The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1893-03-25
AMONG THE PARsEES.
An Instructive Chapter Of Life
In Persia
me Most Respectable and Pious OF the
shah's subjects-Only Seven Thou
saud Sun Worshipers Left In
the Land OF Zoroaster.
Especial Letter.l

Especial Letterl
During my stay in Persia, some years
400. made some Investigations con-
corning that interesting fragment OF
the Persian people variously known as
the Parsees, Guebres, fire or sun wor-
shipers. The induccment had been
found by sundry facts that had come to
my knowledge. had been told, Tor IN
stance, by every European resident
with whom had convcrsed on the sub
iect that this remnant of once pow
erful race was by all odds the most re-
spectable of the whole nation, that
these men were truthful, industrious,
very cleanly in their habits, abstemi-
Gus and chaste, honest in their dealings,
etc. In short, the general opinion OF
these intelligent and impartial observ-
ers was that the Parsees are. in nearly |
every respect, the exact opposite OF the
modern Persians. In personal inter
course found this opinion fully cor
roboratcd. saw that everybody who
had Parsee, male or female, in his en-
plov. was satisfied, whereas the con-
trary was invariably true in cases where
an ordinary Persian was the employee.
I also learned incidentally SO much
that struck me as extraordinary about
these Parsces that concluded they
would well repay the trouble OF
special study. was fortunate enough
too, to make the acquaintance OF the
high priest of the Parsees, and subse-
uuently paid him a long visit at his
home in Teheran, the Persian capital,
he receiving me both kindly and hos
pitably. The name of this venerable
dignitary is Manikjee Limjee Harteria-
| He is an octogenarian, and OF very I'M
pressive appearance, with q long, sweep
ing beard of snowy white, noble head
with broad brow, ruddy checks and
complexion as fair as that OF the aver
age American.
His appearance alone, in fact, showed
him to be of pure Aryan stock, while
the vast majority of the Persian Mos
lens have goodly percentage OF Arab
Turcoman and Tartar blood in their
veins. will skip the first portion OF
the interview had with this ancient
sage and merely repeat his statements
as to the precise nature OF his oellef and
that of his co-religionists.
i sThere are," he said, ''some 100000
Parsees in India, especially Bombay
and Calcutta, but In the cradle OF our
creed, at Persia, there are barely 1000
of us left The congregation at Tehe
ran is small, merely 800, and the bulk
of our people are to be found in the
south. in Yezd, in Herman, in Sendjan
| we believe in God, whom VIC in oul
, language call Hormazd, the ever-wise
And we believe in the sun, the fire. wa
/ ter, moon and stars as types and eman
! | ations of the living God. As such W.
worship them. We adore the sun whel
u he rises, and to see him in all his sunni.
rlorv. and to be free from annoyance
and interference on the part OF tn
; | fanatic Mohammedans, we go on tn
: house tops, kneel down and pray to tn
: kind symbol of our God with out
o stretched hands.
9 "As to the distinctive features OF on
o religion, they arc very simple. To liv
D an upright life-that is the sum total
) all our teachings. The liar, the thief, tn
It oppressor is an enemy OF God as we
# as of his race; and, though our God
r rood. He is not to be triied with W
p take but one woman for wife, and "
"a do not bury our dead-these are II
It two most marked differences betwce
d us and the Moslems.
o 1--WE do not inter the lifelcss body D
4 cause we believe that that which gav
the body value, the soul, has fed, ar
If hence the sooner fire and water, 81
r. and rain dissolve the body again IN
ID its original clements the better Y
le divide the month into four parts, al
a the beginning of each OF these is no
of day. The days of the month have ca
8 separate names with us. The first d.
b is called after God, for it is nam
te Hormazd. The other twenty-sev
ne DAYS are each called after some Divi
o. attribute. Thus the second day OF t
lie month is BaInmuu, the third Ardib'
C. the fourth Zcrivas, the fifth 6arpe
as dar, the sixth Kordad, the seven
a Amordad. The eighth day is again