The Idaho world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1864-1918, 1873-07-24
FIRE WoRsHIPER9.

FIRE woRsHIrERs.
SOMETHING ABOUT THE pAssEEs o. 1oMsAH-A R .sn
IrAn PEOPLE AND PECULIAR NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
NODE OF D1sposuo OF TIE DEAD. ~
In an interesting letter from India to
the Syracuse Courier, a correspondent
signing the initials n. +. G, says: i
You have all heard Of the Parsees.
They are the Jews Of Bombay. They
are a race that was excluded frem FER
| STA as the Jews have been from many
countries. Here they located. They
are very industrious, and very pecu'
liar people. They are the traders. They
are the brokers, the money-lenders ana
shaeers.. They never mingle with 9th.
ers. They have their own schools, and
| in their way they are highly educated.
They take care Of their own poor. They
have great wealth, and have elegant
villas on Malober Hill, the most fash
ionable part of the city. They drive
splendid horses and ride in elegant car
riages. If the ladies and children APP
pear on the street, they are always
dressed in silk. I never saw children
so elegantly dressed anywhere else.
Many of the young ladies are very
beautiful, but are never allowed to re-
ceive visits from any but those OF their
own race. They are fond of amuse-
ments, and have theatre of their own.
They are fire worshipcrs. When the
labors of the day are over, they are
seen along the shores of the sea, facing
the setting sun, with their hands
clasped, repeating their prayers. They
have very peculiar notions OF life, but
this cemetery is more peculiar still. tits
very different from all others. We
made visit to their cemetery, not
knowing at the time that no one was
admitted. 1t is quite a large tract on
the best part Of Malober Hill. 1t is
very valuable now, but it was pur-
chased many years ago. We made ap-
plication at the gate for admittance,
and were refused. We appealed to a
young Parsce who happened to be pass
ing. He was dressed in silk and very
gentlcmanly in his appearance. He
said that no Europeans were admitted
We told him we were not Europeans,
but Americans. He said he would be
very happy to oblige Americans, but
could not, but did consent that we
should go up the road outside the inner
wall, in order that we might have a
view of the city and bay. The sentinel
took us along the winding road, and a
rupee given him acted like charm.
1t opened all the gates and passed the
police There were no Parsces in sight
to stand in our way, and we entered the
prohibited enclosures. These grounds
are surrounded by a wall twenty feet
high and have been used for great
number Of years by this strange peo-
pie. There are no monuments in the
cemetery. There are three round tow
ers about fifty feet in diamater, and
fifty to sixty feet high. On the top of
these towers there is an iron CRATE
The dead are brought to the CRATE and
delivered to the priests, and the friends
depart. The priests prepare the corpse
and lay it on the CRATE, and 1t is de-
voured by the vultures, and the bones
drop through the CRATE into the charnel
house below. These towers or vaults
are called the flowers of Silena." We
saw hundreds of vultures sitting on
these towers, and the sentinel told us
that they would take all the flesh from
the bones Of corpse in an hour We
asked why these towers? The sentinel,
pointing TO one, said, "Parsee with
plenty Of money put there" :. and the 9TH
er, "Parsee with no money put there"
The sentinel said, when q corpse is
placed on the CRATE, the strife and noise.
of the vulture is frightful, and could be
heard for a long distance. We saw
these flowers Of Silena," and do not
care ever to be any nearer vebf