The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1895-07-24
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ASHES no ASHES.
Undertakers and Cremation.
from the Urn.l
Journal.

The steady advance of cremation
and more readily obtainable infornla-
ton ON it as we'll as practical experience
have tended to relegate to the absurdi-
ties the occasional former plant Of the
undertaker that cremation hurts his
business" 1t does nothing of the kind.
In every case of death, with extremely
rare exceptions, the services of an
undertaken are requested; not because
the law gives him a monopoly of the
business or bars the family or Others
from thelegal disposal of a dead human
body, but because he Isl better fitted and
always willing to relieve the bereaved
family from number of harrassing de-
tails, for which that family pays him
with or without previous agreement.
So with him 1t is altogether matter
OF pay. or business, not sentiment, and
In our extended experience no case has
come to our knowledge, where an I'M
dertaker has refused his services in a
cremation case simply because 1T was
such. His competitor around the corr
ner would at once accept 1t, preferring,
as good business man. some profit to
no profit. every time.
The undertaking business has some
very disagreeable If not repulsive fea-
lures, of which the general public is
little aware A morgne body from the
water or a suicide from the roof fndica-
tive of what we mean, tax the mans
nerve and muscle. Far be 1t from us
to begrudge. him any profit from his
calling, but the amount of Ii must dis
tinctly remain a matter of private
arrangement between him and the fam
| lily and is absolutely none of our con-
Germ Whether in earth burial cases q
casket and five coaches are used against
a coffin and one coach in cremation
cases is from our point irrelevant. Our
work and object is to convince people
| that modern cremation Is preferable,
| because clean, eninently respectable
and reverent; this accomplished. we
| may leave all the rest safely to others.
Thus prefaced, 1t becomes interesting
to read what a prominent Rochester
undertaken recently stated to reporter
| of the Express.
| "Of course said he, ut is against my
business interests that should prefer
cremation, and i therefore cannot say
| that / do favor 1t. But / do say this.
| Cremation is bound soon to be the only
practical method of disposing of the
dead Burial grounds take up 2 great
| deal of room and are charging with the
growth of the communities where they
are located. Mt. Hope, for instance, is
extending greatly and encroaching en-
property intended for dwelling places
| for the living rather than the dead.
This must continue as it has, or some
other method of disposing of the dead
must be suggested. Certainly we cam
not look after the dead at the expense
| of the living. Those on this earth are
| our first consideration and in the nature
| of things must continue to be so. Be
sides the health of the living must be
cared for. And for every dead body
| that is put in the earth the soil and
water in the neighborhood becomes so
much more contaminated ] cannot see
| therefore, how this can continue. Gre
nation is the more practical method OF
disposing of the dead. | do not sup
pose these arguments are new, but
| they have suggested themselves to me
very forcibly in the last few weeks.
| think it will not be q long time until
crematories will be established in every
| considerable community. Then we I'M
dertakers will have to undertake some
| thing else besides dead bodies.
| 1t will be observed that our Rochester
friends is afraid Of losing business If
cremation becomes general. 1t will nto
become so in his lifetime. and the
| undertakers of subsequent generations
will still be in general request, just as
now, to take care of the dead-for Gre
nation.