A Grave Problem.
591
the cemetery and drink of the water. That cemetery anywhere. While it was admitted he had never heard of any complaint of in that there might possibly be such a condition jury from the water. He gave it as his of things, yet equity would not interfere upon opinion that the use of the water of a well in inferences and theories. There must be act a graveyard would not affect the health of ual proof by testimony, either that all cem the living to their injury, and that he had eteries do naturally and necessarily pollute never known of any injurious effect from use the adjacent waters, or else that in this par of wells close to cemeteries. In this opinion ticular case such pollution has actually taken he was corroborated by a physician. place. Without such proof equity would not The Supreme Court in conclusion drew interfere. attention to the circumstance that notwith For these reasons, among others, the bill standing the manifest effect of the above 1 was dismissed, which perhaps legally leaves testimony was to impugn and question the I our problem where we began, — is it good or theory that the interment of bodies in a evil that is interred with the bones. Which? Willie might well ask why should bones cemetery would necessarily tend to contami pollute or contaminate if good is oft interred nate the water in near-by wells, yet no con tradictory or countervailing testimony was with them. Dissolution is only a changing introduced. Hence for the purposes of the of form. Everywhere life is dissolving to particular record before them, the positive make way for new forms of life. It is a testimony of witnesses who have used the purely natural phenomenon and why should water in such wells and the opinion of com the process be highly poisonous? Why petent disinterested witnesses, having expe should the process pollute when all life is rience and having made a study of the subject, fostered and fed by that which feeds upon remained without contradiction or dispute the process. It is simply completing the and must prevail. circle in which all things do work together It was added that no test of the water of for good. the well was even made to show whether it If it is the good that lives afterwards, if it had been contaminated with any deleterious is the good that is oft interred with the bones, matter coming from the cemetery grounds. if it is all good, why the evil may be the The litliia test was neither conclusive nor good, not yet understood. satisfactory, because it proved nothing as to We leave our problem with you, trusting whether there were any unhealthy percola you will pardon the title. It is one of those tions from the cemetery grounds. things that will slip out unintentionally at The Court further remarked if it is a fact times. They come when you are off guard. that all cemeteries pollute the adjacent waters You never mean them. With the same it would be a very easy matter to prove it, breath in which they are born, you hope but in this case there was no such proof, they will prove utterly harmless, and pray not only as to this cemetery but as to any indulgence. Such is our hope and prayer.
