214 
PARK AND CEMETERY 
The Crematory in the Modern Cemetery 
Address before the Barre Convention of Cemetery Superintendents by 
James Currie, Superintendent Forest Home Cemetery, Milwaukee, IVis. 
When I received the invitation to con- 
tribute an article on "The Crematory as an 
Adjunct to the Modern Cemetery" to be 
presented at this convention, I presumed to 
see in the title the implication that the 
crematory may now he considered an es- 
sential part of the equipment of the up-to- 
date cemetery and from this angle I would 
be expected to discuss the subject. Whether 
my mental vision is affected by the fact that 
we operate a crematory in Forest Home 
Cemetery so that I fail to perceive that the 
subject suggested is in the nature of a 
query as to the necessity or success of the 
crematory, is perhaps of little moment, for 
in any event, being an advocate of the cre- 
matory in connection with the cemetery, I 
shall endeavor to show that the day is not 
far distant, in fact, may he said to be 
already here, when no cemetery of any im- 
portance will be considered fully prepared 
to accommodate its patrons if not equipped 
with a crematory, and I hope to encourage 
the belief that as mediums for the disposal 
of the dead the cemetery and crematory 
should not he considered as standing in op- 
posite and antagonistic positions, and that 
cremation is not inimicable hut in reality 
conducive to the prosperity of the cemetery. 
In the first place, I think it must be con- 
ceded that cremation can no longer he 
ignored by even its most prejudiced oppo- 
nents or be summarily dismissed from our 
minds as irrelevant to the purposes of the 
cemetery. 
Opinions concerning this movement are 
still widely at variance among cemeter\' au- 
thorities, some of whom I am aware view 
its methods and theories with suspicion and 
appear to regard it as an unwarranted in- 
novation and a menace to the business pros- 
perity of the cemetery. But whether we 
approve or reject cremation will not change 
the situation. The fact remains that a sen- 
timent in its favor is rapidl\' developing. 
The practice is meeting with less and less 
hostility and must ere long become popular. 
No doubt it will he many years, perhaps 
several generations, before cremation be- 
comes universal or is mandatory by law, 
hut it will surely progress. What is there 
to oppose its advance? Principally custom 
and prejudice. Will reason, common sense, 
scientific research and knowledge or even 
religious scruples stand in opposition to a 
reform which practically every intelligent 
person acknowledges as reasonable and de- 
sirable from a sanitary and even a senti- 
mental point of view? It is fruitless to try 
to permanently maintain the practice of 
earth burial or interment in the tomb 
against which there is so much undeniable 
condemnatory evidence. It is already ap- 
parent that the custom is doomed and must 
sooner or later be superseded by a more 
rational system. In my opinion, as custo- 
dians of cemeteries primarily interested in 
the welfare of our patrons, we can no 
longer maintain an indifferent or passive 
attitude towards cremation. We are either 
for or against its principles. If in favor 
of its practice let us courageously face the 
situation and fearlessly declare our views 
when occasion requires and our advice is 
solicited. 
Expressing my own oi)inions 1 wish to say 
that I am a firm believer in the fundamen- 
tal principles of cremation, although not in 
full accord with some of the ideas of the 
confirmed cremationist. 1 believe it is a 
rational, scientific and reverent process in 
harmony with progressive principles, and I 
know that it now' numbers among its advo- 
cates a large percentage who are lot owners 
and patrons of cemeteries, who prefer cre- 
mation to earth burial, for which reason 
alone I believe it demands the recognition 
and endorsement of the management of 
every cemetery. 
Science has demonstrated the desirability 
and even the necessity of this method of 
disposing of the dead as a safeguard to the 
living. .\11 things affecting the welfare of 
humanity are now carefully studied. Sani- 
tary conditions and measures for the pro- 
motion of health are receiving special at- 
tention. The old-fashioned graveyard and 
even the modern cemetery are now being 
viewed with suspicion and subject to in- 
vestigation, and while we are able to show, 
and 1 think conclusively, that there is no rea- 
son to apprehend danger of contamination 
of the water or air by the modern cemetery, 
as contended by many cremationists, the 
fact remains that many and an ever-in- 
creasing number of intelligent and enlight- 
ened people believe that decomposing bodies 
in the ground are or may possibly be delete- 
rious to the health of the community. Cre- 
mation disposes of all doubt, for it unques- 
tionably renders the remains of the dead 
innocuous and in no sense a menace to pub- 
lic health. 
1 do not propose at this time to cham- 
pion cremation as a substitute for earth 
burial, but to advocate its principles and the 
adoption of its methods in the cemetery. I 
am persuaded that the \ ital and most im- 
portant question confronting us today is 
not the development and maintenance of 
the cemetery as a place of beauty, or the 
selection of the monument as a work of art 
in harmony with its environment, but the 
much more momentous question of the 
proper method of disposing of the dead. 
Knowing well the natural aptitude and 
unbiased disposition of the average man in 
our profession, I aver without fear of con- 
tradiction that with few exceptions the su- 
perintendent of the cemetery who has had 
experience and opportunity to observe the 
progress of dissolution in the grave, is an 
advocate of cremation, or is convinced that 
it is an appropriate method of disposing of 
the bodies of the dead. 
But it seems superfluous to dwell on this 
phase of the question. The usual propa- 
ganda of the cremationist and crematory 
promotor is familiar to every reader on the 
subject of cremation and we know every 
argument. No matter how we view our in- 
terest i" the cemetery we must in all fair- 
mindedness admit that fundamentally the 
principles of cremation are rational, al- 
though man_\- of us honestly, and I believe, 
consistently, object to the final disposition 
cremationists in general would make of the 
cremated remains. 
-As proof of the growing popularity and 
practice of cremation and with the view 
of determining the need of the crematory 
in the cemetery, 1 might, if the limitations 
of this article would permit, present sta- 
tistics of the several crematories in the 
country, now numbering sixty or more, 
showing a steady annual increase of crema- 
tions in the aggregate and a marked in- 
crease in practically every case from the 
time each crematory was established, 
although in nearly all instances the annual 
increase has not been steady but fluctuating, 
as may he expected. It can be shown, too, 
that the establishment of an additional cre- 
matory in the same territory has apparently 
stimulated an interest in cremation, as in 
all such cases the figures show an annual 
increase in the aggregate number of crema- 
tions with no material falling off in any 
crematory previously established. This may 
in part he accounted for by stimulus of 
competition and the ordinary publicity 
methods of business we sometimes see em- 
ployed to promote cremation ; but I incline 
to the opinion that the increase in number 
of cremations may be regarded as an indi- 
cation that if cremation is encouraged, 
properly represented, and crematories con- 
veniently installed, it will appeal favorably 
to and he adopted by many people who 
might otherwise reject it as undesirable or 
give it no attention. Much of the opposi- 
tion to cremation is undoubtedly due to mis- 
understanding of its principles and miscon- 
ception of the methods employed. To the 
average person the thought of incineration 
is at first abhorrent but the process when 
explained or viewed usually dispels such 
impressions and reveals the fact that the 
operation is neither painful to witness nor 
disagreeable to contemplate. On the con- 
trary, dissolution being rapidly effected by 
the purest agency conceivable, is, on re- 
flection, in comparison with the process of 
