, 1890-02-23
THE BABOO OF BENGAL.
THE CHASTITY TOWERS OF SILENCE
WHERE THE DEAD ARE PLACED.

iHt TOWERS OF SILENCE
WHERE THE DEAD ARE PLACED.
me Pxr=es In His Homs-A Study Of the
zoroastrian Theory OF Rslixion-A Long
surviv.i-Tower. which Have Stood Two
Hundred Years
They looked 80 human with their gen.
tie eyes, so like other people, whether they
talked Guzerati OIL English, whether one
saw them in the market place or at a
meet, that it was difficult to believe this
horror of them. Yet it was true, for
there were the facts and statistics in a
little hand book in the reading room of
the hotel, facts and statistics OF yesterday
and today and not of any remote period
of naturalization. This as to time; and
as to place-not three miles from where
we sat, on the topmost point of Malabar
bill, an eminence which also bore the
residence of Lord Reay, governor of the
Bombay presidency. We asked the hotel
manager, who was a Parsee. if he had
ever visited the spot. He shook his head
and shrugged his shoulders just as an
Englisbman might nave lone talking of
the churchyard or the family vaults.
"Parsees go only once" he said, "and
then they are carried" But he advised
US to go; all tourists did, he said; and he
knew the secretary, he would get us
tickets.
ON THE HILL.
So we arranged to drive the next morn
ing very early, to see the Towers of ST.
lence on Malabar hill, whittier the Parsee
living bear the Parsee dead, bidding them
a more utter farewell than is conceived
by any other people of any other creed on
earth. Two native soldiers stood in the
queens uniform at the gate, and looked
at us with surprise. 1t was late in the
season and early in the day for people
who wanted to see the century old sight
they protected from the over curious.
Louis went up to one of them with in
trepidity and showed him our passes. He
shook his head and said something in his
own tongue. Neither of us understood
it in the very least. / produced a phrase
which / had carefully concocted on the
way from a Handbook of Hindustanee
purchased in Calcutta, and which l in
tended to mean I'VE wish 10 see the Tow
ers of Silence" But the man only looked
at his fellow and grinned. 1 tried an
other phrase and yet another, but COM
prehension did not come. Then 1 reflect
ed that perhaps the language of the Baboo
of Bengal was not necessarily that of the
native Tommy" of Bombay, and later
investigation proved this to be the case.
Finally one of the men pointed with his
gun TO q small house near by, and nodded
l hiu head UfnIontIO NJ 4xxs- -rcln - 81 l.
would knock. So she knocked loudly
and presently there appeared, in blink
ing undress, a very short, stout old Par
see, who instantly retreated again. We
then sat down beneath a mango tree and
awaited events.
The old Parsee was not long in reap
pearing. tall red cap and gown, and CIR.
die and all. In his hand he carried O
large key, with which he beckoned to us
to follow him. He went up the steps,
unlocked the gate and let us in. The
road still assembled before us through the
outskirts of a tropical garden, and we
climbed to another iron gate, which the
old Parsee unlocked. There we stood in
the dead calm of early morning, with
the yellow light in the eastern sky threat
ening every moment to break into flame,
IN a strange place. W doomed
arouhd u.s. those CRIMSON and purple
mowers Oh the tropics that are all sense
anu no soul. ooroered paths led In diff
ierentuirectons neatly Kept, and ciumps
Oh trees oia tneir oest 70 give the spot
shaoow and sentiment. we were not
LOOKING al tne mowers, out At i've strange,
round, white structures that rose at a
nttie distance oivioeu from US by q wall,
IN the MIDST OF heavy masses OF trees.
Inc oioes. Oh theni had e there 200
years. Win never a OF its
name or omce-a tower OF silence all
tnae tme' Inc o.hers had oeen added as
tney were neeoeo. ihey were not u
anu .ney WERE NOT cemeteries, yet their
business was Win the dead
BY D OF zoRoAsTER.
They first arose 5000 years ago by
command of Zoroaster, as you doubtless
know, thus: The elements, said Zoroas-
ter, are sacred as symbols of the deity.
therefore should never be contaminated
or defled. Neither earth nor fire nor
water should serve a Parsee after death
had made him a corrupt thing. His BODY
should be placed on a tower. high above
all human habitations, that living men