The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1886-12-03
THE FIRE-WORSHIPERS.
The Strange Doctrines and Gus
toms of ZOrOaster's People.
To His Intelligent Followers Fire is But n
symbol of Gods Naturc-The VuI-
ture Tcst-A New YcaS's
Festival.

familiar with the fervid lines of Moore's
splendid poem called the "Fire-Wor-
shipers. " The farewell scene between
Hafed and Hinda is one of the most af-
fccting passages in the early poetry of
this century. 1t has been so widely read
ind has produced so deep an impress
sion that there ere many whose idea of
the prevalent religion of Persia IS de-
rived from a perusal of that poem; and
often has the question been asked me
whether there is any other religion
practiced in that country besides shat
of the worship of fire.
Eh- faets are that out of a pOpula-
ton OF nine iniiiiCns, that empire now
numbers scarcely tW6ntYriiTe thousand
worshipers Of fire. With the GAeep-
ton of less than seVenty-tive thousand
Armenians, Jews md HISTORIANS, the
remainder of the Persian people are
Mohammcd1us. 1t was soon after the
rise of Mahomet that his fanatical
hosts assailcd the frontiers Of Persia.
Yezdcgird Ill, who proved to be tiie
last OF Ei- line. was Mt that time sOyer-
eign of Iran. Ills 5rroy WAS defeated
in the decisive battle OF h;tGtsieh, he
himself was slain two years later, and
the Pcrsians were forced to accept Ma
hommedanism or the sword.
Those who refused to abandon the
6ld faith Of Zoroaster for that of Ma
h5nht HetG bersecuted; and mostly
slain or drisen from the country.
Those who fled from Persia sought
refuge in India. where they form, in
our time, an intelligent and fiourishing
community, known by the name of
| Parsces, or Pcrsians. 1t is amid these
struggles OF an ancient race against
the domination of new religion and
dynasty that Moore has laid the scene
OF his "Fire-W Worshipers. NOtwith-
| standing these long prosecutions, Which
| have continued over one thousand
/ Gears, and only now are beginning to
relax ana permit fhc Fire-Worshipcrs
| of Persia to live tiiCrs UumOlestcd, yet
! n small, steadfast band has always re-
/ maincd in that land, preserving the
! faith of their fathers and their rites and
! ceremonials unchanged.
In Persia they are called Guebrcs.
! This is simply a corruption Of the Ara
! bic term Kailir, which means herGt:"t
| an unbeliever. In time it has become
! a word Of contumely and scorn. AL
! though so few in numbers, yet the
! Guebres are a most Interesting com
! munitv, and in them we see the old
| Persian stock of the days of Cyrus and
| XerNes unmXed with any other race;
while the religion they practice is that
/ which was introduced into Persia or
| perfected by the famous ZorGaster, or
! Zerduscht, who lived at least twenty
| i've centuries ago.
/ ZOroastcr was born IN the northern
| province called both then and now
| Azerbaijan; this name means the rec
| giOh of fire, and it may have been so
| called because the religion whose dis
| tinctive doctrine is the worship Gf fire
| had its origin there. IL is only just 10
| state that intelligent Gucbres repudiate
| this doctrine. They assert that il i5 d
| mistake to call them Firc-W Worshipcrs.
| They say that fire is TO them not an OBJ
iect Of worship, but only q symbol oi
| the bencicent Oromasd. or good God,
! who is clear and radiant and pure.
| like the glow OF the rising SIN or the
flames of fire, and that it i3 through
the symbol that they adore the good
/ Spirit
This may be truc Of the more intelli.
gent followers OF The doctrines of Ioro
astcr, but there is 10 doubt that th'
ignorant classes believe that light ant
fire are real cmmation~ of God, ano
wo, ship them as such. Fire is held by
Them so sacred that they viii never
smoke tobacco. and for that reason j
is not by them considered courteous t.
use the weed iu the presence of a hos
or guest who is a Gucbrc. IN cyerl
household Of the Gucbrcs fire klndlc'
from the sacred fame at the ncW yea
j. kept burning the entire year. Jha
is the purpose they follow, but wheth
or they always succeed in preventing
the fire from being eXtinguishcd j
doubtful
The Gucbrcs have many pcculia
doctrines and customs. One Of thes
j. the use OF yellow in their 2arb: an
other concerns the theory OF inlmor
tality. They maintain that there ar
two principles. the good and the evil
which they call OromusdsO and Ahri
masdao. The ancient Greeks corrupt
ed these names to OrmU-d and Abriman
These two principles, or influences
fight for the mastery through the ages
seeking 10 win possession Of the sou
of man.
When Guebre dies At Teheran. hi
corpse is taken TO the lonely cemeter
five miles south of the city, Situated o
Il lone rocky cminence that overlook
the vast plains quiyering with mirage
II resembles white wafch-tower. be
ing bnill in the shape 0f round hill
fort II is white, and has no appareu