Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1885-09-17
PROGRESS OF CRFMArIoN.
Forty BODIES Now Awaiting the Conn
plettvn of the Mount oIlvet Crema-
New York Times.

lac announcements OF the approach
ing completion OF the crematory az
Mount Olivet Cemetery might import
nothing beyond the conversion of a
few hundred dollars into bricks and
mortar. But the fact that forty bodies
are awaiting FIRE burial can not be
misunderstood. Ii certainly indicates
an unsupported growth OF opinion on
the subject. II is even more remarks
able, Upon 3 wider view to find that
this movement ~began.about the same
time in several nations, and ia each
of them shows a natural and steady
growth, There may be another eX
PLANTATION of this than the world.wid de
unity of intelligence and thought re
sulnng from The modern press aud
telegraph. 1t now makes no differ
eace in what remote spot sp idea is
born. II it have intrinsic strength,
ssraightway the continents and
peoples throb responsively. 1t may
be an error to trace to a Pennsylvania
village the progress of cremation
throughout most Christian nations.
But there appears TO be no other rela-
ton than that Of time between the
several revivals of cremation. An
Anerican led the way.
The cremation of Baron de Palm
under tseosophic auspices in Deems
Der, 1876, appeared 10 be a purely
sporadic freak of a not too sound
mind. But it attracted attention and
wide comment. Fifteen months later
Mrs. Pltmsn'S body was burned. and
in October, 1879, the body of DR.. lie
Moyne, who built the first furnace in
the United States, was thus disposed
OF. He, too, was a fanatic ON various
topics. He was even said 10 be op
posed to bathing, holding AN occa
slonal scratching OF the skin with a
table knife for a strigil TO be a better
substitute. These were not imuosinr
leaders. But Germany followed The
Gotha Crematory was opened ia 1878.
aud 200 bodies have been burned
there. Ina 1881 and 1882 the number
was only 33 in 1883 il was AZ, and in
1884 it was "a. Ia Italy half a dozen
crematories have been built. and the
crematorles now number $50 In
Milan there are 5000 members of a
single society. In France the topic
has been much discussed, but &c
practice is still illegal, although Gam
BETA favored a permissive law The
committee OF the Belgian Chamber
has favorably reported upon a petition
for q law making cremation optional,
No action has been taken in Austria,
1t is believed, although opinion was
officially gathered throughout the em
pre- as early as 1870. In England
Lady Hanham and the wife OF Caot
Hanham were cremated in 1882; bat
they set no fashion, although they
brought the subject prominently for>
ward.
The growth Of cremation in the
listed States has been general. The
New York Cremation Society was or
gained in 1881, as also was the Uui
ted States Cremation Company 0Lm-
ited). By this company was LAID the
corner stone OF the Mount Oliver Gre
matory, IN November, 1884 That
was a good year for the crematiouists.
In Buffalo a company was organized
with . capital of $40, coo; at Boston
the New England Cremation Society
WAS organized; at Lancaster, Pa, was
built the second crematory and the
FIRST for general use, and the Universi
ty Of Pennsylvania built the third.
AT P%ittsburg a furnace employing
natural gas is expected to be complet-
ed soon. In this year the original
I Irnacee at Washington, Pa, was
limited in its use. The demand for
its Offices has %outgrown It's capacity,
and the trustees announced that only
residents-that is, former residents
ia the county of DR.. L. Moyne's home
would be accommodated in the fur
mace built by him. 1t remains to add
that in New Orleans the grand jury
has advised cremation in cases of pub
lie charity upon the ground that bur
ial Ia the Eeighboring low lands is at
Feast a possible danger TO the public
health.
But if it be possible to suggest only
a probable explanation for the occur
renee so nearly together Of events so
similar and yet so widely scattered
upon the face Of the earth, at least it
is pos IDLE to understand the victory
of reason over sentiment and preiu>
dice. The religious argument against
the pagan custom can scarcely
overweight the fact that cremation is
numerically strongest in Rome, the
seat of the worlds most conservative
church. 1t is rot meant that the
church has taken any official action,
BUTT appears that she finds no great
er obstacle TO the resurrection OF the
body ia burning than in burial, The
plea that cremation is illegal was set
tied for common law countries by the
opinion ofSr j. Stephen 10 the con-
tray. Every argument from the ft-
ness Of things-at least as regards the
neighborhood of cities-had previous
ly favored the new, or rather the re
vived custom. To the weight Of rea.
son now began to be added names OF
AUTHORITY. Prof. s ID Gross, Of Phila
delphis, followed his wife in Giving
his body to be burned, Joseph Leidy,
President Of the Pennsylvania Acad
envy Of Natural Sciences, defende5
the act IN the comment which follow
ed. Prof. Adler has often spoken in
~ q