The cremation of the dead / considered from an aesthetic, sanitary, religious, historical, medico-legal, and economical standpoint

by Hugo Erichsen

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.”

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.