The age-herald., 1901-11-10
VOL. xxx

~1 1GMIJND Krausz has lat ally re- '' N turned from an extend d +our O1 through the far Orient, avs the L~-~ Chicago Tribune. Amo ng the other Eastern cities he visited l bombay, where a lucky chance enabled him to secure most intimate informal ion re- latinR to the social and religious life of l the Parsee fire worshipers, who orm an | important part of the population of that l great Indian city. While 1t is not diff hcut to obtain some superficial knowl- edSe about the everyday habits md GUS toms of the Parsees, they are ex ceeding- ly reticent toward non-believe1 about everything touching upon their peculiar :, religion, and especially about the o6 l ceremonials in connection thereN with.
 Mir. Krausz however. had ol pm e. rious occasion made the acq, laintau ce and gained the friendship of ar [ infiue h. hnl member of the Parsee conn nunity of Bombay, to whom he had casr ally en- aered a valuable service. Mee ting his Parsee frequently in his home while in Bombay, and being much inte rested in the sui5ect, he succeeded In gai ming rom him most intimate knowledge pon m any subjects about which a Parsee as al rule never talks with a stranger.
 Expressing a desire to visit the cele- brated Towers Of Silence and Q WE tness a funeral there, MT. Krausz at first met with polite refusal of the l alter part of his request, being told that no st rang ever was allowed to visit he I 'arsee burial compound during the h ours when funerals take place, such priv slegt hay lug even been denied to the Prii ice of Walss while visiting Bombay Afi ter re- peated persuasion, however, \ Ir. Srausz succeeded in exacting from his friend the promise to make an attem pt grat- fly his desire. and this promis e WI IS kept several days later. The way in W hich 1t was done cannot be told by Nr. Krausz without a breach of confiden ce, but be- fore leaving Bombay he ems bled to watch unseen. from a good D. pint of van tage within the burial coj npo md the scenes he himself describes in the fol- lowing article which he has wri tten for the Tribune.
 Mir. Krauez's Own Story.
 Among the many picture squ types which the stranger encoun ters in the bustling street crowds of B Dmb " there are hardly any more inte testf ng than those of the Parsees. Alto geth IT, there about 80.000 of this race and religious denomination living in Ind ian, 45,00O of which nhabit Bombay. th e re st being scattered in the presidenc. of Bombay and other parts of India, wh, gre com nnerce and industry are la rgely control led by them
 The race has kept rem arkal ply clear of all mixture with other blood , conclu- give proof of which Is fur nishe d by the evenness of rscil types. ' 6ually of slen- der, medium figure and lig ht brt ,wn com plexion, which varies jus as often to a lighter as to a darker Ihade, the men gre conspicuous in the st rect 1ainly by their peculiar high and stiff headgear. This looks in front much like Catholic bishops miter, while the rofile resembles strongly the old Prussiar gren adler hell mets The material of flch f is made seems on superficial ob servati on to be black lacquered tin, but is in reality a kind of printed max clot impo rted from China. This head piece B calle "pagri" Below 1t, the Parsee inN fariabll wears a small black skull cap, and ne yer Is an orthordox Parsee seen | mcover ed. How ever, there Is among tn em small pro- gressve element repres ented mainly by the younger men. Thu B | m ct on the steamer Imperatrix, on the way from Bombay to Triest a yt Dung arsee who came to meals uncovered and W as dressed entirely according to I iuropea fashion while his travelling compaI lions, two middle aged men, altho ugh ID ot wearing the pagri, never dispens ed witt the black skull cap. They also wore the usual long black alpaca coats which they only exchanged for Europea n dres upon ar rival of the steamer in Priest. Two ladies In the same party al ways wore their national costume, even in P iris, where ) met them later again, and W here my self became an object curid sity the boulevards and expositi Dn grot lnds when