El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-03-20
Let Us Cease Burying
and Cremate Our Dead
Funerals of Today Fooy Expensive and Too BnBoay Spectacular
WHu Too Should We POLu the Good Ground God Has CDen Us?
ELLA WHEELER WILCOZ

and Asia. The customary procedure
was the open funeral pyre, Where wood
was piled around the dead human Dody
ana many hours passed ere the erect
. sought was 1mperfectIy accOInp LShed-
Later, 1nhumatiOn was again miro
duced, partly because of the declma-
I ton Of the supply Of the forests and
par Iy Dy q vague idea thal mere was
some relation between the QlsposaI Oh
lhe body and it's resurrection at the
judgment day, not stopping TO reason
that in a few years the last vesuge OF
thar body must return to It's constl-
luent elements.
The first crematOry of modern times
was built in Milan, Italy, after the year
1894, and was the result of an effort
MADE by Jacob MOleschott, an Itallan
senator Of German descent And Cath
ollc Italy has since made the greatest
progress in this line until very recent
GATE, when our own fair land takes
the lead in this reform, as indeed 1t
GOES IN most cases where human lib
cry struggles for advancement.
Germany EYas secOFd to stretch out
hand to save her people from the
corruption Of the grave, and cremation
was established at GOtha first and
IaLeF IN many places throughout the
England has awakened to It's advan-
taSeS and instead Of resistance from
the English aristocracy, we find her
noDlemen endoWing crematOria. in many
parts of the empire and the system
IS received by the Church of England
with open arms.
Nations Are Keeping March With Times
Her priests are making such changes
IN the burial ritual as shall make it
more IILlng to the new and better
France is not behind in so desirable
a REFORM and since its establishment
Ihere the municipality Of Paris has
IdA5h nOld of the matter in earnest
IL r~,11
as all remains from the public hospi-
tals and medical schools, are cremated,
Whlle galleries with series of column
DarluIns and receptacles for urns are
PROVIDED and since this suspicious be-
ginning crematoria are becoming pop
ular throughout the country.
In Denmark and Sweden and Switzer-
land the good work is being carried
on CremaUories are springing UP, and
LurIher than this, in all these cOun-
tries strong societies are banding
themselves together to promote and
carry out the idea of cremation and
the good work is fast coming into pop
ular favor throughout the old world.
In America the practice of crema-
ton was prevalent among the North
American indians before the advent of
the Wnlte man, and we have records
Where true poetry and a very high re-
gard for all that was sacred and pure
led these people to believe that this
or the great spirit. But it was not
until the year 1876 that the scientific
genius OF America turned toward the
cremaUOrlum, and then we find DR. +
Julius lie Moyne, of washington. pa.
constructing crematOpium primarily
intended for the incineration of his
own body, but as he now says, "having
started the reform, he feels that his
apparatus and labor were not in vain
and that they thus have accomplished
their mission and viii leave the work {
TO more pretenuOUs followers" Now I
we find the idea expanded until ere
maIorles are working their beneficent |
ends in all the leading states of our /
land as well a s Canada.
The bodies of thousands of our own 4
people are thus escaping corruption |
ana the sentiment is rapidly growing 1
among societies with strong member /
snip and broadening influence.
IhuS the steps are being taken that /
shall eventually give this great move I
ment its true place in the customs of !
all people Of the earth and prove a 4
mighty factor in the uplifting of man
kind.
Cheats Grave Of It's TerrOrs.
The rapidly increasing demand for
cremation over inhuultiCn shows that
II appeals to the thoughtful as cheat
ING corruption Of its prey, the grave
OF its terrOrS and sub sEi-uting a meth
Cd founded on reason, kindly and !
prompt, clean and sanitary.
choose IOr yourself w eigh. Lhe evil
dence of the cleans ,ng fire, bright, !
pure, rapid. The sanitary urn. safeiv
visited by friends in whose keeping
it is, or the grave, the cold 1noldering,
worm eaten skeleton ieceyin,g and cor
Lamlnaung earLh. W,Lter and air, until
the process is finished and the fern |
is burned up by the slow an6 lnpeded
action Of nature; f3- accommodation. /
decay and fire are all cae, and the
only difference is the speed with which
the combustion goes on--C1pyri2ht
1914 by Star Company.