Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-06-27
A Japanese Cremation.
In the House of Commons Yesterday

A Japanese Cremation.
In the House of Commons yesterday
me Tome Secretary, opposing the bill
introduced by DR.. Cameron, urged
against cremation that the elder ma
more particularly the Greeks, had
never adopted the practice. There is
one nation, now the Oldest empire in
the world, where cremation is an estab-
lished usage, and where the Govern.
ment, with shrewd appreciation of the
advantages of sanitary laws, have Of
late years carefully fostered it. This is
Japan, where cremation Establishments,
under Government control, are to be
found in all the chief cities. In Toxic,
the principal place of cremation is
situated at Shen-jo, a suburb reached
through long lines Of busy streets. 1t
was fete day in the neighborhood, and
at the time of my visit we approached
through a dense crowd Of holiday.
makers. The shops were brightly lit.
~Jlnrlckshas abounded, most Of them
holding two, and one at least tour
persons, two being babies. On these
occasions the Japan infant obtains a
change of view and position. For the
most part it peers out upon the world
round the side of its mothers or sisters
head. But it being physically impos-
sible for a woman to sit in a jinricKsha
with the everlasting baby at her back,
1t is, on this occasion, only slowed
round to the front. Many of the tea
houses in this quarter were brilliantly
illuminated with scores of lanterns.
One, which our guide said was a
'goose-house," had over q hundred, a
tall pole running up from before it
hanging out q score. It appears that
the Japanese is rapidly developing
c%arnivorous tastes. As the home Gull.
nary department. is not yet equal to
cooking joints, the luxurious Japanese
of the lower middle class goes out to a
beef-house or q goose and duck house,
and feeds on the unfamiliar Wand.
After an hours drive through q lane
of busy life we came to the silent house,
where the dead awaited the ~lastservice
Of the living. 1t stands a little apart
from the main road, a building OF a
single story, with an innocent-looking
tall chimney, and might be connected
with a pottery or q small iron foundry.
The business is always conducted
privately, and there are few in Toxic,
except those who are professionally en-.
gagged, who have witnessed the process.
But arrangements made by the omnipo.
tent foreign minister opened the doors
and secured a respectful welcome TO,
us. We were first received in the house
of the manager, where tea was served
in priceless porcelain cups of Kutani
ware. The furnace, if SO imposing a
name may be used for a process Sc
simple, stood a few PAGES from the
house. On entering it there was moth.
ing to be seen but what appeared to be
two butter-tubs resting upon q few
fagots of wood. There were several
cavities about two inches deep and q
foot long in the stone floor, and these
were filled with shavings. According
to municipal Jaw, no burning is to be
done before $3.50 in the evening. Itstil
wanted ten minutes to that time, but il
the circumstances the manager though
he would be safe in anticipating The
hour, and the shavings were fired.
One of the men. kneeling before the
growing flame, famed it with a piece
of wood. 1t caught the dry fagots
greedily licked the sides of the tub
rose high in the air, and then, with
horrible thud, the head of the barre
burst outwards. Quick as thought tn
man seized a large piece of wood, lyins
by in readiness, and hid from sigh
whatever may have %protruded. 1t i
the boast of the skillful cremator tina
under his supervision the contents o
the barrel are never exposed to view
A heavy mating of wet straw is laie
over the length, of the barrel before th'
fire is ignited. AS the barrel is burned
away this falls in and covers the body
In three hours the work is done. Ever,
particle of flesh is burned away, ant
there remains only the skeleton. Th,
bones and the teeth the relatives collec
and give them sepulture.
There arc three classes of cremation
at this establishment. In the first elias!
each body is burned separately, +:
charge being made of z yen, equal tx
20 shillings in our money. In thu
second class the charge is only 10 shil
lings, the difference being that two o.
more, accOfulHS W tHc u
trade, are burned at the same time
The third class pay 6 shillings 6 pence
the semblance of a coffin provided by
the tub being dispensed with. It will
be seen that, as compared with the mos
moderate scale of ordinary buria
charges, cremation is cheap. AS far a:
| could gather, it is this which recon
mends itself to the class of japanese
generally the least wealthy, who avail
themselves of the at the es
adjustment of Shen-jo and kindred in
stitutions.-H. W. Lacey, ~ Pail Nal
Gazette.
British CircumlOcutiOn.
The circumlocution Office still exists,
and an official of the royal courts has