sympathy  with  inciner- 
ation in  France.  But  the  time  will  come  when  France 
will  recognize  the  value  of  the  labors  of  this  ardent 
reformer,  whose  name  is  destined  to  occupy  a  most 
prominent  place  on  the  roll  of  honor  of  his  native 
country. 

The  cremation  society  of  France,  the  proper  designa- 
tion of  which  is  "  La  Societe  pour  la  propagation  de  la 
cremation,"  was  founded  in  1880,  and  incorporated  on 
the  23d  of  December  of  the  same  year.  The  late  Ed- 
niond  About  and  Leon  Gambetta  —  L'illustre  citoyen 
que  la  France  a  perdu  —  were  members  of  this  associa- 
tion. At  present  the  society  numbers  570  members. 
Its  principal  object  now  is  to  obtain  a  law  permitting 
cremation  ;  when  this  is  secured,  it  will  devote  its  funds 
to  the  erection  of  crematories  and  the  purchase  of  inven- 
tions which  tend  to  simplify  the  process. 

According  to  Professor  R.  Beverly  Cole,  M.D.,  for 
many  years  past  cremation  is  not  infrequently  practiced 
in  Paris,  the  retorts  of  the  gas  factories  being  employed 
for  the  purpose. 

The  first  and  only  incineration  in  Belgium  took  place 
in  1798  or  1799,  when  a  certain  M.  Voidel,  a  resident 


THE   HISTORY   OF   CREMATION.  47 

of  Mons,  cremated  the  body  of  his  child  in  the  yard  of 
his  house,  and  preserved  the  ashes  in  a  golden  urn. 

The  cremation  society  of  Brussels  was  founded  on 
the  28th  of  February,  1882,  and  numbers  now  over  600 
members. 

The  cremation  society  of  Holland,  which  boasts  a 
very  complete  organization,  extends  over  the  entire 
kingdom  by  means  of  branch  societies.  It  was  founded 
on  the  28th  of  December,  1874,  and  incorporated  by 
the  royal  decree  of  Sept.  1,  1875.  Over  1500  members 
belong  to  it.  The  branch  societies  are  located  at  Am- 
sterdam, Rotterdam,  Nijwegen,  Delft,  Leyden,  Shiedam, 
Zutphen,  Dortrecht,  and  Harlem.  Since  1876  a  small 
periodical  is  published  quarterly  by  the  society  of  Hol- 
land, containing  occasional  communications  concerning 
cremation,  and  detailing  the  proceedings  of  the  society. 
The  funds  of  the  association  are  in  good  condition,  be- 
ing mostly  invested  in  government  stock. 

The  first  cinerary  furnace  built  in  the  German  Empire 
was  erected  at  Dresden,  Saxony,  and  put  in  use  in  1874, 
when  bodies  were  cremated  on  the  9th  of  October 
and  6th  of  November;  the  wife  of  Sir  Charles  Dilke 
was  one  of  them.  No  incineration  occurred  in  this 
apparatus  since  that  time,  owing  to  a  refusal  of  the 
Saxon  government  to  permit  the  same. 

On  the  6th  and  7th  of  June,  1876,  an  international 
cremation  congress,  which  was  attended  by  representa- 
tives from  almost  all  countries  of  the  globe,  was  held  at 
Dresden,  and  did  much  to  promote  the  interests  of 
incineration  in  Germany.  Many  important  resolutions 
were  adopted,  among  others  that  of  forming  an  inter- 
national committee  to  establish  a  journal  for  the  propa- 
gation of  cremation.     On  June  7,  the  delegates  witnessed 


48  CREMATION   OF   THE  DEAD. 

the  cineration  of  several  animals  in  a  Siemens  apparatus, 
which  completely  reduced  the  animals  experimented 
upon  in  one  hour  and  one-half. 

Cremation  is  now  most  extensively  practiced  in  Gotha, 
in   the   new   crematory  established   by   the    municipal 


INTERIOR    OF   WASHINGTON    CREMATORY. 

The  accompanying  wood-cut  represents  that  part  of  the  crematory  at  Washington, 
Pa.,  in  which  the  incineration  takes  place.  The  numbers  refer  respectively  to  (1)  the 
incinerator,  closed;  (2)  the  fire-box,  open;  (3)  the  ash-pit;  and  (4)  coal-bin.  The 
room,  as  will  be  seen,  is  needlessly  plain,  and  might  with  slightly  increased  expense 
in  building  be  made  more  attractive.  An  ornamental  front  concealing  the  brick-work 
and  the  coal-bin  would  serve  greatly  to  improve  its  appearance.  With  a  slightly 
different  arrangement  the  fire-box  and  ash-pit  might  be  kept  continually  out  of  sight. 
If  the  incinerator  were  turned  end  for  end  and  made  to  open  from  the  opposite  side, 
nothing  would  be  seen  by  the  friends  of  the  deceased  but  its  open  door  and  rosy  light, 
which  are  most  attractive  to  the  eye. 


council  of  that  city,  which  was  opened  to  the  public  on 
the  17th  of  November,  1878. 

The  first  cremation  at  Gotha  came  off  on  the  after- 


THE   HISTORY   OF   CREMATION.  49 

noon  of  the  10th  of  December,  1878,  when  Mr.  Stier, 
a  civil  engineer  whose  embalmed  body  had  awaited  the 
completion  of  the  crematorium  for  some  time,  was  con- 
signed to  the  furnace.  Since  the  establishment  of  the 
crematory,  over  500  persons  have  been  incinerated  at 
Gotha,  many  of  whom  were  from  foreign  lands, — 
Russia,  England,  France,  America,  etc. 

Berlin  is  the  center  of  the  reform  in  Germany.  The 
Berlin  cremation  society  has  an  enormous  membership, 
and  counts  among  its  members  many  persons  of  dis- 
tinction. Altogether  the  society  numbers  534  members, 
45  of  them  being  physicians. 

Italy  may  be  considered  the  pioneer  of  cremation  in 
modern  times ;  for  there,  for  the  first  time,  incineration 
was  practiced  in  a  systematic  and  improved  manner, 
and  in  no  land  have  the  cremationists  been  so  active 
and  energetic  in  advocating  the  reform  as  in  this. 

From  1774  till  1874  cremation  was  advocated  by 
Piattoli,  Moleschott,  Coletti,  Morelli,  Du  Jardin,  Ber- 
tain,  Castiglione,  Pini,  and  Polli. 

Baron  Albert  Keller,  who,  though  of  German  descent, 
was  an  Italian  citizen  and  a  resident  of  Milan,  and 
above  all  an  enthusiastic  patron  of  cremation,  deposited 
10,000  lire  for  the  cineration  of  his  own  body,  and 
directed  that  after  defraying  the  costs  of  his  cremation, 
the  remaining  money  should  be  used  to  form  a  fund  for 
the  erection  of  a  building  exclusively  devoted  to  the 
burning  of  the  dead.  When  this  nobleman  died  in 
1874,  his  last  directions  were  carried  out,  and  the  crema- 
tion temple  which  bears  his  name  became,  in  accordance 
with  the  testament  of  the  deceased,  the  property  of  the 
city  of  Milan. 

The    Italian    clergy   opposed   incineration    but   very 


50  CKEMATION   OF   THE   DEAD. 

little.  In  the  capital  of  Loinbardy  a  distinguished  prel- 
ate even  declared  that  the  burning  of  the  dead  is  in  no 
wise  contrary  to  the  dogma  of  the  church ;  and  here  one 
also  can  witness  how  priests  accompany  the  body  to  be 
incinerated  to  the  Tarivjg&  ^rematorio{^h^ve  they  say  a 
last  prayer:  indeef&yproof'  "oF^t^eranc^-Vnd  genuine 
Christianity.  (        J  AN     5     1888 

The  Fourth  Mefltiral  Gmigiess^'iiel^je* yftlilan  on  the 
5th  of  September,  lSxJ^jfcj^E§ed  erS&aj^on,  stating  that 
it  is  a  veritable  scientific  pr^:r£ss--wriich  has  the  advan- 
tage over  inhumation  in  corresponding  to  the  exigencies 
of  hygiene.  It  also  expressed  its  conviction  that  incin- 
eration in  no  way  offends  against  the  affection  of  families 
for  their  defunct,  the  respect  and  veneration  for  human 
remains,  and  the  religious  principles  of  the  surviving. 

The  Milan  cremation  society  was  organized  chiefly 
through  the  efforts  of  Drs.  Pini  and  Cristoforis,  the 
latter  being  elected  president.  As  the  Polli-Clericetti 
apparatus  in  the  crematorium  had  not  given  general 
satisfaction,  the  gasometer  behind  the  temple  was 
removed,  in  1880,  and  suitable  wings  were  built.  Two 
furnaces  were  then  erected,  one  being  built  on  the 
Gorini  system,  in  which  the  ordinary  cremations  are 
performed,  and  the  other  on  the  Venini  system,  where 
cremation  of  the  remains  of  persons  who  died  from  con- 
tagious diseases,  and  of  strangers,  takes  place.  The 
building  also  has  three  columbaria,  one  on  each  side  of 
the  crematorium,  and  an  ordinary  one  in  the  vaults 
below. 

Owing  to  the  success  of  the  Milan  crematory,  crema- 
toria were  built  at  Padua,  Cremona,  Varese,  Lodi, 
Brescia,  and  Rome.  A  cinerary  furnace  was  also 
speedily  erected  in  the  hospital  at  Spezzia,  by  order  of 


THE   HISTORY   OF   CREMATION.  51 

the  Secretary  of  the  Navy ;  this  apparatus  was  princi- 
pally used  for  the  cremation  of  cholera  victims. 

The  urns  holding  the  ashes  of  the  cremated  cannot 
be  removed  from  an  Italian  columbarium  except  by 
permission  of  tlxe  prefect  of  the  province.  The  urns 
must  be  tightly  closed,~and  must  bear  the  name  of  the 
deceased  and  the,: date  of  his^or  her  death.  The  ashes 
of  only  one  body  may -be-  placed  in  an  urn,  the  reverse 
being  strictly  "forbidden.  Every  cremation  is  registered 
both  by  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  crematory  and  by 
the  civil  authorities. 

Looking  over  the  history  of  cremation  in  Italy,  one 
needs  must  gain  the  firm  conviction  that  Dr.  Gaetano  Pini 
of  Milan  is  the  most  ardent  cremationist  in  his  native 
country.  Whenever  a  cremation  society  was  organized 
there,  the  indefatigable  doctor  was  on  hand,  giving  ad- 
vice and  delivering  addresses,  increasing  the  zeal  of 
the  advocates  of  the  reform,  and  encouraging  its  timid 
friends.  Really,  the  amount  of  labor  performed  by  this 
gentleman  is  truly  marvelous.  Already  the  doctor  is 
reaping  the  fruits  of  his  philanthropic  work.  Incinera- 
tion is  steadily  advancing  in  Italy,  and  is  gaining  popu- 
lar favor  rapidly,  and  Dr.  Pini's  name  will  be  handed 
down  to  succeeding  generations  as  that  of  a  benefactor 
of  his  land  and  people. 

Cremation  societies  now  exist  at  Ancona,  Asti,  Bo- 
logna, Brescia,  Capri,  Codogno,  Como,  Cremona,  Demo- 
dossola,  Florence,  Genoa,  Intra,  Livorno,  Lodi,  Milan, 
Modena,  Novara,  Padua,  Parma,  Pavia,  Perugia,  Pia- 
cenza,  Pisa,  Pistoga,  San  Bemo,  Siena,  Turin,  Undine, 
Yarese,  Venice,  and  Verona. 

In  Spain,  where  the  body  of  Merino,  the  man  who  at- 
tempted the  assassination  of  Queen  Isabella,  was  burned 


52  CREMATION   OF   THE  DEAD. 

in  1852,  cremation  has  made  as  yet  but  little  progress, 
but  even  in  this  stronghold  of  Catholicism  it  can  point 
to  friends. 

El  Anfiteatro  Anatomico  Espanol  of  March  15,  1874, 
contains  an  admirable  article  on  incineration  by  Don 
Federico  Gilman.  Two  pamphlets  on  the  subject  also 
appeared,  one  by  Enrico  Salcedo  at  Valencia  in  1876, 
the  other  by  L.  Gallardo  at  Madrid  in  1878. 

The  Board  of  Public  Health  at  Madrid  resolved  in 
1884  to  request  the  government  to  make  cremation 
obligatory  during  epidemics,  and  to  permit  incineration 
in  all  cases  where  the  family  of  a  deceased  wish  to  dis- 
pose of  him  so. 

Dr.  Cervera,  member  of  the  municipal  chamber  of 
Madrid,  proposed  the  erection  of  a  crematory  temple  in 
the  new  cemetery  of  that  city. 

At  Lisbon,  Portugal,  cremation  is  not  only  optional, 
but  the  authorities  of  the  city  have  even  issued  a  decree 
making  cremation  compulsory  in  time  of  epidemics. 

The  cremation  movement  in  Switzerland  began  in 
the  spring  of  1874.  On  the  20th  of  December,  1878, 
the  municipal  council  of  Zuerich  granted  leave  to  erect 
a  crematorium  on  a  ceded  piece  of  ground  in  the  new 
cemetery  of  that  town.  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  a  crema- 
tory has  as  yet  not  been  erected,  owing  to  a  lack  of 
funds.  This  deplorable  condition  is  due  to  a  great 
extent  to  the  ridiculously  small  membership-fee  and 
annual  dues  of  but  two  francs  ;  yet,  in  spite  of  all  this, 
success  is  sure  to  come  in  the  end,  for  even  this  lagging 
fund  grows  yearly.  The  society  at  Zuerich  now  num- 
bers nearly  400  members,  and  is  (the  fund  dilemma 
excepted)  in  a  prosperous  condition.  Wegmann-Erco- 
lani  is  its  recognized  leader,  and  must  be  looked  upon 


THE   HISTORY   OF   CREMATIOK.  53 

as  the  foremost  champion  of  incineration  in  Switzer- 
land. 

In  Austria  the  outlook  for  cremation  is  not  favorable, 
but  one  need  not  be  surprised  at  that,  for  Austria  is 
known  to  be  one  of  the  most  conservative  countries  in 
the  world. 

In  1658,  when  several  collections  of  cinerary  urns 
were  discovered  in  Old  Walsingham,  Norfolk,  England, 
Sir  Thomas  Browne,  a  learned  physician,  came  forward 
with  a  brilliant  dissertation  on  cremation,  which  still 
holds  its  rank  among  standard  English  literature.  This 
essay,  conspicuous  for  the  erudition  displayed,  was  a 
singularly  powerful  and  idiomatic  plea  for  incineration. 
The  next  to  take  up  the  righteous  cause  of  cremation 
in  Great  Britain  was  no  less  a  person  than  Sir  James 
Y.  Simpson,  the  eminent  surgeon  of  Edinburgh,  Scot- 
land. He  demonstrated  how  easy  it  would  be  for  his 
fellow-townsmen  to  maintain  a  fire  constantly  on  the 
hill  of  the  Hunter's  Bog,  near  Edinburgh.  But  he,  too, 
only  had  in  view  the  ancient  pyre ;  therefore  it  is  not 
astonishing  that  his  efforts  were  not  crowned  with 
success. 

It  appears  that  about  the  year  1844,  the  sanction  of 
the  authorities  of  the  city  of  London  was  obtained  for 
the  cremation,  within  the  City  of  London  Gas  Works, 
of  the  dead  of  Bridewell  Hospital ;  an  arrangement  was 
also  concluded  with  the  city  authorities  for  the  inciner- 
ation of  bodies  of  dead  prisoners,  and  of  the  condemned 
meat  and  offal  of  the  markets.  The  project,  however, 
met  with  so  much  opposition  from  certain  churchmen 
that  it  fell  into  abeyance. 

In  modern  times  the  gong  of  cineration  was  first 
struck    by    Sir    Henry   Thompson,    who    had   become 


54  CREMATION   OF   THE   DEAD. 

enamored  with  incineration  at  the  Vienna  Exposition, 
and  who  earnestly  treated  of  cremation  in  a  brilliant 
paper,  "  The  Treatment  of  the  Body  after  Death,"  in 
The  Contemporary  Review  for  January,  1874.  This 
article,  as  might  be  expected,  elicited  great  popular 
interest,  much  approval  from  all  classes  of  the  public, 
and  some  vigorous  opposition.  It  was  replied  to,  in  the 
February  issue  of  the  same  periodical,  by  Mr.  Philip 
H.  Holland,  the  Medical  Inspector  of  Burials  for  Eng- 
land and  Wales,  whose  statements  and  arguments, 
adroit  though  some  of  them  were,  were  properly 
refuted  in  the  succeeding  number  of  the  Review.  Sir 
Henry  fortified  his  arguments  by  citing  some  experi- 
ments with  the  bodies  of  lower  animals,  which  he  had 
burned,  with  little  cost  and  no  inconvenience,  in  a 
Siemens  furnace. 

For  many  years  prior  to  1874,  Dr.  Lord,  health  offi- 
cer for  Hampstead,  continued  to  urge  the  practical 
necessity  for  the  introduction  of  incremation. 

The  Cremation  Society  of  England  was  founded  on 
the  13th  of  January,  1874,  and  no  sooner  was  it  estab- 
lished than  letters  of  encouragement  poured  in  from  all 
parts  of  Great  Britain,  and  there  was  a  great  influx  of 
new  members  and  subscribers  to  its  declaration.  Every 
cremationist  must  feel  proud  to  know  that  among  those 
who,  under  Sir  Henry  Thompson's  able  presidency, 
founded  the  society,  were  such  men  of  distinction  as 
the  late  Shirley  Brooks  and  Anthony  Trollope,  the 
well-known  novelist.  The  English  Cremation  Society 
was  founded  for  the  propagation  of  the  tenets  of  incin- 
eration, not  for  trading  purposes,  as  may  have  been 
supposed  by  some  incredulous,  ill-disposed,  or  ignorant 
minds. 


THE   HISTORY    OF    CEEMATION. 


In  1878,  the  society  purchased 
an  acre  of  ground  in  a  secluded 
part  of  St.  John,  Woking,  in 
Surrey,  especially  adapted  by 
position  for  the  purpose,  and 
erected  thereon  a  building,  with 
an  apparatus  of  the  most  ap- 
proved kind,  for  effecting  crema- 
tion of  the  dead.  After  some 
deliberation,  the  system  of  Pro- 
fessor Gorini,  of  Lodi,  in  Italy, 
was  adopted,  since  it  was  con- 
sidered the  best  for  the  site,  in- 
asmuch as  no  supply  of  gas  is 
required  to  insure  combustion, 
but  only  coal  or  wood.  It  is  to 
be  regretted,  that  owing  to  a  lack 
of  funds,  only  the  furnace  could 
be  built,  which  standing  alone 
in  spacious  fields,  must  present 
rather  a  dreary  aspect;  must,  I 
take  it,  appear  far  too  realistic. 
It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  society 
will,  by  means  of  large  bequests 
or  sufficient  contributions  from 
the  public,  be  placed  in  a  position 
to  roof  over  the  furnace,  and  to 
erect  a  chapel  or  a  hall  in  front 
of  it,  so  as  to  accommodate  the 
friends  and  mourners.  The  ap- 
paratus was  next  tested  by  an 
experiment,  which  consisted  of 
the  burning  of  a  portion  of  the 


lii-Sv; 


m 


:  I 


56  CREMATION   OF   THE   DEAD. 

carcass  of  a  horse  weighing  140  pounds,  that  was 
consumed  in  two  hours,  at  a  cost  of  a  very  small  quan- 
tity of  fuel.  The  ashes  resulting  from  the  combustion 
were  perfectly  white,  and  weighed  a  little  under  six 
pounds ;  not  the  slightest  odor  could  be  detected  in  the 
closest  neighborhood  of  the  furnace,  or  even  with  the 
doors  of  the  crematory  chamber  open ;  and  there  was, 
moreover,  no  escape  of  smoke  from  the  chimney.  The 
success  of  the  system  was  established,  and  the  possibility 
of  cremation  without  offence  completely  demonstrated. 
Since  that  time  the  place  has  been  maintained  in  per- 
fect order,  but  has  not  been  used,  owing  to  a  doubt 
raised  soon  after  the  date  referred  to,  as  to  the  legality 
of  adopting  the  process  in  England.  A  deputation  of 
the  cremation  society  waited  upon  the  Home  Secretary 
on  the  20th  of  March,  1879,  with  a  view  of  representing 
to  the  government  their  own  wishes  in  respect  to  the 
crematory  at  Woking.  The  Home  Secretary  admitted 
that  the  proposed  practice  was  unaffected  by  existing 
law,  but  he  had  been  advised  that  inasmuch  as  the 
registration  of  deaths  in  her  Majesty's  country  had 
always  been  associated  with  burial,  he  was  constrained 
to  conclude  that  cremation  must  first  be  approved  by 
Parliament,  and  that  if  persisted  in,  he  saw  no  other 
course  open  than  to  legislate  against  it.  He  further 
advised  the  council  to  introduce  a  short  bill  into  the 
House  of  Lords,  and  not  to  rely  upon  the  opinions  of 
Queen's  counsel  which  had  been  obtained  by  them 
affirming  that  it  might  be  practiced.  Thus  the  so- 
called  Cameron  bill  originated.  It  is  strange  that 
England,  so  far  advanced  in  political  freedom,  should 
yet  be  so  deficient  in  intellectual  liberty.  Among  the 
English  there  are  doubtless  as  many  unbiased  investi- 


THE  HISTORY  OE   CREMATION.  57 

gators  as  among  any  other  nation,  but  both  the  repre- 
sentatives of  the  people  and  the  government  present 
the  deplorable  picture  of  solicitous  embarrassment,  and 
maintain  an  obstinate  conservatism  when  any  question 
involving  religion  or  ecclesiastical  rites  comes  up  before 
them ;  any  act  that  is  not  seconded  by  the  Church  of 
England  is  rejected  through  non-support;  any  abuse 
which  the  Established  Church  desires  to  retain  can  not 
be  removed.  That  this  holds  true  is  evinced  by  the 
repeated  failure  of  the  bill  permitting  a  widower  to 
marry  his  sister-in-law,  notwithstanding  that  even  the 
royal  family  desire  to  contract  such  a  marriage. 
Finally  the  bill  was  accepted  by  the  House  of  Com- 
mons, but  has  been  since  stubbornly  rejected  by  the 
House  of  Lords. 

Dr.  Cameron's  cremation  bill  —  providing  legal  sanc- 
tion for  the  adoption  of  cremation  in  Great  Britain  — 
was  submitted  to  the  House  of  Commons  some  time  in 
1884  —  I  do  not  remember  the  exact  date.  This  bill, 
which  asked  but  for  permissive  incineration,  a  privilege 
that  is  readily  granted  in  all  civilized  countries  of  the 
globe,  was  rejected  on  the  second  reading  by  a  vote  of 
149  to  79.  It  is  a  solace  to  know  that  the  minority  in- 
cluded the  scientific  men,  men  of  such  world-wide  fame 
as  Sir  Lyon  Playfair,  Sir  John  Lubbock,  and  many 
others.  Mr.  Gladstone,  zealous  in  his  endeavors  to 
serve  the  Church,  brought  the  influence  of  the  Govern- 
ment to  bear  against  the  bill,  pleading  in  excuse  that  it 
was  contrary  to  public  opinion.  Every  well-balanced 
mind  must  conceive  instantly  that  the  Premier  might 
have  reserved  the  expression  of  the  public  will  and 
opinion  for  Parliament,  but  that  he  wished  to  oblige 
the    Church    of    England.      That   Englishmen    regard 


58  CREMATION   OF  THE  DEAD. 

cremation  from  the  same  standpoint  as  other  people  is 
proven  by  the  79  favorable  votes  that  were  cast. 

Mr.  W.  Eassie  delivered  excellent  addresses  on  cre- 
mation before  the  first  congress  of  the  Sanitary  Institute 
of  Great  Britain,  held  in  1877,  at  Leamington,  and  be- 
fore the  congress  at  Manchester,  in  1879,  when  he  ex- 
hibited the  model  of  the  Polli-Clericetti  apparatus.  In 
March,  1879,  the  question  of  cremation  was  also  pre- 
sented to  the  House  of  Lords,  but  without  practical 
results. 

In  August,  1880,  Sir  T.  Spencer  Wells,  late  president 
of  the  Royal  College  of  Surgeons  of  England,  and  Sur- 
geon to  the  Queen's  Household,  read  a  masterly  paper 
on  incineration,  entitled  "  Cremation  or  Burial,"  at  the 
meeting  of  the  British  Medical  Association,  at  Cam- 
bridge. At  its  conclusion  a  memorial  was  drawn  up, 
addressed  to  the  Home  Secretary,  and  praying  that  per- 
mission be  granted  for  the  practice  of  cremation.  The 
address  was  as  follows :  — 

"  We,  the  undersigned  members  of  the  British  Medi- 
cal Association,  assembled  at  Cambridge,  disapprove  the 
present  custom  of  burying  the  dead,  and  desire  to  substi- 
tute some  mode  which  shall  rapidly  resolve  the  body 
into  its  component  elements  by  a  process  which  cannot 
offend  the  living,  and  may  render  the  remains  absolutely 
innocuous.  Until  some  better  mode  is  devised  we  desire 
to  promote  that  usually  known  as  cremation.  As  the 
process  can  now  be  carried  out  without  anything  ap- 
proaching to  nuisance,  and  as  it  is  not  illegal,  we  trust 
the  government  will  not  oppose  the  practice,  when  con- 
vinced that  proper  regulations  are  observed  and  ampler 
guarantees  of  death  having  occurred  from  natural  causes 
are  obtained  than  are  now  required  for  burial." 


THE   HISTORY   OF   CREMATION.  59 

This  memorial  was  signed  by  Sir  T.  Spencer  Wells 
and  many  other  prominent  physicians  and  surgeons, 
altogether  by  oyer  one  hundred  members  of  the  associa- 
tion. 

On  Jan.  13,  1884,  an  incident  occurred  that  speedily 
wrought  a  metamorphosis  of  the  whole  question  regard- 
ing the  legality  of  cineration  in  the  United  Kingdoms. 
There  is  an  eccentric  physician  of  South  Wales,  who  is 
known  as  Dr.  Price.  He  claims  to  be  the  nineteenth 
century  representative  of  the  ancient  Druids.  His  cos- 
tume is  green  trousers,  white  smock  coat,  and  fox-skin 
head-covering.  He  is  an  educated  physician  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  British  Medical  Association.  The  Druids  of 
old  burned  their  dead,  and  the  child  of  Dr.  Price  having 
died,  he  determined  to  dispose  of  her  remains  by  crema- 
tion. He  retired  at  nightfall  to  a  hill-top,  where,  plac- 
ing the  corpse  in  a  cask  of  petroleum,  he  applied  the 
torch.  The  burning  aroused  the  populace,  who,  on 
nearing  the  spot,  discovered  its  purpose.  Amid  much 
excitement  the  charred  remains  were  rescued,  and  the 
Druid  doctor  placed  under  arrest.  He  was  tried  at  the 
Glamorganshire  Assizes,  Cardiff,  and  acquitted.  Sir 
James  Stephen,  the  learned  judge,  when  charging  the 
grand  jury  at  the  trial,  stated  that  Lord  Justice  Fry 
agreed  in  the  views  about  to  be  expressed  by  him.  He 
reviewed  elaborately  all  the  authorities  bearing  on  the 
case,  and,  after  discussing  the  methods  of  disposing  of 
the  dead  in  ancient  Europe,  failed  to  discover  any  law, 
ancient  or  modern,  which  forbids  cremation,  providing 
it  be  done  in  such  a  manner  as  to  cause  no  nuisance. 

This  decision,  of  course,  rendered  the  society  free  to 
act  as  it  pleased.  Advertisements  were  immediately 
put  in  the  newspapers,  to  say  that  anybody  could  be 


60  CREMATION   OF    THE   DEAD. 

cremated  who  would  adhere  to  the  rules  formulated  by 
the  society.  Under  these  circumstances  the  cremation 
society  felt  it  a  duty  to  indicate,  without  delay,  those 
safeguards  which  they  deemed  it  essential  to  associate 
with  the  proceeding  in  order  to  prevent  the  destruction 
of  a  body  which  might  have  met  death  by  unfair  means. 
They  were  aware  that  the  chief  practical  objection 
which  can  be  urged  against  the  employment  of  crema- 
tion consists  in  the  opportunity  which  it  offers,  apart 
from  such  precautions,  for  removing  the  traces  of  poison 
or  other  injury  which  are  retained  by  an  undestroyed 
body,  and  therefore  framed  the  sequent  rules,  which 
still  hold  good :  — 

"  1.  An  application  in  writing  must  be  made  by  the 
friends  or  executors  of  the  deceased,  —  unless  it  has 
been  made  by  the  deceased  person  himself  during  life, 
—  stating  that  it  was  the  wish  of  the  deceased  to  be 
cremated  after  death.  2.  A  certificate  must  be  sent  in 
by  one  qualified  medical  man  at  least,  who  attended 
the  deceased  until  the  time  of  death,  unhesitatingly 
stating  that  the  cause  of  death  was  natural,  and  what 
the  cause  was.  3.  If  no  medical  man  attended  during 
the  illness,  autopsy  must  be  made  by  a  medical  officer 
appointed  by  the  society,  or  no  cremation  can  take 
place.  These  conditions  being  complied  with,  the  coun- 
cil of  the  society  reserve  the  right  in  all  cases  of  refus- 
ing permission  for  the  performance  of  the  cremation, 
and,  in  the  event  of  permitting  it,  will  offer  every  facil- 
ity for  its  accomplishment  in  the  best  manner," 

The  Cremation  Society  of  England  owes  much  to  its 
indefatigable  honorary  secretary,  Mr.  William  Eassie, 
C.E.,  whose  propaganda  for  incineration  is  not  con- 
fined to  the  British  Isles,  but  extends  all  over  the  world. 


THE  HISTORY   OF   CREMATION.  61 

I  am  sure  that  his  name  will  always  head  the  list  of 
those  who  have  promoted  cremation  in  the  country  of 
Shakespeare,  and  in  this  respect  even  place  him  over 
and  above  that  illustrious  surgeon  and  physicist,  Sir 
Henry  Thompson.  I  would  not,  I  am  certain,  experi- 
ence the  least  astonishment  should  I  hear  that  Mr. 
Eassie  sent  some  of  his  valuable  essays  on  cineration  to 
some  savage  in  Africa,  for  instance  the  king  of  Daho- 
mey, and  that  the  royal  negro,  pleased  with  the  idea, 
instantly  had  several  hundred  of  his  subjects  cremated 
before  him,  which,  being  a  complete  success  in  every 
respect,  led  his  dusky  majesty  to  swear  by  all  the  holy 
idols  with  which  he  is  familiar  that  he  too  should  be 
reduced  to  ashes  after  death. 

Public  sentiment  reflected  in  the  press  of  the  United 
Kingdoms  has  been  almost  unanimously  in  favor  of 
cremation.  Journals  of  all  classes,  religious,  fashiona- 
ble, popular,  Whig,  Radical,  or  Tory,  from  the  Court 
Circular  to  the  Rock,  from  the  Times  to  Lloyd's  Weekly 
Newspaper,  have  by  a  vast  majority  pronounced  in  its 
favor. 

The  Metropolitan  Commissioners  of  Sewers  have  ap- 
pointed a  committee  with  the  view  of  considering  the 
propriety  of  erecting  a  crematorium  at  Ilford. 

The  oldest  case  of  cremation  on  record  in  Great 
Britain  was  that  of  a  widow,  Mrs.  Pratt,  of  George 
Street,  Hanover  Square,  London.  The  lady  was  burned, 
in  obedience  to  directions  given  in  her  testament,  in 
the  new  graveyard  adjoining  Tyburn  turnpike,  on  the 
26th  of  September,  1769. 

On  the  8th  and  9th  of  October,  1882,  the  wife  of 
Captain  Hanham,  and  his  mother,  Lady  Hanham,  wife 
of  the  late  Sir  James  Hanham,  Bart.,  of  Dean's  Court, 


THE   HISTORY   OF   CREMATION.  63 

Dorset,  were  cremated  in  a  cheap  temporary  crematory, 
devised  by  Mr.  Richards  of  Wincanton.  The  furnace 
had  been  built  under  the  supervision  of  Captain  Han- 
ham  himself.  The  coffins  were  placed  on  iron  plates, 
and  fire  bricks  above  the  furnace,  a  chimney  22  feet 
high  furnishing  the  draught.  The  process  lasted  two 
hours,  and  was  successful  in  every  respect. 

A  year  later,  on  the  7th  of  December,  1883,  the  cap- 
tain, Thomas  C.  Hanham,  was  reduced  to  ashes  in  the 
same  apparatus  at  his  residence  in  Manstone,  Dorset- 
shire. The  incineration  was  public,  and  in  conformity 
with  the  last  testamentary  dispositions  of  the  deceased. 
The  cremation  was  accomplished  in  9  hours  and  40 
minutes.  The  ashes  were  deposited  in  the  family 
mausoleum. 

The  Danish  Cremation  Society  at  Copenhagen  was 
founded  in  1881,  and  is  in  a  nourishing  condition.  It 
has  several  branch  societies  in  the  provinces.  Soon 
after  its  organization  it  numbered  1500  members;  it 
now  counts  1800  members,  among  them  120  physicians. 
Several  attempts  were  made  in  Denmark  to  legalize  in- 
cineration, but  in  vain :  as  there  is,  however,  no  law 
prohibiting  the  act,  the  society  is  determined  to  imitate 
the  example  of  England,  to  execute  incineration  at 
their  own  risk,  and  await  further  legislation. 

Mr.  Per  Lindell,  a  civil  engineer,  did  much  to  popu- 
larize cremation  in  Sweden.  For  many  years  he  treated 
of  the  subject  in  the  columns  of  the  Nor  den,  a  journal 
edited  by  him.  It  was  through  his  influence  that  the 
Swedish  Cremation  Society  was  established  on  the  31st 
of  May,  1882,  at  Stockholm,  under  the  presidency  of 
Colonel  E.  Klingenstierna.  At  present  the  society 
numbers  from  700  to  800  members.     There  is  no  law 


64  CREMATION   OF  THE  DEAD. 

forbidding  incineration ;  the  prospects  are  therefore 
very  good.  As  soon  as  sufficient  money  is  on  hand  a 
crematory  will  be  erected  and  put  in  use.  A  society, 
affiliated  with  the  central  one,  was  recently  organized 
at  Gothenburg. 

In  the  neighborhood  of  the  new  cemetery,  St.  Fran- 
cisco Xavier,  at  Rio  de  Janeiro,  Brazil,  a  large  space  of 
ground  has  been  assigned  for  the  erection  of  a  crema- 
tory temple.  Incineration  will  be  practiced  there  in 
order  to  lessen,  if  possible,  the  alarming  rate  of  mor- 
tality in  that  unhealthy  place.  Dr.  A.  Vinelli  deserves 
great  credit  for  his  admirable  articles  in  support  of 
cremation  in  the  Revista  Medica  de  Rio  de  Janeiro  of 
1878. 

In  the  Argentine  Republic,  Mexico,  and  Uruguay,  a 
steady  movement  is  on  foot  in  favor  of  the  reform.  The 
authorities  in  Mexico  have  already  granted  permission 
for  the  construction  of  a  crematorium  on  the  Gorini 
pattern. 

It  is  said  that  the  government  of  Venezuela  has  also 
decided  to  erect  a  crematory,  wherein  to  reduce  to  in- 
nocuous ashes  the  bodies  of  persons  deceased  of  yellow 
fever. 

The  idea  to  propagate  cremation  at  Valparaiso,  Chili, 
originated  with  the  Lessing  Lodge  of  Free  Masons, 
which,  on  the  6th  of  August,  1881,  directed  a  circular 
to  the  other  Masonic  lodges  of  the  city,  requesting  them 
to  send  representatives  to  a  preliminary  meeting.  This 
meeting  came  off  on  the  3d  of  December  of  the  same 
year.  Cremation  was  freely  discussed  from  every  stand- 
point, but  on  the  whole  the  meeting  was  not  followed 
by  any  practical  result. 

On    the  last  of  December,  1881,  a  proclamation  to 


THE   HISTORY   OF    CREMATION.  65 

organize  a  cremation  society  was  published  in  the  jour- 
nal II  Mercurio  by  the  committee  having  the  matter  in 
charge.  On  the  20th  of  May,  1882,  the  Cremation 
Society  of  Chili  was  formed  under  the  presidency  of 
Serlor  O.  Malvini.  This  society  is  in  a  flourishing  con- 
dition, and  now  numbers  over  200  members. 

Towards  the  end  of  1883  a  committee  to  organize  a 
cremation  society  at  Alexandria,  Egypt,  was  formed  by 
M.  Lumel,  who,  unfortunately,  died  in  the  same  year. 
The  committee,  however,  is  still  in  existence,  and  is  at 
present  occupied  in  realizing  the  ideas  of  M.  Lumel. 
At  Cairo  Messrs.  Titus  Figari  and  Cesare  Praga  labor 
to  found  a  cremation  society. 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE   EVILS   OF   BURIAL;    THE    SANITARY   ASPECT   OF 
INCINERATION. 

HPHE  grave,  hallowed  by  religion  and  the  queen  of 
-■-  arts,  poetry,  has  become  to  us  the  emblem  of 
eternal  rest — something  that  is  beautiful;  something 
in  which  we  may  sleep  long  and  well.  The  weeping- 
willow  droops  its  slender  branches  over  it,  sweet,  fra- 
grant flowers  thrive  upon  its  soil,  and  the  little  birds 
perch  there  to  sing  their  song. 

The  rays  of  the  sun  often  play  upon  the  small  earth 
elevation,  and  lend  additional  beauty  to  the  green  foli- 
age of  the  trees,  the  bright  color  of  the  many  flowers. 

But  verily,  we  are  like  the  sunshine  —  superficial. 
It  is  the  great  fault  of  mankind  to  be  satisfied  with  a 
film-like  knowledge  of  things.  To  go  deeper,  to  dive 
below  the  superstratum,  would  mean  to  meet,  perhaps, 
with  matters  not  at  all  pleasant;  to  become  cognizant 
of  facts  never  before  dreamt  of.  Consequently,  the 
majority  of  men  is  content  to  remain  on  the  surface ; 
content  to  know  a  little,  but  not  all. 

Thank  God,  there  are  happily  individuals  left  who 
descend  to  the  bottom  of  every  question,  scientific  or 
social,  and  who  daily  enrich  all  departments  of  learning. 

As  regards  the  grave,  let  us  first  of  all  listen  to  him 
who  has  held  generations  of  folk  spellbound;  let  us 
bow  reverently  before  the  opinion  of  one  of  the  mas- 
ters among  English  novelists  —  Charles  Dickens. 


68  CREMATION    OF   THE   DEA£>. 

It  is  he  who  tells  us  in  measured  words  that  the  grave 
is  naught  but  — 

"  Brave  lodgings  for  one,  brave  lodgings  for  one, 
A  few  feet  of  cold  earth,  when  life  is  done ; 
A  stone  at  the  head,  a  stone  at  the  feet, 
A  rich,  juicy  meal  for  the  worms  to  eat ; 
Rank  grass  overhead,  and  damp  clay  around, 
Brave  lodgings  for  one,  these,  in  holy  ground  !  " 

The  late  Prof.  Samuel  D.  Gross,  M.D.,  one  of  the 
greatest  surgeons  the  world  ever  possessed,  called 
burial  a  horrible  practice,  and  maintained  that ;  — 

"  If  people  could  see  the  human  body  after  the  pro- 
cess of  decomposition  sets  in,  which  is  as  soon  as  the 
vital  spark  ceases  to  exist,  they  would  not  want  to  be 
buried ;  they  would  be  in  favor  of  cremation.  If  they 
could  go  into  a  dissecting-room  and  see  the  horrid  sights 
of  the  dissecting-table,  they  would  not  wish  to  be 
buried.  Burying  the  human  body,  I  think,  is  a  horri- 
ble thing.  If  more  was  known  about  the  human  frame 
while  undergoing  decomposition,  people  would  turn 
with  horror  from  the  custom  of  burying  their  dead. 
It  takes  a  human  body  50,  60,  80  years — yes,  longer 
than  that  —  to  decay.  Think  of  it!  The  remains  of 
a  friend  lying  under  six  feet  of  ground,  or  less,  for 
that  length  of  time,  going  through  the  slow  stages  of 
decay,  and  other  bodies  all  this  time  being  buried 
around  these  remains.  Infants  grow  up,  and  pass  into 
manhood  or  womanhood;  grow  old,  and  get  near  the 
door  of  death ;  and  during  all  that  time  the  body  which 
was  buried  in  their  infancy  lies  a  few  feet  under  ground 
in  this  sickening  state,  undergoing  the  slow  process  of 
decay.  Think  of  thousands  of  such  bodies  crowded 
into  a  few  acres  of  ground,  and  then  reflect  that  these 


THE   EVILS    OF   BURIAL.  69 

graves,  or  many  of  them,  in  time  fill  with  water,  and 
that  water  percolates  through  the  ground  and  mixes 
with  the  springs  and  rivers  from  which  we  drink. 

"  People  tarn  with  dread  from  the  subject  of  crema- 
tion. Why,  if  they  knew  what  physicians  know,  — 
what  they  have  learned  in  the  dissecting-room,  —  they 
would  look  upon  burning  the  human  body  as  a  beauti- 
ful art  in  comparison  with  burying  it.  There  is  some- 
thing eminently  repulsive  to  me  about  the  idea  of 
lying  a  few  feet  under  ground  for  a  century,  or  per- 
haps two  centuries,  going  through  the  process  of  de- 
composition. When  I  die,  I  want  my  body  to  be 
burned. 

"  Any  unprejudiced  mind  needs  but  little  time  to  re- 
flect in  forming  a  conclusion  as  to  which  is  the  better 
method  of  disposing  of  the  body.  Common  sense  and 
reason  proclaim  in  favor  of  cremation.  There  is  no 
reason  for  keeping  up  the  burial  custom,  but  many 
against  it ;  some  of  the  most  practical  of  which  are  but 
too  recently  developed  to  need  mention.  There  is  noth- 
ing repulsive  in  the  idea  of  cremation.  People's  preju- 
dice is  the  only  opponent  it  has.  If  they  could  be 
awakened  to  a  sense  of  the  horror  of  crowding  thou- 
sands of  bodies  under  the  ground,  to  pollute  in  many 
instances  the  air  we  breathe  and  the  water  we  drink, 
their  prejudice  would  be  overcome ;  cremation  would 
be  taken  for  what  it  truly  is  —  a  beautiful  method  of 
disposing  of  the  body.  The  friends  of  the  departed  can 
do  as  they  please  with  the  remains.  Take  the  ashes  of 
a  wife  or  daughter  and  put  them  in  an  urn ;  place  it 
on  your  mantelpiece,  or  in  as  private  a  place  as  you 
please.  Strew  them  on  the  ground  if  3^011  like,  and  let 
them  assist  in  bringing  forth  a  blade  of  grass.      This 


70  CREMATION    OF    THE   DEAD. 

would  be  an  advantage  over  the  burial  method,  where 
human  bodies  only  cumber  the  ground." 

This  was  said  by  a  man  who  not  only  showed  consid- 
erable ability  as  an  operator,  and  writer  on  topics  of 
medicine,  but  who  also  was  honored  by  the  famous 
universities  of  Cambridge  and  Oxford,  receiving  from 
them  academical  titles  never  conferred  except  upon  the 
most  distinguished. 

We  will  take  a  spade  (only  metaphorically,  of 
course)  and  investigate  the  narrow  pit  which  serves  to 
hold  all  that  is  mortal  of  man  after  the  spark  of  life  has 
extinguished.  Now  we  remove  the  plants,  the  clinging 
vines,  the  blooming  flowrets.  We  throw  the  earth  aside 
and  finally  lay  bare  a  coffin.  A  coffin?  Something 
that  must  have  been  one  in  the  remote  past.  A  sick- 
ening odor  greets  us.  We  step  back  to  draw  a  breath 
of  pure  air.  At  last  we  muster  up  sufficient  courage 
to  return  to  the  grave.  A  touch  of  the  spade  causes 
the  top-board  of  the  box  to  fall  to  pieces,  and  there  is 
revealed  to  the  sight  a  spectacle  that  is  horrible.  The 
ground  around  the  body  has  been  moist  and  non- 
porous;  what  has  remained  of  the  corpse  is  only  a 
mass  of  foul  flesh  in  a  state  of  putrefaction.  Is  there 
anything  more -disgusting  than  such  a  sight? 

Shakespeare  says  in  "  As  You  Like  It "  :  — 

"  And  so,  from  hour  to  hour,  we  ripe  and  ripe, 
And  then,  from  hour  to  hour,  we  rot  and  rot ; 
And  thereby  hangs  a  tale." 

True !  The  tale  that  hangs  thereby  is  illustrative  of 
the  carelessness  and  ignorance  of  man  alike.  The 
grave  has  been  at  all  times  a  kind  of  box  of  Pandora, 
with  this  difference,  —  it  did  not  require  unclosing: 
unopened,  the  grave  sent  forth  its  children  —  pestilence 


THE  EVILS   OF   BURIAL.  71 

and  death  —  to  decimate  the  ranks  of  the  population 
of  the  globe.  But  all  calamities  caused  by  burial  have 
been  endured  by  people  with  perfect  indifference,  and 
it  was  not  until  modern  times  that  any  reforms  were 
attempted  at  all.  But  in  spite  of  these  so-called  re- 
forms, the  murder  of  the  living  by  the  dead  has  con- 
tinued. The  reforms  I  mentioned  generally  resulted 
in  the  removal  of  cemeteries  to  the  suburbs  of  cities. 
In  this  way  the  evil  effects  of  interment  were  deferred 
for  some  time,  till  the  city  enlarged,  and  the  population 
closed  in  around  the  burial-grounds. 

What  is  burial  ?  For  what  purpose  do  we  place  the 
bodies  of  our  dead  in  the  earth  ?  It  is  the  beginning  of 
a  chemical  process — a  process  which  ends  finally  in 
the  total  dissolution  of  the  corpse.  The  chemical  con- 
stituents of  our  body  are  returned  to  nature.  Burial 
and  cremation  are  in  a  sense  the  same ;  in  either  case 
the  body  oxydates.  The  great  distinction  between  the 
two  lies  in  the  fact,  that  the  burning  in  the  grave  re- 
quires years  for  its  completion,  and  is  fraught  with 
danger  to  the  living,  whilst  in  case  of  incineration  the 
body  is  reduced  to  its  primitive  elements  in  the  brief 
space  of  a  few  hours,  and  is  unaccompanied  by  any- 
thing that  may  do  harm. 

Dr.  A.  B.  Prescott,  Professor  of  Chemistry  in  the 
University  of  Michigan,, has  determined  what  elements 
of  the  human  body  are  destroyed  or  dissipated  by  cre- 
mation, and  what  remain  in  the  ashes.  In  a  letter  to 
the  Detroit  Post  he  states :  — 

"  Of  the  70  chemical  elements  or  ultimate  simples, 
known  to  man,  15  are  found  in  the  human  body. 
Of  these,  four — carbon,  hydrogen,  nitrogen,  and  oxygen 
—  are   derived  from   the  air,  and  in  combustion,  as  in 


12  CREMATION    OF   THE  DEAD. 

decay,  they  return  to  the  air  again.  These  four  in 
their  various  compounds  make  up  by  far  the  greater 
part  of  the  animal  tissues.  Of  the  remaining  11 
chemical  elements,  six  are  metals, — potassium,  so- 
dium, calcium,  magnesium,  iron,  and  manganese ;  and 
five  are  non-metals,  —  sulphur,  phosphorus,  chlorine, 
fluorine,  and  silicon.  When  combustion  of  the  tissues 
is  completed,  the  six  metals,  in  combination  with  the 
five  non-metals  last  named,  are  left  behind  in  the  ash. 
These  were  drawn  from  the  earth.  There  are  about 
19  chemical  compounds  in  the  ash  so  left,  compounds 
such  as  phosphate  of  lime,  carbonate  of  lime,  sulphate 
of  potash,  chloride  of  sodium,  etc.  The  greater 
number  of  the  ultimate  elements  contained  in  the 
living  body  are  left  behind  in  the  ash,  but  the  pro- 
portional quantity  made  up  by  all  these  elements  is,  of 
course,  very  small.  In  the  first  place,  about  two-thirds 
of  the  tissues  consist  of  water.  The  proportion  of  the 
4  ash '  to  the  tissues  varies  from  two  per  cent  in  muscle 
and  seven-tenths  per  cent  in  blood,  to  66  per  cent  in 
bone.  The  i  ash '  left  by  combustion  is  very  nearly  the 
same,  in  kind  and  in  quantity,  as  the  'dust'  left  after 
the  final  completion  of  decay." 

What  is  decomposition  ?  How  does  it  take  place  nor- 
mally? Decomposition  is  the  decay  of  an  organic 
substance,  which  is  completely  destroyed  through  the 
influence  of  the  atmospheric  oxygen.  Decomposition 
is  facilitated  by  moisture.  The  organic  mass  under- 
going such  change  assumes  a  different  color  and  consis- 
tency and  gives  up  carbonic  acid,  ammonia,  and  water ; 
the  same  products  originate  in  the  rapid  destruction  of 
an  organic  substance  by  means  of  fire. 

Only  those  parts  of  the  body  (the  bones)  that  can 


THE   EVILS   OP   BTJBIAL.  7B 

best  resist  the  influence  of  the  air  remain  secure  from 
decay  a  longer  time  ;  at  last  they  also  crumble  into  dust 
and  mingle  with  the  rest. 

Wetness  accelerates  decay.  When  we  hear  the  rain 
fall  in  the  silent  night,  we  are  compelled  to  think, 
shuddering,  how  the  horrible  process  of  destruction 
begins  in  the  grave  of  some  beloved  one  whom  we  have 
recently  buried. 

The  same  stench  that  assails  our  nostrils  when  we 
approach  a  corpse  that  has  lain  a  long  time  above 
ground,  meets  us  when  we  open  a  grave ;  the  same 
poisonous  gases  are  evolved  under  ground  from  a  decay- 
ing corpus  as  upon  the  surface  of  the  earth.  It  makes 
no  difference  whether  the  grave  we  explore  be  that  of  a 
prime  minister,  upon  which  a  magnificent  monument 
rears  its  costly  shaft  high  into  the  air,  or  that  of  a  com- 
mon criminal  who  tried  to  enjoy  existence  by  spending 
three-quarters  of  his  lifetime  in  prison ;  the  result 
remains  the  same :  in  each  we  find  the  disgusting  and 
sickening  evidence  of  slow  destruction,  —  a  formless, 
putrid  mass  of  flesh,  and  sometimes  numberless  revelling 
worms. 

The  conditions  under  which  decomposition  can  take 
place  are  a  certain  degree  of  moisture  and  a  constant 
supply  of  air.  When  a  corpse  is  embedded  in  a  soil 
that  is  very  wet,  a  curious  change  takes  place.  There 
is  no  decay,  but  instead  a  fatty  metamorphosis,  giving 
the  body  a  waxy  appearance  and  preserving  its  original 
form.  The  result  of  this  transformation  is  called 
adipocere.  The  process  by  which  the  body  is  changed 
into  this  stearine-like  mass  is  entitled  saponification, 
and  is  not  very  well  understood  as  yet  by  the  scientists. 


THE   CREMATORIUM    AT   VARESE.     (From  Dr.  Pini's  work.) 


THE   EVILS    OF    BUEIAL.  75 

Such  preserved  bodies  were  found  in  the  burial-grounds 
at  Paris,  Brussels,  London,  and  many  other  cities. 

In  1874,  the  cemetery  board  of  the  burial-ground  at 
Zuerich,  Switzerland,  discovered  that  the  bodies  in- 
terred in  the  graveyard  since  1849  had  not  undergone 
decomposition,  but  had  turned  into  adipocere.  This 
horrible  discovery  materially  assisted  the  progress  of 
incineration  in  Switzerland. 

Tripp  relates  that  when  eight  bodies  were  taken  up 
in  a  cemetery  near  Worcester,  England,  the  soil  of 
which  was  composed  chiefly  of  gravel  and  clay  that  was 
always  very  moist  and  at  times  so  wet  that  the  water 
had  to  be  pumped  out  of  the  graves,  the  undecayed 
body  of  a  nineteen-year-old  girl  was  found  which  had 
been  buried  51  years  and  had  undergone  saponifica- 
tion ;  the  other  corpses  were  decomposed,  also  the 
coffins,  while  the  casket  which  had  contained  the 
saponified  body  was  preserved. 

I  have  seen  but  one  saponified  corpse.  It  was  at  the 
museum  of  the  New  York  College  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons;  I  have  forgotten  whether  it  was  a  man  or 
woman.  But  I  still  remember  how  I  shuddered  at  the 
sight  and  how  I  walked  close  up  to  the  glass  case  to 
make  sure  that  the  waxy  mass  within  was  a  human 
being. 

It  is  superfluous  to  point  out  here  that  cremation 
puts  a  stop  to  saponification.  One  need  not  be  a  chem- 
ist to  know  that  a  body  cannot  turn  into  adipocere  after 
it  has  been  reduced  to  ashes. 

Whenever  the  earth  of  a  graveyard  yet  contains 
enough  oxygen  for  the  corpses  deposited  there,  the 
dangers  are  very  few ;  but  whenever  this  is  not  the  case, 
the  bodies  of  the  dead  undergo  a  horrible  metamorphosis. 


76  CREMATION   OF   THE   DEAD. 

known  as  putrefaction,  and  become  dangerous  to  the 
living  on  account  of  the  poisonous  gases  and  other 
effluvia  generated. 

We  observe  the  same  phenomenon  in  our  stoves. 
When  but  very  little  air  is  admitted  into  them,  the 
combustion  of  even  very  inflammable  material  remains 
incomplete  ;  and  stifling  gases  (for  instance,  carbonic 
oxide  gas)  are  produced. 

It  is  evident  that  a  porous  soil  facilitates  decomposi- 
tion, the  products  of  which  it  absorbs  and  retains  till 
they  have  entered  into  some  harmless  combination. 
There  is,  however,  a  limit  to  its  efficiency.  When  it 
becomes  overcharged  with  the  products  of  decomposi- 
tion, it  can  only  hold  a  small  quantity  of  them ;  the 
rest  are  delivered  to  the  water,  which  permeates  it  and 
the  air  which  passes  over  it.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is 
clear  that  a  very  damp,  non-porous  soil  into  which  the 
air  cannot  enter  favors  putrefaction. 

A  state  of  saturation  is  produced  in  the  course  of 
time  in  the  best  of  cemeteries  by  a  continued  system  of 
overcrowding. 

Although  overcrowding  of  cemeteries  is  confined  al- 
most entirely  to  the  countries  of  Europe,  yet  there  are 
many  American  burial-grounds  in  which  this  condition 
exists;  and,  what  is  worse,  they  are  annually  multiply- 
ing. Some  of  these  overcrowded  graveyards  are  situ- 
ated in  large  cities,  in  the  centre  of  a  dense  population. 
In  these  churchyards  it  is  inrpossible  to  dig  a  single 
grave  without  the  disinterring  of  the  bones  of  one  pre- 
viously buried  there.  Imagine  the  consequences  of 
such  a  state !  Isn't  it  far  better  to  remove  the  possi- 
bility of  future  disease  and  danger  at  once  than  to 
allow  it  to  grow  by  degrees,  till  it  assumes  a  terrible 


THE  EVILS   OF  BURIAL.  77 

and  fatal  dimension  ?  Isn't  it  better  to  refrain  from  the 
use  of  cemeteries  entirely,  and  resort  instead  to  the 
clean,  pure,  and  undangerous  system  of  incineration? 
Consider!  Does  it  agree  with  our  ideas  of  right  and 
wrong  to  endanger  the  lives  of  our  great-grandchildren 
or  their  offspring  by  our  methods  of  disposing  of  the 
dead?  For,  by  the  time  they  appear  on  the  stage  of 
this  world,  the  burial-ground  now  sanitary  will  have 
become  a  breeding-place  of  disease  from  overuse. 

When  we  remove  burial-grounds  to  a  distance,  we 
only  postpone  the  evil.  We  insure  our  own  safety,  it 
is  true,  by  so  doing ;  but  we  encumber  the  ground  with 
most  virulent  seeds,  and  leave  to  future  generations  — 
to  those  who  come  after  us  —  a  terrible  crop  of  pollu- 
tion, disease  germs,  and  death.  Our  own  security  from 
harm  should  not  actuate  us  in  this  matter.  We  should 
be  wise  enough  to  prevent  the  evil  while  we  have  the 
power,  so  that  our  offspring  will  not  justly  reproach  us 
for  entailing  upon  them  such  a  terrible  legacy. 

Among  American  cities  there  is  none  that  needs  a 
change  of  method  in  the  disposal  of  its  dead  as  greatly 
as  New  Orleans,  in  Louisiana. 

Those  that  are  mowed  down  by  the  grim  rider  of  the 
white  horse  cannot  be  buried  there,  owing  to  the  exces- 
sive moisture  of  the  ground  which  surrounds  the  city 
and  the  proximity  of  the  water  to  the  surface.  It  is 
impossible  to  dig  two  feet  under  ground  without  com- 
ing to  water.  At  all  times  the  dead  have  been  disposed 
of  in  a  very  careless  manner  in  New  Orleans.  It  is 
related  that  during  the  yellow-fever  epidemic  of  1853, 
when  New  Orleans  had  a  population  of  150,000  inhabi- 
tants, those  that  had  died  of  the  dread  disease  were 
thrown  into  trenches  not  over  18  inches  or  two  feet 


78  CREMATION   OF   THE   DEAD. 

deep,  and  covered  with  very  little  earth;  so  little, 
indeed,  that  the  first  rain  that  came  along  washed  it 
away.  In  a  graveyard  situated  in  the  central  part  of 
the  city,  were  buried  in  this  manner  400  bodies,  re- 
cent victims  of  yellow  fever,  and  contaminating  the  air 
with  poisonous  exhalations.  The  mayor  of  the  city  was 
asked  to  remove  the  dangerous  condition  of  the  burial- 
ground.  He  replied,  "  That's  not  my  business  !  "  And 
the  commissioner  of  streets,  who  was  next  approached, 
answered  in  a  like  spirit.  The  state  of  affairs  grew 
worse  and  worse ;  and  at  last,  even  the  negroes  refused 
to  act  as  grave-diggers. 

At  present,  they  have  a  system  of  entombment  in  the 
Crescent  City.  These  tombs  are  in  the  municipal 
cemeteries,  35  of  which  are  within  the  city  limits,  giv- 
ing them  the  appearance  of  a  collection  of  bakers' 
ovens.  The  tombs  are  almost  universally  made  of 
brick,  and  whitewashed.  They  vary  in  size  from  3 
X  6  feet  to  10  X  10  feet  or  10  X  20  feet ;  there  is  a  post 
in  the  centre,  which  is  surrounded  by  shelves,  on  which 
the  body  —  that  is,  the  coffin  —  is  deposited.  There 
the  dead  rests  for  about  a  year,  when  it  becomes  neces- 
sary to  use  the  tomb  for  another  corpse ;  then  the 
remains  of  the  preceding  occupant  of  the  vault  are 
rudely  taken  from  the  casket  and  dashed  head  over 
heels  into  a  pit,  where  they  are  left  to  breed  disease. 
*  What  wonder,  exclaims  Kate  Field,  that  yellow  fever 
runs  riot  in  New  Orleans,  when  the  air  reeks  with  the 
festering  corruption  of  35  plague  spots,  exposed  for  six 
months  of  the  year  to  a  tropical  sun!  Think  how  the 
death-rate  of  New  Orleans  might  be  reduced  by  aboli- 
tion of  earth-burials  !  What  better  field  for  missionary 
work  than  our  own  "  Sunny  South  "  ? 


THE  EVILS   OF   BURIAL.  79 

The  unhealthfulness  of  these  vaults  is  apparent  to 
all,  but,  owing  to  prejudice,  no  other  disposition  of  the 
dead  has  been  adopted.  But  sooner  or  later  the  inhab- 
itants of  New  Orleans  must  have  recourse  to  cremation, 
and  burn  their  dead,  as  they  were  forced  to  do  once 
during  a  cholera  epidemic,  when  135  corpses  were  con- 
signed to  the  devouring  element. 

For  300  years  English  churchyards  have  been  so  full 
that,  like  the  one  in  Hamlet,  Yorick's  bones  have  had 
to  be  dug  out  in  order  to  put  Ophelia's  in.  From  time 
to  time  the  attention  of  the  British  authorities  was 
directed  to  the  shameful  state  of  the  cemeteries  of  the 
metropolis  and  other  places.  In  that  case  the  matter 
was  brought  before  Parliament,  the  government  ordered 
an  investigation,  a  committee  was  appointed  to  examine 
the  grievances,  the  committee  returned  a  report  with 
the  testimony  of  witnesses,  and  the  report  was  ordered 
printed.  The  report  commonly  made  a  very  large  vol- 
ume, which  looked  exceedingly  pretty  on  the  shelf  on 
which  it  was  placed,  but  became  dusty  in  a  compara- 
tively short  time  from  non-use.  The  excitement  had 
quieted  down,  public  opinion  and  the  press  were  paci- 
fied, Parliament  was  satisfied,  and  the  condition  of  the 
burial-grounds  remained  the  same  as  before. 

The  cemeteries  of  Paris,  France,  are  in  no  better  con- 
dition ;  the  mould  in  the  old  Cimetiere  des  Innocents  is 
literally  saturated  with  corpses;  Montmartre  and  Mont 
Parnasse  are  overcrowded.  As  for  Pere  la  Chaise, — 
the  burial-place  that  has  been  praised  in  poetry  and 
prose  (the  resting-place  of  Racine  and  Moliere),  that 
has  been  adjudged  the  most  beautiful  cemetery  in  the 
world,  —  P£re  la  Chaise  is  packed  with  decaying  bodies. 
A  cable  dispatch  dated  Dec.  27,  1883,  reported  that  the 


80  CREMATION   OF   THE  DEAD. 

municipal  council  of  the  city  of  Paris  had  resolved  upon 
leaving  those  that  fell  during  the  reign  of  bloodthirsty 
La  Commune  at  Pere  la  Chaise  for  a  period  of  25  years. 
Ordinary  cadavers  must  be  dug  up  after  five  years,  to 
make  room  for  their  ghastly  successors. 

In  Portugal  the  soil  has  become  so  packed  with 
corpses  that  an  effort  was  made  to  enact  a  law  that 
after  five  years  all  interred  bodies  should  be  dug  up 
and  subjected  to  cremation.  This  means  that  after  the 
dead  have  saturated  the  ground  with  disease-producing 
emanations,  and  have  exhaled  nearly  all  their  virulent 
effluvia  into  the  atmosphere,  sacrificing  the  welfare  of 
the  living  to  superstition  and  prejudice,  a  later  incinera- 
tion shall  take  place  to  save  space. 

Of  American  cemeteries,  I  only  need  mention  Pot- 
tersfield  of  New  York,  the  name  of  which  is  not  spoken 
or  heard  by  an  American  without  an  involuntary  shud- 
der. Our  graveyards  are,  of  course,  not  like  the  ceme- 
teries of  the  Old  World,  where  the  exhumation  of  bones 
takes  place  daily  to  make  room  for  the  recently  de- 
ceased, but  they  will  become  so  unless  the  damaging 
prejudices  are  laid  aside  and  something  is  done  to  pre- 
vent such  a  poisonous  and  dangerous  situation.  In 
some  of  the  old  cemeteries  in  our  cities  it  has  become 
impossible  to  dig  another  grave. 

Rev.  John  D.  Beugless,  D.D.,  thus  describes  the 
burial-grounds  of  New  York  City :  "  Of  the  great  ceme- 
teries about  New  York,  there  is  not  one,  not  even  Wood- 
land or  Greenwood,  in  the  public  lots  of  which  three  or 
more  bodies  are  not  put  in  one  grave,  —  that  of  John 
Doe,  who  died  from  '  a  bare  bodkin,'  being  sandwiched 
between  those  of  Richard  Roe  and  James  Low,  who 
were  victims  respectively  of  small-pox  and  yellow-fever, 


THE   EVILS    OF   BUEIAL. 


81 


In  the  public  or  poor  quarter  of  Calvary  Cemetery  a  far 
worse  state  of  things  obtains  —  more  appalling  than 
even  the  fosse  commune  of  Paris,  for  it  is  the  fosse 
commune  sans  chaux.  A  trench  is  dug,  seven  feet 
wide,  ten  to  twelve  feet  deep,  and  of  indefinite  length, 
in  which  the  coffins  are  stowed,  tier  upon  tier,  making  a 
flight  of  steps,  five  or  more  deep,  and  with  not  enough 
earth  to  hide  one  from  the  next.  And  this  is  our 
vaunted  4  Christian  burial '  in  this  new  country,  with 
its  myriads  of  broad  acres !     What  shall  our  children 


THE   CREMATORIUM    AT    BRESCIA.      (From  Dr.  Pini's  work.) 


say  of  us,  when  they  come,  perforce,  from  stress  of 
space,  to  build  their  dwellings  upon  these  beds  of  pesti- 
lence?" 

That  is  the  way  we,  "  the  Christian  nation  par  excel- 
lence," treat  friendless  paupers  and  criminals.  Shame ! 
shame  !     A  dog  is  more  decently  interred. 

The  cemeteries  of  the  city  of  Brooklyn  occupy  nearly 
2000  acres  of  land.  A  thoughtful  eminent  physician 
gives  it  as  his  opinion  that  the  prevailing  southwest 
wind,  blowing  over  these  corruption,  festering  plague 
spots,  carries  to  Flatbush  the  germs  of  typhoid  fever 
and  diphtheria,  and  swells  the  death-rate  of  that  city  to 
its  present  alarming  magnitude. 


82  CREMATION   OF   THE   DEAD. 

The  more  one  considers  cremation,  the  more  one  finds 
himself  wondering  how  it  has  come  to  pass  that  we 
practice  interment,  with  its  many  faults  and  dangers, 
and  do  not  burn  our  dead. 

It  is  clear  that  overcrowding  of  burial-grounds  must 
lead  to  evil  consequences.  A  ground  that  is  saturated 
with  putrefying  material  can  emit  naught  but  poisonous 
odors,  cannot  fail  to  contaminate  the  purest  and  clearest 
water,  must  vitiate  any  atmosphere. 

Incineration  deserves  the  respect  to-day  which  the 
ancients  paid  to  it,  and  is  the  only  way  of  disposing  of 
the  dead  so  as  to  avoid  the  terrible  consequences  of  the 
mephitic  graveyard  gases,  of  the  dangers  with  which 
the  ordinary  mode  of  burial  threatens  us. 

The  truth  was  taught  us  by  the  Tuscans  some  three 
hundred  years  ago.  At  that  time  a  whale  was  cast  upon 
the  shore  of  Tuscany.  The  inhabitants  of  the  surround- 
ing country  hastened  to  the  spot,  and  removed  the  ribs 
of  the  large  fish,  to  hang  them  in  the  churches  as  a 
memento  of  the  rare  occurrence.  The  flesh  was  left  to 
rot  in  the  scorching  southern  sun.  An  epidemic  of 
typhoid  fever  was  the  result;  and  when,  ten  years  later, 
another  whale  happened  to  strand  in  the  same  locality, 
the  people,  having  become  wise  by  its  previous  expe- 
rience, destroyed  the  monster  by  chopping  it  to  pieces, 
and  burning  these,  one  after  another. 

There  are  many  lurking  dangers,  ready  to  destroy  the 
living,  in  the  burial-grounds  of  the  present  day.  The 
mephitic  vapors  increase  in  quantity  as  decomposition 
advances,  and  become  far  more  poisonous  than  either 
arsenic  or  prussic  acid,  if  these  were  uncombined  in 
their  natural  state. 

These  dangerous  graveyard  gases  can  spread  to  quite 


THE  EVILS   OF  BURIAL.  88 

a  distance,  and  therefore  can  communicate  the  most 
malignant  maladies  at  all  times.  Dr.  Ayr  claims  that 
they  extend  to  a  distance  of  a  hundred  meters ;  some 
authorities  assert  that  they  reach  sometimes  twice  the 
distance.  This  occurs  generally  when  the  grave  is  air- 
tight above,  and  the  surface  layer  of  the  cemetery  soil  is 
imporous.  Then  the  gas  escapes  where  it  finds  the  least 
resistance,  —  at  the  sides,  —  and  burrows  along  under 
the  earth  until  it  strikes  a  cavity,  and  bursts  into  it,  or 
diffuses  into  the  air.  When  the  grave  offers  no  resis- 
tance above,  the  gas  enters  the  atmosphere  directly. 
Burial-grounds  best  fitted  for  cemetery  purposes  should 
be  feared  most,  for  it  is  evident  that  dryness  and 
porousness  are  qualities  which,  although  conducive  to 
the  rapid  decay  of  a  body,  very  much  facilitate  the 
escape  of  gases. 

The  danger  is  not  obviated  by  deep  burials.  In  that 
case  the  morbific  matter  is  diffused  through  the  sub- 
soil. If  the  inhumations  are  so  deep  as  to  impede 
escapes  at  the  surface,  there  is  only  the  greater  danger 
of  escape  by  deep  drainage,  and  the  pollution  of 
springs  and  wells.  Dr.  Reicl  detected  the  escape  of 
deleterious  miasma  from  graves  more  than  twenty  feet 
deep. 

The  danger  from  inhaling  graveyard  gases  is  great. 

Ramazzini  relates  how  an  avaricious  grave-digger,  by 
the  name  of  Pisto,  met  with  instantaneous  death  on  de- 
scending into  a  vault  to  steal  the  shoes  of  a  corpse ;  he 
was  found  dead  upon  the  body. 

Lancisius  (De  noxiis  palucl.  effluv.  II,  Ep.  1,  c.  2, 
p.  152)  states  that  several  grave-diggers  died  in  a  like 
manner  after  entering  a  newly  opened  vault,  which  had 
been  set  under  water  by  an  inundation  of  the  Tiber, 


84  CREMATION   OF  THE  DEAD. 

and  in  which  the  stagnant  water  had  regenerated  the 
virulent  gases. 

Unger  gives  an  account  of  a  case  similar  to  that  of 
Haguenot,  reported  further  on.  A  vault  was  reopened 
in  a  convent  at  Madrid,  for  the  purpose  of  depositing 
therein  a  fresh  corpse.  When  the  grave-digger  was 
about  to  descend  into  it,  he  fell  down  dead.  Two  other 
persons,  who  tried  to  save  him,  shared  his  fate. 

Fortunatus  Licetus  (De  annull.  antiquitt.  c.  23)  re- 
lates that  three  men,  who  went  into  a  vault  that  was 
full  of  semi-decomposed  bodies  with  the  intention  of 
robbing,  lost  their  lives.  When  the  bodies  were  ex- 
tracted, they  were  found  to  be  swollen  and  black. 

Th.  Bartholini  (Historiar.  anat.  rarior.  C.  IV,  obs.  32, 
p.  296)  made  experiments  in  Denmark  which  confirm 
these  reports  concerning  the  lethal  action  of  graveyard 
gases,  and  prove  the  especial  danger  from  the  gases  of 
the  dead  long  pent  up  in  vaults.  He  affirms  that  these 
noxious  gases  often  prove  fatal,  death  being  preceded 
by  dizziness  and  fainting. 

The  gases  of  Francis  I  operated  with  fatal  effect 
upon  the  vandals  who  broke  open  his  coffin,  in  the  time 
of  the  French  Revolution,  to  rob  it  of  its  treasures. 

Books  on  hygiene  teem  with  examples  of  the  lethal 
properties  of  an  atmosphere  containing  carbonic  acid 
in  excess.  A  familiar  instance  is  that  of  the  passen- 
gers of  the  ship  Londonderry,  in  1848,  150  of  whom 
were  shut  up  by  the  captain  during  a  storm,  in  the 
steerage  18  X  11  X  7  feet.  Seventy  of  them  died  in  an 
incredibly  short  space  of  time,  with  convulsions  and 
bleeding  at  the  eyes  and  ears. 

Haguenot  reports  that,  in  1744,  the  corpse  of  a  monk 
of  the  Penitent  Order,  who  had  been  buried  in  a  vault 


THE   EVILS    OF   BURIAL.  85 

under  the  church,  was  exhumed  in  the  church  of  Notre 
Dame,  at  Montpellier,  France.  A  man  descended  into 
the  vault  to  remove  the  cadaver,  but,  before  he  got 
quite  down,  he  was  taken  with  convulsions,  and  fell 
unconscious  into  the  vault,  where  he  died  of  suffoca- 
tion. A  monk  went  down  to  rescue  him,  but  he  too 
was  taken  sick,  and,  on  having  been  pulled  out  imme- 
diately, succumbed  quickly.  A  third,  who  had  the 
courage  to  follow  his  example,  fell  dead  without  being 
able  to  retire.  The  same  fate  was  reserved  for  a  fourth 
victim,  — a  brother  of  the  first.  The  bodies  were  pulled 
out  with  hooks ;  the  stench  of  their  clothing  was  un- 
bearable. Lights  held  near  the  opening  of  the  vault 
extinguished;  dogs,  cats,  and  birds,  on  being  brought 
in  contact  with  the  poisonous  gases,  died,  with  all  symp- 
toms of  a  severe  convulsion,  in  a  few  minutes.  Some 
of  the  mephitic  gas  was  bottled ;  but  when  experi- 
mented with  after  two  and  one-half  months,  it  still  had 
all  of  its  dangerous  qualities. 

In  1749,  when  new  vaults  and  graves  were  made  in 
the  St.  Eustachius  Church  at  Paris,  France,  cadavers 
were  dug  up  and  placed  temporarily  in  an  old  vault  of 
the  church,  which  had  remained  locked  a  long  time. 
Children  coming  to  church  to  prepare  for  confirmation, 
and  even  adults,  fainted  on  entering  the  sacred  edifice, 
and  some  had  serious  attacks  of  illness.  The  same 
took  place  in  St.  Sebastian  Church  at  Madrid,  Spain,  in 
1786  ;  three  times  a  grave  burst  open,  in  which,  but  a 
short  time  before,  a  very  corpulent  lady  had  been 
buried.  The  horrible  smell  that  arose  from  this  grave 
prevented  the  reading  of  the  holy  mass  at  the  high 
altar  during  a  period  of  eight  days.  At  one  time  the 
Parish  Church  of  Metz  was  so  infected  by  the  gases  of 


86  CBEMATIOK  OF   THE  DEAD. 

a  female  corpse  that  it  had  to  be  abandoned,  and  the 
divine  service  removed  to  another  church. 

In  1841  two  men  who  had  some  work  to  do  in  a 
grave  in  St.  Botolph's  Churchyard,  Aldgate,  England, 
died  almost  instantly  on  entering  it. 

In  the  churchyard  at  Cobham,  in  Surrey,  England, 
on  account  of  some  changes  in  the  church,  some  bodies 
had  to  be  raised.  The  work  of  the  navvies  was  horri- 
ble beyond  description,  and  dangerous  beside.  It  was 
performed  very  early  iu  the  morning,  and  was  beset 
with  difficulties.  Repeated  doses  of  gin  had  to  be 
given  to  the  men  to  keep  them  at  a  kind  of  work 
which  they  could  only  do  under  the  influence  of  alco- 
hol. Three  men  perished  in  1852,  at  Paris,  from  in- 
haling the  gas  that  escaped  from  coffins. 

Fourcroy  affirms  that  grave-digging  is  an  unhealthy 
and  dangerous  occupation,  and  that  all  grave-diggers  he 
examined  showed  symptoms  of  slow  poisoning. 

George  A.  Walker  declared  that  no  grave-digger  ever 
wholly  escaped  the  influence  of  graveyard  gases. 
Some  of  the  men  employed  in  this  way  have  noticed 
the  peculiar  smell  of  the  gases  on  beginning  to  dig. 

Monsieur  Patissier  reports  several  deaths  due  to 
grave-digging ;  and  Mr.  Chad  wick  asserts  that  the  voca- 
tion of  a  sexton  shortens  life  one-third.  Usually  grave- 
diggers  are  heavy  drinkers ;  they  take  to  drinking  to 
resist  the  malignant  influence  of  the  vapors  which  arise 
slowly  but  surely  out  of  the  cemetery  soil,  and  to  do 
away  with  any  "  maudlin  sentimentality  "  that  may  still 
linger  in  their  hearts,  and  that  might  interfere  with 
their  horrible  work. 

On  March  1,  1886,  Marke  Thornton,  of  Washington, 
Ga.,  met  with  a  singular  death.     His  decease  resulted 


THE   EVILS   OP   BTJEIAL.  87 

from  inhaling  poisonous  gas  which  seeped  through  into 
a  grave  he  was  digging  by  the  side  of  another.  The 
other  men  at  work  with  him  left  the  grave  as  soon  as 
they  detected  the  gas,  but  Thornton,  thinking  there  was 
no  danger  in  it,  remained  and  died. 

The  action  of  cemetery  gases  on  the  human  body 
manifests  itself  in  a  variety  of  ways.  Sir  T.  Spencer 
Wells  states  that  decomposing  human  remains  so  pollute 
earth,  air,  and  water  as  to  diminish  the  general  health 
and  average  duration  of  life. 

Dr.  Lyon  Playfair  affirms  that  the  inspiration  of 
graveyard  gases  does  not  always  cause  one  form  of 
decay  or  putrefaction,  but  that  it  depends  entirely  upon 
the  organs  attacked.  Entering  the  blood,  it  produces 
fever ;  communicated  to  the  viscera,  it  gives  origin  to 
diarrhoea,  and  may,  Dr.  Playfair  thinks,  even  be  the 
source  of  consumption.  When  the  irrespirable  gas 
enters  the  respiratory  tract,  Dr.  Southwood  Smith 
claims  that  it  is  conveyed  into  the  system  through  the 
thin  and  delicate  walls  of  the  air-vesicles  of  the  lungs 
in  the  act  of  respiration.  He  states  that  turpentine,  for 
instance,  if  only  inhaled  when  passing  through  a  room 
that  was  recently  painted,  will  exhibit  its  effects  in 
some  of  the  fluid  excretions  of  the  body  even  more 
rapidly  than  if  it-  had  been  taken  into  the  stomach. 
Dr.  Riecke  thinks  that  putrid  emanations  operate  also 
through  the  olfactory  nerves  by  powerful,  penetrating, 
and  offensive  smells. 

Cemeteries  are  breeding  grounds  as  well  as  foci  of 
disease  and  death. 

Mr.  Chadwick,  in  his  "  Report  on  the  Practice  of  In- 
terment in  Towns  "  (London,  1843),  writes  :  — 

"The  injurious  effects  of  exhalations  from   the  de- 


gg  CREMATION   OF  THE  DEAD. 

composition  in  question  on  the  health  and  life  of  man 
is  proved  by  a  sufficient  number  of  trustworthy  facts. 
The  injurious  influence  is  manifest  in  proportion  to  the 
concentration  of  the  emanations.  Sometimes  it  pro- 
duces asphyxia  and  sudden  death.  In  a  less  concen- 
trated state  the  emanations  produce  fainting,  nausea, 
headache,  languor.    If,  however,  they  are  often  repeated, 


THE   CREMATORIUM    AT   WOKING,    ENGLAND. 

they  produce  nervous  and  other  fevers,  or  impart  to 
fevers  arising  from  other  causes  a  typhoid  type.  .  .  . 
As  there  appear  to  be  no  cases  in  which  the  emana- 
tions from  decomposing  human  remains  are  not  of  a 
deleterious  nature,  so  there  is  no  case  in  which  the 
liability  to  danger  should  be  incurred  by  interment 
amidst  the  dwellings  of  the  living,  it  being  established 
as  a  general  conclusion  that  all  interments  in  towns 


THE   EVILS   OF    BtJRIAL.  89 

where  bodies  decompose,  contribute  to  the  mass  of 
atmospheric  impurity  which  is  injurious  to  public 
health." 

The  Italian  physician  Felix  Dell'Acqua  gives  it  as 
his  opinion  (in  his  study  on  cremation),  that  graveyards 
infect  the  earth,  the  air,  and  the  water,  and  constantly 
endanger  public  health  during  an  epidemic.  Dr.  Polli 
proved  that  graves  deteriorate  the  air  we  breathe  and 
contaminate  the  water  we  drink,  by  loading  them  with 
organic  matter. 

Prof.  Antonio  Selmi,  of  Mantua,  claims  to  have  dis- 
covered organic  germs  in  the  air  above  graves,  which 
he  called  septopneuma,  and  which,  when  injected  under 
the  skin  of  a  pigeon,  caused  a  typhus-like  disease  that 
ended  in  death  within  three  days. 

Specific  germs  may  enter  the  atmosphere  from  the 
graves,  which  convey  the  deadliest  of  maladies,  being 
carried  very  far  by  the  wind.  But  the  agent  that 
makes  cemetery  gases  so  dangerous  is  carbonic  acid. 

Dr.  Parkes  (Practical  Hygiene),  the  eminent  English 
scientist,  says :  — 

"  The  decomposition  of  bodies  gives  rise  to  a  very 
large  amount  of  carbonic  acid.  Ammonia  and  an  offen- 
sive putrid  vapor  are  also  given  off.  The  air  of  most 
cemeteries  is  richer  in  carbonic  acid,  and  the  organic 
matter  is  perceptibly  large,  when  tested  by  potassium 
permanganate." 

It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  carbonic  acid,  when 
inhaled  in  an  undiluted  state,  causes  death ;  it  is  fatal 
to  all  forms  of  life.  When  inhaled  diluted  with  air 
it  interferes  with  the  introduction  of  oxygen  into  the 
body,  and  causes  the  carbonic  acid,  which  should  be 
eliminated,  to  be  retained.     This,  no   doubt,  prevents 


90  CREMATIOK   OF   THE  DEAD. 

the  proper  tissue  changes,  and  must  in  time  undermine 
the  healthiest  body  by  seriously  affecting  its  nutrition. 

Dr.  E.  J.  Bermingham  (Disposal  of  the  Dead)  says:  — 

"The  effect  of  constantly  breathing  an  atmosphere 
containing  an  excess  of  carbonic  acid  is  not  perfectly 
known.  Dr.  Angus  Smith  has  attempted  to  determine 
the  effect  of  carbonic  acid  per  se — the  influence  of 
organic  matter  of  respiration  being  eliminated.  He 
found  that  three  volumes  per  thousand  caused  great 
feebleness  of  the  circulation,  with  diminished  rapidity 
of  the  heart's  action ;  the  respirations  were,  on  the  con- 
trary, quickened,  and  were  sometimes  gasping.  These 
effects  were  lessened  when  the  amount  of  carbonic  acid 
was  smaller;  but  were  perceptible  when  the  amount 
was  as  low  as  one  volume  per  thousand." 

According  to  Haberman,  sensitive  and  nervous  per- 
sons have  been  taken  ill  when  walking  by  a  cemetery. 

P.  Frazer,  Jr.,  says:  "  A  sexton  and  the  son  of  a  lady 
who  died  seven  days  before  went  down  into  the  vault. 
Both  were  affected  with  sickness  and  nausea ;  one  was 
affected  for  some  years ;  the  son  had  ulceration  of  the 
throat  for  two  years." 

Mr.  William  Eassie  affirms  that,  "according  to  a 
report  of  the  French  Academy  of  Medicine,  the  putrid 
emanations  of  Pere  la  Chaise,  Montmartre,  and  Mont- 
Parnasse  have  caused  frightful  diseases  of  the  throat 
and  lungs,  to  which  numbers  of  both  sexes  fall  victims 
every  year.  Thus  a  dreadful  throat  disease  which 
baffles  the  skill  of  our  most  experienced  medical  men, 
and  which  carries  off  its  victims  in  a  few  hours,  is  traced 
to  the  absorption  of  vitiated  air  into  the  windpipe,  and 
has  been  observed  to  rage  with  the  greatest  violence  in 
those  quarters  situated  nearest  to  cemeteries." 


THE   EVILS   OF   BURIAL.  91 

The  most  common  diseases  produced  by  graveyard 
gases  are  diphtheria,  throat  and  pulmonary  affections, 
severe  diarrhoea,  and  dysentery.  The  number  of  cases 
reported  is  enormous.  Many  cases  have  been  made 
public  by  Drs.  Parkes  and  Tardieu. 

Ramazzini  (Maladies  des  Artisans,  p.  71)  asserts 
that  sextons,  whose  business  often  compels  them  to 
enter  places  where  there  are  putrefying  bodies,  are 
subject  to  malignant  fevers,  asphyxia,  and  suffocating 
catarrhs. 

Fourcroy  affirms  that  there  are  innumerable  examples 
of  the  pernicious  effects  of  cadaveric  exhalations. 

It  has  been  stated  that  the  carbonic  acid  generated 
by  the  decaying  bodies  is  taken  up  by  the  plants, 
shrubbery,  and  trees  abounding  in  cemeteries  and  their 
neighborhood.  That  excellent  and  well-edited  news- 
paper Iron  declares:  "The  consumption  of  vegetables 
whose  roots  had  been  nourished  by  the  defunct  mem- 
bers of  a  family  would  hardly  be  enjoyed  by  the  sur- 
vivors, unless,  indeed,  they  possessed  the  philosophic 
mind  and  robust  appetite  of  the  French  gentleman  who 
declared  that,  with  a  certain  sauce,  '  on  manger  ait  Men 
son  pere.'  " 

I  do  not  believe  that  very  much  carbonic  acid  is 
absorbed  by  the  botanical  burial-ground  decorations ; 
certainly  not  enough  to  prevent  its  toxic  action  and 
the  vitiation  of  the  air. 

Many  a  time  was  premature  exhumation  followed  by 
fatal  consequences. 

In  the  church  of  a  village  near  Nantes,  France,  the 
remains  of  an  aristocrat  were  buried  in  1774.  By  acci- 
dent some  of  the  other  graves  were  opened,  among  them 
one  which  contained  the  corpse  of  a  man  who  had  been 


92  CREMATION   OF   THE   DEAD. 

buried  three  months  before.  An  unbearable  odor 
immediately  filled  the  church.  Many  persons  who 
had  attended  at  this  burial  were  taken  sick ;  fifteen 
died  in  a  short  time,  the  first  to  depart  being  the  grave- 
digger  who  had  opened  the  graves. 

Vicq  d'Azyr  states  that  an  epidemic  was  produced  in 
Auvergne,  by  the  opening  of  an  old  graveyard. 

Norman  Chevers  (European  Soldiers  in  India,  p.  404) 
refers  to  the  unhealthiness  of  the  continent  at  Sukkur, 
India.  Fevers  of  the  most  malignant  type  were  abound- 
ing, owing  to  an  ancient  Mussulman  burial-ground  on 
which  the  station  was  placed. 

Tardieu,  the  eminent  French  physician  and  scientist, 
relates  (Diet.  d'Hygiene,  p.  517)  that  the  excavation 
of  an  old  cemetery  of  a  convent  in  Paris  caused  illness 
in  the  occupants  of  the  adjacent  dwellings.  Tardieu 
(Ibid.,  p.  463)  compiled  a  very  considerable  number  of 
cases,  not  only  of  asphyxia,  but  of  several  febrile  af- 
fections produced  by  exhumation  and  disturbance  of 
bodies. 

Bascom  relates  that  when  the  parish  church  in  Min- 
chinhampton,  England,  was  rebuilding  in  1843,  the 
black  earth  of  the  cemetery  surrounding  it,  or  what 
was  superfluous,  was  disposed  of  for  manure,  being 
spread  upon  adjoining  fields.  The  earth  was  removed 
\o  change  the  grade  of  the  churchyard.  The  result 
was  that  an  epidemic  broke  out  in  the  neighborhood. 
Children  on  their  way  to  school  took  it.  Seventeen 
deaths  occurred,  and  more  than  200  children  had  mea- 
sles, scarlet  fever,  and  various  eruptions. 

It  seems,  however,  as  though  the  above  figures  are 
not  quite  correct,  for  Mr.  Eassie,  who  has  lately  made 
personal  inquiries  upon  the  spot,  insists  that  the  mischief 


THE   EVILS   OF  BUEIAL.  93 

which  resulted  has  been  even  understated,  and  that  the 
population  was  nearly  decimated. 

Dr.  Adalbert  Kuettlinger  brings  forward  the  sequent 
case  to  prove  the  deleterious  action  of  cemetery  gases. 
A  very  obese  lady  died  during  the  month  of  July,  1854. 
Previous  to  death  she  had  requested,  as  a  special  favor, 
that  her  remains  be  buried  in  the  church  to  which  she 
belonged.  This  was  granted  and  promised  her.  After 
her  demise  she  was  interred  in  a  vault  of  the  church, 
and  the  next  clay  the  minister  delivered  the  funeral 
oration.  It  was  very  warm  that  day;  several  months 
before  the  lady's  departure  there  had  been  aridity,  and 
not  a  drop  of  rain  had  fallen  in  a  long  time.  The 
funeral  sermon  had  been  delivered  on  a  Saturday ;  on  the 
following  Sunday  the  Protestant  clergyman  preached  to 
an  assemblage  of  nearly  900,  who  had  come  to  attend 
the  Lord's  Supper.  The  warm  weather  still  continued ; 
many  had  to  leave  church  during  the  service  to  keep 
from  fainting ;  many  swooned  away  before  they  could 
withdraw.  In  Germany  people  fast  before  they  com- 
municate. The  sermon  lasted  nearly  one  hour  and  one 
quarter,  after  which  the  bread  was  consecrated  and 
stood  uncovered  —  according  to  custom  —  during  the 
ceremony.  There  were  180  communicants.  One  quar- 
ter of  an  hour  after  the  solemnity,  before  they  had  time 
to  leave  the  church,  more  than  60  became  ill ;  some 
died  in  severe  convulsions;  others,  who  had  placed 
themselves  immediately  under  medical  treatment,  re- 
covered. The  consternation  among  the  whole  congre- 
gation and  citizens  was  great.  There  was  a  general 
belief  that  the  wine  used  at  the  communion  had  been 
poisoned.  The  sexton  and  some  other  individuals  who 
assisted  at  divine  service  were  imprisoned.     The  next 


94  CREMATION   OF   THE  DEAD. 

Sunday  the  minister  delivered  a  severe  sermon,  and 
pointed  out  several  of  his  parishioners  as  participants  in 
the  conspiracy.  This  enthusiastic  sermon  was  printed 
and  widely  circulated.  The  prisoners  had  to  endure 
cruel  treatment.  They  remained  incarcerated  a  whole 
week,  and  some,  it  is  said,  were  tortured;  yet  they 
always  insisted  upon  their  innocence.  The  second 
Sunda}^  from  the  time  of  the  fatal  occurrence,  the  city 
authorities  ordered  that  a  chalice  should  stand  uncov- 
ered on  the  altar  one  hour.  The  time  had  hardly  passed 
when  it  was  noticed  that  the  wine  was  covered  with 
thousands  of  little  insects,  which,  by  means  of  the  sun- 
beams, were  traced  to  the  grave  of  the  corpulent  lady 
who  had  been  buried  fourteen  days  before.  Four  men 
were  commissioned  to  open  the  vault  and  remove  the 
coffin.  When  they  attempted  this,  two  of  them  died 
at  once,  and  the  others  were  only  saved  by  the  great 
efforts  of  the  physician  in  attendance.  The  accused 
were  liberated,  and  the  city  council  and  clergyman 
begged  their  pardon. 

Rev.  Dr.  Render,  in  "  A  Tour  through  Germany," 
says :  — 

"  Two  of  the  crew  of  an  American  merchant  ship 
went  ashore  near  Canton,  to  dig  a  grave  to  bury  a  dead 
shipmate.  The  spade  struck  and  penetrated  a  coffin  of 
a  man  buried  a  few  months  before,  and  the  discharge 
of  gas  struck  down  both  the  sailors,  who,  though  taken 
back  to  the  ship,  died  within  five  days." 

I  doubt  that  there  is  any  one  who  will  assert  that  it 
is  delightful  to  drink  an  aqueous  solution  of  one's  own 
grandfather  or  great-grandmother,  yet  there  are  many 
who  do  so.  The  emanations  from  our  ancestors  may 
and  do  filter  through  the  earth,  and  get  into  the  water 
we  drink.     Think  of  that ! 


THE  EVILS   OF  BURIAL.  95 

Wells,  springs,  and  rivers  are  polluted  by  the  infil- 
tration of  water  highly  charged  with  organic  matter. 
Often  such  water  has  been  the  cause  of  fatal  disease, 
yet  nothing  was  done  to  guard  against  it. 

Prof.  Victor  C.  Vaughan,  M.D.,  Ph.D.,  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Michigan,  in  a  paper  on  "  Water  Supply," 


THE    DORCHESTERSHIRE   CREMATION    FURNACE. 

read  at  a  sanitary  convention  at  Ypsilanti,  Mich.,  July 
1,  1885,  states  :  — 

"  To  show  you  the  stupidity  and  recklessness  of  peo- 
ple, even  in  this  enlightened  century,  which  is  mani- 
fested concerning  the  contamination  of  water,  I  must 
mention  one  other  case.  There  is  in  the  county  of 
Kalamazoo,  in  this  state,  a  nice  little  village  by  the 
name  of  Richland.  It  is  situated  in  a  most  beautiful 
farming  country.  The  farmers  of  that  region  have 
grown  rich  on  account  of  the  fertility  of  the  soil  and 
other  special  advantages.     A  few  years  ago  the  village 


96  CREMATION    OF    THE    DEAD. 

board  desired  to  select  a  new  site  for  a  cemetery,  and 
chose  one  within  the  village  limits,  and  within  30  rods 
of  a  well  owned  by  an  old  physician,  Dr.  Patchin.  I 
always  tell  names  in  such  cases,  because  they  tell  the 
truth,  and  any  one  can  investigate  them.  The  old  doc- 
tor objected  to  the  location  of  the  cemetery  so  near  his 
house  and  well,  and  as  the  result  of  his  objection  there 
was  a  lawsuit ;  and  if  you  will  pardon  me,  I  will  men- 
tion something  of  the  condition  of  the  land  and  some 
experiments  that  were  made.  There  were  some  18 
inches  of  rich  prairie  land,  then  below  this  some  two  or 
three  feet  of  hard-pan,  below  this  there  were  18  or  20 
feet  of  gravel,  such  as  we  have  all  through  the  southern 
part  of  Michigan.  In  digging  the  graves  the  bodies 
would  be  put  into  this  gravel.  The  gravel  was  so  loose 
and  so  moist  that  in  digging  graves  it  was  necessary  to 
put  in  boxing  to  prevent  the  gravel  from  pouring  in 
while  the  grave  was  being  dug.  Below  the  gravel,  and 
about  30  feet  below  the  surface,  was  an  impervious  bed 
of  clay,  with  a  slope  from  the  cemetery  towards  the 
well.  It  became  a  question  now  as  to  whether  there 
was  a  possibility  of  the  contamination  of  this  well  from 
burying  bodies  in  the  proposed  new  cemetery.  I  was 
called,  and  after  studying  the  geological  formation,  con- 
cluded that  there  was  a  possibility  of  such  contamina- 
tion. The  Avell  was  pumped  dry  twice  a  day,  and  on 
an  average  fifteen  barrels  taken  from  it  each  pumping. 
To  show  how  ridiculous  some  theories  are  that  have 
been  advanced  upon  that  subject,  I  will  state  that  I  was 
met  in  court  with  this  statement:  that  it  would  be  im- 
possible for  any  of  the  water  or  rain  falling  upon  this 
cemetery,  30  rods  distant,  to  reach  the  well,  because,  as 
was  found  in  some  old  book,  all  the  water  that  goes  into 


THE    EVILS   OF   BURIAL.  97 

a  well  is  that  which  falls  upon  a  surface  which  will  be 
enclosed  in  a  circle  whose  center  was  the  mouth  of  the 
well,  and  whose  radius  was  the  depth  of  the  well.  This 
statement  was  made  independent  of  any  lay  of  the  land 
or  the  geological  formation,  and  without  any  considera- 
tion whatever  of  the  surrounding  country.  Fortunately 
this  can  be  met  very  easily.  Thirty  barrels  of  water 
were  pumped  from  the  well  each  day.  We  know  the 
amount  of  rainfall  in  Michigan  per  year,  and  we  can 
calculate  very  easily  the  number  of  barrels  that  would 
fall  upon  this  surface  enclosed  in  a  circle  whose  center 
was  the  mouth  of  the  well,  and  whose  radius  was  the 
depth  of  the  well ;  and  as  the  result  of  such  a  calcula- 
tion we  find  that  the  amount  of  rain  falling  upon  this 
surface  during  the  year  would  not  supply  the  well  more 
than  two  or  three  days.  Returning  home  and  detail- 
ing the  trip  to  Dr.  Langley,  he  suggested  that  a  direct 
experiment  might  be  made  to  see  whether  matter 
would  pass  from  the  proposed  cemetery  to  the  well  or 
not.  He  tested  the  water  of  the  well  for  lithium,  a 
substance  easily  detected,  found  it  was  absent,  then  had 
a  salt  of  lithium  sown  over  the  proposed  cemetery,  and 
then  examined  the  water  of  the  well  each  day  there- 
after; and  on  the  eighteenth  day  after  the  lithium  was 
sown  over  the  cemetery  it  was  found  in  the  water  of  the 
well,  showing  that  the  water  did  unquestionably  pene- 
trate the  soil,  pass  down  to  the  impervious  bed  of  clay 
which  was  the  watershed  upon  which  the  water  in 
the  well  collected,  and  thence  into  the  well.  Not- 
withstanding proofs  so  positive  as  this,  a  learned  judge 
in  Michigan  dismissed  the  case,  and  allowed  the  ceme- 
tery to  be  located  there,  with  a  possibility  of  poisoning 
a  number  of  families.     As  a  result,  the  families  of  the 


98  CREMATION   OF   THE   DEAD. 

neighborhood  had  to  discontinue  the  use  of  their  well- 
water." 

Professor  Vaughan  holds  that  the  popular  belief  that 
if  water  filters  for  any  distance  through  the  soil  it  is 
purified,  is  an  erroneous  belief,  and  cites  a  number  of 
experiments  made  by  himself,  and  numerous  cases,  in 
support  of  the  assertion. 

According  to  Dr.  H.  B.  Baker,  secretary  of  the 
Michigan  State  Board  of  Health  (vide  Report  for  1874, 
p.  136),  a  terrible  epidemic  of  cerebro-spinal  meningi- 
tis, that  wasted  the  village  of  Petersburg  in  the  early 
part  of  1874,  was  attributable  to  a  spring  five  paces 
from  a  house  and  15  paces  from  a  cemetery,  which  is  on 
ground  from  12  to  15  feet  higher  than  the  level  of  the 
spring.  About  18  paces  from  the  spring  was  a  recent 
grave. 

Prof.  R.  C.  Kedzie,  of  the  Michigan  State  Agricul- 
tural College,  to  whom  some  of  the  water  was  sent  for 
analysis,  concluded  his  report  as  follows :  — 

"  The  presence  in  these  wafers  of  unusual  quantities 
of  chlorides,  of  ammonia,  of  albuminoid  ammonia,  of 
nitrates  and  nitrites,  and  finally  of  phosphates,  shows 
these  waters  to  be  very  unusual  in  their  composition. 
We  might  account  for  the  presence  of  all  these  sub- 
stances if  matters  very  rich  in  nitrogen  and  phospho- 
rus, e.g.,  flesh,  were  undergoing  decomposition  in  their 
vicinity,  and  the  results  of  this  decomposition  passed 
directly  into  this  water.  The  fact  that  the  spring  is 
near  and  lies  below  the  level  of  the  graveyard,  that  the 
well  is  in  the  midst  of  an  old  Indian  graveyard,  gives 
much  plausibility  to  this  explanation.  The  fact  that 
the  first  person  attacked  with  cerebro-spinal  meningitis 
in  Petersburg  used   the  water  of   this  well,  and  that 


THE  EVILS   OF   BURIAL.  99 

others  who  used  the  spring  water  were  attacked  with 
the  same  disease,  would  very  naturally  attract  very  sig- 
nificant attention  to  the  composition  of  these  waters  as 
having  some  possible  connection  with  the  epidemic." 

For  several  years  many  residents  of  Nyack,  N.Y.,  have 
protested  against  the  encroachment  of  the  Oak  Hill 
Cemetery  property  upon  the  thickly  populated  portions 
of  the  village,  objections  being  principally  made  on 
sanitary  grounds.  Examination  of  the  ponds  and 
wells  of  the  village  has  demonstrated  that  they  are 
being  constantly  polluted  by  the  emanations  from  the 
cemetery. 

Not  long  ago  the  Detroit  Evening  Netvs  declared  that 
the  wells  in  the  neighborhood  of  Woodmere  Cemetery 
do  not  catch  the  rainwater  until  after  it  has  been  fil- 
tered through  the  thousands  of  graves  in  the  cemetery, 
filled  with  decaying  bodies,  and  that  no  water  is 
obtained  in  the  vicinity  which  is  not  discolored  and  has 
a  brackish  taste.  After  a  heavy  rain  the  impurities  are 
most  pronounced.  The  residents  of  Woodmere  have 
long  ago  given  over  the  use  of  water  as  a  beverage.  I 
do  not  blame  them.  I  would  not  like  to  drink  fluid  ex- 
tract of  dead  man  myself. 

The  New  York  Staats  Zeitung,  a  reliable  German  pub- 
lication, of  May  27, 1886,  relates  that  a  lawsuit  of  North 
Bergen  Township,  N.J.,  against  the  Weehawken  Cem- 
etery Company,  was  tried  the  preceding  day  before  Vice- 
Chancellor  Van  Fleet,  at  Newark,  N.J.  The  town- 
ship demands  that  for  sanitary  reasons  the  cemetery 
shall  be  closed  at  once  and  no  further  burials  permitted 
in  the  same.  Several  physicians  testified  to  the  fact 
that  diphtheria  and  other  infectious  diseases  are  en- 
demic in  the  township,  and  that  they  are  due  mainly  to 


100  CREMATION    OF   THE   DEAD. 

the  unhygienic  state  of  the  cemetery,  which  lies  in  the 
most  populated  part  of  the  township.  One  physician 
gave  it  as  his  opinion  that  numerous  cases  of  diphthe- 
ria that  appeared  among  the  little  pupils  of  a  school 
was  caused  by  drinking  water  from  a  well  in  the  prox- 
imity of  the  cemetery. 

In  an  address  on  "  Public  Health,  or  Sanitary  Sci- 
ence," read  before  the  medical  society  of  the  state  of 
West  Virginia,  May  24,  1882,  Dr.  T.  S.  Camden  says ;  — 

"  The  Board  of  Health  report  for  1879  gives  the  in- 
vestigation of  an  outbreak  of  diphtheria  in  Northern 
Vermont,  which  occurred  in  May,  1879.  In  a  school  of 
22  persons,  16  were  prostrated  in  two  days,  one-half  of 
whom  died.  Upon  investigation  the  cause  of  the  out- 
break was  found  to  be  from  the  public  drinking  water 
from  a  brook  into  which  had  been  thrown  the  carcasses 
of  dead  animals.  Another  outbreak  of  the  disease  of 
great  virulence  was  caused  by  persons  rising  water  that 
was  poisoned  by  the  dead  carcass  of  an  animal  that  had 
been  buried  75  feet  distant  from  a  spring.  The  grass 
in  this  instance  showed  by  its  luxuriance  the  trace  to 
the  spring.  After  the  germs  were  once  developed  in 
many  of  these  cases  by  drinking  the  polluted  water,  the 
disease  was  communicated  to  other  persons  far  removed 
from  the  cause  of  the  primary  outbreak.  One  conva- 
lescent patient  communicated  the  disease  to  six  persons. 
Numerous  illustrations  of  the  importance  of  sanitary 
regulations  are  given  in  these  epidemics." 

Thus  we  have  illustrations  of  the  origin  of  diphtheria 
from  putrid  animal  matter;  and,  after  the  germs  were 
implanted  in  persons,  fatal  epidemics  spread,  and  many 
lives  were  lost  that  could  have  been  saved  b}^  proper 
hygienic  measures. 


SANITARY  ASPECT   OF    INCINERATION.  101 

Dr.  Prosper  de  Pietra  Santa,  the  most  enthusiastic 
French  cremationist,  and  a  man  who  has  investigated 
everything  pertaining  to  incineration  thoroughly,  calls 
attention  to  the  example  of  the  villages  of  Rotondella 
and  Bollita.  The  burial-grounds  of  these  ill-starred  vil- 
lages were  situated  on  the  summit  of  hills  that  were 
beset  with  woods.  They  were  at  the  lawful  distance, 
and  to  all  appearances  in  a  most  favorable  location. 
Unfortunately,  the  springs  from  which  the  inhabitants 
were  accustomed  to  derive  their  water  supply  emerged 
from  the  base  of  the  hills  which  were  surmounted  by 
the  woods.  These  springs  were  the  result  of  collections 
of  rain-water,  which,  percolating  through  the  earth  of 
the  hills,  became  impregnated  with  the  organic  matter 
which  the  ground  contained.  In  the  course  of  time, 
the  drinking-water  of  these  two  villages  became  so  con- 
taminated that  it  caused  a  frightful  epidemic. 

Prof.  Dr.  E.  Reichardt,  of  Jena  (G-esundheit  I,  No.  1), 
published  a  large  number  of  cases  in  which  drinking- 
water  was  polluted  by  cemetery  emanations. 

Many  cases  are  on  record  where  water  contaminated 
by  graveyard  emanations,  by  poisonous  fluids  oozing 
through  the  soil,  has  proven  harmful  to  health.  Numer- 
ous cases  of  typhoid  fever  sprung  from  this  source. 
Contagious  diseases  can  also  be  communicated  in  this 
way.  Riecke  and  Gal  tie  have  compiled  statistics  of 
cases  of  typhoid  fever  and  other  contagious  maladies 
due  to  this  cause  that  withstand  the  severest  criticism. 

"The  rivers  die  into  offensive  pools, 
And,  charged  with  putrefaction,  breathe  a  gross 
And  mortal  nuisance  into  all  the  air." 

Kate  Field,  the  well-known  author  and  lecturer,  says : 


102  CREMATION   OF   THE  DEAD. 

"These  are  times  that  are  trying  men's  and  women's 
bodies  quite  as  much  as  their  souls.  The  zymotic  dis- 
eases breaking  out  in  what  were  formerly  healthy  vil- 
lages may  set  even  the  blindest  to  seek  for  causes ;  and 


CREMATION    IN   THE   CASEMENTS    OF   PARIS    DURING   THE    REIGN    OF 
THE   COMMUNE. 

perhaps  the  most  prejudiced  may  finally  be  forced  to 
admit  that  one  great  source  of  water  contamination  is 
the  existence  of  multitudinous  graveyards  contiguous 
to  habitations.  In  my  daily  excursions  on  horseback, 
which  cover  about  15  miles,  I  count  seven  graveyards 


SANITARY   ASPECT   OF    INCINERATION.  103 

perched  on  hills,  the  occupants  of  the  adjacent  towns 
preparing  for  speedy  exit  from  this  world  by  living 
below  the  dead  and  using  well-water.  Suggest  to  them 
that  the  prevailing  i  malaria '  may  be  due  to  drinking 
up  the  remains  of  their  deceased  ancestors,  and  a  howl 
of  '  sacrilege  '  rends  the  air." 

And  in  an  admirable  essay  on  cremation  in  the  St. 
Louis  Daily  Globe-Democrat  of  July  12,  1885,  this 
graceful  writer,  deservedly  noted,  states:  — 

"New  England  villages,  once  so  free  from  ills,  are 
taking  on  the  airs  of  invalids ;  and  it  is  often  a  question 
whether  families  that  remain  in  big  towns  during  the 
summer  are  not  better  off  than  their  wealthier  neigh- 
bors, who  hie  to  overcrowded  so-called  watering  places, 
not  unfrequently  returning  with  germs  of  typhoid  fever 
in  their  systems,  that  later  breaks  forth  to  their  amaze- 
ment, and  for  which  they  are  at  a  loss  to  account. 
They  forget  how  they  drank  well-water,  the  springs  of 
which  percolated  through  peaceful  village  graveyards. 
Man's  worst  enemies  are  his  own  superstition  and 
ignorance. 

"  I  learned  by  terrible  experience  when  very  young 
the  horrors  of  earth  burial.  I  now  know  its  crime 
against  the  living." 

Miss  Field  is  not  only  converted  to  but  convinced  of 
incineration,  convinced  that  it  is  preferable  to  any  other 
method;  the  moment  a  cremation  society  was  incor- 
porated in  New  York,  she  became  a  member. 

Col.  R.  E.  Whitman,  U.  S.  A.,  remarks:  "People 
who  wonder  at  the  change  that  has  come  over  our  New 
England  villages,  the  homes  of  a  vigorous  ancestry,  and 
deplore  the  advent  of  this  mysterious  '  malaria,'  the 
unseen  vampire  that  sucks  the  red  blood  of  the  present 


104  CREMATION   OF  THE  DEAD. 

generation,  would  do  well  to  look  about  them  and  see 
how  the  graveyards,  old  and  new,  have  grown  in  two 
centuries,  how  the  town  has  surrounded  them;  how  the 
water  supply  is  from  the  same  old  wells;  how  the  town, 
never  having  arrived  at  a  magnitude  seeming  to  demand 
a  sewerage  system,  allows  the  refuse  of  generations  to 
mingle  with  the  surface  soil.  It  would  be  a  theme 
worthy  of  the  magic  pen  of  Nathaniel  Hawthorne. 
Imagine  his  description  of  water  percolating  through 
the  grave  of  some  despised  Lazarus,  feeding  the  well 
of  his  life  enemy,  Dives,  and  compelling  him  daily  to 
quaff  the  poison  his  own  cruel  ignorance  had  dis- 
tilled." 

Undoubtedly  many  country  towns  whose  cemeteries 
are  in  their  midst  are  drinking  daily,  despite  the 
acknowledged  impurity  of  the  water,  disease  and  death. 
An  English  writer  very  pertinently  remarks  that  "if 
the  formation  of  a  deep  sewer  will  suffice  to  drain  dry 
the  wells  near  its  line  of  march,  then  the  sinking  of  a 
well  near  a  burying-ground  must  help  to  drain  the 
latter." 

Much  complaint  was  at  one  time  made  in  England, 
concerning  the  pollution  of  wells  by  cemeteries.  In 
Versailles,  France,  the  water  of  the  wells  which  lie 
below  the  churchyard  of  St.  Louis,  could  not  be  used 
on  account  of  its  pollution. 

Deep  wells  have  been  found  to  be  infected  more  than 
600  feet  from  the  cemeteries.  In  France  and  in  some 
parts  of  Germany,  the  opening  of  wells  within  300  feet 
of  a  cemetery  has  been  prohibited.  The  reports  of  the 
boards  of  health  of  Massachusetts  and  New  Jersey  give 
abundant  evidence  that  country  graveyards  often  con- 
taminate the  water   supply  when  the   wells  are  on  a 


SANITARY   ASPECT   OF   INCINERATION.  105 

lower  level.  The  Michigan  reports  also  contain  a 
description  of  a  case  that  occurred  at  Grand  Rapids. 

A  hygienic  council  held  some  time  ago  at  Brussels 
decided  that  wells  could  not  be  safely  dug  nearer  than 
400  yards  to  any  graveyard,  and  that  even  at  that 
distance  absolute  protection  was  not  certain. 

The  constant  prevalence  of  dysentery  at  Secundera- 
bad,  in  the  Deccan  (India),  seems  to  have  been  partly 
due  to  the  water  which  filtered  through  an  extensive 
burial-ground.  One  of  the  sources  of  water  contained, 
by  analysis,  according  to  Dr.  Parkes,  119  grains  of 
solids  per  gallon ;  and  in  some  instances  there  were 
8, 11,  and  even  30  grains  per  gallon,  of  organic  matter. 

Sir  J.  McGrigor  partly  attributed  the  fatality  of 
dysentery  in  the  Peninsula,  at  Ciudad  Roderigo,  to  the 
use  of  water  percolating  through  a  graveyard  in  which 
nearly  20,000  bodies  had  been  hastily  inhumed. 

Medical  Councilor,  Dr.  Kuechenmeister,  who  exam- 
ined the  wells  of  Dresden,  Germany,  discovered  the 
water  to  be  very  impure,  especially  in  the  new  parts  of 
the  city,  and  in  the  vicinity  of  the  so-called  "  French  " 
graves.  The  same  results  were  arrived  at  in  Zuerich, 
where  it  was  demonstrated  that  the  typhoid  fever  epi- 
demic of  Auszerbuehl  was  due  to  water  rendered 
impure  by  cadaveric  effluvia. 

In  Philadelphia,  three  cemeteries,  containing  80,000 
graves,  are  so  situated  as  to  be  liable  to  drain  into  the 
Schuylkill,  the  drinking-water  of  1,000,000  of  people. 
The  diarrhoea  prevalent  during  the  Centennial  Exhibi- 
tion in  the  Quaker  City  is  said  (by  many  eminent  sani- 
tarians) to  have  been  caused  by  burial-ground  water 
drunk  by  strangers  unaccustomed  to  it. 

The  monumental  cemetery  at  Milan,  which  is  situated 


106  CREMATION   OF   THE  DEAD. 

upon  a  hill  some  180  yards  to  the  north  of  the  city, 
was  proved  to  have  been  the  cause  of  serious  illness  in 
its  neighborhood,  produced  by  the  contamination  of  the 
wells  in  the  vicinity.  The  water  of  the  well  of  the 
Place  Garibaldi  was  analyzed  by  Professors  Parvesi 
and  Rotundi,  who  found  it  tainted  by  organic  matter. 

The  Atlanta  Medical  Journal  states  that  two  young 
ladies  who  drank  water  from  a  spring  situated  on  a 
hillside,  near  an  old  graveyard,  became  severely  ill. 
One  was  seized  with  pyaemia  and  diarrhoea,  the  other 
with  typhoid  fever ;  both  died.  Cattle  that  drank  of 
the  water  were  also  made  sick. 

Professor  Pumpilly  has  made  certain  by  recent  experi- 
ments that  sandy  soil  does  not  prevent  bacterial  infection 
from  entering  a  well  situated  at  a  considerable  distance 
from  cesspools  and  cemeteries.  Indeed,  he  claims  further 
that  "dry  gravel  and  coarse  sand  do  not  prevent  the 
entrance  into  houses  built  upon  them  of  those  micro- 
organisms which  swarm  in  the  ground-air,  around  leaky 
cesspools,  near  graveyards,  and  in  the  filthy  made  land 
of  cities." 

Anent  the  idea  that  the  gases  and  organic  matters 
which  arise  from  the  graves  rapidly  undergo  changes 
by  entering  into  new  combinations  when  brought  into 
contact  with  the  earth,  Dr.  John  O.  Marble,  of  Worces- 
ter, Mass.,  says :  — 

"  The  monstrous  delusion  that  the  mere  contact  of 
the  corpse  with  fresh  earth  renders  it  innocuous,  and 
suffices  for  safe  disinfection,  is  dissipated  by  overwhelm- 
ing evidence.  I  distinctly  remember  my  boyish  scruples 
concerning  the  water  of  a  well  situated  not  fifty  yards 
from  graves  in  the  churchyard  adjoining  my  father's 
garden.     This  old  '  God's  acre  '  I  have  a  hundred  times 


SANITARY  ASPECT   OF   INCINERATION.  107 

passed,  in  my  timid  boyhood,  in  the  shades  of  night, 
with  palpitating  heart,  and  a  pace  rivalled  only  by  that 
of  Tarn  O'  Shanter's  steed  from  witch-haunted  Kirk 
Alio  way  to  the  '  Keystone  '  of  the  i  Brig  o'  Doom'  My 
father  overcame  my  scruples  concerning  the  water  by 
stating  the  belief  then  held,  that  the  earth  was  a  puri- 
fier and  a  safe  depurator,  and  that  no  harm  could  come 
to  that  well,  30  feet  deep,  the  pride  and  unfailing 
source  of  supply  of  the  neighborhood.  Yet  I,  that  same 
autumn,  suffered  a  severe  and  nearly  fatal  attack  of 
typhoid  fever,  and  another  member  of  the  family  was 
similarly  affected  a  year  later.  The  fever  occurred  when 
the  well  was  low,  and  I  have  no  doubt,  in  the  light  of 
present  knowledge  of  such  clangers,  that,  repulsive  as  is 
the  thought,  I  drank  water  filtered  through  the  bones 
of  my  revered  ancestors  buried  there,  and  that  the  pol- 
luted water  caused  that  illness.  To  those  who  criticise 
the  advocates  of  cremation  for  quoting  ancient  exam- 
ples only,  of  harm  from  graves,  this  instance  will  appear 
sufficiently  recent  and  intimate." 

Opponents  of  incineration,  who  lay  great  stress  upon 
the  disinfecting  powers  of  the  earth,  forget  that  the  soil 
is  easily  saturated  by  the  emanations  from  the  dead. 
Professor  Presscott,  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  says 
in  regard  to  this  matter :  — 

"  The  purifying  power  of  ground,  like  that  of  the  air 
above  it,  is  limited  and  easily  overcharged.  If  ground- 
air  be  loaded  with  more  putrescent  vapor  than  it  can 
oxidize,  then  poison  is  carried  through  the  porous  earth." 

Dr.  William  Porter,  of  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  has  recorded 
the  following  case  :  — 

"A  young  man  died  suddenly  from  diphtheria,  and 
was  buried  in  the  village  churchyard.     At  some  little 


108  CREMATION   OF   THE   DEAD. 

distance  was  a  well,  from  which  the  good  church-goers 
drank  freely  each  Sunday.  Finally  the  water  of  the 
well  became  foetid,  for  the  supply  was  infiltrated  by  the 
horrible  decomposition  from  this,  the  nearest  grave. 
Was  it  not  suggestive  that  20  from  that  congregation 
died  from  diphtheria  while  this  impure  well  was  in  use  ? 
These  people  lived  in  mountain  homes,  in  a  pure  atmos- 
phere, and  though  many  of  these  cases  were  isolated,  — 
far  removed  from  others,  —  yet  in  all  the  disease  was 
alike  virulent  and  deadly." 

Churchyard  emanations  can  penetrate  almost  any- 
thing; they  have  a  remarkable  force.  The  chairman 
and  superintendent  of  sewers  of  Holborn  and  Finsbury 
division,  London,  claimed  that  putrid  matter  from  ceme- 
teries over  30  feet  distant  had  penetrated  the  cement 
and  brick  of  his  drain. 

Several  years  ago,  when  Mr.  Holland,  the  English 
government  inspector  of  burial-grounds,  investigated 
the  state  of  Tooting  Cemetery,  it  transpired  that  the 
drainage  provided  for  the  burial-ground  was  insufficient ; 
there  was  merely  a  system  of  surface  drainage.  In  one 
case  (admitted  by  the  cemetery  board)  a  coffin  was 
placed  in  a  grave  that  contained  enough  water  to  cover 
the  head  of  it.  The  entire  drainage  of  the  burial-ground 
was  conducted  into  a  ditch  near  by,  which  ended  in  the 
river  Wandle,  from  which  the  inhabitants  obtained  their 
drinking-water. 

Lefort  (in  a  monograph  to  the  Paris  Academy  of 
Sciences)  points  to  the  possibility  of  well-contamination 
by  neighboring  cemeteries.  In  one  instance  he  de- 
tected, by  chemical  analysis,  that  a  well  was  polluted 
by  a  burial-ground  50  metres  distant. 

The  Parisian  scientist  M.  Duchamp  detected  a  spring 


SANITARY   ASPECT   OF   INCINERATION. 


109 


110  CREMATION   OF   THE   DEAD. 

that  percolated  entirely  through  graveyards,  picking  up 
organic  matter  on  the  way,  and  that  tasted  very  strongly. 
Not  a  few  analyses  of  water  tainted  by  graveyard 
emanations  testify  to  the  fact  that  it  is  harmful,  nay, 
that  it  is  extremely  dangerous,  to  those  who  consume  it. 
Nor  is  the  danger  always  apparent.  In  1874  the  Broad 
Street  pump  at  London,  England,  carried  cholera  to 
those  who  drank  its  water ;  yet  the  latter  looked  clean, 
had  no  perceptible  taste,  and  was  odorless. 

' '  The  very  witching  time  of  night 
When  graveyards  yawn,  and  hell  itself  breathes  out 
Contagion  on  this  world." 

—  Shakespeare. 

To  the  question,  "  Can  an  epidemic  of  any  kind  be 
caused  by  graveyard  emanations?"  there  is  but  one 
reply ;  the  facts  on  record  compel  us  to  answer  in  the 
affirmative. 

Dr.  Buck,  in  his  excellent  work  on  Hygiene,  writes : 
"It  is  impossible  for  any  one  to  say  how  long  the 
materies  morbi  may  continue  to  live  underground.  If 
organic  matter  can  be  boiled  and  frozen  without  losing 
its  vitality,  and  seeds  3000  years  old  will  sprout  when 
planted,  it  would  be  hardihood  to  assert  that  the  poison 
of  cholera,  or  small-pox,  or  typhus  may  not  for  years  lie 
dormant,  but  not  dead,  in  the  moist  temperature  of  the 
grave." 

Dr.  Wheelhouse,  of  Leeds,  England,  says :  "  Do  we 
not  shun,  and  that  most  wisely,  the  presence  of  those 
afflicted  with  infectious  diseases  as  long  as  they  remain 
amongst  us ;  and  yet,  no  sooner  are  they  removed  by 
death  than  we  are  content,  with  tender  sympathy  in- 
deed, and  most  loving  care,  it  is  true  (but  with  how 
much  wisdom?)  to  lay  them  in  the  ground,  that  they 


SANITARY   ASPECT   OF   INCINERATION.  Ill 

may  slowly  dissipate  their  terribly  infections  gases 
through  the  soil,  and  saturating  that,  may  thereby  re- 
charge the  rains  of  heaven  as  they  filter  through  it, 
with  all  their  virulence  and  terrible  power  of  reproduc- 
tion in  the  systems  of  the  living.  I  am  not  the  thorough 
and  entire  believer  in  the  disinfecting  and  depurating 
power  of  the  soil  that  I  once  was,  for  terrible  examples 
of  its  failure  have,  in  my  judgment,  come  under  my 
notice." 

Often  the  site  of  an  old  grave  is  used  to  make  a  new 
one,  and  in  consequence  earth  is  brought  to  light  that 
is  saturated  with  the  effluvia  of  corpses  of  those  who, 
perhaps,  have  died  of  some  contagious  or  infectious 
disease.  The  crime  that  is  committed  by  individuals 
when  they  bury  persons  deceased  of  such  maladies  is 
pithily  expressed  by  that  champion  of  modern  crema- 
tion, Sir  Henry  Thompson,  who  says :  "  Is  it  not  indeed 
a  social  sin  of  no  small  magnitude  to  sow  the  seeds  of 
disease  and  death  broadcast,  caring  only  to  be  certain 
that  they  cannot  do  much  harm  to  our  own  generation  ?  " 
But  such  is  selfish  human  nature  ! 

The  first  to  show  the  connection  between  epidemics  and 
the  process  of  decomposition  was  Professor  Pettenkofer, 
of  Munich,  Bavaria.  He  demonstrated  that  the  presence 
of  putrefying  organic  bodies,  air,  moisture,  and  warmth, 
in  a  porous  soil,  are  the  potent  factors  which  originate 
and  develop  pestilential  germs. 

The  great  mortality,  the  severity,  that  attended  in 
former  times  the  appearance  of  epidemics  in  cities 
where  graveyards  were  situated  in  the  center  of  a  large 
population,  illustrates  the  deadly  influence  which  these 
"  God's  acres  "  have. 


112  CREMATION   OF    THE    DEAD. 

Saint  Augustine  pointed  to  the  fact  that  epidemics 
are  caused  by  decomposing  organic  bodies. 

Forestus  reported  many  cases  of  malignant  fever 
caused  by  the  emanations  of  cadavers. 

Ambrose  Pare,  the  renowned  French  surgeon,  in 
1562  demonstrated  that  a  malignant  (pestilential)  fe- 
ver, then  raging  in  L'Agenois,  was  due  to  the  putrid 
vapors  arising  from  a  neighboring  well  into  which 
many  dead  bodies,  soldiers  fallen  in  battle,  had  been 
thrown. 

Raulin  (Observ.  de  Med.)  relates  how  the  section  of 
a  corpse  at  Leicturm,  in  the  plain  of  Armagnac,  caused 
a  frightful  epidemic. 

A  terrible  pestilence,  which  decimated  especially  the 
lower  classes,  was  originated  in  Riorno  (Auvergne)  by 
the  digging  up  of  the  ground  of  an  old  cemetery,  done 
to  beautify  the  city. 

Jean  Wolf,  who  reported  upon  an  epidemic  of  malig- 
nant fever  in  1731,  attributed  it  to  putrefying  animal 
remains. 

In  1752  a  man  who  had  died  of  small-pox  30  years 
ago  was  dug  up  in  Chelwood,  a  village  near  London, 
England.  He  had  been  buried  in  an  oaken  coffin  which, 
when  taken  iip,  was  yet  entire  and  could  have  been  so 
removed  from  the  grave.  But  because  the  grave-digger 
could  not  handle  it  properly  he  got  impatient  and  beat 
in  the  cover  of  the  casket  with  his  spade,  whereupon 
immediately  a  mephitic  smell  arose  that  filled  the  air  to 
some  distance.  The  corpse,  which  was  to  be  deposited 
in  a  vault,  had  been  a  person  of  consequence,  and  there- 
fore not  only  the  inhabitants  of  his  native  village  at- 
tended the  exhumation,  but  a  good  many  people 
from  neighboring   places.      But   a   few  days  after   14 


SANITARY   ASPECT    OF    INCINERATION.  113 

persons  contracted  small-pox,  and  within  a  short  time 
the  entire  village  was  infected,  only  two  individuals 
enjoying  immunity  because  they  had  had  the  disease. 
Although  the  epidemic  was  of  a  light  character,  two 
persons  died  of  it.  All  those  in  the  surrounding  vil- 
lages who  had  been  at  the  exhumation  were  also  attacked 
by  small-pox. 

Riecke  adduces  analogous  cases,  and  relates  that  the 
opening  of  a  vault  which  contained  a  victim  of  small- 
pox was  followed  by  the  death  of  a  workman  and  the 
infection  of  another  person. 

Maret  is  authority  for  the  following  statement :  A 
fever,  complicated  by  gastric  and  catarrhal  disorders, 
was  prevalent  in  1773  at  Saulieu,  Burgundy ;  but  few 
of  those  it  attacked  died.  This  was  in  the  latter  part 
of  February.  On  the  3d  of  March,  a  corpulent  body,  a 
victim  of  the  disease,  was  buried  in  the  cathedral,  and 
on  the  20th  of  April  following,  very  near  to  the  first, 
that  of  a  woman  who,  in  child-bed,  had  succumbed  to 
the  fever.  Maret  reports  that  when  the  coffin  was  low- 
ered into  the  vault,  the  ropes  slipped  from  the  grasp  of 
the  men  who  held  them ;  the  coffin  fell  to  the  ground 
and  broke ;  a  putrid  fluid,  that  filled  the  church  with  a 
most  nauseating  odor,  oozed  from  it.  Of  170  persons 
who  remained  in  the  church  from  the  time  that  the  grave 
was  opened  until  the  conclusion  of  the  ceremony,  149 
were  attacked  by  a  malignant  putrid  fever,  which,  bear- 
ing many  of  the  characteristics  of  the  prevalent  fever, 
was  undoubtedly  the  result  of  the  vitiation  of  the 
church. 

The  city  of  Tacna,  Peru,  was  yearly  visited  at  certain 
times  by  a  pernicious  fever,  which  caused  many  deaths. 
The  cemetery  was  in  the  center  of  the  city.     Finally, 


114  CEEMATION   OF   THE   DEAD. 

the  dead  were  buried  outside  of  the  city  limits,  and  the 
fever  disappeared. 

During  the  month  of  March,  1781,  and  the  half-year 
preceding  it,  an  epidemic  raged  at  Pasajes,  Spain,  which 
befell  127  persons,  of  which  number  83  died.  This  epi- 
demic was  attributed  to  the  poisonous  vapors  arising 
from  the  overcrowded  vaults  of  the  parish  church. 

Trousseau  mentions  the  case  of  a  grave-digger  who 
was  attacked  b}^  small-pox  soon  after  opening  the  grave 
of  an  individual  who  had  died  of  that  malady  many 
years  ago. 

Mr.  Cooper  charged  an  outbreak  of  small-pox  in 
Eyam,  Derbyshire,  Eng.,  to  the  excavation  of  an  old 
cemetery. 

A  dispatch  from  Montreal,  dated  Oct.  26, 1885,  states 
that  a  grave-digger  of  St.  Sulpice,  named  Robitaille, 
made  a  grave  next  to  where  a  man  who  died  from 
small-pox  a  month  ago  was  buried.  At  the  time  there 
was  no  small-pox  in  the  village;  but  Robitaille,  some 
days  after  digging  the  grave,  sickened  and  finally  died 
of  small-pox,  making  it  evident  that  he  contracted  the 
disease  from  the  body  of  a  man  who  had  been  buried 
for  a  month. 

Recent  scientific  discoveries  confirm  the  opinion  long 
held  by  persons  endowed  with  common  sense  that  the 
germs  of  many  infectious  and  contagious  diseases  retain 
their  vitality  and  the  power  to  spread  the  respective 
malady  in  the  grave  and  the  layers  of  earth  surrounding 
it.  By  means  of  these  germs,  yellow  fever,  cholera, 
small-pox,  splenic  fever,  scarlet  fever,  diphtheria,  and 
other  diseases  belonging  to  the  same  category,  can  be 
communicated  from  the  dead  to  the  living,  even  years 
after  burial.     Concerning  splenic  fever,  which  can  be 


SANITARY   ASPECT   OF   INCINERATION.  115 

transmitted  from  animal  to  man,  the  great  French  in- 
vestigator and  pathologist,  Louis  Pasteur,  says :  — 

"  Recently,  we  discovered  the  characteristic  germs 
in  pits  in  which  animals  dead  of  splenic  fever  (charbon) 
had  been  buried  for  12  years ;  and  their  culture  was 
as  virulent  as  that  from  the  blood  of  an  animal  recently 
dead.  Anthracoid  germs  in  the  earth  of  pits  in  which 
animals  have  been  buried  are  brought  to  the  surface 
by  earthworms;  and  in  this  fact  we  may  find  the  whole 
etiology  of  the  disease,  inasmuch  as  the  animals  swallow 
these  germs  with  their  food." 

The  British  Medical  Journal  in  1880  commented  on 
Pasteur's  great  discovery  as  follows  :  — 

"  Pasteur's  recent  researches  on  the  etiology  of  4  char- 
bon '  shows  that  this  earth-mould  positively  contains  the 
specific  germs  which  propagate  the  disease,  and  that 
the  same  specific  germs  are  found  within  the  intestines 
of  the  worms.  The  parasitic  organism,  or  bacteridium, 
which,  inoculated  from  a  diseased  to  a  healthy  animal, 
propagates  the  specific  disease,  may  be  destroyed  by 
putrefaction  after  burial.  But  before  this  process  has 
been  completed,  germs  or  spores  may  have  been  formed 
which  will  resist  the  putrefactive  process  for  many 
years,  and  lie  in  a  condition  of  latent  life,  like  a  grain 
of  corn,  or  any  flower-seed,  ready  to  germinate  and  com- 
municate the  specific  disease.  In  a  field  in  the  Jura, 
where  a  diseased  cow  had  been  buried  two  years  be- 
fore at  a  depth  of  nearly  seven  feet,  the  surface  earth 
not  having  been  disturbed  in  the  interval,  Pasteur 
found  that  the  mould  contained  germs  which,  intro- 
duced by  inoculation  into  a  guinea-pig,  produced  char- 
bon and  death.  Further,  if  a  worm  be  taken  from  an 
infected  spot,  the  earth  in  the  alimentary  canal  of  the 


116 


CREMATION    OF   THE   DEAD. 


worm  contains  these  spores  or  germs  of  charbon,  which, 
inoculated,  propagate  the  disease ;  and  the  mould  de- 
posited on  the  surface  by  the  worm,  when  dried  into 
dust,  is  blown  over  the  grass  and  plants  on  which  the 
cattle  feed,  and 
may  thus  spread 
the  disease.  Af- 
ter various  farm- 
ing operations 
of  tilling  and 
harvest,  Pasteur 


URNACE    OF    THE     BUFFALO    CREMA- 
TORIUM.     (Venini  system.) 


has  found  the  germs  just  over  the 
graves  of  the  diseased  cattle,  but  not 
to  any  great  distance.  After  rains  or 
morning  dews  the  germs  of  charbon, 
with  a  quantity  of  other  germs,  were 
found  about  the  neighboring  plants; 
and  Pasteur  says  that  in  cemeteries  it  is  very  pos- 
sible that  germs  capable  of  propagating  specific  dis- 
eases of  different  kinds  quite  harmless  to  the  earthworm 
may  be  carried  to  the  surface  of  the  soil,  ready  to 
cause  disease  in  the  proper  animals.  The  practical 
inferences  in  favor  of  cremation  are  so  strong  that,  in 
Pasteur's  words,  they  'need  not  be  enforced.' ': 

Sir  T.  Spencer  Wells  pointed  out,  in  his  paper  read 


SANITARY   ASPECT   OF   INCINERATION.  117 

before  the  British  Medical  Association,  in  August,  1880, 
that  the  observations  of  Darwin,  "  on  the  formation  of 
mould,"  made  more  than  40  years  ago,  when  he  was 
a  young  man,  are  curiously  confirmatory  of  the  conclu- 
sions of  Pasteur.  In  Darwin's  paper,  read  at  the  Geo- 
logical Society  of  London,  in  1837,  he  proved  that,  in 
old  pasture-land,  every  particle  of  the  superficial  layer 
of  earth,  overlying  different  kinds  of  subsoil,  has  passed 
through  the  intestines  of  earthworms.  The  worms 
swallowed  earthy  matter,  and,  after  separating  the  di- 
gestible or  serviceable  portion,  they  eject  the  remainder 
in  little  coils  or  heaps  at  the  mouths  of  their  burrows. 
In  dry  weather  the  worm  descends  to  a  considerable 
depth,  and  brings  up  to  the  surface  the  particles  which 
it  ejects.  This  agency  of  earthworms  is  not  so  trivial 
as  it  might  appear.  By  observation  in  different  fields, 
Mr.  Darwin  proved,  in  one  case,  that  a  depth  of  more 
than  three  inches  of  this  worm-mould  had  been  accumu- 
lated in  15  years ;  and,  in  another,  that  the  earthworms 
had  covered  a  bed  of  marl  with  their  mould,  in  18 
years,  to  an  average  depth  of  13  inches. 

Professor  Klebs,  of  Prague,  Bohemia,  discovered  the 
bacteria  of  malarial  fever.  They  were  called  by  him 
bacilli  malarice.  His  discovery  was  verified  by  Prof. 
Tomassi  Crudelli,  of  Rome,  Italy. 

Dr.  Robert  Koch,  of  the  Imperial  Sanitary  Bureau  at 
Berlin,  Germany,  detected  the  bacillus  tuberculosis; 
there  is  no  doubt,  to  my  mind,  but  that  consumption 
can  possibly  be  spread  by  the  upturning  of  the  soil  of  a 
grave  containing  the  victim  of  tuberculosis. 

The  same  gentleman,  now  professor  in  Berlin  Univer- 
sity,  discovered  the    comma   bacillus   of   cholera.      He 


118  CREMATION    OF   THE   DEAD. 

expressed  his  belief  in  its  propagation  in  the  grave, 
especially  when  the  latter  is  moist. 

Houlier  and  Feruel  are  responsible  for  the  statement 
that,  during  the  prevalence  of  the  plague  in  Paris  in 
the  beginning  of  the  18th  century,  the  disease  lingered 
longest  and  was  the  most  severe  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
"  cimetiere  de  la  Trinite." 

The  Detroit  Evening  News,  of  Sept.  23, 1886,  reports 
the  following  case  in  which  diphtheria  was  contracted 
from  a  corpse  :  — 

"  Blanche  Hunt,  a  12-year  old  girl,  died  at  Albion  of 
malignant  diphtheria  last  week.  Sophie  Calkins,  aged 
13,  died  at  Fair  Haven,  Vt.,  of  the  same  disease,  con- 
tracted the  week  before  at  Albion.  There  are  no  other 
cases  in  town,  and  these  two  girls  are  supposed  to  have 
taken  the  disease  at  the  cemetery,  where  they  went  into 
the  vault  containing  the  remains  of  a  woman  sent  there 
from  abroad,  who  had  died  from  what  the  physicians 
called  black  jaundice.  It  is  believed  her  disease  was 
really  diphtheria." 

As  early  as  1878,  the  Massachusetts  State  Board  of 
Health  —  one  of  the  best  in  the  world  —  showed  that 
diphtheria  is  originated  and  diffused  by  the  emanations 
of  victims  of  that  disease. 

In  1875  the  same  high  authority  had  reached  similar 
conclusions  regarding  typhoid  fever. 

There  is  much  evidence  to  show  that  cholera  was 
repeatedly  caused  by  the  excavation  of  the  graves  of 
those  who  had  died  of  the  disease,  and  that  it  raged  with 
special  violence  in  the  vicinity  of  cemeteries. 

Dr.  Sutherland  attested  the  fact  that  cholera  was 
unusually  prevalent  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of 
London  graveyards.     This,  however,  need  not  astonish 


SANITARY   ASPECT   OF   INCINERATION.  119 

us,  when  we  consider  that  the  soil  of  churchyards  in 
some  of  the  poorer  districts  in  London  was  raised  two, 
three,  or  even  four  feet  in  a  few  years.  The  great  prev- 
alence of  epidemic  diseases  in  some  parts  of  the  city 
finally  led  to  the  formation  of  the  Epidemiological 
Society  of  London,  under  the  presidency  of  Dr.  Babing- 
ton. 

When  the  cholera  visited  London  in  1854,  Mr.  Simon 
asserted  that  if  the  soil  of  the  cemeteries  in  which  the 
plague-stricken  of  1665  were  buried  would  be  upturned, 
it  would  make  the  prevailing  scourge  more  virulent.  It 
was  done  in  spite  of  his  warning,  and  his  prediction  was 
verified. 

In  1826,  when  cholera  made  its  appearance  in  Egypt, 
the  French  government  sent  out  medical  officers  to  dis- 
cover, if  possible,  its  origin.  It  was  traced  to  an  old 
and  disused  cemetery  at  Kelioub,  a  village  near  Cairo. 

The  outbreak  of  cholera  at  Modena,  Italy,  in  1828, 
was  shown  by  Professor  Bianchi  to  be  due  to  the  up- 
turning of  the  ground  of  burial-yards  in  which  victims 
of  the  plague  had  been  inhumed  300  years  before. 

Nov.  12,  1836,  Miaulis,  the  adjutant  of  Otto  the  First, 
of  Greece,  was  attacked  by  cholera,  of  which  he  finally 
died.  The  body  was  given  in  charge  of  three  men,  who 
also  assisted  at  the  post-mortem  examination.  On  the 
third  day  after  the  funeral  of  the  adjutant,  one  of  the 
men,  Jacob  Kuehnlein,  72  years  of  age,  was  taken  ill, 
and  died  the  following  day.  The  autopsy  proved  the 
disease  to  be  Asiatic  cholera.  Three  days  after  Kuehn- 
lein's  burial,  the  second  of  the  men  who  had  guarded 
Miaulis'  remains,  J.  Stroehlein  by  name,  aged  48,  was 
stricken  down  by  the  cholera,  to  which  he  succumbed 
within  two  days. 


120  CREMATION   OF   THE  DEAD. 

Schauenburg  (Cholera,  etc.,  Wuerzburg,  1874,  p.  8) 
gives  it  as  his  opinion  that  decomposition  is  favorable 
to  the  development  of  cholera  germs,  which  means  the 
propagation  of  the  comma  bacillus. 

The  Italians  do  not  only  stand  at  the  head  of  the 
cremation  movement  to-day,  but  they  recognized  the 
value  of  that  sure  and  never-failing  germicide  — fire  — 
as  early  as  1837  ;  in  that  year  thousands  of  the  victims 
of  the  cholera  epidemic,  then  raging  in  Italy,  were 
burned  on  the  seashore  at  Palermo. 

The  report  of  the  London  Board  of  Health  for  1849 
directs  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  cholera  was  espe- 
cially prevalent  and  fatal  in  the  neighborhood  of  grave- 
yards. This,  however,  need  not  cause  any  surprise, 
as  the  London  Athenceum,  to  this  day  one  of  the  most 
reliable  journals  of  the  United  Kingdom,  states  in  1850 
that,  during  the  prevalence  of  the  scourge,  500  bodies, 
dead  of  cholera,  were  daily  interred,  in  addition  to 
those  of  other  diseases. 

Professor  Jaccoud,  of  the  faculty  of  medicine  of  the 
University  of  Paris,  claims,  in  his  "  Pathologie  Interne, " 
that  there  are  three  wa}^s  of  transmission  of  cholera,  of 
which  the  third  is  by  corpses. 

An  employee  of  the  French  marine  hospital  at 
Therapia,  near  Constantinople,  was  present  at  the 
autopsy  of  Marshal  Saint  Armand,  who  had  died  of 
cholera,  which  was  held  in  the  amphitheatre  of  the  in- 
stitution. A  few  days  after  the  man  succumbed  to  a 
severe  attack  of  de  cholera  foudroyant,  which  he  had 
contracted  at  the  post-mortem  examination. 

Dr.  F.  Bidlot,  of  Liege,  Belgium,  states  that,  in  1867, 
he  was  called  to  a  robust  cholera  patient  who,  when 
asked  about  the   cause   of   his  illness,  said  that  until 


SANITARY   ASPECT   OF   INCINERATION.  121 

noon  he  had  worked  at  the  grave  of  a  person,  dead  of 
cholera,  who  had  been  buried  very  superficially,  since 
an  exhumation  was  to  take  place :  when  the  body  was 
disinterred,  he  was  seized  by  an  illness  which  soon 
proved  to  be  cholera. 

The  following  case  was  also  reported  by  Dr.  Bidlot. 
A  nun  who  had  nursed  cholera  patients  in  a  hospital 
died  of  the  dread  disease  in  the  summer  of  1860.  At 
10  A.M.  in  the  latter  part  of  October  she  was  ex- 
humed. At  four  o'clock  in  the  forenoon  of  the  same 
day  Dr.  Bidlot  was  called  to  Dr.  Romiee,  who  had  at- 
tended the  disinterment.  He  was  found  to  be  suffering 
from  cholera,  and  declared  that  his  illness  was  owing  to 
his  exposure  to  the  emanations  of  the  body  dug  up. 

Trinity  Church  graveyard,  at  New  York,  was  the 
center  of  very  fatal  prevalence  of  cholera  at  every  visit 
of  that  pest  from  1832  to  1854. 

Dr.  Rauch  relates  (Intra-Mural  Interments  in  Popu- 
lous Cities,  Chicago,  1868)  how  the  cholera  was  spread 
in  Burlington,  la.,  in  1850.  Not  a  single  death  took 
place  in  the  vicinity  of  the  cemetery  of  the  city,  until 
20  persons,  deceased  of  cholera,  had  been  interred 
therein ;  then  one  case  after  another  occurred,  till  the 
epidemic  became  truly  alarming. 

In  1865,  when  a  cholera  epidemic  invaded  Paris, 
France,  it  raged  with  great  virulence  in  the  old  quarter 
of  Montmartre  ;  in  that  part  of  the  metropolis  there 
w^as  a  vast  burial-ground,  from  which  toxic  vapors  were 
continually  escaping.  Of  5000  victims  of  the  epidemic, 
1800  belonged  to  this  ancient  community.  The  great 
mortality  in  this  quarter  of  the  city  was  no  doubt  due 
to  the  presence  of  the  over-crowded  cemetery. 

Dr.  John   Murray,  inspector-general   of   hospitals   in 


122  CREMATION    OF   THE   DEAD. 

Bengal,  India,  wrote  a  book,  in  which  he  endeavored 
to  determine  whether  or  not  cholera  can  be  propagated 
by  human  remains.  He  declares  emphatically  (Propaga- 
tion of  Cholera,  1873,  p.  216),  that  the  body  of  a  cholera 
patient,  dead  or  alive,  must  be  regarded  as  an  agent  of 
transmission  of  the  disease;  and  adduces  the  sequent 
facts  to  prove  his  assertion.  Several  women,  whose 
business  it  was  to  lay  out  corpses,  had  contracted  chol- 
era. In  1818  a  man  died  of  the  dread  disease ;  five  fel- 
low-men, who  carried  his  body  to  the  last  resting-place, 
were  taken  down  with  cholera,  and  died  in  the  night 
after  the  burial.  Dr.  Townsend  reported  that,  in  1869, 
three  men  were  commissioned  by  the  police  to  carry  a 
corpse  to  Dumwahi.  The  day  following  their  arrival  the 
cholera  appeared  in  this  city,  and  the  first  to  die  of  the 
scourge  were  the  three  who  had  borne  the  corpse. 

Cholera  from  time  to  time  threatens  to  invade  our 
peaceful  land.  When  it  comes,  shall  we,  in  view  of  what 
has  just  been  shown,  bury  its  victims,  saturate  the  earth 
with  its  specific  germs,  which,  if  the  grave  should  ever 
be  disturbed,  may  breed  a  terrible  pestilence,  if  not 
during  our  lifetime,  yet  surely  during  that  of  our  de- 
scendants ?  There  can  be  but  one  answer :  To  secure 
ourselves  against  a  repetition  of  epidemics,  we  must 
burn  our  dead ;  it  is  a  duty  that  cannot  be  evaded,  that 
we  owe  to  all  mankind,  that,  when  sinned  against,  as  it 
has  been  in  the  past,  is  revenged  by  the  resulting  visi- 
tation. 

When  the  cases  above  related  are  taken  into  consid- 
eration, even  the  most  vehement  anti-cremationist  can- 
not deny  that  the  specific  germs  of  infectious  and  con- 
tagious diseases  are  propagated  by  earth-burial,  and 
that  the  only  sure  medium  for  their  destruction  is  fire, 


SANITARY   ASPECT    OF   INCINERATION. 


123 


for  no  disease  germ  can  pass  through  the  rosy  heat  of 
the  crematory  and  survive  to  propagate  its  species. 

The  scientific  world  was  lately  startled  by  the  glad- 
some news  that  Dr.  Domingo  Freire,  a  physician  of 
Rio    de    Janeiro,  Brazil,   had   discovered   the   peculiar 


FURNACE    OF   THE    CINCINNATI    CREMATORIUM.     fDesigned  by  M.  R.Conway.) 

microbe  of  yellow  fever.  The  blood  of  yellow  fever 
patients  swarms  with  these  microbes  (cryptococci),  which, 
by  inoculation,  produce  the  disease  in  animals.  Dr. 
Freire  named  the  microbe  cryptococcus  xanthogenicus. 
He  was  aided  in  his  labors,  to  detect  the  specific  germ 


124  CKEMATION   OF    THE   DEAD. 

of  yellow  fever,  which  included  microscopic  and  spec- 
troscopic examinations  as  well  as  experiments  on  ani- 
mals, by  his  able  assistant,  Senor  Menezes  Doria. 

Dr.  Freire  also  examined  some  soil  from  the  cemetery 
of  Jurujuba,  where  victims  of  the  yellow  jack  (as  we 
call  this  fever  sometimes)  lie  interred.  Some  of  this 
earth  was  dried  and  then  placed  in  a  cage  which  con- 
tained a  guinea  pig.  Previously  to  the  introduction  of 
the  earth,  the  blood  of  the  animal  was  examined  micro- 
scopically, and  found  to  contain  no  bacteria  of  any 
kind.  The  animal  became  ill,  and  died  within  five 
days.  When  its  tissues  were  examined  after  death, 
they  were  found  to  present  all  the  characteristic  changes 
which  yellow  fever  brings  about.  The  blood  was  full 
of  cryptococci  xanthogenici  in  various  degrees  of  de- 
velopment. The  urine  was  highly  albuminous.  The 
brain  and  the  intestines  were  stained  yellow  by  the  in- 
filtration of  the  coloring  matter  of  the  cryptococci. 
After  this  discovery,  the  doctor  recommended  that  all 
victims  of  yellow  fever  be  destroyed  by  fire,  to  prevent 
general  infection.  The  Brazilian  government  (one  of 
the  most  enlightened  in  the  world)  immediately  or- 
dered that  a  cremation  furnace  be  built  at  Jurujuba,  in 
which  all  those  that  die  of  yellow  fever  there  must  be 
incinerated. 

The  St.  Louis  Medical  and  Surgical  Journal  makes 
this  very  sensible  suggestion  regarding  the  disposition 
of  the  remains  of  those  dying  of  yellow  fever  in  our 
own  United  States.     It  says  :  — 

"  From  what  we  have  learned  from  private  sources, 
the  resurrection  of  the  bodies,  during  the  winter  months, 
of  those  who  died  of  yellow  fever,  has  done  much  to 
perpetuate  this  terrible  disease  in  southern  cities,  until 


SAN1TAEY   ASPECT    OE   INCINERATION.  125 

the  warm  weather  has  set  in.  Cremation  obviates  all 
possible  harm  that  can  come  from  the  dead,  and  duty 
to  the  living  demands  that  everything  be  done  to  de- 
stroy the  possibilit}^  of  propagating  this  and  all  conta- 
gious diseases  that  run  so  malignant  a  course." 

Dr.  J.  F.  A.  Adams  says :  — 

"  Dr.  Joseph  Akerly  expressed  the  belief  that  Trinity 
Churchyard  had  been  an  active  cause  of  the  yellow 
fever  in  New  York  in  1822,  aggravating  the  malignity 
of  the  epidemic  in  its  vicinity.  This  church  was  built 
in  1698,  and  the  ground  had  been  receiving  the  dead 
for  124  years.  Sometimes  bodies  were  buried  only  18 
inches  below  the  surface,  and  it  was  impossible  to  dig 
without  disturbing  the  remains.  During  the  Revolu- 
tionary War,  this  burial-ground  had  emitted  pestilential 
odors,  and  in  1781  Hessian  soldiers  were  employed  to 
cover  the  ground  with  a  layer  of  earth  two  or  three 
feet  in  depth.  The  ground  was  unusually  offensive  in 
1782,  and  annoyed  passengers  on  the  surrounding  streets 
previous  to  the  appearance  of  the  yellow  fever  in  July. 
During  the  epidemic,  the  condition  of  this  churchyard, 
and  the  virulence  of  the  disease  in  its  vicinity,  called  for 
some  active  measures,  and  on  the  night  of  Sept.  22 
Dr.  Roosa  covered  the  ground  with  52  casks  of  quick- 
lime, the  stench  being  at  the  time  so  excessive  as  to 
cause  several  laborers  to  vomit.  On  the  25th  and  26th 
of  the  same  month  St.  Paul's  Churchyard,  and  the 
vaults  of  the  North  Dutch  Church  in  William  Street, 
received  the  same  treatment,  these  being  likewise  very 
offensive  and  foci  of  epidemics." 

When  the  yellow  fever  raged  in  New  Orleans  in  1853, 
the  death-rate  in  the  Fourth  District  (in  which  there 


126  CKEMATION    OF   THE   DEAD. 

were  three  large  burial-grounds)  was  452  per  1000  of 
the  population. 

Dr.  Bryant,  writing  on  yellow  fever  at  Norfolk  in 
1855,  regards  cemeteries  as  a  constant  source  of  danger 
in  an  epidemic,  and  urges  the  total  forbidding  of  intra- 
mural or  even  near-by  suburban  cemeteries. 

Sir  Spencer  Wells  related  a  fact  recently  at  a  meeting 
of  the  Health  Exhibition  in  London,  England,  which 
has  a  strong  bearing  on  the  source  of  epidemics  and 
their  annihilation  by  cremation.  Some  persons  who 
had  died  of  scarlet  fever  were  interred  in  a  country 
graveyard.  Thirty  years  afterward  the  cemetery  was 
included  in  a  neighboring  garden,  and  the  old  graves 
dug  up.  Scarlet  fever  forthwith  broke  out  in  the  rec- 
tory and  parish,  and  no  other  probable  source  having 
been  discovered,  it  is  impossible  to  avoid  the  inference 
that  the  germs  of  scarlatinal  infection  can  retain  their 
vitality  a  third  of  a  century. 

In  epidemics  individuals  should  be  forced  to  allow 
their  dead  (unless  they  succumb  to  some  disease  other 
than  the  prevailing  scourge)  to  be  cremated.  To  stamp 
out  a  contagious  or  infectious  malady,  or  to  arrest  its 
progress,  incineration  must  be  made  general ;  its  bene- 
fits are  nil  when  confined  to  isolated  cases.  The  indi- 
vidual must  stand  back  when  the  public  health  is  in 
jeopardy. 

Governments  should  not  allow  bodies  to  be  intro- 
duced into  their  respective  countries  from  an  infected 
land,  unless  such  bodies  have  been  previously  reduced 
to  ashes. 

Thousands  of  cases  of  malignant  sickness,  I  have  no 
doubt,  could  be  prevented  by  the  prompt  introduction 
of  cremation.     Why  not,  then,  introduce  it?     Simply 


SANITARY    ASPECT    OF    INCINERATION.  127 

because  there  is  au  unreasonable  prejudice  against  tlie 
custom?  It  is  ridiculous  !  Should  any  mere  prejudice 
stand  in  the  way  of  a  sanitary  reform  ?  I  leave  it  to 
any  sound  mind  to  decide  the  question.  I  am  not 
advocating  obligatory  incineration  in  times  of  peace 
except  in  cases  of  infectious  and  contagious  disease.  I 
would  rejoice  to  see  it  generally  introduced,  but  not  by 
force.  Cremation,  moreover,  needs  not  the  aid  of  the 
sword  or  law ;  it  will  find  its  way  unassisted. 

Besides  human  and  animal  remains,  I  think  all  gar- 
bage should  be  destroyed  by  fire. 

The  idea  of  cremation  which,  carried  by  the  wings  of 
enthusiasm,  traversed  the  whole  civilized  world  in  the 
spring  of  1874,  is  really  naught  but  a  demand  of  hygiene 
in  favor  of  our  own  health.  Not  only  physicians,  but 
also  laymen,  should  enter  the  arena  where  the  great 
fight  between  earth-burial  and  cremation  is  going  on, 
and  combat  for  glorious  incineration. 

The  International  Medical  Congress  which  convened 
at  Florence,  Italy,  in  1869  examined  into  the  various 
methods  of  burial,  and  concluded  by  expressing  its 
belief  that  cremation  was  necessary,  and  should  be 
adopted  in  the  interest  of  civilization  and  public 
health. 

Dr.  C.  W.  Purdy,  of  Chicago,  111.,  says:  "Burial- 
grounds  are  unquestionably  ruinous  to  health,  as  both 
theory  and  facts  amply  demonstrate  ;  many  sections  of 
population  suffer  annually  disease  and  death  which  are 
exposed  to  their  influences;  all  engaged  in  this  unwhole- 
some system  suffer  —  the  grave-diggers,  the  gardeners, 
the  men  who  repair  the  vaults  and  tombstones,  the 
friends  who  visit  the  graves,  and  the  whole  funeral  pro- 
cession are  exposed  directly.     There   is  no  redeeming 


128  CREMATION   OF   THE   DEAD. 

feature  about  this  burial  system,  degrading  to  the  dead 
and  dangerous  to  the  living." 

The  celebrated  medical  author,  Moleschott,  even 
more  vehemently  condemns  cemeteries.  He  claims 
that  they  emit  a  vapor  which  causes  malignant  fevers, 
and  concludes  his  remarks  by  calling  them  "workshops 
and  factories  of  the  devil." 

Beyond  a  doubt,  cremation  soonest  places  the  bodies 
of  the  dead  in  a  condition  where  they  can  do  the  least 
harm  to  the  living.  Incineration  destroys  all  disease 
germs  and  at  once  removes  all  possibility  of  the  con- 
tamination of  air  and  water  by  the  dead. 

Then  why  not  introduce  cremation  and  do  away  with 
all  the  evils  described  in  this  chapter?  It  is  of  no  con- 
sequence to  the  dead,  whether  they  rot  in  the  earth  and 
originate  miasma,  or  are  transformed  by  fire  into  pure 
white  ashes.  They  feel  as  little  of  the  process  of  decay 
as  they  do  of  the  flame ;  their  eye  is  surrounded  by  the 
same  darkness,  whether  they  are  down  in  the  deep 
grave  or  in  the  glowing  light  of  the  crematory  furnace. 
But  it  is  of  the  greatest  consequence  to  us,  the  living ; 
and  the  only  way  to  protect  ourselves  from  poisonous 
infection  by  our  dead  is  to  burn  them. 


CHAPTER  III. 

CREMATION   IN   TIMES    OF   WAR. 

A  FTER  a  battle  is  over,  the  field  of  carnage  is  cov- 
-^-*-  ered  with  the  dead.  I  think  it  cannot  be  ques- 
tioned that  these  are  disposed  of  in  a  very  careless 
manner  in  time  of  war ;  not  only  those  who  have  been 
killed  during  an  engagement,  but  also  those  who  suc- 
cumb to  disease.  After  a  great  combat  the  slain  are 
usually  hastily  interred  in  large  trenches,  in  which  they 
are  arranged  in  tiers,  or  piled  pell-mell  upon  each  other, 
whereupon  they  are  left  to  decompose.  That  no  more 
calamity  and  sickness  results  from  such  a  mode  of 
burial,  than  is  usually  the  case,  is  due,  I  believe,  princi- 
pally to  the  fact  that  great  battles  are  generally  fought 
on  fields  far  from  the  habitations  of  man. 

War,  God  knows,  is  bad  enough,  but  far  worse  are 
the  diseases  that  follow  in  its  wake.  The  dead  on  the 
u  field  of  honor,"  which  is  soon  naught  but  a  vast  ceme- 
tery, are,  as  I  have  said  above,  inhumed  as  rapidly  as 
possible.  There  is  no  time  to  lose.  Hurriedly  thou- 
sands of  fallen  braves  are  thrown  into  large  pits,  and 
barely  covered  with  earth.  The  comrades  who  have 
rendered  them  this  last  service  move  onward  to  bury 
others,  and  leave  them  to  vitiate  the  air  and  to  form  a 
terrible  herd  of  infection.  Thus  it  is  that  a  country 
which  has  already  been  devastated  by  war  is  again 
brought  to  the  verge  of  despair  by  the  appearance  of 


130 


CREMATION    OF    THE    DEAD. 


typhus  fever,  dysentery,  and  other  equally  serious  mal- 
adies.    Unfortunately,   these    diseases   do   not   confine 


themselves  to  the  country  in  which  the  war  has  been 
waged,  but  also  invade  the  lands  of  the  peaceful  neigh- 
bors. 


CREMATION    IN   TIMES   OF   WAR.  131 

There  is  much  evidence  to  prove  that  what  I  say  is 
true.  Immediately  after  the  defeat  of  Darius,  Alexan- 
der the  Great  was  advised  by  the  sage  Aristoteles  to 
leave  Arbela,  to  secure  himself  and  his  army  from  the 
pestilential  emanations  of  the  dead. 

When  Syracuse  was  besieged  by  Hannibal,  he  decided 
to  wound  the  feelings  of  the  Syracusans  by  desecrat- 
ing their  dead,  who  had  been  buried,  as  was  the  custom 
in  most  ancient  cities,  outside  of  the  city  gates.  He 
ordered  his  troops  to  dig  up  the  ill-fated  corpses,  cut 
them  to  pieces,  and  strew  them  all  over  the  field  of 
battle,  in  full  sight  of  their  horror-stricken  relatives 
and  friends.  But  this  barbarous  act  was  followed  by 
deserved  punishment.  Pestilence  decimated  the  be- 
leaguerers,  and  scores  upon  scores  of  the  soldiers  fell 
victims  to  the  fatal  power  that  arose,  slow  but  sure, 
from  the  outraged  dead. 

Lucan  has  furnished  us  with  an  account  of  the  terri- 
ble scourge  that  befell  the  army  of  Pompey  at  Durazzo, 
because  it  had  neglected  to  bury  the  cadavers  of  the 
horses  killed  in  the  battle.  For  the  same  reason  the 
camp  of  Constantine  the  Great  was  once  devastated  by 
the  plague. 

Mr.  William  Eassie,  the  honorary  secretary  of  the 
Cremation  Society  of  England,  states  (vide  his  "  Crema- 
tion of  the  Dead,"  page  19)  :  — 

"With  the  ancient  Athenians,  when  soldiers  fell  in 
battle,  it  was  the  custom  to  collect  them  into  tents, 
where  they  lay  for  a  few  days,  to  ensure  recognition. 
Each  tribe  then  conveyed  their  dead  in  cypress  shells  to 
the  ceramicos,  or  places  of  public  burning,  an  empty 
hearse  following  behind,  in  memory  of  the  missing." 

The  first  epidemic  of  spotted  fever  on  record  occurred 


132  CRExMATION    OF   THE   DEAD. 

in  Spain,  in  1490,  and  was  due  to  the  emanations  aris- 
ing from  the  decaying  bodies  which  had  been  left  un- 
buried  on  the  battle-ground. 

In  1796  (according  to  Desgenettes),  'a  military  sur- 
geon by  the  name  of  Vaidy  supervised  the  burial  of  the 
soldiers  and  horses  that  had  been  killed  in  a  combat 
near  Nuremberg.  While  the  work  was  in  progress,  he 
was  attacked  by  colic  and  nausea,  and  afterwards  suf- 
fered for  several  days  from  a  severe  dysentery.  His 
horse,  after  having  been  tortured  by  severe  abdominal 
pains,  died  on  the  evening  of  the  day  when  he  was  taken 
sick.  Persons  who  were  with  Vaidy  complained  of  the 
same  symptoms  as  he. 

During  the  campaign  in  Russia  in  1812  many  of  the 
French  soldiers  who  perished  in  the  disastrous  retreat 
were  burned  by  the  enemy. 

After  the  battle  of  Waterloo  4000  bodies  were  reduced 
to  ashes  on  funeral  piles  of  resinous  wood  on  the  field 
of  carnage. 

The  ravages  of  the  typhus  fever  in  the  armies  battling 
during  the  Crimean  War  are  yet  well  remembered,  and 
were  too  great  to  be  easily  forgotten. 

An  eye-witness  (Trusen)  of  the  siege  of  Sebastopol 
reported  at  the  time  that :  "  Those  who  were  but  lately 
our  brave  soldiers  have  become  greater  enemies  of 
their  successors  in  arms  than  the  Russians  themselves. 
Barely,  and  sometimes  not  at  all,  covered  by  earth,  their 
bodies  emit  a  pestilential  miasma,  which  kills  far  better 
than  powder  and  bullet,  and  is  more  reliable  than  a  gun. 
A  bishop  has  been  sent  out  to  consecrate  the  trenches 
in  which  the  dead  are  piled  up,  yet  the  infection  will 
resist  consecration  and  holy  water.  Unfortunately,  the 
danger  does  not  come  from  our  own  troops  alone.     The 


CREMATION   IN   TIMES   OF   WAR.  133 

wind  carries  the  emanations  of  the  Russian  dead  into 
oar  intrenchments.  We  besiege  Sebastopol,  bat  pesti- 
lence besieges  us.  The  same  Frenchmen  who  came  to 
our  rescue  with  their  sabres  now  poison  us  by  their 
putrefaction.  Animal  remains  also  vitiate  the  air.  The 
cadaver  of  the  noble  battle-horse  that  carried  its  rider 
bravely  through  the  day  of  Balaklava  now  lies  in  the 
road,  and  threatens  the  victorious  dragoon  who  rode 
upon  it  with  an  inevitable  fate.  Burial-ground  and 
camp  adjoin  each  other.  Where  the  soldier  fought  and 
fell  is  his  grave,  which  is  seldom  far  from  the  tents  of 
the  surviving." 

During  the  expedition  to  Morea,  the  French  made 
intrenchments  in  a  cemetery  outside  of  Patras.  All 
those  who  were  ordered  into  the  treuches  experienced 
first  malarial  symptoms,  and  were  finally  attacked  by 
typhoid  fever. 

The  cholera  mowed  down  more  soldiers  in  the  war 
between  Austria  and  Prussia,  in  1866,  than  the  missiles 
of  either  army. 

The  Franco-Prussian  War  of  1870-71  was  accompanied 
by  dysentery  and  typhus  fever.  After  the  battle  of 
Gravelotte  the  German  troops  had  to  camp  for  weeks 
upon  the  graves  of  their  comrades,  subjected  all  the 
time  to  the  most  dangerous  efflavia  from  the  slain.  The 
bodies  of  those  that  fell  at  Metz  were  in  many  instances 
dug  up  by  the  Germans  and  re-interred ;  since  the  hasty 
and  superficial  way  in  which  they  had  been  buried  in 
the  first  place  caused  contamination  of  the  water- 
courses near  by,  and  pollution  of  the  air. 

The  evils  of  earth  burial  were  especially  apparent  in 
besieged  forts,  for  instance  in  Metz  and  Paris,  1870-71. 


134  CREMATION    OF    THE    DEAD. 

The  communists  at  Paris  evaded  the  evils  of  inhuma 
tion  by  burning  their  dead  in  the  casemates. 

On  July  14,  1877,  during  the  war  between  Turkey 
and  Russia,  General  Tergankassoff  informed  his  gov- 
ernment at  St.  Petersburg,  by  despatch,  that  the  air 
in  and  about  Bayazid  was  so  contaminated  by  the 
decomposition  of  the  dead,  that  it  would  not  only  be 
unwise,  but  also  dangerous,  to  prolong  the  stay  of  the 
troops  there. 

On  August  24  of  the  same  year,  the  naval  cor- 
respondent of  the  London  Times  stated  that  thousands 
of  soldiers  who  fell  in  the  Shipka  Pass  were  so  super- 
ficially inhumed  that  relics  of  the  dead,  such  as  arms 
and  knees,  protruded  from  the  earth-heaps. 

On  the  14th  of  September  following,  the  correspond- 
ent of  the  London  Daily  Telegraph  declared  that  the 
stenches  of  the  villages  around  Hasankioe  were  unen- 
durable; that  the  retreating  invaders  had  cut  off  the 
water-supply  by  filling  up  the  wells  with  corpses ;  and 
that  in  consequence  the  water  had  to  be  brought  from 
a  great  distance.  And  on  the  seventeenth  of  the  same 
month,  the  Times  correspondent  reported  that  fever 
had  broken  out  at  Kezanlik ;  and  that,  within  600 
yards  of  his  tent,  some  hundreds  of  uninhumed  dead 
could  be  seen,  relics  of  the  battle  which  took  place 
some  weeks  previously.  In  order  to  lessen  the  danger, 
the  couriers  passing  along  the  Yemi  Saghra  road  had 
actually  to  ride  with  camphor  in  their  mouths.  This 
state  of  things  is  not  only  deplorable,  but  pre-eminently 
shameful. 

It  is  plain  from  the  above  that  interment  en  masse, 
as  it  is  practiced  during  war  at  the  present  time,  is  very 
unsatisfactory,    and    often    leads    to    disastrous    conse- 


CREMATION    IN    TIMES    OF    WAR.  135 

quences.  Unfortunately,  burial  in  single  graves  is 
impossible,  for  several  reasons.  In  the  first  place,  it 
would  take  up  too  much  time ;  secondly,  too  much 
room;  and,  thirdly,  it  would  remove  too  many  men 
from  the  ranks  of  the  combatants.  Nothing  remains  to 
us,  therefore,  but  to  look  about  us  for  some  other  mode 
of  disposing  of  the  dead.  The  list  of  methods  from 
which  we  may  select  one  is  not  very  large.  Various 
schemes  have  been  proposed.  One  erratic  genius  actu- 
ally proposed  to  blow  up  the  victims  of  human  strife 
with  dynamite.  Of  all  the  ways  of  disposing  of  the 
slain,  none  is  so  good  and  advantageous  as  cremation. 
History  records  many  instances  in  which  cremation  was 
made  use  of  to  destroy  the  dead  after  a  battle. 

Mr.  Wm.  Eassie  reports:  "During  the  wars  between 
the  English  and  the  Burgundians  and  the  French, — 
the  latter  led  by  Joan  of  Arc,  —  the  dead  were  on  one 
occasion  piled  up  outside  the  city  of  Paris,  and  con- 
sumed in  one  huge  pyre." 

Twelve  days  after  the  battle  of  Paris,  on  the  30th 
of  March,  1814,  4000  horses,  killed  during  the  combat, 
were  burnt  by  the  Germans  in  the  environs  of  Paris, 
—  the  woods  of  Montfaucon. 

In  the  battle  at  Rivas,  Nicaragua,  on  the  28th  of  June, 
1855,  between  government  troops  and  Walker's  Fili- 
busters, the  latter  lost  their  commander,  12  officers, 
and  100  men,  all  of  whom  were  cremated. 

Many  dead  were  reduced  to  ashes  by  the  Carlists, 
after  the  battle  of  Cuenca. 

More  than  40,000  human  and  animal  remains  had 
been  inhumed  in  a  very  superficial  manner  after  the 
battle  of  Sedan,  during  the  late  Franco-Prussian  War. 
In   consequence,   the  Belgian  villages  in  the  neighbor- 


136  CREMATION    OF    THE    DEAD. 

1  lood  were  visited  by  epidemics  and  infectious  diseases. 
The  Belgian  government  was  petitioned  to  remove  the 
evil.  It  despatched  Colonel  Creteur  to  examine  into 
the  grievances,  and,  if  possible,  remove  them.  One's 
hair  stands  on  end  when  one  reads  the  report  of  the 
colonel  on  the  condition  of  the  Sedan  battle-field.  The 
only  way  to  remedy  the  evil  was  to  destroy  the  danger- 
ous cadavers  by  cremation,  which  was  a  difficult  task, 
under  the  circumstances,  but  which  was  nevertheless 
accomplished  by  the  ingenious  Creteur.  The  colonel's 
report  is  full  of  horrible  facts.  The  bodies  of  German 
soldiers  in  a  trench  at  Laid-Trou  were  covered  so  little 
by  earth  that  carnivorous  animals  had  already  devoured 
part  of  the  hands  and  faces.  Rain-water  had  caused 
30  large  pits,  containing  the  remains  of  Bavarians, 
to  cave  in,  and  had  laid  bare  the  bodies.  Between 
Belan  and  Bazailles,  the  owners  of  a  field  had  leveled 
the  elevation  of  a  Bavarian  grave.  Relics  of  the  dead 
protruded  from  the  ground.  The  bodies  were  covered 
only  hj  a  thin  layer  of  earth,  in  which  corn  flourished 
luxuriantly.  Wild  bears,  foxes,  and  dogs,  relishing  the 
human  flesh,  helped  to  scratch  awray  the  soil  over  the 
remains,  as  did  the  numerous  crows  upon  the  pit  in 
which  the  horses  had  been  buried.  Dogs,  having  once 
feasted  on  this  fare,  would  not  eat  anything  else.  Cre- 
teur at  first  could  not  obtain  men  to  carry  out  his  plans, 
as  every  one  who  attempted  to  open  the  trenches  con- 
tracted phlyctgena,  an  eruption  of  the  skin.  Finally, 
by  promising  good  pay,  he  enlisted  27  workmen, 
whom  he  endeavored  to  protect  by  saturating  their 
clothing  and  moistening  the  graves  with  a  solution  of 
carbolic  acid.  But  this  only  intensified  the  phlyc- 
tsena.     He  then  determined  to  cover  the  graves  with  a 


THE   MILAN    CINERARIUM. 


138  CREMATION    OF    THE    DEAD. 

layer  of  chloride  of  lime,  and  to  pour  diluted  muriatic 
acid  upon  them  subsequently.  By  this  means  he  suc- 
ceeded in  laying  bare  the  topmost  layer  of  the  corpses. 
He  then  had  large  quantities  of  coal  tar  poured  into  the 
pit,  which  trickled  down  among  the  bodies  to  the  bot- 
tom, thoroughly  covering  the  remains.  He  then  had 
more  chloride  of  lime  heaped  upon  the  corpses,  and 
finally  had  bundles  of  hay,  previously  saturated  with 
kerosene,  thrown  burning  into  the  pit.  Creteur  declares 
that  from  200  to  300  bodies  were  consumed  within 
50  to  60  minutes.  The  smoke,  impregnated  with  the 
smell  of  the  carbolic  acid  that  was  formed  by  the 
combination  of  the  chloride  of  lime  and  coal  tar, 
was  not  offensive,  and  proved  entirely  harmless  to 
the  workmen.  About  one-fourth  of  all  the  contents 
remained  in  the  pits,  consisting  of  calcined  bones 
and  a  dry  mass.  These  were  again  covered  with 
chloride  of  lime,  and  then  the  trenches  were  closed. 
In  this  way,  45,855  human  and  equine  bodies  were  dis- 
posed of. 

Incineration  in  war-time  should  be  obligatory  —  must 
be  so  in  fact.  At  present,  cremation  in  portable  fur- 
naces is  out  of  the  question,  because  it  would  take  too 
long.  Only  the  bodies  of  prominent  officers  might  be 
thus  cremated  and  sent  to  the  rear,  so  that  they  might 
rest  under  a  monument  erected  by  the  grateful  people 
of  the  country  that  they  served.  Under  the  existing 
circumstances,  I  think  Creteur 's  method  would  be  the 
best.  By  this  means,  several  hundred  bodies  could  be 
destroyed  at  once.  There  ought  to  be  a  cremation 
corps  in  every  division  of  an  army.  Better  yet  it  would 
be  to  organize  a  neutral  society,  like  the  Red  Cross 
Association,  and  call  it  the  Society  of  the  Black  Cross. 


CREMATION   IN   TIMES    OF    WAR.  139 

The  members  might  wear  a  black  cross  on  their  caps 
and  on  the  left  arm.  After  a  battle,  the  various  corps 
of  this  society  would  begin  their  work,  gathering  the 
dead  and  committing  them  to  the  flames.  Thus  we 
would  protect  our  brave  soldiers,  who  offer  up  their 
lives  for  their  beloved  country  and  our  sake,  from 
pestilence  and  disease. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

THE   PROCESSES    OF    MODERN   CREMATION. 

TN  beginning  the  consideration  of  the  various  processes 
-*-  of  cremation,  I  ought  to  speak  of  the  ancient  pyre 
first;  but  since  it  was  fully  described  in  a  previous 
chapter,  I  deem  it  best  to  dismiss  it  with  this  passing 
notice.  I  will  remark,  however,  that  were  the  intro- 
duction of  cremation  attempted  with  a  view  to  the  use 
of  this  barbarous  mode,  that  is,  if  there  were  no  alter- 
native but  to  burn  the  dead  in  the  old-fashioned  way, 
I  would  not  be  the  advocate  of  incineration;  for  the 
method  of  antiquity  was  not  only  obnoxious  to  the 
senses,  but  almost  as  dangerous  to  the  living  as  burial 
in  the  earth. 

It  would  take  up  too  much  space  and  would,  more- 
over, be  entirely  useless  to  describe  in  detail  the  numer- 
ous European  cremation  apparatuses,  of  which  those  of 
Siemens,  Brunetti,  and  Gorini  are  best  known.  The 
trouble  with  these  furnaces  is,  that  (1)  the  apparatus 
costs  too  much ;  (2)  the  process  of  cremation,  when  they 
are  employed,  is  too  expensive. 

Therefore  I  will  confine  myself  to  a  description  of 
the  cremation  furnaces  used  in  America. 

The  crematory  at  Washington,  Pa.,  is  a  small,  plain, 
brick  building,  containing  but  two  rooms,  —  furnace 
and  reception  room.  The  retort  is  exactly  similar  to 
the  ones  used  in  making  gas,  and,  indeed,  the  whole 
process  is  the  same. 


THE    PROCESSES    OF    MODERN     CREMATION.         141 

The  Washington  crematory  is  one  story  high,  30 
feet  long,  20  feet  wide.  The  reception  room  is  20 
feet  square,  including  walls,  and  the  furnace  room 
20  feet  by  10  feet,  including  walls.  Cremation  is 
performed  in  a  fire-clay  cylinder  or  retort,  called  the 
incinerator,  which  is  three  feet  in  diameter  by  seven 
feet  long,  and  the  walls  of  which  are  from  one  to  two 
inches  thick.  The  retort  is  like  those  used  in  the 
manufacture  of  illuminating  gas,  but  somewhat  of  a 
different  shape.  It  is  heated  to  a  red  heat  by  a  furnace 
fire  which  is  built  underneath  and  kept  burning  for 
20  or  30  hours  before  the  cremation  is  to  take  place. 
The  body  is  placed  in  an  iron  crib  made  in  the  shape 
of  a  coffin,  with  small,  round  rods,  with  feet  three 
or  four  inches  long  to  keep  it  up  off  the  bottom  of  the 
retort.  These  feet  are  inserted  into  a  flat  strip  of  iron 
two  inches  wide  and  a  quarter  inch  thick,  turned  up  at 
the  ends  so  that  the  crib  with  the  body  will  slide  into 
the  retort  easily.  In  addition  to  the  ordinary  burial 
garments,  the  body  is  covered  with  a  cloth  wet  with  a 
saturated  solution  of  sulphate  of  alum  (common  alum), 
which  even  when  burned,  retains  its  form  and  prevents 
any  part  of  the  corpse  from  being  seen  until  the  bony 
skeleton  begins  to  crumble  down.  The  incinerator 
receives  to  itself  the  intense  heat  of  the  fire  below,  but 
does  not  admit  the  flames.  The  consequence  is  that 
the  corpse,  when  introduced  into  the  retort,  is  not,  in 
a  proper  sense  of  the  word,  burned.  It  is  reduced  to 
ashes  by  the  chemical  application  of  intense  heat. 
Gases  are  driven  off  or  absorbed,  and,  being  carried 
down  into  the  fire  from  the  incinerator  and  led 
back  and  forth  25  feet  through  its  flames,  are  utterly 
consumed.     Even  the  smoke  of  the  fire  is  consumed, 


142  CREMATION    OF    THE   DEAD. 

and  nothing  can  be  seen  issuing  from  the  chimney  but 
the  quiver  of  the  heat.  The  process  might  be  called, 
says  an  eye-witness  of  a  cremation  in  this  furnace,  the 
spiritualization  of  the  body,  the  etherealization  or  sub- 
limation of  its  material  parts.  The  time  required  to 
complete  the  operation  is  about  two  hours.  A  very 
small  portion  of  the  remains  is  ashes,  but  the  mass  is  in 
the  form  of  calcined  bones  in  small  fragments,  very 
white,  odorless,  entirely  deprived  of  all  animal  matter, 
and  may  be  preserved  any  length  of  time  without 
change. 

There  are  four  to  seven  pounds  of  these  remains  from 
various  sized  adult  bodies,  and  can  be  placed  for  preser- 
vation in  a  marble  or  terra-cotta  urn,  into  which  a 
photograph  of  the  deceased,  with  appropriate  record, 
can  be  placed  before  introducing  the  remains.  This 
urn  can  be  placed  in  the  columbarium  of  the  crematory, 
kept  among  the  cherished  memorials  of  the  family  of 
the  departed,  or  placed  beside  other  remains  previously 
buried  in  cemeteries  or  graveyards. 

Dr.  Le  Moyne  favored  placing  the  remains  of  the 
dead  in  a  one-gallon  salt-mouthed  druggist's  bottle, 
with  a  large  ground  stopper.  After  his  death,  however, 
the  bottle-urn  idea  proved  impracticable,  therefore  the 
ashes  were  generally  placed  in  a  sealed  tin  box. 

The  furnace  erected  at  Lancaster,  Pa.,  is  on  a  new 
system,  which  was  devised  by  Dr.  M.  L.  Davis.  The 
cost  of  the  crematorium  was  about  $5000.  The  build- 
ing is  beautifully  located  upon  a  bluff  overlooking  the 
Conestoga  River.  The  grounds  occupy  two  and  one- 
half  acres.  The  crematory  is  of  gothic  architecture, 
48x32  feet,  and  contains  four  rooms,  —  the  audience 
room    or   chapel,    toilet,  reception,    and  furnace  room. 


THE    PROCESSES    OF   MODERN    CREMATION.        143 

The  chapel  is  used  for  religious  services,  the  toilet 
room  for  the  accommodation  of  relatives  and  friends 
accompanying  the  body,  the  reception  room  to  re- 
ceive the  body  and  prepare  it  for  incineration ;  all  of 
the  apparatus  is  located  in  the  furnace  room,  except 
the  retort  doors,  which  face  the  auditorium.  The  firing 
is  done  in  the  rear  of  the  furnace,  where  all  tools  and 
miscellaneous  articles  are  kept.  The  floor  of  the  audi- 
torium is  made  of  Portland  cement ;  the  other  parts 
of  the  building  are  floored  with  brick.  The  audience 
room  is  furnished  with  chairs  and  a  table  for  the  use  of 
ministers  or  the  officers  of  societies  having  charge  of 
the  ceremonies  at  cremation ;  the  walls  are  decorated 
with  pictures  and  urns  of  various  designs.  The  waiting 
or  toilet  room  is  provided  with  chairs,  lounges,  toilet- 
stand,  etc.,  for  the  comfort  of  the  waiting  friends.  The 
grounds  consist  of  a  plot  of  two  acres,  one-half  of  which 
is  level  —  here  the  building  is  located;  the  other  is  a 
hillside  of  solid  limestone  rock  —  here  the  society  in- 
tends erecting  columbaria  at  an  early  day.  The 
grounds  around  the  building  are  beautified  by  road- 
ways, walks,  trees,  shrubbery,  etc. 

The  furnace  invented  by  Dr.  Davis  is  made  of  fire- 
bricks and  tiles.  The  outside  dimensions  are  10  ft.  6  in. 
long,  by  6  ft.  6  in.  wide,  with  9-in.  walls  of  brick.  The 
furnace  rests  on  a  foundation  10  ft.  6  in.  by  7  ft.  6  in.  and 
2  ft.  6  in.  deep,  of  good  building  stone,  with  mortar  of 
sharp  sand  and  quicklime  or  equally  suitable  material, 
finished  level  with  the  floor  of  the  building.  At  the 
rear  end  the  center  is  occupied  by  the  fire  chamber  (F) 
18  in.  wide,  48  in.  long,  3  ft.  9  in.  high  to  arch,  lined 
with  fire-brick  9  inches  thick  and  roofed  with  an  arched 
fire-clay  tile  4  in.  thick,  covered  by  3-in.    shield    tile. 


144  CREMATION    OF   THE   DEAD. 

The  iron  doors  (fire  and  ash)  are  furnished  with  frames, 
the  fire-door  is  protected  by  a  lining  of  asbestos  and 
fire-clay;  the  grate-rest  is  1  ft.  3  in.  from  the  floor; 
beneath  the  grate  are  two  iron  pipes  (1|  in.)  at  the 
sides,  to  carry  heated  air  to  supply  oxygen  to  the  flues 
(at  O)  ;  a  third  iron  pipe  (f  in.)  passing  to  the  rear  of 
the  fire  chamber  and  up  through  its  back  wall  to  the 
retort  (at  P)  ;  a  fourth  pipe  (3-in.  diameter)  leading 
from  the  top  of  the  rear  end  of  the  retort  (at  M)  down 
through  the  rear  wall  and  opening  in  the  ash  chamber 
under  the  grate-bars  (at  N),  to  carry  off  the  surplus 
gases  not  consumed  in  the  retort.  The  air-supply  pipes 
are  required  to  keep  up  rapid  combustion  by  replacing 
the  oxygen  already  used,  and  so  to  equalize  the  heat  at 
both  ends  of  the  retort.  The  air-pipes  leading  into  the 
retort  so  assists  the  disintegration  of  the  body  in  the 
same  way,  supplying  additional  oxygen  and  making 
oxidation  more  rapid.  The  retort  is  9  ft.  9  in.  long, 
3  ft.  wide,  and  2  ft.  high  in  the  clear  ;  it  is  floored  with 
3-in.  fire-clay  tile  in  sections ;  the  sides  are  of  3-in  tile, 
also  in  sections  ;  the  roof  is  of  the  same  material  arched 
in  sections.  The  retort  is  made  in  sections  rather  than 
in  one  single  piece,  in  order  to  make  allowance  at  the 
several  joints  for  the  great  expansion  and  contraction 
incident  to  a  heat  of  2000  to  2500  degrees,  thus  avoid- 
ing the  annoyance  and  expense  of  cracks  and  patching. 
The  retort  is  supported  by  the  arched  roof  of  the  fire 
chamber  and  its  covering  of  shield  tile,  and  back  of  the 
fire  chamber  by  fire-clay  pillars,  and  at  the  sides  by 
projections  of  the  tile  partitions  between  the  flues. 
Six  pairs  of  flues  surround  the  retort,  15  and  13^  inches 
wide  respectively,  and  3  in.  deep,  separated  by  tile  par- 
titions 3  in.  thick.     The  gases  from  the  fire  chamber 


THE    PROCESSES    OF    MODERN    CREMATION.        145 

enter  the  first  pair  through  curved  openings  (QQ)  and 
pass  up  through  AA  down  through  BB  (receiving 
additional  oxygen  at  O),  and  up  again  through  CC, 
and  through  the  escape-flue  S,  into  the  chimney.  The 
outside  facing  of  the  flues  is  3-in.  tile.  Between  the 
outside  facing  of  the  flues  and  the  9-in.  brick  wall  is  a 
space  of  3  inches  which  is  packed  with  asbestos  to  pre- 
vent radiation  of  heat  and  allow  for  lateral  expansion 
and  contraction  of  the  outer  casing  of  the  flues,  giving 
it  much  longer  life.  Above  the  fire  space  on  the  top  of 
the  retort,  which  is  4  inches  deep,  is  an  arch  of  9-in.  fire- 
brick, above  which  ashes  and  sand  are  filled  in  to  the 
depth  of  6  inches  above  the  top  of  the  arch,  and  floored 
over  with  red  brick.  The  retort  door  is  lined  with  as- 
bestos and  fire-clay ;  it  is  made  of  steel  plate,  closing 
against  a  flanged  iron  frame,  and  held  to  its  place  by  a 
spicier,  upon  which  is  screwed  down  an  arm  swinging 
with  the  door  and  fastening  to  the  frame  ;  the  frame  is 
held  to  its  place  by  two  horizontal  bars,  walled  in  at  the 
ends.  This  arrangement  secures  a  tight  joint  when  the 
door  is  closed;  the  stay-bars  hold  the  frame,  the  bar  holds 
the  door  to  the  frame  and  gives  the  fulcrum  for  pressure 
on  the  spider,  while  swinging  with  the  door  it  is  out  of 
the  way  when  not  in  use.  The  whole  structure  is  protect- 
ed by  three  buckstays  of  T  iron  on  each  side,  securely 
joined  by  f-inch  iron  rods,  furnished  with  nuts  to  allow 
tightening  or  loosening  when  necessaiy.  The  fire-brick 
escape-flue  connects  with  the  chimney ;  the  dimensions 
are  16  X  14  inches  in  the  clear ;  the  chimney  rests  on 
sills  of  T  iron,  supported  by  brick  pillars,  and  is  lined 
with  fire-brick  for  6  feet  above  the  retort,  and  is  carried 
up  to  a  total  height  of  30  feet. 

I  have  given    so   minute    a   description    of   this   ap- 


146  CREMATION   OF   THE  DEAD. 

paratus  because  it  is  an  invention  of  which  not  only 
Dr.  M.  L.  Davis,  but  his  countrymen  with  him,  may  feel 
justly  proud.  It  is  the  first  cremation  furnace  that 
possesses  the  two  cardinal  requirements  of  a  good  incin- 
erator; namely,  cheapness  and  usefulness.  The  price 
of  this  apparatus  is  from  11200  to  11500  ;  the  Euro- 
pean furnaces  cost  $3000  and  more.  The  Davis  fur- 
nace, moreover,  uses  less  fuel  than  the  European 
apparatus,  whereby  the  expense  of  cremation  is  much 
decreased.  Ordinarily,  coke  and  hard  or  "steamboat" 
coal  is  used  in  this  furnace,  although  (and  this  is  an 
additional  advantage)  gas,  oil,  or  any  other  heating 
material  may  be  used.  The  quantity  required  varies 
somewhat,  but  the  average  amount  necessary  to  heat 
the  furnace  and  incinerate  a  body  is  250  pounds  of 
coke  and  250  pounds  of  coal,  or  about  one-fourth  ton 
of  fuel.  The  time  occupied  for  complete  incineration 
varies  according  to  the  condition  of  the  body,  but 
ranges  from  45  minutes  to  one  hour  and  a  half.  The 
furnace  can  be  heated  in  six  hours,  but  usually  more 
time  is  occupied  in  heating,  as  there  is  less  liability  of 
injury  to  the  furnace  by  rapid  expansion. 

When  the  Davis  furnace  is  used,  the  process  is  as 
follows :  The  catafalque,  bearing  the  crib  which  is  cov- 
ered with  a  cloth  15  feet  long,  wet  with  alum  water,  is 
placed  by  the  side  of  the  casket  containing  the  body, 
the  lid  of  which  is  removed  and  strips  of  muslin  are 
passed  under  it.  The  ends  of  the  bands  are  attached 
to  an  elevator,  and  the  bod}^  is  gently  raised  up  and 
placed  upon  the  alum-sheet-covered  crib,  the  free  end 
being  covered  over,  thus  entirely  enveloping  it.  This 
procedure  is  necessary  to  prevent  the  clothing  in  which 
the  corpse  is  dressed  from  igniting.     All  being  in  readi- 


THE    PEOCESSES    OF   MODERN    CKEMATLON.        147 

ness,  the  catafalque,  on  noiseless  casters,  is  placed  in 
front  of  the  retort.  A  cable  is  then  attached  to  the 
crib,  the  retort  door  is  opened,  a  signal  is  given,  and 
the  catafalque  with  its  burden  gently  approaches  the 
open  retort ;  when  near,  it  stops,  and  noiselessly  the 
corpse  is  moved  into  the  retort,  impelled,  as  it  were,  by 
an  unseen  agency.  When  it  is  in  the  proper  position, 
a  signal  is  given,  the  machinery  in  the  rear  and  out  of 
sight  stops,  the  door  is  closed  air-tight,  and  the  mechani- 
cal process  gives  way  to  the  chemical. 

When  the  retort  is  opened,  the  cold  air  rushing  in, 
the  cold  body,  crib,  and  alum-sheet  chill  for  a  few  mo- 
ments the  inner  surface  of  the  retort;  in  a  few  moments 
the  retort  regains  its  heat;  a  fine  mist  commences  to 
arise  from  the  body,  which  gradually  becomes  thicker 
and  more  dense,  until  the  inside  of  the  retort  has  the 
appearance  of  dense  white  mist.  The  idea  of  fine  snow 
or  fog  is  suggested.  This  appearance  remains  until  the 
soft  tissues  are  reduced  to  ashes.  Then  the  interior  of 
the  retort  gradually  becomes  more  clear.  The  alum- 
sheet  will  be  seen  to  be  in  the  same  position  as  when 
put  in ;  perhaps  slightly  sunken.  A  blue  flame  will  be 
seen  arising  through  the  sheet ;  about  six  inches  above 
the  body  it  becomes  extinguished.  This  continues  un- 
til the  bony  structure  is  completely  cremated,  when  all 
is  white  as  snow,  and  nothing  can  be  seen  inside  the 
retort,  the  ashes  having  fallen  through  the  crib  and 
the  alum-cloth  collapsed.  The  oxygen  by  the  intense 
heat  has  been  made  to  unite  with  the  carbonaceous  ele- 
ments of  the  body,  and  the  resulting  carbonic  acid  gas, 
ammonia,  and  water  are  driven  off  through  the  retort 
walls  into  and  through  the  flues  to  the  air  without, 
where  they  mingle  with  the  elements  of  nature.    In  the 


148  CREMATION   OF   THE   DEAD. 

retort  are  the  ashes,  consisting  of  pure  oxide  of 
lime. 

It  is  plain  from  the  above  that  the  corpse  does  not 
come  in  contact  with  the  flames,  that  is,  the  fire,  in  this 
apparatus.  There  is  no  burning.  The  body  is  simply 
oxidized,  and  the  union  of  the  oxygen  and  the  organic 
matter  composing  the  body  is  so  complete  that  what 
nature  has  so  perfectly  formed  in  life  appears  to  gently, 
quietly  melt  away  in  death,  and  becomes  resolved  into 
its  original  elements. 

The  record  of  the  Davis  furnace  has  been  so  far  en- 
tirely satisfactory.  The  Lancaster  crematorium  contains 
two  of  these  furnaces.  This  crematory  has  no  smoke- 
stack; that  is,  the  chimney  reaches  but  several  inches 
above  the  roof  of  the  building. 

On  Nov.  23,  1885,  Prof.  T.  R.  Baker,  Ph.D.,  of  the 
Millersville  State  Normal  School,  collected  30  jars  of 
gases  from  the  escape-flue  of  the  Lancaster  cremato- 
rium, with  a  view  of  analyzing  them,  to  ascertain  the 
nature  of  the  products  of  combustion  of  the  human 
body  during  incineration.  Many  persons  have  con- 
tended that  poisonous  gases  are  given  off,  thereby  pol- 
luting the  air ;  and  it  was  with  a  view  of  clearing  up 
this  phase  of  the  subject  that  the  experiment  was  under- 
taken. The  apparatus  used  to  collect  the  gases  consisted 
of  an  iron  gas-pipe,  five  feet  being  bent  two  feet  from 
one  end  at  right  angles.  The  long  end  was  passed 
down  the  escape-flue  from  the  furnace.  To  the  other 
end  was  attached  a  glass  tube,  which  ran  to  a  U-tube 
surrounded  with  ice,  to  condense  vapors.  The  gas  was 
collected  in  a  jar.  Fifteen  jars  were  thus  collected  be- 
fore the  body  was  introduced  into  the  retort,  and  15 
at  various  stages  of  the  incineration.     The  body  was 


THE    PROCESSES    OF    MODERN    CREMATION.        149 

that  of  a  man  who  had  died  from  dropsy.     Below  will 
be  found  Dr.  Baker's  report. 

State  Normal  School, 
Millersville,  Pa.,  Dec.  7,  1885. 
Dr.  M.  L.  Davis  :  — 

Dear  Sir:  I  have  completed  the  examination  of  the  gaseous  prod- 
ucts recently  obtained  from  the  chimney  of  the  Lancaster  crema- 
torium, and  will  now  report  the  results  of  my  investigation.  The 
escaping  products  were  tested  at  the  crematorium  for  water  and 
for  gases  readily  soluble  in  water,  and  several  bottles  of  these  prod- 
ucts were  collected  before  the  body  was  put  in  the  retort,  as  well 
as  during  the  cremation. 

Water,  etc.,  were  tested  for  by  passing  several  gallons  of  the 
escaping  products  through  the  U  condension  tubes,  surrounded  by 
ice,  and  then  through  distilled  water.  The  estimated  amount  of 
water  in  the  products  escaping  before  the  body  was  put  in  the  retort 
was  .0011  of  a  cubic  inch  to  the  gallon,  while  during  the  cremation 
it  was  .0044  of  a  cubic  inch  to  a  gallon. 

The  water  through  which  the  gases  were  passed,  both  that  used 
before  the  body  was  put  in  the  retort  and  that  used  during  the  cre- 
mation, had  a  distinct  acid  reaction,  quickly  reddening  blue  litmus 
paper.  I  could  not,  however,  detect  any  difference  in  the  degree 
of  acidity  of  the  wraters,  and  their  reaction  did  not  indicate  that 
the  gases  which  had  passed  through  them  were  more  acid  than  the 
gaseous  products  passing  off  from  ordinary  coal  fires.  The  waters 
were  found  to  contain  traces  of  the  mineral  acids  generally  found 
in  very  small  quantities  in  the  products  of  the  combustion  of  min- 
eral coal.  They  gave  no  reaction  for  salts  of  ammonia,  nor  for 
sulphuretted  hydrogen. 

The  gases  collected  for  laboratory  examination  were  tested  espe- 
cially for  carbonic  acid  (C02),  illuminating  gas,  oxygen  (O),  car- 
bonic oxide  (CO),  and  nitrogen  (N). 

The  method  of  examination  employed  was  that  generally  followed 
in  gas  analysis,  namely,  the  absorption  of  the  gases  by  liquid  re- 
agents. Carbonic  acid  was  absorbed  by  potassium  hydrate  ;  illumi- 
nants  by  bromine ;  oxygen  by  phosphorus  ;  and  carbonic  oxide  by 
cuprous  chloride  dissolved  in  hydrochloric  acid. 

The  estimated  amounts  of  the  gases  enumerated  above  are  as 


150 


CREMATION   OF    THE  DEAD. 


follows,  the  values  indicating  the  parts  of  a  cubic  inch  to  the  gal- 
lon ;  the  estimated  water  being  also  included  in  the  table :  — 


H20 

co2 

Illuminat- 
ing Gas. 

O 

CO 

N 

Before  Cremation, 
During  Cremation, 

.001 1 
.0044 

.00080 
.00091 

.000 
.012 

.0080 
.0065 

.0000 
.0017 

.016 
.015 

It  will  be  seen  by  a  comparison  of  these  results  that  the  gaseous 
products  of  ordinary  coal  combustion  are  modified  to  only  an  in- 
considerable extent  by  matter  passing  through  the  walls  of  the  cre- 
mation retort.  Illuminating  gas  is  a  variable  mixture  of  hydrogen, 
marsh  gas,  defiant  gas,  and  other  gases,  and  is  entirely  harmless 
when  produced  in  the  small  quantities  indicated  in  the  table,  and  so 
thoroughly  distributed  through  the  air.  That  so  much  free  oxygen 
passes  off  with  the  escaping  products  is  an  indication  of  the  thor- 
oughness of  the  combustion,  and  the  complete  oxidation  of  the 
oxidizable  products. 

In  conclusion,  I  would  say  that  not  any  of  the  many  and  various 
tests,  either  at  the  crematorium  or  in  my  laboratory,  of  the  products 
under  consideration,  indicated  the  presence  of  anything  that  would 
pollute  the  air.  The  burning  of  the  body  produces  no  material 
difference  in  the  gases  escaping  from  the  chimney.  The  volume  of 
the  chimney  products  did  not  seem  to  be  increased  by  the  burning 
of  the  body,  and  the  products  had  precisely  the  same  odor  during 
cremation  that  they  had  before  the  body  was  put  in  the  retort. 

I  might  add  that  I  also  made  a  test  of  the  temperature  of  the 
products  issuing  from  the  chimney,  and  found  it  to  be  about  300°  F. 
This  is  surprisingly  low,  considering  the  high  temperature  of  the 
retort  (2500°  to  2800°  F.),  and  indicates  a  most  excellently  designed 
furnace,  utilizing  as  it  does  so  large  a  percentage  of  the  heat. 
About  one-fourth  of  the  heat  of  boiler  furnaces  goes  up  the 
chimney. 


The  process  of  cremation  invented  by  Joseph  Venini, 
of  Milan,  Italy,  is  nsed  in  the  crematorium  of  Buffalo, 
N.  Y.  The  process  consists  of  two  parts  :  first,  the 
generation  of  gas;    and  second,  the  cremation  proper. 


THE    PROCESSES    OF   MODERN    CREMATION.        151 

The  apparatus  is  constructed  with  a  gas  generator  (A), 
which  is  a  simple  fire-pot  about  four  feet  in  a  vertical 
measurement  and  two  laterally,  and  is  located  in  the 
basement  of  the  crematory.  The  air  for  combustion  is 
admitted  through  a  grate  in  the  bottom,  and  is  not  suf- 
ficient to  allow  of  the  combustion  of  the  entire  mass  of 
small  wood  which  is  heaped  on  the  fire.  The  result  is 
that  the  fire  at  the  bottom  distils  the  wood  at  the  top, 
and  the  gases  of  distillation  and  combustion  of  wood 
are  carried  to  the  back  end  of  the  incinerating  chamber 
(B),  which  is  on  the  main  floor.  Here  these  gases  are 
met  by  air  heated  in  a  chamber  (C)  outside  of  the  fur- 
nace, where  the  two  are  ignited  by  a  fire  (D)  which  is 
kept  burning  just  under  their  point  of  union.  The 
Bunsen  flame  (E)  thus  produced  is  thrown  quite  across 
the  incinerating  chamber ;  thence  it  is  carried  back 
beneath  the  retort  by  the  flue  (F)  into  the  basement  to 
a  chimney,  which  is  about  40  feet  high,  and  so  to  the  open 
air.  A  certain  amount  of  gas  is  also  burned  in  the  flue 
(F)  beneath  the  incinerating  retort  and  also  at  the  bot- 
tom of  the  chimney.  It  will  be  seen  from  this  descrip- 
tion the  Bunsen  burners  play  directly  upon  the  subject, 
and  by  their  heat  liberate  the  gases  of  the  body,  which 
gases,  being  burned  in  the  retort,  are  carried  into  the 
flue  beneath ;  here  another  Bunsen  flame  (H)  ignites 
such  combustible  material  as  has  not  been  consumed  in 
the  retort,  and  at  the  foot  of  the  chimney  the  third 
Bunsen  burner,  which  is  not  represented  in  the  illus- 
tration, finishes  the  combustion.  To  heat  the  apparatus 
requires  an  hour  and  a  quarter,  and  when  the  tempera- 
ture is  2500°  to  3000°  F.,  the  body  is  placed  in  the 
furnace,    and   in    about    an    hour    is    cremated.      The 


152  CREMATION   OF   THE  DEAD. 

amount  of  fuel  used  is  little  more  than  half  a  cord  of 
wood,  or  its  equivalent. 

The  furnace  which  will  be  used  at  the  Cincinnati  cre- 
matorium is  on  a  novel  system  devised  by  Mr.  M.  R. 
Conway.  After  the  fire  is  lighted,  steam  is  generated 
by  means  of  pipes  situated  in  the  flues ;  this  steam 
passes  up  through  the  center  wall  of  the  furnace  and  is 
distributed  over  the  incandescent  coke.  In  its  passage 
it  gathers  air  enough  to  supply  the  required  oxygen. 
It  also  brings  with  it  the  gases  generated  from  the  body 
being  incinerated,  and  all  these  gases  are  regenerated 
into  an  intense  heat  in  the  combustion  chamber;  mak- 
ing a  perfectly  odorless  furnace. 

I  quote  from  a  pamphlet  written  by  an  "  eye-witness  " 
of  cremation,  who  had  before  looked  upon  it  with  repug- 
nance, but  who  on  witnessing  it  became  a  most  earnest 
advocate  :  — 

"  A  furnace  fire  is  built  and  kept  burning  for  20 
or  30  hours  before  the  cremation  is  to  take  place. 
Immediately  above  the  fire  is  placed  in  a  horizontal 
position  a  cylinder  of  clay  called  the  incinerator,  three 
feet  in  diameter  by  seven  feet  long.  This  fire-clay 
incinerator,  the  walls  of  which  are  from  one  to  two 
inches  thick,  receives  to  itself  the  intense  heat  of  the 
fire  below,  but  does  not  admit  the  flames.  The  conse- 
quence is  that  the  body,  when  placed  in  the  incinerator, 
is  not,  in  a  proper  sense  of  the  word,  burned.  It  is 
reduced  to  ashes  by  the  chemical  application  of  intense 
heat.  Gases  are  driven  off  or  absorbed,  and  being  car- 
ried down  into  the  fire  from  the  incinerator  and  led 
back  and  forth  25  feet  through  its  flames,  are  utterly 
consumed.  Even  the  smoke  of  the  fire  is  consumed, 
and  nothing  can  be  seen  issuing  from  the  chimney  but 


THE   PROCESSES   OF   MODERN   CREMATION.         153 

the  quiver  of  the  heat.  The  process  might  be  called,  as 
we  have  said,  the  spiritualization  of  the  body,  the  ethe- 
realization  or  sublimation  of  its  material  parts. 

"  When  the  incinerator  has  been  raised  to  a  white 
heat,  it  is  ready  for  the  reception  of  the  remains.  As  the 
cover  is  removed  from  its  mouth,  the  in-rushing  air 
cools  it  from  a  white  to  a  red  heat,  and  the  whole 
inner  surface  is  filled  with  a  beautiful  rosy  light  which 
is  fascinating  to  the  eye.  It  looks  like  the  blush  of 
dawn  upon  the  sky,  or  like  the  exquisite  tints  which 
sometimes  flicker  along  the  aurora  borealis.  There  is 
nothing  repulsive  about  it,  and  nothing,  as  has  been 
said,  to  suggest  the  idea  of  fire  except  the  intense 
heat. 

"  The  body,  being  decently  clad  for  burial  and  tenderly 
laid  in  the  crib  provided  for  the  purpose,  is  wholly 
covered  with  a  clean,  white  sheet  which  has  been  dipped 
in  a  solution  of  alum.  The  effect  of  this  is  to  entirely 
prevent  smoke  or  fumes  or  flame,  which  would  other- 
wise arise  from  putting  anything  inflammable  into  the 
midst  of  such  a  heat;  but,  under  its  protection,  even 
the  extraordinary  heat  of  the  incinerator  does  not  pro- 
duce upon  the  body  the  appearance  of  scorching  or 
smoking  or  anything  of  the  sort.  There  is  no  such 
impression  as  that  of  burning  made  upon  the  eye.  The 
sheet,  saturated  with  alum,  retains  its  original  position 
over  the  crib,  and  conceals  the  entire  form  until  noth- 
ing but  the  bones  are  left ;  and  when  the  eye  first  rests 
upon  the  remains  after  they  are  left  in  the  rosy  light  of 
the  cylinder,  it  sees  nothing  but  these  bones  gently 
crumbling  away  into  dust  under  the  mystic  touch  of  an 
invisible  agent,  whose  only  appearance  to  the  eye  is 
like  the  tremor  of  the  northern  lights  in  the  sky ;  or, 


154  CREMATION   OF   THE  DEAD. 

more  exactly,  the  radiation  of  heat  from  the  earth  be- 
neath the  summer's  sun. 

"  You  have  laid  a  white-robed  form  within  the  rosy 
cylinder,  and  have  turned  away  to  think  with  gratitude 
that  all  is  well.  You  have  let  your  imagination  dwell 
lovingly  upon  the  pleasing  sentiment  that  whatever 
may  be  left  —  beside  the  calcined  bones,  most  pure  and 
clean  —  has  gone  to  mingle  with  the  upper  air  and  dwell 
with  sunshine,  birds,  and  flowers.  The  darkness  and 
the  dampness  of  the  earth  have  been  escaped,  and  so 
have  the  perils  of  grave-snatching,  the  indecencies  of  a 
possible  dissecting-room,  and  the  nameless  horrors  of 
putrefaction.  You  have  pleasant  memories  to  cherish 
of  the  'last  sad  hour,'  which,  instead  of  'breathless 
darkness '  and  the  '  narrow  house '  and  the  dreadful 
thud  of  falling  earth  upon  the  coffin,  presents  to  mind 
a  lovely  bed  of  rosy  light,  and  a  peaceful  form  clad  in 
virgin  purity  resting  within  its  soft  embrace.  If  a  lily 
had  been  laid  upon  a  bed  of  pinks  or  roses,  in  the  sum- 
mer, and  you  had  seen  its  fragrance  and  its  beauty  all 
exhale  amid  the  shimmering  beams  or  radiated  heat 
beneath  the  touch  of  some  invisible  and  gentle  agency, 
you  would  have  had  a  not  dissimilar  experience.  And 
this  is  neither  painful  to  the  eye,  nor  distressing  to  the 
sensibilities,  nor  ungrateful  to  the  memory." 

The  following  beautiful  description  of  a  cremation  of 
the  future  is  from  the  Modern  Age  for  January,  1884, 
a  journal  which,  alas !  was  discontinued  for  lack  of 
support :  — 

"  It  is  not  a  disagreeable  journey  on  which  we  now 
propose  to  take  our  readers.  It  is  to  witness  the  final 
disposition  of  a  friend's  remains  in  the  ideal  crematory 
of  the  future  —  science  having  already  perfected  the 


THE   PROCESSES   OF   MODERN   CREMATION.         155 

mechanical  appliances  necessary  in  conducting  it  in  the 
way  we  describe.  Our  friend  lias  died,  and  through 
the  usual  announcements  we  learn  that  the  last  rites 
will  be  performed  in  the  columbarium  at  a  given  hour. 
Repairing  thither  at  the  appointed  time,  we  first  pass 
through  a  grove  of  stately  trees,  the  soothing  murmur 
of  whose  rustling  leaves  brings  peace  and  quiet  into 
the  hearts  of  those  who  mourn  and  gather  to  pay  the 
last  tribute.  Within  the  grove  stands  a  massive  build- 
ing of  gray  masonry  whose  architecture  shows  no  striv- 
ing after  ornamental  effect,  and  whose  solid  proportions 
give  a  sense  of  eternal  permanency.  A  few  small 
windows  in  a  simple  frieze  which  crowns  its  walls  do 
not  destroy  this  effect,  and  their  plain  stained  glass 
clashes  in  nowise  with  the  harmony  of  color  between 
the  sky,  the  trees,  and  the  gray  stone  of  the  temple  of 
rest.  About  the  Doric  pillars  of  its  portico  green  vines 
twine  fondly  as  if  they,  too,  would  do  their  share  in  rob- 
bing death  of  all  its  hideousness.  To  this  place  loving 
hands  have  borne  the  body  of  our  friend.  No  coffin 
lends  its  horror  to  the  journey  from  this  earthly  home 
to  here,  where  eternal  sleep  awaits  him.  A  flower- 
strewn  bier  gives  poetic  carriage  for  this  short  and  final 
journey.  Entering  the  broad  portal,  the  soft,  deep  notes 
of  an  organ  charm  the  ear.  The  eye  takes  in  a  most 
imposing  sight.  The  entire  interior  of  the  building  is 
one  impressive  room,  with  walls,  floor,  ceiling,  all  of 
white  and  spotless  marble.  The  view  is  not  a  dazzling 
one,  for  the  light  is  subdued  and  comes  in  varied  color 
through  the  windows  at  the  top.  On  either  side  of  the 
chamber  stand  a  few  memorial  statues, — real  works  of 
art,  —  each  one  of  them  keeping  alive  the  memory  of 
some    one  who  in   his  life   was  either  good  or  great. 


156  CREMATION    OF    THE    DEAD. 

Many  of  the  marble  slabs  in  the  sides  and  floor  of  the 
temple  bear  in  plain,  sunken  -letters,  a  name  and  two 
dates.  Behind  or  beneath  them  are  niches  containing 
urns  where  rest  the  pure  white  ashes  of  the  beloved 
dead.  On  a  simple  dais  in  the  middle  of  the  room  lays 
the  body  of  our  beloved  friend.  The  hour  has  come, 
and  about  it  are  gathered  those  who  knew  and  loved 
him  while  he  lived.  The  scene,  the  surroundings,  the 
subdued  music  of  the  organ,  the  absence  of  everything 
to  jar  upon  the  taste  or  senses,  brings  on  a  mood  of 
solemn  contemplation.  No  thought  of  physical  corrup- 
tion jars  upon  our  memories  of  the  dead.  The  opening 
words  of  the  speaker  are  said,  a  hidden  choir  harmoni- 
ously chants  of  hope  and  life,  and  now  the  end  has 
come.  With  the  words  '  ashes  to  ashes  '  a  white  pall  is 
thrown  over  the  dais,  and  we  have  looked  upon  our 
friend  for  the  last  time.  The  dais  noiselessly  sinks 
from  sight,  a  short  hour  is  spent  in  listening  to  a 
funeral  oration,  or  in  contemplation,  until  the  dais,  still 
covered  with  the  pall,  rises  from  below.  The  pall 
removed,  we  see  upon  the  dais  an  urn  —  provided  be- 
forehand, and  containing  the  ashes  of  our  friend.  This 
is  now  sealed  into  one  of  the  niches,  and  the  ceremony 
is  over.  This  is  not  pure  imagination.  Modern  inven- 
tion has  now  robbed  incineration  of  all  its  objectionable 
features.  Never  till  of  late  years  could  the  world  well 
and  simply  solve  the  problem  of  what  to  do  with  its 
dead.  The  whole  process  is  carried  on  as  we  have 
pictured,  and  without  a  single  revolting  feature  in  any 
part  of  it." 


CHAPTER   V. 

THE    MEDICO-LEGAL    ASPECT    OF   INCINERATION.  —  THE 
OBJECTIONS    TO    CREMATION. 

r  I  ^HE  battle  between  torch  and  spade  is  not  new ;  it 
-*-  has  been  going  on  since  early  times.  Tertullian, 
a  writer  of  the  second  century,  declares  that  many  of 
the  Gentiles  were  opposed  to  cremation  on  the  score  of 
the  cruelty  which  it  did  to  the  body,  which  did  not 
deserve  such  penal  treatment.  This  is  exactly  what 
some  are  asserting  now.  The  work  of  an  ancient  Greek 
poet  even  contains  a  passage  requesting  Prometheus  to 
take  back  the  fire  which  he  had  procured  them.  There 
was  a  time  when  the  Pagans  were  disputing  the  pro- 
priety of  burning  the  dead  upon  any  consideration 
whatever.  Heraclitus  advocated  cremation;  Thales 
and  Hippon,  earth  burial.  In  the  war  which  a  few 
Christians  are  now  waging  against  incineration,  we 
therefore  only  have  another  illustration  of  how  history 
repeats  itself.  Peoples  are  still  contesting  the  point  in 
lands  which  are  painted  in  Pagan  black  upon  the  maps 
of  the  missionaries,  and  where  Christians  as  yet  have 
no  footing.  Some  sects  in  Japan  bury  and  some  burn 
their  dead ;  some  of  the  Hindoos  practice  interment, 
others  incineration. 

The  injudicious  promoters  of  cremation  are  among 
the  greatest  enemies  of  the  reform.  The  utterance  that 
incineration  should  be  obligatory  was  extremely  unfor- 


158 


CREMATION    OF   THE   DEAD. 


tun  ate,  as  was  the  idea  of  producing  illuminating  gas 
for  general  use  from  the  combustion  of  corpses,  some- 


thing after  the  fashion  of  the  twelfth  century's  lanternes 
des  marts.     The  fancy  of  Sir  Henry  Thompson  to  use 


MEDICO-LEGAL    ASPECT    OF   INCINERATION.        159 

the  ashes  resulting  from  cremation  as  a  fertilizer  was 
also  a  mischievous  idea,  and  did  much  to  delay  the 
progress  of  incineration  in  Great  Britain. 

The  abhorrence  entertained  by  many  of  cremation 
depends,  to  a  very  great  extent,  on  the  universal 
tendency  of  individuals  and  peoples  to  resent  any  inter- 
ference with  established  customs;  to  reject  any  innova- 
tion, simply  because  it  is  an  innovation.  For  instance, 
if  cremation  should  be  the  customary  practice  at  the 
present  time,  a  proposition  to  re-establish  inhumation 
would  meet,  I  am  certain,  with  the  most  violent  oppo- 
sition. 

The  cremationists  are  now  charged  with  enthusiasm 
and  fanaticism  by  individuals  who  would  be  content 
that  science  should  "  stand  at  gaze  like  Joshua's  moon 
in  Ajalon."  Most  of  the  progress  in  all  departments  of 
learning  has  been  made  by  enthusiasts,  and  a  man  must 
be  an  enthusiast  indeed  to  withstand  the  prejudice 
"  dry  as  dust "  which  yields  the  ground  slowly  and 
grudgingly,  but  which  is  certain  to  be  defeated  in  the 
end. 

The  first  question  that  comes  before  us  for  consider- 
ation is,  Would  not  cremation  destroy  the  evidence  of 
crime  ?  This  refers  not  only  to  cases  of  poisoning, 
but  also  to  those  instances  where  persons  meet  with  a 
violent  death  by  being  shot,  stabbed,  or  otherwise 
severely  injured.  This  is  the  only  tangible  objection 
that  has  ever  been  made  by  the  anti-cremationists.  It 
is  of  great  importance,  and  unless  we  are  able  to  show 
that  it  can  be  obviated,  we  must  admit  that  it  consti- 
tutes a  serious  drawback  to  cremation.  This,  as  Dr.  J. 
O.  Marble  appropriately  remarks,  is,  in  fact,  the  one 
and  only  real  lion   in  the   way  of  the  progress  of  in- 


160  CREMATION    OF   THE   DEAD. 

cineration  as  a  substitute  for  inhumation,  and  unless 
we  can  muzzle  this  lion,  he  may  frighten  away  the 
pilgrims. 

If  the  charges  made  by  the  anti-cremation  party 
were  true,  incineration,  if  established,  would  offer  facil- 
ities for  the  commission  and  concealment  of  hideous 
crimes.  A  victim  could  be  destroyed  by  poison,  the 
dead  body  carried  to  a  furnace  and  reduced  to  a  small 
heap  of  ashes  in  a  short  space  of  time,  and  the  crime 
thus  forever  placed  beyond  the  reach  of  detection.  The 
cremator,  then,  would  become  the  instrument  and  ac- 
complice of  the  murderer.  It  is  urged  that  the  agents 
employed  in  the  commonest  form  of  secret  murder  — 
poisoning  — ■  are  often  of  a  novel,  subtle,  and  various 
character.  We  are  apprised  that  it  is  extremely  im- 
probable that  the  physician  called  in,  if  he  be  called  in, 
has  ever  seen  their  effects,  either  on  man  or  animals ; 
that  care  will  be  taken  that  he  shall  not  see  them ;  that 
the  poisoner  has  the  advantage  of  preparation  on  his 
side ;  and  finally,  that  discovery,  when  made,  is  gen- 
erally made  at  some  variable  period  after  death,  and 
then  rather  in  consequence  of  an  aggregation  of  sus- 
picious collateral  circumstances  pointing  to  the  com- 
mission of  other  crimes  of  a  like  nature  than  of  any 
possible  observations  at  the  bedside  of  the  murdered 
person.  Indeed,  a  formidable  array  of  arguments, 
which  can  be,  nevertheless,  overcome  in  several  ways. 
The  question  now  before  us  for  solution  is  not  of  recent 
date,  but  has  already  agitated  the  minds  of  the  an- 
cients, who,  most  probably,  investigated  the  cause  of 
death  before  they  consigned  their  dead  to  the  funeral 
pyre.  Tacitus,  the  Roman  historian,  relates  that  the 
corpse  of  Germanicus  lay  in  state  in  the  forum  of  Anti- 


MEDICO-LEGAL   ASPECT    OE   INCINERATION.        161 

och,  a  place  fixed  for  sepulchral  rites,  but  that  "whether 
it  bore  the  marks  of  poisoning  yet  remains  undecided," 
for  the  people  were  divided  in  their  opinions,  some 
pitying  Germanicus  and  suspecting  Piso's  guilt,  others 
prejudiced  in  favor  of  the  latter. 

Pliny  also  relates  in  chapter  71  of  his  Natural  His- 
tory, lib.  xi :  "  It  is  claimed  that  the  heart  of  those  who 
die  of  mo?*hus  cardiacus  (organic  heart  disease)  cannot 
be  destroyed  by  fire,  and  the  same  is  said  to  be  true  of 
the  heart  of  poisoned  persons."  An  oration  of  Vitellus 
is  extant  in  which  he  accuses  Piso,  the  physician,  of 
having  poisoned  Germanicus,  since  the  heart  of  the  lat- 
ter would  not  burn.  Piso  defended  himself  by  describ- 
ing the  disease  of  which  the  emperor  had  died. 

Dr.  J.  O.  Marble,  who  has  written  of  this  subject, 
affirms:  "It  must  be  admitted  that  cases  of  criminal 
poisoning,  such  as  would  be  detected  by  an  exhumation 
and  examination  of  a  buried  body,  are  very  rare,  for  in 
our  day  Lucrezia  Borgias  and  Brinvilliers  are  few  and 
easily  detected.  In  a  community  like  ours  cases  of  this 
kind  are  extremely  rare.  In  a  vast  majority  of  cases 
the  cause  of  death  is  perfectly  evident  to  any  intelligent 
physician.  No  doubt  obscures  the  case.  The  list  of 
causes  of  death,  perfectly  evident  even  to  the  friends 
and  non-medical  persons,  embraces  probably  at  least 
nine-tenths  of  the  whole  mortality.  Doubtful  cases 
have  generally  been  visited  by  more  than  one  skilful 
physician.  The  fraction  in  which  crime  of  any  sort 
might  have  been  perpetrated  becomes  thus  very  small. 
Moreover,  in  the  present  state  of  chemical  analysis 
and  expert  medical  testimony,  the  advantages  of  the 
posthumous  examination   of   a   body   with   a   view   to 


162  CREMATION   OF   THE   DEAD. 

the  detection  of  crime  accrue  less  to  justice  than  to  the 
lawyer  for  the  defense." 

The  medico-legal  objection,  as  it  is  called,  does  not 
apply  in  every  case,  since  every  day  individuals  die  of 
easily  determined  causes,  such  as  small-pox,  consump- 
tion, hemorrhage  from  the  lungs  or  stomach,  drowning, 
or  other  accidents,  and  suicide ;  in  short,  in  such  a  way 
as  to  place  the  cause  of  death  beyond  cavil  and  dispute. 

It  is  true  that  a  regular  proportion  of  bodies  are  dug 
up  every  year  on  suspicion  of  foul  play ;  but,  aside  from 
the  fact  that  that  proportion  is  very  small,  how  many  of 
these  cases  justify  the  exhumation?  So  uncertain  and 
inaccurate  is  the  post-mortem  evidence  of  criminal  poi- 
soning, that  no  bodies  have  been  exhumed  for  forensic 
purposes  in  Vienna,  Austria's  capital,  since  1805. 

Tarchini-Bonfanti,  for  26  years  perito-medico  (med- 
ical expert)  at  the  tribunal  of  Milan,  Italy,  declares 
that  during  this  time,  although  many  thousands  of 
litigations  came  before  the  court  which  was  requested 
to  pronounce  judgment  upon  them,  only  in  ten  cases 
was  it  necessary  to  resort  to  exhumation.  Only  ten 
cases  in  26  years,  out  of  several  thousands  of  law- 
suits, and  four  only  out  of  the  ten  exhumations  led 
to  the  detection  of  the  crime  and  the  criminal.  These 
four  cases,  however,  occurred  in  a  single  lawsuit  —  that 
of  Boggia.  In  this  instance  the  disinterment  would 
have  taken  place,  even  if  cremation  had  been  at  the 
time  an  established  and  universal  custom,  for  Boggia 
had  buried  his  victims  in  his  own  cellar.  Tarchini-Bon- 
fanti asserts  that  exhumations  for  forensic  purposes  are 
extremely  rare,  and  that  those  which  are  made  yield 
either  negative,  or  at  best  doubtful  results. 

Disinterment,  instead  of  furnishing  an  explanation, 


MEDICO-LEGAL   ASPECT    OF   INCINERATION.        163 

instead  of  shedding  light  upon  some  mystery,  more 
often  is  followed  by  confusion,  and  may  give  rise  to 
erroneous  conclusions.  It  would  be  next  to  impossible 
to  cremate  a  murdered  person  in  a  furnace  of  the  ordi- 
nary kind.  As  to  the  poor  and  ignorant  murderer,  the 
regulation  of  cremation  would  make  him  shrink  from 
submitting  his  victim  to  the  authorities  of  a  cremato- 
rium, and  he  would  find  it  far  more  convenient  and  safe 
to  inter  the  corpse  secretly,  as  these  criminals  generally 
do  at  the  present  time. 

There  are  many  poisons  which,  by  a  rapid  change  of 
their  substance,  are  extremely  difficult  to  detect  in  the 
human  body  after  death,  even  after  a  short  time,  some- 
times but  a  few  days ;  for  instance,  cyanide  of  potassium, 
prussic  acid,  and  at  certain  times  phosphorus.  But 
when  a  careful  inquest,  such  as  the  cremationists  pro- 
pose, is  held,  poisoning  by  these  agents  cannot  so  easily 
escape  detection.  In  poisoning  by  phosphorus,  the  yel- 
low hue  of  the  face  of  the  victim  would  excite  suspicion 
and  lead  to  a  post-mortem  examination,  when  the  char- 
acteristic sign  of  phosphorus  poisoning  in  the  fatty  de- 
generation of  the  liver  would  be  discovered.  An  au- 
topsy would  speedily  make  evident  poisoning  by  pure 
prussic  acid,  for  the  open  cavities  of  the  body  would 
exhale  the  odor  of  bitter  almonds.  Poisoning  by  cyan- 
ide of  potassium  can,  of  course,  only  be  detected  by  a 
chemical  analysis  of  the  contents  of  the  stomach,  intes- 
tines, etc. 

I  think  I  may  safely  affirm  that  it  is  impossible  for  the 
best  of  anatomists  to  determine  the  lesions,  if  there  be 
any,  of  a  decomposed  body. 

All  vegetable  poisons,  except  the  alkaloid  of  strych- 
nia, decompose  with  the  body;  it  is  extremely  rare  that 


164  CBEMATION   OF   THE   DEAD. 

any  alkaloid  can  be  discovered  in  the  body  posthu- 
mously. Mineral  poisons,  such  as  antimony,  lead,  cop- 
per, combinations  of  baryta,  and  many  others,  are  inde- 
structible, and  can  be  detected  in  the  ashes.  It  may 
even  happen  that,  by  some  extra  care,  the  process  of 
incineration  may  be  the  most  efficient  means  of  detect- 
ing poisoning  by  arsenic  and  mercury.  Of  course  we 
should  not  forget  that,  without  some  precaution,  the 
salts  of  arsenic  and  mercury  would  be  volatilized ;  but 
while  they  are  volatilized,  they  must  also,  at  a  reduced 
temperature,  be  again  deposited,  and  it  remains  for  the 
chemist  to  determine  the  most  efficient  contrivance  for 
recognizing  its  deposition. 

Direct  experiments  instituted  by  M.  Cadet  and  veri- 
fied by  MM.  Doursant  and  Wurst,  even  prove  that  the 
salts  of  arsenic  can  be  detected  in  the  ashes  after  incin- 
eration. 

As  matters  stand  to-day,  it  is  puerile  to  think  that  we 
can  prevent  the  rich  and  skilful  poisoner  from  commit- 
ting crime  as  long  as  we  permit  him  to  employ  under- 
takers, who,  without  restraint  of  law,  inject  arseniate  of 
soda  and  corrosive  sublimate  into  the  body  of  his  vic- 
tim, and  thus  remove  all  traces  of  the  crime. 

Dr.  Cameron,  in  a  speech  before  the  House  of  Com- 
mons of  England  in  1884,  declared  :  — 

"  Numerous  modern  researches  have  shown  that  putre- 
factive fermentation  in  decaying  animal  matter  gives 
rise  to  the  formation  of  sepsine  and  other  alkaloids,  some 
of  them  intensely  poisonous.  Little  or  nothing  is 
known  in  this  country  concerning  the  products  of  putre- 
faction. Ptomaines  is  the  general  name  which  has  been 
given  to  them  abroad,  and  I  don't  know  that  I  ever  saw 
it  printed  in  the  English  language.     Little  is  known  of 


MEDICO-LEGAL   ASPECT   OF    INCINERATION.        165 

these  ptomaines  even  by  those  who  have  studied  them 
most  closely,  but  enough  has  been  discovered  to  show 
that  we  must  be  very  careful  as  to  how  far  we  rely  upon 
what  are  called  physiological  tests  for  poisons  in  the  case 
of  bodies  which  have  been  exhumed ;  and  that  the  fact 
that  frogs,  rabbits,  or  dogs  are  killed  by  the  action  of 
matters  extracted  from  the  viscera  of  a  putrefying  body 
can  no  longer  by  itself  be  held  as  proving  that  those 
viscera  contained  any  poison  before  putrefaction  com- 
menced." 

Is  it  surprising,  when  the  above  is  taken  into  consid- 
eration, that  the  testimony  of  chemists  at  trials  for  poi- 
soning should  vary  so  much  and  be  so  contradictory  in 
nature  ? 

Sir  Henry  Thompson,  in  his  admirable  exposition  of 
cremation,  which  was  translated  into  almost  every  civ- 
ilized language  of  the  world,  thus  disposes  of  the  med- 
ico-legal objection :  — 

"It  has  been  said,  and  most  naturally,  what  guarantee 
is  there  against  poisoning  if  the  remains  are  burned,  and 
it  is  no  longer  possible,  as  after  burial,  to  reproduce  the 
body  for  the  purpose  of  examination  ?  It  is  to  my  mind 
a  sufficient  reply  that,  regarding  only  'the  greatest  good 
to  the  greatest  number,'  the  amount  of  evil  in  the  shape 
of  disease  and  death  which  results  from  the  present  sys- 
tem of  burial  in  earth  is  infinitely  larger  than  the  evil 
caused  by  secret  poisoning  is  or  could  be,  even  if  the 
practice  of  the  crime  were  very  considerably  to  increase. 
Further,  the  appointment  of  officers  to  examine  and  cer- 
tify in  all  cases  of  death  would  be  an  additional  and  very 
efficient  safeguard.  But  —  and  here  I  touch  on  a  very 
important  subject  —  is  there  reason  to  believe  that  our 
present  precautions  in  the  matter  of  death  certificate 


166  CKEMATION   OF   THE   DEAD. 

against  the  danger  of  poisoning  are  what  they  ought  to 
be?  I  think  that  it  must  be  confessed  that  they  are 
defective,  for  not  only  is  our  system  inadequate  to  the 
end  proposed,  but  it  is  less  efficient  by  comparison  than 
that  adopted  by  foreign  governments.  Our  existing 
arrangements  for  ascertaining  and  registering  the  cause 
of  death  are  very  lax,  and  give  rise,  as  we  shall  see,  to 
serious  errors.  In  order  to  attain  an  approach  to  certi- 
tude in  this  important  matter,  I  contend  that  it  would 
be  most  desirable  to  nominate  in  every  district  a  prop- 
erly qualified  inspector  to  certify  in  all  cases  to  the  fact 
that  death  has  taken  place,  to  satisfy  himself  as  far  as 
possible  that  no  foul  play  has  existed,  and  to  give  the 
certificate  accordingly.  This  would  relieve  the  medical 
attendant  of  the  deceased  from  any  disagreeable  duty 
relative  to  inquiry  concerning  suspicious  circumstances, 
if  any  have  been  observed.  Such  officers  exist  through- 
out the  large  cities  of  France  and  Germany,  and  the 
system  is  more  or  less  pursued  throughout  the  prov- 
inces. In  Paris  no  burial  can  take  place  without  the 
written  permission  of  the  '•medecin  verijicateur ';  and 
whether  we  adopt  cremation  or  not,  such  an  officer 
might  with  advantage  be  appointed  here." 

Sir  Henry  suggests  that  in  suspected  cases  the  "dead 
officer"  should  retain  in  sealed  vessels  the  stomach  and 
other  portions  of  the  viscera  for  future  examination. 
But  I  think  it  next  to  impossible  that  such  an  officer 
could  execute  duties  so  burdensome  and  so  averse  to 
the  genius  of  the  people. 

Let  us  for  a  moment  turn  to  our  dear  American  com- 
monwealths. Do  our  burial  laws  aid  in  the  detection  of 
crime  ?  In  the  majority  of  states  a  death  certificate, 
signed  by  a  physician,  must  be  filed  with   the   health 


MEDICO-LEGAL   ASPECT    OF    INCINERATION.        167 

officer,  who  issues  a  burial  permit.  This  is  all  which  is 
required.  Generally  it  makes  no  difference  whether 
the  physician  or  surgeon  who  affixes  his  name  to  the 
document  is  reputable  or  not.  The  burial  permit  is 
looked  upon  as  a  mere  formality,  an  unnecessary  insti- 
tution, that  owes  its  origin  to  some  whimsical  law- 
maker. How  often  do  even  the  most  zealous  of  health 
officers  investigate  the  causes  of  the  deaths  that  are 
reported  to  them  ?  The  doctor's  certificate  is  put  upon 
record ;  that  is  satisfactory,  and  no  more  is  asked  for. 
The  rest  is  silence  —  like  that  which  reigns  under  the 
turf,  where  the  undetected  victims  of  the  poisoner  lie. 

Now,  if  our  faulty  burial  laws,  if  the  indifference  of 
our  officers  of  health,  are  not  a  direct  incentive  to  the 
foulest  and  most  insidious  forms  of  crime,  I  do  not 
know  what  is.  Were  I  a  secret  assassin,  I  certainly 
would  wish  for  no  more  encouragement.  As  matters 
now  stand,  any  evil-doer,  with  the  help  of  some  unscru- 
pulous medical  man,  may  commit  murder  daily  without 
fear  of  detection. 

I  propose  to  show  that  if  incineration  were  estab- 
lished, the  careful  scrutiny  of  corpses  and  official  exam- 
inations in  suspected  cases,  which  would  precede  the 
reduction  of  the  body  to  ashes,  would  rather  assist  in 
the  detection  of  murder  than  hinder  it. 

Mr.  W.  Eassie,  in  a  lecture  delivered  at  the  Interna- 
tional Health  Exhibition  last  year,  expressed  himself 
anent  this  question  as  follows :  "  With  regard  to  doubt- 
ful deaths  it  would  be  necessary  to  make  sure  that  the 
body  exhibited  no  traces  of  poison,  or  that  certain  small 
portions  of  the  body  should  be  removed  therefrom  and 
kept  for  a  few  years.  For  instance,  a  small  portion  of 
the  stomach  and  intestines  and  their  contents  in  case  of 


168  CREMATION    OF    THE    DEAD. 

vegetable  poisoning,  and  a  small  portion  of  the  liver, 
should  mineral  poisoning  be  suspected.  There  is  no 
difficulty  in  dealing  with  this  matter  in  other  countries 
where  cremation  has  become  permissive ;  and  it  is  upon 
record  that  the  examination  of  the  body  of  a  child  in 
Italy,  which  had  been  made  in  the  ordinary  way  de- 
manded by  the  authorities  previous  to  the  cremation, 
proved  that  the  child  had  been  poisoned  apparently  by 
sweetmeats,  and  this  would  not  have  been  revealed  had 
an  ordinary  burial  in  the  earth  taken  place." 

I  must  here  repeat  what  I  have  already  said  regard- 
ing Sir  H.  Thompson's  intimation  that  part  of  the  bodies 
about  to  be  cremated  might  be  conserved  for  future  ex- 
amination :  The  strong  dislike  of  the  public  would  never 
allow  of  such  a  measure. 

Lord  Bramwell,  the  eminent  English  lawyer,  in  a  let- 
ter to  Sir  Spencer  Wells  concerning  incineration,  states : 
"  I  wish  you  success  in  the  promotion  of  cremation ;  I 
think  it  is  right,  and  what  is  very  rare,  with  no  draw- 
back. It  is  the  cheapest,  the  most  wholesome,  and  to 
my  mind,  the  least  repulsive  way  of  disposing  of  the 
dead  and  those  we  have  loved.  That  it  is  legal  there  is 
not  a  doubt.  The  only  objection,  that  murders  might 
go  undetected,  I  believe  to  be  more  than  unfounded. 
You  have  surrounded  the  thing  with  precautions.  I 
have  heard  it  suggested  that  there  are  many  murders 
which  escape  detection  for  want  of  suspicion  and  conse- 
quent inquiry.  How  that  may  be  I  know  not,  but  it 
will  not  be  the  case  with  those  bodies  cremated  under 
the  regulations  of  the  Cremation  Society  of  England. 
The  English  society  requires  such  undoubted  proofs  of 
natural  death  that  a  criminal  would  not  dare  trust  his 
victim  to  the  flames." 


MEDICO-LEGAL   ASPECT    OF    INCINERATION.         169 

To  cut  a  long  story  short,  let  me  say  that  cremation- 
ists  meet  the  medico-legal  objection  by  a  demand  for  a 
careful  inquest  over  every  dead  body,  and  a  post-mortem 


THE  BUFFALO  CREMATORIUM.      (Interior  View.) 

examination,  including  a  chemical  analysis  of  all  the 
viscera,  in  every  instance  where  death  by  toxic  agents 
is  suspected. 

In  many  cities  of  Europe  the  dead  are  examined  hy 
physicians  appointed  by  the  government.  The  result 
has  been  that,  as  for  instance  in  Dresden,  Leipsic,  and 


170  CREMATION    OF    THE    DEAD. 

Frankfort,  Germany,  no  exhumation  took  place  after 
the  inquest  became  obligatory  and  was  practiced  in 
every  instance  of  decease. 

In  Bavaria,  Saxony,  Nassau,  and  Baden,  there  are 
regular  coroners  whose  duty  it  is  to  inspect  every 
corpse,  while  in  England  the  coroner's  jury  only  con- 
venes in  cases  where  the  cause  of  death  is  not  apparent. 

With  us  the  office  of  coroner  is  not  an  important  one. 
Generally  laymen  are  appointed  to  it,  men  who  have 
done  some  work  at  that  awful  power,  the  political 
machine.  This  is  wrong.  The  office  of  coroner  should 
only  be  vested  in  medical  men,  and  only  in  such  who 
have  shown  that  they  are  qualified  to  fill  such  a  position 
of  consequence.  Every  candidate  for  coroner  should  be 
examined  in  forensic  medicine  and  pathology,  and 
should  give  an  ocular  demonstration  of  his  capability  to 
make  a  thorough  autopsy.  Only  those  who  have  grad- 
uated from  a  medical  school  of  repute,  recognized  by 
law  and  all  the  boards  of  health  of  the  country,  should 
be  eligible. 

The  coroner  should  have  power  to  demand  an  expla- 
nation of  the  cause  of  death  from  the  physician  who 
attended  the  deceased  in  his  last  illness,  and  whenever 
such  explanation  is  unsatisfactory,  or  there  are  other 
reasons  which  lead  him  to  suspect  that  the  defunct  has 
been  foully  dealt  with,  to  order  a  complete  post-mortem 
examination.  He  should,  furthermore,  have  the  right 
to  summon  before  him  any  witnesses  whose  testimony 
might  clear  up  the  case  in  hand. 

The  coroner  should  issue  the  burial  permits,  the 
health  officer  being  notified  only  when  persons  have 
died  of  an  infectious  or  contagious  disease. 

To  make  this  scheme  successful,  it  is  essential  that 


MEDICO-LEGAL   ASPECT    OE    INCINERATION.        171 

the  practitioner  of  medicine  who  assumes  the  coroner- 
ship  should  receive  adequate  payment  for  his  services, 
such  remuneration  in  fact  as  would  enable  him  to  give 
up  his  whole  time  and  talent  to  his  office. 

Beside  the  advantages  which  I  have  already  indicated, 
a  system  such  as  this  would  doubtlessly  enrich  the  mor- 
tality statistics  as  well  as  forensic  medicine  and  patho- 
logical anatomy.  That  it  would  be  an  efficient  safeguard 
against  crime,  I  think  every  unprejudiced  person  will 
admit. 

If  this  were  not  so,  I  could  but  indorse  the  Rev. 
H.  R.  Haweis,  who  declares  honestly :  "  For  so  grand  a 
benefit  to  mankind,  a  few  more  cases  of  poisoning  would 
be  a  small  price  to  pay.  In  the  great  progress  of  social 
and  sanitary  reform  I  cannot  conceive  what  it  signifies 
whether  or  not  an  additional  Smith  or  Jones  gets  pois- 
oned here  and  there." 

Dr.  Purdy  says :  "  Indeed,  we  have  not  in  man's  his- 
tory any  great  benefit  resulting  from  a  system  or  prac- 
tice but  it  is  attended  by  its  consequent  minor  evils ; 
no  great  public  good  but  has  its  attendant  draw- 
backs." 

Tor  these  reasons  the  following  saying  of  the  cele- 
brated Professor  Coletti,  of  the  University  of  Padua, 
Italy,  will  always  be  recognized  as  a  truth  of  unusual 
stability :  "  The  health  of  whole  communities  is  of  far 
greater  importance  than  the  possible  escape  of  a  few 
criminals." 

The  enemies  of  cremation  inquire  :  Would  not  incin- 
eration deprive  the  schools  of  medicine  of  anatomical 
material,  the  phrenologists,  craniologists,  and  last,  but 
not  least,  the  anthropologists,  of  the  basis  of  their  inves- 
tigations ;  namely,  the  human  skeleton  ? 


172  CREMATION   OF   THE   DEAD. 

Objections  of  this  nature  can  only  provoke  a  smile. 
In  a  country  like  ours,  where  many  of  the  cadavers 
which  are  dissected  in  our  medical  schools  are  stolen 
from  the  graveyards,  the  proposed  introduction  of  cre- 
mation must,  no  doubt,  raise  a  storm  among  teachers  of 
anatomy,  who  are  fearful  that  the  supply  of  corpses 
will  be  cut  short  by  the  reform.  It  is  not  to  be  won- 
dered at,  that  the  anatomists  raise  a  cry  of  alarm,  for, 
indeed,  I  know  of  no  other  method  of  disposal  of  the 
dead  that  is  as  damaging  to  their  relations  with  the 
defunct  as  cremation.  Even  a  professor  of  the  Jeffer- 
son Medical  College,  a  man  who  ought  to  have  known 
better,  joined  the  anti-cremationists  for  these  reasons. 
Every  educated  person  knows  that  a  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  anatomy  is  essential  to  the  successful  practice 
of  medicine  and  surgery,  and  that  a  familiarity  with  the 
internal  workings  of  the  human  system  can  be  gained 
in  no  other  way  under  the  sun.  But  although  I  belong 
to  the  medical  fraternity,  I  can  but  wish  that  such  a 
terrible  and  desecrating  practice  as  grave-robbing  be 
put  a  stop  to.  It  is  for  the  government  of  each  state 
to  provide  fully  for  the  dissecting-rooms  of  the  medical 
colleges,  to  deliver  to  them  all  who  die  in  prisons  and 
poor-houses.  Prisoners  should  not  be  given  up,  even 
when  claimed  by  relatives  or  friends ;  the  idea  that  the 
commission  of  crime  may  land  one  on  the  dissecting- 
table  may  deter  many  from  trespassing  the  laws  of  their 
country. 

What  difference  it  makes  whether  future  generations 
know,  or  do  not  know,  how  our  skulls  compared  with 
that  of  a  gorilla,  I  cannot  conceive.  Let  the  craniol- 
ogists  and  allied   scientists   make   their   investigations 


THE   OBJECTIONS   TO    CREMATION.  173 

now  and  record  them  in  books.  Printed  matter  of 
value  is  immortal. 

How  the  archaeologists  and  anthropologists,  ignoring 
the  printing  press,  can  imagine  (for  such  fears  only 
dwell  in  their  imagination  and  have  no  real  foundation) 
that  without  the  records  of  the  tombs  the  present  age, 
its  acts  and  deeds,  might  pass  away  from  the  ken  of 
posterity  as  completely  as  the  ancient  civilizations  of 
Central  America  and  Malacca,  I  am  unable  to  explain. 
But  even  if  dire  oblivion  should  be  the  ultimate  doom 
of  the  nineteenth  century,  the  opinion  of  the  world 
two  thousand  years  hence  is  of  little  consequence  when 
compared  with  the  health  of  those  now  inhabiting  it. 
In  the  words  of  the  learned  rector  of  the  University  of 
Padua,  Professor  Coletti :  "  Man  should  disappear  and 
not  rot ;  he  should  no  more  be  transformed  into  a  mass 
of  corruption  —  the  source  of  filthy  and  injurious 
exhalations  —  than  into  a  grotesque  mummy,  a  shape- 
less mixture  of  pitch,  resin,  and  perfumes;  man  should 
become  a  handful  of  ashes  and  nothing  more." 

"Would  not  cremation  rob  nature  of  its  supply  of 
ammonia  ?  " 

This,  one  of  the  most  discreetly  urged  weapons 
against  cremation,  was  that  promulgated  by  Professor 
Mohr,  who  asserted  that  if  incineration  were  practiced 
to  its  full  extent,  an  interruption  to  the  order  of  nature 
would  ensue,  since  the  supply  of  ammonia  would  be 
arrested  or  greatly  curtailed. 

Dr.  Mohr's  objections  to  the  cremation  of  the  dead 
principally  rest  upon  the  following  bases :  — 

1.  That  ammonia  is  the  most  important  form  in 
which  nitrogen  is  taken  up  by  the  plants. 


174  CREMATION   OF   THE   DEAD. 

2.  That  free  nitrogen  does  not,  or  at  any  rate  in 
sufficient  abundance,  return  to  the  organized  world. 

3.  That  in  cremation  the  ammonia  is  entirely 
destroyed,  and  the  nitrogen  entirely  liberated. 

4.  That  the  nitrogen  of  buried  corpses  is  entirely 
converted  into  ammonia. 

Mohr  soon  had  many  followers  who  imagined  that  if 
the  bulk  of  all  animal  remains  should  be  burnt  to  ashes, 
the  mischief  produced  by  the  loss  of  ammonia  would 
be  incalculable.  They  claimed  that  it  is  as  necessary  to 
vegetable  life  as  is  the  air  we  breathe  to  us ;  that  there 
is  no  counterbalance  in  nature  whereby  this  ingredient 
can  be  supplied  from  other  sources;  and  that  by  cutting 
off  a  large  proportion  of  the  supply  of  ammonia  the 
loss  would  be  quickly  felt  throughout  all  the  animal 
kingdom,  and  would  soon  be  followed  by  an  appreciable 
diminution  of  animal  life  on  the  globe. 

Dr.  Mohr's  objections  were  met  by  the  eminent  Pro- 
fessor Franchimont,  of  the  University  of  Ley  den,  Hol- 
land, who  proved  that  the  views  held  by  his  confrere 
were  both  erroneous  and  absurd,  and  concluded  his 
expose  as  follows :  — 

1.  That  it  is  not  proved  that  ammonia  is  the  chief 
nitrogenous  constituent  of  plants. 

2.  That  it  is  proved  that  free  nitrogen  returns  by 
many  and  various  routes  to  the  organic  world. 

3.  That  it  is  not  certain  that  by  interment  all  the 
nitrogen  becomes  ammonia,  and  that  probably  a  portion 
of  this  ammonia  is  temporarily  taken  out  of  circulation ; 
and,  finally, 

4.  That  it  is  not  proved  that  the  nitrogen  is  com- 
pletely set  free  during  cremation.  And  even  if  this 
were  so,  its  quantity,  in  comparison  with  that  of  the 


THE    OBJECTIONS   TO   CREMATION.  175 

ammonia  now  yearly  produced  by  the  dry  distillation 
and  combustion  of  coal,  is  so  small  that  the  loss  of  it 
cannot  be  advanced  as  any  really  serious  objection  to 
the  practice  of  cremation. 

I  must  here  add  that  the  explanations  given  by 
Professor  Franchimont  are  held  to  be  perfectly  satis- 
factory by  seventeen  professors  and  teachers  of  botany 
and  chemistry  in  the  Dutch  universities,  whose  names 
are  well  known  in  the  scientific  world. 

Students  of  agricultural  chemistry,  and  others  inter- 
ested in  the  subject,  should  not  fail  to  read  Mr.  Eassie's 
excellent  article  on  the  asserted  loss  of  ammonia  caused 
by  the  cremation  of  bodies,  in  the  London  Sanitary 
Record  of  Jan.  18,  1878. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  all  animals — from  the 
smallest  insect  to  the  largest  beast  —  excrete  a  great 
amount  of  ammonia  during  lifetime,  which  passes  off 
with  the  fecal  matter,  urine,  and  transpiration. 

Besides,  it  cannot  ,be  denied  that  ammonia  is  formed 
spontaneously,  during  the  great  electrical  processes 
which  take  place  in  nature,  from  the  nitrogen  and  water 
of  the  atmosphere.  The  smoke  that  emanates  from  the 
chimneys  of  factories  all  over  the  world  supplies  more 
ammonia  to  the  vegetable  kingdom  than  the  decompos- 
ing animal  bodies  ever  could.  And,  finally,  it  must  be 
kept  in  mind  that  we  can  generate  ammonia  artificially; 
therefore,  should  a  dearth  of  ammonia  ever  occur,  which 
is  not  very  likely,  this  expedient  would  still  be  left  to 
us. 

There  is  no  recorded  evidence  to  show  that  any  dam- 
age was  done  to  the  Egyptian  vegetable  world  by  the 
mummification  which  was  carried  on  for  thousands  of 
years  in  the  land  of  the  Pharaohs.     On  the  contrary, 


176  CREMATION    OF    THE   DEAD. 

the  country  was  in  a  more  nourishing  condition  then 
than  now. 

The  sentimental  objection  to  cremation  I  have  already 
treated  of  in  a  previous  work;  but  since  I  have  some- 
thing to  add  to  what  I  then  remarked,  I  will  revert  to 
the  topic. 

The  subject  at  first  glance  is  revolting.  To  some 
persons  there  may  be  something  in  the  idea  of  reducing 
one's  friends  to  ashes  that  is  repulsive.  Yet,  when  one 
makes  a  careful  study  of  the  question,  that  prejudice  or 
repulsiveness  wears  away  entirely,  and  makes  way  to  a 
feeling  that  cremation  is  correct  both  in  theory  and 
practice.  One  should  not  listen  to  the  emotions  in  a 
matter  like  this,  but  study  incineration  to  be  able  to 
judge  of  it;  objections  founded  on  sentiment  only  are 
sure  to  be  wrong. 

If  the  general  public  knew,  as  a  physician  does,  the 
many  changes  a  body  undergoes  in  the  process  of  decom- 
position,—  putrefaction  and  most  disgusting  changes, — 
I  think  a  great  deal  of  their  objection  to  cremation 
would  be  removed.  I  fancy  if  people  in  general  could 
see  the  ordinary  process  of  decomposition,  they  would 
be  in  favor  of  the  quicker  and  more  scientific  method  of 
cremation. 

The  Bishop  of  Lincoln  intimated  that  incineration 
would  keep  all  future  great  ones  out  of  the  silent  com- 
pany of  those  who  have  in  former  times  added  lustre  to 
England's  name.  It  will  do  no  such  thing.  I  cannot 
comprehend  what  obstacles  could  stand  in  the  way  of 
the  entombment  of  an  urn  containing  the  ashes  of  some 
illustrious  personage  who  chose  to  be  cremated  instead 
of  buried,  in  Westminster  Abbey. 

Mr.  William  Eassie  says  :  — 


THE    OBJECTIONS   TO    CREMATION.  177 

"  In  the  play  of  '  Virginius '  the  body  of  Virginia  is 
represented  as  having  been  placed  in  an  urn,  and  when 
the  distraught  father  inquires  for  his  missing  daughter, 
the  vase  is  placed  in  his  hands  by  the  sorrowing  lover. 
When  this  scene  is  presented,  the  thrill  which  seizes  the 
audience  is  succeeded  by  a  sensation  of  admiration  at 
the  eminently  superior  system  of  the  ancients.  I  have 
seen  the  actor  Brooke,  in  this  tragedy,  and  the  effect 
which  he  here  produced  was  inexpressible.  Many  whom 
I  have  consulted  as  to  the  feelings  engendered  at  this 
point  have  invariably  declared  that  they  were  at  the 
time*  complete  converts  to  cremation,  and  that  the  sense 
of  approval  only  left  them  when  they  began  to  realize 
how  impossible  were  funeral  pyres  in  this  country.  Hap- 
pily the  Siemens  apparatus  is  now  at  hand,  and  its  suit- 
ability proved  beyond  cavil." 

An  eye-witness  to  the  process  of  incineration  says: 
"I  have  stood  before  the  crematory  with  a  faltering 
heart.  I  have  trembled  at  the  thought  of  using  fire 
beside  the  form  of  one  whom  I  had  loved.  But  when, 
in  obedience  to  his  own  dying  wish,  I  saw  the  door  of 
the  crematory  taken  down,  its  rosy  light  shine  forth, 
and  his  peaceful  form,  clad  in  white,  laid  there  at  rest 
amid  a  loveliness  that  was  simply  fascinating  to  the 
eye,  and  without  a  glimpse  of  flames,  or  fire,  or  coals,  or 
smoke,  I  said,  and  say  so  still,  this  method,  beyond  all 
methods  I  have  seen,  is  the  most  pleasing  to  the  senses, 
the  most  charming  to  the  imagination,  and  the  most 
grateful  to  the  memory." 

"  Is  cremation  illegal  ?  " 

This  interrogation  I  am  obliged  to  answer  with  a 
most  decided  "  No ! "  In  our  country,  it  is  true,  the 
legal  status  of  the  question  is  somewhat  unsettled,  but 


178 


CREMATION    OF   THE   DEAD. 


I  do  not  believe  that  any  action  taken  in  our  American 
courts  could  prevent  any  persons  from  cremating  a  dead 
body  who  wished  to  do  so,  provided  it  was  not  contrary 


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B.  Preparation  room. 

C.  Chancel. 

I).  Furnace  room. 

E.  Furnace. 

F.  Fire  room. 
Gr.  Cinerary  car. 


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to  the  expressed  wishes  of  the  deceased.  In  England  it 
is  only  illegal  to  burn  a  corpse  in  cases  where  an  in- 
quest ought  to  be  held  or  has  been  ordered.     In  other 


THE    OBJECTIONS    TO    CKEMATION.  179 

cases,  if  the  burning  is  conducted  in  such  a  manner  as 
not  to  cause  a  nuisance  or  offense  against  public  decency, 
there  is  no  rule  of  law  to  prevent  this  mode  of  disposing 
of  a  corpse  being  adopted.  Some  time  ago  a  rajah, 
who  consulted  Mr.  Eassie  as  to  burning  the  body  of  his 
ranee,  had  to  be  told  that  what  he  claimed  as  a  right  in 
India  could  not  be  accorded  him  in  the  capital  of  the 
Empire  except  at  a  risk  of  scandal.  Thanks  to  the 
decision  of  Sir  James  Stephen,  the  honorary  secretary 
of  the  Cremation  Society  of  England  would  not  now  be 
forced  to  make  such  a  humiliating  admission. 

There  are,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  individuals  who  think 
that  those  who  are  cremated  let  themselves  be  burned 
only  because  they  are  anxious  to  create  for  themselves 
a  little  notoriety  after  death.  I  can  but  pity  the  peo- 
ple who  believe  that  Dr.  Gross  and  Garbaldi,  for  in- 
stance, adopted  such  a  means  to  attract  public  attention 
after  decease.  Those  who  now  order  their  bodies  cin- 
erated  after  that  mysterious  power  called  life  is  fled, 
have  the  courage  of  their  opinions,  recognize  the  many 
advantages  of  incineration,  and  allow  their  convictions 
to  triumph  over  local  and  even  family  prejudice ;  they 
are  the  true  martyrs  of  cremation. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

BURIAL  ALIVE.  —  CREMATION  FROM  AN  ^ESTHETIC  AND 
RELIGIOUS    POINT   OF    VIEW. 

/^UR  great  American  poet,  Edgar  Allan  Poe,  says: 
^-^  "  To  be  buried  alive  is  beyond  question  the  most 
terrific  of  all  extremes  which  have  ever  fallen  to  the  lot 
of  mere  mortality." 

Is  any  death  more  horrible  than  this?  To  be  em- 
braced, unprepared,  down  in  the  deep  dark  grave  !  To 
awake  again  with  the  greatest  longing  for  life,  suffering 
the  most  severe  bodily  tortures,  in  the  coffin  !  To  realize 
that  there  is  no  escape  from  inevitable  death!  Who 
can  conceive  the  feeling  of  finding  one's  self  in  the  grave, 
the  blood  rushing  to  the  head,  the  body  trembling  con- 
vulsively in  the  vain  endeavors  of  casting  off  the  op- 
pressing weight,  the  organs  of  respiration  laboring 
without  avail  for  air,  the  muscles  of  the  whole  body 
working  without  result,  and  above  all,  being  mindful 
of  certain  death  near  at  hand  ? 

From  time  to  time  anti-crematists,  advocates  of  earth 
burial,  of  course,  assert  that  cases  of  burial  alive  are 
exceedingly  rare  and  occur  very  seldom.  This  is  very 
erroneous.  Our  newspapers  teem  with  the  reports  of 
such  cases,  and  one  must  be  a  careless  reader  indeed 
not  to  observe  them.  As  I  am  a  daily  peruser  of  some 
specimen  of  the  secular  press,  and  hardly  anything  of 
importance  escapes  my  notice,  I  succeeded  in  making  a 


BUKIAL   ALIVE.  181 

collection  of  cases  of  burial  alive,  from  which  I  will  cite 
some  striking  examples.  A  Wheeling,  W.  Va.,  special 
despatch  to  the  Chicago  Tribune  relates  the  terrible 
fate  of  a  young  married  lady  as  follows :  — 

"  One  of  those  ghastly  stories  of  interment  before  life 
has  become  extinct,  which  cause  an  involuntary  shud- 
der of  horror  to  pass  through  the  reader,  is  current  in 
this  city  to-night.  The  victim,  so  the  story  goes,  is  a 
young  married  lady  of  20  years.  In  May  of  last  year, 
three  months  after  her  marriage,  the  lady  was  taken 
violently  ill,  and  after  lingering  for  ten  days,  apparently 
died.  There  were  certain  peculiarities  about  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  supposed  corpse,  however,  which  caused 
a  suspicion  in  the  mind  of  the  attending  physician  that 
his  patient  might  be  in  a  trance,  but  after  keeping  the 
body  for  four  days  with  no  signs  of  returning  life,  the 
remains  were  consigned  to  the  grave,  temporary  inter- 
ment being  made  in  the  family  lot  in  an  abandoned 
graveyard.  A  day  or  two  ago  the  body  was  disinterred 
prior  to  removal  to  another  cemetery.  To  the  surprise 
of  the  sexton  the  coffin-lid  showed  signs  of  displace- 
ment, and  on  its  being  removed  the  grave-digger  was 
horrified  to  find  the  remains  turned  face  downward,  the 
hand  filled  with  long  tufts  of  hair  torn  from  the  head, 
and  the  face,  neck,  and  bosom  deeply  scratched  and 
scarred,  while  the  lining  of  the  coffin  had  been  torn 
into  fragments  in  the  desperate  efforts  of  the  entombed 
victim  to  escape  from  her  horrible  fate.  Since  the  dis- 
covery the  young  husband  has  been  prostrated,  and  his 
life  is  despaired  of.     The  names  are  withheld." 

The  sequent  curious  case  of  premature  interment 
occurred  at  Leipsic,  a  small  town  in  the  state  of  Ohio. 
A  lady  who  was  pregnant  died  suddenly.     She  was  put 


182  CREMATION    OF    THE    DEAD. 

in  a  coffin  and  placed,  temporarily,  to  await  the  burial- 
day,  in  a  vault.  Some  of  her  relatives,  however,  thought 
that  she  had  been  disposed  of  too  hastily  and  caused 
her  coffin  to  be  opened.  When  the  air  struck  her 
body,  she  revived.  She  was  taken  home  and  recovered 
entirely,  being  soon  after  delivered  of  female  twins. 

A  despatch  from  Woodstock,  Out.,  dated  Jan.  18, 
1886,  to  the  Detroit  Evening  Neivs  states :  — 

"  One  year  ago  a  girl  named  Collins  died,  as  was  sup- 
posed, while  playing  on  the  street.  The  body  was 
moved  last  week  from  where  it  had  been  buried  in  the 
family  plot,  and  the  parents  wishing  to  view  the  remains, 
had  the  coffin  opened,  when  to  their  horror  they  discov- 
ered that  a  dreadful  struggle  must  have  taken  place 
after  burial.  The  shroud  had  been  torn  to  shreds,  the 
knees  were  drawn  up  to  the  chin,  one  arm  was  twisted 
under  the  head,  and  the  features  bore  evidence  of  dread- 
ful torture,  —  all  unmistakable  proofs  that  the  girl  had 
been  buried  alive." 

The  celebrated  English  anatomist,  Winslow,  is  said 
to  have  been  twice  nearly  interred  alive. 

The  Marquis  D'Ourches,  courageous  in  all  other  re- 
spects, had  the  greatest  fear  of  premature  burial.  He 
recorded  all  the  stories  of  burial  alive ;  he  believed  in 
them,  and  even  asserted  that  one  of  his  uncles  had 
awaked  under  ground. 

"I  have  seen  death  in  every  aspect,"  said  a  general 
to  Dr.  Josat,  a  gentleman  rewarded  for  a  book  on  mortu- 
ary houses,  "  and  it  has  never  had  any  terrors  for  me  ; 
but  I  own  that  I  shudder  at  the  notion  of  finding  it  at 
the  bottom  of  a  ditch  in  the  cemetery." 

Incomplete  death,  or  trance,  as  it  is  called,  stands 
midway  between  death  and  life.     During  this  state  the 


THE   RELIGIOUS    VIEW    OF   CREMATION.  183 

senses  cannot  receive  impressions ;  they  are  inactive,, 
paralyzed,  as  it  were.  Yet  the  spark  of  life  is  still 
there  and  can,  under  proper  care,  be  retained  until  the 
natural  condition  is  restored.  Yet  almost  always  trance 
ends  through  ignorance  and  carelessness  in  complete 
death. 

It  is  an  established  fact  that  there  is  no  certain  sign 
of  death,  none  but  the  beginning  of  decomposition.  To 
prevent  premature  burial  the  body  must  be  retained 
until  the  commencement  of  decay  is  visible.  Incinera- 
tion protects  from  the  horrors  of  burial  alive.  Even  if 
a  person  in  a  trance  should  be  introduced  into  a  crema- 
tion furnace,  the  intense  heat  to  which  the  body  would 
be  subjected  would  extinguish  life  immediately  and 
painlessly. 

It  is  alleged  by  some  who  are  more  impressed  by  pre- 
judice than  reason,  that  cremation  is  heathenish,  brutish, 
pagan,  atheistic,  —  in  short,  contrary  to  Christian  prac- 
tice. 

This  I  deny  !  To  be  sure  the  heathen  did  practice 
it,  —  the  ancient  Asiatics  (Oriental  peoples  in  general), 
Romans,  Greeks,  Teutons,  and  Etruscans,  —  but  at  the 
same  time  they  executed  grave-burial ;  and  yet  I  have 
never  heard  anybody  decry  the  latter  as  abominable, 
disgusting,  and  heathenish.  It  must  be  kept  in  mind, 
that  the  first  Christians  were  compelled  by  their  hea- 
then persecutors  to  adopt  burial.  They  were  forced  to 
inter  their  dead  secretly  in  the  catacombs ;  they  could 
not,  even  if  they  had  chosen  to,  burn  their  dead,  as  the 
smoke  from  the  cremation  pyre  would  have  betrayed 
them. 

Why  inhumation  should  have  become  so  universal 
among  the  Christians,  that  it  is  looked  upon  as  a  neces- 


184  CREMATION   OF   THE   DEAD. 

sary  part  of  the  religion,  and  all  other  means  of  disposal 
of  the  dead  as  heathenish,  is  not  entirely  plain.  There 
is  no  condemnation  of  cremation  in  any  of  the  dogmatic 
teachings  of  the  apostles.  The  early  Christians,  whether 
in  Judsea,  Greece,  or  Rome,  were  mainly  of  the  poorer 
classes,  who  had  to  bury  their  dead.  The  mere  fact 
that  the  richer  and  more  educated  classes,  who  were 
the  most  difficult  to  proselytize,  universally  practiced 
cremation  would  probably  cause  that  custom  to  be  asso- 
ciated with  their  other  heathenish  practices. 

The  Romans  regarded  the  early  Christians  as  a 
new  sect  of  the  Jews  and  called  them  "  Nazarenes." 
And,  in  fact,  Christianity  was  born  of  Judaism  ;  for 
Jesus,  the  founder,  himself  says  (Matthew  v.  17)  : 
"  Think  not  that  I  am  come  to  destroy  the  law,  or  the 
prophets  :  I  am  not  come  to  destroy,  but  to  fulfil."  It 
is  easy  to  understand  how,  being  an  offspring  of  Juda- 
ism, Christianity  should  adopt  that  method  of  disposing 
of  the  dead  then  prevalent  among  the  Jews.  At  first, 
as  Dean  Stanley  avers,  the  breach  between  the  heathens 
and  Christians  was  not  an  utter  one.  According  to 
this  great  divine  the  early  Christians  inhumed  in  the 
same  places  as  the  heathens,  and  even  painted  and  en- 
graved upon  the  catacombs  representations  of  the  pagan 
gods.  Later  on  the  breach  widened,  however,  and  the 
Christians,  as  intimated  above,  were  forced  to  bury  their 
dead  in  seclusion. 

It  is  alleged  by  some  eminent  writers  on  theological 
subjects  that  in  the  beginning  Christians  were  even 
cremated. 

Merivale,  the  historian,  holds  that  letters  inscribed 
on  many  of  the  Christian  tombs  in  the  catacombs  imply 
that  the  early  Christians  sometimes  burned  their  dead. 


THE   RELIGIOUS    VIEW   OF    CREMATION. 


185 


Nevertheless,  at  the  end  of  the  fourth  century  Chris- 
tians heard  of  burning  with  horror,  and  finally  becoming 
inimical  to  the  practice,  although  it  was  nowhere  for- 
bidden   in   the   New 
Testa  m  e  n  t ,    made 
haste    to    abolish    it 
in  Europe. 

At  the  time  of 
Pope  and  Dry  den  a 
classical  reaction  set 
in,  and  now  again 
may  be  seen  in  every 
churchyard  the  bro- 
ken shaft,  the  inver- 
ted torches,  and 
innumerable  marble 
urns  which  "  in  pride 
of  place  "  rest  upon 
the  monuments  in 
our   cemeteries. 

The  phrase  "  ashes 
to  ashes,  dust  to 
dust,"  which  occurs  in 
almost  every  funeral 
sermon  preached 
by  modern  clergy- 
men, is  but  an  alle- 
gory which  was  derived  from  the  ancient  custom  of 
cineration.  It  is  impossible  to  imagine  ashes  without 
the  act  of  burning. 

The  inscription  "  peace  to  his  ashes  "  which  so  often 
is  found,  in  black  or  golden  letters,  on  the  tombstones 


THE  BLACK  AND  WHITE  JASPER   URN. 
(Barlow  Collection.) 


186  CREMATION   OF   THE   DEAD. 

of  the  present  time,  preaches  incineration  in  our  burial- 
grounds. 

When  the  Romans  embraced  Christianity,  it  was 
transformed  completely,  and  represented  a  strange  com- 
mixture of  rites  partly  of  pagan  and  partly  of  Hebrew 
origin.  The  dalmatica  of  priests,  utensils  for  cele- 
brating mass,  frankincense,  etc.,  were  derived  from  the 
Jews ;  whereas  many  other  things,  as  for  instance  the 
worship  of  images,  sprung  from  heathenism.  The 
papal  tiara  has  a  remarkable  resemblance  to  the  histori- 
cal conical  cap  of  the  Roman  Pontifex  Maximus ;  and 
to  this  day  the  Latin  appellation  of  the  Pope  is  identical 
with  that  of  his  pagan  predecessor.  The  derivation  of 
the  crosier,  the  pastoral  staff  of  the  bishops,  from  the 
crook  of  the  augurs  is  undeniable. 

The  mummy  graves  and  representations  upon  the 
vessels  of  clay  which  were  deposited  in  the  sepulchres 
with  the  mummies  testify  that  the  cross  (and  indeed 
the  upright  cross)  was  one  of  the  oldest  and  pre-Chris- 
tian ornaments  in  the  hands  of  the  gods  of.  ancient 
Egypt.  It  was  not  before  the  twelfth  century  that  it 
was  erroneously  made  a  specific  Christian  symbol, 
ostensibly  to  demonstrate  that  although  the  cross  was 
most  contemptible,  yet  Christ  himself  had  elevated  it 
into  dignity.  Thus  the  sign  of  the  cross  became  the 
symbol  of  Christianity.  Such  wooden  crosses,  history 
tells  us,  were  also  placed  as  a  memorial  upon  the 
mounds  of  heathen  graves. 

If  we  would  not  want  to  imitate  heathenism  any  more, 
we  would  have  to  quit  eating  with  knives  and  forks, 
stop  wearing  boots  and  pantaloons,  and  do  away  with 
surcoats  and  rings.  With  the  exception  of  steel  pens 
and  matches,  but  little  would  be  left  of  our  daily  neces- 


THE   RELIGIOUS    VIEW    OF   CREMATION.  187 

sities  of  life  that  would  not  be  an  imitation  of  pagan- 
ism. 

The  perpetual  lamp  burning  at  the  ideal  grave  of  the 
Saviour  on  the  altars  of  Catholic  churches  is  an  imita- 
tion of  the  lamps  which  were  lit  on  the  memorial  days 
of  the  deceased  in  the  columbaria  of  ancient  Rome, 
and  by  whose  maintenance  slaves,  according  to  testa- 
mentary directions,  attained  the  position  of  freedmen. 

The  decoration  of  our  burial-grounds  with  flowers  on 
the  memorial  days  of  the  dead  is  copied  from  the  anal- 
ogous usage  of  the  heathenish  Romans. 

The  enemies  of  incineration  say  that  every  Christian 
is  bound  to  practice  interment  because  the  Bible  (I. 
Moses  iii.  19)  prescribes  :  — 

"  In  the  sweat  of  thy  face  shalt  thou  eat  bread,  till 
thou  return  into  the  ground ;  for  out  of  it  wast  thou 
taken;  for  dust  thou  art,  and  unto  dust  thou  shalt 
return." 

The  above  has  no  value  whatever  as  evidence  for  in- 
humation ;  since  at  the  times  when  the  books  of  Moses 
were  written  the  inurned  ashes  were  also  deposited  in 
the  dust,  i.e.,  the  earth.  The  preservation  of  urns  above 
ground  is  a  much  later  custom.  The  above  citation  has 
no  reference  to  the  destruction  of  a  body  by  fire  or  de- 
cay, but  directs  simply  that  the  final  remains  of  man, 
the  dust,  be  placed  in  the  earth.  At  least,  this  Bible 
passage  might  be  urged  against  columbaria,  but  it  has 
no  bearing  whatever  on  cremation. 

If  we  should  have  to  follow  the  Bible  in  all  things, 
we  would  have  to  give  up  most  of  our  modern  inven- 
tions. For  instance,  the  day  of  agricultural  machines 
would  be  over,  and  we  would  have  to  tread  out  corn 
with  oxen  as  of  yore. 


188  CREMATION    OF   THE   DEAD. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  the  early  Christians 
practiced  many  things  which  Christians  now  do  not 
practice ;  and  they  abominated  some  things  which 
Christians  now  universally  practice.  For  instance,  the 
early  Christians  did  not  worship  in  temples  or  churches  : 
they  abominated  temples  as  either  pagan  or  Jewish ; 
the}^  hated  art  and  condemned  statuary  and  painting, 
especially  in  connection  with  religion;  they  destroyed 
many  masterpieces  of  ancient  art  which  were  not  relig- 
ious, besides  some  that  were  ;  and  they  burned  all  books 
save  the  Bible.  But  these  notions  are  no  longer  a  part 
of  Christianity,  and  were  never  part  of  its  true  faith. 

When  the  Romans  and  Greeks  knew  better  than  we 
know,  we  exercise  no  compunction  in  adopting  their  prac- 
tices. Our  boys  are  taught  from  the  classics ;  artists 
study  the  models  of  Greek,  that  is,  pagan,  art ;  much  of 
our  philosophy  is  heathen,  and  more  of  our  jurispru- 
dence. The  ancients  were  wiser  than  we  in  practicing 
incineration.  Why  not,  then,  imitate  them  in  this 
respect?  Granted  even  that  cremation  were  a  "pagan 
custom,"  not  to  adopt  it  when  it  has  been  conclusively 
demonstrated  to  be  superior  to  burial,  simply  because 
it  is  of  heathenish  origin,  shows  nothing  but  miserable 
narrow-mindedness. 

If  cremation  is  a  "pagan  custom,"  how  about  inter- 
ment? Earth-burial  to-day  is  practiced  by  more  heathens 
than  Christians.  Or  are  not  those  whom  we  choose  to 
style  pagans  in  the  majority?  Would  it  not,  therefore, 
be  far  more  correct  to  denominate  inhumation  a  pagan 
custom  ? 

Dr.  Neil  declares :  — 

u  It  was  once  considered  an  eminently  Christian  vir- 
tue, entitling   him  who    practiced    it  to  the  honors  of 


THE    RELIGIOUS    VIEW    OF   CREMATION.  189 

.canonization,  to  discard  the  use  of  soap  and  water ;  and 
this  kind  of  mediaeval  piety  prevails  a  good  deal  yet, 
notwithstanding  the  good  old  Roman  practice  of  ab- 
lution. I  do  not  find,  however,  that  even  Christian 
sanitarians  object  to  the  more  frequent  use  of  the  bath 
because  it  was  the  pagan  practice." 

Inhumation  is  claimed  to  be  the  Christian  method  of 
disposal  of  the  dead  par  excellence  because  Christ  was 
so  disposed  of. 

"  By  the  same  sort  of  reasoning,"  says  the  Medical 
Times  and  Gazette  of  London,  England,  "  might  it  not 
be  held  that  crucifixion  has  been  so  consecrated  that  it 
ought  to  be  the  mode  of  capital  punishment  in  Christian 
countries  ?  "  Moreover,  as  the  Rev.  H.  R.  Haweis  in- 
forms us,  "  Christ  is  no  example  to  us,  for  according  to 
Christian  belief  he  rose  from  the  dead  and  saw  no  cor- 
ruption." 

It  is  exceedingly  interesting  to  read  what  Christ  him- 
self said  about  burial. 

Jesus,  being  a  Jew,  like  the  Hebrews  in  general  had 
little  regard  for  burial  and  the  grave.  Among  the  Jews 
contact  with  the  dead  was  considered  an  act  of  defile- 
ment that  had  to  be  soon  atoned  for. 

From  the  following  passage  (Matthew  viii.  21,  22) 
it  is  plain  that  Christ  was  no  friend  of  interment : — 

"And  another  of  his  clisciples  said  unto  him,  Lord, 
suffer  me  first  to  go  and  bury  my  father.  But  Jesus 
said  unto  him,  Follow  me ;  and  let  the  dead  bury  the 
dead." 

By  the  dead  (i.e.,  spiritually  dead)  the  Saviour,  ac- 
cording to  the  best  exegesis,  meant  the  outside  world, 
and  he  wanted  to  intimate  that  burial  was  fit  work  for 
them,  but  not  for  the  Christian  or  disciple. 


190  CREMATION   OF   THE   DEAD. 

See  also  St.  Luke  ix.  59. 

Christ  disparaged  the  importance  of  burial  more  than 
once.  Indeed,  it  seems  that  he  paid  little  attention  to 
the  disposal  of  the  dead.  We  find  him,  during  his 
ministrations  on  earth,  healing  the  sick,  turning  water 
into  wine  to  make  glad  the  hearts  of  guests  at  a  wed- 
ding feast,  administering  to  the  wants  of  the  indigent, 
and  cheering  the  down-trodden  ;  but  never  at  funeral 
ceremonies.     It  was  he  who  declared  :  — 

"  God  is  not  the  God  of  the  dead,  but  of  the  living." 

Dr.  Le  Moyne  says  :  — 

"  So  far  as  we  have  knowledge  of  New  Testament 
history,  we  find  no  command  given  anywhere  which 
was  a  '  thus  saith  the  Lord '  for  any  mode  of  burial. 
The  Christian  world  was  left  to  choose  a  mode  of 
burial." 

When  Jesus  distinguished  between  cave  and  earth 
burial,  he  considered  the  latter  the  most  despicable 
mode  of  burial,  to  which  he  compared  the  scribes  and 
Pharisees ;  for  when  he  reproved  them  by  rebuke  and 
disparagement,  he  said  (Matthew  xxii.  27) :  — 

"Woe  unto  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites, 
for  ye  are  like  unto  whited  sepulchres,  which,  indeed, 
appear  beautiful  outward,  but  are  within  full  of  dead 
men's  bones,  and  of  all  uncleanness." 

The  above  shows  in  what  estimation  the  founder  of 
Christianity  held  inhumation. 

■  It  seems  Christ  himself  gave  the  preference  to  cave- 
burial,  for  so  he  was  disposed  of.  He  was  placed  (vide 
Matthew  xxvii.  57-60)  in  the  rock-hewn  tomb  of 
Joseph  of  Arimathea,  which  was  open  in  front,  and  the 
door  of  which  was  closed  with  a  stone. 

Christ  was  not  buried  in  the  earth,  but  was  placed  in 


THE   KELIGIOUS    VIEW    OF   CKEMATION.  191 

a  sepulchre  because  he  was  a  Jew.  Had  he  been  an 
Egyptian,  he  would  have  been  embalmed  after  the 
fashion  of  a  mummy.  It  was  merely  a  matter  of  custom, 
and  is  not  necessarily  a  precedent  to  be  followed.  It  is 
evident  that  to  be  buried  as  Christ  was,  Christians 
would  have  to  be  deposited  in  rock-hewn  tombs. 

The  assertion  of  certain  religious  fanatics,  that  cre- 
mation interferes  with  the  Christian  doctrine  of  the 
resurrection,  proves  untenable  enough  when  one  but 
remembers  that  both  interment  and  incineration  lead 
to  the  same  result ;  namely,  to  the  total  destruction  of 
the  body.  In  the  case  of  cremation  this  takes  place 
within  an  hour;  in  earth  burial  the  process  may  last 
for  centuries  until  completed. 

Professor  Max  Miiller,  the  famous  linguist,  in  his 
biographical  essays,  writes :  — 

"I  often  regret  that  the  Jews  buried  and  did  not 
burn  the  dead,  for  in  that  case  the  Christian  idea  of  the 
resurrection  would  have  remained  far  more  spiritual." 

Cannon  Liddon  believes  that :  — 

"  The  resurrection  of  the  body  from  its  ashes  is  not 
a  greater  miracle  than  the  resurrection  of  an  unburnt 
body.  Each  must  be  purely  miraculous.  Faith  in  the 
resurrection  would  have  been  as  clear  and  strong  if  the 
Jews  had  burnt  their  dead,  as  it  is  when,  as  a  matter  of 
fact,  they  buried  them." 

Dr.  Le  Moyne  says :  —  . 

"Some  religionists  object  to  cremation  because  it 
might  possibly  throw  obstacles  in  God's  way  of  collect- 
ing the  particles  which  once  formed  the  body.  They 
seem  to  forget  that  the  dispersion  of  the  atoms  which 
compose  the  human  body  is  just  as  wide  and  perfect  by 
inhumation  as  by  cremation." 


192  CKEMATTON     OF    THE    DEAD. 

Napoleon  I.,  the  Great,  was  a  firm  believer  in  crema- 
tion. On  Dec.  14,  1816,  five  years  before  his  death,  he 
conversed  freely  with  his  surgeon,  Barry  O'Meara,  on 
various  topics. 

Mr.  O'Meara  ("Napoleon  in  Exile;  or,  A  Voice  from 
St.  Helena."  By  Barry  E.  O'Meara.  W.  Gowans, 
New  York,  1853,  Vol.  I.  p.  277)  says :  — 

"  He  afterwards  spoke  about  funeral  rites,  and  added, 
that  when  he  died,  he  would  wish  that  his  body  might 
be  burned.  4  It  is  the  best  mode,'  said  he,  '  as  then  the 
corpse  does  not  produce  any  inconvenience ;  and  as  to 
the  resurrection,  that  must  be  accomplished  by  a  miracle, 
and  it  is  easy  to  the  Being  who  has  it  in  his  power  to  per- 
form such  a  miracle  as  bringing  the  remains  of  the  bodies 
together,  to  also  form  again  the  ashes  of  the  dead."'' 

During  another  talk  with  his  medical  adviser  the  ex- 
emperor  said,  "that  he  had  ordered  the  slain  burnt  after 
the  battle  at  Wagram." 

I  clip  the  following  from  the  Medical  Herald,  and 
commend  it  to  the  notice  of  opposers  of  cremation  on 
the  ground  of  religion  :  — 

"  The  most  prejudiced  religionist  cannot  offer  one 
valid  objection,  for  if  God  is  to  call  up  the  scattered 
remains  of  the  dead  from  both  land  and  sea  on  the  day 
of  final  resurrection,  the  ashes  shall  be  as  easily  resolved 
from  the  urn  as  from  the  debris  of  a  building  in  which 
bodies  may  have  been  accidentally  consumed  by  fire." 

I  should  like  to  see  the  Christian  who  believes  that 
God  will  not  take  unto  himself  the  soul  of  the  brave 
fireman,  who  rushes  courageously  into  a  burning  build- 
ing to  rescue  his  fellow-beings,  and  has  the  misfortune 
to  fall  and  perish  in  the  flames,  while  an  indolent  crowd 


THE    RELIGIOUS    VIEW    OF   CREMATION.  193 

is  looking  on  below.  Nay,  nay !  I  believe  that  he 
will  be  twice  as  welcome  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 

At  the  opening  of  the  Bolton  cemetery  in  1874, 
Bishop  Fraser  combated  the  anti-cremation  movement, 
based  upon  the  doctrine  of  the  resurrection,  with  the 
sequent  vigorous  language  :  — 

"  The  ancient  Romans  believed  in  immortality,  and 
yet  they  believed  in  burning  the  bodies  of  their  dead. 
Urn  burial  was  certainly  quite  as  decent  as  the  practice 
of  interment;  and  urns  containing  the  ashes  of  the  dead 
were  more  picturesque  than  coffins.  Can  any  one  sup- 
pose that  it  would  be  more  impossible  for  God  to  raise 
up  a  body  at  the  resurrection,  if  needs  be,  out  of  elemen- 
tary particles  which  had  been  liberated  by  the  burning, 
than  it  would  be  to  raise  up  a  body  from  dust,  and  from 
the  elements  of  bodies  which  had  passed  into  the  struc- 
ture of  worms?  The  omnipotence  of  God  is  not  lim- 
ited, and  he  would  raise  the  dead  whether  he  had  to 
raise  our  bodies  out  of  churchyards  or  whether  he  had 
to  call  our  remains,  like  the  remains  of  some  ancient 
Romans,  out  of  an  urn  in  which  they  were  deposited 
2000  years  ago." 

It  is  a  clerical  duty  to  dispel  superstitions.  "  Super- 
stition," well  says  Sprengel,  "  is  the  grave  of  science." 
But  it  is  not  only  the  grave  of  science,  but  of  all  prog- 
ress. The  clergy  should  aid  the  latter  and  not  place 
obstacles  in  its  way. 

Colonel  Olcott  says  :  — 

"  I  am  too  firm  a  believer  in  the  immortality  of  the 
soul,  to  view  with  patience  the  inconsistency  of  those 
who  behave  over  the  dead  bodies  of  their  friends  as  if 
the  immortal  part  were  being  laid  away  in  the  ground. 
The   more  I  might   love   my   dead,  the   less   willing    I 


194  CREMATION   OF   THE   DEAD. 

should  be  to  leave  the  fair  form  that  had  once  held  an 
immortal  spirit  to  turn  into  putrid  carrion  under  ground, 
and  breed  a  myriad  of  loathsome  creatures  out  of  its 
own  rottenness.  The  attempt  to  substitute  the  scien- 
tific, poetical,  and  rational  system  of  cremation  has  my 
earnest  sympathy.  I  pray  heaven  that  it  may  be  possi- 
ble to  commit  my  body  or  that  of  any  of  my  beloved  to 
the  pure  flame,  that  in  one  short  hour  will  purge  them 
of  dross  as  gold  is  refined  in  the  furnace  seven  times 
heated." 

Even  the  organ  of  the  Mormon  hierarchy,  The  Des- 
seret  J¥ews,  that  believes  in  an  absolutely  literal  inter- 
pretation of  the  Bible,  reasons  thus  :  — 

"Some  object  to  cremation  on  the  ground  of  its  incon- 
sistency with  the  Christian  doctrine  of  the  resurrection. 
We  do  not  see  any  force  in  that.  No  particle  of  matter 
is  destroyed  by  fire ;  it  is  merely  changed  in  form  and 
reduced  to  primitive  elements,  or  in  their  direction,  for 
it  is  not  clear  that  the  action  of  fire  extends  so  far  as  to 
resolve  organized  matter  into  its  primal  atoms.  The 
same  power  that  can  call  forth  from  the  tomb  a  body 
that  has  decayed  and  gone  to  dust  can  quicken  the 
dried  ashes  and  draw  from  the  elements  the  gases  that 
have  been  dispersed  by  the  flames  of  the  crematory. 
How  much  of  the  actual  particles  that  are  seen  now  by 
the  natural  eye  is  necessary  to  the  re-formation  of  the 
human  frame  into  a  spiritual  body  with  flesh  and  bones 
does  not  at  present  appear.  But  this  is  certain :  the 
power  that  can  resurrect  the  body  from  the  grave  or 
from  the  sea  can  bring  it  forth  from  any  place  or  condi- 
tion in  the  universe.  Belief  in  the  resurrection  implies 
belief  in  God,  and  with  him  all  things  are  possible." 


THE   RELIGIOUS   VIEW   OF   CREMATION.  195 

Kate  Field,  who  of  all  Americans  probably  is  best 
acquainted  with  Mormon  life  and  doctrines,  points  out 
that  when  the  literal  Mormon  abjures  literalness,  it  is 
high  time  for  orthodox  Christians  to  cast  away  the 
above-mentioned  sacrilegious  objection. 

How,  by  the  way,  about  those  who  fall  overboard 
and  are  swallowed  by  the  fishes,  or  those  who  are  blown 
up  by  an  explosion?  Are  they  to  be  consigned  to  eter- 
nal damnation  simply  because  they  happened  to  meet 
with  an  accident?  Are  they  not  to  be  raised  here- 
after ? 

The  absurdity  and  unreasonableness  of  this  erroneous 
notion  was  tersely  and  happily  expressed  by  the  Earl  of 
Shaftesbury  during  a  conversation  with  an  eminent  (Sir 
T.  Spencer  Wells,  I  believe)  promoter  of  the  present 
cremation  movement.     He  said:  — 

"  What  would  in  such  a  case  become  of  the  blessed 
martyrs  ?  " 

Many  of  them  have  been  reduced  to  ashes,  and  still 
these  are  held  sacred. 

I  would  advise  the  person  who  holds  the  opinion  that 
the  resurrection  cannot  take  place  after  cremation  to 
seek  quickly  the  nearest  physician  who  makes  a  speciality 
of  insanity.  I  wonder  if  such  persons  are  conscious 
that  they  commit  a  sacrilege  in  doubting  that  God  is 
omnipotent. 

From  a  purely  catholic  point  of  view  it  is  urged  that 
incineration  would  destroy  the  relics  of  individuals  who 
might  afterward  be  canonized. 

This  is  the  most  ridiculous  objection  of  the  whole 
lot !  Are  not  the  ashes  of  a  saint  as  venerable  as  his 
bones  ?  When  such  ashes  are  kept  in  a  sealed  urn,  we 
may  be  certain  of  the  genuineness  of  the  relics.     To- 


196 


CREMATION    OF    THE   DEAD. 


day,  there  is  no  guarantee  whatever  of  their  genuine- 
ness —  many  cities    claiming  to   possess   the  only  real 

relics   of   this   or 
that  saint. 

There  is  no  re- 
lation between 
cremation  and  re- 
ligion. They  are 
independent  of 
each  other.  No 
passage  in  the 
Holy  Bible  pro- 
hibits incinera- 
tion. The  Chris- 
tian religion  does 
not  oppose  it,  nor 
does  the  Jewish, 
as  I  learnt  from 
an  article  in  the 
Jewish  Chronicle. 
Some  newspa- 
pers seem  to  think 
that  cremation  is 
contrary  to  the 
Jewish  doctrines. 
Our  brethren  at  Gibraltar  and  in  the  north  of  Africa  bury 
their  dead  in  quicklime.  No  one  can  deny  the  ortho- 
doxy of  the  Jews  on  the  shores  of  the  Mediterranean, 
3^et  more  than  once  have  some  of  their  number  been  dis- 
posed of  in  the  manner  related  above  ;  the  method  being 
carried  out  but  lately  at  Mile-end.  Among  the  Jews 
at  London,  instances  of  cremation  are  not  unknown. 
A  Swiss  clergyman,  the  Rev.    Mr.   Lange,    declares 


THE    PORTLAND    VASE. 
(Originally  a  Cinerary   Urn.) 


THE   RELIGIOUS    VIEW    OF    CREMATION.  197 

that  our  Saviour  never  spoke  a  single  word  in  condemna- 
tion of  incineration.  Dr.  Altherr,  Religious  Journal 
for  the  People  (No.  11,  1874),  also  entertains  the  same 
opinion. 

An  English  Catholic  pointed  out  that  cremation 
would  once  more  enable  us  to  bury  our  dead  in  the 
churches,  not  only  in  the  crypts  of  the  sacred  edi- 
fices, but  also  along  the  sides  of  the  body  of  the 
churches. 

Rev.  Henry  Ward  Beecher  had  a  word  to  say  about 
cremation  in  a  recent  sermon  of  his.  He  thought  that 
the  universal  Christian  teaching  of  the  resurrection  of 
the  body  would  prevent  any  general  acceptance  of  it 
while  that  teaching  prevails.  Of  course,  a  man  of  a 
"  classical "  education  cannot  reject  incineration  alto- 
gether, especially  when  he  considers  it  from  a  hygienic 
point  of  view. 

I  have  always  been  of  the  opinion  that  a  great  many 
clergymen  fear  to  state  their  real  views  concerning  cre- 
mation, lest  their  congregation  might  discharge  them 
and  engage  the  services  of  some  other  theologian  ;  and  I 
still  have  the  same  impression. 

The  so-called  religious  objection  to  cremation  is 
wholly  unsound,  as  even  a  great  many  anti-cremationists 
admit ;  it  is  therefore  not  surprising  that  "  religious  " 
opposition  is  fast  weakening  and  waning  wherever  it 
has  existed  at  all. 

A  late  writer  in  the  Church  Review  advises  us  to 
take  care  that  incineration  does  not  fall  into  infidel 
hands,  and  so  become  at  last  a  symbol  of  irreligion. 

The  cemetery  is  regarded,  in  general,  as  a  permanent 
resting-place  of  the  dead,  where  they  may  sleep  undis- 
turbed.    Man  of  the  present  time  puts  his  beloved  into 


198  CREMATION  of  the  dead. 

the  dirty,  dark  ground,  and  hands  them  over  to  the 
foul  putrefaction  ;  he  places  upon  their  graves  large, 
heavy  monuments,  as  if  to  keep  them  down  and  prevent 
them  from  finding  their  way  back  again  into  this  sinful 
world.  But  he  thinks  not  of  the  festering  mass  of 
corruption  hid  away  under  the  tombstone ;  to  him  the 
departed  is  more  like  one  asleep,  like  he  or  she  was 
when  death  claimed  the  mortal  body.  He  fondly 
imagines  that  his  dear  ones  shall  remain  there  forever, 
that  their  quiet  rest  shall  be  unbroken.  From  year  to 
year,  however,  bodies  are  added  to  those  already  buried, 
the  disgusting  state  of  overcrowding  which  I  described 
minutely,  with  all  its  evils,  shows  itself,  and  then  one  of 
two  things  happens :  either  the  remains  of  those  buried 
before  are  ruthlessly  dug  up  by  the  sexton's  spade  and 
thrown  into  the  mud  whenever  a  new  grave  is  made, 
or  all  of  the  bodies  are  exhumed  and  taken  away;  the 
soil  is  parcelled,  and  the  new  generation  takes  possession 
of  the  "  city  of  the  dead." 

In  some  cemeteries  corpses  are  allowed  to  remain  in  a 
grave  only  a  stipulated  time;  in  English  burial-grounds, 
where  a  freehold  right  is  not  secured,  the  remains  may 
rest  undisturbed  but  seven,  in  France  five,  years. 

The  sentiment  of  the  public  is  expressed  in  the 
sequent  extract  from  a  lecture  by  the  Rev.  Brooke 
Lambert :  — 

"  There  is  no  subject  on  which  people  feel  more  deeply 
than  the  disturbance  of  the  remains  of  their  ancestors, 
and  even  the  displacement  of  effete  memorials  of  them. 
I  find  that  the  prevailing  feeling  is  that  the  dead  ought 
never  to  be  removed,  nor  the  position  of  their  monu- 
ments changed  even  by  a  hair's  breadth.     Now  whilst 


THE   RELIGIOUS    VIEW    OF   CREMATION.  199 

our  present  system  of  burial  remains,  such  changes  in 
their  places  of  interment  must  occur" 

When  Mr.  Walker,  the  surgeon,  inspected  the  Portu- 
gal Street  Cemetery  at  London,  England,  on  April  27, 
1839,  he  discovered  that  two  graves  had  been  opened, 
the  bones  of  the  remains  exposed  to  view  ;  and  a  lot  of 
coffin-wood,  some  quite  fresh,  intended  (as  he  was 
informed)  for  fire-wood. 

A  gentleman  who  visited  the  same  burial-ground 
some  time  before  (vide  Times,  June  25,  1838)  wrote : 
"  I  was  shocked  to  see  two  men  employed  in  carrying 
baskets  of  human  bones  to  the  back  of  the  ground 
through  a  small  gate.  I  have  12  of  my  nearest 
and  clearest  relatives  consigned  to  the  grave  in  that 
ground,  and  I  felt  that  I  might  perhaps  at  that  mo- 
ment be  viewing,  in  the  basket  of  skulls  which  passed 
before  me,  those  of  my  own  family  thus  brutally  ex- 
humed." 

A  correspondent  to  the  Weekly  Despatch,  of  Septem- 
ber 30, 1838,  thus  describes  St.  Giles'  Churchyard,  where 
he  had  just  been  :  — 

"  What  a  horrid  place  !  It  is  full  of  coffins  up  to  the 
surface.  Coffins  are  broken  up  before  they  are  decayed ; 
and  bodies  removed  to  the  bone-house  before  they  are 
sufficiently  decayed  to  make  their  removal  decent ! 
.  .  .  The  bone-house  is  a  large,  round  pit.  Into  this 
had  been  shot  from  a  wheelbarrow  the  but  partly 
decayed  inmates  of  the  smashed  coffins.  On  the  north 
side  was  a  man  digging  a  grave.  He  was  quite  drunk. 
So,  indeed,  were  all  the  grave-diggers  we  saw." 

Walker  saw  the  tin  plates  removed  from  the  coffins 
broken  up,  and  witnessed  how  many  wagon-loads  of 
bones  were  taken  to  the  charnel-houses. 


200  CREMATION    OF   THE   DEAD. 

Lord  Ronald  Gower  writes  in  Vanity  Fair:  — 

"  The  other  day  I  came  across  a  somewhat  rare  little 
brochure,  —  an  account  of  the  violation  of  the  royal 
sepulchres  of  St.  Denis,  during  the  first  French  Revolu- 
tion. The  work  of  destruction  and  sacrilege  commenced 
early  in  October,  1793,  and  lasted  all  the  month.  The 
first  corpse  found  was  that  of  Henry  IV,  the  once 
beloved  Henri  de  Navarre.  Some  curiosity,  if  not 
affection,  still  seems  to  have  lingered  even  among  those 
patriots  who  have  constituted  themselves  body-snatchers, 
and  the  bearnais  was  propped  up  against  the  church 
wall  in  his  shroud,  and  became  quite  an  attraction  for 
the  crowd.  One  of  the  republican  guards  even  conde- 
scended to  cut  off  the  king's  gray,  upturned  moustache, 
and  place  it  on  his  lip ;  another  removed  the  beard, 
which  he  declared  he  would  keep  as  a  relic.  After 
these  marks  of  attention  were  exhausted,  the  body  was 
thrown  into  a  huge  pit  filled  with  quicklime,  into  which 
successively  followed  those  of  its  ancestors  and  descend- 
ants. 

"  On  the  next  day  the  corpses  of  Henry  IV's  wife, 
Maria  cle  Medicis,  that  of  his  son,  Louis  XIII,  and  that 
of  his  grandson,  Louis  XIV,  were  added  to  this.  The 
body  of  the  sun-king  (as  Louis  XIV's  courtiers  loved 
to  call  him)  was  as  'black  as  ink.'  What  a  contrast 
to  that  majestic,  bewigged  head,  as  we  see  it  on  the 
canvas  of  Le  Brun  and  Rigault,  must  not  that  poor 
blackened  skull  have  been!  The  body  of  the  Grand 
Monarch's  wife  and  that  of  his  son,  the  Dauphin  (father 
of  Louis  XV)  followed ;  all  these,  and  especially  the 
latter,  were  in  a  state  of  shocking  decay. 

"  The  following  day  poor  harmless  Marie  Leczinska's 
body  was  torn  from  its  resting-place,  as  also  were  those 


THE   RELIGIOUS    VIEW    OF   CREMATION.  201 

of  the  '  Grand  Dauphin,'  the  Duke  of  Burgundy  and 
his  wife,  and  several  other  princes  and  princesses  of  the 
same  race,  including  three  daughters  of  Louis  XV.  All 
these  were  in  a  state  of  terrible  decomposition,  and  in 
spite  of  the  use  of  gunpowder  and  vinegar,  the  stench 
was  so  great  that  many  of  the  workmen  were  seized 
with  fever,  and  others  had  to  continue  the  grewsome 
work.  By  a  strange  chance,  on  the  very  morning  that 
Marie  Antoinette's  sufferings  came  to  an  end  on  the 
Place  de  la  Revolution,  the  body  of  another  unfortunate 
queen  saw  the  light  of  day,  —  it  was  on  the  16th  of  Oc- 
tober that  the  body  of  our  Queen  Henrietta  Maria,  who 
had  died  in  1669,  was  taken  from  its  coffin  and  added 
to  the  ghastly  heap  in  the  '  Ditch  of  the  Valois,'  as  the 
pit  into  which  these  royal  remains  were  hurled  was 
called;  that  of  her  daughter  the  once  'Belle  Henri- 
ette '  came  next,  and  then  in  quick  succession  the 
bodies  of  Philippe  D' Orleans ;  that  of  his  son,  the  noto- 
rious regent;  of  his  daughter,  the  no  less  notorious 
Duchesse  de  Berri ;  of  her  husband ;  and  half  a  dozen 
infants  of  the  same  family.  On  the  same  day  a  coffin 
was  cautiously  opened.  This  was  found  at  the  entrance 
of  the  royal  vault  (the  customary  position  for  that  con- 
taining the  latest  deceased  king),  and  contained  the 
remains  of  Louis  '  le  bien  aime.'  No  wonder  that  the 
body-snatchers  hesitated  before  withdrawing  the  corpse 
from  its  enclosure,  for  it  was  remembered  that  Louis 
had  perished  of  a  most  terrible  illness,  and  that  an  un- 
dertaker had  died  in  consequence  of  placing  the  already 
pestilent  corpse  in  its  coffin.  Consequently  it  was  only 
on  the  brink  of  the  ditch  that  the  body  was  removed 
and  hastily  rolled  over  the  edge,  but  not  without  the 
precaution  of  discharging  guns  and  burning  much  pow- 


202  CREMATION   OF   THE   DEAD. 

der,  and  even  then  the  air  was  terribly  tainted  far  and 
near. 

"I  turn  the  page  and  find  that  we  are  only  in  the  thick 
of  all  these  dead  men's  bones  and  uncleanness,  for  the 
republican  resurrectionists  began  by  the  Bourbons  and 
had  still  to  disentomb  all  the  Valois,  and  further  back, 
up  to  the  Capetian  line,  and  are  not  content  until  the 
almost  legendary  remains  of  Dagobert  and  Madame 
Dagobert  reappear.  Suffice  it  to  add,  that  after  Louis 
the  Well-beloved  had  been  disposed  of,  came  in  succes- 
sion, like  the  line  of  royal  ghosts  seen  by  Macbeth, 
Charles  V,  who  died  in  1380,  whose  body  was  one  of 
the  few  well-preserved,  and  was  arrayed  in  royal  robes, 
with  a  gilt  crown  and  sceptre,  still  bright ;  that  of  his 
wife,  Jeanne  de  Bourbon,  who  still  held  in  her  bony 
hand  a  decayed  distaff  of  wood;  Charles  VI  with  his 
queen,  Isabeau  de  Baviere ;  Charles  VII  and  his  wife, 
Marie  D'Anjou ;  and  then  Blanche  de  Navarre,  who 
died  in  1891.  Charles  VIII,  of  whom  nothing  but  dust 
remained,  Henry  II,  Catherine  de  Medicis,  Charles  IX, 
and  Henry  III,  wTere  disinterred  on  the  morning  of  the 
18th  ;  '  after  the  workmen's  dinner,'  Louis  XII  and  his 
queen,  and  among  other  less  interesting  royal  remains, 
the  bones  of  Hugh,  Comte  de  Paris,  father  of  Hugh 
Capet ;  and  so  on  the  work  went,  till  one  tires  even  of 
the  details  of  the  preservation  of  this  or  that  king  or 
queen.  Can  anj^thing  be  more  shocking  than  to  know 
that  all  the  horrors  of  decay  and  decomposition  will 
remain  even  after  two  or  three  centuries  have  passed 
over  the  lifeless  form,  and  that,  supposing  one  has  the 
ill  luck  to  be  thus  coffined  and  one's  body  removed,  '  a 
black  fluid,  emitting  a  noxious  smell,'  will  run  from  out 
our  last  home,  as  was  the  case  with  those  royal  remains 


THE   RELIGIOUS    VIEW    OF    CREMATION.  203 

during  that  hot  summer  month  at  St.  Denis  in 
1793?" 

The  Rev.  H.  R.  Haweis  says :  — 

"  You  cannot  preserve  the  buried  dead  securely  from 
the  outrages  of  the  living.  The  people  who  dig  graves, 
or  are  employed  to  remove  bones,  are  not  as  a  rule 
scrupulous,  but  they  are  very  often  drunk.  The  other 
day  only  a  number  of  wild  Irish  were  so  employed  at 
New  York ;  the  bodies  were  offered  for  sale  on  the 
ground  to  a  party  of  medical  students.  These  young 
fellows  had  the  grace  to  shrink  from  the  horrors  they 
then  witnessed.  One  coffin  was  found  full  of  a  heavy 
decomposed  mass,  like  spermaceti ;  it  was  used  to  grease 
the  axle-tree  of  the  cart.  Another  coffin  contained  the 
body  of  a  woman,  aged  20,  as  the  inscription  announced. 
She  had  rested  for  107  years  —  laid  there  with  what 
tears,  what  tender  regrets  of  husband,  or  lover,  or 
mother !  But  now  her  head  was  rudely  seized  and 
kicked  like  a  football  from  one  ruffian  to  the  other." 

But  the  "sweet  sleep  and  calm  rest"  of  the  dead  was 
not  only  broken  by  the  ruthless  hand  of  man,  but  was 
even  disturbed  by  the  elements. 

On  the  26th  of  August,  1854,  at  Herrnlanersitz 
(Guhrauer  Kreis)  more  than  100  corpses  were  washed 
out  of  their  graves  by  an  inundation.  Many  of  them 
remained  in  their  coffins.  They  were  found  afterward 
in  gardens,  yards,  fields,  in  the  woods,  and  even  in 
bouses,  whither  they  had  floated.  Sixteen  days  passed 
before  the  bodies  were  all  collected ;  some  were  recov- 
ered whole,  others  in  parts ;  then  they  were  buried  in 
one  large  pit  forever  (?),  as  the  officiating  clergyman 
announced. 

"I  was  long  since  cured  of  a  belief  in  earth  burial," 


204  CREMATION    OF    THE   DEAD. 

says  a  very  intelligent  army  officer,  "by  an  appalling 
sight  I  witnessed  when  going  down  the  Mississippi. 
There  had  been  a  great  freshet,  during  which  the  river 
had  so  changed  its  course  as  to  invade  a  cemetery  and 
dislodge  its  occupants,  who,  in  various  stages  of  decom- 
position —  the  coffins  having  rotted  or  been  torn  asun- 
der by  the  torrent  —  were  floating  down  the  stream.  It 
was  a  ghastly  spectacle." 

I  don't  think  that  the  people  along  the  banks  of  the 
mighty  river  were  particularly  edified  with  the  sight. 
And  if,  at  the  time,  they  would  have  known  of  some 
other  mode  of  disposing  of  the  dead,  I  am  sure  they 
would  have  adopted  it  without  hesitation. 

A  similar  occurrence  happened  at  Kansas  City,  Mo., 
in  February,  1886.  The  Missouri  River  being  blocked 
by  ice,  caused  the  channel  to  rise  and  sweep  the  lower 
part  of  an  island  awa}^  that  lies  opposite  the  city,  and 
upon  which  is  the  small-pox  hospital.  About  20  graves 
were  in  this  part  of  the  island;  they  were  opened  by 
the  flood  and  the  corpses  that  had  been  interred  in 
them  swam  down  the  river  in  their  coffins.  These 
bodies  had  been  buried  only  since  one  year.  The  peo- 
ple on  both  sides  of  the  Missouri,  from  which  the  city 
derives  its  water-supply,  were  quite  agitated  over  this 
affair. 

At  the  same  time  the  cemetery  at  Copiano,  Chili,  was 
inundated;  many  of  the  vaults  were  full  of  water  and 
the  coffins  were  floating  around,  while  many  of  the 
common  graves  had  been  completely  cleared  of  their 
contents. 

The  most  horrible  feature  of  the  situation  was  that 
the  water  which  flows  from  the  cemetery  goes  into  the 
river  which  supplies  the  inhabitants  with  water  for 
domestic  purposes. 


THE   RELIGIOUS    VIEW    OF   CREMATION.  205 

The  Quarterly  Review  (No.  XLII,  p.  380)  states :  — 

"Many  tons  of  human  bones  every  year  are  sent  from 
London  to  the  North,  where  they  are  crushed  in  mills 
constructed  for  the  purpose,  and  used  as  manure  ! " 

And  a  correspondent  of  the  Times  writes  to  his  jour- 
nal from  Alexandria :  — 

"  The  other  day  at  Sakhara,  I  saw  nine  camels  pacing 
down  from  the  mummy  pits  to  the  bank  of  the  river, 
laden  with  nets  in  which  were  femora,  tibia,  and  other 
bony  bits  of  the  human  form,  some  two  hundred- weight 
in  each  net,  on  each  side  of  the  camel.  Among  the  pits 
there  were  people  busily  engaged  in  searching  out,  sift- 
ing, and  sorting  the  bones  which  almost  crust  the  ground. 
On  inquiry,  I  learned  that  the  cargoes  with  which  the 
camels  were  laden  would  be  sent  down  to  Alexandria, 
and  thence  be  shipped  to  English  manufacturers.  They 
make  excellent  manure,  I  am  told,  particularly  for 
Swedes  and  other  turnips.  The  trade  is  brisk  and  has 
been  for  years,  and  may  go  on  for  many  more.  It  is  a 
strange  fate  to  preserve  one's  skeleton  for  thousands  of 
years,  in  order  that  there  may  be  fine  southdowns  and 
cheviots  in  a  distant  land  !  " 

Gen.  W.  T.  Sherman  once  visited  the  catacombs  under 
ancient  Syracuse.  His  guide  informed  him  that  there 
were  a  million  interments,  but  that  the  contents  of  every 
chamber  had  been  sold  for  manure.  The  general  asked 
him  if  a  single  grave  had  been  spared;  not  one. 

Only  a  short  time  ago  a  London  florist  bought  two 
cart-loads  of  mould,  and  found  it  full  of  legs,  arms,  skulls, 
and  other  human  bones.  He  brought  an  action  against 
the  person  from  whom  he  purchased  the  soil  for  mis- 
representing his  "goods." 

On  Feb.  9,  1874,  the  railroad  tunnel  under  the  ceme- 


206  CREMATION   OF   THE   DEAD. 

tery  of  P&re  la  Chaise  at  Paris,  France,  caved  in  with 
a  thundering  crash,  forming  a  pell-mell  mass  of  coffins 
and  bodies,  earth  and  debris. 

In  our  own  country  the  rest  of  the  dead  is  fast  becom- 
ing from  year  to  year  more  insecure. 

The  Medical  Herald  affirms :  "  As  the  increasing 
necessities  of  man  create  new  demands  for  space, 
graveyards  are  demolished  and  converted  to  other  uses. 
In  Louisville,  Ky.,  within  the  past  fifteen  years,  two 
extensive  cemeteries  have  thus  been  transformed,  — 
one  on  Portland  Avenue  into  a  common,  and  one  in 
Jefferson  Street  into  a  park,  called  Baxter  Square. 

"  Now  the  youth  stroll  along  the  graded  walks  and  sit 
in  the  shaded  nooks,  upon  the  very  ground  in  which 
the  bodies  of  their  ancestry  have  decayed.  The  sacred 
spot  of  last  repose  of  grandparents  is  now  the  mirthful 
scene  of  the  nocturnal  orgies  of  irreverent  grandchil- 
dren. Cremation  would  render  this  impossible,  and 
place  any  profanation  of  the  sacred  memorials  of  the 
dead  beyond  the  public  eye." 

Recently  two  burial-grounds,  —  one  in  New  England, 
the  other  in  Pennsylvania,  —  caved  in,  and  the  thickly 
crowded  bones  of  many  generations  were  exposed  to 
view. 

In  my  native  city,  Detroit,  four  cemeteries,  to  my 
knowledge,  were  closed  and  given  up  to  the  living.  In 
every  case  save  one  these  burial-grounds  were  excavated, 
the  coffins,  bones,  semi-decomposed  bodies,  etc.,  carted 
away,  and  business  blocks  erected  in  their  stead.  In 
one  of  these  cemeteries  a  brother  of  mine  was  buried; 
what  became  of  his  last  remains  I  know  not.  Possibly 
they  were  used  to  fertilize  a  field  ;  or  perhaps  cupidity 
tempted  men  to  steal  his  body  for  the  purpose  of  dissec- 


THE   RELIGIOUS   VIEW   OF   CREMATION. 


207 


tion  ;  or  an  unscrupulous  grave-digger  may  have  sent 
his  bones  to  a  bone-mill,  vended  his  coffin-plate,  and 
used  his  coffin  for  firewood.     Who  knows?     I  would 


give  a  great  deal  if  the  relics  of  my  brother,  decently 
inurned,  could  be  with  me ;  but  alas !  I  must  give  up 
expectations  of  ever  finding  any  trace  of  him  again. 


208  CREMATION   OF   THE  DEAD. 

Within  a  quite  recent  period  at  least  two  graveyards 
in  Montreal  have  been  torn  up  to  make  public  squares; 
and  it  is  not  likely  that  any  more  respect  will  be  shown 
to  cemeteries  in  the  future  than  there  has  been  in  the 
past. 

Dr.  Wm.  Porter  says:  "  I  well  remember,  when  a  boy, 
seeing  our  old  sexton  exhume  a  body  buried  for  several 
years,  —  that  of  a  strong  man  called  away  in  the  prime  of 
life.  The  rotting  coffin  was  slowly  lifted  from  its  damp 
bed,  and  the  lid  being  broken,  we  saw  within  a  horrible 
mass  of  putrefaction.  Matted  hair  and  decomposing 
grave-clothes  but  poorly  covered  the  blackened  skeleton 
as  it  lay  in  the  once  handsome  casket,  now  reeking  with 
the  emanation  of  its  loathsome  contents.  Yet  this  had 
been  a  beautiful  grave ;  roses  had  blossomed  upon  it, 
and  the  arbor  vitas  had  whispered  to  it.  There  would 
be  but  little  plea  for  the  grave  on  the  ground  of  senti- 
ment could  we  see  the  changes  there  taking  place ; 
there  would  be  few,  if  any,  who  would  not  choose  that 
the  body,  after  faithful  service,  should  be  purified  by 
fire,  rather  than  rot  in  such  a  grave." 

We  are  accustomed  to  consider  sacred  the  venerable 
remains  of  our  dead,  and  the  simplest  memorial  of  a 
departed  friend  makes  us,  if  but  for  moments,  sad. 
Therefore,  all  who  lay  any  claim  to  civilization  or 
humanity  must  be  vehemently  opposed  to  the  profane 
exhibition  of  the  bones  of  the  deceased  in  bone-houses, 
where  they  lie  pell-mell  in  a  heap,  or  catacombs,  where 
they  stand  braced  against  the  wall,  lie  in  their  coffins, 
or  are  put  away  in  niches,  i.e.,  on  the  shelf,  and  where 
any  dawdling  fool  may  inspect  them  for  a  small  sum  of 
money. 

The  Rev.  H.  R.  Haweis  states :  "Where  are  the  thou- 


THE   RELIGIOUS   VIEW   OF   CREMATION.  209 

sands  who  were  laid  in  the  heart  of  Paris,  and  who 
slept  for  centuries  in  the  graveyards  of  the  Innocents, 
St.  Eustache,  St.  Etienne  de  Pres?  Every  tourist  who 
takes  a  return  ticket  to  Paris  may  gaze  upon  their 
bones,  speculate  upon  their  skulls,  and  finger  their 
dust.  By  order  of  the  minister  of  police  they  were  all 
dug  up  in  1787  and  carted  off  to  the  catacombs.  The 
bones  were  cleaned  and  arranged  in  grim  and  pictur- 
esque symmetry.  In  one  gallery  are  the  arms,  legs, 
and  thighs  intersected  by  rows  of  skulls;  the  small 
bones  are  thrown  in  heaps  behind  them.  Whose  dust 
is  separate  there?  whose  ashes  are  sacred?  And  yet 
they  were  borne  to  this  grotesque  sepulchre  with  priests 
and  tapers." 

As  regards  disrespect  and  insult  to  the  dead,  a  corre- 
spondent of  the  Medical  Times  and  Gazette,  writing 
from  Bordeaux,  says :  — 

"  The  earth  around  one  of  the  oldest  churches  in  Bor- 
deaux seems  to  have  something  peculiarly  antiseptic  in 
its  nature,  so  that  the  bodies  buried  during  ages  were 
converted  into  mummies.  During  some  alterations  at 
the  beginning  of  this  century  these  bodies  were  laid 
bare,  and  instead  of  being  decently  buried  again,  they 
were  taken  out  of  their  resting-place  and  ranged  up- 
right in  a  row  around  a  crypt  under  the  bell-tower  of 
St.  Michael.  Here  they  constitute  a  disgusting  and 
demoralizing  show,  which  is  visited  by  crowds  of  peo- 
ple, and  I  am  afraid  that  the  clergy  of  the  church  are 
not  ashamed  to  pocket  the  profits.  A  rough  fellow, 
a  candle  on  the  end  of  a  stick,  such  as  they  have  in 
wine-cellars,  goes  round  as  showman.  He  taps  and 
thumps  the  bodies  to  show  that  they  are  perfectly 
sound,  tough  like  leather  trunks,  and  not  the  least  brit- 


210  CREMATION   OF   THE   DEAD. 

tie.  '  See  here,  gentlemen,  is  a  very  tall  man  ;  see  how 
powerful  his  muscles  must  have  been,  and  what  excel- 
lent calves  he  has  now!  The  next  is  the  body  of  a 
young  woman.  Remark  the  excellent  preservation  of 
her  chemise,  though  it  was  buried  400  years  ago ;  and 
see,  it  is  trimmed  with  lace.  The  next,  gentlemen,  is  a 
priest;  you  can  see  his  soutane  with  the  buttons  on  it. 
There  is  a  woman  with  a  dreadful  chasm  in  her  breast ; 
she  had  a  cancer.  The  next  four  are  a  family  poisoned 
with  mushrooms ;  observe  the  contortions  of  their  faces 
from  the  coliques  they  suffered.  See,  next,  a  very  old 
man  with  his  wig  still  awry  upon  his  pate.  The  next 
is  a  poor  miserable  that  was  buried  alive.  See  how  his 
head  is  turned  to  one  side  and  the  body  half  turned 
round,  in  the  frantic  effort  to  get  out  of  the  coffin,  with 
his  mouth  open  and  gasping.'  (It  is  quite  true  that 
the  attitude  is  singular,  but  it  does  not  warrant  the 
inference  which  the  showman  draws.)  But  enough  of 
this  disgusting  mercenary  exhibition  of  the  human  body 
in  its  lowest  state  of  humiliation.  If  the  guardians  of 
consecrated  sepulchres,  in  which  people  have  paid  an 
honest  fee  to  be  buried,  are  to  dig  them  up  and  cart 
them  off  as  in  England,  or  make  a  show  of  them  as 
here,  why,  I  can  only  say  that  cremation  will  gain  a 
good  many  converts.  Any  one  would  prefer  urn  burial 
to  the  chance  of  being  thus  made  a  spectacle.  So  good, 
too,  it  must  be  for  the  rising  population  to  take  off  the 
edge  of  any  salutary  horror  they  may  feel  at  death  and 
decay,  or  of  reverence  for  the  dead." 

There  are  many  such  shows  where  the  human  corpse 
is  used  for  the  purpose  of  eliciting  money  from  a  public 
loving  horrible  and  sensational  sights.  I  need  but  men- 
tion the  catacombs  of  Rome,  or  the  Bleikeller  of  Bremen, 


THE   RELIGIOUS   VIEW    OF    CREMATION.  211 

to  conjure  up  before  your  mind  all  the  terrible  scenes 
which  the  clerical  and  medical  gentlemen  whom  I  have 
just  cited  have  pictured. 

There  is  another  way  in  which  the  dead  are  insulted, 
another  mode  by  which  their  graves  are  desecrated. 
The  monuments  which  are  erected  upon  the  last  rest- 
ing-place of  the  deceased  to  perpetuate  their  memory 
are  sometimes  moved  about  till  they  no  longer  mark 
the  spot  where  the  person  whose  name  they  bear  was 
interred.  Here,  then,  all  the  good  intentions  of  friends 
are  set  at  naught ;  their  expense,  their  attention,  is  all 
in  vain.  The  tombstones  are  moved,  and  when  they 
become  yellow  with  age  they  are  broken  up  to  act  as 
headstones  for  some  public  highway.  That  this  does 
not  hold  good  of  European  countries  only,  but  also  of 
American  ones,  is  proven  by  our  honored  and  beloved 
"autocrat  of  the  breakfast  table,"  Oliver  Wendell 
Holmes,  who  declares:  "The  most  accursed  act  of  van- 
dalism ever  committed  within  my  knowledge  was  the 
uprooting  of  the  ancient  gravestones  in  three  at  least 
of  our  city  burial-grounds,  and  one  at  least  just  outside 
the  city,  and  planting  them  in  rows  to  suit  the  taste  for 
symmetry  of  the  perpetrators.  The  stones  have  been 
shuffled  about  like  chessmen,  and  nothing  short  of  the 
Day  of  Judgment  will  tell  whose  dust  lies  beneath  any 
of  those  records  meant  by  affection  to  mark  one  small 
spot  as  sacred  to  some  cherished  memory.  Shame ! 
shame  !  shame  !  That  is  all  I  can  say.  It  was  on  pub- 
lic thoroughfares,  under  the  eye  of  authority,  that  this 
infamy  was  enacted.  I  should  like  to  see  the  grave- 
stones which  have  been  disturbed  or  removed  and  the 
ground  levelled,  leaving  the  flat  tombstones.  Epitaphs 
were  never  famous  for  truth,  but  the  old  reproach  of 


212  CREMATION    OF   THE   DEAD. 

'  Here  lies '  never  had  such  a  wholesale  illustration  as 
in  these  outraged  burial-places,  where  the  stone  does 
lie  above,  and  the  bones  do  not  lie  beneath." 

Now  be  candid !  Do  you  not  think  that  facts  like 
these  go  a  good  way  to  endorse  cremation?  There 
would  be  no  need  of  disturbing  the  dead,  there  would 
be  no  vulgar  exhibition  of  the  deceased,  after  incinera- 
tion would  have  been  introduced.  There  would,  in 
fact,  be  nothing  to  do  violence  to  that  most  sacred  and 
deep-rooted  feeling  of  humanity,  —  respect  for  the 
dead. 

Among  all  the  outrages  on  the  dead,  that  committed 
by  the  hand  of  ghoulish  desecration  is,  by  far,  the 
worst.  Body-snatching,  for  providing  anatomical  insti- 
tutions with  material,  has  become  a  business  in  the 
United  States;  love  of  gain  being,  as  usual,  the  cause. 
And  not  only  are  bodies  abducted  to  supply  medical 
colleges,  but  persons  are  liable  to  be  murdered  for  the 
same  reason.  In  February  of  1884  two  negroes  were 
arrested  at  Cincinnati,  who,  after  a  severe  examination, 
confessed  to  having  killed  an  old  man,  his  wife,  and  his 
adopted  daughter ;  after  which  they  sold  the  corpses  to 
the  Ohio  Medical  College,  receiving  $15  for  each. 

But  some  grave-robberies  are  perpetrated  simply  for 
revenge,  or  else  for  pure  deviltry.  A  special  despatch 
to  the  Detroit  Free  Press,  from  Point  Pleasant,  W.  Va., 
relates  an  instance  of  this  kind  as  follows  :  — 

"  Salt  Creek,  a  small  stream,  empties  into  the  Ohio 
River  three  miles  south  of  this.  Two  miles  from  the 
mouth  is  a  church  called  Pisgah,  attached  to  which  is  a 
burying-ground.  This  morning  when  the  sexton  went 
to  dig  a  grave,  he  was  horrified  to  find  half  a  dozen 
graves  open  and  the  bodies  taken  from  their  coffins  and 


THE   RELIGIOUS   VIEW   OF   CREMATION.  213 

stretched  on  the  ground.  In  one  or  two  instances  the 
limbs  were  severed  from  the  bodies.  The  graves  had 
been  opened  without  regard  to  family.  The  bodies  lay 
in  one  place  arranged  in  the  shape  of  a  Greek  cross. 
There  is  no  clue  to  the  perpetrators  of  the  sacrilegious 
offense,  and  no  reason  can  be  imagined.  The  bodies 
evidently  had  been  exposed  for  a  day  or  two." 

The  funeral  car  of  the  late  A.  T.  Stewart  was  fol- 
lowed by  six  carriages  laden  with  gorgeous  floral  offer- 
ings; yet  in  spite  of  the  more  than  regal  magnificence 
of  his  funeral,  and  of  his  great  wealth,  only  a  few  days 
later  his  body  was  stolen  by  sacrilegious  robbers,  and 
has  never  been  recovered.  Need  I  remind  you  of  the 
mortification  our  nation  felt  on  hearing  that  guards  had 
to  be  set  to  watch  over  the  graves  of  our  lamented 
presidents,  Lincoln  and  Garfield. 

Not  only  in  our  country  is  body-snatching  a  frequent 
offense,  but  also  in  England,  as  will  be  seen  by  the 
sequent  quotation  from  Mr.  Walker  (p.  202)  :  — 

"  An  undertaker  who  had  charge  of  a  funeral  went 
with  a  friend  into  the  vault  of  a  chapel.  A  coffin 
recently  deposited  was  taken  under  his  arm  with  the 
greatest  ease.  His  friend,  doubting,  poised  the  coffin, 
and  was  affected  to  tears  from  the  conviction  that  the 
body  had  been  removed.  Several  other  coffins  were  in 
the  same  condition." 

The  corpse  of  the  late  Earl  of  Crawford  was  stolen 
from  the  Dun  Echt  mortuary  chapel  in  Aberdeen. 

There  is  one  case  of  outrage  on  the  dead  on  record 
that,  for  hideousness  and  devilishness,  surpasses  all 
others.  I  refer  to  that  grave-digger  of  Koenigsberg, 
Prussia,  who  fed  his  swine  with  human  bodies. 

One  of  the  most  abominable  modes  of  outrage  on  the 


214  CREMATION   OF   THE  DEAD. 

dead  is  that  where  men  (beasts  is  the  proper  designa- 
tion for  them)  have  gratified  their  animal  passions  by 
outraging  the  fresh  corpses  of  young  and  pretty  women. 
It  seems  incredible,  but  this  violation  was  known  in  the 
most  ancient  times,  and  is  not  yet  extinct  in  the  pres- 
ent age. 

Herodotus  already  reports  in  the  89th  chapter  of  his 
second  book,  that  the  Egyptians  of  old  did  not  deliver 
up  the  bodies  of  ladies  of  quality  or  the  remains  of 
young  and  beautiful  women  to  the  embalmers  until 
decomposition  had  set  in,  so  that  these  men  could  not 
have  coition  with  them.  For  it  was  said  that  an  era- 
balmer  had  once  surprised  a  colleague  in  the  act  of  out- 
raging the  corpse  of  a  youthful  woman,  and  had 
reported  the  case  to  the  authorities,  who  punished  the 
inhuman  offender  promptly. 

The  evening  edition  of  the  National  Zeitung  (pub- 
lished at  Berlin)  of  Nov.  21,  1874  (No.  544),  relates 
that  in  Lichtenberg,  which  is  situated  near  the  capital 
of  the  German  Empire,  in  the  night  from  the  4th  to 
5th  of  November,  two  children,  recently  buried, 
were  disinterred  and  removed  from  their  coffins.  On 
the  morning  of  November  the  5th  the  corpses  were 
found  on  the  ground  near  the  graves,  —  the  shrouds  were 
torn,  —  and  one  body,  that  of  a  little  two-year-old  girl, 
bore  all  the  signs  of  a  recent  outrage. 

All  these  sacrilegious  outrages  on  the  dead  could  be 
obviated  by  incineration.  The  avaricious  would  not  be 
tempted  by  a  small  quantity  of  ashes  in  a  plain  urn. 
There  would  be  no  valuable  clothing  and  no  costly  jew- 
elry, ordinarily  inhumed  with  some  bodies,  to  excite 
rapacity. 

Furthermore,  cremation  promises  the  greatest  possible 


THE   RELIGIOUS   VIEW   OF   CREMATION.  215 

security  from  vandalism.  When  the  urn  containing 
the  remains,  i.e.,  ashes,  of  our  friends  or  relatives  is 
placed  in  a  niche  in  the  columbarium,  it  can  be  easily 
guarded.  One  watchman,  in  communication  (by  elec- 
trical alarm)  with  the  police  department  of  the  city,  will 
suffice  to  protect  the  urn-hall  of  a  columbarium.  The 
same  cannot  be  said  of  a  cemetery;  it  would  take  at 
least  a  company  of  watchmen  to  properly  guard  the 
grounds  of  a  medium-sized  graveyard. 

Some  day  we  will  have  Westminster  Abbeys  on  a 
small  scale,  where,  amid  grand  monuments  and  costly 
urns,  the  simple  tablet  of  wood  shall  have  its  place,  its 
inscription  remaining  legible,  not  being  blotted  out  by 
the  elements,  as  it  is  to-day.  Each  church  could  have 
its  own  urn-hall,  and  the  burial  ceremonies  could  be  con- 
ducted according  to  the  belief  of  the  deceased. 

The  greatest  foe  incineration  has  to  contend  with  is 
the  widespread  antipathy  against  it,  entertained  and 
nursed  by  people  who  are  governed  more  by  sentiment 
than  by  reason.  Which  is  the  most  poetical  mode  of 
disposal  of  the  dead,  cremation  or  burial  ?  Think ! 
think  ! !  think ! !  !  and  you  cannot  fail  to  find  out. 

Mr.  W.  Robinson,  F.L.S.,  says :  — 

"  The  simplest  urn  ever  made  for  the  ashes  of  a  Ro- 
man soldier  is  far  more  beautiful  than  the  costly  funeral 
trappings  used  in  the  most  imposing  burial  pageant  of 
modern  times.  Of  urns  of  a  more  ambitious  kind,  the 
variety  and  beauty  are  often  remarkable,  as  may  be 
seen  in  our  national  and  various  private  collections. 
It  would  be  a  gain  to  art  if  some  of  the  money  spent 
on  coffins,  which  rot  unseen  in  the  earth,  were  devoted 
to  such  urns,  which  do  not  decay,  and  which  might  be 


216  CREMATION    OF   THE  DEAD. 

placed  in  the  light  of  day,  and  perhaps  teach  a  lesson  in 
art  as  well  as  bear  a  record/' 

And  the  Medical  Herald  declares :  — 

"  An  urn  of  granite,  alabaster,  malachite,  or  one  of 
the  precious  metals,  with  the  life-sized  statue  of  great 
men  placed  in  the  halls  of  state,  would  much  more  be- 
fittingly  express  the  state's  regard,  and  preserve  and 
perpetuate  the  grateful  tribute  a  Christian  people  would 
pay  their  memories,  than  any  number  of  columns  and 
shafts  reared  in  cemeteries,  which  must  in  time  be  de- 
molished." 

Which  is  the  more  aesthetic,  a  small  heap  of  pure, 
pearl-white  ashes,  or  a  grim  skeleton?  Certainly  those 
who  have  seen  a  decomposing  body,  or  human  remains 
in  the  state  of  adipocere,  would  not  call  them  aesthetic. 
Contrast  with  the  ghastly  skeleton,  now  commonly  em- 
ployed as  an  illustration  of  death,  the  representation  of 
death  b}^  the  ancients,  —  the  boy  with  the  inverted  torch. 
Which  is  the  more  refined? 

The  strong  tombs,  of  such  a  grandeur  and  beauty  — 
proof  against  the  gnawing  teeth  of  time  —  mortuary 
monuments,  —  as  we  shall  not  be  able  to  leave  to  our 
offspring,  testify  to  the  pious  veneration  for  the  dead  of 
the  ancients.  I  need  but  remind  you  of  the  grand 
pyramids,  the  extensive  necropolis  at  Thebes,  the  mau- 
soleums and  columbaria  of  the  Via  Appia  in  Rome,  to 
cause  you  to  perceive  the  truth  of  my  statement. 

The  ancients  thought  of  the  dead  as  being  turned 
into  shades ;  when  we  think  of  them  we  imagine  rattling 
skeletons.  The  stupid  and  disgusting  glorification  of 
the  skeleton  did  not  originate  with  Christ;  it  is  a  prod- 
duct  of  the  Middle  Ages,  as  are  the  many  tales  of  witches 


THE   RELIGIOUS   VIEW   OF   CREMATION.  217 

and  ghosts  that  are  related,  especially  in  connection 
with  churchyards,  and  still  cling  to  them  to-day. 

The  creniationists  of  to-day,  who  propose  to  substi- 
tute a  decent  aesthetic  and  sanitary  mode  of  disposal  of 
the  dead  for  the  present  harmful  and  loathsome  custom 
of  inhumation,  are  repulsed,  met  by  sentimental  objec- 
tions, are  even  called  monsters  without  religion,  without 
reverence  for  the  dead. 

But  the  apostles  of  incineration  are  as  far  removed 
from  striving  to  suppress  and  murder  such  sacred  feel- 
ings as  is  Dan  from  Beersheba.  On  the  contrary,  they 
believe  that  cremation  is  far  more  conducive  to  a  pious 
veneration  for  the  dead  than  interment. 

What  would  you  rather  look  upon,  that  horrible 
remnant  of  mortality,  for  which,  as  Bossuet  says,  "there 
has  been  found  no  name  in  any  human  language,"  or 
the  innocuous,  pearly  ash  in  the  memorial  urn  of  mar- 
ble, alabaster,  or  one  of  the  precious  metals? 

Cremation  is  humane,  healthful,  and,  most  of  all 
methods,  consonant  to  the  natural  impulse  of  Chris- 
tianized veneration  for  the  dead;  serving  and  honoring 
that  impulse  by  preventing  the  exposure  of  the  dead  to 
those  visible  elemental  and  chemical  conditions  and 
operations  which  breed  a  revolt  of  the  feelings,  and 
tend  to  surround  the  subject  with  an  atmosphere  of 
abhorrence. 

Undoubtedly,  one  result  of  adopting  generally  the  iu- 
cinerative  burial,  will  be  a  clisassociation  in  our  ideas 
from  that  existing  and  shocking  conception  of  horrible 
bodily  decay,  in  which  almost  every  thought  bestowed 
upon  the  dead  is  necessarily  enveloped,  and  we  will 
learn  to  contemplate  the  body  with  the  cheerful  philos- 
ophy of  the  Persian  poet,  Omar  Khayyam  :  — 


218  CREMATION    OF   THE   DEAD. 

'•''Tis  but  a  tent  where  takes  his  one  day's  rest 
A  Sultan  to  the  realms  of  death  addrest ; 
The  Sultan  rises,  and  the  dark  Ferrash 
Strikes  and  prepares  it  for  another  guest." 

At  a  burial  there  is  but  darkness,  at  a  cremation  rosy 
light  unaccompanied  by  lustiness;  the  dead  is  really 
reduced  to  ashes,  and  with  him  the  time-honored  say- 
ing, "Peace  to  his  ashes,"  is  not  a  hollow  phrase,  as 
it  is  with  those  who  are  interred. 

Those  who  do  not  wish  to  miss  religious  and  other 
ceremonies  at  incinerations  may  use  any  form  of  burial 
service  they  like,  and  those  who  desire  to  dispense  with 
them  may  do  so.  And  those  who  already  have  beloved 
dead  in  the  cemeteries  may  rest  by  their  side  when  the 
end  is  come,  for  the  ashes  can  be  interred  as  well  as  the 
body. 

A  Sicilian  poet  suggested  that  along  with  the  ashes 
thus  buried  might  be  deposited  the  seeds  of  some 
flower,  —  such  as  heart's-ease,  violets,  or  forget-me-nots, 
—  so  that  when  it  sprung  up,  the  friends  and  relatives 
might  gather  the  blossoms  from  year  to  year  as  a  dear 
memorial  of  the  life  that  lasts  beyond  the  tomb ;  and 
Tennyson's  ("  In  Memoriam  ")  poetic  verses  would  be 
realized :  — 

"  And  from  his  ashes  may  be  made 
The  violet  of  his  native  land." 

Only  when  cremation  is  practiced,  can  a  family  obtain 
the  remains  (ashes,  of  course)  of  its  friends  and  rela- 
tives who  have  died  in  a  foreign  land ;  only  then  it  is 
possible  to  deposit  such  remains  with  those  of  the 
ancestors. 

With  the  Chinese  it  is  customary  to  always  inter  the 


THE   RELIGIOUS    VIEW   OF   CREMATION.  219 

dead  in  their  native  land;  when  they  are  far  away  from 
home  they  inhume  their  deceased  temporarily,  but  at 
the  earliest  opportunity  remove  them  to  China,  —  a  usage 
that  deserves  to  be  imitated. 

The  small  urn  containing  the  parental  ashes  may  be 
taken  by  migratory  man  into  the  new  world  or  the  old, 
always  preserved  as  the  most  sacred  relic  of  the  fam- 

iiy.  " 

How  much  more  beautiful  and  better  would  it  not  be 
to  have  the  remains  of  our  kin  near  at  hand,  in  the 
house.  Only  then  we  would  be  reminded  of  them  every 
day.  Every  building  could  be  made  to  contain  a  mor- 
tuary chamber.  Then  we  would  know  our  dead  shielded 
from  the  elements.  Now,  when  the  storm  rages  and 
the  rain  pours  down  in  torrents,  we  imagine  that  he  or 
she  whom  we  have  recently  buried  is  yet  subject  to 
the  inclemency  of  the  weather.  Maxime  clu  Camp 
relates  a  touching  example  of  the  power  of  illusion. 
On  one  of  his  walks  in  the  Paris  cemeteries  he  discov- 
ered a  young  lady  kneeling  before  a  tombstone,  who 
was  singing  (interrupted  frequently  by  her  sobs)  an 
aria  from  an  opera.  When  she  observed  him,  after  she 
had  finished  she  said,  excusing  herself  involuntarily: 
"  There  my  dear  mother  lies  buried  I  She  loved  to  hear 
this  aria ! " 

That  these  questions  which  I  have  just  briefly  con- 
sidered are  of  considerable  moment  is  demonstrated  by 
the  experience  of  the  Rev.  Brooke  Lambert,  who  says  :  — 

"  It  has  been  my  misfortune  to  lose  four  of  my  near- 
est relations  in  different  parts  of  the  world.  It  has 
been  also  a  subject  of  regret  to  me  that  their  remains 
lie  so  far  off.  I  care  little  for  the  fate  which  happens 
to  their  bodies;  and  yet,  had  such  a  practice  as  crema- 


220  CREMATION   OF   THE   DEAD. 

tion  been  in  use,  it  would  sometimes  have  been  a  com- 
fort to  feel  that  I  had  their  ashes  with  me.  Collected 
in  an  urn,  they  might  either  repose  in  columbaria,  like 
those  at  Rome,  or  in  a  mortuary  chapel  in  my  own 
house." 

This  citation  brings  to  my  mind  a  beautiful  epigram 
of  Count  Platen,  who,  as  you  undoubtedly  know,  was 
called  the  favorite  of  the  ladies.  It  is  impossible  to 
translate  it,  and  therefore  I  will  content  myself  with 
mentioning  the  contents.  It  entreats  the  sacred  flames 
to  return,  and  to  purify  the  air  which  death  has  con- 
taminated ;  it  requests  those  about  to  bury  to  reduce 
to  ashes  the  body  of  their  friend ;  and  it  rejoices  that 
the  remains  of  our  beloved  will  again  rest  in  a  clean  and 
decent  urn  near  our  abodes. 

There  are  many  authors  who,  in  their  works,  have 
expressed  themselves  in  favor  of  cremation.  Among 
the  first  to  do  this  was  A.  F.  Ferdinand  von  Kotzebue, 
a  German  writer  of  note,  who  glorified  incineration 
in  his  novel  "Die  Leiden  der  Ortenberg'schen  Fam- 
ilie." 

There  are  those  who  are  afraid  that  cremation  will  do 
away  with  all  that  is  mortuary  in  poetry  and  song. 
For  instance,  they  say :  "  What  will  become  of  Gray's 
Elegy  in  a  Country  Churchyard  ?  Allusion  to  burial  runs 
so  inseparably  through  its  verses  that  nothing  would  be 
left  of  them  were  it  eliminated."  As  a  work  of  art 
Gray's  masterpiece  will  live  forever;  but  if  reason  or 
common  sense  is  applied  to  it,  I  doubt  whether  it  has  a 
right  to  exist,  even  now.  I  admit  that  the  poem  is 
beautiful,  that  it  is  grand;  but  it  is  all  sentiment — 
nothing  more. 

There  is  now  already  a  new  literature,  prose  as  well 


THE   RELIGIOUS   VIEW   OF   CREMATION.  221 

as  poetry,  accumulating.  The  "  Cremazione  dei  cada- 
veri"  already  has  its  poets  —  principally  in  Italy.  Pro- 
fessor Giambattista  Polizzi  of  Girgenti  dedicated  (in 
March,  1873)  a  poem  on  cineration  to  Signora  Emilia  Salsi 
when  her  husband,  Doctor  Giuseppi  Salsi,  died  and  was 
cremated.  He  praised  incineration  as  the  best  mode  to 
dispose  of  the  dead,  and  to  preserve  the  remains  of  the 
departed.  In  January,  1874,  Civelli's  printing  house  at 
Milan,  Italy,  turned  out  22  stanzas  on  incineration,  in 
the  Milanese  dialect.  The  anonymous  author  is  a 
patron  of  cremation.  Dr.  Moretti  of  Cannero  pub- 
lished an  excellent  poem  on  cremation  in  the  Annali 
di  CMmica  of  1872.  A  German  author,  writing  under 
the  pseudonym  of  "Dranmor,"  sent  forth  some  very  good 
verses  on  the  same  subject,  as  did  also  the  celebrated 
Dr.  Justinus  Kerner. 

Mr.  William  Eassie  laments  :  — 

"It  is  a  matter  of  regret  that  those  of  our  own  poets 
who  have  been  in  favor  of  burning  the  dead  did  not 
enshrine  their  proclivities  in  verse.  Southey,  for  in- 
stance, wrote  that  the  custom  of  interment  '  makes  the 
idea  of  a  dead  friend  more  unpleasant.  We  think  of 
the  grave,  corruption,  and  worms ;  burning  would  be 
better.'     But  he  left  us  no  poetry  on  the  subject." 

The  objections  to  cineration  put  forward  by  the  sen- 
timentalists are  really  of  no  consequence  at  all;  they 
are  far  too  trivial  to  be  worth  even  only  superficial  con- 
sideration. I  have  only  mentioned  them,  because  I  am 
aware  of  the  strong  hold  that  sentiment  has  on  most 
people,  and  because  they  allowed  of  a  comparison  be- 
tween burial  and  cremation,  which  is  decidedly  in  favor 
of  the  latter. 


222  CREMATION   OF   THE  DEAD. 

Dr.  E.  J.  Bermingham  of  New  York  City  hits  the 
nail  on  the  head  by  saying :  — 

"  We  believe  the  abhorrence  entertained  by  many,  of 
cremation,  depends  to  a  very  great  extent  on  the  uni- 
versal tendency  of  individuals  and  nations  to  resent  any 
interference  with  established  customs,  to  reject  any  in- 
novation simply  because  it  is  an  innovation." 

Sentimental  objection  to  incineration  resolves  into 
this:  We  are  the  slaves  of  custom.  We  love  to  walk 
in  the  old  wornout  paths,  and  when  some  one  discov- 
ers a  new  way  that  is  much  shorter,  and  by  which  the 
destination  is  reached  much  sooner,  we  are  loathe  to 
use  it.  First  only  a  few  adopt  it,  then  more  and  more 
travel  over  its  surface,  until  finally  the  old  path  be- 
comes obsolete. 

To  what  an  extent  people  are  governed  by  their  time- 
honored  customs  was  illustrated  by  the  ancient  histo- 
rian Herodotus  (see  Muses,  Book  III,  chap.  88),  as 
follows :  — 

"If  all  people  were  to  choose  the  most  beautiful 
among  the  customs,  they  would  after  close  examination 
select  their  own,  because  every  nation  believes  that  its 
own  customs  are  the  best  and  the  most  beautiful.  One 
therefore  cannot  imagine  that  anybody  but  a  madman 
would  ridicule  such  matters.  When  Darius  reigned  he 
summoned  the  Greeks  then  in  his  land,  and  when  they 
came,  he  requested  them  to  name  the  price  they  would 
take  to  eat  their  deceased  parents.  They  replied  they 
would  not  commit  such  a  crime  for  all  the  gold  in  his 
empire.  Then  he  caused  the  Kalatians  (natives  of 
India),  who  were  in  the  habit  of  eating  their  parental 
dead,  to  appear  before  him ;  when  they  arrived,  he 
questioned  them   (in  presence  of  the  Greeks,  to  whom 


THE   RELIGIOUS    VIEW    OP   CREMATION.  223 

every  word  was  interpreted)  how  much  remuneration 
they  would  want  to  burn  their  dead.  They  cried  aloud, 
and  bade  him  not  to  think  of  such  a  sacrilege.  Thus 
custom  rules.  I  believe  Pindar  to  be  right  when  he 
asserts  in  one  of  his  poems  that  custom  is  the  king  of 
all." 


CHAPTER  VII. 

ECONOMY   OF   CREMATING  THE  DEAD.  —  THE  PRESENT 
STATE   OF   THE   CREMATION   QUESTION. 

"p\R.  F.  JULIUS  LE  MOYNE,  speaking  of  the 
-^^^    great  expense  often  lavished  on  funerals,  says :  — 

"The  aggregate  of  such  questionable  expenditures 
over  the  United  States  would  amount  to  billions  of 
dollars,  a  sum  truly  alarming  in  size ;  and  this  criminal 
expenditure  has  been  an  important  factor  in  conducing 
to  the  monetary  panic 1  still  prevailing.  This  is  one  of 
the  many  extravagances  which  account  in  a  great  degree 
for  national  financial  difficulties.  The  average  expendi- 
ture for  each  body  by  the  system  of  inhumation  may 
be  placed  at  $100;  The  average  expense  by  the  crema- 
tion plan  would  not  exceed  $20,  —  showing  what  an 
immense  national  saving  would  be  gained  by  substitut- 
ing cremation  for  interment." 

It  must  be  kept  in  mind  that  the  expense  of  a 
modern  funeral  consists  of  the  purchase  of  a  lot  in 
the  graveyard,  the  funeral  expenditure,  and  the  outlay 
for  the  customary  tombstone  or  monument. 

The  cost  of  a  cemetery  to  the  community  is  tremen- 
dous. The  cost  of  a  plain  furnace  with  a  columbarium 
does  not  exceed  $5000,  a  mere  trifle  when  compared 
with  the  price  of  a  burial  ground. 

Imagine  what  a  lot  of  valuable  land  —  the  best  soil 
is  always  selected  for  cemeteries  —  is  lost  by  our  present 

1  Dr.  Le  Moyne's  paper  was  written  in  1878. 


ECONOMY   OF   CREMATING   THE   DEAD.  225 

method  of  disposing  of  the  dead.  I  firmly  believe  that 
grave}7ards  are  often  a  hindrance  to  the  growth  of  a 
city ;  but  progress  cannot  be  stopped  forever ;  it  may 
be  delayed  for  a  short  time,  but  finally  it  will  overcome 
all  obstacles,  the  dead  are  carted  away,  and  a  world  of 
activity  takes  their  place. 

Graves  are  not  houses  which  last  till  doomsday.  In 
this  country  where  cities  grow  so  rapidly,  graveyards 
are  soon  surrounded  by  dwellings,  and  a  cemetery  which 
was  once  far  outside  of  the  city  limits  finally  is  almost 
in  the  centre  of  the  city.  It  then  becomes  necessary  to 
remove  the  dead.  They  are  dug  up  and  carted  away, 
and  are,  perhaps,  quietly  dumped  into  some  swamp  to 
fill  it  up  and  assist  in  the  generation  of  malaria.  Busi- 
ness blocks  are  then  erected  in  the  place  that  was  once 
sacred  to  the  dead,  and  the  peace  of  the  burial  ground 
is  changed  for  the  din  of  traffic. 

The  following  citation  from  an  editorial  of  the  Detroit 
Free  Press  will  serve  to  elucidate  what  I  have  said :  — 

"  The  interment  of  the  numerous  dead  of  a  large 
population  in  the  midst  of  a  large  population  is  very 
serious.  To  it  are  attributed  the  constant  outbreaks  of 
cholera  in  India,  and  the  increase  of  leprosy  in  China, 
and  it  is  certain  as  anything  can  be  that  the  existence 
of  cemeteries  in  crowded  communities  is  meeting  with 
an  increasing  prejudice.  The  people  of  large  cities  are 
already  forced  to  seek,  at  some  distance  from  their 
limits,  suitable  places  for  interment.  And  the  exist- 
ence of  great  cemeteries  in  the  suburban  communities 
themselves  is  provoking  vigorous  opposition.  At  New- 
ton, Long  Island,  there  are  13  cemeteries,  in  which 
30,000  bodies  of  people  dying  in  New  York  and  Brook- 
lyn are  buried  annually.     There  are,  therefore,  60,000 


22$ 


CREMATION    OF    THE   DEAD. 


THE  PROPOSED  CREMATORIUM  AT  CINCINNATI,   OHIO. 

live  people  in  one  part  of  the  town,  the  rest  being 
occupied  by  3,500,000  dead  ones.  Property  is  depre- 
ciating and   taxes  are  increasing.     People  are  not  at- 


ECONOMY   OF    CREMATING   THE   DEAD.  227 

traded  to  a  town  of  this  sort,  and  the  real  estate  of  the 
village  has  been  falling  in  value  for  some  time." 

But  the  financial  deterioration  is  nothing  when  com- 
pared with  the  effect  which  the  aggregation  of  many 
dead  produces  upon  the  health  of  the  surrounding 
population. 

In  and  about  New  York,  Brooklyn,  and  Jersey  City, 
4000  acres  of  valuable  land  are  taken  up  by  cemeteries. 
It  is  calculated  that  with  the  probable  increase  of  popu- 
lation in  the  next  half  a  decade,  500,000  acres  of  the 
best  land  in  the  United  States  will  be  enclosed  by 
graveyard  walls.  Think  of  it !  Five  hundred  thou- 
sand acres  of  soil  that  might  contribute  towards  the 
maintenance  of  the  living  given  up  to  the  "cities  of 
the  dead."     It  is  an  outrage  ! 

Now,  let  us  compare  the  cost  of  burial  with  that  of 
incineration.  As  I  have  mentioned  before,  there  is  an 
immense  saving  of  valuable  land  when  cremation  is 
adopted.  Millions  of  acres  now  uncultivated,  and  sim- 
ply used  for  burial  to  the  detriment  of  the  living,  would 
be  changed  into  food-bearing  land  and  furnish  addi- 
tional means  for  the  maintenance  of  the  people.  A 
crematory  connected  with  an  urn-hall  would  not  occupy 
more  space  than  360  to  400  square  feet,  and  would  last 
for  centuries.  There  would  also  be  a  diminution  of 
funeral  expenses.  The  average  expense  of  cremation 
in  the  United  States  is  $25.  Contrast  this  with  the 
ordinary  funeral  expense,  and  you  will  agree  with  me 
when  I  assert  that  the  present  waste  of  money  for 
burials  is  as  enormous  as  it  is  unnecessary.  Some 
author  has  said  justly  that  the  difference  in  expense 
would  often  equal  one-half  the  proceeds  of  a  life 
insurance    policy.      It   is    plain   that  the    expense    of 


228  CREMATION   OF   THE   DEAD. 

the  burning  of  single  bodies  will  be  very  much  reduced 
by  the  general  use  of  the  system.  The  annual  expense 
for  the  cremation  of  7000  bodies  in  Bombay,  India, 
amounts  to  115,000  only,  which  is  but  $2.50  for  each 
corpse. 

The  cost  of  incineration  in  our  own  country  has 
varied.  It  is,  of  course,  impossible  to  estimate  the  ex- 
pense of  the  earlier  cremations. 

The  furnace  at  Washington,  Pa.,  was  erected  for  the 
use  of  Dr.  Le  Moyne  ouly,  and  those  of  his  friends 
who  concurred  with  him  in  this  reform.  The  public  at 
one  time  believed  that  this  furnace  had  been  built  for 
its  accommodation,  and  that  the  owner  followed  cre- 
mation as  a  business,  and  charged  fees  for  the  use  of 
his  crematory.  During  the  lifetime  of  the  doctor  no 
fee  whatever  was  charged  for  incineration  in  his  fur- 
nace. After  his  death  the  trustees  of  the  crematorium 
were  obliged  to  charge  the  moderate  sum  of  $45  to 
compensate  them  for  their  time  and  trouble.  This  in- 
cluded all  expenses  after  the  body  reached  the  railway 
station  at  Washington,  —  a  hearse,  carriage,  and  box  to 
contain  the  remains,  as  well  as  fuel,  attendance,  etc. 

The  building  at  Washington  was  put  up  at  the  least 
possible  expense  (as  economy  was  one  of  Dr.  Le 
Moyne's  principal  arguments),  and  cost  in  all  about 
$1500.  Compare  this  expenditure  with  that  of  pur- 
chasing a  cemetery,  not  taking  into  consideration  the 
improvements  which  must  be  made  on  a  graveyard 
before  it  can  be  opened  to  the  public. 

It  will  prove  interesting  to  consider  the  present  state 
of  the  cremation  question,  and  to  note  the  progress 
which  the  reform  has  thus  far  made  in  various  countries 
of  the  civilized  world. 


ECONOMY   OF    CliEMATING   THE   DEAD.  229 

Incineration  is  making  great  headway  in  Europe.  In 
Germany,  societies  were  organized  at  Coeln,  Hainichen, 
Bonn,  Frankfort  on  the  Main,  Potsdam,  Liegnitz,  Chem- 
nitz, Heidelberg,  Elberfeld,  Eger,  Breslau,  Nordhausen, 
Rheda,  Kollberg,  Bremen,  and  Schleswig. 

Since  Prince  Bismarck  declared  that  he  would  not 
be  adverse  to  a  law  regulating  and  permitting  the 
practice  of  cremation  in  all  parts  of  the  empire,  the 
leading  physicians  of  Berlin  and  the  members  and 
officers  of  all  the  cremation  societies  of  Germany  have 
petitioned  the  national  parliament  —  the  Reichstag  — 
to  permit  incineration  in  all  cities  of  the  empire,  not 
restricting  cremation  to  Gotha,  as  has  been  done  here- 
tofore. 

In  Austria,  opinion  is  about  evenly  divided  for  and 
against  the  practice.  A  deputation  from  the  "Urne" 
Society  of  Vienna  waited  on  the  president  of  the 
Austrian  cabinet  to  ask  that  cremation  should  be 
authorized.  This  society  now  comprises  800  members, 
amongst  whom  every  class  is  represented ;  they  have 
collected  sufficient  funds  for  the  construction  of  a 
crematory  apparatus.  And  what  was  the  answer  of 
the  government  to  this  request?  The  Minister  of 
Austro-Hungary  replied  to  the  Urne  Society  for  the 
Propagation  of  Cremation  that  incineration  is  for- 
bidden in  the  empire  because  public  opinion  is 
against  it. 

The  committee  of  the  Belgian  chamber  has  favora- 
bly reported  upon  a  petition  for  a  law  making  crema- 
tion optional. 

The  municipality  of  Paris  lately  decided  to  cremate 
the  bodies  which  have  been  used  at  the  School  of 
Practical  Anatomy  and  at  Clamort.     Over  3000  bodies 


230  CREMATION    OF   THE   DEAD. 

a  year  are  received  at  these  two  institutions  for  the  pur- 
pose of  dissection. 

The  Municipal  Council  of  Paris  also  recently  author- 
ized the  erection  of  three  crematories  in  the  Pere  la 
Chaise  Cemetery,  according  to  the  Gorini  system, 
which  are  to  be  used  for  the  purpose  of  cremating  the 
remains  of  those  persons  who  die  of  infectious  or  con- 
tagious diseases.  They  will  be  heated  with  wood,  and 
are  calculated  to  be  capable  of  reducing  the  bodies  of 
50  persons  per  day  at  a  cost  of  15  francs  inclusive 
of  personal  expenditure  and  the  cost  of  an  urn  for  the 
reception  of  the  ashes.  The  Prefect  of  Police  of  Paris 
has  endorsed  the  decree  of  the  municipality,  laying 
stress  especially  on  the  many  advantages  —  sanitary 
and  economical  —  of  cremation.  He  stated  that  suffi- 
cient testimony  had  been  recorded  by  Kuechenmeister 
and  many  other  scientific  authorities  to  demonstrate 
beyond  a  doubt  that  cremation  is  a  protection  against 
cholera,  yellow  fever,  and  small -pox  epidemics.  The 
furnaces  at  the  P&re  la  Chaise  can  be  used  eight  hours 
a  day.  The  total  expense  is  estimated  at  50,000  francs ; 
and  preparations  will  be  made  to  burn  4500  bodies 
a  year.  The  establishment  of  these  crematories  was 
brought  about  mainly  through  the  efforts  of  M.  Koechlin- 
Schwartz,  mayor  of  the  eighth  ward  of  Paris ;  and  the 
plan  for  their  construction  was  submitted  to  the  muni- 
cipality in  the  name  of  the  Commission  of  the  Assis- 
tance Publique  by  M.  Chaisoaing. 

The  French  Chamber  recently  enacted  the  following : 
"  Any  adult  or  free  minor,  capable  of  being  a  testator, 
may  freely  determine  the  mode  of  his  sepulture.  He 
may  elect  inhumation  or  incineration,  may  will  his 
body    or   any   part    thereof   to    institutions    of    public 


PRESENT    STATE   OF    THE   CREMATION   QUESTION.    231 

instruction  or  to  learned  societies,  and  may  regulate 
the  conditions  of  his  funeral,  notably  in  regard  to  its 
civil  or  religious  character." 

The  privilege  of  cremation  in  the  crematories  at  the 
P£re  la  Chaise  is  now  granted  to  any  one  who  asks  for 
the  same. 

The  Paris  Municipality  will  at  a  future  sitting  vote 
the  construction  of  a  sort  of  lay  temple,  where  families 
will  be  allowed  to  keep  urns  or  other  funereal  vessels. 
containing  the  ashes  of  dead  relatives.  This  will  not 
necessarily  do  away  with  any  religious  ceremony  short 
of  that  of  consigning  the  dead  to  consecrated  ground ; 
but,  as  M.  Koechlin-Schwartz  says,  there  is  no  reason 
why  urns  may  not  be  consecrated,  or  why  Protestants, 
Catholics,  Jews,  and  Free  Thinkers  may  not  build  a 
vast  mausoleum  in  which  the  ashes  of  thousands  could 
be  deposited  in  beautiful  vessels  without  injury  to  the 
living. 

It  is  probable  that  crematories  being  now  legal  in 
such  an  art  center  as  Paris,  new  and  beautiful  forms  of 
artistic  decoration  will  grow  out  of  it. 

Altogether,  cremation  is  progressing  so  favorably 
everywhere  that  one  may  be  hopeful  that  compara- 
tively soon  it  will  be  adopted  by  every  country  in  the 
world. 

Public  opinion  in  England  has  undergone  a  wonder- 
ful change,  and  now  is  universally  in  favor  of  crema- 
tion. Even  so  great  a  newspaper  as  the  Ti?nes,  once  a 
vehement  opponent  of  the  reform,  has  come  around, 
and  now  upholds  incineration. 

The  crematory  belonging  to  the  Cremation  Society 
of  England,  erected  by  them  at  St.  John's,  Woking, 
Surrey,  was  made  use  of  for  the  first  time  on  the  26th 


232  CREMATION   OF   THE   DEAD. 

of  March,  1885.  The  body  upon  which  the  rite  was 
performed  was  that  of  Mrs.  Pickersgill,  of  London, 
aged  seventy-one — a  lady  well  known  in  literary  and 
scientific  circles.  She  had  previously  become  a  member 
of  the  society,  with  a  view  of  supporting  the  reform,  in 
which  she  took  great  interest.  The  form  of  declaration 
drawn  up  by  the  society  had  been  signed  by  her,  and, 
after  the  medical  certificates  had  been  duly  filled  up  by 
registered  medical  men  and  an  application  from  a  rep- 
resentative of  the  deceased,  the  cremation  was  allowed 
to  proceed.  An  autopsy  had  been  previously  carried 
out  by  the  medical  attendants  of  the  deceased. 

The  body  was  conveyed  to  the  crematory  from 
London  in  a  suitable  hearse ;  and  the  cremation,  which 
lasted  one  hour,  was  attended  by  two  friends  of  the 
deceased,  who  expressed  themselves  perfectly  satisfied 
with  the  system  employed.  The  cost  for  fuel  was 
under  ten  shillings  altogether;  and  during  the  time  of 
the  cremation,  no  smoke  escaped  from  the  chimney- 
shaft,  whilst  the  ashes  were  of  a  purest  white  and  small 
in  volume. 

The  Italian  government  ordered  the  building  of  a 
crematory,  on  the  Gorini-Gozzi  system,  for  the  cholera 
hospital  at  Varignano,  which  was  completed  in  the 
summer  of  1885. 

A  crematorium  was  erected  at  Florence,  on  the 
Venini  system,  which  cremates  a  body  in  70  min- 
utes, and  the  cost  of  which  was  4500  francs.  Cremato- 
ries are  building  at  Pisa  and  Como. 

On  the  23d  of  June,  1885,  the  crematorium  at 
Livorno  was  dedicated  with  appropriate  ceremonies. 
It  contains  a  Spaciani  Mesmer  furnace. 

General  acquiescence  in  the  process  of  cremation  is 


PRESENT  STATE  OF  THE  CREMATION  QUESTION.    233 

steadily  growing  among  us  ;  and  I  verily  believe  that 
the  time  is  not  far  distant  when  crematories  will  be 
established  in  every  state  and  territory  of  the  Union. 
The  fact  that  one  was  recently  erected  in  New  York 
City,  one  has  been  built  at  Lancaster,  and  one  has  just 
been  completed  at  Pittsburg,  certainly  proves  that  cre- 
mation has  found  a  foothold  in  this  country. 

The  New  York  Cremation  Society  was  organized  in 
the  city  of  New  York  on  March  8,  1881,  under  the 
presidency  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  J.  D.  Beugless,  and  was 
incorporated  on  the  26th  of  March  in  the  same  year. 
The  objects  and  purposes  of  this  society  are  to  dissemi- 
nate sound  and  enlightened  views  respecting  the  incin- 
eration of  the  dead;  to  advocate  and  promote  in  every 
proper  and  legitimate  way  the  substitution  of  this 
method  for  burial;  and  to  advance  the  public  good  by 
affording  facilities  for  carrying  cremation  into  opera- 
tion. The  members  of  the  society  consist  of  three 
classes :  active,  associate,  and  corresponding  members. 
Active  members  are  subdivided  into  annual  and  life 
members,  of  whom  the  annual  members  pay  the  regular- 
dues,  and  the  life  members  the  amount  of  $30  in 
one  sum.  Those  who  have  paid  the  regular  dues 
for  twelve  successive  years  also  become  life  members. 
No  further  payment  is  then  required  from  such  mem- 
ber. These  payments  for  twelve  successive  years 
entitle  an  active  member  to  all  the  privileges  of  the 
society  for  the  remainder  of  his  life ;  and  an  associate 
member  to  the  benefit  of  the  incineration  fund  without 
further  charge. 

Only  active  members  are  qualified  for  election  or 
appointment  to  any  official  position  in  the  society ;  to 
vote  at  any  election;  and  to  debate  and  vote  at  any 


234  CREMATION   OF   THE   DEAD. 

meeting;  corresponding  members  are  chosen  from  among 
those  who  have  distinguished  themselves  by  rendering 
service  in  the  promotion  of  cremation ;  and  they  may 
reside  in  any  part  of  the  world,  except  within  a  radius 
of  five  miles  around  the  city  of  New  York.  At  present, 
the  New  York  Cremation  Society  numbers  470  mem- 
bers, of  whom  400  are  active  and  70  passive  members. 

The  United  States  Cremation  Company,  incorporated 
under  the  laws  of  the  state  of  New  York,  is  in  no  man- 
ner connected  with  the  New  York  Cremation  Society, 
although  many  members  of  the  latter  are  stockholders 
in  the  former.  This  company  was  founded  for  the  pur- 
pose of  acquiring  land,  and  erecting  thereon  the  neces- 
sary buildings,  works,  and  other  appliances  for  carrying 
cremation  into  operation.  It  was  incorporated  under 
the  general  business  act  of  1876  of  the  state  of  New 
York,  with  a  capital  stock  of  135,000,  divided  into  1400 
shares  of  the  par  value  of  $25  per  share;  $28,200 
worth  of  stock  has  already  been  taken.  Among  the 
stockholders  of  the  United  States  Cremation  Company 
are  such  persons  of  note  as  Andrew  Carnegie,  Professor 
H.  H.  Boyesen,  the  distinguished  author,  Professor 
Felix  Adler,  and  Courtlandt  Palmer. 

Early  in  1884,  the  company  purchased  a  fine  site  on 
Long  Island,  about  45  minutes'  drive  from  the  city.  The 
cremation  temple  was  erected  upon  the  summit  of  a  hill 
at  Fresh  Pond,  Long  Island.  The  site  is  bounded  by 
Olivet,  Evelin,  and  Summit  Avenues  respectively  on 
the  east,  south,  and  west,  and  commands  an  unob- 
structed view  of  the  cities  of  New  York  and  Brooklyn, 
from  the  center  of  population  in  either  of  which  it  is 
about  five  miles  distant.  It  lies  between  two  ceme- 
teries.    The  grounds  are  high  and  picturesque.     This 


PRESENT  STATE  OF  THE  CREMATION  QUESTION.     235 

place  of  rest  will  be,  if  present  plans  are  carried  out, 
more  complete  than  anything  of  the  kind  in  the  world. 
It  is  expressly  wished  to  deprive  it  of  the  mournful 
aspect  usually  associated  with  burial-grounds.  To  this 
end  there  are  no  yew  or  willow  trees,  nor  any  emblems 
of  mourning.  The  grounds  are  tastefully  laid  out,  and 
adorned  with  flowers. 

The  corner-stone  of  the  crematory  at  Fresh  Pond 
was  laid  on  Nov.  20, 1884.  Prof.  Felix  Adler  conducted 
the  services,  the  principal  speeches  being  made  by  him 
and  the  Rev.  Howard  Henderson. 

The  directors  of  the  United  States  Cremation  Com- 
pany fixed  the  charge  for  the  incineration  of  bodies 
at  $25.  The  crematorium  was  finished  in  the  latter 
part  of  October,  1885.  Experiments  were  made  with 
the  bodies  of  a  number  of  the  lower  animals,  in 
order  to  perfect  the  workings  of  the  machinery.  On 
Nov.  10,  1885,  a  dressed  ram,  weighing  75  pounds, 
together  with  the  skin,  shank,  and  hip  bones  of 
an  ox,  was  introduced  into  the  furnace.  With  a 
temperature  of  2000°  F.  the  incineration  was  completed 
in  two  hours.  A  strong  wind  greatly  retarded  the  pro- 
cess by  interfering  with  the  draught  of  cold  air.  The 
defect  was  remedied  at  once  by  altering  the  flues 
and  the  insertion  of  a  steam  jet  at  a  point  above  the 
entrance  of  the  flues. 

The  site  was  selected  in  order  to  carry  out  the  first 
plans  of  the  edifice,  which  were  those  of  a  Grecian 
temple.  The  plans  have  been  modified  and  modernized 
so  that  only  a  remnant  of  the  classical  design  is  left. 
The  front  portion  of  the  building  will  be,  when  finished, 
two  stories  high.  The  rest  of  the  structure  is  one 
story  high,  and  is  built  of  plain  red  brick.     The  dimen- 


236  CREMATION    OF   THE   DEAD. 

sions  are  38  X  74.  Light  is  admitted  to  the  interior  of 
the  building  by  skylights  in  the  roof,  as  well  as  by  the 
half-dozen  windows  on  each  side. 

Cremation  in  New  York  has  been  advancing  steadily, 
although  perhaps  slowly,  in  public  favor.  The  first 
body  was  incinerated  at  Fresh  Pond  on  Dec.  4,  1885, 
and  since  then  more  than  100  persons  have  been  cre- 
mated there. 

Cremation  is  spoken  of  with  respect,  and  the  stage 
of  smiling  and  joking  over  it  in  New  York  passed  away 
long  ago. 

It  receives  the  unanimous  support  of  the  press  and 
the  medical  profession.  The  Society  of  Medical  Juris- 
prudence and  State  Medicine  appointed  early  in  1886  a 
committee  to  consider  the  subject.  The  report  of  that 
committee,  which  was  adopted,  declared  cremation  to  be 
"a  sanitary  necessity,"  and  recommended  that  all  per- 
sons dying  of  contagious  diseases  should  be  cremated 
under  direction  of  the  medical  authorities. 

The  cremation  of  Dr.  Dio  Lewis,  the  famous  health 
reformer,  in  the  latter  part  of  May,  1886,  and  that  of 
Mr.  Henry  Dodge,  of  one  of  the  leading  banking  firms 
on  Wall  Street,  in  the  early  part  of  June,  attracted 
wide  attention. 

The  first  one  to  advocate  the  adoption  of  cremation 
in  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  was,  to  my  knowledge,  Dr.  Frederick 
Peterson,  who  championed  the  reform  in  an  article 
written  for  the  Buffalo  Medical  „and  Surgical  Journal. 
Many  years  passed,  however,  before  his  ardent  advocacy 
was  followed  by  practical  results.  The  Buffalo  Crema- 
tion Company  (Limited)  was  incorporated  in  July,  1884, 
under  the  law  of  1875,  —  the  so-called  limited  liability 
act. 


PRESENT  STATE  OF  THE  CREMATION  QUESTION.    237 

At  a  meeting  held  May  18,  1886,  the  first  board  of 
directors  was  elected,  with  Dr.  Charles  Gary  as  presi- 
dent. The  gentlemen  constituting  this  first  board  man- 
aged the  affairs  of  the  company  so  well,  and  agreed 
among  themselves  so  perfectly,  that  they  were  re- 
elected, and  are  still  in  office. 

At  this  meeting  committees  were  appointed  on  the 
purchase  of  real  estate  for  a  suitable  site  for  building  a 
crematorium,  also  for  plans  for  the  erection  of  a  fur- 
nace for  the  incineration  of  bodies.  Subscriptions  came 
in  rapidly,  and  those  who  had  strong  faith  in  the  ulti- 
mate accomplishment  of  this  work  were  gratified  by  the 
realization  of  their  hopes.  Any  one  who  takes  a  look 
at  the  crematorium  of  Buffalo  to-day,  must  acknowl- 
edge that  the  crematists  of  this  city  have  a  right  to  be 
glad  and  proud  to  behold  at  last  the  practical  outcome 
of  their  work. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  board  of  directors  in  the  early 
part  of  August,  1885,  the  committees  appointed  for  the 
purpose  rendered  their  reports  in  reference  to  a  site  for 
a  crematorium  and  a  cinerary  apparatus.  In  accord- 
ance with  these  reports  the  directors  purchased  a  site 
on  Delavan  Avenue,  near  Delaware  Avenue.  The  di- 
mensions are  181  feet  front,  161  feet  rear,  and  148  feet 
in  depth.  The  property  was  bought  at  a  cost  of  $20 
per  foot,  and  on  very  favorable  terms. 

Originally  the  capital  stock  was  $10,000,  divided  into 
400  shares,  of  the  par  value  of  $25  per  share.  This 
was  afterward  increased  to  $15,000,  divided  into  600 
shares  of  the  same  par  value.  This  stock  when  once 
paid  up  is  non-assessable,  and  not  liable  for  the  debts 
of  the  company. 

The    Buffalo    crematorium,   which   was   finished   re- 


238  CREMATION   OF   THE   DEAD. 

cently,  is  of  a  composite  style  of  architecture,  and  is 
constructed  of  Medina  stone,  with  a  slate  roof.  The 
outline  of  the  building  is  a  pleasing  one,  and  the  archi- 
tecture is  of  such  a  character  that  it  resembles  a  church 
more  closely  than  a  place  where  any  mechanical  opera- 
tion is  carried  on.  The  grounds  of  the  company  are 
entered  from  Delavan  Avenue  by  a  spacious  roadway, 
running  to  a  porch  and  then  passing  around  the  build- 
ing to  the  door  of  the  mortuary  chamber,  on  the  east 
side.  Those  who  accompany  the  body  alight  at  the 
porch,  and  pass  thence  into  the  auditorium.  The  body 
itself  is  removed  from  the  hearse  at  the  door  of  the 
mortuary  chamber. 

When  the  coffin  containing  the  body  is  received  in 
the  mortuary  chamber,  the  body  is  removed  and  placed 
on  the  car  which  awaits  its  reception.  The  car  is  then 
moved  by  machinery,  and  without  noise,  into  the  chan- 
cel, where,  if  it  is  desired,  the  body  may  remain  in  sight 
of  those  in  the  auditorium  during  the  progress  of  such 
service  as  the  friends  and  relatives  may  wish  to  have 
performed.  At  the  proper  time  the  same  mechanism 
moves  the  car  noiselessly  behind  the  doors  which  cut 
off  the  incinerating  room  from  the  sight  of  the  audi- 
ence. 

The  building  itself  is  some  70  feet  in  width,  by 
60  feet  deep.  The  construction  throughout  is  of 
the  most  substantial  character.  The  lot  is  graded  and 
seeded,  and  trees  and  shrubs  were  planted,  so  that  the 
appearance  of  the  crematorium  and  its  surroundings  is 
most  pleasing  to  the  eye. 

On  Dec.  20,  1883,  Mr.  John  Storer  Cobb,  who  was 
one  of  the  projectors  and  founders  of  the  New  York 
Cremation  Society  and  the  United  States    Cremation 


PKESENT  STATE  OF  THE  CREMATION  QUESTION.     239 

Company,  requested  Bostonians  (in  the  columns  of  a 
leading  newspaper)  who  were  in  favor  of  substituting 
incineration  for  inhumation  as  a  means  of  disposing  of 
the  dead,  to  furnish  him  with  their  names  and  addresses. 
After  the  receipt  of  these  names  he  called  a  meeting, 


CREMATORIUM   AT    LANCASTER,   PA.     (Interior  View.) 


which  took  place  Jan.  24,  1884,  and  the  result  of  which 
was  the  organization  of  the  New  England  Cremation 
Society.  Organization  was  effected  under  Chapter  115 
of  the  Massachusetts  Public  Statutes;  but  the  commis- 
sioner of  corporations  refusing  to  allow  such  incorpora- 
tion, the  society  not  wishing  to  organize  under  the 
general    corporation   law,    whereby    the    par   value    of 


240  CKEMATION   OF   THE   DEAD. 

shares  must  be  $100,  and  all  stock  subscribed  for  and 
paid  in  before  it  could  commence  operations,  applied 
for  a  special  charter,  embodying  its  views  and  needs. 
But  the  time  for  the  introduction  of  new  business 
having  expired,,  it  was  obliged  to  wait  till  the  next 
session  of  the  legislature.  Early  in  the  session  it  pre- 
sented a  bill  for  incorporation,  which  took  the  form  of 
a  general  law,  authorizing  the  formation  of  cremation 
societies. 

It  was  the  intention  of  the  society  to  at  once  incor- 
porate under  this  act,  place  the  stock  of  the  society  on 
sale,  and  as  soon  as  possible  erect  a  crematorium  in  the 
near  vicinity  of  Boston.  The  bill  passed  both  houses 
of  the  legislature,  but  was  amended,  so  that  now  the 
par  value  of  shares  must  be  either  $10  or  $50,  and,  as 
under  the  general  corporation  law  of  Massachusetts,  the 
whole  capital  stock  must  be  subscribed  and  paid  in 
before  the  society  can  commence  operations. 

The  capital  stock  of  the  society  is  $25,000,  distributed 
into  2500  shares,  each  of  the  par  value  of  $10.  At 
present  the  society  numbers  about  75  members.  The 
officers  are :  John  Storer  Cobb,  president ;  Charles 
A.  Holt,  treasurer ;  and  Sidney  P.  Brown,  secre- 
tary. 

Inspired  with  the  necessity  of  a  better  method  of 
disposing  of  the  dead,  Dr.  John  O.  Marble  began  the 
agitation  of  the  question  in  Worcester,  Mass.,  in 
November,  1884,  by  reading  a  paper  upon  the  subject 
before  25  of  the  most  prominent  physicians  of  that 
city.  Much  to  his  surprise  and  pleasure  they  heartily 
approved  of  the  plan  of  cremation  as  a  substitute  for 
the  present  time-honored,  but,  to  the  living,  dangerous 
custom  of  earth-burial.     At  the  solicitation  of  one  of 


PRESENT  STATE  OF  THE  CREMATION  QUESTION.     241 

them,  who  is  the  enthusiastic  president  of  the  Worces- 
ter Natural  History  Society,  the  doctor  delivered  a 
lecture  upou  the  subject  of  the  "  Disposal  of  the  Dead, 
Cremation  Preferred,"  before  a  large  audience  in  the 
hall  of  the  society  on  the  evening  of  Dec.  4,  1884. 

The  people  of  the  conservative  city  of  Worcester 
seemed  to  appreciate  the  sanitary  necessity,  and  began 
intelligent  inquiries,  which  Dr.  Marble  answered  in 
eight  communications  in  the  Worcester  Daily  Spy.  The 
movement  was  favored  by  almost  all  of  the  best  citi- 
zens, and,  after  considerable  hard  work  on  Dr.  Marble's 
part,  took  shape  in  the  organization  of  a  society.  The 
constitution  was  signed  by,  and  the  society  is  composed 
of,  persons  of  the  very  highest  position,  socially,  pro- 
fessionally, and  in  every  respect.  The  society  is  not 
yet  quite  ready  for  the  erection  of  a  erern?,- -j-  y,  but  it 
is  expected  that  such  result  will  follow  in  the  near 
future. 

The  Cincinnati  Cremation  Company  was  incoiporated 
on  Oct.  18,  1884 ;  it  was  organized  two  or  three  weeks 
later.  The  capital  stock  of  the  company  is  $25,000, 
divided  into  1000  shares  of  the  par  value  of  $25  per 
share.  No  member  is  permitted  to  own  more  than 
20  shares.  In  the  spring  of  1885,  the  company 
purchased  a  site  for  the  erection  of  Cincinnati's  cre- 
matorium. The  site  is  on  a  commanding  eminence  on 
Dixmyth  Avenue,  west  of  Burnet  Woods  and  within  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  of  the  terminus  of  the  Clifton  line 
of  cars.  The  property  is  within  city  limits ;  it  is 
easily  accessible,  being  on  a  fine  drive ;  its  elevation 
will  give  the  crematorium  a  distinguished  prominence, 
while  the  view  to  the  west  and  south  is  extended  and 
beautiful.     The  front  measurement  of  the  site  is  some- 


242  CREMATION   OF   THE   DEAD. 

what  over  300  feet,  with  a  depth  of  350,  comprising  an 
area  of  more  than  two  and  a  half  acres,  at  a  cost  of 
$4000.  The  basement  of  the  Cincinnati  crematorium 
has  been  finished;  the  furnace  is  being  erected,  and 
will  be  completed  in  a  short  time.  At  present,  the 
company  counts  325  stockholders,  with  quite  a  repre- 
sentation of  ladies.  About  $15,000  of  the  stock  has 
been  subscribed  for. 

A  crematory  on  Sixth  Avenue,  in  the  centre  of  the 
city  of  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  was  completed  in  January, 
1886.  The  furnace  (constructed  by  Dr.  M.  L.  Davis) 
is  heated  by  natural  gas  to  at  least  2200  degrees. 
The  apparatus  is  owned  by  Mr.  H.  Samson,  the  ex- 
president  of  the  National  Funeral  Directors'  Asso- 
ciation, who  is  a  wide-awake  man,  and  thinks  the 
funeral  directors  (vulgo,  undertakers)  are  very  short- 
sighted to  allow  cremation  associations  to  be  organ- 
ized ;  they  should  be  willing  and  prepared  to  take  care 
of  and  make  such  disposition  of  the  dead  as  the  people 
want.  The  use  of  natural  gas  enables  Mr.  Samson  to 
have  his  furnace  in  the  basement  of  his  business  house. 
The  first  cremation  in  this  apparatus  took  place  on 
March  17,  1886,  when  the  remains  of  Milton  Fisher,  of 
Columbus,  O.,  were  incinerated.  The  body  was  placed 
in  the  retort  at  7.30  o'clock,  and  in  less  than  an  hour 
was  reduced  to  ashes.  This  was  the  first  time  that 
natural  gas  had  ever  been  used  for  cremating  purposes ; 
and  its  advantages  were  apparent  at  once. 

The  National  Cremation  Association,  which  was  or- 
ganized and  incorporated  Feb.  10,  1883,  has  so  far 
met  with  success,  as  its  object  to  make  propaganda 
for  the  principle  of  cremation  and  keep  its  ideas  before 
the  eyes  of  the  public  has  been  fully  sustained,  as  the 


PRESENT  STATE  OF  THE  CREMATION  QUESTION.     243 

discussions  and  arguments  pro  and  contra  in  the  press 
of  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  where  it  is  located,  will  prove. 
According  to  its  constitution,  this  association  agrees  to 
cremate  the  remains  of  any  active  or  passive  member  in 
good  standing  at  death,  when  so  desired.  The  expenses 
of  the  funeral  and  cremation  are  carried  by  the  asso- 
ciation. 

Since  the  incorporation  of  this  society,  one  of  its 
members  died,  May  10,  1884,  and  was,  in  accordance 
with  his  wishes,  cremated.  The  body  was  transferred 
to  Washington,  Pa.,  on  the  13th  of  the  same  month, 
and  there  reduced  to  ashes,  which  were  returned  to 
the  care  of  the  family  of  the  deceased. 

Since  the  incorporation  of  the  association,  the  number 
of  members  has  risen  from  six  to  59  and  will  soon, 
no  doubt,  be  a  fall  hundred. 

It  is  now  the  main  object  of  this  association  to  secure 
the  erection  of  a  crematory  in  or  near  Philadelphia. 
For  this  purpose  subscriptions  were  received  and  stock 
issued.  As  soon  as  the  necessary  capital  is  obtained 
the  crematorium  will  be  built. 

In  the  medical  school  of  the  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania the  bodies  which  have  been  utilized  for  dissec- 
tion are  burned  instead  of  being  buried  as  heretofore. 

The  Lancaster  Cremation  and  Funeral  Reform  So- 
ciety at  Lancaster,  Pa.,  originated  in  this  wise :  Early 
in  1884,  a  few  gentlemen  interested  in  the  matter  agi- 
tated it  among  their  friends ;  and  a  list  of  members  of 
a  proposed  society  was  made.  On  May  27,  these  sub- 
scribers met  at  the  office  of  Messrs.  Steinmann  and 
Hensel  (both  of  whom  were  members),  and,  calling 
D.  G.  Eshleman  to  the  chair,  a  temporary  organization 
was  effected.     A  committee  was  appointed  to  report  on 


244  CREMATION   OF   THE   DEAD. 

a  proper  location  for  a  crematory,  also  a  committee 
on  charter  and  by-laws.  These  committees  reported 
June  6,  when  the  amount  of  stock  was  fixed  at  $5000 
in  |10  shares. 

At  the  third  meeting,  June  13,  a  permanent  organiza- 
tion was  effected  by  electing  a  board  of  directors. 

The  board  organized  immediately  upon  the  adjourn- 
ment of  the  stockholders'  meeting,  and  chose  D.  G. 
Eshleman,  Esq.,  president;  Dr.  Henry  Carpenter  and 
Rev.  J.  Max  Hark,  vice-presidents ;  J.  D.  Pyott,  clerk ; 
H.  C.  Brubaker,  Esq.,  corresponding  secretary ;  Geo. 
K.  Reed,  treasurer.  Mr.  Middleton  was  placed  on  the 
committee  on  ground  and  building  in  place  of  Mr. 
Hensel,  whose  engagements  prevented  his  acting;  and 
this  committee  was  instructed  to  report  June  20,  at 
which  time  the  site  now  occupied  was  selected  and  the 
committee  ordered  to  purchase.  On  the  30th  of  June, 
the  stock  subscribed  was  called  in,  and  building  pro- 
posals asked  for.  On  the  11th  of  July,  bids  were 
opened ;  on  the  14th  of  July,  the  contract  was  awarded 
to  Mr.  Dinkelberg,  and  the  building  was  immediately 
begun.  On  the  10th  of  September,  the  building  was 
completed;  and  the  retort  builders  having  failed  to 
come  to  time,  the  committee  were  authorized  to  con- 
struct one  on  plans  of  their  own.  This  was  done;  for 
Dr.  M.  L.  Davis  devised  and  built  a  furnace  from  his 
own  designs,  and  on  Nov.  1  the  board  met  in  the  cre- 
matory building,  and  provided  for  the  improvement  of 
the  grounds. 

On  the  night  of  Nov.  4  or  the  morning  of  the 
5th,  the  furnace  went  to  white  heat,  despite  predictions 
of  experts  to  the  contrary,  and  justified  the  plan  of  con- 
struction.    On  the  evening  of  the  17th  of  November, 


PRESENT  STATE  OF  THE  CREMATION  QUESTION.     245 

the  body  of  a  sheep,  two  ox-heads,  and  several  sheep- 
heads  were  enclosed  in  a  wooden  box  and  placed  in  the 
retort  at  red  heat,  the  company  present  being  unwilling 
to  remain  later.  Some  smoke,  of  course,  was  made  ;  but 
when  white  heat  was  reached,  the  cremation  was  per- 
fect, as  specimens  of  the  residuum  amply  proved. 

The  crematorium  was  dedicated  on  Tuesday,  Nov. 
25,  at  2  p.m.,  when  the  body  of  a  lady  from  Jersey 
City,  N.  J.,  was  incinerated.  It  must  be  remembered 
that  this  society  was  organized  on  May  27,  1884,  pur- 
chased land,  erected  its  building,  and  had  its  first  cre- 
mation within  the  period  of  six  months,  while  several 
other  societies  organized  much  earlier  had  not  yet  ad- 
vanced much  beyond  laying  the  corner-stones  of  their 
respective  buildings. 

The  dedication  exercises  were  opened  by  a  prayer 
by  Rev.  Geo.  Gaul,  of  St.  Paul's  Methodist  Church. 
Thereupon,  the  building  was  delivered  to  the  society 
by  Dr.  M.  L.  Davis,  chairman  of  the  building  com- 
mittee, who  discussed  the  subject  of  cremation  from  a 
sanitary  standpoint. 

The  next  oration,  preceding  the  benediction,  was 
delivered  by  Rev.  J.  Max  Hark,  pastor  of  the  Moravian 
church,  one  of  the  vice-presidents  of  the  society,  who 
treated  the  subject  from  a  theological  standpoint. 

The  benediction  over,  the  participants  in  the  dedica- 
tion ceremony  dispersed.  The  incineration  that  took 
place  on  this  occasion  was  entirely  satisfactory. 

The  whole  ceremony  was  solemn,  and  produced  a 
profound  impression  upon  the  intelligent  and  thought- 
ful audience,  among  whom  were  many  guests  from 
other  cities. 

The  rules  of  the  Lancaster  Cremation  and  Funeral 


246  CREMATION   OF   THE   DEAD. 

Reform  Association  are  very  stringent  and  well  calcu- 
lated to  meet  all  demands.  All  applicants  for  crema- 
tion of  bodies  must  present  a  certificate  of  death,  signed 
by  the  physician  attending  during  the  last  illness,  whose 
standing  as  a  reputable  practitioner  must  be  attested  by 
a  magistrate  or  notary  public.  When  brought  from 
a  distance,  official  board  of  health  papers  are  also  re- 
quired. The  rules  request  that  the  body  should  be 
dressed  in  a  shroud  of  cotton  or  linen  fabric ;  all  metal- 
lic substances  being  avoided  —  hooks,  buttons  with 
metallic  eyes,  etc.  The  body  should  be  enclosed  in  a 
plain  wooden  coffin ;  or,  what  is  preferable,  in  a  coffin 
made  of  sheet  zinc.     The  cost  of  incineration  is  $25. 

The  condition,  financial  and  otherwise,  of  the  society 
is  excellent.  Mr.  H.  C.  Brubaker  started  the  subscrip- 
tion shortly  after  Dr.  Gross's  demise,  and  succeeded  in 
getting  some  50  subscribers  before  organization.  The 
society  now  numbers  about  80  members,  of  the  best 
thinking  element  in  the  community,  male  and  female. 
So  far,  51  cremations  have  taken  place  in  the  Lan- 
caster furnace,  every  one  of  them  to  the  entire  satisfac- 
tion of  all  concerned. 

Recently  a  second  furnace  was  put  in  the  Lancaster 
crematorium ;  and  some  important  improvements  were 
made  by  Dr.  Davis  in  the  process  which  was  invented 
by  him. 

A  single  feature  of  the  earlier  incinerations  seemed 
out  of  harmony  with  the  character  of  the  occasion  — 
it  was  necessary  to  force  the  receptacle  with  the  body 
into  the  retort  by  direct  pressure.  This  was  sought  to 
be  remedied  by  drawing  it  in  by  a  wire  cable ;  but  the 
latter  proving  unreliable,  the  body,  enclosed  in  the 
alum-saturated  cloth,  is  now  laid  in  a  cradle  consisting 


PRESENT  STATE  OF  THE  CREMATION  QUESTION.      247 

of  a  steel  frame  covered  with  asbestos  and  fire-clay, 
which  is  suspended  from  an  extension  arm,  operated  by 
a  quick-thread  screw  extending  lengthwise  of  the  cata- 
falque, by  which  the  cradle  is  placed  silently  in  the 
retort  and  the  arm  withdrawn.  The  incineration  being 
completed,  by  reversing  the  process  the  cradle  with  the 
ashes  is  extracted  intact  and  allowed  to  cool. 

It  is  to  be  remembered  that  these  Lancaster  people 
had  almost  everything  to  learn.  Dr.  Le  Moyne,  of 
glorious  memory,  had  devoted  his  labors  to  teaching 
the  principle  by  precept  and  example ;  his  method  was 
necessarily  primitive  and  crude.  Lancaster  added  the 
required  art,  gave  the  principle  an  adequate  process, 
and  sent  forth  the  body  of  truth  suitably  clothed.  The 
record  of  their  first  cremation  was  published,  with  all 
sorts  of  comment,  in  every  live  paper  of  the  land ;  and 
the  impetus  then  given  to  the  cause  of  reform,  while  it 
cannot  be  fully  estimated,  is  plainly  seen  in  the  wonder- 
ful development  of  correct  thought  and  sentiment  on 
this  subject  which  immediately  followed. 

In  the  list  of  persons  cremated  at  Lancaster,  the  Ger- 
man element  largely  predominates ;  and  practically  the 
whole  list  is  made  up  of  residents  in  cities  —  showing 
that  the  centers  of  culture  are  also  the  nuclei  of  ad- 
vanced thought  on  this  question.  Nor  is  this  crema- 
torium altogether  without  honor  in  its  own  country. 
One  of  the  prominent  members  of  the  society  (George 
Brubaker,  Esq.)  dying  since  its  establishment,  was  in- 
cinerated; also  Ex-Mayor  Christian  Kieff'er,  of  Lancaster, 
and  both  parents  of  Mrs.  H.  C.  Brubaker.  The  society 
is  extremely  fortunate  in  its  personnel ;  from  its  presi- 
dent, a  leading  lawyer,  its  vice-presidents,  in  the  front 
rank  of  medicine  and  divinity ;  its  directors,  active  men 


248  CREMATION    OF   THE   DEAD. 

in  all  walks  of  life,  the  high  school  principal,  leading 
journalists,  bankers,  managers  of  large  business  enter- 
prises, the  medical  profession  largely  represented  in  the 
rank  and  file  of  its  80  members — its  position  in  the 
community  is  assured,  and  its  radical  doctrine  finds  the 
most  solid  of  "backing." 

The  cremation  society  of  New  Orleans,  La.,  was 
organized  and  incorporated  on  the  14th  of  Febru- 
ary, 1884.  It  was  established  mainly  through  the 
efforts  of  Dr.  Felix  Formento.  It  was  founded  to 
ascertain  and  demonstrate,  by  scientific  research  and 
investigation,  the  importance  and  necessity  of  incinera- 
tion to  society  as  the  best  method  of  disposing  of  the 
bodies  of  the  dead  ;  and  in  pursuance  thereof  to  make 
known  to  the  people  the  dangers  to  public  health 
resulting  from  the  mode  of  burial  generally  practiced 
all  over  the  country,  more  particularly  the  special 
clangers  to  a  city  like  New  Orleans,  from  the  peculiar 
method  followed  there ;  to  demonstrate  the  advantage 
of  cremation  over  all  other  modes  of  disposing  of  the 
dead,  in  a  sanitary,  social,  and  economical  point  of 
view ;  to  remove  all  prejudices  which  there  may  be 
against  the  introduction  of  cremation  in  the  Crescent 
City,  and  to  prove  that  cremation  can  be  practiced  with- 
out in  the  least  wounding  religious  sentiment  or  sus- 
ceptibilities ;  to  obtain  information  in  regard  to  the 
different  methods ;  to  obtain,  if  necessary,  proper  legis- 
lative enactments  on  the  subject  of  incineration,  pro- 
viding for  the  disposal  of  bodies,  especially  those  whose 
death  resulted  from  contagious  or  infectious  diseases, 
and  especially  in  small-pox  hospitals  and  other  public 
institutions  ;  to  procure  necessary  funds  for  the  erection 


PRESENT  STATE  OF  THE  CREMATION  QUESTION.     249 

of  a  crematorium  in  the  city  of  New  Orleans,  and  for 
its  management  under  proper  sanitary  regulations. 

I  regret  to  say  that  this  society  is  no  longer  in  exist- 
ence. It  went  to  the  dogs  on  account  of  the  apathy  of 
the  people  of  New  Orleans.  It  started  out  with  good 
prospects  of  success ;  a  square  of  ground  was  even 
bought  near  the  city,  and  it  was  thought  that  a  furnace 
for  the  burning  of  the  dead  would  be  built  without 
delay.  But  gradually  the  interest  in  cremation  lessened 
in  the  Crescent  City  and,  in  consequence,  the  society 
went  into  liquidation. 

At  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  the  propaganda  in  favor  of  crema- 
tion was  carried  on  for  years  by  Dr.  Luedeking,  who 
died,  and  was  reduced  to  ashes  in  the  Lancaster  crema- 
tory. Thereupon  the  robes  of  an  agitator  for  incinera- 
tion' were  donned  by  Mr.  Oscar  Hoef er  of  the  Westliche 
Post,  an  influential  German  journal,  and  Rev.  Jonas, 
both  of  whom  kept  the  interest  in  cremation  alive  by 
delivering  lectures  on  the  subject  and  by  contributing 
articles  to  the  daily  press. 

The  Missouri  Crematory  Association  was  organized 
in  the  early  part  of  1885  for  the  purpose  of  providing 
and  establishing  in  the  city  of  St.  Louis,  a  suitable 
building  and  other  facilities  for  the  cremation  of  the 
dead,  and  for  the  proper  preservation  of  their  ashes  in 
a  columbarium.  The  capital  stock  is  $25,000,  divided 
into  1000  shares  of  $25  each,  ten  per  cent  of  which 
amount  must  be  deposited  by  the  subscriber  immediately 
upon  signing.  Non-residents  may  become  members  of 
the  association,  and,  for  the  purpose  of  cremation,  the 
bodies  not  only  from  this  city  or  state,  but  also  from 
other  states  and  locations  may  be  received. 

From   the   beginning  the   association   encountered   a 


250  CREMATION   OF   THE  DEAD. 

great  deal  of  opposition.  This  was  so  strong  that  once 
the  advisability  of  disbanding  was  seriously  discussed. 
All  agreeing,  however,  that  it  was  too  great  a  pity  to 
abandon  a  project,  for  the  execution  of  which  there  was 
enough  capital  on  hand,  concluded  not  to  disorganize 
and  to  make  more  strenuous  efforts  to  overcome  the 
prejudice  prevailing  in  the  city  council  and  among  the 
citizens. 

This  proved  to  be  temporary,  for  a  bill,  prohibiting 
cremation  within  the  city  limits,  was  repealed  recently 
by  both  houses  of  the  city  council  of  St.  Louis,  and 
only  awaits  the  signature  of  the  mayor  to  become  a  law. 

The  association  bought  no  less  lhan  three  lots.  With 
the  last  one,  not  very  desirable  in  location,  they  are  at 
length  gaining  success.  When  they  had  bought  the 
first  lot,  the  building  commission  issued  a  building  per- 
mit to  them,  for  which  they  had  to  pay  $5.  After 
this,  however,  the  municipal  council  enacted  a  law  for- 
bidding them  to  make  use  of  that  very  permit,  by  pro- 
hibiting cremation.  And  the  $5  were  never  returned 
to  them. 

The  association  is  in  a  prosperous  condition,  and  will 
proceed  at  once,  as  soon  as  the  present  obstacles  are 
removed,  to  carry  out  the  objects  for  which  it  was 
founded. 

The  First  Cremation  Society  of  San  Francisco  was 
incorporated  on  the  17th  of  February,  1882,  with 
53  members.  The  directors  of  this  society  are: 
E.  D.  Wheeler,  president;  S.  Heydenfelt,  Jr.,  vice- 
president;  E.  A.  Denicke,  treasurer;  Max  Levy,  re- 
cording secretary;  George  E.  Voelkel,  corresponding 
secretary ;  H.  A.  Cobb,  J.  Bayer,  M.D.,  F.  Schuene- 
mann-Pott,  Dr.  Wozencroft. 


PRESENT  STATE  OF  THE  CREMATION  QUESTION.     251 

The  law  of  the  state  of  California  provides  only  for 
the  disposal  of  the  dead  by  burial ;  therefore  the  society 
is  now  making  the  greatest  efforts  to  induce  the  legis- 
lature to  enact  a  law  authorizing  cremation,  leaving  the 
people  free  to  choose  as  to  the  disposal  of  their  dead 
between  the  two  methods. 

At  the  last  annual  meeting  of  the  society,  the  secre- 
tary stated  that  the  society  now  numbers  113  members,  of 
which  six  are  ladies.  One  of  the  original  members 
died,  another  left  the  society,  which  makes  an  increase 
in  membership  of  62  persons. 

The  Sau  Francisco  Cremation  Company  was  incor- 
porated on  the  10th  of  September,  1885,  with  117 
stockholders,  representing  214  shares  at  $50.  The 
capital  stock  is  $25,000,  divided  into  500  shares  of 
$50  each.  The  object  of  the  company  is  to  erect  a 
suitable  crematorium  for  the  immense  population  of 
the  great  city  at  the  Golden  Gate. 

A  lot  has  been  purchased,  and  a  crematorium  will  be 
erected  capable  of  incinerating  40  bodies  a  day.  The 
officers  of  this  company  are :  Judge  E.  D.  Wheeler, 
president;  S.  Henderfelt,  Jr.,  vice-president;  Max  Levy, 
temporary  treasurer  and  recording  secretary;  George 
E.  Voelkel,  corresponding  secretary ;  C.  W.  Banks, 
General  Cobb,  E.  O.  Denicke,  W.  T.  Trelan,  Jr. 

A  cremation  company  was  organized  at  Los  Angeles, 
Cal.,  in  the  early  part  of  September,  1885,  with  152 
members,  of  which  12  are  ladies.  This  company 
intends  to  build  a  crematorium  as  soon  as  $6000  have 
been  subscribed. 

Cremation  companies  were  also  recently  founded  at 
Sacramento  and  Stockton,  Cal. 

The  Davenport  (Iowa)  Cremation  Society  was  formed 


252  CREMATION   OF   THE   DEAD. 

on  the  17th  of  February,  1885,  and  is  still  in  existence. 
It  counts  about  120  members.  It  was  founded  to 
"enlighten  the  people  on  the  subject  of  cremation." 
The  annual  dues  are  $1. 

The  Northwestern  Cremation  Society  of  Davenport 
may  be  regarded  as  an  offspring  of  the  above.  At  a 
meeting  held  in  April,  1885,  a  committee  was  appointed 
to  obtain  subscriptions  for  the  purpose  of  building  a 
crematorium.  The  committee  reported  May  6  that  100 
shares,  at  $25  a  share,  had  been  subscribed.  At  this 
meeting  a  committee  was  instructed  to  draft  articles  of 
incorporation,  to  be  acted  upon  at  a  future  meeting; 
and  another  committee  was  appointed  to  ascertain  the 
cost  of  cremation  furnaces.  The  committee  reported 
on  June  30;  and  the  stockholders  then  proceeded  to 
elect  the  directors  of  the  organization.  On  the  3d  of 
July,  the  board  of  directors  elected  the  officers:  H.  H. 
Andresen,  president;  C.  Stoltenberg,  vice-president; 
F.  G.  Clausen,  secretary;  F.  T.  Blunck,  treasurer. 

The  capital  stock  of  this  company  is  $25,000,  divided 
into  1000  shares  of  $25  each.  The  stock  is  payable  at 
such  time  or  times  as  the  board  of  directors  may  deter- 
mine. Four  thousand  three  hundred  and  fifty  dollars 
have  already  been  subscribed.  A  committee  has  been 
appointed  to  purchase  a  lot,  and  the  crematorium  will 
probably  be  erected  in  the  course  of  this  year. 

In  the  spring  of  1885,  several  citizens  of  San  An- 
tonio, Tex.,  circulated  a  list  which  read  as  follows:  — 

"We,  the  undersigned,  believing  cremation  the  proper, 
most  healthful,  and  most  satisfactory  method  of  dispos- 
ing of  our  dead,  do  therefore  sign  our  names  hereto,  with 
the  expectation  of  forming  ourselves  into  a  society,  the 
immediate   object  of  which   will  be  the  erection  of  a 


PRESENT  STATE  OF  THE  CREMATION  QUESTION.    253 

crematorium  in  this  city."  This  circular  was  signed  by 
95  persons,  ladies  as  well  as  gentlemen. 

A  meeting  was  then  called.  At  this  gathering,  three 
committees  were  appointed :  one  to  obtain  a  charter, 
one  to  prepare  the  constitution  and  by-laws,  and  one, 
finally,  to  get  subscriptions. 

The  latter  made  the  round  of  the  city  with  the  fol- 
lowing agreement :  — 

"  We,  the  undersigned,  do  hereby  agree  to  become 
members  of  the  cremation  society  now  being  formed 
in  San  Antonio,  Bexar  County,  Tex.  Each  of  the  un- 
dersigned hereby  agrees  to  pay  50  cents  down,  as  a 
contribution  to  the  fund  for  defraying  the  preliminary 
expense  in  forming  the  society." 

This  list  was  signed  by  107  persons  of  both  sexes,  and 
|53  were  collected  to  pay  for  printing,  etc. 

After  this,  another  meeting  was  called  in  the  latter 
part  of  May,  and  the  company  organized  permanently. 
The  organization  is  called  the  "San  Antonio  Crema- 
tion Company,"  and  has  the  following  officers:  E.  B. 
Hadra,  M.D.,  president ;  M.  F.  Corbett,  vice-presi- 
dent; F.  Groos,  banker,  treasurer;  A.  Maverick,  sec- 
retary. 

The  company  was  incorporated  on  the  18th  of  June, 
1885.  The  amount  of  the  capital  stock  of  this  corpora- 
tion is  $50,000,  divided  into  5000  shares,  of  the  par 
value  each  of  $10.  So  far,  11480  have  been  subscribed 
by  60  shareholders. 

An  acre  of  land  was  donated  to  the  company  by 
Mr.  A.  Maverick.  It  lies  east  of  the  city,  on  a  hill,  in 
the  neighborhood  of  the  cemeteries ;  but  the  property 
lies  east  of  them,  so  that  the  east  and  southeast  trade 
winds,  which  blow  in  San  Antonio  during  the  summer, 


254  CREMATION   OF    THE   DEAD. 

reach  the  place  first,  and,  consequently,  do  not  fetch 
any  bad  odor  from  the  graveyards. 

The  grounds  will  be  beautifully  laid  out  and  planted 
with  trees  and  shrubs  in  the  near  future.  The  view 
from  this  site  is  very  fine.  Toward  the  north  may  be 
seen  the  government  depot,  with  all  its  stately  buildings, 
about  two  miles  off;  toward  the  east  and  southeast  is 
visible  a  beautiful  valley  terminated  in  the  distance  by 
the  picturesque  blue  mountains. 

In  the  beginning  the  company  was  opposed  by  a 
Baptist  preacher,  who  was  soon  silenced  by  the  follow- 
ing declaration  in  one  of  the  daily  newspapers :  — 

"I  have  no  doubt  but  that  my  good  old  Christian 
friend  is  in  this  world  for  doing  good ;  but,  by  opposing 
cremation,  he  not  only  does  harm  to  us  all  as  long  as 
he  lives,  but  continues  to  injure  us  after  he  is  dead  and 
buried,"  etc. 

The  cremation  movement  in  the  state  of  Michigan 
was  begun  by  the  author  of  this  volume  immediately 
after  he  returned  from  the  incineration  of  his  mother. 
By  repeated  newspaper  articles  I  continued  to  awaken 
a  lively  interest  in  the  reform  at  Detroit,  and  was  sup- 
ported in  my  undertaking  by  all  the  leading  newspapers 
of  the  city ;  even  a  publication  only  a  few  days  old  de- 
claring in  favor  of  cremation.  None  but  the  purely 
religious  journals  opposed  the  scheme.  On  the  7th  of 
August,  1885,  a  meeting  was  held  at  a  public  hall  in 
the  City  of  the  Straits,  for  the  purpose  of  discussing  the 
question  of  cremation  and  of  forming  a  cremation  so- 
ciety. The  meeting  was  well  attended,  nearly  100 
persons  being  present.  Dr.  J.  H.  Carstens  was  chosen 
chairman,  and  Dr.  H.  Erichsen  as  secretary.  The  meet- 
ing was  opened  by  Dr.  J.  H.  Carstens.     Two  plans,  he 


PRESENT  STATE  OF  THE  CREMATION  QUESTION.    255 

said,  had  been  proposed  for  the  consideration  of  crema- 
tionists ;  one  of  these  was  the  building  of  a  crematory, 
the  other,  the  formation  of  a  society,  each  member  of 
which  would  pledge  himself  to  provide  for  the  incinera- 
tion of  his  body. 

I  then  made  the  address  of  the  evening,  giving  the 
main  arguments  for  incineration  as  opposed  to  earth- 
burial.  My  statements  were  followed  by  remarks  of 
a  similar  nature,  made  by  several  of  the  gentlemen 
present. 

A  motion  was  then  made  by  Dr.  J.  E.  Emerson,  a 
prominent  physician,  that  the  chairman  appoint  a  com- 
mittee of  three  to  prepare  a  constitution  and  by-laws 
for  the  organization  of  a  cremation  society  in  Detroit ; 
and  three  gentlemen  were  appointed  as  such  committee. 
The  following  agreement  was  thereupon  prepared,  and 
received  27  signatures  :  — 

"We,  the  undersigned,  do  hereby  unite  ourselves 
into  an  association  for  the  purpose  of  providing  facili- 
ties for  carrying  cremation  into  operation."  Then  the 
meeting  adjourned,  subject  to  the  call  of  the  committee. 

The  entire  time  of  the  committee  was  taken  up  by 
the  formation  of  a  stock  company,  which  proposes  the 
erection  of  a  crematory.  Influenced  by  flattering  pros- 
pects, the  promoters  of  the  project  had  prepared  by 
Messrs.  Spiers  and  Rohns,  architects,  plans  for  a  hand- 
some crematorium.  The  chart  shows  three  divisions, 
viz. :  the  exterior  of  the  building,  the  main  floor,  and 
the  basement. 

The  exterior  view  shows  a  handsome  Romanesque 
structure  of  one  story  and  a  basement.  The  main 
height  is  16  feet,  which  rises  in  four  gables  on  the  sides. 
A  dome,  35  feet  in  circumference,  attains  a  h eight  cf 


256 


CREMATION    OF   THE   DEAD. 


65  feet.  The  drawing  of  the  first  floor  shows  an  audi- 
torium of  octagon  form.  Back  of  the  two  rear  niches 
are  dressing-rooms  for  clergymen.  Two  handsome  altars 
on  which  to  hold  religious  services  will  front  from  these 
niches.     Two  rooms  in  the  lower  end  of  the  building, 


^f\EIV]ATOF^UJVJ 
LANcy\S7EF\ 


CREMATORIUM  AT  LANCASTER,   PA.      (Exterior  View.) 


on  either  side  of  the  approach,  are  reserved  for  toilet 
rooms,  one  for  ladies,  and  the  other  for  gentlemen.  In 
the  center  of  the  upper  end  of  the  auditorium  is  placed 
a  catafalque,  resting  on  an  elevator.  After  a  body  has 
been  properly  prepared,  it  will  be  placed  on  this  cata- 
falque.    When  the  religious  services  are  concluded,  the 


PRESENT   STATE   OF   THE   CREMATION   QUESTION.    257 

body  will  be  lowered  to  the  basement,  and  the  opening 
in  the  floor  closed  with  a  slide  trap. 

The  plan  of  the  basement  shows  the  same  divisions 
as  are  made  on  the  main  floor.  On  the  left-hand  side 
is  a  retiring-room.  The  front  is  divided  into  four 
rooms.  An  ice  cellar,  a  frigiclarium,  which  is  calcu- 
lated as  a  place  in  which  to  preserve  bodies  for  several 
days;  a  calidarium,  a  heated  room  in  which  bodies  can 
be  placed  for  several  days,  to  insure  against  cremation 
while  in  a  state  of  trance ;  and  a  drug  room,  where 
restoratives  will  be  kept.  The  right-hand  wing  is  de- 
signed for  a  preparing  room,  from  which  the  body  is 
taken  directly  to  one  of  the  furnaces.  The  furnaces,  of 
which  there  will  be  two,  are  not  yet  definitely  designed. 
It  is  supposed,  however,  that  thej^  will  be  after  the  plan 
of  the  apparatuses  at  Lancaster,  in  Pennsylvania. 

In  the  rear  of  the  building  it  is  proposed  to  build  an 
addition,  in  the  form  of  a  three-quarter  circle,  which 
will  be  styled  the  columbarium.  On  the  inside  this 
will  be  divided  by  three  corridors,  and  the  walls  divided 
into  compartments  for  containing  urns.  There  will  be 
room  in  this  limited  space  of  40  X  30  feet,  it  is  estimated, 
for  holding  the  remains  of  8000  bodies. 

The  building  is  designed  to  be  built  of  Ionia  red 
sandstone.  Two  immense  flue  chimneys,  one  for  venti- 
lation, the  other  for  the  furnaces,  rising  to  a  height  of 
75  feet,  will  give  character  to  the  building.  The  front 
will  be  set  off  with  a  handsome  porch  supported  by 
Roman  pillars  and  approached  by  a  half-circle  road-bed, 
over  which  the  hearse  and  carriages  can  drive  up  to  the 
main  entrance. 

The  Michigan  Cremation  Association  was  organized 
at  Detroit  on  the  31st  of  March,  1886.     Dr.  H.  Ericbsen 


258  CREMATION    OF    THE    DEAD. 

was  chosen  temporary  chairman,  and  Mr.  A.  N.  Low- 
secretary  of  the  meeting.  The  documents  of  incorpora- 
tion were  signed.  On  motion  of  Dr.  J.  H.  Carstens,  a 
board  of  directors  was  elected.  At  the  close  of  the 
meeting  the  directors  met,  and  elected  the  following 
officers :  President,  James  F.  Noyes,  M.D. ;  vice-presi- 
dent, Hugo  Erichsen,  M.D. ;  secretary,  Mr.  A.  N.  Low ; 
treasurer,  Mr.  M.  W.  Field.  The  treasurer  furnished 
a  $10,000  bond,  as  required  by  the  original  agreement. 

The  subject  of  cremation  was  first,  agitated  at  Balti- 
more, Md.,  in  the  winter  of  1884,  by  Dr.  G.  W.  Leh- 
mann  and  Mr.  J.  R.  Rennous,  who  were  also  the 
originators  of  the  cremation  company  in  that  city.  In 
1884,  two  public  meetings  were  held ;  but  they  were 
poorly  attended,  and  the  prospects  gloomy  in  the  ex- 
treme. But  the  two  advocates  of  incineration  worked 
steadily  on  until  their  efforts  were  crowned  with  suc- 
cess. The  Cremation  Cemetery  Company  of  Baltimore 
City  was  incorporated  on  the  30th  of  March,  1885, 
with  a  capital  stock  of  $15,000,  divided  into  600  shares 
of  the  par  value  of  $25  per  share.  At  a  meeting  of  the 
stockholders  the  following  officers  were  elected:  B.  F. 
Horwitz,  president;  J.  R.  Rennous,  secretary;  J.  W. 
Middendorf,  treasurer.  The  founders  of  the  organiza- 
tion were  obliged  to  call  it  "  Cremation  Cemetery  Co.," 
to  comply  with  the  general  laws  of  Maryland  in  obtain- 
ing the  charter.  $9000  worth  of  stock  has  already  been 
taken  up,  and  the  company  expects  to  make  such  head- 
way that  it  will  be  able  to  build  soon. 

When  the  La  Crosse  (Wisconsin)  Cremation  Society 
was  founded  in  the  middle  of  October,  1885,  with  Mr. 
John  Pamperin  as  president,  it  resolved  upon  a  full  in- 
vestigation of  the  subject  of  incineration  and  appointed 


PRESENT   STATE   OF   THE   CREMATION   QUESTION.    259 

a  committee  to  get  reports  from  other  societies.  Tliis 
committee  having  performed  its  work,  a  meeting  of  the 
committee  was  held  at  the  residence  of  Mr.  Gustav  Carl, 
and  these  reports  read,  arranged,  and  discussed.  The 
report  from  Detroit  was  particularly  exhaustive.  Daven- 
port also  furnished  a  report.  The  cremation  society 
there  had  sent  a  representative  to  Lancaster,  Pa.,  who 
had  examined  the  cremation  furnace  there  and  had  pre- 
pared a  report,  of  which  La  Crosse  was  given  the  bene- 
fit. The  result  of  the  conference  was  that  a  resolution 
was  adopted  calling  for  a  meeting  of  stockholders  at  an 
early  date  for  permanent  organization.  The  La  Crosse 
Cremation  Association  filed  articles  of  incorporation 
with  the  secretary  of  state  on  the  26th  of  November, 
1885.  The  purpose  of  the  association  is  to  dispose  of 
human  bodies  after  death,  by  cremation,  and  it  shall 
continue  its  business  for  20  years,  unless  the  holders 
of  two-thirds  of  the  stock  consent  to  the  dissolution  of 
the  association.  Mr.  J.  Pamperin  is  the  president,  Mr. 
G.  Carl,  secretary,  and  Mr.  J.  Ulrich  the  treasurer  of 
the  association.  A  person  wishing  to  become  a  member 
of  this  association  may  subscribe  for  one  or  more  shares 
of  #25  each  (not  exceeding  50  shares)  of  the  capital 
stock  of  the  association,  which  is  limited  to  $8000.  The 
shares  so  subscribed  shall  be  paid  in  instalments.  The 
first  instalment  must  be  paid  at  the  time  of  subscription, 
and  the  balance  in  instalments,  as  called  for  by  the  direc- 
tors, within  one  year  thereafter;  but  none  shall  be 
called  for  until  three  months  after  the  other.  If  any  of 
the  subscribers  should  die  before  the  projected  crema- 
torium has  been  erected,  and  the  deceased  should  have 
expressed  a  wish  to  have  his  body  cremated,  and  pro- 
vision is  made  by  him  or  his  family  for  the  expenses  in- 


260  CREMATION    OF    THE    DEAD. 

cident  thereto,  the  officers  of  the  society  shall  see  that 
his  will  in  this  respect  be  carried  out  at  the  nearest 
convenient  crematory. 

The  Kentucky  Cremation  Society,  at  Louisville,  which 
was  organized  in  the  fall  of  1886,  has  been  steadily 
growing,  and  now  counts  about  70  members.  The  sub- 
scribed capital  is  sufficient  to  buy  a  lot  and  commence 
building,  and  the  society  therefore  hopes  to  have  a  cre- 
matory ready  during  next  year. 

A  license  was  issued  on  Jan.  2,  1886,  to  William 
Christian,  of  the  Chicago  Tribune,  Elmer  Atkinson, 
a  lawyer,  and  David  Hamilton,  a  real  estate  dealer,  to 
build  a  crematery  for  the  incineration  of  human  bodies, 
near  Chicago,  Illinois.  The  capital  of  the  company 
which  they  have  organized,  and  which  is  called  the 
"  Chicago  and  Cook  County  Cremation  Company,"  is 
140,000. 

On  April  6,  1886,  Dr.  O.  W.  Carlson  read  a  paper 
advocating  cremation,  before  the  Academy  of  Medicine, 
at  Milwaukee,  Wis.  At  the  close  of  the  address  the 
subject  was  discussed  at  some  length  by  those  present, 
and  some  very  interesting  facts  were  brought  out.  A 
proposition  was  made  that  the  Academy  of  Medicine 
found  a  cremation  society  at  Milwaukee,  and,  though 
no  action  in  the  matter  was  taken  at  the  time,  it  is 
probable  that  steps  will  be  taken  by  the  members  with 
that  object  in  view. 

Lately  a  cremation  society  was  organized  at  Milwau- 
kee, that  has  already  secured  a  desirable  site  upon  a 
local  cemetery,  and  intends  to  erect  a  crematorium  as 
soon  as  the  necessary  funds  are  obtained. 

It  is  proposed  to  build  a  crematory  at  Toronto,  Can- 
ada.    The  pastors  of  the  leading  churches,  upon  being 


PBESENT   STATE   OF   THE   CREMATION    QUESTION.    261 

interviewed,  almost  unanimously  expressed  their  oppo- 
sition to  cremation. 

The  newspapers  state  that  a  crematory  will  be  erected 
at  Atlanta,  Ga. 

This  volume  would  not  be  complete  without  the 
mention  of  the  Modern  Crematist,  a  monthly  journal 
devoted  to  the  interests  of  incineration,  and  published 
by  Dr.  M.  L.  Davis  of  Lancaster,  Pa.  The  Neue 
Flamme,  a  worthy  German  contemporary,  is  published 
at  Berlin. 

My  native  country  was  always  eager  to  embrace  de- 
serving reforms ;  there  is  no  reason  why  it  should  not 
adopt  the  superior  system  of  incineration.  Nay,  I  think 
it  will  become  the  standard-bearer  of  this  sanitary  refor- 
mation, and  march  in  the  avant-guard  of  this  signal 
progress.  The  subject  of  incineration  is  already  awak- 
ening much  interest  among  us,  as  is  evinced  by  a  recent 
sermon  of  that  eminent  New  York  divine,  Rev.  Heber 
Newton,  who  spoke  strongly  in  favor  of  the  substitution 
of  cremation  for  sepulture.  He  said  the  mode  of  dis- 
posing of  the  dead  human  body  was  only  a  form,  and 
that  mode  was  best  which  was  best  for  the  living.  In 
England,  only  a  few  years  ago,  a  dignitary  of  the  na- 
tional church  dared  to  assert  that  cremation  endangered 
the  belief  in  the  life  to  come.  He  knew,  or  ought  to 
have  known,  that  the  same  process  of  combustion  is 
surely  carried  on,  whether  in  the  ground  or  in  the  cre- 
matory, and  that  if  dissolution  of  the  body  imperiled 
the  true  doctrine  of  resurrection,  then  that  doctrine 
was  long  ago  hopelessly  lost.  These  words  from  the 
lips  of  a  famous  American  preacher  are  certainly  proof 
that  the  antagonism  of  the  clergy  to  cremation  is  wan- 
ing. 


262  CEEMATION    OF    THE    DEAD. 

There  are  other  signs  of  approaching  day.  I  refer  to 
the  constant  discussion  of  incineration  in  the  columns 
of  the  daily  press,  and  to  the  fact  that  cremation  was 
lately  brought  to  the  attention  of  the  American  Medical 
Association,  while  it  met  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  on  the  6th 
of  May.  The  report  of  a  special  committee,  appointed 
the  year  before,  was  read  by  its  chairman,  Dr.  J.  M. 
Keller,  of  Arkansas.  The  committee  moved  to  amend 
the  original  resolution  so  as  to  read:  — 

Resolved,  That  cremation  or  incineration  of  the  dead 
has  become  a  sanitary  necessity  in  populous  cities,  and 
that  the  Association  advises  its  adoption. 

The  Association  adopted  the  amendment  by  a  vote 
of  159  to  106. 

Cremation  was  also  endorsed  by  the  American  Public 
Health  Association  at  its  last  meeting. 

I  rejoice  at  the  thought  that  most  writers  on  the 
momentous  subject  of  incineration  were  medical  men. 
Who,  indeed,  would  be  better  qualified  for  such  a  task 
than  the  man  who  may  daily  witness  the  pernicious 
effect  which  the  dead  exercise  over  the  living. 

Those  who  are  friends  of  the  reform  should  come  out 
openly  in  its  favor.  Crematists  who  are  on  the  fence, 
or  who,  perhaps,  hide  back  of  it,  might  just  as  well  keep 
out  of  the  combat  between  cremation  and  interment 
altogether ;  we  have  no  use  for  them.  If  you  believe 
in  cremation,  candidly  say  so,  and  tell  your  friends  why 
you  believe  in  it.  Moral  cowards  do  a  just  cause  more 
harm  than  good.  Those  who  have  tried  to  propagate 
the  idea  of  cremation  in  an  underhand  way  have  invari- 
ably failed ;  the  public  must  be  brought  face  to  face 
with  the  question  :  cremation  or  burial  ?     To  spread  the 


PRESENT  STATE   OF   THE   CREMATION    QUESTION.    263 

reform  in  this  country,  I  hope  to  see,  before  long,  the 
birth  of  an  American  cremation  association,  to  be  com- 
posed of  delegates  from  the  various  cremation  societies 
of  the  United  States.  There  is  already  a  sufficient 
number  of  societies  for  the  formation  of  a  vigorous 
organization  of  the  kind,  that  would  undoubtedly  aid 
greatly  the  progress  of  the  reform. 

This,  then,  finishes  what  I  had  to  say  about  a  hygienic 
reform  that  will  be  the  leading  one  in  the  latter  part  of 
the  nineteenth  century.  There  will  be  a  long  and  warm 
controversy  before  the  people  will  generally  abandon  a 
custom  of  such  antiquity  as  earth-burial ;  but  cremation 
will  supersede  it  in  the  end.  The  present  style  of 
burial  does  not  do  any  one  any  good.  On  the  contrary, 
it  destroys  hundreds,  perhaps  thousands,  of  lives  every 
year.  A  good  many  deaths  due  to  graveyard  gases  or 
water  contamination  by  cemetery  effluvia  escape  obser- 
vation, since  the  real  cause  of  the  decease  is  seldom  sus- 
pected. Incineration,  however,  does  nobody  any  harm, 
and  is  in  accord  with  the  humane  and  progressive  spirit 
of  the  age.  Disadvantages  it  has  none ;  and  with  the 
many  arguments  in  its  favor,  it  cannot  fail  to  come  out 
of  the  battle  between  torch  and  spade  victorious  in 
every  respect.  Moreover,  it  has  the  generous  support 
of  the  scientists,  physicians,  and  sanitarians  of  the  times, 
which  alone  assures  success. 

I  close  this  volume  with  a  prediction  which  will  soon 
be  realized,  namely,  that  cremation  will  make  more  prog- 
ress in  the  United  States  than  in  any  other  country  of 
the  world.  Indeed,  the  progression  will  be  so  rapid 
that  old  Europe  will  open  its  eyes  wide  in  blank  aston- 
ishment, and  wonder  how  it  is  possible.     When  we 


264  CKEMATION    OF    THE    DEAD. 

Americans  once  perceive  the  advantages  and  superiority 
of  a  reformation,  we  do  not  hesitate  long  to  adopt  it ; 
and  the  time  will  come  when  incineration  will  be  custo- 
mary in  the  Union,  and  interment  obsolete.