The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-06-27
PASTORS TALKED
ABOUT BUR|ALS
AND REMAT|ON
DR.. Hill DWelt on a
Grave Subject.
HE FAVORED INCINERATION
REV. E. P. BENNETT MADE A
SHAhP CRITICISM.
He Declared That the Odd Fellows
Crematory Is Nothing More
Than a Heather Temple.
What Others Said.

Rev. Everett NJ. Hill. pastor of the
Twenty-fourth Avenue NJ. E. Church,
East Oakland, caused some diversion at
the weekly meeting of the Methodist
ministers yesterday morning by reading
a paper on Cremation Versus Burial
The paper contained some striking ideas,
and the discussion which followed its
reading proved highly interesting. Rev.
Z. P bennett expressed himself forcibly.
He said:
The inches in the columbarium at the
Odd Fellows Cemetery have been given
Greek names and there is no suggestion
that the building is the last resting place
of the dead in a Christian land. The
general effect is that of a heather tenn
pie. l should hate to have the ashes Of
one l love left there, where there is no
name or symbol of Christianity. 1t al
most seems as if it were a wanton insult
to Christian faith. l am a believer in
cremation, but / would not want to be
put in place like that when l die
Rev. DR.. Urmy favored incineration.
and stated that when he passed away his
friends would oblige him by cremating
cremation. He said It was nothing more
than humiliation. and he could not bear
the idea of seeing the remains of any or
his loved ones housed in a tin can:
In expoundfng his views on the subject,
DR.. Hill first traced the history of Gre
nation as foundation for his argument
He said:
Without doubt it is a fact that cremation
ceased in Europe because of the religious SEN
timent against 1t, as it was thought to be an
tagonistic to humanity and to interfere with
the resurrection and the rehabilitation of the
body at the judgment. These sentiments OBJ
tain to great extent to-day, and are mCre
prevalent than is generally believed. 1t Is
thought that if cemeteries are in cities or near
residences the gases escaping Will contaminate
the air and corrupt matter percolating through
the earth will impregnate the water which
when consumed brings typhoid fever and
many other diseases
The eyes of science are exceedingly sharp
and we admonished on all sides to beware
of the germs that are everywhere in our lives
Some enterprisng silversmith got hold of the
idea of transferring germs by contact and by
careful and systematic advertising terrified the
people into giving up the common cup OF our
Savior for the stylish individual cups of mod
society churches. In TACT so horrl1ylng
are the ghosts of imagination that contagious
germs hover over the heads of lovers, that the
agonizing thought is ever present that the
delicious art of kissing is to be relegated to
the sweet dream of the heyday past In fact
the society custom of ladies greeting each other
with kiss will doubtless ere long be dis.
placed by the more hygienic Oriental custom oil
rubbing noses.
Probably the idea of cremation is than
fad though doubtless it will eventually take
on more the nature of a fashion,. the thought
of the health of the living never entering the
mind of the vast majority.
The speaker then quoted Ella Wheeler
Wilcox, Professor Joseph LIE Conte and
other well-known people who are beliey-
ers in cremation. In concluding, he said:
Bury the dead for the sake Of the lN-
ing in the most beautiful spot of earth
the sake of the living"
The following officers were elected to
act during the ensuing term: President
Charles Edward Locke: secretary, Rev.
Rev. J. N. Beard, Rev. A. n. Needharn
and Rev. E. NJ. Hill.