The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-01-09

ries about the democracy of the tombs. No
such things as caste among the dead.
Philosopher and boor. the afiuent and
the destitute must 20 through the same
sstower Of silence" lie down side By side
with other occupants, have their bodies
dropped into the same abyss and be carried
out through the same canal and foat away
on the same sea. No splendor OF Metropolis:
No sculpturing of mausoleum. No pomp OF
dome or obelisk. Zoroasters teaching e.
suited in these "towers OF silence. he
wrote. "Naked you came into the world, and
naked you must 20 out"
As Stood at the close OF day In this gar.
den on Malabar hill and heard the nap OF
the vultures' wings coming from tneir re-
past, the funeral custom OF the Parsee
seemed horrible beyond compare, and yee
the dissolution OF the human body by any
mode Is awful, and the breaks OF these fowl
are probably no more repulsive than tne
worms of the body devouring the sacred
the resurrection day can undo the awfu!
work OF death, whether It now be put out OF
sight by cutting spade or flying wing.
Starting homeward, we soon were In the
heart OF the city and saw building all afiash
with lights and resound1ng with merry
voices. It was Parsee wedding In build
ing erected especially Tor the marriage oere-
mony. We came to the door and proposed
to 20 In, but at first were not permitted.
They saw we were not Parsees, and that
we were not even natives. SO. very polite
IL, they halted Us on the doorsteps. This
temple Of nuptials was chiefly occupied by
women, their ears and necks and
hands adame with jewels or imitation or
Jewels. BY pantomime and gesture, as 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 all
was gay. Then there was sound OF an ad-
vancfng 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 ana the bridegroom
mounted the steps. Then the music
ceased, and all the voices were
still The mother OF the BRIDE
groom, with platter loaded with
aromatics and articles of food, confronted
her son and began to address him. Then
she took from the plstter bottle OF per-
fume and sprinkled his face with the re-
dolence. All the while speaking In droning
tone, she took from the platter handful
Of rice, throwing some Of 1t on his head,
spilling some OF It on his shoulder, pouring
some Of It on his hands. She took from the
platter cocoanut and waved It about his
head. She lifted garland OF flowers
and threw II over his neck and q bou-
quet of flowers and put 1t In his hand. Her
part of the ceremony completed, the band
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 the bride7" I said. "Where is
the brlde?" After awhile she was made
evident. The bride and groom were seated
on chairs opposite each other. a white cur
tain was dropped between them 30 that they
could not see each other. Then the attend
ants put their arms under this curtain, took
a long rope Of linen and wound 1t around
the neck Of the bride and the groom In
token that they were to be. bound to-
Rether for life. Then some silk strings
were wound around the couple, now around
this one and now around that. Then the
curtain on the head Of the bride, and tbs
bride responded by throwing q 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-
ple. Before the priest was placed g
platter Of rice. He began to address the
young man and woman. We could not hear
q word, but we understood just as well 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
the bride. The ceremony went on intermin-
aoly. We wanted to hear the conclusion,
but were told that the ceremony would 60
on for q long while, indeed that 1t would
not conclude until Q o'clock in the morning,
and this was only between Z and
o'clock In the evening. There would be
recess after awhile In the ceremony, but It
would be taken up again In earnest at halt
past u. We enjoyed what we had seen, but
felt incapacitated for six more hours OF
wedding ceremony. Silently wishing the
couple happy life In each others compan-
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 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 20
forth into the sunlight with their faces un-
covered. They must stay at home. All
styles OF maltreatment are theirs. II
they become Christians, they become
outcasts. A missionary told me In In
dia Of Hfndoo woman who became Chris
tian. She had nine children. Her husband
was over seventy years OF age. And YET az
her Christian baptism he told her to 90, 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
riage.
A fellow-traveler in India told me he had
BEEN writing to his home 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 bel If white woman saw
what married life with Hindoo IL. she
would never undertake II. Of With the
thick and ugly veil from woman's face. on
with the crushing burdens from her shoul-
derl Nothing but the gospel Of Jesus Christ
will ever make life In India what 1t 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 obse-
quies to wedding. But how much OF all
our lives is made up Of such opposites! |
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