The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1880-02-26

CREMATION. ssf.
A. .CIergyman's. Argument in Hts
,ssfgo.l to sesr laal Behaalf. ,i3 - a4a54a
q a,s lFrom New York Evening ,Post.l SEQ
s7 At a recent pastors meeting in this
city the following was read by q cler-
3gyman: ilGnja8on ia ." las1 as
"The strongest argument. against
cremation which has yet fallen under
our notice is that of DR.. Richardson
in his Ministry of Health Briefly
stated it is this: The decomposition of
animal remains is an important source
of ammonia; without ammonia the
world of vegetation would suffer or
die, therefore we must oppose crema-
ton, 80 l'.i'''i i4-.. 8 -5ii ''s'''5# '''5-
"It might appear sufficient offset
to this arr gnmenti in many minds to
say that bodies buried deep in the
earth can not afford much ammonia to
the surface soil, and that, as q matter
of fact, many Of these bodies remain
even after fifty years in a state of 'un-
progressive iputrefaction.' This is the
testimony Of Seymour Haden, whose
searching and extensive Investigations
in English cemeteries have made him
upon this matter. But quite
aside from this 1T mnst be owned that
DIR. Richardson has little reason to fear
that the world of vegetation can suf-
fer any serious harm from the practice
OF cremation for many years to come.
The truth is, the sentiments which
cluster around the ordinary methods
of burial are tender and sacred, al
they must be, as Mr.. Haden
justly calls them, 'unreasoning and
we can not expect the world to escape
from them all at once. sssssrs
And yet it may not be impossible
in time that this new method, not of
burning the body, but of reducing it
to ashes by the scientific application of
intense heat, may commend itself to
the judgment and then to the prefer
ence of thoughtful men, and SO be-
come at last the prevalent method
among all classes of society. We
have reason to believe that within the
year 1880 crematory will be erected
in New York or it's vicinity, and if it
should be furnished with sufficient
number of Generators for the public to
become familiar with the process, it
may be found that much of the oppo-
sition which it now encounters is
traceable to ignorance of its real ma
ture.
"The fact is, as we arc. assured by
competent witnesses, there is nothing
whatever painful about the process
from first to last. No one can help
the instructive shrinking from any
thing associated with the thought OF
burning; but that need not remain if
the process is found in fact to leave
none of the Impression of burning up
on the memory of the imagination.
And this, we are told, will be the case.
There is nothing revolving about it,
The most refined tastes and the most
delicate sensibilities are not offended.
On the contrary one who has wit
messed it says that, as far as the effect
upon the senses is concerned, it is in
every way preferable to the ordinary
methods of sepulture. This Christian
gentleman affirms that after witness
ing the entire operation he would
much rather see his dearest friend cre-
mated than buried either in . grave or
tomb. 1t is not SO distressing TO the
sensibilities. In fact it is not distress
ing at all, 1t is,' he says, .like laying
your friend robed in white upon bed
of roses w lst,4z e1
"This may seem little extraya-
CANT to those who are accustomed to
connect the thought of flames or Goals
or smoke with the process of inciner-
alton. But we must bear in mind that
witnesses have repeatedly emphaslzed
the fact that there is nothing like these
in cremation. To be sure there is q
fire beneath the apartment in which
the body lies, but this is never seen
and it never comes in contact with the
remains. le au
"The process, briefly described, is
thus: A furnace fire is built and kept
burning for twenty or thirty hours
before the cremation is to take place.
Immediately above this fire is placed
in a horizontal position cylinder of
clay called the incinerator, three feet
in diameter by seven feet long. This
fire. clay incinerator admits the intense
heat of the fire below, but not the
flames The consequence is that the
body, when placed in the incinerator,
Is not, In aproper sense of the word,
burned It's reduced to ashes by the
chemical application of intense heat.
Gases are driven off or absorbed, and,
being carried down into the fire from
the incinerator and led back and forth
twenty five feet through its flames,
are utterly consumed. Even the smoke
of the fire is consumed, and nothing
can be seen issuing from the chimney
bat the quiver Of the heat. The pro-
cess might be called without offense
the capitalization of the body, the
eitherializlng or sublimation of its ma
terial parts.
"When the inciners.or has been
raised to white hest it is ready for