Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-08-11

New cemeteries, says the Pail Nall
Crzstte are still opened year BY wear. and
funeral pfooe9sions daily vsnd thei1
way toward the Lat resting place Ia
which for leoe centuries il has ben The
o9seom TO b1y the dad. The ara sir
about cremAxi0n has died avav, and
would b forgotten BY many did not
tome eoeeotsie old lady or half -craxed
idsaliss oeoasionally lsavs . will dseid
ING that theit remains shall b crsmatsd
BY ffs. But for all the present indi5er-
sucs os even revolt a1Yinss inoineration
In the Wst, Mn- G. r. Gordon Cum
minf account IN the Contemporary Re-
riese OF the custom Of cremation in its
original home in the East win be rad
WITH considerable interest. Among tho
htndooe, - every one knows, the pro-
cees OF cfomataon ts common, and at
Bsnafss it practice may b observed At
any hour, a6ks beneath the burning
rays of the noonday sun and by the
liRht Of the pale moon. Many . poor
sunerer strains his last efforts to reach
tne shores ct the GanRes, there to
die on halloved ground. The sx-
penss Of wood for the funeral pyre
bsine too e.s:t 70 secure the burning
Of the whole h1dy, Is II partly charrsd
and then sent to doat down the hoiv
stream 10 the eternity Of the sea. Ths
wsalthisg Hindeoa are more fermsl su
the disposal Of their dad. After bsth-
ing the body In the river il ID swathsd
in shroud Of white, saarist or saRron-
oolored material, somstimes even Gov
cred with cloth Of gold or silver; some
vermillion paint, symboliKing the blood
of sprinklinR, 10 then thrown over it,
and the body IL laid upon the pyre. AZ
ter adding sweet Rraas, precious oil, and
wood, the chief mourner bears lighted
torch three or nine times around the |
body, touches the dead lips with the |
holy flame, and lights the pyre. Then |
il 10 kindled in several other places, and |
in very short time the body il con-
sumed BY the fame, the ashes are gath
cred up, and the GsnRss bears them |
away. In Japan cremation is not 80 |
p0blicly performed. A plain looking |
house in the corner of the country GEM |
etsry. with mud walls and ssrthen door,
inside Of which are seven or eight low |
stone Enclosures, serves az crsmatory. |
The body, in Q sitting attitude, is placed i
on heap Of dry faRots in one Of the |
Enclosures, and when after six |
or eight hsurs, the fire 10 burn
cd out, nothing is left but a
few white ashes; thess are put into an
earthenWare urn and buried, With or
without religious rites. The burning
Of bodies b not compulsory in Japan,
but Buddhists of the Monte sect are
nearly all crsmated. The toyn srsma-
tories differ only from those in the
by their tall chimneys, by
which unpleasant odors are kept from,
troublesome to the neighbor-
hood. There is also small room kept
for the wealthier pcople, in
which they have their dead burned
apart. For the use of this private
apartment they pay $5. while these who
prefer 70 be burned in company pay
about one dellsT. The fuel costs about
twenty-f cents. From p. IN. to
a. m, the dres burn on the granite sup
portsrs, which are laid on the earthen
door, and from each of these hearths
he ashes are gathered and put sepa
rately inte an urn. There is no smell
10 annoy any one, and no nuisance.
Terrible a. cremation may appear to
Dome. the process 10 far less hideous in
to details than that which has its slow
,ourss In the deep, narrow bed into
which the flower covered coffin is low
srod from our sight.