St. Mary's beacon., 1858-08-12
Burning the Dead.

a treatlSe on, burning TIE Oeau, recent
ly published in London, is both interesting and
eloquent, though am well convinced that its
author bas been putting firth labor i'll vain.
/ remember the CONSERVATION with Which ]
read tile advertisements announcing its publ-
cation. made sure that it must he the pro-
ductun of one of those wrong-beaaed individ-
uals who are always PROPOSING prcposteruus
things, without el.d or meaning. Why OH
earth shotld We take to burning the dead?
What Is tn be gained by recurring to heather
rite, repudiated by the early Christians, who,
"a Sir Thomas Browne tells us, 'stickct not to
i've their dies to be burnt in Il cir lives, but
dcteSted that mode after death ?" Aid where
fire dd ANYTHING SO horrible; and So suggestive
iE crueltg aT.gt sacriler, TO crtJsgn 70 HSie-
vouring flames even the unconscious remains
Of departed friend? But after reading the
essay, which, although reviewer, did before
making up my mind about it, felt that the
author had great deal tn sly in defence of his
yiews. l arm Obliged to acknowledge that in
many cases important benefits wmlld follow
the adoption Of urn sepultufe. The author
treats his subject with considerable display,
both Of science and Of logic The question
which he prdtii:ses TO discuss is, what is the
best way to dispose Of the mortal part of man
when the soul has left it? A first Sugges-
tirn might he to endeavor to preserve it in the
form and features of life; and, accordingly,
in many countries and ages, embalmimg in
| it's various notifications has been re'nrted t..
But all attempts to prevent the hum1n frame
! from obeyins the Creators law If returning
to the elements have miScraby failed. And
surely it Is better a Thousand times t0 "bury
the dead from our sight, than to preserve a
! hdeous and revolving nlockery Of the beloved
| fnrm. The Egyptian mummieS every one has
heard of but the most remarkable instance of
enlbalming in recent times Is that of the
wife Of one Martin Van Butchell, who by
her husbands desire, was embalmSd in the
the year 1875, by Dr. Williat,i Htnter and
Mr.. Carpenter, and who may be seen in the
museum of the Royal C'llese of Surgeons in
! I.Onl"n. She was a beautiful woman, and
| all that skill and science could do were done
| 10 preserve het in the appearance of life; but
the result is nothing short Of shocking aud
awful. Taking it, then, as admitted, that the
b,dy must return to the dust from whence
Was taken, the next question is, How
shall dissolution take place with due re-
spcct to the dead, AMI with least harm to the
health and the feelings Of the living?
! The two fashions which have been univer-
sally used are burial and burning. 1t has
so happened that burial has been associated.
with christianity, and burning With heath
enisln but shall adr1it at once that the
association is not essential, though it wOult!
lie hard, without very weighty reason indeed,
10 deviatc ftOm the lOng-remembefed ''earth to
earth, ashes to ashes, dust TO dust" But
such wcighty reason the author of this trca-
tise declares to exist The system of burial,
he says is productive of fearful and number
less evils and dangers to the living. In the
neighborhOod Of any large burying- place, the
air which the living breathe, and TIE wster
which they drink, are impregnated with
poisuEs the most destructive Cf health and life.
Even where the damage done to air and wa
ter IS ifaPbreciahle by our senses, it is pre-
AispOSing cause Of headache, dysentery. SIRE
thr.at. and low fever ;" and it keeps all the
population arusInd In a condition I'm which they
are the ready prey Of all forms of disease ]
shall not shock my readers by quoting hnSt
Of lsoTrible fac:s, proved by iildfspufgt&e evi-
dence. which are ai,luced by the author to
show the evils Of burial; and AL these evils,
he maintains, may L escaref by the revival
of burningR. Four Thousand human beings
die every hour; and only by that swift and
certain method can the vast mass Of decayiny
matter which, while decayine; gives OF the
most subtle and searching possnns, be re-
sRved with the elements without injury or
risk t0 any one:
So convinced has the French government
becume Of the evils of burial. that Il has pa
truuised aud encouraged one M. Bnneau, who
proposes that, instead of greas city having its
neighbUFing cemeteries, il shoald be provided
with buikling called "The 'Sarcophagus,"
0ccupying On eRsvated situation, % which the
b.slies Of Eieh ani poor sh.'uld be conveyed,
and there reduced 10 ashes by powerful fur