Democratic Sentinel, Volume 18, Number 17, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 May 1894 — HINDOO CREMATION. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

HINDOO CREMATION.

The Way the People of *le Eaat Dtapoee of Their Dead. The practice of burning the dead is universally practiced by the Hindoos and is a very curious spectacle. A writer gives the following description of the cremation among them of a poor man which he himself witnessed? Two coolies carried the body upon a rude litter, woven from coarse grasses, and held together by outlines of bamboo. Two of the dead man's brothers followed, chatting pleasantly. Four stout sticks of wood were driven upright into the ground, at the corners of an imaginary parallelogram about six feet by tvo. Retween these four posts were loosely laid sticks of dry, cheap wood. When the pile was a little more than three feet high the body was laid upon it. A dirty piece of crash, of the quality the coolies wear about their loins, partly wrapped the dead. One of the brothers stepped up and poured about four ounces of oil over the body. More wood was plied upon the dead. The pile was lighted and the cremation began. The tiro brothers appeared very interested in the igniting, and decidedly pleased when it was accomplished. They squatted down, upon the ground, just so far ifrom “ the' pile that they might feel that their scant, filthy garments were fairly safe from the sparks, but

near enough to watch all the changing phases of the and to see when it was consummated. • They untibd a dirty rag from about a small bundle one of them had broughtAvith them. They’; took out bowl. Itfiwas clean and shining, and so was the brass chattee each lifted from' his filthy head. The chattees held water. The bowl held curry and rice. They fell to eating with gusto. And. pray, why not? They were eating to live, Their brother was burning to live—to live in Hindoo paradise. From the Hindo point of view this state was far more blessed. The cremation was finally completed. Two distinct kinds of ashes were left. The human ashes were carefully gathered into an old chattee. The authorities do not allow these ashes to be thrown into the river, and they are never thrown there in the presence of Europeans. The ashes of the wood were swept swiftly away. The bits of wood not burned were frugally collected to be utilized in the next funeral pile.

CREMATING A BODY.