The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1883-10-06
Cremation.
CTilnes-Democrat.I j

VI ouuAts MHtIe Utdtu Hds uceu
due to some infectious or eOnta-
giOus diseases, has attracted at
tention and has been discussed at
length by the press of this coun
try. The grand jury's suggestion
has been generally indorssd and
approved, with a doubt ex.
pressed, however, whether il may
not be little ahead of the tunes,
and whether popular prejudice
against burning the dead may not
still be too strong, and it is assert.
ed that the public will have to be
educated into this new system be.
fore it can become popular.
The Atlanta Constitution calls
on New Orleans to lead of in the
matter. From it's situation, the
character of its soil, and the prox-
unity of the water to the surface,
no city is more interested in ere
nation than New Orleans. If it
will have the courage to lead off,
and will erect a cremstory for the
cremation of the bodies of those
dying of Infectious and conta-
gious diseases, the Constitution
believes this custom, which has
the approval of sll the leading sci.
entists, which only does quickly
what putrefaction does slowly,
and which was in early tiinss gen.
orally practiced, will soon spread
over the entire country.
1t is u coincidence that this
question of cremation should have
become the subject, at the same
time, of an animated discussion in
Europe, which is bringing out all
the arguments pro and con. The
discovery made by distinguished
Brazilian scientist as to the abili.
ty Of yellow fever germs to sur
vive the death Of the patient, and
to fill with poisonous vitality the
earth of the cemetery, is likely to
do much to increase the populari.
ty of cremation. The soil in q
yellow fever cemetery, it is stated,
has been found to TEEN with
germs similar to those found in
the bodies of the victims buried
below. Guinea pigs fed on grass
grown in such cemeteries die of
yellow fever, and the inference is
drawn that 1t is quite possible for
the victims of an epidemic to con-
vert the place where they are bu.
ried into u vast breeding-ground
for eontagion. If this should be
demonstrated conclusively, moth.
ing will be likely to deter man.
kind from consigning the corpses
of those who die of cholera or yell
low fever to the purifying element
which alone can destroy the exis-
tence of the germ.
1t is also shown that cremation
has been much more generally EN-
ployed and on o larger scale than
most people would believe. The
battlefield of Sedan was thus pu-
rifed without one of the 250 men
employed in this task suffering
any sickness; and the same sys-
TEN was adopted after the battles
of Gravelotte, Worth and the two
sieges of Paris. A century ago,
during the prevalence of the Ma.
polean wars, cremation was gen
eral in Europe; in fact tho neces.
sity of cremation is universally
recognized during war, as the only
means of purifying battlcfelds
Would it not be equally adyanta
geous in times Of peace
The large area taken up by
graveyards, the defilement of riy
ers and wells by the drainage
from the thousands of decsying
corpses, are other reasons given
for preferring cremation to burial
On the other hand there arc
few arguments presented against
cremation. The principal plea ha.
been that it would destroy piety
and break up religious services
over the dead; but this is really
no argument at all, for religious
services can be held as appropri
ately over the urn containing the
ashes, as over the coffin contain
ing the corpes. In Italy, indeed
which was the first country to al
low cremation, the religious pre-
judice against it has entirely dis
appeared, and a priest will per
form the usual services over til,
urn as over the coffin.
1t certainly cannot be denies
that the cremationists have wol
their side of the case in this argu
ment. They have established
clearly that cremation is desira
BILE. If this could once he practi
cally established, the whole worl'
would probably adopt system