Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1888-10-06
DON'T HAVE STRONG coFFlNs.

Advice of the Rev. Mr.. Lawren ce' OF
the English Burial Reform So
ciety.
Rev. r. Lawrence, Vicar OF Westo"' iolA'
England who arrived in this country ABOUT
fortnight ago, preached at Grace Chapel ~
East Fourteenth street yesterday morning
ON the subject of Burial Reform" taking as
his text, ,'And Aaron shall be gathered %
his fathers" He said: "Tbe text does NOT
mean that Aaron's body was to be gathered
TO his fathers, but he himself, apart from
his mortal body, which after death Is the
Worn. out fctter which the soul
Has broken and cast away.
ssAIany who, 10 all intenIs aud purposes,
don't believe in the continuity OF life after
death, spend their powers for this lie, anu
live this life unconscious Of the eternity 70
which they rightly belong To such the
mortal body is the chief concern, aud hence
a materislism which bears evil irult not
only in this life but after death. The DoaI
which has received lnordinate regard 10 NE
receives undue aud improper attention
when dead, and out OF this arise many Of
the evils which have gathered around our
mode Of dlsposing Of the dead The body Is
retained too long unburied. whereby the last
recollection OF the inetfable beauty which 10
the characteristic OF the deceased Is marred,
and the body suffers an indlgnlty from which
Il should be spared. 0nly those whose
dweIling-place consists OF one room know
how great Il the evil
.sThe body is placed In q strong durable
coffin OF wood or lead-sometimes expensive
ly mounted aud upholstered as i II were IN
tended for use in daily liIc-iu which the bcly
panerataa NOisDuDiis u0sea and uul1H,
'sThus not only are the dead dealt With IT.
reVerently, but disregard is had to the public
welfare. Que part OF cemetery u hlleu Win
vaults tenauted In perpetuity while IN AT
other part oyeTcToWdiug fouls the wafer
springs, polsons the SOIL and gives rise TO
emanations which, II not themselves the
causes OF disease, are yet Instrumental In IN
ereasiug their vitality
There is an expenditure often out OF all
proportion to the means Of the bereaved and
generally iu u wrong direction, aud this ex.
pense Is often incurred while the body itself
Is denied proper burial the body being either
uishOnOred by nominal burial Ia solid cOiha
where IL is shut out from natural Influences,
or dlshonored by imperfect burial amidst
other bodies In an already crowded grave.
There Is much unnecessary show, often In the
worst possible taste.
1.-THE remedy lies in right views OF life and
death, OF the relation OF the body 10 the true
personality, aud OF the honor due TO the hu-
Iuhu oD11s nc IuIleklhu uAa AAlhAJ Nh
20 live when that happens TO him which Is
called death. He himself Is then gathered to
his people, into higher sphere Of existence,
having nothing further, nov or hereafter, 20
do with tue earthly corruptible body In It's
present condition, which be has laid dOWn,
and which has now Its own functions to per.
form In the great cycle OF nature.
The body will, therefore, be laid into the
earth as soon as sigus OF dissolution appear
aud this as completely as dscencY aud rever-
ence permit Aud the burial will be In earth
sufficient aud suitable fOgthe resolution Ofth E
body Into it, constituent elements In accord.
anee with the law II the land which assigns
six II. OF earth. Aud. instead Of family vault
or mausoleum, there will be a family plot kept
as a small garden, wherein the dead are bu
ried side by side. In the frailest possible eask.
ct, the earth being ready, generation By gen
Grafton, TO receive the dead Of that same fam
lily for all time TO come. Aud 10 the dead Of
the very poor will be given the honor which IS
due--earih sufficient. with no OyercroWding.
"a cemetery thus used would not Oe an ae-
emulation OF human remains q every stage
Of arrested and prolonged decay too vast for
earth and air to purifv and dislntegrate, bat
a place where the dead, unobttrueted by that
which retards dissolution, pass away lmper-
ceptlbly, 10 the harm Oi none, ami leave the
earth ready 10 perform IT'S bendcleut action
ngain. "-Nev York World.