In 1926: living at the edge of time - Monoskop

CREMATION
About one-fifth of the obituaries published in Berlin newspapers announce
that the bodies of the deceased will be cremated. A large majority
of these bodies are those of men [see Male vs. Female], most of whom
have died in the prime of life. Although following no specific stylistic
pattern, the wording of the obituaries tends to be sober: "Suddenly and
unexpectedly, my dear husband departed, on Sunday afternoon. The
devoted father of my child, the hotel manager Max John, just turned
forty-seven. Next of kin: Anni John, born Hirning, and daughter Carola
John. The cremation will take place Friday, June 11, 1926, at 8 P.M., in
the GerichtstraRe Crematorium" (Der Tag, June 10). Only in a few of
the obituaries that mention cremation are friends and former colleagues
of the deceased asked to refrain from visits of condolence, a request
which otherwise appears to be the general rule in Berlin. While the
obituaries for some important people who will be cremated do include
such a request for distance, most of the survivors seem to fear that the
decision of their deceased relative in favor of cremation will have an
alienating effect. This could be why they are eager to receive visits of
condolence-expressions of continued friendship.
Obituaries published in the Berlin newspapers refer almost exclusively
to members of the upper middle class and to high-ranking civil servants.
If within these limits no specific social group or single profession stands
out among those who opt for cremation, their death announcements
create the impression that they have mostly lived in situations that em-
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