§ Mr. JAMES PARKERasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has received a petition from the Spiritualists' National Union praying for an amendment of the burial laws, so as to enable that association to bury their deceased members according to their own funeral rites; and, if so, whether the prayer of the petitioners can be acceded to?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLI have received the petition referred to, but as at present advised, I do not think that any legislation is called for. Section 1 of the Burial Laws Amendment Act, 1880, authorises in certain circumstances the burial of persons in consecrated ground without the performance of the Church of England service. Under Section 6 of the same Act, the burial may be either without any religious service or with such Christian and orderly religious service as the person in charge of the burial thinks fit, and "Christian service" is defined as including "every religious service used by any church, denomination or person professing to be Christian." If, therefore, as I 815 understand, the members of the Spiritualists' National union profess to be Christian, they are entitled to the full benefit of the Act.