96 
THE MODERN CEMETERY. 
The deceased was an engineer, and was killed in a collision down 
south. Very truly, 
JNO. R. Hooper. 
James E. Valentine, 
Killed in a collision, 
Dec. 20, 1874, Aged 32 years. 
“In the crash and the fall he stood unmoved and sacrificed 
his life that he might fulfill his trust.” 
Until the brakes are turned on Time, 
Life’s throttle-valve shut down. 
He wakes to pilot in the crew. 
That wear the martyr’s crown. 
On schedule time, on upper grade. 
Along the homeward section. 
He lands his train at God’s round-house 
The morn of resurrection. 
His time all full, no wages docked. 
His name on God’s pay-roll. 
And transportation through to Heaven 
A free-pass for his soul. 
= CRenATlOH. = 
The objection that has been recognized by the 
advocates of cremation as serious, is the one, that 
in the case of poisoning all traces of evidence would 
be destroyed by incineration, and the murderer 
might go free without even atrial. This objection has 
been greatly overestimated; it is not as serious by 
any means as has been urged by the enemies ofcre- 
mation and has been granted by its friends. If a 
supposed murderer should occasionally get off scot 
free without atrial it might not be so serious a mat- 
ter to the tax payers, or so serious a matter for so- 
ciety, as to have hundreds of murderers set free by 
juries who have been fairly convicted of murder by 
the evidence after a long and expensive trial. Again, 
there is perhaps not one death in io,ooo where there 
can by any possibility be even a suspicion of poi- 
soning; and, again, every health office should have 
a medical officer at its disposal to verify the physi- 
cian’s certificate as to the cause of death in every 
case before a permit is given to dispose of the body. 
If an inquest be considered necessary, or if there be 
any suspicion of any such necessity, an examination 
should be made then. Mr. Danford Thomas made 
a very careful and systematic inquiry as to the num- 
ber of exhumations which involved questions of poi- 
sonings for the past twenty years in England and 
Wales. He found that exhumations did not aver- 
age one yearly, yet the number of deaths in Eng- 
land and Wales is about 800,000. Could anything 
be more absurd than to oppose cremation on the 
grounds that it deprives the officers of the law the 
chances of exhuming a body in cases of suspected 
poisoning, that it lessens the chances of convicting 
the murderer, — while in burying the dead they are 
but depositing poisonous masses beneath the surface 
of the earth, which experiment, reason and science 
teach, poisons thousands of living beings. The one 
who administers poison to his fellow is committing 
a crime. — The Urn. 
Association of American Cemetery Snperintendents. 
O. C. SIMONDS. “Graceland,” Chicago. President. 
G. W. CREESY, “Harmony Grove,” Salem. Mass., Vice-President. 
F. EURICH, WoodlawD, Toledo. O., Secretary and Treasurer 
■publi^ber'^ 'Oepoirtment. 
The receipt of Cemetery Literature and Trade Catalogues will he 
acknowledged in this column. 
* * * 
TO ADVERTISERS. The MODERN CEMETERY is the Only publica- 
tion of its Class and will he found a valuable medium for reaching 
cemetery otllcials in all parts of the United States. 
* * * 
TO SUBSCRIBERS. Cemetery officials desii’ing to subscribe for a 
number of copies regularly to circulate among their lot owners, 
should send for our special terms. Several well-known cemeteries 
have already adopted this plan with good results. 
* * * 
Contributions on matters pertaining to cemeteries are solicited. 
Address all communications to 
R. J. HAIGHT, 334 Dearborn St., Chicago. 
A photograph of the entrance to LaFayette 
cemetery, Philadelphia, with description of the 
grounds, have been received from John K. Betson, 
Supt. , and will be used in a future issue. 
We are in receipt of a handsome brochure, pub- 
lished by Messrs. Burger & Eurich, containing 17 
pages of most artistically arranged groups of views, 
about 100 in all, of Woodlawn Cemetery, Toledo. 
These views together with letter press form a most 
attractive souvenir of this beautiful burial park, and 
is dedicated to present and future lot owners in the 
cemetery. Copies of the work may be obtained 
of Mr. P'rank Eurich, superintendent, for thirty 
cents post paid, the actual cost of production. 
Cemetery Superintendent’s Library. — Will every 
reader of the Modern Cemetery who has one or 
more books that have been helpful to him in the 
pursuit of his cemetery duties-kindly furnish us with 
a list of the titles and names of publishers. It is 
our wish to publish a list of books suitable for a 
cemetery superintendent’s library, and we shall ar- 
range to furnish them at publishers’ prices. At the 
Philadelphia convention, a number of books and 
pamphlets are referred to as being of value to sup- 
erintendents, and doubtless there are many more. 
Please send in your list of names at once. 
Wood ashes and their use by T. Greiner, is a 
practical treatise on the value and use of wood ashes 
for fertilizing purposes published in pamphlet form 
for distribution by Munroe, Lalor & Co., Oswego, 
N. Y. The fertilizing and regenerative properties 
of wood ashes are welt known to the scientific inves- 
tigator and are also of common practical knowledge 
ter the farmers in wooded districts; and the beneficial 
results already made known are having the effect of 
inducing a more rapid use of this fertilizing mater- 
ial elsewhere. Wood ashes is already in use in many 
cemeteries and superintendents will be interested in 
perusing this pamphlet which may be obtained by 
addressing as above. 
