New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-04-17
CREMATION.
WHY CATHOLIC FUNERAL RITES WERE
REFUSED AT THE OBSEQUIES
OF ANTON SEIDI.


s,r until the refusal OF the ecclesastcs OF the
18th 70 which tie late Anton Sedl belonged to
.#c;ate at his obsequies had the effect Of at
t-,ctjng the attention of the public to the fact.
rns refusal was couched in kindly language. In
,smuch as it was stated that while the rules OF
aha Church forbade the use OF the customary
,,neral rites in the case Of a person who was
.hout to be incinerated In accordance with his
avn ante-mortcm directions, the efforts Of Arch
hishop CorriCan and his priests would be devO.-
a 10 Offering spiritual consolation to his widow.
II is only under certain specific circumstances
that the Catholic Church refuses its last rites to
tho dead whose bodies are to be crematcd, while
there are other cases where the fullest kind Of
religious ceremonies are celebrated over bodies
that either have been or are about to be reduced
TO ashes The views of the Catholic clergy on
the question are shared by number Of other
churches Protestant. Hebrew and Mahometan.
Thus, when in 1883 the Danish Legislature on
sanitary grounds passed vote in favor
OF the liberation OF cremation as a means Of dis
posal Of the dead the Minister Of Public Wor-
ship informed the House that, after having con-
suited the principal digntaries of the Lutheran
or State Church OF the Kingdom he must de-
cline to permit the bill to become law or TO be
put into execution. since the entire body OF the
clergy. as we'll as the religious sentiment Of the
country most strongly opposed to It, In
Sweden the Lutheran state Church has taken
a similar stand toward incarceration. and so, too,
have the Lutheran synods OF Prussia and Of
Wutcmberg. whereas that Of Prussia and Of
Grand duchy Of Baden has on the contrary. ex-
pressed its approval OF the practice.
The other Protestant denominations may be
said 10 be non -committal with regard to Gre
nation and while some Of the Anglican clergy
take the view that il is permissible. since the
words ashes to ashes are comprised In the
most solemn portion OF the liturgy for the dead.
and there has been no canonical prOnOunccmcnt
against it, vet the general attitude OF the ecclcsi-
astics Of the Anglican rite. both in England and
The United States. may bc said TO be one OF
mild disapproval
STILL there are "A large number OF most deNoui
Episcopalians who, dying after having received
the last sacr amenis Of their Church. have been
burned in accordance with their previously
oppressed wishes. and with fun religious ser
vices members Of the old aristocracy. in spite
,f their proverbial conservatism. leading thc
way in the matter. and contributing much TO
render this form Of the disposal OF IN" dead
fashionable. Among titled personagcs who
y In ordinary collins the seventh Duke Of
Manchester. grandfather Of the present peer Of
hat name. the Marquis Of Sligo. the Duchosscs
Of St Adams and Of Bedford. the EaSl Of
Northesk. Admiral Sir Geonry Hornby. the
puke Of Bedford Lord Bramwcll, Lady Cathc-
rine Northcote. Baron Huddcston and many
,thers.
JEWISH AND MAHOMETAN BELIEFS.
Jews and Mahomctans disCOuntcnance cr"ma-
ton under ordinary circumstances. ard yet
al ait Ike the Catholic Church. that there are
a number Of cases where II ~ not only per
nissible but even necessary. and where J. would
fe unjust to refuse the last rites OF religion
always retain vivid recollection OF DISCUS
r,on which once had about the matter at Cairo
at the time Ct the great cholera cpidemlc III
lSS, with one Of the most learned diV!ncs on inc
great mosque and university OF FL Azhar, when
sor over a thousand years has been the head
quarters Of MdhOmctan orthodoxy. flhdihs thd'
he was in favor Of the burning Of the corpscs OF
those who had succumbed to the pos'H'h''
asked Of him how he could possibly reconcile
such views with the idea. so decp-root"d among
the members OF his faith, that in order t. enable
Allah 10 reconstruct the body Of the true believer
for life hereafter 1t is necessary that AT least
one small particle OF bone, the lowest "i inc
yertcbr.a. which they describe as luz" should
be preserved from humiliation. From the luz
which they are convinced is indcs,ructiblc by
the ordinary process Of decomposition anu as
integratlon Of the corpse they believe that the
Almighty can rebuild the entlre pouy' hu' iio
must have the luz"
Smiling the grccn-turbancd old shcl" repi''o'
YES. know that this belief prevails among
q IL. "a