Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1898-03-25
ASHES OF THE CREMATEO.
what to do with the Urns Becoming
Question Of the Day.


Question OF the Day.
The ancients settled this question
by placing the cinerary urn either in
its own receptacle dedicated to the
gods or in s'columbarium, which was
. kind of stone cupboard with many
partitions. Such modern nations a.
the Hindoos and Japanese, who largely
follow the practice of cremation. place
the few relics left by the flames in .
vessel Of pottery and deposit it either
temporarily or for good in their tenn
pies. Sometimes the selected ashes,
after reposing in the solemn spot, are
thrown into holy river, such as the
Jumna or the Ganges, and in this way
no embarrassment arises. The custom
seems universal of desiring to preserve
some little portion Of the scanty frag.
ments left by the fire. With the Him
docs whitened bone or two suffices,
but the Greeks gathered up all and
placed it in somewhat larger vessels
than the vases or boxes used in India
and Japan.
Every scholar recollects the touching
passage in Sophocles, where Orestes,
disguised, brings back to his royal sis
ter the funeral urn supposed to contain
his own remains. 1t may be doubted,
in spite Of the reverence paid to the
classic morals, whether what Sophocles
writes was high dramatic art. He
makes Orestcs relate long-winded
and utterly false story of how he him
self was smashed to pieces in chariot
race, and then he let's the lady go into
passionate and eloquent grief through
. hundred lovely iambic lines, shedding
tears as much wasted rs the water
from a rainspout Still, the Greeks evil
and tender in the two handfuls Of
white dust shut in q little urn," and
they lavished art upon the receptacles
and knew where to put them.
With us, however, if the fashion
spreads there really must be some ar
rangement. In large family-through
long lapse Of years, visited, perhaps,
by recurrcnt influenza-the collection
of departed relatives committed to all
sorts OF urns, vases and jars might be-
come real Inconvenience. Even if q
special cabinet were pevised, with sep
arate shelves for aunts, uncles, moth.
ers-in-law, and SO on, tho difficulty at
times of letting the house or leaving it
Tor another would be likely to prove
extreme. Besides, there would ALWAYS
be this danger, Mnic.t has just befallen
France, of losing an ancestor or kins.
man in transit: nor do we know by
what rule parliament itself could de-
eide how TO conciiate the value which
alover might pur upon the remnants OF
his mistress, or a reslduary legatee up.
on the ashes of the millionaire who had
enriched him, with the comparative in.
difference that railway Companies and
common carriers would be Inclined to
show toward such goods. Clearly there
would have 10 be a tariff, but in draw
Ing up that tariff What pnzzling cues
lions might prise How could we estl.
mate the Respective prices OF aunts,
cousins and second cousins, or draw q
pecuniary disfin9tion between the re.
mains of a second, third or fourth hus-
band of a widow?
II, as haa ,,t,,il raid, the ministers OF
various uSilo-.,taQ TOTS have declined to
find place Of deposit for these interest
Ing memorials, the difficulty will really
press for solution rs the practice of Gre
nation extends, and it must be borne
IN mind, although new grief might find
. certain moar.,ful pleasure in having
Its lost ones ornament ing the residence
In exquisite porcelain of Sevres or Sat,
suma, still this feeling wears off, and
many people might be glad to have
better place for al that was mortal OF
an uncle or grandfather than the
parlor mantelpiece or the Chippendale
whatnot