000_1882 Scrapbook of Newspaper Clippings Vo 1, 2005.120.001

Sleigh bells. Mount Hope 7.

Trustees. powers of. 1.

Worcester, Cremation monument in. 1.1. Widow, Rights of. in Burial Lot (act) 2. Work on Lot. by Owner. 1. Wife, Husband's Right to remove remains 10.

[Photo: Chapel with connecting building]

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MOUNT AUBURN CEMETERY. _____ Annual Meeting of the Proprietors, and the Election of Trustees. _____ The annual meeting of the proprietors of the cemetery at Mount Auburn was held at Horticultural Hall yesterday afternoon. The president, Mr. Israel M. S. Spelman, called the meeting to order, and the secretary, Mr. L. G. Farmer, read the minutes of the last meeting, which were approved. David R. Whitney and Richard M. Hodges were elected trustees to serve until 1891, the latter taking the place of Charles U. Cotting, who declined a reelection, and Channing Clapp was elected to serve until 1889, filling the place of Alanson Bigelow, deceased. The reports of the trustees, treasurer and superintendent were presented and adopted. The trustees in their report say:—

The condition of the funds is satisfactory. The permanent fund has increased by the addition of $7936.80 to the sum of $249,360.41. To the repair fund has been added the sum of $34,075.20, and it now amounts to $417,801.41. The general fund, consisting of cash and bills not yet collected, amounts to $34,479.40; giving assurance of sufficient means for further improvements which are contemplated. Among minor matters it may be noted that 62 new monuments have neen erected, 57 iron fences and five hedges removed and 2238 linear feet of gutters repaved. The hedges are gradually disappearing from the cemetery. Only beautiful when in their early vigor and at their prime, the severity of our winters is gradually thinning them out and leaving gaps in the ranks which can never be satisfactorilly replaced. They serve, also, to obstruct the open view of the grounds, and to keep lots so surrounded cleanly and in order requires constant inspection and supervision. The greenhouses are now in good order and furnish ample supplies for summer use in the adornment of the grounds. Work for the development of the cemetery has been successfully prosecuted.

They also mention the death of Mr. Alanson Bigelow, and present a copy of the resolutions of respect passed by them. The superintendent submitted the following statistics of interments: Total number of interments as per last report, 24,333; number of original interments for the year ending December 31, 1884, 505; number of removals from other cemeteries, 40; total number of interments for the year, 545; total number of interments in cemetery, 24,878. The treasurer's report shows the cash balance from 1883 to be $19,114.88; cash received from sale of lots and other sources during 1884, $79,848.27; expenditures, $86,688.04; balance in the hands of the treasurer, $12,275.11. Mr. Charles F. Choate stated that the finance committee have experienced difficulty during the past years in making investments for the repair fund. On one occasion they were obliged to decline a first-class mortgage in the city of Cambridge, because not allowed by Article 8 of the by-laws. To give them a larger discretion, it is proposed to amend the third clause of the article, and notice of this intention, it will be seen, is given in the call for the annual meeting. The clause now reads: "All such sums shall collectively constitute a separate fund, called the 'repair fund', and shall be invested in some public stock of this State, or of the national government, or in the stock of some bank or banks in this State, or in notes secured by a sufficient collateral pledge of stocks in this State, or mortgage on real estate in Boston." He moved to amend the clause so that it will read: "All such sums shall collectively constitute a separate fund, called the 'repair fund,' and shall be invested in the public debt of the United States, or in that of the State of Massachusetts, or in the debt of any of the counties, cities or towns of this State, or in mortgages of real estate in any city in Massachusetts, or in first mortgage bonds, or debenture bonds of railroads not mortgaged, or any railroad company incorporated under the authority of this Commonwealth, which has earned and paid regular dividends for the two years next preceding such investment." The amendment was adopted.

On motion of Mr. Roger Wolcott, it was voted "that the trustees consider the expediency of establishing at Mount Auburn a crematorium, or of adopting any other method of taking care of the dead so that sanitary law shall not be violated." And it was voted, "that the said trustees shall report in print to the next annual meeting of the proprietors, with notice that such report is to be considered at said meeting." Mr. Wolcott stated that he had made the motion at the request of one of the lot owners, a gentleman well know in Boston for his benevolence, public spirit and scientific research. He should not have made the motion of his own accord, as he did not think the trustees should take the initiative on a question like this. The meeting then adjourned.

Advertiser. Feb. 3. '85

No. 2824. Mary D. Dunset vs. The Woodlawn Cemetery.—The plaintiff in this action alleged that she was the owner of grave No. 79 in the cemetery belonging to the defendants in Everett, that on January 10, 1882, the remains of her son were taken to the cemetery for burial, but the grave was found to be occupied by the body of a person named Fisher. The plaintiff now sought to recover damages for the negligence of the defendants in permitting the grave to be occupied by the remains of another person. The defendants denied that the plaintiff was the owner of the grave, and denied their liability. A formal verdict was taken for the defendants. E. G. Walker for the plaintiff, and H. E. Swazey and H. W. Fuller for the defendants.

_____ CREMATION.

In a recent number of the Worcester Spy there appeared an interesting and valuable communication from Dr. J. O. Marble of that city on the subject of cremation, considered especially with regard to the mistaken belief that his method of hastening the return of the body to the dust is advocated solely by persons without religious beliefs or faith in the doctrine of the resurrection. Dr. Marble had previously favored cremation, his motive being that of a sanitarian who recognizes the danger of the present methods of interment, particularly in periods when such diseases as cholera or typhus fever are the causes of increased mortality.

The chief value of his latest communication lies, however, in its quotations from letters received by him from others whose opinions regarding cremation coincide with his own. His correspondents are men of known religious convictions, some of whom meet by a blunt denial, or by a clear statement of their own views, the charge that cremation and reverent feeling regarding death are antagonistic to each other. Prefacing his letters by the preliminary statement that among English cremationists are many prominent members of the Church of England, and that in Italy zealous Roman Catholics advocate this form of disposition of the body, he calls to mind the fact that in this country the late Professor Gross of Philadelphia was a churchman as well as an early advocate of cremation; that the president of the Cremation Society of Brooklyn is a clergyman, and that the new crematory at Lancaster, Penn., was dedicated by religious services, in which two of the local orthodox pastors united. The first letter which he publishes is from the Rev. Samuel May, who says:—

I certainly regard the reduction of the lifeless body to its original elements, whether by fire or by other chemical process, as a question of real reform—as a step forward in civilization. In all thickly settled communities it seems to me a measure of needful sanitation and safety—one of such present and pressing importance that a beginning, both of discussion and practice, should be made as soon as possible.... Whether in coffin or in urn, the remains can be placed in the grave or other mortuary structure there, and then as now the memorial stone may be "still erected nigh." People will not be slow to see which is the surer way to guard those remains from violation, or give them the greater permanence.

He next quotes entire the following letter from the Rev. John J. Power, rector of St. Paul's Church, Worcester, who writes:—

The resolution of poor humanity into its original dust, without passing through the intermediate state of putrefaction, whether this be procured by fire or quicklime or any other chemical, seems to me wholly unobjectionable, and for many reasons desirable, and sometimes even necessary.

Another letter is from Professor Charles O. Thompson, formerly the president of the Worcester Technical School, now of the Rose Polytechnic Institute of Terre Haute, Ind., who writes:—

I am in favor of the practice, especially as it can now be done by the Siemens process. The whole question which you discuss so fairly seems to me often influenced more by race traits and personal caprice than by reason and sound judgment. If there was ever a reasonable change proposed in hoary customs it is the one you urge.

One of the strongest letters which Dr. Marble presents is from one of whom he says: "The eminent clergyman whom I in"vite next as a witness would probably be "the very last man in this community to "give countenance to any cause tainted with "infidelity or disrespect of the dead." This is the Rev. C. M. Lamson of Worcester, who says:—

With me every sentiment is in favor of cremation. The thought of decay in the earth shocks me. These is no good way of disposing of the bodies of dear ones in which we have felt the soul of love, but cremation seems the least bad.

For myself I should prefer going into the air and trees refined by fire—this seems clean—to lying in the earth, a source of poison to the waters that have a right to a pure passage in the ground.

In still another letter the point is urged that, if the belief in material resurrection stands in the way of cremation, those who raise this argument are compelled to explain why it is more difficult in the hour of resurrection to reunite atoms scattered by fire, than those disseminated by the horrible processes which follow common earth burial.

The letters to Dr. Marble are from persons clearly having no immediate connection with each other. Presumably, they are mainly strangers to each other. This fact is of use in estimating the extent of the intelligent approbation of cremation. Other broader canvasses of public opinion would probably show similar results. The antagonism against the new method is rather based on personal peculiarities than founded on religious belief or principles of any kind. Probably the great majority of men, certainly of women, regard cremation with horror. But were cremation the uniform practice, hallowed by centuries of pious rites, and were interment, without embalming, proposed as a "reform," the disgust which the accompanying thoughts would excite would at once overwhelm the suggestion. The strongest argument, however, against the present form of burial is the sanitary one. In times of pestilence cremation might be made compulsory, in the discretion of the health authorities.

Advertiser Jan. 85

A decision was given in the bill in equity brought by Caroline F. Wyman against Mary E. Howe and another, to obtain the permission of the court to remove the body of John Wyman, late of Cambridge, from the cemetery in Arlington to Mount Auburn. The plaintiff is the widow of the deceased, and the defendants are children by a former marriage. The deceased was buried in the cemetery at Arlington, in which he owned a lot, but the plaintiff alleged that the burial was intended to be temporary in that cemetery, her husband having expressed a wish to be buried in Mount Auburn, and having a short time before his death, visited Mount Auburn with a view to purchase a lot. There was a hearing in the case a few days since and the court has now ordered the bill dismissed. The defendants are, however, to give a proper conveyance to the plaintiff of a right of burial to herself in the Arlington lot by the side of her husband and of her child near her, and the plaintiff is to have the right to erect a suitable monument or headstone and may visit and take suitable care of the grave of her husband. G. F. Piper appeared for the plaintiff, and E. H. Jose for the defendants.

A judge of the supreme court of New York has given a decision in a case respecting the jurisdiction of cemetery authorities. He is of opinion, not only that the trustees can prescribe reasonable regulations for the construction of monuments and tombstones, but that the authorities of the cemetery may require the construction to be done under the supervision of one of their agents. They cannot, however, force the owners of lots to have the work done by persons in the employ of the cemetery, nor by men whom the trustees may indicate. The inspection of the erection of memorial stones cannot extend to an interference beyond the point of securing an agreement with the rules of the cemetery.

Advertiser Sept. 26. '82.

The Cremation Idea in Worcester.

(SPECIAL DESPATCH TO THE ADVERTISER.) WORCESTER, MASS., April 10.--The agitation in favor of cremation, which has been in progress here for several weeks, resulted tonight in the organization of the Worcester Cremation Society, open to all residents of Worcester County, of either sex. As soon as the bill now before the legislature for the incorporation of cremation societies becomes a law, the local society will reorganize under it. A temporary constitution was adopted tonight, and these officers elected: President, J. Evarts Greene; vice-presidents, E. L. Davis, Stephen Salisbury, Dr. L. H. Gage; secretary, Dr. J. O. Marble; treasurer, Philip W. Moen; directors, F. P. Goulding, E. H. Russell, Rev. C. M. Lamson, S. S. Green, Waldo Lincoln, Dr. W. B. Chamberlain, F. H. Dewey, jr., Dr. Merrick Bemis and Dr. Emerson Warner.

Advertiser April 11, 85

The committee on mercantile affairs reported this bill, incorporating the New England Cremation Society:—

Section 1. John Storer Cobb, Nathan Appleton, Emily J. F. Newhall, Charles A Holt, Frederick S. Cabot, Sidney P. Brown, Frederick Frothingham, Lois R. Frothingham, Lyman S. Hapgood, John D. Wells and John Ritchie, their associates and successors, are hereby made a corporation by the name of "The New England Cremation Society," for the purpose of providing the necessary appliances and facilities for carrying cremation into operation and therewith to cremate the bodies of the dead, with all the powers and privileges, and subject to all duties restrictions and liabilities set forth in the general laws which are now, or hereafter may be, enforced, applicable to like corporations, except as is herein otherwise expressly provided.

Sect. 2. The capital stock of said corporation shall be $25,000, divided into shares of a par value of $10 each, and may be increased to $50,000, by vote of the stockholders; one-half of said capital stock shall be subscribed and 50 percentum of such subscriptions paid in before said corporation shall begin business.

Sect. 3. Said corporation may acquire by gift, devise or purchase, and hold in fee-simple, so much real estate in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and may also hold so much personal property as may be necessary for carrying out the objects connected with and appropriate to the purposes of said corporation.

Sect. 4. The affairs of said corporation shall be managed by a council of 11 members, who shall be elected each year by ballot by the stockholders at the annual meeting, and shall hold office until their successors are chosen, and shall immediately after their election organize by electing from their own number a president, three vice-presidents, a secretary and a treasurer, and the incorporators named in section 1 of this act shall constitute the council of said corporation for the first year of its existence.

Sect. 5. This act shall take effect upon its passage.

A few years ago cremation, in spite of the example of ancient nations, was looked upon to a large extent as an unholy practice; but a change of sentiment of late has made itself manifest in the growing number of cremation societies and crematoriums. Here in Massachusetts the idea has already taken root, and in Davenport, Ia., a company, with a capital stock of $25,000, has been organized. The advantages of cremation have been often preached; yet, so fondly does humanity cling to tradition, especially where its dead are concerned, that it is likely to be many years before a custom repellant to what seems now a natural instinct is practised generally. Perhaps that time will never come, but it is not improbable that comparatively soon the custom will be much more general than now.

—City cemeteries do not seem particularly desirable for public gardens, but they are better than nothing. The Metropolitan Public Garden Association have obtained a free lease of the East London Cemetery, covering five and a half acres, which they propose to lay out for pleasure purpose, at an estimated expense of £1200.

Advertiser

....They have succeeded in obtaining chloride of ammonia from the chimney of a Japanese cremation furnace. The economical Japanese do not intend to have anything wasted.

No. 2122. Maria D. Lodge vs. The Boston Catholic Cemtery.—The plaintiff purchased a lot in Calvary Cemetery, which is managed by the defendant. She buried her husband there in 1881. Afterwards in July, 1883, she discovered that his grave had been opened and the body of a child buried over that of her husband. She now sought to recover damages in the sum of $1000 for injury she has received by reason of the negligence of the defendant. It was claimed by the defendant that they made a mistake, which was rectified as soon as possible after discovery and it denied its liability. The jury returned a verdict in favor of the plaintiff in the sum of $200.

Suffolk Superior— Apr. 7. 1885.

PROGRESS OF THE CREMATION IDEA.

Seventy persons have signed the constitution of the Worcester Cremation Society, and become members of the society. Including those who have signed the preliminary documents, pledging them to approval of the practice of cremation, but have not yet become members of the society, the whole number whose support is openly given to this movement is about one hundred. Among them are persons of both sexes and of various occupations and conditions of life.—[Worcester Spy.

Apr. 28. '85

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A CREMATORY FOR NEW-YORK. The New-York Cremation Company, limited, has bought fourteen lots, about one and a quarter acres, in East Williamsburg, Long Island, upon which it will build a stone crematory. The building will be of the Grecian style of architecture and will cost about $50,000. It will contain the incinerating furnace, a chapel for religious ceremonies and a columbarium, or memorial hall for the reception of the urns containing ashes of the bodies incinerated. Plans are now being prepared and work will begin in about two weeks. The crematory can be reached in thirty minutes from the prinicipal ferries and will stand on an elevation that overlooks the harbor, New-York and Brooklyn. The grounds will be made as attractive as flowers and shrubs will make them, and there will be nothing dreary in the surroundings. The cost of incineration will be from $20 to $25, and the time occupied will not be over fifty minutes. The process is thus described: As the door of the retort is opened the in-rushing air cools it from white to red heat, and the whole interior is filled with beautiful rosy light, that is fascinating to the eye. The body, decently clad as for burial, is laid in a crib, which is covered with a clean white sheet soaked in alum. The crib is then put into the retort. The sheet retains its original position and conceals the form until nothing but the bones are left, and these gently crumble into the dust as under the mystic touch of an invisible agent. There is nothing repulsive or painful about it. There is nothing which need shock the most refined tastes nor offend the most delicate sensibilities. No flame touches the flesh or bones from the beginning to the end of the process.

Charles Putzel, of No. 140 Nassau-st., counsel for the company, said yesterday:

We are daily in receipt of letters urging us on. The Washington, Penn., crematory shuts down August 1 to all who do not live in the county in which it is situated, and that impels us to hasten our work. Societies are being formed in many cities throughout the country and the general interest in the subject is increasing.

"BETON BURIAL." Cementation of the Dead Instead of Cremation.

While cremation as a means of disposal of the dead has its advocates, on sanitary grounds, the dread which the idea of incineration carries to the minds of living relatives must for a long time prevent this mode of disposal. It may no doubt in time become more popular in large cities, but as progress must be slow at best even there, while among people in general who cling with tenacity to old usages and traditions it may take centuries to have it adopted. In the mean time, as population becomes more dense, and it is more and more seen that consequences prejudicial to the health of the living come from the present mode of burial, something must be done to avert such danger, and as everything that may tend to throw light on this subject must be of interest, attention is called to a suggestion of a correspondent of the Sanitary Engineer, who writes from Kansas City, Mo., that the use of cement offers a mode of burial useful as a sanitary measure, and at the same time free from some of the objections to incineration. Some of the modes in which cement may be used are mentioned. In burial by interment, dry cement is laid in the casket as a bed for the body to rest on, the amount being as much as will allow a similar amount of thickness for covering. This will not add greatly to the weight borne to the grave. Lowered to its place, without the cover, the casket is filled entirely full with dry cement, thus entirely surrounding the body, the cover replaced, and the grave filled. The cement will gradually absorb from the earth the moisture, which will transform it to a solid rock, in which every lineament will remain impressed forever, as ashes of Pompeii have retained for ages the forms of the victims of that great burial. Nothing in this is repugnant to the senses of the mourner, nor does it require skill. The legend of the body roughly cut in the wood of the box or artistically placed on it in relief, is transferred to the enduring stone, and in the future identifies it beyond doubt. Sometimes it may be feared that the remains will not be allowed to slumber in quiet; then, by moistening the cement slightly - not making it offensively wet - the process of induration or hardening will take but a few hours. In all cases care is needed to see that the material is closely compacted. Where reasons exist that whatever is done should be done quickly, it would be hard to find a means by which sanitary and other considerations could be made to agree. Again, where for any reason interment is impractible, the body now being but the interior of a great stone, can be left forever above ground. The gases of decomposition, being hermetically sealed, can be allowed to escape by a single minute opening, and, passed through the flame of a lamp, are thereby deprived of all noxious qualities; but the many modes available, and the many sanitary and other con siderations involved, cannot be mentioned here. Any of us so minded may thus prepare himself to be a stone in some future temple.

Boston Herald Mch. 14, '85.

LECTURE ON CREMATION John Storer Cobb Discusses the "Disposal of the Dead.

The Home Club of East Boston held its regular meeting last night at Knights of Honor Hall, No. 144 Meridian street. President Mrs. Smith being indisposed, Mrs. Spaulding assumed the duties of that position. The feature of the evening was a lecture by Mr. John Storer Cobb, president of the New England Cremation Society, on "The Disposal of the Dead." Mr. Cobb said: One of the most important questions that can engage the attention of people, without regard to the particular portion of the globe which they may inhabit, is the manner in which the remains of the dead shall be disposed of. It is a subject which has been discussed in all ages of the world, but the present exigencies of the older countries, and the fast approaching future demands of the newer, have caused the theme to be today one which is demanding and obtaining a very large amount of interest and scrutiny, Cremation societies have been formed in many cities of this country, as well as those of Europe. The great case of Incineration versus Inhumation is at the bar of public opinion. The advocates of the plaintiff are making a gallant fight for the rights which have been usurped and so long maintained by the defendant. The agitation of this matter is nothing new. Indeed, from time immemorial the question of what to do with the dead has occupied the minds of the living. The different methods of disposing of the dead by the savage peoples of the earth were here detailed by the lecturer.

The method of burial as practised in Christian countries was contrasted in its effects with those of cremation. "There can be no doubt," added the speaker, "that in disposing of the dead we should be guided mainly by a regard to the welfare of the living. Whether the dissolution of the body be accomplished by cremation or burial - or, in other words, by quick or by slow burning - the process is the same and the result is the same. The only difference that there is consists in the length of time which is consumed in the accomplishment of the result. So also would process and result be similar if we were today to do as we have seen some savage nations doing - leave the body uncovered upon the surface of the ground, in the limbs of the trees, or the rooms in which death took place. So disastrous have become the effects of burial in crowded countries that one can scarcely take up a guide book to any European city without finding repeated warnings against the indiscretion of drinking the water of the wells. In almost all the nations of Europe, indeed, it has been found neessary to regulate by legislative enactments the distances from graveyards at which wells may be dug.

At a hygienic council held in Brussels in 1852, it was decided that the protective dis tance ought not to be less than 400 yards. This, however, must vary with the nature of the soil, the respective positions of the cemetery and the surrounding land and other circumstances which will tend to modify the conditions. The water of wells and springs in the vicinity of burial grounds is of a remarkably sparkling brilliancy, due to the very large proportion of nitrate therein contained, the products of the decomposition of the dead. About 85 per cent of the human body is water; and the low grounds in the vicinity of cemeteries, if not artificially drained, are always springy, and wells sunk therein are unfailing. Seven large cemeteries of Philadelphia are drained into Fairmont dam, which is the source of the city's water supply. Thus Philadelphians prove their claim to the title of brotherly love by drinking the soakings from the graves of their dead. So the neighboring city of Cambridge derives its water supply from Fresh pond, into which is drained Boston's great Roman Catholic cemetery, which is overcrowded with the dead to such an extent as to have, in many instances, three or more bodies in a grave. Thus free-thinking Cambridge, nolens volens, is compelled to swallow Roman Catholicism, or make history repeat itself and throw its tea into Boston harbor.

The diseases prevalent among those who dwell in proximity to graveyards are, notably, diarrhoea, dysentery, fevers, and diseases of the throat. By cremation - the rapid reduction of the body by means of heat, which purifies every exhalation and leaves in a few minutes but a handful of absolutely innoxious ashes, which, if the survivors choose, can be preserved in elegance, where they can be visited at any time or season - all danger to the living is avoided. The lecturer here referred to the only furnace at present in operation in this country, Dr. Lemoyne's at Washington, Pa., and described the process of incineration. He closed by saying: "It will thus be seen that economy - an element of consideration in disposing of the dead - is also served by cremation. By this means, one who is poor can decently dispose of his dead, without hypothecating his income and his peace of mind for years to come, in paying exorbitant demands levied upon his urgent necessity and his vitalized sentiment, which at such a time revolts against the haggling about the dollar and the cent.

Boston Herald, Mch.10, '85

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, April 10, 1885.

The Committee on the Judiciary, who were instructed (under an order of the House recommitted) to consider the expediency of legislation relative to the right of a widow in the family burial lot of her deceased husband, report the accompanying Bill.

For the Committee,

JOSEPH MASON. [*82] Section 1. Chapter * eighty of the Public Statutes is amended by striking out the third section thereof and inserting in place thereof the following: Lots in such cemeteries shall be held indivisible, and upon the decease of a proprietor of such lot the title thereto shall descend to his heirs at law or devisees, subject, however, to the following limitations and conditions: If he leaves a widow and children, they shall have in common the possession, care and control of said lot during her life. If he leaves a widow and no children, she shall have the possession, care and control of such lot during her life. If he leaves children and no widow they, or the survivor of them, shall in common have the possession, care and control of such lot during the life of the survivor of them.

The parties having such possession, care and control of such lot during the term thereof may erect a monument and make other permanent improvements thereon. The widow shall have a right of interment for her own body in such lot or in a tomb in such lot, and a right to have her body remain permanently interred or entombed therein.

At any time when more than one person is entitled to the possession, care and control of such lot, the persons so entitled thereto shall designate in writing to the clerk of the corporation which of their number shall represent the lot, and on their failure so to designate, the board of trustees or directors of the corporation shall enter of record which of said parties shall represent the lot while such failure continues. The widow may, at any time, release her right in such lot, but no conveyance or devise by any other person shall deprive her of such right.

Sect. 2 Chapter two hundred and sixtytwo of the acts of the year eighteen hundred and eighty-three is hereby repealed.