National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-04-22
WatiduaI gspabIitss..
BURIED Oh BURYED-RHIcH1

lFron the New York Herald.
Whether we are to burn In this world or IN
the next, or In both, Is the question which a
present agitates the public mind. A few
gentlemen, who have never yet been warn
enough, are determined that some one shall
ny the tropical atmosphere Of bakers oven
aIter death. They are extremely anxious -
nave their assertions concerning cremation
practically exemplihed, and are quite willing
70 sacrtnce all their country cousins 10 thc :,
cause. They are, at present, on the very tipL
toe OF excitement, and looking hopefully
towards the death Of one of their own num-
Der, who viii be Immediately subjected to the $,
ordeal and reduced TO fine white powder.
They have examined the mortuary tables OF I.
our Life Insurance Companies through gold ;
bowed spectacies, and then looked over tina
rim inquiringiy at the oldest members Of the
Cinder Society. A severe case of neuralgia or
chronic rheumatism would be regarded juse 3
now with uncommon interest, and . possibly
fatal case Of dyspepsia would be looked upon
with calm resignation II not with suppressed
glee.
One enthusiast has already kindled the hrs> 5
Finding all his neighbors In good health, no .
chased mouse several times hound . ten-scre !;
lot, and at last CALAMITY and persptringiJ rap
him down. he invited him 10 die for the COED
Of his country, and In few hours triumph
antly exhibited him, properly calcined and
ready TO add his weight In ashes to the agriA
cultural interests of America. Not content
with this act Of prowess, and bent on mightisr{
deeds Of valor, his eye fell on the family cat. +
He enticed her to his side by friendly and !
treacherous words, and at the very moments |
when her confding purr and lovingly arehed !
back bore witness to her trust In human kind
be struck the fatal blow In the interest Of .
science and stretched her dead at his feet. he
then hurried with his trophy to the cellar,
where the kissing furnace gave him g warm
welcome, and promised to hide the crime from
the children, whose pet had been bssely muir
dered. Silently he watched the fre, fitting !:
only from the woodplle TO the furnace, and
from the furnace back TO the woodpile, untn |.
the lapse of time assured him that Eve ounces
and quarter of ashes composed the gross
residrum of what was once q six-pound Tabby. :
i Who will say, after this, that the heroic days
are gone, or that the spirit Of martyrdom has
died QUIT
Such deeds as these have reused the admira-
ton of all the Hsrald's contemporaries. They
are imbedded In oratory, like wasp in amber, :
and sung in verse all over the country Indeed,
we have of late been so flooded and drenched !
with the literature of death that Il has become
almost impossible to look even q. ones poor
relations without making rough guess % to
the ayoirdupois of bone dust the dear people
will make when il shall be our unhappy fate
to put them on the blazing pile. One would
{ think, to hear these cyemationists talk, that
the burial Of The dead Is one Of our modern
: eccentricities, and that in the golden age'o Of
history fire and death were twins. According
to our reading, however, the burning of the
dead was an exceptional custom, lasting ct
best only a few generations, and even then re-
belled against as profane and unworthy.
The Greeks, people wig delighted in new
sensation, borrowed the custom from the East,
aud inurned their dead IN eostly vases: Z vas
I | BY no means a Universal practice, for in the
, palmisss days of incintustion the mobiles as wen
{ as the humble were laid in tombs. As mai
8 ter of course the Romans, who were under the
: impression that anything, from coffin to an
q earring, brought from Athens was en- regIe, i'm
a itated their neighbors their cspttves and their
y teachers. Both these peoples yielded st length
Il to the pressure Of cqpmop instinct and gave
!, up the custom. They did not cafe TO change
! The two-oared boat, the Stygisn barge,
: into steamer, and supply the fire wood thas
hurried their demigods over the sluggish river.
If white-bearded Chsron insisted upon his full
list of passengers he must pull thsm annnss
with the laborous oar. Hodans never dreame4
:, .: c ,,F., Prs SDta CORRUPT court and
d pe6ple cams 70 regard fire as the only eHectusi
!, purgation. wne2 the State was at It's lowest
political ebb, and It's ,ent quarreis ssrewea
z every plain with unnumberen - ~.
8 dead, then the burning Of the slain became -.
y cross road to forgetfulness of historic defeats;
Q but when the sun of new religion and bet
ter patriotism shone on the seven hills the fire
died in their ashes and the bodies of the de-
e parted were reverently buried. The scorn
X with which the people of Athens and Rome
! would have greeted the pro position to use the
II cinders of thee generals their heroes and their
e philosophers to raise corn crop withal can be
d better imagined than described.
n These newborn theorists must go to less cul-
tivated nations and tribes to find parallel for
their audacious economy. The Parsees were
: accustomed to expose their dead TO be devoured
by yultures and wild beasts. They had no SEN
: timentsl notions about funeral fires and urns,
> but economical the defunct after q fashion
: which would be well for these cremationists to
q initiate. If the end is to utilize the dead the
" way to do so is suggested by the people we have
: named. We could save all funeral expenses. and.
though we might depriye ourselves of
; thousand toms of comnost every wear.
wa co16 ar snv rate Attract 10 this
p -. - ~. $780,, .ha ,,,,,r,o-oble b,rs.
psth. -, srs hsos,. os ,hs fo-sst Ivhieb would
{ s,nnIv The y,a,tst with game of all kinds.
Il p1S,s.. .hs, :, -, da-.,o, Low. ~ r,anI,
, - -. "a, AZ Saa,,h ~ Iono, I,fs - nj,
.,,.o- -, naonIa a Ion o5 two half
80. s....S - Cav ,ild cot. conId h,
-os..cs - 80 r,enanosrsa ~ becin The
P - 1ooI;n- a. he matter from tl,s
80 -, 80 aoo,o,nv only We are ;nc,ine3
-. a., ~ hett.r nse con,a he ,raIe !,
80. - rof,.a 20 ~, $3.50
. IN, .-oss 800 O'. fo,l,
: IT, o-,,oco. ;,dr1,s IN .,othe, n,sss,,.
os,i,,s y,nsch "a eor.iiy .,,o,-es.ivs Tbev .n.-