The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-05-20
THE CEMETERY BUSINESS.
A REvOLUTION RAILROAD rs ARE HELP.
ING TO DRING AMOUR.
Funerals Better Conducted Under the New
System At One.lhird the Cost Of the Old
A Reform which Il Spreading Rapidly
-Cemcteries Good Investments sun.

flcient way OF starting n cemetery, They shoot
a man. In the effete East they do the thing
differently. There land Is bought and i'm
proved by n company Of capitalists and per-
rnanent residents are lured to the spot 10y much
the same methods used In dlsposing Of SUBURB
ban building sites. The modern cemetery Is
an excellent real estate investment, "A benefit to
the railroads, and profitable To the general
public, living or dead Many business men.
recognizing II as n good thing, push 1t along:
yet il * an amusing fact that most of the Cnri-
tali-ts Interested In the cemetery business
still cling 10 time-honored tradition enough TO
feel themselves a trifle embarrassed by their
situation.
MY reason took me into the business, said
n well-known business man to a SrN reporter.
but can't to save my life help feeling ashamed
of IL. A cemetery Is such queer property"
Sentiment isn't commonly supposed 10 be the
strong point of the average American, but,
when il comes TO funerals, sentiment has inter-
fered nightly with the famous American busi-
ness spirit. The bury1ng business In England
and on the Continent Of Europe is a CONNER
cial enterprise. In the hands Of various cor.
porations and subject to the usual laws %
trade and competition. The Burial Company.
Limited, under one name or another, -four
fishes, prospers and cheerfully advertises in all
conspicuous places. One can have a funeral
OF any grade at bottom prices. and no one
seems to consider II his duty to a dead friend
TO pay for his funeral five times what 1t Is worth.
For once American sentiment has stood In the
way Of common sense and public convenience,
but a change Ia making itself felt,
The railroads have revolutionized cemo-
teries. In old days. when even the ordinary
roads were often impossible. II was necessary
to locate the graveyards under the very shadow
Of the churches. With improved roads and vehi-
cles came cemeteries separated from the
churches. but still so near the towns that tho
growth Of the town would necessarily wipe out
the cemetery. Year by year cemeteries
moved farther way from city limits. but never
far enough, New York has at least a dozen
buryinG grounds that, when located were sup
posed to be beyond all chance Of interference
by the city's growth, but are now ingulfed by
It. Even the more modern cemeteries, that
were considered absurdly far from town, are
being elbowed and jostled. and roads are cut
through them by unsentimental Officials
As long "a the old-time funeral system was
adhered to II was necessary to have the ceme-
terry within driving distance. Hence the COM
plications. Now, improved facilities for trans
p~ortation have made II possible 10 dispense
with the dreary line Of carriages, and conse-
quently TO locate cemeteries beyond all chance
Of mole-tation. The ACCESSIBILITY Of locating
cemeteries far from any possible city line has
been recognized all through the country, and
almost every large city has already made pro-
vision for such "A city Of the dead, or Is plan
ming II, Funeral cars are in readiness at the
city railway stations, and railway companies
make every arrangement for the convenience
OF funeral parties, A railroad mar who is
interested in the new cemetery and burial
movement throughout the country talked
about IT To a Sun reporter the other day.
1T was an experience with an undertaken
shark that first called my attention 10 the cem-
wealthy man who died, The wife died a few
DAYS later. The two were buried together, and
the family arranged the funeral after the
usual fashion. A few days later the bill for
funeral expenses was sent TO me-si 40O-for tho
double funeral. | paid it, OF course. but | did
lot OF think ing about II, and began inquiring IN
disguised witt the system / was. ] found that
other business men felt AZ | did about il, and
that there was a movement abroad 70 furnish
something better. i went in for 1t, found il a
fair business proposition and a public service.
1T is only q question Of a few years until the
revolution Will be complete. You know how IL
was In the old DAYS. A maj died. His widow and
immediate family were too much overcome by
grief 10 haggle over funeral arrangements.
Some one went to the nearest undertaken and
put the thing into his hands. He would attend
TO everything, certainly. and he did Every
thing was correctly done. At the proper hour
the undertaken turned up with a long face and
the services. provided the carriages. Every
thing was according to rules lad down by GUS
tom, and the undertaken charged what he
l hS5ea's sauab bas 0a over Ga a FL PfI9 Tor funeral hns a m sspen msa
dreary, and for The man with little money he
bill added greatly to the horrors.
To-day things are better done. The UNDER
taker is still employed. but he works with the
cemetery people. The person who owns a lot in
Sntb @l .he new of the Ssm tims so, h i5s : 1,,s the cemetery
neral car. with a compartment for the body, a
private compartment for the family and the
rest OF the car fitted for friends who wish To at
tend the funeral may be secured and run, nv
special engine. to the cemetery. Or the car
may. Mt less expense. be attached 10 a regular
train. An ordinary coach may be used " a rri-
sons wish 10 go. and. II even that is To expen-
sive. the casket may be carried in the baggage
car for a small sum and the friends may use the
regular train service. To avoid all publicity. a
special, entrance has been arranged In the Grand
Central station and In stations Of other cities
notably Philadelphia, Boston and Baltimore,
without in any way coming in contact with
other travellers"
Az the np-to-date cemetery the train is met
by the officials who take charge OF the funeral
A rich man may be buried In a ten-thousand-
foot lot and a poor man in a ffty-foot lot, but
there the distinction ends; The same style Of
n'h ~ uHtsdIne unIlDTIHeu DeaI etS are PROVIDED
for rich and poor, Every grave opened Is lined
with evergreen. The poor man only paying
- or $40 for cemetery expenses has the same
CHARS, the same awning provided for tho
rich man. The Use of the hearse, bearers,
and one carriage Ia free. Altogether, by tho
new system. a respectable and even elabor ate
funeral ia possible In a poor family, at a cost
int,nitely below that Of the old time function,
The newest cemeteries In the large cities
are being. arranged with handsome chapels,
costing all the way from $50. 900 TO slO0,OoO,
and the use of these chapels for ser vices IL
Tree; SO that the expense of hiring a city church
Is avoided, On the whole. dying, under pres
ent conditions, seems cheaper and more lux
urlous than living.
The next innovation will be the street-car fun
eral such an arrangement has already been
seriously considered. Electric and cable lines
run past the gates of almost all the cemeteries
near the city. and will, in time, reach even
the furthest. Funeral cars could be provided
by the street car companies, and the funeral
could be conducted with great expedition
and very little expense.
The real estate profit on cemetery property
has, IN some cases. been enormous, and, 81
course, goes 10 the capitalists who have orig
lnally bought and improved the land. Tho
cemetery. corporation ordinarily does rot
Include All, II any, of these men. That is, tho
men who are financing the speculation do not
TAKE, ont the charter or attend 10 the details
Of, the management. When the lots are all
ana the cemetery IL supported merely by tie
current income from burials. The probability
Is that. while now the private lots are cared
Tor by the employees Of the cemetery, their
care VIII AT some time in the future devolvs
unon then, owners, but. just AZ the present,
such burial Inducements are offered that ono
feels himself guilty Of noglpCting a golden OPP
n0TfllTlfN ~ no dnaap't loYA ltr..,1I .IH fut,Hlts