Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1895-01-04

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 see
each other. Then the attendants put
their arms under this curtain, took
long rope of linen and wound it around
the neck of the bride and the groom in
token that they were to be bound TO-
pether 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 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-
Die. Before the priest was placed a
platter Of rice. He began TO address the
young man and woman. We could not
hear a word, but We understood just as
we'll as If 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 2 O'Clock in the morning,
and this was only between Z 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 IL. We enjoyed what
we had seen, but felt incapacitated for
six more hours Of wedding ceremony.
Silently wishing the couple happy life
in each others companionship, we press
ed our way through the throng Of con-
gratulatory Parsees. All Of them SEEM
ed bright and appreciatiye Of the occa-
sion. The streets outside joyously SYM
pathized with the transactions inside.
Hindoo 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 tie
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 30. They can never 90
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 Hindoo woman who became
Christian. She had nine children. Her
husband was over 70 years Of age. And
yet at her Christian baptism he told
her to 20, and she went out homeless.
AS long as woman is down India will
be down. No nation was ever elevated
except through the elevation Of woman.
Parsee marriage is an improvement on
Hindoo marriage, but Christian mar
riage 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
bel II a white woman saw what mar
ried life with a Hindoo is, she would
never undertake it. Of with the thick
and ugly veil from woman's facet on
with the crushing burdens from her
shoulder Nothing but the gospel Of
Jesus Christ will ever make life in In
dia what il 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
seauies to wedding. But how much OF
all our lives is made up Of such oppo-
sitesl have carried in the same pocket
and read from them in the same hour
the liturgy Of the dead and the ceremo-
nv 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 heather world,
and have done so in order that you
might come to higher appreciation OF
the glorious religion which has put Its
benediction over us and over Christen'
dom.
A Comparison.
Compare the absurdities and mum
meries of heather marriage with the
plain ~ 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
as sacred and tender and loving kis'
; is ever given, the last kiss Of lips that
never again will speak to us. Compare
the narrow bridge Chinvat over which
the departing Parsee soul must trem
bliugly cross to the wide open gate ol
heaven through which the departing
Christian soul may triumphantly enter
Compare the 2l books Of the Zenc
Avesta Of the Parsee which even the
scholars Of the earth despair OF under
standing with our Bible, SO much Of II
[ as is necessary for our salvation in Ian
guage so plain that "a wayfaring man
though a fool. need not err therein. =
: Compare the tower Of silence, with it
$ yultures, af Bombay with the Green
4 wood Of Brooklyn, with its ssulpture'
! angels Of resurrection. And bow your
/ selves in thanksgiving and prayer a
n YOU realize that il at the battles OF Mar
/. athon and Salamis Persia had triumph
q ed over Greece instead Of Greece tn
r umphanting over Persia, Parseeism
. which was the national religion Of Pei
sia. might have covered the earth, an
Won and / instead Of sitting in the noon
day light of our glorious Christianit
= might have been cropping in the depres'
! ! ing shadows of Parseeism, religion
= inferior to that which is our inspiratio
/. in life and our hope in death as Z'
roaster OF Persia was inferior to our r.
- diant and superhuman Christ, to whol