Tombstone epitaph. (Tombstone, Ariz.) 1887-current, 1916-01-02

INDIA beats the world for the
number and variety of its New
Year days and this is so be-
&AXJ cause of the large number OF
races and religions.
When a traveller who expects to
spend some time in the country goes
to the bank with his letter of credit.
usually a card is handed him on which
is printed the various holidays. This
is for his convenience, so that he
will not let himself get out of funds
TO find ii closed on account of some
holiday. The holiday may be Chris
tan. Mohammedan or that of any one
OF the numerous Hindu sects.
When the usual card was given me
in Bombay, says a writer. l noted the
number of these holidays which were
ascribed to New Year. They did not
exactly bear out the humorous de-
scription of every day in the year as
New Year day, but there seemed
hardly a month of the Christian calen-
dar which did not have at least one
New Year designated. and in some
months there were more.
Kaleidoscope Bombay observes al!
these New Year days because the
stream of Asiatic life which circulates
through it includes all the civilization
and all the races and religions Of the
Orient. with some additions from the
Occident The spirit is one of cath
olicity.
All the races and all the religious
sects observe the New Year of the
Christian calendar. because British
rule of India is reflected in this day:
but they also observe the New Year of
the different races and religions
among themselves. at least to the ex-
tent OF knocking of work.
Whether in Bombay OF Benares, the
monkey temple has its throng OF Hin
du worshipers, and the Mohamme
dams often are not unwilling to share
in the observance to the extent of
foregoing their business activities.
The HIndus on their part are apt to
think it shame to work on Moham
medan New Year day when the Mos
lem population may be thronging the
Jumma Musquid mosque. So it goes
all round the circle of New Year holi-
days
There Is simple arithmetical meth
cd OF calculating the time from the
Hegira in the terms OF the Christian
era, but the easier way is to accept
without question the fact that such
and such a day is the New Year OF
the Mohammedan era. Similarly, the
New Year of the Buddhists and the
Brahmins and the jams and the Sikhs
may be accepted without bothering
about the calendar.
The British New Year in Bombay.
or Calcutta, or Delhi is much the
same as in England.
While the Christian New Year is
formal and stately on account of Brit |
ish authority. 1t has less standing than |
the New Year of the Parsees. because |
it is a single days observance, while !
the Parsees take two days. The year |
I happened to be in Bombay was the |
Parsee Yazdezardi. 1876. and the New |
Year days came on September 10 and |
IA.
On this day ! was afforded the op-
portunity of Witnessing the Parsee re- |
ligious observances, or Zoroastrian |
services. 1t was in the Ailbless Bagh, |
on the Charm road. Their churches |
or temples Of worship are free from |
pretensions without and |
within. They are more like an ordi-
nary hall.
In this temple the women were gath
cred at one end OF the room and the
men at the other end. In the space
between was stand holding a lamp /
with the eternal fire under glass. The