The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-01-05
A REMARKABLE WILL.
Millionaire Tabor, Treasurer of the Pres
byterian Board of Trustees, Asks That
No Religious Services BE Held.

New York, Jan. 4.-One of the most
remarkable wills ever filed in the Office
of the surrogate is that of Henry More
house Tabor, offered for probate to-
day. In spite of the fact that Mr.. Ia
Dor was president and treasurer of the
board of trustees of the First Presby-
terrain church, in the opening clauses
of his will he denounces all religion as
sham. and as having its origin in SUI
perstition. He requests that no sery-
ices be held over his body and that it
be cremated. Mr.. Tabor died on
Christmas eve at the age of 20. Two
children, Sidney Richmond Tabor and
May Tabor, survive the testator. and to
them the entire estate, valued at over
81 000, 900 is given absolutely The will
is in the handwriting of the testator
and contains the following:
Believing that all religions, including
Christianity, are superstitious; that the
basis of the Christian religion-the fall
of MANS utterly and absolutely false.
and that its opposite. the rise of man
from the lower orders is "a scientific
fact. that beliefs in tso-called) miracles
are hallucinations of the brain and
never had the slightest existence in fact:
that the chief characteristics of what is
termed the word of God are injustice,
cruelty, untruthfulness and obscenity.
that the effect of orthodox Christian
teaching is to encourage ignorance, sell
nshness. narrow mindedness. acrimo-
riousness, intolerance and mental slav-
cry; that Christianity, so-called. is not
the religion of Christ; that ii supplants
ethical culture and true morality with
meaningless theology and unbelievable
dogmas; that ii puts an unknown land
probably unknowable) dignitary in the
place of nature. that il gives name
and personality To evil-an equally UNI
known and imaginary being: that 1t so
works upon the credulity of its adher-
ents as TO invite in them fear OF Chat
most horrible of doctrines) eternal pun
ishment. i say, believing all these and
in all kindness and in all earnestness
request that over my remains there be
no religious services of any kind. nature
or description whatever. / also request
that my body be cremated at Fresh
, Pond, or some other crematory, and
that all my ashes be left there"
Mr.. Tabor was a director in the Hope,
Sterling, Standard. Great Western
Commercial, Mutual and Home Insur-
ance companies. trustee of the Manhat-
tan Savings institution. director of the
Second National and Continental banks
and the Continental Trust company
vice president of the Richmond County
Gas Light company, president of the
Northern Dispensary. a manager and
the recording secretary of the Presby-
terrain hospital: president and treasurer
of the board of trustees of the First
Presbyterian church; president of the
New York Crematory society: member
of the Cotton Exchange. the Commerce.
the Union League club. Nineteenth
Manhattan clubs. the Society for Eth
cal Culture and the Mercantile Library
association. He was a life member of
dhe Museum of National History. the
Charity organization society; the Clin-
ton Hall association, New England So
ciety. the New York Historical. the
American Geographical society. the
Academy of Design and the Metropoli-
tan Museum of Art.