The daily gazette., 1880-03-10
Progress of Cremation.


Dir. nAHN's NOVEL FUNERAL crREMo-
NIEs-"THE RELIGIoN OF HUMAHI-
TYr--A CREMAToRY- IN NEW YORK,
DIR. Hahn, whose remains win be ere
mated In the LIE Moyne furnace, at
Washington, Pa, tonight, will make
the sixth subject of inciDeration which
that crematory has received. The fli-
neral services OF the deceased were held
at his late residence in New York yes
terday after oou, according to the pecu-
liar ritual and principles of the Society
for Ethical Culture.
1t appears that some two months ago,
IN the course of conversation with Mr..
Kaufman, prominent member OF the
Society for Ethical Culture founded by
Felix Adler, DIR. Hahn promised that
when be died his body should be crema-
ted. "But," said he TO his father-in-law,
''you are an older man than ! am, and
in the natural order OF things should
die first. If l promise you, you must
promise me TO be cremated. MIR. Kauf-
mann and his son-in-law accordingly
inferred into solemn engagement that,
whichever died first, the other should
stt bldb Ills WioICo WCiO ihtO
execution in respect to the disposition of
his remains, and personally supelintend
the process. The body Of DR.. Hahn
was inclosed in an iron coffin, covered
with flowers, at the funeral services,
and the face was not exposed TO the 10
spect on of friends. Professor Adler Of
ficiated at the obsequies, and pronounc-
ed brief address of encomlum upon
the deceased and coincidence to the be-
reaved family, taking as the burden Of
his discourse the duty of submission to
the inevii able, and the irreliglon or i'm
morality of unregulated emotion. On
such occasions, he said, however deep
our grief or poignant our sorrow, the
emotions should not be accorded full
sway, nor permitted to betray the sor-
rowing into Incorporate murmurlng and
rebellion. The blow under which they
were now suffering was hard one: be-
loved husband had been stricken down
a tender and devoted father removed.
But all mankind were subj ct to the
same general avs to the same inscru
table destiny; aud there was more Of
true religion, of true morality, of real
beauty, in bowing bumbly to such laws
than there was in the 1htemperate eXhi-
billions of grief which so often followed
the footsteps Of the Destroyer. Profess
sor Adler counselled the bereaved
friends and family to bow their heads
in humility before the law that had
stricken them, and TO remember that a |
life of duty, however brief, left behind |
1t high and humanlzing influence.
DIR. f. Gruning, the oculist, an int- |
mate friend of the deceased, alse spoke |
briefly in German. After recalling some |
thing of the circumstances, DIR. Grun-
Ing said that his dead friend was fully |
of the danger of his calling, |
and had battled his way like a true sol. |
iier of humanity, fearing no phantoms, |
being deferred from his duty by no i'm
aginary perils. His only motive In hfe |
mad been the sciousness of dong his |
tuty. True, faithful, manly, indepeni-
INT, while he loved life for the good
here was in It,, he had no terror Of
ieath. The simple and beautiful doctrine
Of the religion of humanity was his guld
ing sentiment. Our lives, said the speak.
er, are a little ashes moved and moulded
into being from the all-prevadiug world
spirit. Our ashes return to the primitive |
matter from which they come; our spir-
Its to the great world-spirIt, forming
again part OF the universal. Our broth
er was moved by no hopes of future re-
ward, hut only by a consciousness of his |
duty to mankind. He was not there TO |
pronounce ealogy upon the dead, Out
TO pay the tribute of simple jus
tice 70 a true lie. As they all were men
so humanity should be their religion.
DIR. Gruning SAID yesterday that
crematory would soon he erected in the
vicinity OF New York city, without
doubt, as there were many believers IN
tie propriety Of such disposition ot he
of the dead who were only de
TERED from cnjoimng 1t upon their
death beds by the unpleasant notoriety
Of the process and the trouble and delay
Of transportation. But 1t would ere long,
he thought, become so common that
or III f.i u. a lid nanan