Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1895-01-04
REV. DR. 1ALMAGE.
The Eminent Brooklyn Divine'S Sun
day Sermon.
Subject: "The Fire Worship rs"

| so-called fire worshipers, and l found their
descendants in India last October. Their
heathenism Is more tolerable than any ofthe
other false religions and has more allevia-
| lions, and while in this round the world
series I have already shown you the worst
forms OF heathenism to-day / show you the
least offensive
The prophet OF the Parsees was Zoroaster,
ofPersia. He was poet and philosopher and
reformer as we'll az religionist. His disciples
tbrired at first in Persia, but under Moham'
medan persecution they retreated to India,
where l met them. and in addition to what
saw of them at their headquarters in Bonn
bay, India, had two weeks OF association
with one OF the most learned and genial Of
their people on shipboard from Bombay to
Brlndisi.
The Bible of tbs oarsees, or fra Worship
ers, as they are inaccurately called, is the
zend-Avesta, a collection CT the strangest
books that ever came into my hands. There,
were originally twenty-ons volumes, but
Alexander the Great, in drunken fit, set
fire TO palace which contained some Of
them, and they went into ashes and forget
fulness. But there are more OF their sacred
volumes left than most people would have
patience to read. There are many things in
the religion o; the Parsee that suggest
Christianity, and some Of its doctrines are
rooster. who lived about 1400 years
before Christ, was a goo man, suffered
persecution for his faith and was assassin
ated while worshipIng Mt an altar. he an
nounced the theory, "He Is best who is pure
OF heart" and that there are two great
spirits in the world, Ormuz J. the good spirit,
and Ahriman, the bad spirit, and that all
who Go right are under the influence oil
Ormuz1, and all who DO wrong are unt
der Abrlman; that the Parsee must be
born on the ground floor OF the house.
and must be buried from the ground
floor; that the dying man must have
prayers said over him and sacred juice
given him to drink; that the good ct their
deceass go into eternal light and the bad
into eternal darkness that. having passed
out of this life, the soul fingers near tho
corpse three days in paradisaic state,
enjoying more than all the nations OF
earth put together could enjoy or in q
pandemoniac state, suffering more than all
the nations put together could possibly
suffer, but at the emf OF three days departing
for It's final destiny, and that there Will be
resurrection OF tho body. They are more
careful than any other people about their
additions. and they wash and wash and
wash. They pay great attention to physical
health, and It is a rare thing to see sick
Parsee. They do not smoke tobacco, for
they consider that misuse OF fire.
At the close OF mortal life thesoul appears
at the bridge Oainvat, where an angel pre-
sides and questions tho soul about the
thoughts On words and deeds OF Its earthly
state. Nothing, however, is more intense In
the Parsee faith then the theory that the
deadly body is impure. A devil is supposed
to take possession OF the dead body. All
who touch 1t are unclean, and hence the
-, ~ oO9O hcoN ri~o mi /
give three or four questions and answers
from one OF the Parsee catechisms:
Ouestion-Who Is the most fortunate man
in the world?
Answer-He who is the most innocent.
O.-Who is the most innocent man In the
world?
A.-He who walks in the path OF God AMI
shuns that OF the devil.
(Which is the path Of God and which
that o. the devil?
A.-virtue is the path Of God and vice that
OF the devil.
Q.-What constitutes virtue and what
vice?
A-Good thoughts, good words and good
deeds constitute virtue, AMI evil thoughts,
evil words and evil deeds constitute vice.
Q.-What constitute good thoughts, good
words and good deeds and evil thoughts,
evil words and evil deeds?
A.-Honesty. charity and truthfu'ness
constitute the former, ana dishonesty, want
OF charity and falsehood constitute the latter
And now the better to show you these Par
sees l tell you OF two things saw within
Short time in Bombay, India. 1t was an
afternoon OF contr ct.
We started for Melabar hill, on which the
wealthy classes have their embowered homes
and the Parisess their strange temple Oh the
dead AS we rode along the waters cage
the sun WAS descending the sky, and dis
ciple Of Zoroaster, Il Parsee, was In lowry
posture and with reveren;ial gaze looking
into the skv. He wou!d have been said TO
have been worshiping the sun, as all Par
sees are said to worship the fire. But the
intelligent Parsee does not worship the
fire. He looks upon the sun as the en-
bem OF the warmth and light OF the
Creator. Looking at blaze OF light,
whether on hearth, on mountain height or
in the sky. he can more easily bring TO mlAd
the glory OF God--at least 80 the Parsees
tell me. Indeed they are the pleasantest
heather have me-. They treat tnelr wives
as equals, while the Hindoos and Buddhis's
treat them as cattle, although the cattle ana
sheep and swine are better OH t0an moSt OF
the women of India.
This Parsee on the roadside on our wayto
mdidDdE hui Was tue OuaJ OIO VI tAoS AOitS-
ion l had ever seen engaged in worship.
Who knows but that beyond the light of the
sun on which he gazes he may catch
glimpse OF the God who is light and Sin
whom there is no darkness at allY"
We passed on up through gates into the
garden that surrounds the place where the
Parsees dispose of their dead. This garden
was given By Jamshidji Jijibhai and Is beau.
tiful with flowers OF ali hue and foliage OF
all styles of vein and notch and stature.
There is on all sides great opulencs Of fern
and cypress. The garden is 100 feet above
the level OF the sea. Not far from the en-
trance is a building where the mourners OF
the funeral procession go i'll to pray. A
light is here kept burning year in and year
out
We ascend the garden by some eight stone
steps. The body of deceased aged woman
was being carried in toward the chief "tower
OF silence" There are five OF these towers.
Several OF them have not been used for O
long while. Four persons, whose business
it is to DO this, carry the corpse They are
followed by two men with long boards. the |
tower OF silence 10 which they come cost |
$780, 900 and is twenty-five feet hign and 216
feet around and without roof. |
The four carriers OF the dead and |
the two bearded men come to the !
door of the tower, enter and leave the dead. |
There are three rows OF places for the dead |
the outer row .or the men, the middle row |
for the women, the inside row for the chill |
dren. The lifeless bodies are left exposed |
as far down as tho waist. AS soon as the |
employees retire from the tower OF silence the |
vullures, now one, now two, now many, |
swoOp upon the htless form. These vul- |
lures fl the air with their discordant |
voices. We saw them in long rows on |
the top OF the whitewashed wall OF the |
tower OF silence. In few minutes |
fha.- haro faken tho last narticln of flesh |