The New York herald., 1876-12-05

OF Lady Dixie the wife OF SIR Charles Dixie, had been
burned in Germany, but this story was quickly met
with denial A case reported taking place In
that city by OF the Philadelphia papers, but the
story subsequently, turned out TO be a hoax In tho
winter OF 1874 the body of lady burned al Dres-
den and recently the remains OF Chevalier Ross
and Signor Keller we're subjected TO like process ~
members OF the Cnder Society are somewhat avcrse TO
being made cnders OF themselves, and IL certainly
needed the example OF Won Palm to make the prac
tce ms well as the theories OF the cremationsts ac
coptable to the advocates of cremation.
TUE REVIVAL or IScREMArioN
IL is not 10 ascertain the story OF the recent
cremation movement The revival OF incrcmaton
tlons To be due to Professor Reclaim Of Lepsic
who has propounded plan Tor reducing the bodies OF
The dead 10 ashes. The cremation furnaces IN Ger
many are mostly cot structed alter his design. Italy,
however, seems TO be much the Stronghold OF Tho
cremationists now II OF the Carbonari IN the
days OF Young haly ana Young Europe. In 1872 the
Lombard Society offered prize OF 600 francs tor the
number of writers on The subject and few warm ad-
vocates Of incrcnation. Among the latter the plans
Of Professor Pom, OF Milap Professor Brunetti, OF
Padua, ana Professor Gorn. OF Lodi, have attracted
much attenton In England. interest was iet IN
the subject, through letter of Sir Henry Thompson
which proved 10 be almost its effects IL
took very little effort inaugurate the cindcr move
ment and when II Was once started went by lis own
momentum at least as lar as talk was concerned
Meetings held Vienna, Milan, Leipsic aud
olhcr places aud societies were formed IN every part
OF Europe. An oven was erected at Dresden and
others have since been constructed in other cites AS
matter OF course the movement soon extended to
this country, aud is now nearly three years since
number ol well known cltixcus met In an upper room
in tho building OF the Young Mems Christian Associa
ton, At Iwenty-third street and Fourth avenue. TO
form an American cremation society.
THE NEW YORK CREMATION SOCIETY,"
This meeting was held April 3, 1873, Mr. Henry
Stone presiding and Mr. Edward d. Carswoll actng as
secretary LISTERS read from o. b. Frothing-
ham, Charles A. Dana, ID. G. Croly, Henry Bergh and
other We'll known foes OF nhunation and series OF
grave resolutions we're adopted by these enemies OF
The graveyard. The first resolution declared II to be
the purpose of the meeting to form association TO
promote cremation and secure It's practical applica-
In lnttn fhn tinn
pledged TO burn tho body OF any Of lis mem
bers desiring II, but y was provided also
nation Tor himself" As u matter OF
this exception shows the tender which
each OF the enthusiasts took OF his own prcju-
dccs The next hear OF the New York Cremation
Society is al Albany seeking an act OF Incorporation
Coonei Alfred Wagsian having charge Of tho measure.
In the bill Edward A. Caswcll. Henry stone, II. w.
Poor, James y Dwight. Francis G. Bowman. Henry i.
Howes, George Loriliard, James W. ;. Arnold and
Francis H. Wild were named as incorporators.
Colonel WagstaT seems have met with very poor
success IN his effort in behalf OF the cndcr element,
for hear nothing more Of the BILL possibly because
the Christian feeling OF the committee TO which 1t was
referred could not contemplate revival OF pagan
rites aud, consequently smothcTcd II.
MEETING THE SOCIETY.
A lew weeks after the first meeting Of the society
another assemblaye larger in numbers and even more
distinguished in character, was convened in the same
room to further the project The proceedings were as
interesting as Il was possible 10 mako the proceedings
OF cremation meeting. Speeches were made by
President Barnard, of Columbia College, the Rev. q.
b. rockingham, and others almost as wcll known.
President Barnard thought there was nothing but
sentiment TO Sustain the present system OF burying
bodies. In sanitary point OF view tho bodies that
now inferred IN Pottcrs Field and on the ISLANDS
should be burned because they may breed pestilence
cremation there, because It would NOT do
to associate II with ignominy NJ The outset
To succeed the movement must be respectable from
the start While he heartily favor cremation
he would like TO have II done dcccnty and without any
abrupt haste after death Mr. rockingham said that
no doubt existed in any sane mans mind that crcma
tion would be n tremendous sanitary Improvement
but he predicted that the movement would meet with
great opposition tho inevitable result OF prejudice
All improvements for the bencdt Of The human
had met with opposition and prejudice. Tho lower and
ignorant class could not oppose II successfully because
they helpless the highest class would not oppose
u because OF their feeling in favor Of cremation; but
| the strong, stubborn and persistent opposition
| speeches contained the grit Of the argument OF
| tho evening. Mr.. Caswcl, the secretary, in.
nartcularv from Lepsc were expected from Europe il
| q short tmc but either they never arrived or no
ostentation has displayed in their exhibition So
far the pubic knows this IS about all that
accomplished by the New York Cremation Society, the
duty advancing the interests OF the human de.
voving cn,rcly upon tho Theosoph.cal Society,
| OF which Baron Won Palm leading member. Oli-
cal recognition OF cremation is difficult TO obtain any
where and while there is no law in this State
burning the bodies Of tho dead II Will be long timo,
probably before any authority for the process viii be
| placed OH the statute books
~ THE PHILADELPHIA CREMATION HOAX
Among the incidents cf the cremation movement
was the pretended burning of the body OF George Op
dyke. Of Dr. FRANCIS Upuykc, oil NO. l,vA0 North
Fourth street, Philadelphia IL represented that
/ the incrematon performed by Dr. Opdyke in the
| cellar OF his own house, by means Of furnace aud
boiler which had been made for that purpose The cost
| OF this operation yut down as iollows:-
| The boiler.. 200 w
The furnace. 20 w
The urn. ou
Two cords OF wood. 10 w
Total. 500 50
The cost of the urn in this ridcuousy
small that u Is not surprising the whole story turned
out to be invention TO arouse the wonder OF the
crcdulous.
LITERATURE OF CREMATION.
As matter of course IL Is only natural that crema-
ton should have both It's literature and Its bibo-
graphy. Goethe, Koerner and Platen sung It's praises
did others OF the German poets, Goethe apostro-
phised II, 30, wlsc custom OF the anclonts;" and
Piatcn wrote epigram on the subject in y hch ho
used, 30 sacrcd flames return, return, and in tho
lcntal BREATH IL must bc confessed lis litera-
turc IS rather meagre, but these examples show
that makes up In the greatness what II lacks tho
number OF It's poets. Neither would its photography
have suggested the remark credited Solomon that
a book by Trusan, called "Burnng the Dead, = was
Ercoani '.Cremation as the Most Rational Method Of
Disposing Our Dead, published in Zurich, contains
much valuable information Whatever has appeared
since has particular value and It Is to be presumed
that not the burning OF the body oil Baron Won
Palm could lnducc many persons to read a vouminous
treatise the cart and Practice OF Incincrationn