38 THE REV. J. G. WOOD. 



words ; and certainly even his most distant auditors 

 could always hear him quite easily and distinctly. 



My father's last sermon was preached at Edenbridge, 

 Kent, on February 17th ; 1889, when he selected 1 Cor. 

 ix. 9 as his text. Usually he placed the notes of his 

 sermon in his pocket Greek Testament after delivering 

 it ; but as this sermon was preached after he had left 

 home for the last time, I am unable to find the brief 

 outline which he almost certainly wrote. And probably 

 it was accidentally destroyed with other private papers. 



Connected with my father's clerical labours, although 

 not of them, was the work which he did in furtherance 

 of the objects of the " Funeral Eeform Association.'* 

 He was- himself a strong advocate of cremation, which, 

 as he used to say, only brings about in a couple of hours 

 the identical result which burial causes in a number of 

 years. Sooner or later the body must be dissolved into 

 gases, and he himself preferred that this should be done 

 by a process which involves no injury to the living, and 

 does away with some of the most repulsive circumstances 

 associated in the popular mind with death. Cremation, 

 however, not being advocated by the Association, which 

 aims principally at the simplification of funeral cere- 

 monies, and the speedy and true restoration of " earth 

 to earth, dust to dust," he set himself diligently to work 

 to further their aims ; repeatedly speaking at their 

 public meetings, organising such a meeting at our own 

 house at St. Peter's, and losing no opportunity of en- 

 forcing their arguments both in sermon and in private 



