New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-08-17

hearers enter and deposit the naked body In 's APP
pointed place. As soon as they retire the vuitufes
who have been waiting for their meal Impatient
Of the scant ceremonies that precede IT'S settlng
forth swoop down and begin their work. NO hu-
man eve has beheld the CHASTITY spectacle INC
silence and the solitude of the towers are orokon
only by the presence and the hideous Dustio ", '
birds of prey But it is known that WITHIN nan d"
hour of the body's being laid out IN INC 'o"''
nothing s left but the skeleton. Eight days later'
Inv winch time the bones are thoroughly drled' 'he
corpse bearers return, take up the rehcs anu
them in we'll in the centre OF the tower, "ho,
process of wears they become decomposeo' ""' "
solutelv notbinc is left of what was once man OF
woman. For 200 years the larsees, hving 'oge.ne'
in bombay. have here found their last resting
| ,oco the,r dnst minclinc in a common tomb, I'M
| divided in death as th.y were bound together
IN life. Yet in all these years it has not peeh
! fonnd necessary TO clear ont tho wcis ny
| reason of overcrowdng. II is customary lor man
or woman to be buried i'll the particular tower
| where those of their own family, traccd oach Ia
| many cases for two centuries, have been gwen "
| the vutures.
One tower il set apart for special purposes ana
| is least freqmented. Here are buried meihpers vi
the Parece sect who have been guilty. vi he'no''
crimes ar in some way become outcasts from their
be hurled in the earth. criminal BELONGING 10
the sect must have Parsee burial after the fashion
in vogue since the time of Cyrus but the bones OF
| honest men and women may not he containihatcu
| Inv mixtJre with his. In temple commanding III
the towers the sacred fire. lit 200 years ago IL sun
kent Burning and is mahematlcally set so tnat INC
| light NAV SHINE through aperture III each OF the
| towers.
We had the advantage Of having the place
| and the mode of funeral explained ny the
| secretary n genial person in spectacles, white
| gown and bright red trousers who spoke ehcellen.
Fnrlsh. He explained that the Parsccs regarded
| cremation ms a preferable means of disposng Oh
dead bodies Bu, they worshppcd fire, and could
not SET for their deity the performance OF TINS last
office Whilst admitting that the process was nat
urnllv revolving 10 the Western mind, he power
fully justified il the score oil sani'arihess.
So careful arc the Parsces that earth shaii
not he polluted by the absorption OF matter from
dead bodies that in connection with tho well con-
tanning the decomposrd bones they have an eUioor-
atc system of drainage which carries OF Whatever
may issue direct to the sea. Whatever clSc NAV oc
s,id of the system it is certainly cheap. five rupees
covering funeral costs. As we stood III the groundS
a funeral Camc by. In accordance WIN custom
the service had commenced ut the house OF the ne
ceased where friends and relations had gathered
md nrnvcr had been said. II Is cnlolned ny the
parsrc ritual that whatever the intervening "s-
tance may be, the body must be carried on '"e
shoulders OF men from the bed 20 the tower lhcy
| noss,d us mt n swinging pace four men bearing the
body ON n light bier shoulder high The body was
| 6,mply covered from head To foot WIN Whi'c
CLOTH All tho muurncrs were dressed III Whl'o'
and those not CARRYING the bier walked two and
two. each couple holding % handkerchief between
them | asked the secretary what was the siSnill-
| C,I,,. lint no ND know
mise IN no very clear way that 1t was "a tortllca-
tion against impnrty." 1t was ordained by
Zoroaster and that was enough for HIM, II not
sufficient for II MUD fresh to the inquiry
Before the procession walked an ola mar
leading white dog with curly tai
and not in the best condition. l thought he had
cancht the mongrel trcSpassing within the ceme-
tcry and was leading il To the gate with intent lg-
ANONYMOUSLY to thrust it forth. But learned that
the dog was an Indispensable figure IN the funeral
Scarcely less so than the corpse itself. When the
bearers brought thebody to the foot OF the tower
on the topmost edge of which the vulturcs sat, a
black forebodng line. the cloth was removed
from the head the dog brought mp and effort maze
| to cause him TO look into the dead face Ihls done
| the corpse-bearers took up the body and dlsap-
neorcd within the trap-toor and the dog was led
AWAY Here agaIu. except that 1t was ordalneu III
the ritual aad mad been practlcad for thousands OF
wears my philosopher and friend IN the baggy req
trousers was at loss for explanations some
hold" he said whilst warning me against accept
,nn II rs ANYTHING but a surlnse, that the dogs
ewes have the power of attracting to themselves all
,mnuritvv In well regulated hons holds the dor
il brought in to look upon the face OF dying man Oh
woman before the last struggle comes, Just ~ IT
another church extreme JUNCTION ls administered
/ As the dyiuge OF the pOus Catholic look las
4 upon the cross, exc earthly things lace lor
ever from his closing eyes the Parsee looks on th
face of a dog The dog must be white in color, an'
TO he perfect should be marked with yellow spots
a rare phenomenon reserved for the betterment o
The eternal chances of the rich. We saw the doi
co ne back. and no longer wondered at his melan
T ancEo!y aspect. What life it must lead! 10 III
taken ont at frequent intervals expecting that ]
Is going for a scamper through the nelds, or peral
| venture 10 be led forth to bountIfu meal aul al
WAYS to be brought up short to see the cloth uncoy
$ cred TO tlink that perhaps after all here Is the
meal and once again the pale dead face and tn
CLASSY eyes. asked the secretary md they i've
long; nut he did not know
The corpse bearers having disappeared within
5 the tower, the mourners quickly retrace'
| their steps ard ranged themselves oatsld
the temple on the SIDE facing the tower. The!
stood there mute and motionless for several MN
utcs. Suddenly the silence was 3roasn Nv I III
. the tower swooped downward with hoarse ere
and the iustle of great wings, ana the Wonrher'
| took up the concluding portion of the service lo
| | what cannot strictly be called the burial OF tn
, | dead. When we left the place quarter ct an hou
later the black ring on the top of the white washed
| tower was beginning TO form again. The vniturc
= | slowly sailing up were resumng their Ola posi-
f tons. MANY Of them, standing on one leg seemed
4 to he picking their teeth with the otter claw,
with coutentmcnt born 0f cdlnner they lasily sur
veycd the scene. Bombay busy amt busting
still containing fair supplies of plump Parsees a'
. beyond the quiet sea- taking on roseste iints IN TN
lipht of The setting sun. Henry w. Lucy.
---------
THTRThEN At FUNERAL.