Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1883-04-22

as he heard OF my arrival he sent tiee-
gram asking his son and friends TO
show me every possible attention. The
next day the family carriage was plae-
I'd at my disposal, with q couple OF
servants, the son and nephew acting as
guides. The introduction to the family
was curious and interesting little cere-
mOny, ami u family means something
AMONG The Parsees. When the son mar
ri.s lie brings Ibis bride to his fathers
home; there they live, and their child;
rem and grand. children-three ana
sOmeiimts tour generations in the same
hVuse. The daughter goes to the nome
Of her husbands father. Each heuse Is
Ike hUt.l. Before driving around the
cIty TO see the sights, i must have u
ioImal introduction ~ their relatives
end irierns. Eacn lam ly mus. pre-
sent bouquets OF the most handsome
flower, ss this was ihs custom, aud
not Ia do il wuuli lie very uulucky.
MY IbtIodu, tim to the family was
sCmeU Lat as follows: WAS invited to
iue with lh,m, SD | requested that
they would dine in their own way and
manner. This they did only In part.
None OF their women were allowed AZ
| Thc table while The men were eating.
| inquired about them, but they said II
Wa, not customary for ladies and gen.
tlemen 10 sit ut the same table. could
bear their voices behind screen though
| for they were only separated from us oy
u very light partition. AFTER dinner l
| WAS 10 he in trUduced to, the ladies, ana
was taught little speech in the Fer
sian language for the purpose. IRIS
delivered rs requested. The OLDEST
lady replied in her own language, aud
| was then wreathed in = handsome
wreath of jessamine flowers and roses,
about three feet long. When reached
NY hotel had scarcely room in the
carriage to put my flowers.
The "rowers OF silence"
The sea was too rough for us to visit
the caves OF Elephanta; but my Parsee
| friends secured PERMISSION for ME 70
visit their TOW rs of Silence" These
"I0wers" are situated on the Malabar
| Hill, the fashionable part OF the city.
Tx European residents have long been
| irving to have the towers removed.
First they tried to purchase them, aud
were wiling to pay almost any price,
| but the Pursees wouldn't sell. TheH
they tried to compel them to remove
them, complaining that they were a
nuisance Oh sanitary grounds, anu, ow.
ing to the MANNER they disposed OF
| their dead, were detrimental to the
Lealth of the community. IL the Eu.
rOpeans wish to have these towers re-
| moved they must seek their removal
OH some other grounds.
1.-THE Towers of Silence are five in
Number and stand within au enclosure
measuring about eighty thousand
,quare yards. There are also, within
the enclosure, house of prayer for per-
sOns attending funeral Is temple in
Which the sacred fire is kept always
burning. and from which its rays, Is.
Gaping through apertures in the wall
aIl upon the towers; and q well-lald
tut and we'll cared for garden. lu the
garden isantX lent model 0fthe tower,
winch is explained to visitors by the at.
tendants. The corpse Of deceased
Pursee, clothed in white, is carried up
the hill on an open bier covered with
white cloth; the maze relatives and
friends, all clothed in white, following
in pair, each pair holding a handker-
having been said In the rest-hOuse, the
bier is again taken up and the body
conveyed to one of the towers. These
towers are round, massive looking
buildings, with white plastered walls,
the circumference of the largest OF them
being 276 feet and the height OF the
wall twenty-five feet. At a distance OF
three feet from the ground there Is q
door in the wall, through which the
corpse bearers push the body, and then,
entering themselves, place IL in its APP
pointed place. The interior of each
tower, which is open to the sky, Is COW
cred, at a height of twenty-five feet
from the ground. with q circular floor
ing, which slopes downwards on all
sides TO the centre, and Contains num-
erous open grooves or receptacles for
dead bodies.
How the Dead are Disposed Of
The outer ring of this floor is set apart
for these OF women aud the thru or in
eImost ring for those Of children. AT
regular distances radiatIng channels
nler>ects these rings. Tue body having
been deposited in its place, the bearers
r, tire, and Immediately swarm of
vuturers, which birds Of prey may al
ways he seen sitting in dozens on the
iops of the walls, swoOp down and
"trip the body Of every particle of flesh
n two hours. After few days the
rorpse-bearers return, and, collecting
The bones, which are then perfectly
| dried, place them in the central we'll,
orty-five feet wide, where they remain
be decomposed by the air AMI
lie rain. The moisture runs off
nto the ground through filters of char.
Oal and sand, aud leaves nothing OF
he human body in the inside Of the
over but the dry cruubliug bones.
Our walk through the bazaars was
ull of interest. Everything is so en-
irely difiereht from wha' it Is with Us (;
the richest and costliest materials are
opt in shops no better than stables.
he merchant sits in kind OF alcove
Nth his costly goods piled around him.
From one shop 10 the other, directly
,cross the street would not measure
more than eight to ten feet in some
places. / saw, while passing through
these bazaars, cation goods from the
mills at New York, and was informed
hat they were the most salable goods
II the market. The Crawford market
: one of the finest markets | have seen
anywhere. 1t Is a very extensive one,
and contains an elegant display oftropi-
cal fruit. ]. B.