Morning journal and courier., 1890-01-27
AnorEnr rEns1A,s rInEs.

ANCIENT PERsIA's FIRES.
 zoroastsr or she Persian Rirs worship-
 pers Discussed by the Rev. w. Y.
 MaHkwick of St. John Street Church . -Modsrn Sinners Scourged.
 Rev. w. F. Markwick of the St. John street ". E. church delivered the second of his series of sermons upon f'The Great Re- ! ligions of the Ages" to large congregation ! last evening. The subject was 'tzoroaster; i and the Persian Fire Worshippers." His sta- ! tistics and remarks were very interesting and evidenced much research.
 After giving brief review of the ancient history of Persia. the ancient kingdom of Iran, consisting of three provinces, Bactria, Media and Persia, the consolidation of the provinces in $40 B. c. by Cyrus the Great, the many famous incidents in this great ruler's reign, the splendors of his realm, its science and literature, the minister ap- preached the real subject of his discourse.
 The Zend Avesta, the sacred writings of tho PerAians, said he. were unknown to Europe till the middle of the last century, when . Frenchmau, Anauetil du Perron. published translation of them in Paris. Some parts of the book must be at least 500 years older than our New Testament It is one of the fundamental doctrines of the ancient Per sians that originally all things, both moral and physical, were divided into two classes, Good and Evil. The god Ormuzd presided over the Good and Ahriman over the Evil. Neither of these two were regarded as eter- nal, but as proceeding from or produced by Zsrvana, the god of uncreated Time, who disappears after the creation leaving the gov ernment of the world to Ormuzd and Ahri- man. The former dwelt from the beginning in . region of light, while the latter found ually at war with each other. Whenever Ormuzd created m object of light or useful- ness, Ahrimon crestedn object of darkness or death. Thus when the former created the useful dog the latter created the destructive wolf.
 The origin of the dualism is easily ace counted for. Every where in Nature w. see action and reaction, clouds and sun shine, day and night. It was largely from from laws grew. They believed, however, that 1 in the end the God of Good would gain the victory and the devil and his angels would be sancti6ed and admitted to the skies. This religion, notwithstanding it's dualism, was most spiritual of all the old olytheistic faiths of Asia. Light was naturally worshipped | as vivifying principle and hence Fire was uKOWlso WoISPnApPou. DuU 1oA!sioA uiu not remain long in this condition, for Idolatry was introduced as early as Cyrus time, $50 years before Christ. The life and history of Zoroaster, the famous religious law-9iver of the Persians, is buried in utter ebscurity. Some Greek authors state he aourished 5000 years before the Trojan war but modern research seems to establish his being at about 1000 B. O.. His conflict with evil was more spiritual and more modern than others we have beheld. The Clementine Homilies, written in the third century, ascribe his death to lightning hurled 1t him by fiend. The prominent features of his religion were also impregnated with this great principle of dualism. The test by which the cleanness of animals was deter mined was the good or ill they did to man. 1 The practical results of these arbitrary distinctions were startling. Manslaughter 1 was punished by ninety stripes, but to give bad food to shepherds dog was 800. An cient folks, thirsting for rain, taught the people not to pray for rain but to it. Poetry and parable thus became myth, and they en- ded by worshipp1ng the very ceremonies l which they themselves offered. This soon changed their religion to . mere attempt to
 drive the devil out of the world by series of mummeries and incantations of the worst
 foolish kind. -------------- --
 What we can gather of ancient Persian
 morality sets it forth as active rather than l paEbVc. At- Wao LILO OppOSlI0 Ol Cuo 1Atal
 practice so common in the East of following l in the wake of custom.
 For purity and elevation of motive and
 idea it was perhaps the grandeet eastern re- ligion prior to that of Moses. Fostering and
 self-torture were forbidden. Marriage wal enjoined upon all who could support fam fly. Impure love and unchastity were pun
 ished by death. Truthfulness was one of the
 greatest of Persian virtues. The name given
 to the God of evil was the Liar of Liars. The
 most shameful of all things was lying. And yet lying ia one of the greatest accomplish
 ments of modern civilization. It ranks with
 the fine arts. If these poor Persians had
 only learned to lie instead of growing
 spices, what difference it might
 have made with their futursa Som.
 of them might come to this land, enter into
 our political campaigns, and who knows but
 we might have had one as governor of oul own State. Then he and Ben Butler might
 meet, shake hands across the State line, take
 pinch of salt and be happy ever after
 wards. But in these days some parsees ar.
 trying to open their religion to see the lift
 and health, ard light, and seeking to brinf
 back their religion to first principles, not in
 sisting upon narrowing down the divine te
 hard and fast doctrines, but seeking to em
 body it's principles in daily practice ant
 making charity and love the grand tests of
 pure and holy life.
 There is no doubt but the dualism of tn,
 Persians produced its results on the religion
 of Abraham's children. But thanks to Go(
 for more light than they possessed and fo
 less darkness. Our sun shines not in tn material heavens but in the spiritual. On
 fires are not those of Pagan altars but thos
 of tenderness and love- The battle we fgh is not e solitary one against evil and dark
 ness but one side by side with the grsa
 spirit of truth. To him error, falsity an, | \. hon nNI okah ha IL
 triumph over every form of wrong.
 William F. Bradley.
 On Thursday, January 23d, circle o , friends and neighbors gathered around q open grave in a wind-swept cemetery by th seq to do the last that love could do for on , who after long, well-spent life had fonn unbroken rest.
 William F. Bradley was born in New Ht ven, Ct., seventy.two years ago. There b spent the years ot his boyhsod and earl
 manhood; there he was educated, and evs
 looked back with pleasure upon the day , when he was pupil of the veteran teache , Lowell in the Lancasterian school. Tn
 greater part of his life work was done in tn his home there; there his children were borr and there he died. His was quiet, but no } narrow life. He was man of wide read ing and his active mind followed all tn great movements of the world with unfaln } interest, while his warm heart reached ou . with eager sympathy toward all that wa l good and true. As his children took thei l places in life he rejoiced in their prosperit l and counted their success moro preciou than his own. During his last years c
 feeblsness and infirmity the light of his Iov
 shone bright to the last.
 He loved his home; he loved his family and his heart clung tenderly to them; ye when the Masters call came 1t found hir
 calm and ready, and in the early morning c January 2lst his spirit passed from all ths } he loved so we'll in his earthly dwelling plac to tho better things prepared in his father house. x. k. N. Died at savin Rock.
 Patrick O'Neil, young man of eighteen died on Saturday at the home of his uncle i; James Mccarthy, who is gardner for Mi John c. Anderson at Ssvin Rock. He die of pneumonis after two weeks illness Many friends will mourn his loss. Hi