Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1874-05-06

DuTnlnN OF builiHs'
Cremation is evidently not the Christian
way Of disposing Of our friends after death.
There is no special sanitary call, either, for
any such combustion. The sentimental ar.
gument, aud 10 this case it is a strong one,
is against it. There is no reason in religion,
in the requirements of health, in the in
stincts Of nature, to give our bodies to be
burned" Not that we should have any
serious objection to it, If it was desirable or
necessary; but when it is neither, our objec.
tons to it are very decided.
There is a sort of proprieiy in mans re-
turn to dust Dust thou art and unto
dust shalt thou return," is sentence old as
his creation. And the promise and hope
of resurrection hang over the grave, and
give us assurance that the sacred dust Of all (
the generations shall at some distant day be
terminated aud come forth. Religion has
very early and pleasant associations with
the places Of hlman sepulture. 1t has al
ways likened the burial Of the dead under
the sod to the planting Of the seed in the
ground. The place Of interment is the koi-
DietrioH--tbe cemetery--the sleeping place
of the generations. The dead body Of man
is " that which thou sowest" The usage Of
men is to place the dead with their feet to
the east, so that their faces may catch the
FIRST rays Of the sun that shall rise on that
great morning when the earth shall give up
her sacred trust And then, prominent
among the penalties which are visited upon
irreligious aud scornfu men, is ultimate
burning Cremation is associated with hu.
man offences and crimes aud heresies The
medieval church used to have its auto de
fes, and burned men before they died as
symbol and type Of the cremation they
would receive after death. Thus religion,
for thousands of years, has associated all
its greatest promises aud hopes with the
graves in which the dust Of the buried gen.
erations is reposing, and all its extreme
penalties with the process of cremation i'm
mediate and ultimate 1t is not very likely
that these ideas will be reversed, except
after long process Of education. Eutbu.
siastic and scientific men may give their
bodies to the flames 10 the interest Of a
theory, or 10 furtherance of sanitary OBJ
iects, or in def ince of an established Gus.
tom, and may have their ashes urned and
labelled but it will be difficult to persuade
the masses Of men to subscribe to the prac.
teal experiment which terminates their
physical existence in puff Of smoke and
a handful of ashes
Most men have agreeable associations
with their bodies. They have been very
useful servants, and very pleasant COM
panious to their souls. They have had all
their sorrow and all their JOY in connection
with them. The ecstacies Of the spirit have
thrilled along the nerves of the body, and
the whole body, soul and spirit have been
associated in the intcnsest delights Of
which men are capable. They have come to
have a respect and an affection, from long
habits of mutually and communion, fol
their physical organism. 1t has been
either the minister of their strength, or ha.
been the recipient of their solicitude.
There is sentiment, whether it hai
come BY intuition by education tho' :
body which has belonged to a soul--whicl
has formed part Of SO much manhood
should not be unsigned to the devourinl
flames; agents of extinction and not Of re
construction but should be laid away in th,
earth like seed in the bed Of garden for dis
solution and future termination and uprising
The earth is our mother, and most men VIII
have no theories to demonstrate, or novel
ties to introduce, would prefer, at last, Il
fall back into the arms Of their mother
and pillow their heads in sleep on her be
! som. 1t will be impossible to change eithe
T the sentiments of religion or the feeling
t of the heart. Cremation will necessari
!. END in smoke"
The sanitary reason for it is absolutely
J scientifically absurd The earth is the I'M
/ versal solvent 1t is large and wide enoug
u to hold all her children--to nourish thel
\ while they live, and keep them safely an
' without harm to others, when they di
]? If cremation is to be the practice of III
Is future, it will not be because sanitary SC
is ence can show its necessity.
!. Now, we have no sentimental objectic
$ TO cremation. We should conform to ii
Re- custom of society in that respect, as we .
T. in other respects while living. There al
!. some persons whom we should be almo
o. willing to see burned. Fire puriies evel
=, ~ thing it consumes. II it would purify sou
l men we know, burn up all their concei
~ ~ their pride, their nastness, the filth Of the
&C bodies as well as the filth of their souls az
y get rid Of il forever, we should on the who
Q. vote for the furnace and the retort for ther
a. =, 1t is the quickest way in which they cou
II be cleaned, and heaven knows the ear
D. D. needs to have them purified, If the sar
ID tary commission should decide to adopt tn
= :. method with such persons, possibly or
ut nation might be useful enough. b
TO since fire makes but little distinction b
e. tween that which We want to keep and tn
b. which we would be willing to spare, crem
IT tom should be INDUCED sparingly, and r
s. sorted to only on occasion Of the most o
d vious necessity.
Is UNITED STATES CouRrs. Judge PoLANI
5. bill to change the time Of holding Il
y United States Circuit and District cour
Ii in Vermont---and which has now pass
the House--prOvides that the term
:, the circuit court holden at Rutland
or the third Monday in October shall be he
on the first Tuesday in October, and Il