The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-05-13


so that the Federal authorities were
now compelled to confine its use to
those who had died of contagious dis
eases.
Mr.. Smith said the matter of the dis
posal of the dead in Honolulu was be-
coming of great Importance here. The
growth of the city has brought most
of the cemeteries far within the limits
and there is now difficulty in finding
suitable sites for cemeteries. During
the past twelve years the matter had
been discussed. Kahauil6i was looked
upon as available but the United States
government condemned the tract for
army post purposes. The areas be-
tween the harbor and Diamond Head
We're low and the water was near the
surface of the ground. Other places
Eva of the city We're in coral regions.
Palolo and Waialae were looked upol
as available sites.
Mr.. Smith thought the present plans
for the crematOry were too elaborate,
involving too great an expense. The
plans, however, were very complete
and the buildings proposed were quite
attractive. He looked upon the esti-
mated cost as too large because he
felt that few Hawaiians and Chinese
would make use of the crematory.
As to the sanitary advantages of
cremation. Mr.. Smith had no doubt and
it was the best method for the dis
position of the dead, but he confessed
that personally, for himself and his
family he was disinclined to accept the
theory of cremation. He believed that
the bodies should be laid away in the
grave as customary. While it was
horrible to think of the body decom-
posing in the grave, he had been
brought up in this belief and was dis
inclined to change his views for him
self personally.
But whatever, his personal views
were, he considered it important that
something be done to provide for the
cremation of the dead.
DR.. F. r. Day made the following
remarks in favor of cremation and the
establishment of crematory:
We have all passed purifying car
ca sses of dead animals in the country,
the stencil from which was almost
nauseating, the sight of which was
most disgusting. Yet the remains lie
there for month or more before
the sun and air will have accomplished
their purifying task.
So it is with every human body that
is buried in the ground only the
process is much slower and takes place
within a coffin. Do we ever stop to
think of the loathsome decomposition
that is continually going on in our
cemeteries? Four thousand four hun
dred hurials have taken place in Homo
lulu during the past five years, the
length of time required to completely
reduce a body. Think of it, Four
thousand four hundred corpses in va
rious stages of putrifaction in our very
midst undergoing disintegratiop SO
slowly that five years are required to
accomplish il 1t is a sickening
thought The fact is, we almost never
do think of it. In the hurry and sour |
~ of our daily lives we seldom think |
Of the gruesome changes that are TAX !
ing place in the graves. When one |
does stop to think, however. one Won |
iers how ii is that the very general |
custom of earth burials has endured so |
ong when there is a much more ra- |
tional way of disposing of the dead
one that Is thoroughly sanitary. scien- |
life and free from all the objection |
able features of the ordinary mode of !
nterment.
Cremation accomplishes in an hour |
what it takes nature five years to do |
How is it done? BY subjecting the |
body to a shriveling heat of O0degrees
F. thus consuming the tissues and re- |
iucing them TO a small quantity of