Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-07-02

of their number because of thciE broad
charity. and nm English constituency at
the last general election in England re-
turned Parsi to Parlisment. :,
:" In India they. however, have no social
standing with the English colony. and
many of the hotels will not receive them
as guests. so ysu see that they are not yet
altogether free. Indeed, the Anglo-Sa1on
who makes his home among any people
who are not white does not believe IN the
theory that ali men are created equal.
Eow THEY BURY THEIR DEAD.
"Among the customs Of tho East there
are few, II any. which are moro singular
than the Parsis' method OF disposing OF
their dead" added Mr.. Coulling. as he
elevated his feet q yard higher on the
desk. Tho dakhmars, or towers OF
silence. are the places where this is done.
Those who arc not Parsis are not admitted
to the grounds surrounding the tower.
unless accompanied by some member OF
this religion, or unless armed with
authority from Parsi of prominence. In
my own case. when visited the grounds
on Malabar Hill was accompanied by .
Parsi gentleman who bore the name OF
Hormuses Adurjii Mistry. The grounds
on Malabar Hill are large and 5eautlfuily,
keDl anu uTc gOJ - hA~A "'.@
which entirely shuts out any view from
the outside.
within this enclosure are the towers OF
silence, 60 TO 30 feet square and Is to ~
feet in height. One of them, recall, was
intended for suicides, Others for criminals
of various kinds. and another for those
who died natural death, and whose END.
If caused by violence, was not from fault
of theirs. All of the towers, save the
large general one, bore An unused APP
pearance." :,
What about the Psrsi funerals?" asked
the reporter.
"Thsy are remarkable replied Mr..
Coulling. Everybody in the procession
is dressed in white. The priest, pall-bear-
ers. and mourners walk from the houge to
the grounds by twos and q white handker-
chief held by its dIsgonal corners unltes
the couples. At the end of the cort95e a
white dog is led by a priest. The bier is
a light litter covered with sheet and
borne on the shoulders of the pall-bearers.
After entering the grounds there IS SER
vice in the temple provided for the pur-
pose, and after that ceremony the corpse
is taken to within about thirty feet or the
tower and laid on stone table. There It
is divested of all clothing except light
single garment. The mourners then with
draw and priests Cor officials OF some
character) take the body to the top
of the tower, the four sides OF
which are surrounded by q parapet wall.
These walls obstruct all view from the
outside. On the top of the tower there
are three racks.-one for men, another for
women, and third for children. The
priests place the cOrp5es on these. after
removing the last garment. By the way,
right here let me explain that under each
rack there is gutter leading to well,
and into these cutters the blood and hesh;
liaueied by putrefaction, drops down and
flows into the wells. In the centre OF O
tower there is another large well, into
which all the bones drop. Ths decom-
posed matter coming from corpses OF DIFF
ferent sexes aud from children never min
giles. but is carried of in different diree-
tIous by the different cutters. Dlslnfect-
ants are used to check, in some degree.
the evil odors arising and for the sake OF
sanitation, but o the smell Is horrible.
THE coRPsEs EATEN BIZ THE yULrUREs.
After the bearers leavo the body the
yultures come in great focks and tea- the
flesh from the corpse. In a few minutes
nothing Is left but the skeleton. which
after some days is thrown into the large
well and the bones of men, women, and
children. OF rich and Of poor of high and
of low, are left TO turn to dust together.
To US of the West this ls most reVoltlng <
practice, and we wonder that people as
progressive as the Parsis should cling SO
tenaoiously TO the custom, but they will
not give it up, and England interferes
with no mans religion, and this Is lncor-
porated in theirs. Before funeral pro-
cession enters the gates of the grounds
the vultures, which are perched on the
trees and the wall around the grounds IN
great numbers, are as quiet as II
asleep, but Immediately the gates are
opened there is stir among them,
One by one they perch themselves upon
the parapet walls Of the tower, and 81
lence once more reigns aud so continues
until the bearers have finished their rites,
turned their backs, and left the corpse.
1hen all is life among them again. and the
struggling and fighting among these vo-
rhclous birds is awful to hear and to see.
As they sail away to different places in
the grounds with parts OF th9ir feast
Others who have been loss fortunate IL
the fight attack them again, and then
cries aud struggles continue for some time.
But ain talkiug you to DEATH" ssld
Mr.. Couling IN conclusion, "and yet
haven't told you half of what wanted to
cavv