, 1886-07-11
FUNERAL REFORM.

The subj ct of funeral reform he's. for
some considerable linz, attr zee attention
in Great Br tain. l has been felt that,
alike on sanitary and economical grounds. a
change was advisatl'. A socie y has there
fore been formed Tor tn, rromot' o o. the
neele reforms. which has The sanction OF
the archbishop Of Can eri ury an other
d gn tarie' of tine church. anil which has
already been productive of soma COOL.
In this orntry similar reform Is needed.
The csieniatiou' display often made at
iun'rals IL ex Y nsive and reru sive; and in
other respects the manner in VIII CHI funerals
ar conducted--e -ar1les, of the wishes of
the clergy offensive to good taste and a
mockery of woe. II anything can he done
to remedy this evil. it should bs done
promptly. This is the onirion Of a large
number of the clergy of N w York an its
wei l y. who have he'll :, v raj conference
on The subject As the re suit of these inter
views. letter. were ,ert to The archbishop OF
Cin;er ury and the d an of York. request
in informant n nnd he Judgment o thu
Cnurc of En- gland Flu ,eral and Mourn
in, Reform associatiol" Oh Ger ain
points. A m citing of ,hs council
was called, and tire matter was dis
Gu S d. resulting in the antnorizl'i) IN OF the
following letter forwarde | by the honorary
secretary. the Row. F. lawrence. Its i'm
r%ortance demands q tention and the cas.,
rs thus stated for Elglln |. ann i g with
co al or greater fore. to America In no
CO untry are the II rappin-s of wos' ma lie
more Of than in our own. TIE n,ed e s.
sense ess POM AMI 'isp'ay often t nd to
nj lily The feet of the sprv c. of the dead,
besides entail'ng an exp nsc which ia griev-
Gus to b, iorn the churci designs that
the burial of the dead shorll be simpl. and
rayerauf xunOasffpr c.p,fArt - tho h.
reaveI and admonition 10 all; and nv pro-
moiing the reforms now so mu n needed We
shall re- u G The expenditure OF hu Ia,
abcli'h the Pig ANTS 50 incon ;istant vita
d 'ath and WOO. pr vent n mo- a. univ 'rrant-
able MONOPOLY Of tie rem try s. ace. set n
e. oil xamp e to The worl l.. and act il ac-
cnrlance with ths spi. it OF our burial
service:
CHURCH OF ENGLAND FUNERAL AND
Mou ,NING REF )Rr ASSOCIATION
WEST N VIC RAGE 70 * F,.2 1885
My DEAR SIR: o henalf Of the aou.ns,
Of III c nrcn # England Frneral an
Mourning R'f'rm rss clAt.or AT ne sig-
gestion of ihe nrcl b.sh' p n Cin erhurv.
one of The presidents e AZ n sptirion. and
VITA the Concurrence AM 'rovll of the
dean n Yor', the chairman NJ the counc |.
i f'r~ard a SUNNI ry If lie society's views
upon The M s,ter rsfsrred 20.
-rh's society is OF ,piniol that as the
church has util re | her iofces for t g pro-
motion o Temperance. VIII CHI Is In one re-
81 ect n movement Tor the promo ion of the
pubic hea tn an for The impro semsnt OF
the dwell ing houses Of the POOR, - also is it
her duty 10 proniulgate sanita-y laws in
vha ever direction the noce' as iy may arise.
Not hat it is sought TO d,precats in the
sl.gh'est eyre, Tbs peciai mis-i'n of tbs
church. Oithe contrary. It is felt To be
qiite con -i<tent to ad II ths p%re-eninent i'm
portance of sp ritual inte'e Is. an YET hold
that snch IN erests are effectively su Sc we'd
by advancing physical Gle 'ca. Milking his
her standi oini, the society has issue | the
TO lowing str teinent in respect OF the prev
alert method Of bu wing tue dead:
The !, ng de ny between death an inter
ment ,esms to be one main object Of the
prevalent nractic, OF using strong and al :
tight collins. This delay is iisaf mi-cnipv-
ous; but g eater evils arise from placing
these strong coli Is in INSULT i,1t earth.
There Is no Doubt tlat this is aIrvisive and
unnatural mod. of burial. defeating its own
rurpose. III o les are to b. resolved into
their coi tituent elemsn $. thev must, it Is
obvious, lie 20 uriel that h earth may
Rave a,cess TO them. The hu yin5 Of bo,lies
In strong, imper, shab'e cofins is simply tbs
ST. rim up Of human remiins in every stare
AMI co idiuon + Il cay. fesirovi ng the soil,
contain mating tho waite sp 'ings, I uling
the a r and sprsa ing the s-e Il of dis "a G.
1t can be no cause for wonl r III 1t with
sucn nccu mutations in our mi list OF
vat masses + lu nan rem Tins. gerei at
ing rci.onous fluids and gases, many shuu d
lie found to nleal for or sm1tion as tue bet err
mode OF disposing OF h dead. But 10 this
me, hod seriors oil jactions pre- ent them
selv.s. while to the proper burial Of tn, dead
in the earth no such objec ions could be
rai,ed; and with thi. proper burial the re-
quirements of RICH feeling and OF sciance
would b. srtl fie l.. That the %ciurcl's 'Orlpr
for the Bur al of e Dean' pre- oppose. this
proper inethol admits OF no dispute. 1t
seems impos iole to deny that tho word,
corpse 'boly.' earl to Garth point 10
bur.a al in the most spsedily perisLab.e cofii
in the simple ga tn. the STRONGER stress may
be aid o tn $ fact lecluse thi. method is
ind ed a ( ,rm of crena ion. 10 which Lieb 9
gives the name of eremacaus :, slow turn
ing the ear til being / $ owl crematory.
The body must be iuried in a c,fin con
s.ucted mot with a view 10 lis en- lur-
ance. Luz 10 its p ri .hab.li " in its own
gray. In well-drained. dry an porou, soil
Under sucl conditions 1t und .rro s not so
much decay as a p 'oceSs of transformation.
The eartn, a. earth. does not uf ct it. lut
acts as the p rous medium be. ween the body
and the air alone, through which the air de-
scends, resolving the DO ly into new pro-
ducts, which pass Il wari in carbonic ncid
gas and nmmoni and this process con-
tinues for three or iour years. until at last
the body as literally risen agan IN a r and
ieccme the source of nv life. leaving be-
hind II no hing lut inoi & mic mattsr. A
few years Ia err the same earth Is ready TO
perform tho S me berefcent notion again
Tire well-detined laws oil nature have cen
obs,rvei, and. as a consequ nee, sanitary
avte hove am avoidaI u-Cnu,c, P,ase