The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1883-07-28
De MOrtuis.

The subject of how to dispose of our
dead in such manner as best to COM
bine reverence for their sacred bodies,
with due care for the health of the liv-
ing, is one so full of interest that no one
travelling in lands where methods differ
ing from our own are practiced can fail
to experience some. curiosity on the sub
iect. During our travels in India | had
abundant opportunities of witnessing
the process of cremation as practiced by
the Hindus, most especially at Benares,
that most holy city of the Brahmins, the
bourne which every pious Hindu Graves
to reach, in time to die there, on the
banks of the sacred river Ganges. Many
a time L have seen the dying laid down
to breathe their last breath alone on the
hallowed shore, while their friends went
off to bargain with the neighboring tim
Der merchant for as much wood as their
limited means could procure. Often in
the case of the very poor this sum was
so small that the humble fire has
barely sufliced to char the body,
which was then thrown into the
river and suffered to float seward,
in company with many another, in
every stage of putrefaction, spreading
the seed of pestilence on the sultry air,
and poisoning the stream in which
myriads hourly battle, and from which
they drink. But in the case of the
weather. Hindu the funeral pyre is
carefully built, and when the corpse has
been washed in the river it is swathed
in fair linen, white of scarlet, or, still
more often, the shroud is of the sacred
saffron color, on which is showered
handful of vermilon paint, to symbol
ize the sprinkling of blood Is the atone
ment for sin. Sometimes the body is
wrapped in cloth of silver of gold, and
is laid upon the funeral pyre. Dry
sweet grass is then laid over it, and
precious amounting oil, which shall
make the flames burn more brightly,
and more wood is heaped on till the pyre
is very high. A Brahmin then brings
sacred fire, and gives lighted torch to
the chief mourner,. who bears it thrice
or nine times, sun-wise, round the body.
He touches the lips of the dead BODY
with the holy fire, then ignites the pyre.
Other torches are applied simultaneous
ly, and in very few moments the body
is burned, though the fire shoulders
long. Then the ashes are collected and
sprinkled on the sacred river, which
carries them away to the ocean. Night
and day this work goes on without
ceasing, and many weird funeral
scene | have witnessed, sometimes be-
meath the burning rays of the MONDAY
sun, while my house-boat lay moored in
midstream, to enable me better to wit
ness all the strange phases of religious
and social life enacted on its shores, and
sometimes in the course of our night
journeyings, when the pale moonbeams
mingled with the dim blue flames, cast
ing lurid light on the withered, witch
like forms of the mourners, often a
group of gray-haired women. whose
shrill walls and piercing cries rang
through the air as they circled round
the pyre in solemn procession, suggest
ing some spirit dance of death. When
a body has been consumed, all the
mourners repair to the river, beating
their breasts and bowling, and proceed
to wash themselves and their clothes,
and perform divers ceremonies of puri-
tication necessary after touching dead
oody.-Contemporary Revie0.