Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1895-01-04


he tower ana put in the we'll at the center.
hey are touched carefully by tonSs. Then
hose people besides have very cacided theo-
les about the democracy OF the tom5s. No
Iuch things as caste among the dead.
Philosopher and boor, the afluent and
he destitute must so through the same
''tower OF silence lie down side by side
with other occupants, have their hoiies
dropped into the same abyss and be carried
out through the same canal and float away
on the same sea. No splendor OF Metropolis.
No sculpturing OF mausoleum. No pomp OF
dome or obeiisk. Zoroasters teaching re-
suited in these ''towers of silence" He
wrote, NAKED you came into the world, ,and
naked you must so out"
As stood at tho closs OF day In this gar
den on Malabar hill md heari the dap OF
the vultures' wings coming from their re-
past, the funeral custom OF tho Parses
seemed horrible beyond compare, and yet
the dissolution OF the human body by any
mode Is awful, and the breaks of these fowl
are probably no more repulsive than the
worms of the body devouring the sacred
human form in cemeteries. Nothing but
the resurrection day can undo the awful
work of death, whether il now be put out OF
sight by cutting spade or flying wing.
Starting homewari. we soon were IN the
heart OF the city and saw q building all ahash
with lights and resouuding with merry
voices. 1t was a Parsee wedding in build
ing erected especially tor the marriage cere-
mony. We came TO the door and proposel
to go in. but at first were not permitted.
They saw We were not Parsees, anu tha'
we were not even natives. SO, very polite
IL, they halted US on the doorSteps This
temple of nuptlals was chiefly occupied by
women, their ears and necks anu
hands afame with jewels or imitation o.
jewels. By pantomine AMI gesture, ns We
had no use OF their vocabulary We told them
we were strangers and were curious to see
by what process Parsees were married.
Gradually We worked our way inside the
door. The building and the surround
ings were illumined by hundreds OF can
dies in glasses and lanterns. IN unique
and grotesque holdings. Conversation ran
high, and laughter bubbled over, and au
was CAV Then there was n sound OF an ad-
vancing band of music, but the Instruments
for the most part were strange to our ears
and eyes. Louder and louder were the out
side voices andthe wind and stringed instru-
ments, until the procession halted at the
door OF the temple and tho bridegroom
mounted the steps. Then the music
ceased, AMI all the voices were
still The mother OF the bride
groom, with platter loaded with
aromatics and articles of fool, confronted
her son and began to address him. Then
she took from the platter u bottle Of per-
fume and sprinklet his face with the re-
dolence. All the while speaking in drontnS
tone, she took from tho platter handful
OF rice, throwing some OF 1t on his head,
sp.lling some OF it on his shoulder, pouring
some of it on his hands. She took from the
platter a cocoanut and waved il about his
head. She lifted a garland OF flowers
and threw it over his neck and n bou-
quet Of flowers and put Il in his hand. Her
part Of the ceremony completed, the band
resumed its music, and through another
door the bridegroom was conducted into tho
center ofthe building. The bride was In
the room, but there was notLingt TO designate
her.
"Whero is the bride?" I said. "Whore is
the bride?" After awhile she was made
evident. The bride and groom were seated
On chairs opposite each other. Awhito cur
tain was dropped between them so that they
could not see each other. Then the attend
ants put their AIMS Under this curtain, took
a long rope of linen and wound it around
the neck of the bride and the groom in
token that they were to be hound to-
gether for life Then some silk strings
were wound around the couple, now around
this one and now around that. Then the
groom threw a handful OF rice across the
curtain on the head of the bride, and tha
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 priest OF
the Parsee religion arose and faced the cou-
pie. Before the priest was placed a
young man and woman. We could not hear
a word, but we understood just as we'll as II
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 10 hear the conclusion,
but were told that the ceremony would go
on for q long while, indeed that Ii would
not conclude until O'Clock in the morning,
and this was only between and
o'clock In the evening There would be
recess after awhile in the ceremony, but 1t
would be taken up again in earnest at half
past IL. We enjoyed what we bad seen, but
felt incapacitated for six more hours OF
wedding ceremony. Silently wishing the
couple happy life in each others conpan-
ionship, we pressed our way through the
throng OF congratulatory Parsees. All Of
them seemed bright and appreciative OF the
occasion. The streets outside joyously SYM
pathized with the transactions inside.
We rode on toward our hotel wishing that
marriage in all India might be as much hon
ored as In the ceremony we had that evening
witnessed at the Parsee wedding. The Hin
doc women are not 30 married. They are
simply cursed into the oDjugal relation.
Many of the girls are married at seven and
ten years of age, and come OF them are
grandmothers at thirty. They can never go
forth into the sunlight with their faces un-
covered. They must stay at home. All
styles Of maltreatment arc theirs. II
they become Christians, they become
outcasts. A missionary tod me In In
dia of Hindoo woman VINO became Chris
tian. She had nine children. Her husband
was over seventy years 81 age. Aud yet at
her Christian baptism he told her to go, 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 improve
ment On Hindoo marriage, but Christian
marriage is an improvement on Parsee mar
rfage.
A fellowtraveler In India told me he had
been writing to his homo In England trying
TO get 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 white woman saw
what married life with a Hindoo IL. she
would never undertake 1t. Of with the
thick and ugly veil from woman's face. on
with the crushing burdens from her stoul-
der Nothing but the gospel OF Jesus Christ
will ever make life in In Tia what II ought
to be-
But what an afternoon OF contrast In
Bombay we experienced From the temple
Of silence TO the temple OF hilariy. From
the vultures to the doves. From
mourning to laughter. From gathering
shadows to cleaning lights. From obse-
quies 10 wedding. But how much OF all
our lives Is made up OF such opposites! l
have carried In the same pocket and read
from them In the same nour the liturgy
of the dead and the ceremony OF espousais.
And so the tear meets the smile, and the
dove meets the vulture.
Thus have set before the best OF all the
religions oftee heathen world, and have
done so in order that you might come to
higher appreciation Of the glorious religion
which has put It's benediction over Us and
over Cbristendom.
Compare the atsurdities and munmeries
OF heather marriage with the plain II will'
OF Christian marriage, the hands Joined In
pledge "tilI death do you part" Compare
the doctrine that the dead may not be touched
with as sacred al offender aI1t loving kiss as
ever given, the LIST kiss OF lips that never
again will speak to us. Compare the mar.
row bridge Chinvat over watch the de-
parting Parsee soul must tremblingly
cross to the wide open gate OF
heaven through which the departing Chris