Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-02-12
A DREAM OF THE EAST.
The Entertainment Given by a Fire yvor-
 shiper of India.

The Entertainment Given by n Fire Wor- shiper of India.
 Perhaps no raceof people is less known or more interesting to the student and traveller than the Parsees or Fire Wor- shipers of India. They are delightful hosts, and as it was my good fortune to form the acquaintance of Sir Framgee Demshaw Petit, who was knighted for a gift of $500,000 to an educational insti- tuition, I will endeavor to describe an entertainment I attended ct his palace.
 Sir Framgee lived in patriarchal mag nlticence, and when his whole family IS seated at table they number fifty five. We were received in the grand drawing room, as large as fair sized church, and presented to the ladies' We found them pretty, intelligent and viva c1ous, and it is no exaggeration to say that they compared quite favorably with their American sisters.
 The ladies were attired in graceful na- tive costumes. The dress consisted of waist, such as is worn by Europeans. with long scarf of embroidered silk or crape, called sarre, wrapped several times about the waist and falling in broad folds about the limbs in lieu of a skirt. One end of the sarre was brought over the head and dropped gracefully in front, constituting 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.
 The state costume of the men is white, but on ordinary occasions they appear attired in the conventional European evening dress One peculiarity of their costume is not, however, to be met in a London drawing room. They never un- cover their heads, and high, conical Persian hat-or at meals a skull cap always completes their dress.
 On the occasion I am describing an orchestra played selections from Italian operas, and after conversing while upon topics of universal interest, our host made sign to the servants, who brought in baskets filled with large bou- quets of eastern flowers.
 Each lady selected one, sprinkled it with rose water from tall silver vase, presented it to the gentleman who was to escort her to dinner, and then, taking his arm, showed the way to where a table was spread, overlooking the sea.
 There we were regaled with tea, cof- fee. cakes, fruits, and twenty-two kinds of delicious native sweets, which had been collected in honor of our coming. 1t was an event not to be forgotten.
 The waving palms and tropical flowers, the splash of the 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 Haroun al Raschid.
 When tea was over we were taken for a delightful drive in handsome European turnouts and then to dine at another Parsee house. The 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 manners before they had received the European touch.
 The ladies whom we escorted gave us bouquets, as in the afternoon, and the host hung chaplets of white jasmines about our necks and wrists.
 The menu cards bore gilded crests and they gave us bonbons wrapped in gold leaf to carry away. It was a 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