The Washington times., 1919-07-06

laid with great pomp
and ceremony, carried under cover
Of night across the Hudson River
~ New Jersey and secretly Gre
SHated
More surprising even than the
cremation itself and the heavy veil
soE secrecy which was so carefully
Arown around IT, is the fact that
~ did not take place, as is usually
sse case, within a few days Of the
eshop's death, but after his body
Lid lain in its tomb nearly eight
SFears. It was, according to the
aTpfising revelations made a few
sdHys ago, not until 1915 that. the
Bishops remains were stealthily re-
Moved from the cathedral tomb to
a New Jersey crematory and re-
duced to ashes.
--'sWhy was Bishop Potter cremated
Ihen no other bishop of his church
has ever been?
Why was his cremation delayed
for nearly eight years after his
death?
Why was il done with such great
secrecy that until the other day no
more than a score of persons knew
Of the strange midnight trip which
2 his remains had made?
'rcAnd why did it suddenly become
--necessaTy to divulge the secret that
had been so jealousy guarded for
more than three years?
~ AL these are questions which
cannot yet be satisfactorily an
81
main mysteries.
The news Of Bishop Potter's Sc
eBet cremation came as a distinct
shock to everybody who knew him
personally or by reputation. The
many who had visited the chapel
ehscted in his honor at New York's
Cathedral Of St John the Divine
were amazed to learn that its mag
fhihcent marble tomb held. instead
= OF the bishops Wondering form,
only a handful of ashes-all that
was left of the body after being sub
fected to the fiery heat Of the
crematory furnace.
n"Fhe Protestant Episcopal Church
has never taken a definite stand
against cremation, but despite this
fsct Bishop Potter is the first
bishop of this faith to be Cremated.
To all members Of the Roman
Catholic faith, however, and doubt
less to many OF Bishop POtter's
own church, cremation Is little
short Of sacrilege-a practice not
to be cOuntenanced by any good
Is. Christian. According to their be
lief TnfornNnnf Of he bod
left ii is the only reverent way of
hisposing of the dead.
re-. Bishop Potter died on July 81,
1908. at CoOperstown. y. Y. where
he had long maintained an extern
-sive country estate. His body was
prepared for burial in the usual
way and after simple services at
GOGPerstOwn was taken to New
York and placed in the receiving
vault Of Trinity cemetery to await
81 imposing public funeral in the
-Ee.L
Is is now recalled there was, so
- as the public knew, no sugges-
Ign Of cremation made in cOnnec.
t..l with the elaborate prepare
tons FOR his burial. This was con-
s.Hesea strange at the time by lead
ing advocates Of cremation, for
they had long believed that Bishop
Potter favored the practice. Sew.
eral years before he had been
.a1Oted as saying:
-u Il have long been in hearty sym
pathy with the effort TO promote
the practice of cremation, which
the growth of population and the
growth Of cities of the dead in the
neighbOrhood of large communi-
ties, makes in my judgment a sani-
tary precaution of great value; and
l heartily agree with the Bishop Of
Manchester in his view of the utter
irrslevancy Of any so-called Chris
tan objections to it."
In October, 1905. the Bishops