earth burial, attractive and preferable to the 
majority of thinking people. 
Assuming that cremation is commenda- 
ble as represented, that it is open to no 
valid objection, that it is on the increase 
and may be further promoted if its princi- 
ples are approved and receive the endorse- 
ment and active support of cemetery au- 
thorities, the question for our consideration 
is whether it is advisable or feasible to es- 
tablish the crematory in the cemetery. 
Judging from my personal experience 
and information gleaned through other 
sources, I affirm that the crematory in the 
cemetery is a practical proposition approved 
by many lot owners, that it is good busi- 
ness policy to be so equipped to accommo- 
date patrons of cemeteries and others de- 
sirous of adopting this method of disposing 
of the dead and that it may prove a profit- 
able investment, depending on locality, the 
existing demand for cremation, or the in- 
terest which may be created locally in its 
favor. I will go further than that and say 
I think the proper place for the crematory 
is in conjunction with the cemetery. In my 
opinion if cemeteries were equipped with 
crematories, it would lie unnecessary for 
the adherents of cremation to make an 
effort to establish independent companies, 
nor would these companies find encourage- 
ment to engage in a business which in gen- 
eral they promote primarily for pecuniary 
purposes. Let cremation be favored and 
advocated by the management of cemeteries 
and let them make provision for its prac- 
tice, together with the recommendation that 
the cremated remains he interred with the 
same formalities and reverent care as is 
now customary in earth burial, and 1 pre- 
dict that cremation will soon become gen- 
eral as a manifestly proper and commend- 
able measure preparatory to consigning the 
remains to their final resting place. 
It would be impracticable and quite un- 
necessary for every cemetery to have a cre- 
matory. The demand at present, except in 
the more populous communities, would not 
warrant the investment and subsequent ex- 
pense, but I am persuaded that all the 
larger cemeteries might advantageously in- 
stall crematories, not simply as a matter of 
policy for convenience sake but in reason- 
able hope that it would yield a substantial 
profit. While it is true that the crematory 
has not in all instances proved a profitable 
investment, some of them, including a few 
in cemeteries in or near the largest cities, 
have been quite successful financially. 
In this connection we are confronted with 
the query whether the management of the 
cemetery operating a crematory may con- 
sistently and without prejudice adopt some 
means of giving publicity to the institution, 
conveying such information as may be con- 
sidered helpful in disseminating knowledge 
of cremation, its aims and achievements. 
At one time and until recent years I was 
not in favor of promoting cremation in a 
manner which might be construed as adver- 
tising, regarding that as undignified and too 
PARK AND CEM ETER Y. 
suggestive of commercialism and mercenary 
motives : but a large and more mature ex- 
perience and a more intelligent and com- 
prehensive study of the principles of crema- 
tion have modified and clarified my ideas so 
that I now believe it is not only proper but 
is in a sense the duty of operators of cre- 
matories to advise and enlighten the public 
and to a reasonalile degree adopt publicity 
methods tending to promote an interest in 
the system and practice of cremation. 
It is not my purpose in this article to dis- 
cuss the process of incineration or the 
methods by which it is accomplished except 
very briefly for general information to those 
who have had little or no opportunity to ac- 
quire knowledge regarding modern systems 
of cremation. 
There are at the present time several 
types of cremators in operation. These 
may be classified in two distinct groups, 
one in which the incinerating chamber or 
retort is heated externally, coal or coke be- 
ing the fuel used ; the other being heated 
internally by the gases of coal, coke or 
wood generated in a separate fire or fur- 
nace and conducted into the retort. In this 
type, too, illuminating gas or petroleum are 
used, the burners playing directl}- into the 
retort. Electricity has also been tried, but 
that sc’stem is still in the experimental 
stages and not yet satisfactory The exter- 
nally heated retort, although accomplishing 
incineration efficiently, is relatively slow and 
has several objectionalfle features, princi- 
pal of which is the long time required in 
pre-heating and the unavoidable red glow 
of the retort when the door is opened to 
admit the body. For these and other less 
important reasons this system has now been 
almost entireh' superseded by the internally 
heated type, oil or gas l)urners being now 
generally adopted. .As to the relative mer- 
its of oil or illuminating gas, I lielieve that 
the one is practically as efficient as the other 
if used in the design of retort to which 
each is best adapted. This type of incin- 
erator is very convenient, compact and eco- 
nomical. 
There are now several styles or designs 
of internally heated incinerators equipped 
with oil or gas burners, each generally 
looked upon liy its designer as the best yet 
devised. All may lie said to be meritorious 
in some degree, although not equally effi- 
cient. Without discussing the respective 
merits of the different types, I will briefly 
suggest that before making a selection, 
careful investigation and consideration 
should be given the several systems, so that 
one may judge and determine for himself 
the one he considers best adapted for his 
location and purpose. 
To appeal to the public, promote an in- 
terest in cremation and insure success I 
deem it important that a crematory build- 
ing in all its aspects and appointments 
should be attractive in its architecture, con- 
venient in its interior arrangements, and 
pleasing in its furnishings and decorations. 
There should be nothing about the cre- 
215 
mator suggestive of the ordinary retort or 
furnace It should lie simple in appearance, 
and capable of incinerating a body in the 
casket and reducing it to its simple elements 
in the shortest time possible and with such 
perfect combustion that not a trace of 
smoke or suggestion of odor is perceptible 
throughout the entire operation, leaving no 
residuum other than pure white bone ash. 
That such results are attainable is demon- 
strable in more than one type of the modern 
crematory. .A very important matter of 
peculiar interest to the management of 
cemeteries, which I desire to discuss briefly 
before closing this article, is the question of 
how to properly dispose of the ashes of the 
body. 
In approaching this subject I will briefly 
review the attitude of the cremationist 
towards the cemetery, and his theories and 
recommendations regarding the disposition 
of the ashes. 
The more ardent adherent of cremation 
not only regards earth burial as pernicious 
but he usually looks upon the cemetery as 
an unwarranted waste of land that should 
be availalile for economic purposes. He is 
apt in his zeal, as is frequently the case in 
the infancy of great reforms, to carry his 
ideas to extremes. He would abolish the 
cemeter\- without distinction, even the most 
modern with its hallowed associations, sa- 
cred precincts, its sylvan beauty and charm- 
ing landscape, its handsome trees, shrulis 
and beautiful flowers, wholly unmindful of 
the restful, cheering and consoling influ- 
ences of these environments. Xay, more, 
he reminds us that Nature is economical 
and most exacting in demanding ol)edience 
to her laws, which are immutable and de- 
cree that nothing shall he wasted or misap- 
plied, and as Nature has supplied all the 
elements constituting the human liody, they 
must be returned to their original sources 
sooner or later. Therefore, says this zeal- 
ous cremationist, the ashes must be con- 
signed to the earth as soon after death and 
as directly as possible ; but since the ceme- 
tery is condemned by him and must he 
abandoned, there is but one disposition to 
make of the ashes and that is, to use a 
popular phrase, “scatter them to the four 
winds," and in so doing pay our just debt to 
Nature, a simple process and perhaps in 
accordance with scientific principles, yet to 
the minds of the great majorit}- of intelli- 
gent and progressive people, an inconceiv- 
able and unwarranted procedure, surely 
detrimental to sentiment, that strong bul- 
wark of civilization. 
While I am in full accord with the princi- 
ples of cremation, I still believe that we 
should cherish respect for the ashes of 
those we revered and loved, even though 
they are but the mineral rtsiduum of the 
body and as such the natural property of 
the earth, to which they should be returned, 
but in so doing why should we violate the 
natural instincts of human nature, or cease 
to cultivate the elevating and civilizing in- 
fluences of sentiment by carelessly scatter- 
ing the ashes broadcast rather than give 
