“ Six feet of earth " to sleep in after life’s fitful fever has passed are
adjudged by common consent to he not only the greatest worldly possession to
which even the richest can lay claim after death, but the rightful inheritance
of the poorest of Earth's children. They have all the same right to a place in
her bosom. And even that little space they require but for a brief period—-only
until their dust shall have had time to return to its kindred element. But there
are places—- and Dundee has the misfortune to be one of them—where it seems that
the concession of even “ six feet of earth” in which to bury their dead is
denied to the inhabitants. No one could read the description we published
yesterday of the disgraceful proceedings at a recent funeral in Logie burying
ground without being horrified, disgusted, and indignant that such scenes and
doings should be permitted in the midst of a community like ours. In that
instance—and it seems not to be a solitary one--the spot where the interment was
to take place was found to he so horribly crowded with human remains that before
the latest comer to that dreary abode could be accommodated, not a few of its
former tenants had to be dislodged. The coffin could not he lowered into the
new-made grave until several others had had their ends and sides smashed in to
make room for it. Of course the sights and smells necessarily attendant upon
this proceeding were fearful, and the feelings of the mourners before
whose eyes it took place -they having not the slightest assurance, but rather
the contrary, that the body of their deceased friend would not be subjected to
similar treatment at some after time must have been pitiable. But this is not
all. What of the people, the bones of whose dead relatives were thus profanely
handled ? It may be said that they are probably unaware of the circumstance, and
that what one knows not can do him no harm, but is it not the fact that a very
large proportion of the population of Lochee frequent this burying-ground for
the purpose of interment, and that the knowledge that the graves of their
friends may be violated any hour of the day at the caprice of the gravedigger is
likely to create a profound feeling of horror and indignation? We sincerely hope
that it may do so, for apparently nothing short of a vigorous popular agitation
will rouse the proper authorities to a sense of the duty that is incumbent upon
them to remedy this most disgraceful state of matters. In the name of our common
humanity we ask—What have the authorities been doing in the matter of this
burying-ground? We know that long ago it was decided that an additional
burying-ground should be provided for the east end of the town, but what action
has been taken on that resolution we know not, and we doubt much that anybody
else does. Street and harbour improvements are good things in their way, and so
are many of the other objects with which the attention of our civic rulers has
been occupied of late, but here is a foul abomination—a perfect scandal to our
civilization—that has been for years allowed to remain in our midst without any
proper effort being made for its removal. How long is this to continue? How long
are the humbler classes of our townsfolk to stand in knowledge of the fact that
the remains of their relatives are liable at any time to be dragged forth from
their graves and subjected to the tender mercies of any clodhopper who may gave
gained the situation of gravedigger? As things now stand, they themselves cannot
even look forward to peace in their own “ six feet of earth." Now why should
this be if the authorities do their duty? We cannot but believe that if they had
energetically applied themselves to the task of procuring a site for a new
burying ground they would have succeeded long ere this, and Logie been relieved
of its over swollen corruption.. Let them set about the matter at once, and
heartily too, or sensible men will come to account our aspirations after higher
culture and intelligence but the expression of so much fashion-
able cant. Let us have “six feet of earth ” for our dead at least.
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