The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1874-11-05
FUNERAL RITES.
How the Dead are Disposed OF by Differ
ent Peoples.

How the Dead are Disposed OF by Differ
ent Peoples.
We are 30 accustomed TO bury ourdea'
that il is only by an effort that we ca
conceive of ourselves as disposing o
them otherwise. Yet the practice o
mankind has differed widely in this res
pect. And in every nation the tradi
tional mode acquires a sanctity, from
association with the most solemn ant
tender moments Of life, which induces
us to look with horror on any alterna
tive method. When Darius found al
Indian tribe who ate the bodies of then
dead, they were not less shocked at Tho
idea of burning corpses than the Greeks
in his train we're nj the horrible canni
balism OF the Indians. Even when the
breath has left the mortal frame, tho
cold remains of those we have loved
are not less dear than when they were
animated with life but custom alone
creates the direction in which that love
manifests itself, and each direction if
alike but an unavailing protest against
the inexorable law which dissolves the
ashes of the departed into fleeing gases
and crumbling dust.
Inc ERyptlahS cinpaimeu o,'eir u1u.'
n Hebrews Dnrled tiem ouo vi Unoi,
sight. The Greeks sometimes buried
and sometimes burnt, the latter mode
gaihihg Ihe %mScehnehcy ny ciSlii"ao'or
advanced. The Persians, il we may
trust the hints of earlier and the asser-
tions OF iater WRITER'S seem 10 nave
gathered thelr dead toer'lier on INC 'oP
OF a low bulldlng, ana tnere ieio oI'll
10 inc Dlrds anu WHO'S OF beaFeh' pu'
rYlhR' burning empa,mihB, 'htho ~
me three great alternatives y "
humanity Tor the dispoSai OF thr,, utau,
hnt there IL scarce,y any mou.ncas'og
OF 'hese metious WiIlch ms ho' iouuIu
lts adherehtS n mere ~ scurceiy anh
conceivable substitute ior thelh "n,ch
has not been pracilced somewhere Il
posture OF Dnrlal Las peeh 'nrlcu, III
many places IL DeihH thonRho uecoro"s
to bury IN n sittine a'tiIuue' oome
lted lndlan tribes expose thelr neaa OH
lle piahcneS Oh tfees INC r''iiop'hIS
lncloseu them IN pillars OF crys1n''
MARITIME NATIONS nave sometimes non
ored Their chieiS by laying them IN HtaIe
IN a Emp or canoe; ana burning or sH''
tihR IL adriit' 0icren riVoiS arc .ne
chosen buryinR ground OF Some o,nefS
commit 'heir deaa 10 tn1 Sc" "lone'
leaVe 'he corpse "l' ~ ooc"yS'
una ,ileh noTy 1no pohe6 oc''o'H i,iIoSo
inc lesh from the u lmme"ie'e'y
hiter dea,il' ahn 'neh urchS ana uuoIn
the skeleton. b"r.al nilve ~ ny SonIe
thonGnt II marx OF "n'c"oh : exposure
WIZ DenSts ~ mo cloSoh c'sI0in VI
no means parparo"S ,nces. III
ul'h IfIoe anoVe referred 10 inus in"nI
pnraiIeiF. NOR was !. h'ways tho"pn'
necessary 10 wait oili "ea.h huPerVoaeo
mere ~ grim h"nior Ill tne Pi''ure
gwen ny herodo,ns OF n tripe "heie,
wnoh any on" ieli S,ch' nIs ol:1,
lrIci,aN zen MN ,n'1 'i1 iiihoSs WIZ
s.Poil hIH iieSm at'n ne pro'es1S 1nu' he
not uhwc,i; DnI 'ney no. hpreeinR
WIN MN, XIII ana EN- nm lih"'i"'
w. horrors IKE thcse' however oan
scarcely DC claSsea among MODES Oh
Sepuitnre nor perhaps IL IL necessary
mention the tribes thet hrihk their
dead, having hrst rednced them 10 pow
der. Sui'lcs 1t to say that mere Is no
mode Oh dlSposlnP OF deah ooaleS so
singular, or so revolving tnat IL mas nor
been adopted IN good ialth ny some
among tho lnternIinable varieties OF
races.
Among ciVlllHed nations, however,
burial (nnder winch we may1ncinde ON
balmlnR) has divided with cremation
the allegiance OF custom. u would be
improper to regard the first as the char.
lcteristlc OF Semitic, me second ci
races. For, though lhlclan speaks
Of burial as the mark OF barbarians,
burning of Greeks, it is beyond ques'
tlon that burial remained to h last nm
alternative IN Greece and Rome. IL