The New York herald., 1876-11-20
THE Won PALM CREMATION.
INTERVIEW WITH COLONEL oLCoTV, THE
BARoN's EXECUTOR.

INTERVIEW WITH COLONEL OLCOTV, THE
BARoN's EXECUTOR.
.The dead but sccptred sovereIgns who st rule our
spirits from their urns" may possibly into
fashion once again. lEsthetically tho Is
sirablc than that mortuary depository which under
takers are pleased to call "caskct, but which in
times greater simplicity and loss refinement used
be known cofn. Nowadays It narrows itself
down TO question of puireaction or incandescencc
and you are eft choose whether you will DO toasted
after the fashion apaus whether you VIII
even submit your fral body TO "a convocation OF
pohtic worms" Antiquity has a good deal urge in
favor OF beng buried but It that pref udice and
custom rather disposed to recognize different
form of seputure. Tho late Baron de Palm, however,
was one OF those gentlemen who despscd custom and
prejudice and accordingly he decided that he should
bo burned He favorcr OF antiquity and its
usages nd he was contcnted be reduced to a hand
full OF nlustrious ashes. Neither he approhcnsvc
OF any difficulty insatbering him together tho Day
OF Judgment. The resurrection OF the body did not
stand in his way and whether he did or did not So
crctly desire cvade the great final settlement 1t is
certain that hc held tho opinion that he was likely
to hear the Archangel's trumpet after cremation as
alter tho ordinary form of burial His choice of
cremation cannot, therefore, be construed into
an endeavor to shirk his ultimate responsibility.
Baron de Palm Is nil events to be burned In accord
ance with his desires and his immortal part
any cognizancc of tho poor body with which IT
once allied the soothing knowledge Will come TO IL that
the Interests OF science arc beng subservcd.
CoIouel II. s. Olcott, VINO Is the president OF the
Tbcosophical Society, Of which the late Baron dc Palm
was u member, was good enough 10 communicate to a
HERALD representative some OF hs views on the sub
ject OF the coming cremation Hc regards the affair as
scientific experiment. and divorces IT altogether from
any religious consideration. Tho arrangements, ho
SAID, all compese but the difficulty and trouble
had abundant He had bocn greatly disappointed
hv ho dol Ind
littlo questioning on this point elected the nfor-
nation that II was Intended TO have exhibited the Illus
tr0us ashes OF the ilustrous dead at the Centennial
Exhibition, but the delay IN the matter OF CREMATION
had spoiled the scheme aud must doubtless have
greatly aqitalcd the spirit OF tho deceased baron Had
the matter come pass he would have been an
equality with young lady who had been burned Up at
vlcpna and who was exhibited IN almost molecular
form al Phiadelphia
s.Did the subject OF cremation receive much attcn-
tion in Europer' was queried by tho HERALD repre-
sentative TO which Colonel Uicou responded that the
vIcana cremation referred TO had engaged the special
attention OF the Italian chemists, POLL and Bennett
These wero gentlemen. no said, who had Interested
themselves great deal In the burning dead bodies.
bad invented furnaces, made practical experiments,
and 20 iorth. Dr. senans, German engineer, had
also invonted furnace winch seemed to all pur
poses and IN which person could bc reduced 10 dust
comfortably and expoditiously and without any
special offence 10 tho no,shbornood. IL appears that
Dr. Seimans IL also the inventor of furnace Tor
ducing ores, but h6 IL versatile and phanthropic and
prociavs metals that are digged out OF the bowels OF
The harmless Garth" Tho OF tho delay in burn.
ing mp tho Baron gonty limited al,
and upon this point Colonel Ocott gave
some information which contained sugges
tlon OF unworthy economy. "a mechanical
difficulty the occasion OF the delay;n ..therc
trouble In procuring an effective apparatus
at low cost" II seemed 10 the reporter that that
difficulty stood In the way In great many hav-
ing relation TO scpuichral furnaces but he did not
express his opinion but merely prcpoundcd tho ques-
tion whether this cremation undertaken by Colonel
Olcott as executor OF the Baron dc Palmf
"Partly," said Colonel OlcotI "Tho Baron expressed
wish that hts body should be burned and as his ex-
ecutor, together with MT Horny J. Newton. am com
led to that his wishes properly carried out "
hc reporter respected the sacrcdpess OF hts trust
and asked n tho Philosophical Society had anything TO
do with the matter.
"As socety," Colonel Olcott answered, "notbina.
Tho Baron waa member Of the sosiskv- and had VI.