The Saint Paul globe., 1898-02-14
COLA TALKS OF THE PARsEEs
Bombay fectu rer Occupied n Pulpit
in Minneapolis Yester-


A number of st. Paul people went to
Minneapolis yesterday morning to lis
ten to a most interesting yet unique
discourse given in the First Unitarian
church by DR.. Jehangier D. Cola, a
Parsee from Bombay, who is visiting
in that city.
DR.. Cola took the place Of the pastor
Of the church, and his talk was listen
ed to by a large congregation. He took
for his subject 'zoroaster and the
Parsees."
Tracing the rise and growth of 70
roastrianism in ancient Persia and
its subsequent history during the for
eign conquests Of Persia by the Greeks,
the Parthians and the Arabs, Mr.. Cola
said:
The Zoroastrian connected his religion
with all that was good and beautiful, and
not only in the higher realms of specula-
ton, but also in the ordinary affairs of daily
lie. Zoroastrianism teaches that the deep
est suffering comes from the 1ndividual--a
burden which is untransferable, and to the
Parsee or Zoroastrian moral evil is the root
of all evil, and the moral evil belonged to
individual man. He breathes in the pro-
found conception that the individual is only
attaining his true freedom and full devel-
opment by being a member of an organized
society, in which he takes his place as an
integral part Of an organic whole, by be-
ing pure in thought, speech and deeds. The
Parsee place in the social order, his life and
behavior. his duties and enjoyments, are
regulated by this simple rule which he
knows from long past experiences of ages
to lie at the root Of all society, for man,
as a social being, is the moral agent in
the struggle between Ormuzd and Ahriman,
between principles of light and darkness be-
tween life and death, between knowledge
and ignorance. The Parsee knows full well
that the acceptance of such an idea in
wolves a tremendous sense of personal
sponsibility. Our own definite purpose and
responsible activity gives the religious
character and makes us partakers of the
religious life. The sense of obligation he
believes heraldsI the formation Of moral
character. The first step in genuine con-
version or regeneration is reached. The
Parsees aim is to join this inward righteous
ness to the will of God or Ahura Mazda
meaning Living Wisdom). He lives and
breathes in this. 1t ceases to be a mere
passing experience. 1t is living, working
attitude of the soul, controlling the activ-
tiles and shaping the life. For, if there is
good to be done. he must stand ready to do
it. If there is truth to be learned he must
be ready to learn it; and the Parsee believes
that God is responsive according as one
meets his responsibilities to Him.
1t was in the conviction Of sin that there
was realized the idea of responsibility. In
the idea OF responsibility it reached the be-
lief in Freedom In the belief in freedom
it reached the knowledge that there ex-
listed within the universe power called
will. In the. recognition Of that power 1t
learned for the first time that there is
force which Is not material, but antecedent
to matter and Independent of its mutations
"a force which mechanical combinations
did not create. and which the dissolution
of mechanical combination need not de-
stroy. Finally from vision OF this indi-
viduai existence it reached the belief In
personal immortality-an immortality in
which the Individual should at once be
preserved and sublimated, lifted from the
dust Of earth, and intensified by the life
of heaven.
1t is because zoroastrianism Is the re-