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


less bodies are left exposed rs FAR down as
thnwaist As soon MS Tho employees retire
from the tower OF silence Tho vultures.
now ono, now two, now many, ewoop
upon the liieless form These vulhiras M \
the mir with their dtscordnnt voices We
saw them IN long rows on tho tor Of the
whitcwashed wall Of the tower Of silence.
In few minutes they have taken the last
particle Of flesh from tho bones rhcre
had evidently bceh other opportunities for
them that day. and some flew away M
though surieitcd, They sometimes carry
away with them parts OF body, and II Is
no unusual thing for the gentlemen IN
their country srats 70 have dropped Into
! their doorynrlis bone from the tower OF
] silence
In the centor OF thls tower Is a we'll,
Z into which the bones arc thrown after
they are hlcaehud The hot sun and tho
I rainy season and charcoal do their work
Of dislntograilou and dlsinicction, and
thon thoro are slulccs that carry into tho
sea what remains OF the dUad. The wealthy
people Of Malahnr hir have made s,rcnu-
Gus efforts to have thcse strange towers ~.
moved as nuisance hun they remain and
viii no doubt FOR ages remain.
reverence FOR the Elements Of Nature.
/ talked with n learned pnrsce about
these murtuary customs. Ho said; ~ sup.
pose You consider them very peculiar, hut
tkc faot is we parsecs reverence the elc-
monts Of nature and connot consent to do
nle them. We rovcNnco tho IRE, and
therefore will not ashit to burn our dead,
We rycrencc the water and do not ask u
to submfrge our dead We reverence the
earth and viii not nskit Ito bury our dead.
And so we 10, tho vulturcs take them
away" He tonilrmsl mo In the theory
that tho pnrscos aot on tho principle that
tho ,load are unrlonn No ono must touch
such body Tho oatrlors OF this "tomb
Of silence" must not put their hands on
tho form ~ tho departed They wenr
gloves lest somehow they should be con.
tnninatcd. When the bones arr TO hc ro'
moved from the sides VI the tower and put
In tho well at the eoiiirr, they arc touched
carefully by tonRs. Then these people DO
aidca havo worry decided theories about tho
democracy Of tho tomb No such thing Ms
caste among the dead Philosopher aud
hoor, the alluont and the destitute must
40 through tho same Htowor OF silence,
liz down side by sldo with other occupants,
have their bodies dropped into the same
abyss and hocatrled out through the Same
canal and float AWAY on tho same sen. No
rplendor az Metropolis no eeulpturlnf Of
inHusoloum, no pomp Of dome or ohclifk,
2oroastor's teachings resulted In these
"towors Of silOnce" He wrote, NAKED
You came into tho world and naked you
must 20 out
As ! stood at the close OF day In this
garden on .Malnhar bin and heard tho nap
Of the vulturcs' wings coming from their
. icnnst, the funeral custom Of the Pnrcc
aeomod horrible beyond compare and yut
tho dissolution Of the human body By any
mode is awful, and the hcuksof these fowl
nre probably 10 more rcnulslye than the
worms Of tho body dcyouring the sacred
human form In cemeteries, Nothing hut
tho resurrection day can undo the awfnl
/, work OF death, whether u now he put out
Of sight by cutting spade or dying wing.
rtnrtlng homcward, we soon were IN
, che hcurt Of tho city ard saw bulldog
) all a fash with lirhtsAud ftsoundlng with
/ merry voiccs II was n pnrseo wedding,
/ IN building erected especially fu4 tho
4 murrlngo ceremony. We came 20 tho door
4 and proposed TO 20 In, hut No first were
: not permitted They saw wo wore nor
a parenes, aud that we vera not eyen np'
! tiyus. So very politely they haltedVus on
q the doorstops .rhia tomplo VI nuptnla
, was chiefly occupied by women, their onri
and nccks mud hands q lnine with jewels
or limitations Of jewels BY pnntomimo
and gesture rs wo had no use Of their
! vocabulary, wo told them wo were strhn'
gers and woro curious TO SEQ by what proc
oss pnrsoos werO married.,
o Gradually wo worked our way inside
the dour Tho building and the surround
, ings worc illuminod by hundreds OF can,
dies In glasses and lanterns IN unique aud
4, erotosuue holdings Conversation ron
u hiph. and laughter hubhlod over, and OIL
was gay. Thcn thore was a sound u nu
a advancing hand Of music, but the ihsiru-
monte for the most part wcro strnnFo "a
Q our ears and eyes Louder and louder wert
tho outside voices and the wind and
l stringcd instruments, until the nroccaion
q, halted nt the door q the tcmple md tbs
!, bridegroom mounted tho steps Then th'
y music ceased, and all tho voices were slin'
= The mother Of tho bridegroom with q
plnttor loaded with hromntics and articles
', OF food, confronted her son and began y
address him. Then she took from thl
platter n bottle of perfume md hpfinslcd
70 his fnoo with tho iodolcnoo. All tho while
= speaking in Adronlng tone, sbo took from
. tho platter handful Of rice, throwing
some Of 81 ON his head, epilliug some 81 y
y on his shoulder, pouring zone Of 10 on hii
y hnuds. She took from the plattor cocoa
nut and waved II about bis hond She lii
cd garland Of flowers and throw u Owe
= his neck md bouquet 81 flowers anu pu
q IL IN his hand Her part Of the ocfempnl
l. completed, tho band rosuned is music
= snd through another door the bridegroom
2 was conducted into tho center Of tm
y building. Thu bride wac In the room, hu
u thrra was nothing to designate her
70 "whero Is tho brldH" l said, whore I
% tho brldep After awhile she was mad
. evident. The bride and groom were sehtc'
y on chnlrs opposite each other, 4 wtib
u curtain was dropped between them 20 thu
p they could not SEQ each other. Then u
= attendants put their arms under thip cur
lr tain, took o long rope Of linen aud wouni
10 II around the mock Of tho bride and ~
70 groom IN token that they were 70 be boun
70 together for life, Thon some SIX string
y were would ground tho couple, nov hFoun
D. this one and now around that Then u
o groom threw a handful Of rice across y
y curtain on tho head Of tho bride. and u
Of bride responded by throwing . handful =
rice noross Tho curtain on the hend VI ~
y groom. Thereupon thu enrtsin dropped
~ and tho brides chair was removed ara pu
r beside that Of the groom. Then a priest
40 tho Parsee religion arose and faced ~
y couple. Before tho priest was placed
Dc platter Of rlcc. He began % nderefa IN
NJ Young man and woman. We could No
.. dstaf..rH Nuat "A we'll n