Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1921-12-03
Stories N'Education
THE STORY OF DARIUS, THE
PERSIAN BOY, WHO KNEW
ABOUT ZOROASTER--. sv,.

"Truth, Courage, O6edaeRce.
Won know, when you come TO the
2 COW in your writing books, there :,
= Nothing. to write but Zimmerman
al" What a strange word zoroaster
soems TO YOU. ii one Of my boys
looks up from his book to ask me
what it means, say: on, ne 1 tho
an ancient Persian, and ne "ro1e .nJ
Zendavesta. You might nave hau
Zendavesta for your copy" H.,
Rut after have told that, neither
Won nor I know, much about him, 90
WEI And here lis this boy, Darius
who has heard Of Zoroaster as o1ten
as YOU have heard Of George WASH
;npton. and whd-almost every Day
during his boyh@,d learns some OF the
words of this great teacher.
Before l can Introduce you to TINS
Persian bows home, must explain
that at the time Kablu came down
To the Indus it. SEEMED asa al bal tine
mountain tribes were moved by one
great impulse to leave then h9IHes;
and iournGS Westward, down the
mountains. a.
plain poured the long line nt JTaNet
ers. For many moons you 'sm1gnE
have watched them cofhihg, AND you
would say: "The mountain land must
have been full If men."
But you mayireadily believe, that
these thoughtful people knew better
than to stay all: together when they
reached the plain. Southwark to the
Indus went Kabfu with his father
and many others. but westward over
the grand table-land of Iran went
others. And some, still more enter
prising, young people and strong,
longing for sight Of the great world,
pushed still farther until they reach
ed the shores of. 1.-THE Black Sea.
"What shall i've do now?" said
Deradetta, the leader of the land.
eve will divide" cried the young
men. "Half of, US will skirt the
shores to the north, half to the south;
SO shall we find larger lands and
make greater conquests. .
So Deradetta' led his band to the
south, and Kalanta to the north, but
before they parted, Deradetta called
them all together, and said: Perhaps
we are parting forever. Do not let
US forget the traditions of our faith
ers. Give us, o Agni, brave COM
rades, happy abundance, noble chill
dren, and great wealth.
Then, at the dawn of the next day,
Kalanta and his party turned away
to the northward, and !: peradetta
turned southwark; but perhaps, by
and by, their great-great-grandchll-
dren may find each other again.
And we shall not be surprised to
hear that when the family of Darius
reached the land of Persia, they
found people who had built towns and
even cities, and the newcomers natu-
rally feared that they might be
enemies.
AS they approached the, first vii
lage, a man in a long robe woven OF
wool, and with loose, flowing sleeves,
came out to meet them. Pointing to
the horses that ,the leaders rode, he
said Aspa, their own name for horse;
and then, noticing the sacred fire
which they carried always with them.
he bent his head reverently.
"Do you ALSO" asked they, "serve
the Father of Light and Life, and,
if SO, who has taught you to worship
thus?"
And the man understood their
words, if not perfectly, at least well
enough to COMPREHEND their meaning,
and he answered.
"Our fathers, many, many moons
ago, came down from the distant
mountains, bringing with them the
sacred fire. They taught US the wor-
ship of the Father of Light and Life y
And the travellers, overjoyed, re.
Piled
Our fathers, too, came from the
mountain land, and we are your broth
ers: we will live together in peace il
this new land"
Now I must tell you that the ear
Hest settlers had given themselve
the names of Modes, and the new
Corners were called Persians.
And ! leave you to imagine hov
they lived together many years. A
first the Modes We're rulers and Per
slams subjects; but, by and by, ;
great and wise Persian named Cyru
became king, and it was at that tim
that Darius, the boy of our story
lived.
And Darius had for his frien,
Zadok, a dark-eyed Hebrew boy whom
he found Ey the riverside one day an,
took for his companion, until the.
were forever parted by-but I MUS
not tell that now. must begin a
the beginning, that you may under
stand what Darius was doing whel
he found Zadok.
1 shall have to take You to tn
great city of Babylon,-a wonderful