ECONOMY OF CREMATING THE DEAD.—THE PRESENT STATE OF THE CREMATION
QUESTION.
Dr. F. Julius le Moyne, speaking of the great expense often lavished on
funerals, says:—
“The aggregate of such questionable expenditures over the United States
would amount to billions of dollars, a sum truly alarming in size; and
this criminal expenditure has been an important factor in conducing to
the monetary panic[1] still prevailing. This is one of the many
extravagances which account in a great degree for national financial
difficulties. The average expenditure for each body by the system of
inhumation may be placed at $100. The average expense by the cremation
plan would not exceed $20,—showing what an immense national saving would
be gained by substituting cremation for interment.”
Footnote 1:
Dr. Le Moyne’s paper was written in 1878.
It must be kept in mind that the expense of a modern funeral consists of
the purchase of a lot in the graveyard, the funeral expenditure, and the
outlay for the customary tombstone or monument.
The cost of a cemetery to the community is tremendous. The cost of a
plain furnace with a columbarium does not exceed $5000, a mere trifle
when compared with the price of a burial ground.
Imagine what a lot of valuable land—the best soil is always selected for
cemeteries—is lost by our present method of disposing of the dead. I
firmly believe that graveyards are often a hindrance to the growth of a
city; but progress cannot be stopped forever; it may be delayed for a
short time, but finally it will overcome all obstacles, the dead are
carted away, and a world of activity takes their place.
Graves are not houses which last till doomsday. In this country where
cities grow so rapidly, graveyards are soon surrounded by dwellings, and
a cemetery which was once far outside of the city limits finally is
almost in the centre of the city. It then becomes necessary to remove
the dead. They are dug up and carted away, and are, perhaps, quietly
dumped into some swamp to fill it up and assist in the generation of
malaria. Business blocks are then erected in the place that was once
sacred to the dead, and the peace of the burial ground is changed for
the din of traffic.
The following citation from an editorial of the _Detroit Free Press_
will serve to elucidate what I have said:—
“The interment of the numerous dead of a large population in the midst
of a large population is very serious. To it are attributed the constant
outbreaks of cholera in India, and the increase of leprosy in China, and
it is certain as anything can be that the existence of cemeteries in
crowded communities is meeting with an increasing prejudice. The people
of large cities are already forced to seek, at some distance from their
limits, suitable places for interment. And the existence of great
cemeteries in the suburban communities themselves is provoking vigorous
opposition. At Newton, Long Island, there are 13 cemeteries, in which
30,000 bodies of people dying in New York and Brooklyn are buried
annually. There are, therefore, 60,000 live people in one part of the
town, the rest being occupied by 3,500,000 dead ones. Property is
depreciating and taxes are increasing. People are not attracted to a
town of this sort, and the real estate of the village has been falling
in value for some time.”
[Illustration: THE PROPOSED CREMATORIUM AT CINCINNATI, OHIO.]
But the financial deterioration is nothing when compared with the effect
which the aggregation of many dead produces upon the health of the
surrounding population.
In and about New York, Brooklyn, and Jersey City, 4000 acres of valuable
land are taken up by cemeteries. It is calculated that with the probable
increase of population in the next half a decade, 500,000 acres of the
best land in the United States will be enclosed by graveyard walls.
Think of it! Five hundred thousand acres of soil that might contribute
towards the maintenance of the living given up to the “cities of the
dead.” It is an outrage!
Now, let us compare the cost of burial with that of incineration. As I
have mentioned before, there is an immense saving of valuable land when
cremation is adopted. Millions of acres now uncultivated, and simply
used for burial to the detriment of the living, would be changed into
food-bearing land and furnish additional means for the maintenance of
the people. A crematory connected with an urn-hall would not occupy more
space than 360 to 400 square feet, and would last for centuries. There
would also be a diminution of funeral expenses. The average expense of
cremation in the United States is $25. Contrast this with the ordinary
funeral expense, and you will agree with me when I assert that the
present waste of money for burials is as enormous as it is unnecessary.
Some author has said justly that the difference in expense would often
equal one-half the proceeds of a life insurance policy. It is plain that
the expense of the burning of single bodies will be very much _reduced_
by the general use of the system. The annual expense for the cremation
of 7000 bodies in Bombay, India, amounts to $15,000 only, which is but
$2.50 for each corpse.
The cost of incineration in our own country has varied. It is, of
course, impossible to estimate the expense of the earlier cremations.
The furnace at Washington, Pa., was erected for the use of Dr. Le Moyne
only, and those of his friends who concurred with him in this reform.
The public at one time believed that this furnace had been built for its
accommodation, and that the owner followed cremation as a business, and
charged fees for the use of his crematory. During the lifetime of the
doctor no fee whatever was charged for incineration in his furnace.
After his death the trustees of the crematorium were obliged to charge
the moderate sum of $45 to compensate them for their time and trouble.
This included all expenses after the body reached the railway station at
Washington,—a hearse, carriage, and box to contain the remains, as well
as fuel, attendance, etc.
The building at Washington was put up at the least possible expense (as
economy was one of Dr. Le Moyne’s principal arguments), and cost in all
about $1500. Compare this expenditure with that of purchasing a
cemetery, not taking into consideration the improvements which must be
made on a graveyard before it can be opened to the public.
It will prove interesting to consider the present state of the cremation
question, and to note the progress which the reform has thus far made in
various countries of the civilized world.
Incineration is making great headway in Europe. In Germany, societies
were organized at Coeln, Hainichen, Bonn, Frankfort on the Main,
Potsdam, Liegnitz, Chemnitz, Heidelberg, Elberfeld, Eger, Breslau,
Nordhausen, Rheda, Kollberg, Bremen, and Schleswig.
Since Prince Bismarck declared that he would not be adverse to a law
regulating and permitting the practice of cremation in all parts of the
empire, the leading physicians of Berlin and the members and officers of
all the cremation societies of Germany have petitioned the national
parliament—the Reichstag—to permit incineration in all cities of the
empire, not restricting cremation to Gotha, as has been done heretofore.
In Austria, opinion is about evenly divided for and against the
practice. A deputation from the “Urne” Society of Vienna waited on the
president of the Austrian cabinet to ask that cremation should be
authorized. This society now comprises 800 members, amongst whom every
class is represented; they have collected sufficient funds for the
construction of a crematory apparatus. And what was the answer of the
government to this request? The Minister of Austro-Hungary replied to
the Urne Society for the Propagation of Cremation that incineration is
forbidden in the empire because public opinion is against it.
The committee of the Belgian chamber has favorably reported upon a
petition for a law making cremation optional.
The municipality of Paris lately decided to cremate the bodies which
have been used at the School of Practical Anatomy and at Clamort. Over
3000 bodies a year are received at these two institutions for the
purpose of dissection.
The Municipal Council of Paris also recently authorized the erection of
three crematories in the Père la Chaise Cemetery, according to the
Gorini system, which are to be used for the purpose of cremating the
remains of those persons who die of infectious or contagious diseases.
They will be heated with wood, and are calculated to be capable of
reducing the bodies of 50 persons per day at a cost of 15 francs
inclusive of personal expenditure and the cost of an urn for the
reception of the ashes. The Prefect of Police of Paris has endorsed the
decree of the municipality, laying stress especially on the many
advantages—sanitary and economical—of cremation. He stated that
sufficient testimony had been recorded by Kuechenmeister and many other
scientific authorities to demonstrate beyond a doubt that cremation is a
protection against cholera, yellow fever, and small-pox epidemics. The
furnaces at the Père la Chaise can be used eight hours a day. The total
expense is estimated at 50,000 francs; and preparations will be made to
burn 4500 bodies a year. The establishment of these crematories was
brought about mainly through the efforts of M. Koechlin-Schwartz, mayor
of the eighth ward of Paris; and the plan for their construction was
submitted to the municipality in the name of the Commission of the
Assistance Publique by M. Chaisoaing.
The French Chamber recently enacted the following: “Any adult or free
minor, capable of being a testator, may freely determine the mode of his
sepulture. He may elect inhumation or incineration, may will his body or
any part thereof to institutions of public instruction or to learned
societies, and may regulate the conditions of his funeral, notably in
regard to its civil or religious character.”
The privilege of cremation in the crematories at the Père la Chaise is
now granted to any one who asks for the same.
The Paris Municipality will at a future sitting vote the construction of
a sort of lay temple, where families will be allowed to keep urns or
other funereal vessels, containing the ashes of dead relatives. This
will not necessarily do away with any religious ceremony short of that
of consigning the dead to consecrated ground; but, as M.
Koechlin-Schwartz says, there is no reason why urns may not be
consecrated, or why Protestants, Catholics, Jews, and Free Thinkers may
not build a vast mausoleum in which the ashes of thousands could be
deposited in beautiful vessels without injury to the living.
It is probable that crematories being now legal in such an art center as
Paris, new and beautiful forms of artistic decoration will grow out of
it.
Altogether, cremation is progressing so favorably everywhere that one
may be hopeful that comparatively soon it will be adopted by every
country in the world.
Public opinion in England has undergone a wonderful change, and now is
universally in favor of cremation. Even so great a newspaper as the
_Times_, once a vehement opponent of the reform, has come around, and
now upholds incineration.
The crematory belonging to the Cremation Society of England, erected by
them at St. John’s, Woking, Surrey, was made use of for the first time
on the 26th of March, 1885. The body upon which the rite was performed
was that of Mrs. Pickersgill, of London, aged seventy-one—a lady well
known in literary and scientific circles. She had previously become a
member of the society, with a view of supporting the reform, in which
she took great interest. The form of declaration drawn up by the society
had been signed by her, and, after the medical certificates had been
duly filled up by registered medical men and an application from a
representative of the deceased, the cremation was allowed to proceed. An
autopsy had been previously carried out by the medical attendants of the
deceased.
The body was conveyed to the crematory from London in a suitable hearse;
and the cremation, which lasted one hour, was attended by two friends of
the deceased, who expressed themselves perfectly satisfied with the
system employed. The cost for fuel was under ten shillings altogether;
and during the time of the cremation, no smoke escaped from the
chimney-shaft, whilst the ashes were of a purest white and small in
volume.
The Italian government ordered the building of a crematory, on the
Gorini-Gozzi system, for the cholera hospital at Varignano, which was
completed in the summer of 1885.
A crematorium was erected at Florence, on the Venini system, which
cremates a body in 70 minutes, and the cost of which was 4500 francs.
Crematories are building at Pisa and Como.
On the 23d of June, 1885, the crematorium at Livorno was dedicated with
appropriate ceremonies. It contains a Spaciani Mesmer furnace.
General acquiescence in the process of cremation is steadily growing
among us; and I verily believe that the time is not far distant when
crematories will be established in every state and territory of the
Union. The fact that one was recently erected in New York City, one has
been built at Lancaster, and one has just been completed at Pittsburg,
certainly proves that cremation has found a foothold in this country.
The New York Cremation Society was organized in the city of New York on
March 8, 1881, under the presidency of the Rev. Dr. J. D. Beugless, and
was incorporated on the 26th of March in the same year. The objects and
purposes of this society are to disseminate sound and enlightened views
respecting the incineration of the dead; to advocate and promote in
every proper and legitimate way the substitution of this method for
burial; and to advance the public good by affording facilities for
carrying cremation into operation. The members of the society consist of
three classes: active, associate, and corresponding members. Active
members are subdivided into annual and life members, of whom the annual
members pay the regular dues, and the life members the amount of $30 in
one sum. Those who have paid the regular dues for twelve successive
years also become life members. No further payment is then required from
such member. These payments for twelve successive years entitle an
active member to all the privileges of the society for the remainder of
his life; and an associate member to the benefit of the incineration
fund without further charge.
Only active members are qualified for election or appointment to any
official position in the society; to vote at any election; and to debate
and vote at any meeting; corresponding members are chosen from among
those who have distinguished themselves by rendering service in the
promotion of cremation; and they may reside in any part of the world,
except within a radius of five miles around the city of New York. At
present, the New York Cremation Society numbers 470 members, of whom 400
are active and 70 passive members.
The United States Cremation Company, incorporated under the laws of the
state of New York, is in no manner connected with the New York Cremation
Society, although many members of the latter are stockholders in the
former. This company was founded for the purpose of acquiring land, and
erecting thereon the necessary buildings, works, and other appliances
for carrying cremation into operation. It was incorporated under the
general business act of 1876 of the state of New York, with a capital
stock of $35,000, divided into 1400 shares of the par value of $25 per
share; $28,200 worth of stock has already been taken. Among the
stockholders of the United States Cremation Company are such persons of
note as Andrew Carnegie, Professor H. H. Boyesen, the distinguished
author, Professor Felix Adler, and Courtlandt Palmer.
Early in 1884, the company purchased a fine site on Long Island, about
45 minutes’ drive from the city. The cremation temple was erected upon
the summit of a hill at Fresh Pond, Long Island. The site is bounded by
Olivet, Evelin, and Summit Avenues respectively on the east, south, and
west, and commands an unobstructed view of the cities of New York and
Brooklyn, from the center of population in either of which it is about
five miles distant. It lies between two cemeteries. The grounds are high
and picturesque. This place of rest will be, if present plans are
carried out, more complete than anything of the kind in the world. It is
expressly wished to deprive it of the mournful aspect usually associated
with burial-grounds. To this end there are no yew or willow trees, nor
any emblems of mourning. The grounds are tastefully laid out, and
adorned with flowers.
The corner-stone of the crematory at Fresh Pond was laid on Nov. 20,
1884. Prof. Felix Adler conducted the services, the principal speeches
being made by him and the Rev. Howard Henderson.
The directors of the United States Cremation Company fixed the charge
for the incineration of bodies at $25. The crematorium was finished in
the latter part of October, 1885. Experiments were made with the bodies
of a number of the lower animals, in order to perfect the workings of
the machinery. On Nov. 10, 1885, a dressed ram, weighing 75 pounds,
together with the skin, shank, and hip bones of an ox, was introduced
into the furnace. With a temperature of 2000° F. the incineration was
completed in two hours. A strong wind greatly retarded the process by
interfering with the draught of cold air. The defect was remedied at
once by altering the flues and the insertion of a steam jet at a point
above the entrance of the flues.
The site was selected in order to carry out the first plans of the
edifice, which were those of a Grecian temple. The plans have been
modified and modernized so that only a remnant of the classical design
is left. The front portion of the building will be, when finished, two
stories high. The rest of the structure is one story high, and is built
of plain red brick. The dimensions are 38 × 74. Light is admitted to the
interior of the building by skylights in the roof, as well as by the
half-dozen windows on each side.
Cremation in New York has been advancing steadily, although perhaps
slowly, in public favor. The first body was incinerated at Fresh Pond on
Dec. 4, 1885, and since then more than 100 persons have been cremated
there.
Cremation is spoken of with respect, and the stage of smiling and joking
over it in New York passed away long ago.
It receives the unanimous support of the press and the medical
profession. The Society of Medical Jurisprudence and State Medicine
appointed early in 1886 a committee to consider the subject. The report
of that committee, which was adopted, declared cremation to be “a
sanitary necessity,” and recommended that all persons dying of
contagious diseases should be cremated under direction of the medical
authorities.
The cremation of Dr. Dio Lewis, the famous health reformer, in the
latter part of May, 1886, and that of Mr. Henry Dodge, of one of the
leading banking firms on Wall Street, in the early part of June,
attracted wide attention.
The first one to advocate the adoption of cremation in Buffalo, N. Y.,
was, to my knowledge, Dr. Frederick Peterson, who championed the reform
in an article written for the _Buffalo Medical and Surgical Journal_.
Many years passed, however, before his ardent advocacy was followed by
practical results. The Buffalo Cremation Company (Limited) was
incorporated in July, 1884, under the law of 1875,—the so-called limited
liability act.
At a meeting held May 18, 1886, the first board of directors was
elected, with Dr. Charles Cary as president. The gentlemen constituting
this first board managed the affairs of the company so well, and agreed
among themselves so perfectly, that they were reelected, and are still
in office.
At this meeting committees were appointed on the purchase of real estate
for a suitable site for building a crematorium, also for plans for the
erection of a furnace for the incineration of bodies. Subscriptions came
in rapidly, and those who had strong faith in the ultimate
accomplishment of this work were gratified by the realization of their
hopes. Any one who takes a look at the crematorium of Buffalo to-day,
must acknowledge that the crematists of this city have a right to be
glad and proud to behold at last the practical outcome of their work.
At a meeting of the board of directors in the early part of August,
1885, the committees appointed for the purpose rendered their reports in
reference to a site for a crematorium and a cinerary apparatus. In
accordance with these reports the directors purchased a site on Delavan
Avenue, near Delaware Avenue. The dimensions are 181 feet front, 161
feet rear, and 148 feet in depth. The property was bought at a cost of
$20 per foot, and on very favorable terms.
Originally the capital stock was $10,000, divided into 400 shares, of
the par value of $25 per share. This was afterward increased to $15,000,
divided into 600 shares of the same par value. This stock when once paid
up is non-assessable, and not liable for the debts of the company.
The Buffalo crematorium, which was finished recently, is of a composite
style of architecture, and is constructed of Medina stone, with a slate
roof. The outline of the building is a pleasing one, and the
architecture is of such a character that it resembles a church more
closely than a place where any mechanical operation is carried on. The
grounds of the company are entered from Delavan Avenue by a spacious
roadway, running to a porch and then passing around the building to the
door of the mortuary chamber, on the east side. Those who accompany the
body alight at the porch, and pass thence into the auditorium. The body
itself is removed from the hearse at the door of the mortuary chamber.
When the coffin containing the body is received in the mortuary chamber,
the body is removed and placed on the car which awaits its reception.
The car is then moved by machinery, and without noise, into the chancel,
where, if it is desired, the body may remain in sight of those in the
auditorium during the progress of such service as the friends and
relatives may wish to have performed. At the proper time the same
mechanism moves the car noiselessly behind the doors which cut off the
incinerating room from the sight of the audience.
The building itself is some 70 feet in width, by 60 feet deep. The
construction throughout is of the most substantial character. The lot is
graded and seeded, and trees and shrubs were planted, so that the
appearance of the crematorium and its surroundings is most pleasing to
the eye.
[Illustration:
CREMATORIUM AT LANCASTER, PA.
(Interior View.)
]
On Dec. 20, 1883, Mr. John Storer Cobb, who was one of the projectors
and founders of the New York Cremation Society and the United States
Cremation Company, requested Bostonians (in the columns of a leading
newspaper) who were in favor of substituting incineration for inhumation
as a means of disposing of the dead, to furnish him with their names and
addresses. After the receipt of these names he called a meeting, which
took place Jan. 24, 1884, and the result of which was the organization
of the New England Cremation Society. Organization was effected under