Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1895-01-04
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIvINE,S SUN.
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "The Fire Worshipers."

| other false religions and has more allevIa-
| tions, and while in this round the world
| series have already shown you the worst
| forms of heath henism to-day 1 show you the
| least offensive.
The prophet of the Parsees was Zoroaster,
| of Persia. He was poet and philosopher and
| reformer as we'll as reigicnist- His disciples
| tbrived at first in Persia, but under mohRnl-
medan persecution they retreated to India.
| where l met them. and in addition 70 what
| saw Of them at their headquarters in Bom-
| bay, India. had two weeks OF association
with one OF the most learned and genial OF
/ their people on shipboard from Bombay TO
| Brindisi.
The Bible of the Parsees, or fire worship
| ers, as they are inaccuratelv called, ia the
| Zend-Avesta, a collection OF the strangest
| books that ever came into my hands. There
| were originally twenty-one volumes, but
| Alexander the Great in a drunken fit, sat
| fire to palace which contained some o.
them, and they went into ashes and forget
| fulness. But there ara more of their sacred
| volumes left than most people would have
| patience to read. There are many things In
| the religion Of the Parsee that suggest
| Christianity, and some of It's doctrines are
| are in record with our own religion. 70
| roaster. who lived about 400 years
| before Christ. was a good man, suffered
| persecution for his faith and was assassin
ated while worshiplng at an altar. He an
| nounced the theory, "He is best who is pure
| spirits In the world, Ormuzi, the good spirit,
and Ahriman, tho bad spirit. and that all
| who do right are under the influence OF
| Ormuzd, and all who do wrong are un-
| der Ahriman; that the Parsee must be
born on the ground floor of the housa
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 at their
| decease 60 into eternal light and the bad
Ae H. &INnkh hnx. x..y,Sp CnI
out of this life, the soul fingers near the
| corpse three days in a paradisaic state,
| enjoying more than all the nations OF
| earth put together could enjoy or in a
| pandemoniac state, suffering moro than all
| the nations put together could possibly
| suffer, but at the end Of three days departing
for its final destiny, and that there will be a
| resurrection OF the body. They are more
| careful than any other people about their
| ablutions. and they wash and wash and
| wash. They pay great attention to physical
| health, and it Is rare thing to see q 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 Chlnvat, where an angel pre-
| sides and questions the soul about the
| thoughts and words and deeds OF its earthly
| state. Nothing, however, is more intense in
| The Parsee faith than the theory that the
| deady body is impure. A devil is supposed
| to take possession Of the dead body. All
! who touch It are unclean, and hence the
strange styie of obsequies. But here must
| give three or four questions and answers
| from one of the Parsee catechisms:
Question-Who is the most fortunate man
In the world?
| Answer-He who is the most innocent.
Q.-Who is the most innocent man in the
world2
A.-He who walks in the path OF GOD an
| shuns that of the devil.
(Which is the path Of God and which
| that of the devil9
A.-virtue is the path of God an1 vice that
| of the devil.
Q.-What constitutes virtue AM what
| vice?
A.-Good thoughts, good words and good
| deeds constitute virtue, and evil thoughts,
| evil words and evil dseLz constitute vice.
Q.-What constitute good thoughts, good
words and good deeds and evil thoughts,
| evil words and evil deeds?
A.-Honesty, charity and truthfulness
constitute the former, and dishonesty, want
of charity and falsehs ID constitute the latter.
And now the better to show yol these Par
sees tell you OF two things saw within
short time in Bombay, India. 1t was an
afternoon of contrast.
We started for Malabar hill, on which the
wealthy classes have their enbowered homes
and the Parisees their strange temple of the
dead. As we rode along the waters eige
the sun was descending the sky, and dis
ciL.a ,,of Zoroaster, Parsee, was In lowly
posture and with reverential gaze looking
into tbs sky. He would have been said to
have been worshipinS the sun, 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-
blem of the warmth and light OF the
Creator. Looking at a blaze OF light
whether on hearth, on mountain height OF
In the SKY, he can more easily bring to mind
the glory of God-at least so the Parseea
tell me. Indeed they are the pleasantest
heather have met. They treat their wives
as equals, while the Hindoos and Buddhists
treat them as cattle, although the cattle and
sheep and swine are better off than most Of
the women ofindia.s
This Parsee on the roadside on our way to
Malabar hill was the only one of that reliS-
ion I had ever seen engaged In worship
Who knows but that beyond the light OF the
cum on which he gazes he may catch 6
glimpse OF the God who IS light and Sin
whom there is no darkness at a!l?'
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 Janshidii Jijibhai and is beau.
tiful with fovers of ail hue AMI foliage OF
all styles of vein and notch and stature.
There is on all sides great opulence of fern
and cypress. The garden is 100 feet above
the level of the sea. Not far from the en-,
:rsnae Is building where the mourners o.
The funeral procession go in to pray.
light Is here kept burning year in and yeai
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
long while. Four persons, whose business
il Is 10 do this, carry the corpse. Tney are
followed by two men with long boards. The
tower Of silence to which they come cost
$3.50, 900 and is twenty-five feet high and 276
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 for the men, the middle row
for the women, the inside row for the chii-
dren. The lifeless bodies are left exposed
as far down as the waist. AS soon as the
employees retire from the tower Of silence the
yultures. now one, now Two, now many,
avoop upon the Hftless form. These vul-
lures fill 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
they have taken the last particle OF flesh
from the bones. There had evidently been
other opportunities for them that day, and
some few away, as though surfeited. They
sometimes carry away with them parts OF
body, and it Is no unusual thing for the gen.
tlemen in their country seats to have dropped
into their dooryards bone from the tower
of silence.
In the centre of this tower is 4 well, into
which the bones are thrown after they are
bleached. The hot sun and the rainy season
and charcoal do their work OF disintegra-
ton and disinfectioD, and then there are
sluices that carry into the sea what remains
Of the dead. The wealthy people OF Mala-
bar Hill have made strenuous efforts TO have
these strange towers removed as a nuisance.
but they remain and will no doubt tor ages
remain.
talked with a learned Parsee abolt these
moruary customs. He said II suppose
you consider them very peculiar, but the
fact Is we Parsees reverence the elc mems OF
nature and cannot consent to defile them.
We reverence the fire, and therefore will rot
ask it to burn our dead. We revers snce the