Democratic messenger., 1894-12-29

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voices were still. The mother of the
bridegroom. with platter loaded with
aromatics and articles of food, confront
ed her son and began to address him.
Then she took from the platter n bottle
of perfume and sprinkled his face with
the rcdolencc All the while speaking
III u droning tone. she took from the
platter handful of rice, throwing
some Of it on his head, spilling some Of
it on his shoulder, pouring some of it
Oh his hands Shc took from the plat.
ter cocoanut and waved it about his
head. She lifted garland of flowers
and threw it over his neck and bou-
quet of flowers and put it in his hand.
Her part of the ceremony completed,
the band resumed its music. and
through another door the bridegroom
was conducted into the center of the
building. The bride was in the room,
but there was nothing TO designate her.
Where is the bride?" said. Where
is the bride:" After awhile she was
made evident The bride and groom
were seated on chairs opposite each 9th
er. A white curtain was dropped be-
tween them so that they could not SEQ
each other Then the attendants put
their arms under this curtain, took a
long rope of linen and wound il around
the neck of the bride and the groom in
token that they were to be bound to-
gcther for life. Then some silk strings
were wound around the couple, now
around this ono 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 throw
ing 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 cou-
pie. Before the priest was placed a
platter of rice. He began to address the
young man and woman. We could not
hear word, but we understood Just as
we'll rs il we had heard. Ever and anon
he punctuated his ceremony by hand
full of rice, which he picked up from
the platter 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
a long while. indeed that it would not
conclude until o'clock in the morning,
and this was only between and 8
O'Clock in the evening. There would be
a recess after awhile in the ceremony,
but it would be taken up again in ear
nest at half past 12. We enjoyed what
we had seen, but felt incapacitated for
six more hours of wedding ceremony.
Silently wishing the couple happy life
in each other companionship. we press
ed our way through the throng Of con-
gratulatory Parsees All Of them SEEM
ed bright and appreciative of the occa-
sion. The streets outside joyously SYM
pathized with the transactions inside.
Hinaioo Customs.
We rode on toward our hotel wish
ing that marriage in all India might be
as much honored as in the ceremony
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 and
10 years of age, and some Of them are
grandmothers at 80. They can never 60
forth into the sunlight with their faces
uncovered. They must stay at home.
All styles of maltreatment are theirs.
II they become Christians, they become
outcasts. A missionary told me in In
dia of a Hindoo woman who became n
Christian. She had nine children. Her
husband was over 30 years of age. And
yet ut her Christian baptism he told
her to go, and she went out homeless.
As long rs woman is down India will
bo down. No nation was ever elevated
except through the elevation of woman.
Parsee marriage is an improvement. on
Hindoo marriage, but Christian mar
riagc is an improvement ON Parsee mar
riage.
a fellow traveller in India told me
he had been writing to his home in
England trying to get law passed that
no white woman could be legally mar
ried in India until she had been there
six months Admirable law would that
be! II white woman saw what mar
ried life with Hindoo is, she would
never undertake it. OF with the thick
and ugly veil from woman's face, OF
with the crushing burdens from her
shoulder! Nothing but the gospel Of
Jesus Christ will ever make life in In
dia what it ought TO be-
But what an afternoon Of contrast in
Bombay we experienced! From the tenn
pie of silence TO the temple of hilarity.
From the vultures to the doves. From
mourning TO laughter. From gathering
shadows to cleaning lights. From OBJ
sequies to wedding. But how much Of
all our lives is made up of such oppo-
sites! have carried in the same pocket
and read from them in the same hour
the liturgy of the dead and the ceremo-
ny Of espousals. And so the tear meets
the smile, and the dove meets the vul-
ture.
Thus have set before you the best
of all the religions Of the heathen world,
and l have done SO in order that you
might come to higher appreciation Of
the glorious religion which has put its
over us and over Christen-
dom.
A Comparison.
Compare the absurdities and num-
meries of heathen marriage with the
plain II will' of Christian marriage,
the hands joined in pledge 'till death
do you part. Compare the doctrine
that the dead may not be touched with
rs sacred and tender and loving kiss
is ever given, the last kiss of lips that
never again will speak to US. Compare
tho narrow bridge Chinvat over which
the departing Parsee soul must trem-
blingly cross to the wide open gate Of
heaven through which the departing
Christian soul may triumphantly enter.
Compare the 81 books Of the Zcnd
Avcsta of the Parsee which even the
scholars of the earth despair Of under
Continued on ,h Page.