The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1895-01-04
couple. now around


rice across the curtain on the head Of
the bride, and the 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 a
priest OF the Parsee religion arose and
faced the couple. Before the priest
was placed platter of rice. He began
TO address the young man and woman.
We could not hear word, but we un.
derstoood just as well as if we had heard.
Ever and anon he punctuated his
ceremony by a handful Of rice,
which he picked up from the plat
ter and flung now toward the groom
and now toward the bride The
ceremony went on Unfortunately. We
wanted to hear the conclusion but
were told that the ceremony would go
on for q long while, indeed that it
would not conclude until o'clock in
the morning, and this was only be-
tween and o'clock in the evening.
There would be a recess after awhile
in the ceremony, but il would be taken
up again in earnest at half past H. We
enjoyed what we had seen, but felt in
capacitated for six more hours of we'd
ding ceremony. Silently wishing the
couple happy life in each others COM
panionship, we pressed our way through
the throng of congratulatory Parsees.
All of them seemed bright and appre-
ciative of the occasion. The streets
outside ioyously synpathize with the
transactions inside.
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 the
Parsee wedding. The Hindoo women
are not so married. They are simply
cursed into the conjugal relation.
Many of the girls are married at seven
and ten years of age, and some of
them are grandmOthers at thirty.
They can never go forth into the sum
light with their faces uncovered.
They must stay at home All
styles OF maltreatment are theirs.
If they become Christians, they become
outcasts. A missionary told me in In
dia of Hindoo woman who became q
Christian. She had nine children. Her
husband was over seventy years of age.
And yet at her Christian baptism he
told her to go, and she went out home
less AS long as woman is down India
will be down. No nation was ever ele-
waited except through the elevation Of
woman. Parsee marriage is an iIn-
provement on Hindoo marriage, but
Christian marriage is an Improvement
on Parsee marriage.
A fellow-traveler in India told me he
had been writing to his horne in Eng
land trying to 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
bel If white woman saw what mar
ried life with n Hindoo is she would
never undertake it. Off with the thick
and ugly veil from woman's facet Off
with the crushing burdens from her
shoulderl Nothing but the gospel of
Jesus Christ will ever make life in
India what it ought to be.
But what an afternoon of contrast
in Bombay we experienced! From the
temple of silence to the temple of
hilarity. From the vultures to the
doves. From mourning to laughter.
From gathering shadows to cleaning
lights. From obsequies to wedding.
But how much of our lives is made up
of such opportunities! ] have carried
in the same pocket and read from them
in the same hour the liturgy of the
dead and the ceremony of espousals.
And SO the tear meets the smile, and
the dove meets the vulture,
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 Christ
endom.
Compare the abSurdities and mum
meries of heather marriage with the
plain Il Will of Christian marriage,
the hands joined in pledge It'll death
do you part" Compare the doctrine
that the dead may not be touched with
as sacred and tender and loving kiss
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-
blingly cross to the wide open gate of
Heaven through which the departing
Christian soul may triumphantly enter.
Compare the 81 books of the Zend
Avesta. of the Parsee which even the
scholars of the earth despair of under
standing with our Bible, so much OF it
as is necessary for our salvation in
language so plain that "a wayfaring
man, though fool, need not err there |
in.'' Compare the tower of silence"
with its vultures, at Bombay with the
Greenwood of Brooklyn, with its
sculptured angels of resurrection. |
And bow yourselves in Thanksgiving
and prayer as You realize that il at |
the battles of Marathon and Salamis
Persia has triumphed over Greece |
instead of Greece triumphanting |
over Persia, ParseeisIn, which |
was the national religion of Per-
sia, might have covered the earth, and |
you and ] unsteady of sitting in the |
light of our glorious Chris
tianity might have been cropping in the |
shadows of Parseeism, re-
ligion as inferior to that which is our |
inspiration in life and our hope in |
death as Zoroaster of Persia was in
ferior to our radiant and superhuman
Christ, to whom be honor and glory |
and dominion and victory and song, |
world without end Amen.
Mrs ENMA P Ew1SG, talking re-
Gently of houseleepers and servants. |
s1id. TIot,I-iI- SIi:.c>i aqua ~ ed Nth the |