The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-26
In PARIS.
AN AVERAGE OF TW ELI BoDIES
REDUCED To ASHES DALE.
The Addition Just Completed 90 the Great
Coiumsariuni at Pere In C~hRise-Cnuses or
tho Growing Popularity or the Practice.

Tie Addition Ju,t Completed 20 the Grent
Coiumsariun at Pero In C~hrisc-Cnuses or
tho Growing Popularity or the Practice.
PARIS, Dec. 1.-the municipality has just
completed tho second arcade OF the great CO.
lumbarium at Poro Ia Chaisc, thus doubling
its facilities for the reception Of the ashes Of
crcmatod persons. Whom cremation irst bc-
camo fashionable. in 1882, IL was thought that
q building providing inches for 5000, urne
would be sufficient for many years, but before
tho ond OF tho decade the space was entirely ~
hausted. Another building was erected, ana
that. too, soon became filed. 1t was:then soon
that cremation had taken u atrong hold upon
the people, and that some definite plan must be
made to keep pacc with the progress it was maxi
ing; thcn tho columharium was decided upon.
Tho two arcades occupy two sides of the roo
tanglo In which is situated the great stone
crematory. Tho location is just south OF the
Mussulinan cemetery and mosque. in the new
part of Ptrc Ia Chaisc, and not fer from the
entrance. The structures are
identical, being open on one side and closed on
the other. and each is about $50 foct long by
90 wide. Tho close sides arc taken up hytho
inches, OF which there are ten tiers, beginning
at tho tcssclated flooring and running to the
vaultcd roof. There aro many thousand OF
these inches in each arcade. When an urn 10
deposited in n niche, the entrance. Is closed
with q slab of marble. which seals the opening
Theoretically. All that Ia to be seen. then, are
these rows Of slabs, upon which arc inscrip-
tions similar to those upon gravestoncs. except
that they arc rs a rul, simpler. In most casos
there Is nothing but n name, with the dato of
birth and of death. Some nro fancifully loco-
rated, especially those OF artists. the brother
craftsmen spending hours OF love in the last
tribute. The email space allowed TO each
niche ia n serious hindrancc TO the taste for
decorating graves with artificial flowers and
wreaths made of purple glass beads which the
French have in common with all Continental
peoples. They try.to keep up tho custom Just
rs If tho nichos wcrc graves, with tho conso-
ouenco that upon an occasion like Al Saints
Day, inches. slabs. and. in fact, tho whole wall
of the arcade. arc buried from sight in tho MACS
of decorations. which arc sometimes three feet
deep. and always in crowded confusion.
For the last three or four years tho number
of persons cromated in Paris hns been about
ono thirteenth of the total dead. Tho statis.
Total deaths, 5s,85O; burials. 5O.23l; incin-
e~rations, also; di~ssectcd in hospitals and
persons cromated was 3,1o9. and in 1926 j, 302.
For tho eleven months 6 OF the present ycar the
tsrmine how his body should be disposed OF after
mated in Paris.
It has been commended that one Of tho prinei.
pal causes OF the growth OF cremation Is tho IKE
pensc of being buried docently in Paris, but
that is only a part explanation. Funerals, IN
by the Government in France. Tho business OF
conducting them is a monopoly, licensed and
eonsass sy ih for st All Paris a s'n and ff rom Il the aa a eGe
buried only BY this company; %s there e iis no
and should. one BIO contemplated, tho body
would be seized and tho responsible persons be
everything. You. must buy the coffin from 1t,
you must hire the hearso and carriages from
dental expenses Of Church and state. This APP
plies s to incinerations as well as to iHterments;
divided into many classes. Il you, are a Roman
Catholic. a funeral of the first class will cost
cost only 81 800; il an Israelite, but 5000, and
II you have no faith at all you will pay but
mean that tho Government has set up a stan
dard of riches, love Of pomp. or even %rcspteota-
mean that the principal expense is for church
services. AS a matter of fact, there wero but
sixteen snd sPs first dst ,slsss funerals Msr 6 is i in psris a last ygRs a:
man Catholics, Protestant in one, and non-be-
lever in one. From the prices named for the
first class the rates go gradually down to the
ninth. the lowest class in which 1t is possible to
be buried. In that class a common deal coffin,
q hearse to carry, 1t to the cemetery. and z
$3.50 for 4 Catholic and $3.50 for a Protostant.
In all classes the city charges a tax. 1t ig
graduated in the same manner as the funeral
charges. being SO in the first class and $l.2oin
The funeral charge and the city tax must al
ways be paid, whether tho body is TO be put
into the ground or burned: SO the only saving
effected BY cremation is in tho cost Of n last
resting place In the cemeteries of, Paris n
from from sffdS to $500. For each additional sqaaro
foot, length or width. the price is about 800
thi grave S. may a be r rented rts ic GSw rots n flor tS y y or rpr
city tax. Cremation. on the other hand. is fur
ntshed by the city city in eight slo si,t the III price ice
includes the right to q niche in the COLUMBIA.
rum, for the space OF five years, at the end Of
into n common grave. 4 concession for the use
Of the niche ae, in ,pe ssg9entuitfEyh n may "a yh be p ~ haiet
the ashes in the urn to ones home is growing.
There is, as yet, No law against 1t; bnt ~ Y
on homc-kept ashes, MS soon AS the practice be-
comes common. n-a
body SSHi IS not e burned ire G0R BY fam r%sa but by hot air.
The great crcmatory nj Perc In Chaisc. which 10
without doubt the most complete in me s World,
a gentle declivity, so that each floor has n direct
entrance from without. The second floor CON
vices are conducted. and the burning chamber.
In tho vault there are seats arranged rs In q
church. In the centre aisle is II railway, upon
which runs a car. or catafalque; the railway
ends at the doors of the burning chamber. Dur
ing the services the coffin rests upon this car, by
means of which it is finally run to the end OF
the aisle. Then the big doors of the hot;air fur
The furnace proper is upon the lower floor.
Behind il are a great number of Ilues. The
the use of gasogcne. and fresh air pumped into
direct contact, with the tubes i heated 70 a
tenn empGir r nEcs Of iw a6EG At AZ, loo T1in Eanr' to w Snnsh sn,s
the body Of = eh II nm ana fl n,yriiSG cr m crnne:
tiOn is a little Rrayish- white powder weighing
20 pounds In the case OF IL man and less than =
pounds in that OF a woman. AZ there 3re about
twelve crcmatlons daily III Paris, 1t "ill be seeu
that the crcmatOry is Kept going pretty steadiiy'
"WHAT FOU 'LOHIN' FOE EGGS9'
nrl.n ,aSaIa THAI IBI1Klaa "a NEnharn XuunG