The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1883-07-27
The Parsees Of India.

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holy book, and the venerated Zoroaster,
who flourished B. C. $50, is their great
prophet. Driven from Persia, a thou
sand years ago, they found refuge in
India. Now there are but 5000 left in
their ancient home. OF this strange
people there are but about 200, 900 in
all the world. OF this number Loo, 900
are in India. Bombay, ''the city of the
Parsees," has 10000, making one-tenth
of the entire population. As you walk
the streets of Bombay you cannot help
noticing these disciples of Zoroaster,
differing as they do from both Moham-
medans and kndoOs. The Parse
gentleman is tall and erect, with fair
complexion and digniied air. His long
white coat of silk or fine muslin, is
buttoned closely from chin to waist
| and hangs in full flowing skirt to the
knees. He wears tall, tapering, queer
looking, indescribable hat, without q
brim, inclining backward from the fore
head. and looking very much like q
section of q stovepipe. 1t is apparently
of pasteboard, covered with brown silk
or muslin. In the topis hole in which
he puts his handkerchief. This hat is
one of the badges of his religion, and
he must never change it for any other
style. The Parsee always keeps his
head covered, indoors or out, day or
night, asleep or awake. Around his
waist he wears silken cord, which he
is to unite when at prayer. No bargain
is binding if this cord is left off when
the contract is made. These people are
among the most intelligent, influential
and patriotic in the community. Most
of them are merchants and bankers,
and as such are honest, industrious and
polite, taking the lead in all the COM
mercal enterprises. One-half of the
wealth and three-fourths of the business
of Bombay is in their hands. They are
often called the Jews of the east.
The Parsees have an idolatrous rev.
erence for fire. They adore it as the
principle of life. To eytinguish fire
is looked upon as misfortune, and
many would not put out a fire, even if
their house was burning. They keep
lamp ever burning in their houses. In
Parsee temple is holy room in which
is a large vase or censor containing the
'.holy fire. None but the high priests
must enter this room or approach near
this fire. And when they go to replen-
ish it they must even veil their mouths
and nostrils with fine linen cloth, lest
their sinful breath pollute the holy flame
as they recite their prayers. The sacred
fire is kept burning with costly woods
and fragrant oils and spices. 1t must
never be extinguished, day or night,
from year to year and from age to age.
Some years since mob of lawless Hin
docs broke into a Parsee temple in Bonn
bay and put out the holy fire. This in
suit led to fearful riot We were told
that their great teacher, Zoroaster, first
brought the sacred fire from heaven and
placed it on their affairs, and since then,
for two thousand years, amid all their
changes, prosecutions, and dispersions,
they have never let it go entirely out.
When they came to Hindoostan a thou
sand years ago they brought the sacred
fire with them. The Parsees are sun
worshipers as well as fire-worshipers.
Morning and evening we haveseen them
with uplifted hands worship with great
solemnity the rising and setting sun.
The more intelligent of them say they
do not really worship the sun. but adore
it as an emblem of God and the source
of life. We look upon this worship as
the least Objectionable form of idolatry,
for did we not know the Lord God to
be .'Sun and Shield we might easily
think the sun to be lord and god.
Besides the sacred fire, the Parsees wOr
ship the moon, stars, water, air, earth
and all the elements of nature. But fire
is their greatest object of alteration.
The Parsees will not, like the Hin
docs, burn their dead, for fire is too
pure to be polluted by the touch of
death. They will not, like the rest of
mankind, bury in the ground, for
earth is the mother of mankind,
and they will not defile it by
placing a corpse in its bosom. So,
with neither cremation nor burial, what
can they do with the remains of their
dead? On Malabar Hill, the highest
ground in the suburbs Of Bombay, sur
rounded by a lofty wall. and carefully
guarded, is the Parsee cemetery or
mortuary. Leaving the city we climbed
the hill by a winding road leading
through a charming grove of palms,
and past beautiful bungalows and vii
las, with an enchanting view of city,
island and sea behind us, at length we
reached the abode of death. Over the
great gateway in large letters we read:
.'None but Parsees can enter herer'
For two hundred years no European
has ever set foot within that inclosure.
But a few years since the Prince of
Wales unsealed the entrance, and now
by proper influence travellers can obtain
pass. Thus we were privileged to en-
ter the strange place. Entering the
mysterious Enclosure, on our right were
the temples where the dead are brought
to be disrObed and anointed with oil.
Passing these, we followed our guide
up a grand pathway until we were
stopped by another sign, on which We
read the warning notice: "StOp here!''
We were within fifty yards of the tower
now in use. Looking around we counted
five great. round stone towers known as
Towers of Silence" These circular
structures are built of large white
stones and are perfectly plain on the
outside. They vary in diameter from
thirty to sixty feet, and are from
twenty-five to thirty feet high. The
oldest one is two hundred years old and
is in good repair. They cost about
100000 apiece. Each tower has an
iron door in the side, from which a
flight OF steps on the inside leads to
the top. On the top are three circles of
grooves or open-stone receptacles for
the dead, the outer one. for men, the
middle one for women, and the inner
one for children. In the center OF the
tower is a deep well or pit reaching
from top to below the bottom Around