Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1895-01-04

| aDOUI
uch things as caste among the dead:
Philosopher and boor, the afhuent and
he destitute must go through the same
"tower OF silence" lie down siue p{ siuo
with other occupants, have their BODIES
dropped into the same abyss and be carrier
out through the same canal and hoat away
on the same sea. No splendor OF Metropolis:
No sculpturing Of mausoleum. No pomp OF
dome or o5elisk. Zoroaster's teaching re-
ulted in these "towers OF silence. de
wrote, "Naked you came into the worid,and
naked you must so out.
ASH stood at the close of day in this gar.
den on Maabar hill and heard the nap OF
the yultures' wings coming from their re-
past, the funeral custom OF the Parses
seemed horrible beyond compare, ana yer
the dissolution OF the human body by any
mode is awful aud the breaks OF these FOWL
are probably no more repulsve than tn3
worms Of the body devouring the sacred
human form in cemeteries. Nothing out
the resurrection day can undo the awtu!
work OF death, whether it now De put CUT VI
sight by cutting spade or flying wing.
Starting homeward, we soon we're IN th9
heart OF the city AMI saw building all ehasl
J with lights and resounding with merry
., voices. II was a PLrsee wedding III ou'ld-.
ing erected especaily Tor the m irriage cere-
mony. We came to the door aud propose
to 90 IN, but at first were not permitted.
They saw we were not Parsees, and that
we were not even natives SO. very polite
| ". they halted US on the doorsteps. This
| temple of nuptials was chiefly occupied by
women, their ears and necks and
| hands afame with jewels or imitation OF
Jewels By pan.onime and gesture, rs We
| had no use OF their vocabulary; We told them
we were strangers and were curious to $40
by what process Parsees were married.
| Gradually va worked our way inside the
| door. The building aud the surrouns-
ings were illumined by hundreds OF csn-
| dies in glasses AMI lanterns. in unique
| and grotesuue holdings. Conversation ran
| high. ami laughter bubbled over, and ell
was gay. Then there was sound OF an adj
vancing hand Of music, but the instruments
| for the most part were strange to our ears
and ewes. Lou Ter and louder were the out
| side voices andthe wind and sringed instru-
ments, until the procession halted ut the
door OF the temple and the bridegroom
mounted the steps, Then the music
.easel. and ali the voices were
still The mother of the bride
groom, with platter loaded with
aroma;ics and articles OF fooj, confronted
her son and began to address him. Then
she took RON the pltter a bottle OF per-
tune ali sprinkled his face with the re-
1olence. eli the while speaking in dronlng
lone, she took from: tho platter handful
Of rice, throwing some OF it on his held,
,pilling soro o. it on his shoulder, pouring
some of it on his hands. She took from the
platter cocoanut and waved 1t about his
head. She lifted garland OF flowers
aud threw it over his neck and bou-
duet OF flowers and put it in his hand. Her
Dart of the ceremony completed, the band
resumed its music, and through another
door the bridegroom was conducted into the
center ofthe building. The bride was in
the room, but there was nothing 10 designate
her.
"Where is the bride?" said. "Where is
the brlde?" After awhile she was made
evident The bride and groom were seated
on chairs opposite each other Awhile cur
tain was dropped between them so that they
could not gee each oNher. Then the attend
ants put their arms unN or this curtain, took
long rope oe linen Ind wound 1t around
the neck OF tAe bride and the groom In
token that they were to be bound to-
gether for life. Then some 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 th9
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 priest OF
the Parsee religion arose and faced the cou-
pie. Before the priest was placed
platter of rice. He began TO address the
Young man and woman. We could not near
a word, but we understood just as we'll as II
we had heard. Ever and anon he punctu-
ated his ceremony by a handful OF rice,
which he picked up from the platter and
flung now toward the groomand now toward
the bride. The ceremony went on intermin-
ably. We wanted 10 hear the conclusion,
but were told that the ceremony would go
on for long while, indeed that II Would
not conclude until o'clock In the morning,
and this was only between and
o'clock in the evening. There would be
recess after awhile in the ceremony, but 1t
would be taken up again in earnest at half
past H. We enjoyed what We had seen, but
felt iucapacitated for six more hours OF
wedding ceremony. Silently wishing the
couple happy life in each others compan-
ionship, we pressed cur way through the
throng OF congra!ulatory Parsees. All OF
them seemed bright and appreciative OF the
occasion. The streets outside joyously SYM
pathized with the transactions inside.
We rode on toward our hotel wishing that
marriage in all India might be as much hon
ored as in the ceremony we had that evening
witnessed at the Parsee wedding. The Hin
doc women are not so married. They are
simply cursei into the conjugal relation.
Many of the girls are married at seven and
ten wears Of age, and some OF them are
Igrandmothers at thirty. They can never go
forth into the sunlight with their faces I'm.
covered. They must stay at home. All
STYLES of maltreatment are theirs. II
they become Christians, they beeorla
outcasts. A missionary tod me in In
dia OF Hindoo woman who became Chris
tian. She had nine children. Her husband
was over seventy years Of age. And yet at
her Christian baptism he told her to 90, and
she went out homeless. AS long rs woman
is down India will be down. No nation was
ever elevated except through the elevation
of woman. Parsee marriage is an improve
ment On Hlndoo marriage, but Christian
marriage is an improvement on Parsee mar
rage.
A fellow-traveler in India told me he had
been writing to his home in England trying
tos get a law passed that no white woman
could be legally married in India until she
had been there six months. Admirable law
would that be II white woman saw
what married life with a Hindoo Is, sac
would never undertake it, OF with the
thick and ugly veil from wOman's face. O2
with the crushing burdens from her shout
der Nothing but the gospel Of Jesus Christ
will ever make life in India what 1tougnr
to be.
But what On afternoon OF contrast in
Bombay we experienced From the temple
of silence TO the temple of hilarity. From
the vultures to the doves. FROM
nnourninc 70 laughter From gathering