The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1900-05-03
MOST PECULIAR PEOPLE.
The Bicycle Has Nearly Emancipatsd
the Parsi Women.

the Parsi Women.
The most peculiar people OF inula
nfe the Parsls Tor "Parsees," meaning
..perslansD, who feed their deau 10
the vultures upon the Tower or 81
lence. They fed 10 India from fersia
when that land fell into the hands Oh
/ the Arabs twelve centuries ago. 1neir
men are the first very singular persons
the traveller sees on board the snip
which takes him TO India, their sih-
gularity consisting In their long sal
low faces aud large eyes. their shiny.
atentleather looking. tubular hats anu
their long and ugly coats. They are
most numerous In Bombay. but one
meets them In other cities on the "Bom-
bay SIDE" and In Madras and Calcutta
on the other shore. They are the rlch-
est natives of india, and have mide
and still make money In trade.
They are the only Indians, who, as
body. admire and cultivate Western
progressive ideas, who treat their
women fairly well according to our
ldeas). and who permit their widows
to marry again. Their first rule oil
life Is to practice benevolence, and
no people do this more literally. They
maintain nearly two-score charitable
institutions In Bombay alone. They
are the only people In the world who
do not smoke, and this Is because they
will not tribe with fire. which Is sacred
in their belief. They never spit ana
they will not In any way contamlnate
the earth or water or detile the trees
and flowers. That Is why they destroy
their dead without burning the bodies.
They have no beggars among them;
they arc monogamlsts; they are not
caste-rldden Tor rotted), like the Hin
docs, for they acknowledge two classes
the priests and the people. They
keep New Year day, not only as n relig.
ious fete day, but, much as we do. as
a day for general visiting. Their wom-
en- are not imprisoned with their sery-
ants or otherwise degraded. but may
be met anywhere and everywhere TO
the same extent as English women In
India. So often are these women come
~, and SO beautifully arc they clad
In such soft and exquisltely colored
silks-that as one writer says, they
appear as hours floating about the
earth In silk balloons, with ballastlng
Of anklets, necklaces, earrings and jew.
elry." 1t 10 no moro than fair for the
Parsi men TO let this be rs 1t IL. for
they are the ugliest men that crawl
upon this globe.
An English lady advised me to go
and see the rich Parsl young women
riding bicycles on the road beside the
sea at 4 o'clock Of any afternoon.
What an ideal The bicycle has so rev.
olutionixed young womanhood In Eng
land that men who return there after
a short absence can not credit their
senses as they note the change In the
maidens and their homo government.
What will It door not do-in India?
Truly that understanding toy has
worked as much Of the change In this
swift-booted century as many of our
most important Inventions. II has
proved steed which leaps the highest
bars of prejudice, runs away with the
deepest-rooted conventions-even out
PAGES the plans of women for their
own emancipation. try to fancy what.
1t may do In India, but, after all, 1t has
only a few thousands of Parsls upon
whom to work.-Harper's Magazine.