The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-01-11
The Fire Worshippers.

In An interesting letter from India to the
Syracuse Courier, correspondent signing
the initials " N. F. c." says: You nave
all heard of the Parsees. Ihey are tne
Jews of Bombay. They are q race that
were excluded from Persia as the jews
have been from many countries. Here
they located. They are very industrious,
and are very peculiar people. Ihey are
traders. They buy and sell cotton. ihey
are the brokers, the money lenders, anu
shavers. They never miugle with Others.
They have their own schools, and in their
way are highly educated. They take care
of their own poor. They have great wea!Cn
| and have elegant villas on Malober Hill,
the most fashionable part of the city.
They drive splendid horses and rae IN
elegant carriages. If the ladies and chill,
! dren appear ON the street, they are dressed
| in silk. 1 never saw children so elegantly
| dressed anywhere else. Many OF the young
ladies are very beautiful, but are never o. !
lowed to receive visits from any but tnelr
own race. They are fond of amusements,
and have a theatre of their own. They
are fire worshippers. 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 tnell
prayers. They have very peculiar notionl
of life, but their cemetery is more pecuna'
, stiIl. II is different from all others. W.
/ made visit to their cemetery, not know
ing at the time that no one was admitted
, It ia q large tract on the best part of Malo
| Der Hill. 1t is very valuable now but wa
. purchased many years ago. we MADE ap
f plication at the gate for admission ant
t were refused. We appealed to ayoung Par
3 see, who happened to be passing. he wa
o Creased in silk, and very gentlemanly Il
4 appearance. He said that no European
e We're admitted. We told him that we wer
t not Europeans but Americans. He SAID II
: would be very happy to oblige Americana
hDt consent
o should 90 up the road outside the lnne
n wall, and have view of the city and ga.
o The sentinel took us along the Wlnoln
IL road. and q rupee given to him acted like
Il charm. 1t opened all the gates and passe
IF ali the police. There were 20 Parsees
n siaht to stand in our way, and we entere
y the prohibited Enclosures. These grouut
N are surrounded by wall twenty feet hig
l. and have been used great many years =
B. this strange people. There are no mont
70 ments in the cemetery. There were thre
a round towers about fifty feet in diamete
IL and fifty to sixty feet high. On the top
Y. these towers is an iron crate. The dea
are taken to the gate and delivered to Il
is priests, and the friends depart. III
ID priests prepare tho corpse and lay it
Of the CRATE, and it is devoured by the w
is lures, and the bones drop through I'll
crate into the charnel house below. The
r towers or vaults are called the flowers
10 Silepo.' We saw hundreds of these WI
ia lures sitting on these towers, and the 30
ia tinel told US that they weuld take all Il
in flesh from the bones of corpse in an hou
< We asked why these towers The sentln
IN pointing to one said, Parsee with plen
N of money put there;' to another, Pars
ia with but little money put there The Sc
N tinel said when a corpse is placed on t
is CRATE, the strife and the noise of the VI
a. lures is frightful, and could be heard fol
ve long distance. We saw those Towers
4 RI hn
be Silena,' ana 90 not care over w NO "
in nearer.