Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1894-12-24
TOWER OF SILENCE.
WERE TIE DEAD OF THE PARSERs ARE
IsgE.
Ths Eesh Of the Corpsss Eaiea By yulturss-RsV.
Dr.. Talmags Tells Of His Observations Among
the Fire Wcrshippsrs Of Persia and India.

the press ChOSo to-day Tor MS suoJSCt,
"The Fire WOrshippsrs, the text Sc
lseted being Matt. .; 1: There came
wise men from the East TO Jerusalem.
These wise men were the Parsees, or
the sO-ealled Firs-worshippers, and
found their descendants in India last
October. Their heathenism i3 more
tolerable than any Of the other false re-
liglOns, and has mole allevlations, and
while In this "Round-the-W World" series
l have already shown you the worst
forms Of heathenlsm, to-day l show you
she least offensive.
The prophet az the Parsees was 70
roaster Of Persia. He was poet, and
philosopher, aud refOrmer, as we'll as
religionist. His disciples thriVed at
first In Persia, but under MOhsmmedan
persecution they retreated 70 India
where l met them, and in addition TO
what / saw OF them at their headquar-
tsrs Ia Bombay, India, had two weeks
association with one OF the most learned
and genial Of their people on snip board
from Bombay to Brindisi
THE BIBLE OF THE PARsEEs,
or ERE worshlppers as they are inaccu-
rately called, is the Zsnd Avesta, q col
lection OF the strongest books that ever
came into my hands There were orig
tnaliy tWenty-One volumes. Alexander
the Great, in q drunken DC set FIRE 10
balaee which contained some OF them,
aud they went into ashes and fOrgettul-
ness. But there are more Of their
sacred volumes left than most
people would have patience to read.
There are many things in the religion
Of the Parsees that suggest Christianity,
and some Of its doctrines are in accord
with our own religion. ZorOaster, who
lived about 1,4OO years before Christ,
was a good man, suffered persecution
for bis faith, and was asSaSslnated
while worshipping at al altar. He an
nounced the theory HE is best who Is
pure OF hearth and that there are two
great spirits in the world, Ormuzd, the
good Spirit, and Ahriman, the bad
Spirit, and that all who do right
are uder the influence OF
Ormuzd, and all who do wrong
are under Ahrman; that the Parsee
must be born on the ground floor of the
house, aRd must be buried from the
ground GOor; that the dying man must
have prayers said over him aud a sacred
Juice must be given him TO drink; that
the good at their decease 90 into eternal
light, and the bad into eternal dark
ness; that having passed out OF this life
the soul fingers near the corpse three
DAYS in a Paradisaie state, enjoying
more than all the nations of earth put
together could enjoy, or In pandemO-
MAC state suffering more than all the
nations put together could possibly suf-
fer, but at the end OF three days depart
ing for It's final destiny; and that there
will be a resurrection Of the body. They
are more careful than any other people
about their sblutioDs. They pay great
attention to physical health, and il is a
rare thing 20 see q sick Parsee. They
do not smoke tobacco, for they consider
that q misuse of fire.
AT THE CLOSE OF MORTAL LIFE
the soul appears az the Bridge Chinvat,
where an angel presides, and questions
the soul about the thoughts, and words,
and deeds of its earthly state. Nothing,
however, Is more intense in the Parisee
faith than the theory that the dead body
is impure. A devil Is supposed to take
possession Of the dead body. All who
touch il ere unclean, and hence the
strange style OF Obsequies.
An now the better 20 show you these
Parsees, tell you Of two things l saw
within a short time In Bombay, India.
It was an afternoon OF contrast.
We started for Malaoar Hill, on which
the wealthy classes have their embow-
cred homes, and the Parsees their
strange Temple OF the Dead. As We
rode along the waters edge the sun was
descending the sky, and disciple Of
ZOroaster, a Parsee, was in lOwly pos
lure ana with reverental gaze looking
into the sky He would have been said
to have been worshipping the sun, as
all Parsees are said 20 worship the fire.
But the intelligent Parsee does not wor-
ship the fire. He looks upon the sun as
the emblem Of the warmth and light OF
the Creator. Looking at a blaze Of
light, whether on hearth, on mountain
height, or In the sky, he can more easily
bring TO mind the glory Of God; at least,
40 the ParseeS tell me. Indeed, they
are the pleasantest heather l have
met.
THE TOWER OF SILENCE
cost $50, 600, and il twenty-five feet
high and 276 feet around. aud without
roof The carriers Of the dead come to
she door OF the tower, enter and leave
shs dead. There are thres rows OF
places for the dead; the outer row for
she men; the middle row for the women;
the inside row for the children. The
lifeless bodies are left exposed as far
down as the waist As soon IS the en-
ployes retire from the Tower OF Silence,
the vultures, now one, now two, now
many, sWOOp upon the lifelesS form.
These vultures I'll the air with their
discordant voices. We saw them in
long rows on the top Of the white
washed wall OF the Tower Of Silence.
10 few minutes they have taken the
last particle OF flesh from the bones.
There had evidently been other oppor-
tunities for them that day, and some
few away as though sRrfeited. They
sometimes carry away with them parts
OF body. and it is 20 unusual thing for
the gentlemen In their country seats to
have dropped into their doorysrds
bone from the Tower Of Silence.
In the centre OF this tower is q well,
into which the bones are thrown after
they are bleached The hot sun, and
the rainy season, and the charcoal do
thsirwOrk Of disintegration and dlsinfec-
ton, and then there are sluices that
carry into the sea what remains Of the
dead.
1 talked with learned Parsee about
these mortpary customs He said ~