1882 Scrapbook of Newspaper Clippings Vo 1 032

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WHETHER TO BURN OR TO BURY
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Case Presented by Friends of
Cremation.
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Crowded Condition of Burying Ground
in and Near Boston—Growing Dan-
ger to Public Health—Movement to
Erect a Crematory—How Bodies Are
to Be Incinerated.

"Dust to dust, ashes to ashes." This fa-
milar text seems to have foretold the
order which science should follow in the
final disposition of our mortal remains.
The earlier peoples, whether civilized or
savage, sought to immortalize the body.
The ancient Egyptians, with the rare
alchemy of a lost art, have preserved for us
the faces and forms of the Pharoahs, and
the ruder hands of the Peruvian Indians
have been hardly less successful in
perpetuating to posterity the figures of
their warriors and chieftains. Mankind
has long ago learned the grewsomeness and
grotesqueness of all this. The mummy
does not inspire the emotions the builders
of the pyramids expected. The costly
processes of embalming and the rearing of
massive mausoleums have failed to ac-
complish their end. Men have discovered
that they are immortalized by far differ-
ent means. Their memory must live, if at
all, quite apart from the body. The high-
est philosophy meets man's cravings for
remembrance simply with this assurance:

"To live in hearts we leave behind is not
to die."

But men even at this late day are more
ready to admit the truth of this sentiment
than to accept its logical consequences. It
follows, if we are to live only in the hearts
we leave behind, that it makes very little
difference to us or to them what disposition
is made of the body. That should be deter-
mined on the grounds of

The Common Welfare.

It is on such deductions as these that the
Massachusetts Cremation Society has based
its mission. Its members believe that the
common welfare today and in this city de-
mands cremation in place of burial. It has
to meet all the prejudices that the cus-
toms of generations have established.
Men have learned to look forward
to dropping their weary heads at
last on the lap of mother earth; to sleeping
their unwaking slumber beside their kith
and kin, beneath the willows. They have
been taught to wish, like Little Nell, to
have the bright sky above them always.
In pursuance of this idea, they have laid
out beautiful cemeteries, a orning them
with the fairest flowers, the most graceful
shrubbery. To these the "storied urn"
seems at first thought a harsh substitute.
To many the spot where the loved form
was last deposited is the place where it al-
ways sleeps. It is hallowed ground for
them.

It is only when these objectors have been
led by the lamp of science to see that their
cherished friends are not where they have
supposed them to be, but have turned from
"dust to dust," that they realize that the
conditions would not be substantially
altered if they had changed from "ashes to
ashes".

[IMAGE ACROSS COLUMNS 1 AND 2]

FRONT ELEVATION OF THE PROPOSED CREMATORY.

[COLUMN 2 OF 4]

The broad question whether cremation
or burial is the better for the community is
the one which must decide the issue. Bos-
ton is confronted with the question of

Crowded Graveyards.

It is not a new one.

"So far back as 1740 the selectmen re-
ceived a petition from John Chambers and
others, grave diggers, representing 'that
the Old and South burying place are so
filled with dead bodies they are obliged oft-
times to bury them four deep, praying it
may be laid before the town for their con-
sideration.'

"In 1795 a committee was appointed by
the town to consider the subject of the
burying grounds at large, and to report on
some suitable place of deposit for the dead,
in order that the town may be enabled to
discontinue the opening of graves in the
Common and Chapel burying grounds.
The committee reported on the 6th
of November, 1795, that: Having con-
sulted the physicians of the town, they find
it to be, in their opinion, that the health of
the inhabitants is in danger from the
crowded state of these grounds, and the ex-
halations which must frequently arise
from opening graves therein. In addition
to which they find it is almost impossible
to open new graves without disturbing the
relics of the dead already interred. From
an equal regard to health, for a decent re-
spect for the living and the dead, they
recommend to the inhabitants that 'no
new graves or new tombs shall be opened
or built in either the Common or Chapel
burying grounds after the 1st day of May
next.'

"Then follows the recommendation that
the South burying ground in sufficiently
large for the present accommodation of the
inhabitants, and will admit of enlarge-
ment, etc. In 1823 the proprietors of Brom-
field Street Church petitioned for the priv-
ilege to build tombs under their church.
This led to the consideration of the subject
by the city council. The petition was re-
ferred to a committee, of which the mayor,
Josiah Quincy, was chairman. The peti-
tion was not granted, and the commit-
tee, in concluding their report, recom-
mended the prohibition of the

Erection of New Tombs

within the ancient peninsula of Boston,
the adoption of measures ultimately tend-
ing to exclude all burials hereafter within
the peninsula, and devising methods for
applying the open perfect and satisfactory
remedy, by adopting some common place
of burial for all the inhabitants, selected
if possible, beyond the limits of the city,
but certainly beyond the limits of the pen-
insula, of an extent sufficient to meet the fu-
ture exigencies of the population. The reso-
lutions embodying these recommendations
were adopted by the city council, but inter-
ments continued to be made and against
vigorous protest; and the sentiment aroused
led to the establishment of Mt. Auburn cem-
etery in 1831, which in a degree met the
wants of the constantly increasing popula-
tion.

"In 1847 the mayor, Josiah Quincy, Jr.,
in 1840 and 1850 Mayor Bigelow, and in
1853 and 1855 Mayor Smith introduced the
subject of our crowded burying grounds in
their inaugural addresses. About this
time Forest Hill cemetery was established;
in 1851, Mt. Hope; in 1857 Calvary; and
others at later dates; but the intramural
interments have never been wholly dis-
continued.

"All this thought was given to the ques-
tion when Boston's population in 1800 was
but 24,027 persons; in 1810, 32,250; in
1820, 43,298; in 1830, 61,392; in 1840, 93,-
383; in 1850, 136,881; in 1860, 177,902.
How much thought is given to it now? In
1880 our population amounted to 362,839;
in 1890 it was 448,507, an increase of 85,-
668; in 1892 it is credited to be 466,870.

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"The 33 public and private cemeteries
within the corporate limits of Boston; and
Mt. Auburn (which seems to belong to Bos-
ton, so many of its people are buried there)
cover an area of about 600 acres. Few
persons realize that during the 10 years
ending 1890-91, 75,116 persons were buried
in those cemeteries and that at a distance
of about five miles from the State House,
and within a radius of 4000 feet, lie three
cemeteries—Forest Hills, containing 237
acres which may be used for burial purposes,
Mt. Hope, containing 105 3/4 acres, and
Calvary, containing 42 acres, in all cover-
ing an area of about 384 acres—and that
in those three cemeteries during the 10
years ending 1890-91, 43,419 persons were
buried, much more than half the number
buried within Boston's corporate limits?
At a very short distance from these three
cemeteries is Cedar Grove cemetery, in
which 3956 persons were buried during
those 10 years.

"Those cemeteries have been looked upon
as suburban. What are they today? says
Mary B. Comyns in 'A Plea for Crema-
tion.'

"On three sides are the populations of
wards 23, 24, 25. In 1880 those wards con-
tained 37,596 inhabitants, in 1890 they had
increased to 66,667, and Hyde Park, which
completes the boundary, had in 1880 a
population of 7088 persons, in 1890 it had
increased to 10,193. Can the close prox-
imity of these cemeteries have anything to
do with the unhealthy condition which we
are told prevails at Hyde Park during cer-
tain seasons of the year?

"In our own city we are not pressed to
consider the question of 'graveyard pollu-
tion' of the water, since almost no wells
are used, and the Boston water board re-
ports that, to its knowledge, no cemeteries
drain into the city water supply, although
we hear from another and very reliable
source that it is suspected that our beauti-
ful Chestnut Hill reservoir might be slowly
polluted by drainage from Evergreen
cemetery in Brighton; but the fact exists
that our cemeteries have no system of
drainage, and hence arises the question:
What becomes of their surface and sub-
drainage?

"Our modern cemetries are in some in-
stances comparatively well cared for in the
way of cemented vaults, although

Noxious Gases

will escape through cement; but, when we
think of the area of Mt. Hope and Calvary,
which are adjacent, in which cemented
vaults are doubtless few and far between,
and in which 36,505 persons have been
buried in 10 years, Mt. Hope averaging
1600 interments a year, and Calvary 2000,
we can but question if our rules concern-
ing the burial of the dead are fully carried
out. Sec. 31 (Laws and ordinances for
1876) says: 'No person shall inter or cause
to be interred any dead body in a grave less
than three feet deep from the surface of the
ground surrounding the grave to the top of
the coffin'. The statement is made that in
those cemeteries sometimes six and seven
persons are buried in one grave."

It was this grave condition of affairs
with its menace to the public health which
led to the formation of the Massachusetts
Cremation Society. The growth of the
project in this state is well told by Presi-
dent James R. Chadwick in forthcoming
publications of the society. He says:

"The history of organized effort to intro-
duce the practice of cremation in New
England begins with the enactment by the
Legislature of Massachusetts of a special
law on May 26, 1885. On Oct. 17 of the
same year the New England Cremation
Society was incorporated under the presi-
dency of John Storer Cobb. After dispos-
ing of 750 of the 2500 shares at $10 each
in the succeeding three years, it became
evident that interest in the subject was not

[IMAGE OVER TWO COLUMNS]

[FROM PAPER FOLDED OVER FROM BOTTOM OF PAGE]

Her [?] representation yesterday was of
a gray little chanteuse, in which she showed
herself the possessor of a voice of excellent
quality, good range and considerable culti-
vation. Then followed in rapid succession
the bewildering jeune et ville, the light-
ning tambourine dance, the dashing Span-
ish cachuca, the eccentric Mabille dance,
the grand opera toe dancer, the agile sail-
or's hornpipe and sensational rainbow
dance, in all of which beautiful and appro-
priate costumes were shown. She simply
made the biggest kind of a hit.

It should be borne in mind that her en-

[COLUMN 4 OF 4]

sufficient to warrant further effort, so sub-
scriptions were refunded to the share-
holders, and the society resigned its char-
ter on Oct. 16, 1888, and

Passed Out of Existence.

"In 1886 the Massachusetts Cremation
Society was incorporated in Worcester with
the purpose of erecting a crematory in that
city. Four hundred and ninety-one of the
1000 shares were sold at $10 each, and then
the society lapsed into a state of inaction
until the present year.

"On Jan. 20, 1890, a third organization
was effected in Boston, under the old title
of New England Cremation Society, as
an educational body to disseminate a
knowledge of the subject, and thereby
arouse such an interest in the movement
as would ultimately lead to the erec-
tion of a crematory by some future cor-
poration. Since that time monthly meet-
ings have been regularly held, and papers
read and distributed. Through the influ-
ence of this association, and especially by
the personal activity of several of its lady
members, the present movement to erect
such a cemetery was inaugurated in the
winter of 1891-92. As the Worcester so-
ciety still held its charter, and had nearly
$5000 of stock taken up, an application was
made to its governing body to combine its
forces with the present movement, with
favorable result. The Boston parties, con-
sequently, purchased a block of stock, their
board of directors was elected, and the cor-
poration formally changed its habitat to
Boston. The capital stock was increased
to $25,000.

"It will thus be seen that, although the
New England Cremation Society and the
Massachusetts Cremation Society are inde-
pendent bodies, they have been formed for
united and harmonious action toward a
given end, that of providing facilities for
carrying cremation into operation in the
neighborhood of Boston. Many of the
members of the former are also stock-
holders in the l tter, and there is but little
doubt that eventually the two associations
will be very largely composed of the same
persons.

"The Massachusetts Cremation Society
has been organized for the purpose of
building and

Maintaining a Crematory

for the people of New England. Other sec-
tions of the country are already provided
with such buildings and appliances for the
incineration of the dead, and it is to supply
the need of them in our own community
that the work is now undertaken. To carry
out this purpose the society proposes to
raise at least $25,000 by sale of its
stock, and to apply the money thus ob-
tained strictly and solely to the accomplish-
ment of that end.

"The building proposed comprises a
chapel for funeral services, a furnace with
retort for incineration, and a sepulchral
chamber for preservation of the ashes of
the dead in urns or niches. It will be the
aim of the society to have this building,
when completed, fulfil the ends of inciner-
ation in the most scientific and acceptable
way, and to be also an architectural orna-
ment to the neighborhood in which it is
built. The crematory shall be at the ser-
vice of all applicants on the same terms,
and no limitation of its use shall be based
upon religious belief.

"Under the laws of Massachusetts the
whole capital stock must be sold and paid
for before a corporation can begin work. Con-
sequently, no steps can be taken toward the
purchase of land or the erection of build-
ings until the capital stock is sold and the
money paid into the treasury. The first
work of the society, therefore, is the dis-
posal of its stock. This has been fixed at
$10 a share, of which 10 per cent must be
paid in cash at the time of subscription.
The remaining 90 per cent is subject to the

[FROM PAPER FOLDED OVER FROM BOTTOM OF PAGE]

comedians, singers and dancers and pretty
girls began a brief engagement at the Bow-
doin Square Theatre last night, before an
immense and exceedingly enthusiastic
audience. Indeed, so generous were the
spectators with hearty approval of what
was said and done upon the stage that the
entertainment was drawn out to an unusual
length. It was nearly 11:30 o'clock
[?] the [?] curtain was rung down.
[?} cause for such demonstra-
[?] for the show was indeed a