Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-12-24

eNtA4eAa dfuubn tio Ift~-t ciutc NpcnN
for bis subject Tho Fire worshipers,n
tho tex, selected being Matthew II, J,
"Thera came wise men from the east to
Jerusalem.
These wise men were the Parsccs, orthc
50 called ire worshipers, and found their
descendants In India Las, October. Thor
hoathonlsm Is moro toiorahls than any q
the other false rcligions and has moro a..
leviations, and while In this round tho
world sorles l have already shown you
the worst forms Of hcathcnism today
show you the least offensive.
The prophet Of the parsces was Zoroaster
OF Persia. He was poet and philosopher
and reiormor as well as rcligionist iiia
disciples thriyed at frst In Persia, but
under Mohnmmednn persecution they 70.
frosted to India, where | met them, and
In addition To what saw OF them at thor
headquarters In Bombay India, 1 had two
weeks Of association with one 81 the moss
learned md gonlai Of their people ON ship.
board from Bombay to Brindisl
A Tenet OF i'nith.
The Blhlo Of tho pnrseca, or fro wor-
shippers, as they are inaocuratcly called IL
tho Zcnd Avostn, a collection u the
stranFest books that ever came into my
hands There wero originally u volumes,
but Alexander tho Great IN n drunken flt
Get Gro 20 palace which contained some
Of them, and they went into nshus and
forRotlulness But tboro nro moro OF their
sacred volumes lof. than most people
| would have patience TO road. There arc
I many things in tho religion al the Parsees
! that suggest Christianity, and Sumo OF It's
doctrines arc In accord With our own re-
I liglon. Zoruastcr, who lived about l., 400
7 years before Christ, was good man, SUI
1 fegod persecution for his faith and was as
/ fassinated while worshiring at nm altar.
I He announced the theory, Ilo Is best who
IS pure Of heartl" and that there arc two
great spirits ia the world--Ormufd, the
good spirit, and Amman, tho bad epirit--
mud that all who do right arc undor tho
innuoIAa Of OxsiuEd, and all who do
WONG ~ undsS Ahrimsn; that tho Par,
: e6'fSus' be born on tho ground floor Of
tho house and must ho buried from the
ground floor that tho dying man must
have prayers said over him and n sacred
Juice given him to drink, that the good at
their doccaso 90 Into eternal light and the
bad into eternal darkness, that having
passed out OF this lifc tho soul fingers nonl
the corpse three days IN pHradisaic state,
enjoying moro than ali the nations Of
earth put together could enjoy, or In .
pandemonlac state, suffering moro thar
all tho nations put together could possibly
suffer, hut at tho end Of three days depart
ing for It's final destiny. Rnd Tint Their,
will DO a resurrection Of tho body They
are moro careful than my other poopl'
about their nhlutlens, and they wnsh unt
wnsh and wash They pay great nttontior
10 physical health, and ~ u rnro thinl
10 soe a sick pArsco They do not einOki
tobacco FOR they consider that u misus
Of fro. At the close OF mortal life the sou
appears nj the Bridge Chlnynt, whore At
nnRel prosdes, and questions the sou
nbout tho thoughts and words and decd
OF Its earthly state, Nothing, however, j
! more lntens1 In tho Parsee faith than tn
J theory that tho dead body IA impure. !
, devil is supposed to take possession Of tn
( dead body All who touch " arc uncloan
and hence the strange style Of obsequies,
Pareees on Virtue and Vice.
But hero must give three or four ques
. lions and answers from one Of tho Parse
oatecblsms
, QUESTION is tho most fortunat
man 10 tho world
Answer -Ho who is the most innocent
Q.--Who is tho most innocent man u
the worldi
A.-Ho who walks in the path OF Co
and ahuns that OF tho devil.
Q.--Whioh Is the path Of God, ant
which that Of tho deyif
A.-Vlrtuo - tho path OF God, and vio
that OF tho devil.
Q.-whnt constitutes virtue, and wha
yicof
I fffnn xuRFNE
GOOD deeds constitute virtue, and eyi
! thoughts, eyll words and OWL deeds con
etituto vice.
O--Wbut constitute good thoughts
GOOD words aud good dcoda and owl
thoughts. evil words and OWL deedsi
, A.-Honesty, charity and truthfilnes
constitute tho former, and dishonesty
want Of charity and falschood eonstitut
the latter.
And now, tho better TO show you thes
parseos. tell you OF two things sa'
within short time In Bombay II was a
afternoon OF contrast.
we started for Malabar bill, on whio
tho wealthy classes have their embowere
homes and tho Paraees their strange ton
No Of tho dead As we rode along the VI
: ter.s edge the sun whs descending the *.
y ana a disciple Of Zoroastcr, parseo, wa
an lgvly posture, and with Toyorontli
gnze looking into the sky. He would hay
boen said 10 have bean worshipins Il
e ann. as an Parsces are said 20 wofahip u
r flro Hut the intelligent Parseo does ne
worship the ilro lie iooks upon tho 81
az Inc efnhlem Of the warmth aud light
e The Creator. Looking ct a blaze OF ilgh
whether on hearth, on mountain height
In thu sky, no can more ensily bring
!, mind tho glory OF God--nt least, 40 q
8 pa-sces ten nlo. Indeed they arc q
,ieasantsst Loathen 1 bayo met. The
,raat their wives AZ equals, while tho III
doos and Buddhists treat them as oattl
although the cattle and sheep and swif
arc better Oh than most Of tho women
=. India. -,
= This parsco on the rondsldo on our wa
,o Nalabar bill was tho only one OF thi
religion had ever soon engaged 10 wo
- NM who knows but that beyond u
ilrIt Of tho sun on which ho gazes ho mi
cateh a glimpso " tho God who Is ligl
in and lin whom there IL no darkness
allr' a., NJ ~.
we uasscd on up through gates into q
70 Garden that surrounds lilo place where y
o eps,sse. tliapose Of their dead. This Rard'
-. e4yen b. Janshlh!l JIlibhHi and
taautifui with flowers " al hue ana foi
rre q al styles Of vein and notch o.
d. stature There Il on al side, great op
isnre * sern and cyprtfa- The garden
~ 49, shyrs tho lospl Of Tie sea- n