The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1894-12-26


bound together for life. Then sonic
silk strings were wound around
the couple, now around this
one and now around that.
Then the groom threw handful Of
rice across the curtain on the head of |
the bride, and the bride responded by |
throwing handful of rice across the
curtain on the head of the groom.
Thereupon the curtain dropped, and
the brides chair was removed and put
beside that of the groom. Then a
priest of the Parsee religion arose and
faced the couple. Before the priest
was placed platter of rice. He began
to address the young man and woman.
We could not hear word, but we un-
derstoood just as we'll as if we had heard.
Ever and anon he punctuated his
ceremony by a handful of rice,
which he picked up from the plat
ter and flung now toward the groom
and now toward the bride. The
ceremony went on interminably. We
wanted to hear the conclusion, but
were told that the ceremony would go
on for long while, indeed that it
would not conclude until o'clock in
the morning, and this was only be-
tween and 8 o'clock in the evening.
There would be recess after awhile
in the ceremony, but it would be taken
up again in earnest at half past 12, We
enjoyed what we had seen, but felt in
capacitated for six more hours of we'd
ding ceremony Silently wishing the
couple happy life in each others COM
panionship, we pressed our way through
the throng of congratulatory Parsees.
All of them seemed bright and appre-
ciative of the occasion. The streets
outside joyously sympathized with the
q transactions inside
We rode on toward our hotel wish
ingthat marriage in all India might be
as much honored as in the ceremony
J we had that evening witnessed at the
! Parsee wedding. The Hindoo women
, are not so married. They are simply
: cursed into the conjugal relation.
: Many of the girls are married at seven
E and ten years of age, and some of
them are grandmothers at thirty.
They can never 90 forth into the SUM
r light with their faces uncovered.
d They must stay at home. All
+ styles of maltreatment are theirs.
: If they become Christians, they become
t outcasts, A missionary told me in In
e dia of a Hindoo woman who became Q
r Christian. She had nine children. Hel
o husband was over seventy years of age
S And yet at her Christian baptism HI
Il told her to go, and she went out home
less. AS long as woman is down lndii
e will be down. No nation was ever ele
l. waited except through the elevation o
h woman. Parsee marriage is an i'm
n provement on Hindoo marriage, bu
S, Christian marriage is an improvement
lie on Parsee marriage.
h A fellow-traveler in India told me h
le had been writing to his home in Ems
s. land trying to get law passed that n
10 white woman could be legally marie
IS in India until she had been there 81
Of months. Admirable law would ths
ne bal. If white woman saw what ma
st ried life with Hindoo is she woul
never undertake it. Off with the thiC
lis and ugly veil from woman's face! 0
he with the crushing burdens from h,
I'M shoulder! Nothing but the gospel
he Jesus Christ will ever make life
M India what it ought to be.
Iu- But what an afternoon of contra
nd in Bombay we experienced From Il
Ay temple of silence to the temple
of hilarity From the vultures to Il
an doves. From mourning to laughtt
he From gathering shadows to gleamil
full lights. From obsequies to weddin
tut But how much of our lives is made
ng of such opportunities! l have carri
in the same pocket and read from the
in in the same hour the liturgy of t
Id dead and the ceremony of espousa
1d- And so the tear meets the smile. a
see the dove meets the vulture.
al- Thus have set before you the bt
me of all the religions of the heath
but world, and have done so in order Il
aw you might come to higher appreciate
ere of the glorious religion which has |
lev its benediction over us and over Chri
pie endom.
by Compare the absurdities and mu
nds meries of heather marriage with {
of plain ~ will" of Christian maria
res the hands joined in pledge till de;
bu- do you part" Compare the doctr
.ers that the dead may not be touched W
BRO as sacred and tender and loving j
lily is ever given, the last kiss of lips t
DOR. never again will speak Us, Comp
ngs the narrow bridge Chinvat over VIII
lies the departing Parsee soul must trC
and blingly cross to the wide open gate
ran Heaven through which the depart
and Christian soul may triumphantly ent
und Compare the 81 books of the "
sic, Avesta of the Parsee which even
the scholars Of the earth despair of un6
our standing with our Bible, so much o
lder as is necessary for our salvation
ind language SO plain that "a wayfar
the man, though fool, need not err the
the in" Compare the ''tower of silenC
tied with its vultures; at Bombay with
and Greenwood of Brooklyn, with
ther sculptured angels of resurrecti
oad- And bow yourselves in thanksgiv
ood, and prayer as you realize that il
to the battles of Marathon and Sala
rom Persia has triumphed over Gre
unte instead Of Greece triumphant
dol over Persia, Parseeism, WI
n was the national religion of
the sia, might have covered the earth,
wing you and / unsteady Of sitting in.
ome MONDAY light Of our glorious Cf
e Of tianitv mi0ht have been rroping in