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32
I have no information as to the number of Bethnal
Green residents earth-buried or cremated, respectively,
this important matter falling outside what are regarded
as public health statistics. I am afraid, however, that,
in the case of the latter, the number is very small. The
reasons for this are many, but they can probably be
resolved into three:
(1) lack of thought about the subject,
(2) the idea that cremation is very expensive,
(3) false sentimentality.
One cannot argue very effectively about the third
of these except to point out that if all the facts of
earth burial were realised, most right minded people
would feel that it was neither a decent nor a satisfactory
manner of treating the dead. Ignorance
concerning cremation is, I fear, pretty general, and
this is probably responsible for the impression that it
is costly. Actually the process of cremation can be
effected for less than £5. There are of course other
incidental charges, for the burial service and in connection
with accommodation for the burial urn
containing the ashes, such as correspond to a conventional
earth burial, but having regard to the
somewhat lavish expenditure on funerals which seems
to be the general custom, there is really no adequate
ground for objecting to cremation on grounds of cost.