Household words, No. 2, April 6, 1850

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

78099

Title

Household words, No. 2, April 6, 1850

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

Conducted by Charles Dickens, this 1850 journal issue explores global burial customs, contrasting modern London's unsanitary churchyard practices with ancient Egyptian embalming, Roman rites, and diverse tribal methods like cremation and exposure. The text argues for sanitary reform, citing historical precedents and the Board of Health's recommendations to move cemeteries outside city limits.

Summary up to 500 words

In the April 6, 1850 issue of *Household Words*, Charles Dickens delivers a scathing critique of British burial customs, arguing that interring the dead within crowded city churchyards is a degrading and unwholesome practice that endangers the living. Dickens contrasts this 'civilised' superstition with the sanitary wisdom of ancient and foreign cultures. He highlights the Egyptians' advanced embalming techniques and their judicial trials to ensure a deceased led a virtuous life before burial, noting their burial grounds were situated far from cities on the opposite bank of the Nile. Similarly, the Romans and Greeks prohibited intramural burials, while the Chinese strictly separated tombs from city walls. Dickens also details the Hindu practice of cremation and the tragic, barbaric custom of widow self-immolation in Hindustan, which he notes was eventually abolished by British intervention. He further describes the pragmatic methods of South American tribes, who bury only bones after fish clean the flesh, and African tribes who expose bodies to scavengers to prevent disease. Dickens asserts that while these methods may seem shocking, they share a common goal: preventing the dead from polluting the living. He attributes the persistence of British intramural burials to the sale of indulgences and a misplaced reverence for consecrated ground. Citing historical canons and the reforms in France and Germany, he urges the adoption of extramural cemeteries. Referencing John Evelyn's regrets over the missed opportunity to clear London's churchyards after the Great Fire, Dickens concludes that burying the dead in the midst of the living generates human destruction. He calls for readers to embrace reason and sanitary science over ancient prejudice, asserting that the affection for the departed is better honored in a serene, natural solitude than amidst the clamor of city streets.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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Categories

• Essays
• English Literature