El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-09-28
American Funeral Directors
and the Art OF Embalming
By
Frederic
]. Haskn
VARIOUS FUNERAL CUSTOMS.

Then some undertaken who was re-
fused admission in the association be-
thought himself that this was viola
ton Of the Sherman antitrust law. A
Kansas undertaken by the name OF
Knight started matters by instituting
suit against the Kansas Funeral d.
rectors' association, and his triumph
in the courts was the signal for SIM
liar steps elsewhere. 1t resulted in
an entire abrogation of the working
agreement between the associations.
Since then the effort to limit the num-
her of undertakers has been made
through legislation creating state
licensing board. This legislation has
gone through in many of the states,
although governor Hughes of New
York and governor Harmon of OHIO,
in their respective states, have vetoed
bills favored by the funeral directors.
Americas EmbaImers In Lead.
1t is said that at no great funeral
was such a sad mistake made as at
that of king Edward In England the
science of embalming never has reach
ed the perfection attained In this
country The preparation of the re-
mains of the dead king was left to the
physicians who had attended him. In
vitations had been sent out to the
AOO~~
the features of the departed sovereign
on a certain day. Before that day
arrived, however, it became necessary
to close the casket and seal it up. The
Invitations were withdrawn There
was some correspondence between the
undertaken who furnished the casket
and the representatives American en-
balmers' journal. had the report that
the physicians had attempted to do the
,h2I confirmed
There is no other country in the
world where the art of embalming
has reached the degree of perfection
that characterizes it in America The
leading emba1merS now claim that,
while they may not have discovered the
secret methods of the Egyptians, they
have developed methods that surpass
the Egyptian art, in that the body is
as perfectly preserved, while at the
same time the likeness is much more
fully retained. The American 'embalm-
er has made great strides in recent
years Last year Anna Redline.
weighing $40 pounds, whose waist
ensured eight feet around, died of
black erysipelas. Her body was en-
balmed and kept for many days 1t
was finally buried apparently in as
good condition as it was on the day of
embalming.
Texan Em6aIms Whale.
a most remarkable feat Of ennbalm-
ing was accomplished by an embalmer
of Dallas, Texas. A whale measuring
SO feet and weighing 10 tons was
caught and killed near Galveston. An
amusement enterprise man wanted to
exhibit ii in Houston He called in
Dallas emblamer to render the big
hulk immune from putrefactiOn- He
pumped dozens Of gallons Of formal
dehyde and pemanganate Of potash in
TO the flesh of the whale. with the re-
suit that it was brought into such a
perfect state of preservation that it
was made exhibitabie.
It is thought that the electric hearse
is destined to. succeed the horse drawn
vehicle. Wherever the electric hearse
has been introduced it has proved pop
ular. In a few cases these have been
built large enough to carry the coffin
and the whole funeral party as well.
In some cities, notably Chicago, where
the cemeteries are located some dis
Do