Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1895-01-09
not put their hands on the form OF the de-

tut lower AMI DuI III tuo WON W thO OoutOts
they are touchei carefully by tonSs. Then
thesa psopie besides have very decided th"o-
ries about the democracy of the tonbs. N
suct things as caste among the dei '.
Philosopher and boor. the afnuent cn'
the destitute must go through the s1ns
"tower o. silence" lie down stts by side
with other occupants, havs their bo lies
dropped into the same abyss an bs carrie
out through the ssme canal and font away
on the s,ne sea. No splen Tor o! Ns,ro2o is.
No sculp.uring of marsoleun. No ponp OF
dome or o5elisk. Zorosster's tsacAins "a
suited in these s'towers OF siience." II
wrote, "Nakei YOU c,na into tho worli IAN
naked you must go out.
As Stool ar rns cioss o. day In tntS gar.
den on Malabar hill anl he,rith dap OF
the vu!tures' wings coming irP n their re-
past, the funeral custom OF the Parsee
seemed horrible beyond compar,, and yet
The dissolution OF the human body by any
mode is awful, and the breaks OF these 70 vi
are pro ably no mora repulsive than the
worms of the boiy devouring the sacred
human form in Cemeteries. Nothing but
the resurrection day can undo the awful
WORK of death, whether II now be put out OF
sight by cutting spade or fiving wing.
Starting homeward, We soon were In the
heart OF the city and saw a building all ahast
with lights and resoundinS with merry
voices. 1t was a Parsee welding In q build.
ing erected especially tor the marriage cere
mony. We came 70 the door and proposed
to 90 in. but at first were not permitted
They saw we were not PIrsees. and that
We were not even natives. SO. very polite
ly, they halted US on the doorsteps. This
temple Of nuptials was chiefly occupied by
women. their ears and necss and
hands aflame with jewels or imitation O'
jewels. By pantomime AMI gesture, as we
had no use OF their vocabulary; We told them
we were strangers and were curious to see
by what process Pirsaes were married
Gradually We WORKED our way inside tbs
Goor. The building AMI the surrounds
ings were iilumined by hundreds OF can
dies in glasses and lanterns. in un'qua
aud crotesGue holdings. Conversation ran
high. AMI laughter buboei over, and all
WAS gay. Teen there was 4 sound o. an ai-
viucing band o. music, but the instruments
for the most p ri were stran 20 to our ears
and eyes. Lou Ter and louder wero the out
side voices andthe win and siringed instru-
ments, until the procession halted ut the
door OF the temple anil the bridegroom
the steps. Then the music
still. The mother OF tie bride
groom. with platter loaded with
aromalics and articles OF food, confronted
her son and began to address him. Then
she took from the piitter n bottle OF per-
fume AMI sprinklei his face with the re-
lOlcucS. All Tue Wiile spsiNlux III uFOu1uS
tone, she took from the platter handful
of rice, throwing sone OF it on his head,
spilling some OF it on his shoulder, pouring
some of It on his hands. She took from tho
platter a cocoanut and waved 1t about his
head. She lifted garland OF flowers
and threw it over his neck and q bou-
quet OF flowers and put it i'll his hand. Her
resumed lis music, and through another
door the Bridegroom was conducted into the
center otthe building. The bride was in
the room, but there was nothing to designate
her.
"where IS tho bride?' said. "Whers is
the bride?' After awhile she was made
evident. The bride and grooE were seated
on chairs opposite each o.her. white cur
tain was dropped between them so that they
could not see each other. Then the attend
ants put their arms under this curtain, took
q long rope of linen and wound II around
the neck Of the bride and the groom In
token tiist they were to bs tount to-
gether for life. Then soma silk strings
were wound around the couple, now around
this one and now around that. Then the
groom threw Il handful o. rice across the
curtain on the head OF the bride, and tn >
bride responded by throwing a handful OF
rice across the curtain on the head o: the
groom. Tnereupon the curtain dropped.
and the brides chair was removed and put
the Parsee religion arose and faced the cou-
pie. 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 punctu-
ated his ceremony by handful OF rice,
which he picked up from the platter and
flung now toward the groom and now toward
the bride. The ceremony went on intermin-
ably. We wanted to hear the conclusion,
but were told that the ceremony would go
oa for long while, indeed that It would
not conclu lie until o'clock in the morning.
and this was only between and 8
O'Clock in the evening. There would be a
recess after awhile in the ceremony, bu, II
would be taken up again in earnest at half
past II. We enjoyed what W. had seen, but
felt incapacitatei for six more hours of
wedding ceremony.a Silently wishing the
couple Il happy life in each Others compan-
ionship. We pressed our way through the
thronS o. congratulatory Pirsees. All OF
them seemed bright and appreciative of the
occasion. The streets outside joyously SYM
pathized with the transactions inside.
We rode on towari our hotel wishing that
in ali India might be as much hon
ored as in the ceremony W. had that evening
Witnessed at the Parsce wedding. The Hin
doc women are not so married. They are
simply cgrse! into the coRjucal relation.
NAN. Vi lie ElS are lliiI L.cl sit th I
ten years OF a..p. ami som" OF them are
gran mothers u; thirty. They can never 20
forth into the sunlight with tneir faces un-
covered. They must stay at home. Al
styles OF maltre1iment are theirs. ii
they become Christians, they become
outcRsis A missionary tod me in ln-
,jia oi Hindoo woman who became Chris
ian. Sne had nine children. Her husbind
WIS over seventy wears OF age. An We. AT
IT, ~ hoe
she went ont 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 improves
ment on Hindoo marriage, hut Christian
is an Improvement on Parsee mar
riage.
A fel!ow-traveIer in India told me he had
been writing to his home in England trying
to- get n law passed that no white woman
could be legally married in India until she
had been there six months. Admirable law
would that be! If q white woman saw
what married life with Hndoo Is, she
would never undertake it. on with the
thick and ugly. veil from woman's face; On
with the crushing burdens from her shoul-
der Nothing but the gospel of Jesus Christ
will ever make life in Inlia what it ought
to be.
But what an afternoon OF contrast in
Bombay we experienced! From the temple
OF silence to the temple OF hiiarty. FROM
the vultures to the doves. From
to laughter. From gathering
shadows to cleaning lights. From obse.
quies to wedding. But how much OF all
our lives is made up of such opposites! l
have carried in the same pocket AM read
from them in the same hour the nturgy
Of the dead and the ceremony OF espousais.
And so the tear meets tho smile. and the
love meets the vulture.
Tins 7 hava csf bafore the best oil all tn0
religions of the heathen world, and havs
lone so in order that you might come to
higher appreciation OF the glorious religion
which has put its benediction over US and
over Christendom.
Compare the absurdi,ies and mummeries
Of heaihen marriage with the plain II wilr'
oi Cbristian marriage, the bands Joined in
pledge ''till death do you part. Compare
he doctrine that the dead may not be touched
with as sacred andvtender and loving kiss as
-ver given, the last kiss OF lips that never
again will speak TO US. Compare the mar