, 1889-02-08
A DREAM OF THE EAST.
The Entertainment Given by n Fire wor-
shipper of India

hhlptT o u
Perhaps nc raceof people is less known
or more interesting to the student and
traveller than the Parsees or Fire Wor
shippers of India. They are delightful.
hosts, and rs 1t was my good fortune tc
form the acquaintance of Sir Framgee
Demshaw Petit, who was knighted for Q
gift OF $500 900 to an educational insti,
tuition, / will endeavor to describe m
entertainment l attended at his palace.
Sir Framgee lived in patriarchal mag,
n~ificence. and when his whole family
is seated Mt table they number fifty.
five. We were received in the grand
drawing room, as large rs n fair sized
church, and presented to the ladies. We
found them pretty, intelligent and viva.
cious, and it is no exaggeration to say
that they compared quite favorably with
their American sisters.
Ii ladies were attired in graceful ma
tive costumes. The dress consisted of a
waist, such as is worn by Europeans,
with a long scarf of embroidered silk or
Grape, called n sarre, wrapped several
times about the waist and falling in
broad folds about the limbs In lieu OF n
skirt. One end of the sarre was brought
over the head and dropped gracefully in
front. constituting n very effective head
dress.
Their jewels were magnificent. No
crowned head Of Europe possesses their
equal, and such an array of diamonds,
pearls, sapphires and emeralds can
scarcely be imagined. One of the guests
wore eight strings of pearls, which far
excelled the celebrated necklace of Queen
Marguerite of Italy.
TIL state costume of the men is white,
but on ordinary occasions they appear
attired in tho conventional European
evening dress. Ono popularity of their
costume is not, however, TO be met in n
London drawing room. They never I'M
cover their heads, and n high, conical
Persian hat-or at meals a skull cap
always completes their dress.
On the occasion / am describing an
orchestra played selections from Italian
operas, and after conversing n while
upon topics of universal interest, our
host made n sign to the servants, who
brought in baskets filled with large bou-
quets of eastern flowers.
Each lady selected one, sprinkled II
with rose water from n tall silver vase,
presented it TO the gentleman who was
TO escort her to dinner. and then, taking
his arm, showed tho way TO where a
table was spread, overlooking the sea.
There we were RECALLED with ten, cof-
fec. cakes, fruits, and twenty-five kinds
Of delicious native sweets, which had
been collected in honor of our coming.
1t was an event not to DO forgotten.
The waving palms and tropical flowers,
tho splash of tho waves, mingling with
the soft strains of music, beautiful
women with flashing jewels and graceful
dress, were typical Of the languid, dreamy
east, and carried one unconsciously back
to the days of Hnroun al Raschid.
When tea was over we were taken for
n delightful drive in handsome European
t%urnouts and then to dine at another
Parsee house. Tho ceremony was long
and stately, all the dishes were native,
but the wines were European, and this
dinner, with that exception, was repre-
sentative of native MANNER before they
had received the European touch.
Tho ladies whom we escorted gave us
bouquets, as in the afternoon, and the
host hung chaplets of white jasmines
about our nccks and wrists.
The menu cards bore gilded crests and
they gave us bonbons wrapped in gold
leaf to carry away. 1t was n dream of
the east, but the perfectly appointed
table, surrounded by intelligent men and
graceful women, made it hard to believe
that the members of this refined society
were the fire worshipers we had been
brought up to despise as heathen.-
America.