The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1884-09-03
WHY Not Burn

The subject OF cremation Is coming " lhe
front with vigCr that will not he Put down.
We can learn OF no law that compels people
=, bury their dead in the earth to become food
for lOathsome worms, and TO polule the son
tb.t bv It's uoxious oxhalations polsons the
living. Nevertheless the authorities backed
Iv nothing but old time prejudice, do inter
fs-e New York and San Francisco both have
cremation societies, a large society has Just
,,esr formed in New England, aud several ex-
is, in Great Britain. At Working, England,
crematory furnace factory has been set up.
In Pennsylvania. the Legislature has legib-
rnized cremation, and so there Is progress be
ing made.
In his recent work Of travel, Due West"
Mr.. Ballou tells Of a visit to Bombay. He
went out to Malabar Hill 20 view the famous
Towers Of Silence. About their bases beau
tiful gardens are kept IN bloom aud lovliness
by the most assiduous care. The Towers con-
siitute the cemetery Of the Parsees. Their
dead are brought up here and after simple
ceremony are exposed upon the summit Of the
towers:
These towers are open al The top, on The
ccruice Of which hundreds Of vultures are al
ways waiting in full view Of every one, and
as soon as the body is left they swoop down
to their awful meal, eagerly tearing and de-
youring the flesh; absolutely picking it clean
from the bones, which fall into a space below
10 an indiscriminate mass, TO be decomposed
by time and the elements. The hldeous-de-
tail Of the scene Is not visible 10 the spectators
hut the Temperance Of these terrible birds
Of prev upon the walls an hour later, in .
gorged condition. is only too significant Of
what has transpired within the silent and
gloomy enclosure. l followed a funeral pro-
cession TO the towers For a moment alter
among these, the face Of the corpse was e2-
posed, showing the marble features OF a young
girl Of some fifteen years, wearing upon hel
pale face an expression Of seraPhic loneliness
The BODY was covered with suow-whIt'
sheet, exhibiting the outline Of a beautiful
budding form suddenly snatChed from life.
''Over and around the body were white bud
and half-blown, pale flowers, indicative o
youth, recalling to mind a similar experience
on the banks OF the Ganges. There was NJ
apparent want Of sentiment or tenderness here
as soon as the brief ceremony was over, tn
beautiful remains lovely even in death, wer
deposited in the nearest tower, the door wa
closed and the bearers retired. Down swoopet
the ravenous birds 20 their terrible banque
as we turned away with a shudder. Ihe de
vouring flames that wroathed about the chi
corpse at BeuaTes did not seem to US SO shock
ing as this. Seeing an intelligent Parset
"'How can YOU reconcile 10 your feeling
such disposal as that OF the remains oil Ten
DERBY beloved child?'
"iwhat DO You do with your dead?'
asked
owe bury them in the earth.
''sYes'. he continued, FOR tue worms 10 60
And if there is a death AZ sea, you sink IL
BODY in the ocean to be deyoured by the shark
We prefer to give our dead to the birds OF IL
air.
perhaps, after all, it makes but little di
ference what becomes Of these teuements
clay. The Parsee feeds the yultures with b
dead, the deyout Hindoo burns the body al
the professed Christian gives his 10 the worn
and to the sharks.
But these are purely sentimenisl reason
the sanitary claims for inclnerauoHare slmp
incontestible II Brazil il has been positive
demonstrated that the graves Of yellowOey
victims swarm with the germs OF the plagu
In Egypt the same has been declared true
the burial places Of cholera victims. 1t
certainly lust as reasonable 10 believe 1t trr
in cases Of fever, smallpox and dIptheri
In New Orleans the cemeteries have been d
cIared nuisances, and a Grand jury has u
advised the setting up OF public cTematoIt
Cremation is less expensive than burial;
sequesJers no valuable ground; 1t removes
possibility OF burial Of the living; 1t dlsslpai
the picture Of the beloved form TottIus IN
earth and fed upon by the most horud OF ere
lures; it enables the ashes Of the dead 10
gathered with ease and small expense,
matter how widely scattered IS the family
the death Of It's members; i biOts out the N
cradle supersttions about graves and &c
eteries.-.SdC. Record LHigU.