Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1874-05-23

when buried, was sometimes placed IN q
coffin of Assam stone, which came from
Asses, in Troas, and which had the
property of consuming, IN forty days,
the whole body, with the exception Of
the teeth, whence it received the name
of SarcoppaguS, or lesh.eater. When
the dead was consumed by fire, the
nearest relative gathered the bones and
ashes, sprinkled them with perfumes,
and placed them in a vessel called Wrna,
which was made of various materials,
according TO the circumstances of indi,
viduals.
In the Feejee Islands parents are gen,
orally killed by their children. Some
times the aged people make up their
minds to die sometimes the children
Give notice to their parents that they
are a burden, A family consultation is
thereupon held, a day appointed, and
the grave dug. The aged person has
his choice of being s~trangled or buried
alive. The Feeieeans consider this Gus
tom so great a proof of affection that
none but children can be found to per.
form it. The reason is. that they are
persuaded that they will instantly pass
into another state of existence, where
they will be Just what they we're when
they died. The Feegeeans generally
bury the body in a sitting posture.
Ncw.Zealanders were buried in their
houses, which were left with all they
contained. They believed in a future
state that was entered upon immediate
ly after death, and missionaries could
not induce them to accept the doctrine
Of the resurrection of the dead. Sim,
ilarly, the islanders of Torres Straits
use the ordinary nuts as dead houses ;
and, in the great Central african king
dom of Bornou, every one is buried IN
der the floor of bis own house, without
monument, and sometimes the house is
occupied as usual, but among the great
it is abandoned. Tho Dahomans, Yoru-
has, and the other races Of the Gold
Cast, do the same.
The Tahitians do not bury their dead
at once, but put them, carefully pro-
tected, on a raised platform until en-
tirely decayed; then the bones are col.
lected, scraped, cleaned, and buried.
Sor etimes the head is not deposited
with the rest of the body, but in a box.
They. believe IN the survival OF tne soul,
II destroy children, ana the ola, and
diseased. 49,,
While thus the large mass of mankind
has always %striven to expedite the dis
solution OF the body, a small numoer
OF races have, from the most remote
antiquity, made 1t a subIe ct oil lender
and serious consideration to guard the
human body after death from all cnahce
OF Destruction. 14ese races loS'efeu
the belief that the dead were 10 De re,
suscitated, after a more OF less
PERIOD hence 1t was necessary thaI 'le
body should be preserved from al IN
Jury, and, II possible, from an corfu9p-
tlon, that the soul might ma u uhlh-
Inred on theday OF reSurrection' NoPeo-
pie have PAID more care ana LABOR 9ntHe
preservation OF the dead than the L5SP-
tlans' Ihey oelleVed that, aiter SUD
terrallean pilgrimage, the SOU was 10 re-
enter the BODY, n give II movement
ana me- Inc Jews also Delleyea III lhe
resurrection OF the dead, anu hence
they covered the corpses WIN Spices 10
preserve Them Tor a Whlle from corfuP
Ton; LIghty POUNDS OF spices %ete
used at the luherai oil app Gdll'ilei,
ana Nicodemus furnished " Hullurea
po9nGs weight OF a mixture OF IAyTFh
ana aioes Tor the Durial OF Jesus, nv,
cry jew wished TO De p1fleq IN Ilat iaIu
where the Messiah should come 10
relgn' ana cal the ueau from IhelT
graves JACOB ana Joseph emo"lInea
remains were returned 10 tle l"uu o
canaan ana IL was a popular Deiiel
among the Jews mat the ooules Oh iue
r~i8Gteous, wherever else purleu' rQ m !
PACK 10 canaan Underground ms
land OF the resurrectlon al calle9 ny
them "the lapd OF the llVlhg' ana the
SePnIchres were houses OF tie llVlng'
Inc OhrlStiahs OF me lrSt century
gave 10 thelr Dnrlal-8rouuoS the name
OF cemetery, "hlch means Sleeping
lace, or "dormltory, ~ was taught
thaI every one "Ouiu rise from the
grave Wherever ne hau hearu Ille "oru
OF God ana DelleVed IN H.. hence, as
the Jews wished 10 De buried N canaan
so every Onristlan Wlshet TO De lald IN
the ground adjoining ms cnurcn' A
church yard consecrated Dy tne Dene-
dlctlon OF the sprinkllng Of hoiy wafer,
took, therefore, the place OF the holy
Land; UnoeileVerS coulu not Ge IN
TERED IN 1t and, where muhiclpal laws
rendered 1t incumbent TO receive also
the bodies OF heretics' they were buried
III a portion Of tue cemetery whlc9 was
not considered as forming part OF the
sacred ground, ana WhiGn' IN laGt, hau
not peen consecrateu' Ihere ~ horror
III every mode OF dlsposih8 OF the DEAD
ana no scientihc process can very maGe-
rlaliy lessen IT, IL Is the duty OF lhteili-
gent men 10 make sucn provision Tor
me dead as viii not inIure tle ll'ihg.
NeVertheleSs, man Will always De less
intent on performing MS iuheral riUeS IN
accoraance WIN the latest I~eseaIcleS IN
chemistry than III a Eahne1 lntenueu W
N' 'HS I