Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1885-01-30
CREMATION.

cities ana towns. But then every
deep thinker, and every inventor
knows by either experience or OBJ
servatiOn that every invention has
its state of infancy. They all require
sometime to develop them into
perfection but oftimes it requires
more time to convince the credulous,
"know it ALL" of its utility and many
advantages than it does to conceive,
devise, and perfect the original
thought. But to mention the thought
of Cremation in explanatory terms,
viz "burning the Dead" to some
good old farmer that has his own
burial lot out in his fields, that is on
" discoverable in the fall after the
briers have been cut, by stone
roughly hewn by nature, sticking
length-wise up instead of hugging
mother earth with its broadest side,
as are its numerous like companions.
And he will call you an intidel or an
atheist, before he has time to reflect
over his illiterate vocabulary to see
Just what name would be most appro-
pirate to give two legged animal
possessed with such curious and
nonsensical thought. But then il
you want to have more fun, just
wait till all are serenely assembled
around the old mans fire-side, and
the old lady is sitting over in one
corner busy knitting away, with her
gold "imitation of brass" spectaclcs,
carelessly pcrched just before her
failing optics just so that she can
casually cat her eyes over them on
YOU unawarcs, to detect your pecu-
iarity, also the objcct of your visit,
then mention the burning of her
friends and children as a final dis
posal of their remains, if you want
to see with what ease a woman can
call into utility the whole of the Eli
glish language, to express her dis
gust and holy horror at such a ridicu-
lous idea, without invading the tenn
pie of profanity,so often resorted to by
man, when he wants TO give his few
tribulations, by calling into rcquisi-
ton few more descriptive adjec-
tives than our customary grammar
enuinerates. 1t took the telegraph
operator a long time to get used to
persons that would bring him letter
to send, pay him for it, giving Orders
to send it right away, then go out
and watch the wires to see the let
ter sliding along like double CREASED
lightning; then 80 in and accuse him
of lying, after he said that lie had
sent it. Why? because, don't they
see it over there hanging OH that bit
of wire. But cremation has more
than one advantage, it is much
cheaper to those who need be eco.
nomical, it is quicker, easier and
equally as humane, but now at last
but not least its greatest good is de-
rived from the fact that it has ne
lelctcrious effect upon those left be.
hind. What is meant by this is thai
there are no gases arising from the
putrefactive decomposition of the
body, to contaminate the air that
we breathe, terminating miasms
that propagate fevcrs, diphtheria and
all forms of contagious diseases, that
sweep out of existence the lives oil
children and pluck from the mothers
breast the most innocent of the flock
! We oftimes see instances that in dig
ging a grave water accumulates in
the vault, and hinders easy compile
ton, unless we dis it out, some OF
the good ncighbors get an old rusty
wash-pan and dip it out, just long
enough to get the coffin in, with 9
few spadesful of dirt on top, thel
they dash it in with all tours, appar
emily afraid that the water will over
take them, never stopping to think
that in q few minutes their dear one
will be entirely surrounded by water
There lie is lett to rot at his leisure
amongst putrefaction, corruption
stencil and everything that is dis
gushing to the five human senses
All. the inconsistencies that inter
sperse human nature. Then agar
is it plausible that it be possible tina
that water that surrounds our loved
one may infltrate into subterraneaI
veins of water that come we know
not where from, and so bountifull!
supplies our springs aud wells, a
which we so often quench our thirs
and think we have the best water il
the country! Who would dare sa.
that it is healthy to drink of waite
so tinctured with impurities? Whcl
Lemoyne bought gallows hill at littl
Washington, Penn, and announce,
his intentions of building a cremato
ry the whole populace were will
with excitement, would have tarreC
and feathered him had they onl,
dared to do it. But he bnilt it, ant
was burned there himself after h
was dead, now the people have be
come reconciled to its advantage
and they are not only cremated il
Washington county, but they ar
brought from all parts of the country
Dayton, o., has one, Cincinnati see
the merits of them and is erectin;
one, so is Louisville and ii is only
matter of time till every county il
the United States will have its Gre
matory. Then take every hog, COW
sheep or brute that dies and bur
them up, instead of throwing then
| into the creek or river. Go to Louis
vile or any other river city that get
its water supply from the rive
through its reservoir and waite
works, and take drink from on
of those hydrants and if yo
are used to good, clear, pure countr
water, it will almost disengorg
that dinner you paid fifty cents fol
Then 90 out to the rivers bank an
see the purtrid carcass of some hal
decomposed animal floating down tn
muddy Ohio, and unless you ate a
iron wedge for a desert, that Dime
will come yet. Is that water pure
it really fit to wash in No! yet hun
dreds of thousands drink it every dal
Had it always been customary fc
us to burn the dead, and had nevc
heard of any one being burned (stuc
in a hole in the ground) such a thin
would be equally as repugnant to III
as it is vice-versa. We all know ths
after a person is dead, that til
body has not feeling, consequent
there can be no suffering SUI
tanned by the deceased. We ma
make what ever disposition of on