SELENCE.
TOWERS Or'
How the I’m-secs of India. “dispose of the
Bodies of Their Dead.
The , most unique and impressive
feature of Zoroastrian customs is their
method of disposing of the dead. Ac-
cording to their religion, earth, fire and
water are sacred elements, useful to
mankind and hence not to be polluted
in any way. They are strictly on—
joined that dead bodies shall not be
thrown into the sea, burner. in fire n01
be buried in the earth. Therefore the
only practicable course apex: 1.11 them if
to expose the naked bodies of thei1
dead in the open air, so that they may
decay and disintegrate under the or-
dznary action of the elements 01 be de—
voured by birds or beasts This ex
pOsure, however, is made With 1.-c con—
fident expectation that the corpze will
be speedily eaten by vultures, which
are numerous and voracious infiricntai
countries, and especially so 1.1 the vi-
cinity of a tower. of silence.
These towers, or Dokhmas, are not
as numerous as is generally supposed. '
Outside of Persia and Russia the only
ones in use at present are those in
Bombay and one or two in China.
Those in Bombay are located on the
summit of Malabar hill, a picturesque
elevation on the eastern boundary of
the city, from which a. magnificent
view of the surrounding country can
he had. The Parsces own about fifteen
acres of the hill, and have transformed
the place into a veritable paradise.
There is nothing suggestive of death
about the place. It is a luxurious
garden of flowers, ornamental shrub-
bery, palms, cypresses, bamboo and
other tropical trees, laid out with
smooth, well-kept gravel walks. There
are comfortable benches in shady
nooks, secluded trysting places and
fragranvt'corpses, where birds of bril-
liant plumage sing and mate.
There are six of these towers lo-
cated within less than 100 yards of
each other, and partially hidden by the
overhanging foliage of palms and syn-
rcsses. Five are used for the exposure
of the bodies of Parsees in good stand-
ing in their community, while the sixth
receives the bodies of. criminals and-
outcasts. The first was~ built in 1669i
and the secthd in 1756.
Each tower is about 30 feet high, 150
feet in circumference and constructed
of blocks of trap rock and sandstone,
cemented closely and covered smooth—‘
1y on the outside by a heavy coating of
chunam or stucco. A stone parapet
about three feet high. rises above the
three concentric circles of corpse re-
ceptacles which slope sharply toward
the central well and seem to be hewn
out of solid rock.
When a death occurs the body is-
wrapped in a white sheet and placed on
an iron bier. Within’ twelve hours
thereafter it is taken in charge by ofli-
cial corpse bearers; called khandiss,
and a. procession is formed, headed by
I
one or mofii—ifio‘bedsfor'Parsee priest—s,
followed by the mourning relatives
and friend of the deceased in couples,
each couple holding the opposite ends
of a. white handkerchief. All the par-
ticipants are attiredin new white robes
which are never worn afterward. No
carriage or other wheeled vehicle is
ever used and the procession marches
slowly, and in silence, from the Parsee
quarter of the city to Malabar hill and
up the long flights of stone steps to
the tower garden on the summit and to
a point within thirty feet of the par‘
ticular tower selected for the expoSure.
Here the mourners, mobeds and khan-
dias leave the body and retire to a. sa-
gree or prayer temple, near the en-
trance to the garden, where the sacred
fire, fed with sandal wood and incense.
is kept constantly burning. While
prayers are being said- for the safe
passage of the departed soul over the
“Chinvat bridge,” the corpse is taken
into the tower by two official bearers,
called nassasalars, who strip it and de-
posit it naked in one ”of the open re-
ceptacles.
During all this the watchful observer
will notice evidences of excitement
among the numerous large vulturers
perched among the palms and cypresses
near the tower. They utter no cries,
but move restlessly on the branches
and indicate plainly their impatience
to begin the feast prepared for them.
The nassa-salars having performed
their task, emerge from the tower, clos-
ing the door with a sharp bang. The
instant this sound is heard there arises
a loud whir of wings and a low roar as
of a fierce wind through a dense forest.
A cloud of vultures darken the air
and settle down upon the tower. In
from one to two hours the bones of the
dead man are picked clean and the
gorged birds fly lazily back to their
perches or roost upon the parapet ofI
the tower, with their heads turned in- ‘
ward as if contemplating regretfully.
the remains of their recent banquet.
The bearers, upon leaving the tower, '
retire to a small inclosure near by, re- ;
move all their clothing, burn it and
bathe their bodies thoroughly. Not
an article they have touched or that
has touched the corpse during the cere-
mony is permitted to leave the garden,
and they are supplied with new gar-
ments for each funeral. As these bear-
ers are supposed to contract impurity
in the discharge of their duty they are ‘
forced to live quite apart from the rest
of the Parsee community, and are
therefore well paid.
The bones of the deceased are al—
lowed to remain exposed in the recep‘
tacle from two to four weeks. Then
the nassasalars, with gloved hands and
implements resembling tongs, throw
them into the central well, where they
ultimately crumble and pass into the
underground drains. “Thus,” says
the Parsee, “the rich and the poor meet
together on one level of equality after
death.”—Moulvi Iskander, in Washing
ton Star.
.-. 2
A Daisy.
WEEKLY
“BRACERS” IN PARLIAMENT.
Mystery of Mr. Gladstone’s Flask Stil—l Un-
solved—Aids to Eloquence.‘
The House of Commons is a very
temperate assembly as far as intoxi-
cating liquors are concerned, but,
nevertheless, there is a. very frequent
and steady demand for pick-me—ups
during every session of Pariament.
As a. rule there are three occasions
in the life of a. Parliamentary man
when he requires the “Dutch courage"
which alcoholic pick-me-ups are de-
signed to supply—the first when, as a
new member, he timidly advances up
the floor of the House to take the oath
and his seat; the second when he rises
to make his maiden speech; and the
third when he retires from the House
into the cold shades of oblivion.
The pick-me-ups of Parliament are
not all compounded of intoxicating
liquors. Each member has his own
pet pick-me—up, and sometimes it
takes the form of an innocent lemon
squash. Mr. Jesse Collings always for-
tifies himself with one of these cooling
drinks when he intends to make a.
Speech.
In fact, the House of Commons is so
much impressed with the importance
of temperance that it is contrary to
the standing rules for a member While
making a speech to drink anything
stronger than water. This rule—tee-
totalers will be sorry to hear—is more
honored in the breach than in the ob-
servance. From the Prime Minister
downwards it is broken with unfail-
ing regularity.
When Mr. Gladstone was in the
House of Commons he was the prin-
cipal offender in this respect. When-
ever he intended to make a. big speech
he would produce from the recesses of
his capacious pockets a small glass
bottle with wooden stopper filled with
a mysterious compound looking like
vaseline or bear’s'grease. As soon as
this toilet-looking article appeared
everybody knew that the G. O. M. was
in fighting form. For in the “pomatum
pot”—as it was aptly called—was a.
mysterious pick-me-up for renovating
the voice and strengthening the lungs.
What was it? Nobody knows to this
day. Mrs. Gladstone used to prepare it
with her own hands every time Will-
iam wanted to make a. big speech.
It was believed to be a. concoction of
sherry, eggs and honey; but whatever
the ingredients they proved a. splen-
did pick-me-up for Mr. Gladstone. On
this lubricant he could speak for hours
at a. stretch.
"Do you object to haying a. sentence
ended with a preposition?” inquired
one member of Congress. “It all dew
pends on circumstances,” replied the
other. “When some people here got
‘ started I’d be thankful to have them
and the entire address with any part of
speech that comes handy.”-—Washing-
ton Star.
\Vords and Music by ANXA E. GUMAER.
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A Trick With Matches.
Take a. shallow dish or vessel of any
kind and fill it with water: secure a
iozen or so match-sticks and cut them
in halves. If you like, you may leave
them whole, but in this event I should
advise you to cut off the heads. Hold
a. piece of soap in the water at the
centre of the dish, and you will very
soon see the match-sticks hurrying
away from the soap to the edge of the
can. I believe match-sticks object as
strongly to soap as do some little chil-
dren. But you can very easily milleot
the sticks into the centre again. R.
move the soap and in its stead hro '
lump of sugar in the water. Have
you ever seen flies gather about a. pot
of honey or syrup? Well, in just the
same way—just as if they had the
same instincts as these little insects—
the sticks will float towards the sugar
tram all directions and fasten them-
selves to it. It is wonderful and
amusing to behold the attraction that
the sugar has for these inanimate
match-sticks. Looks like magic,
doesn’t it? But it isn’t. The oil in
the soap tends to spread over the sur-
face of the water and in doing so car-
ries the sticks away with it. The su-
gar, being full of pores, sucks up the
water and the little current thus pro-
duced brings them back.
_________.____.
Chlpl 0! China.
In the private schools of China a
teacher is paid about one half-penny‘
a day for each pupil.
The National Army is called the
Army of the Green Standard. It is
twice as strong as the Imperial section,
and is made up of a thousand camps.
The Imperial Army consists of Man.
chus, Mongols, and blue-ribanded Chin-
ese, and is 350, 000 strong, divided into
eight corps, with Peking for headquar-
ters.
Chinese brides, when putting on their
bridal garments on the eventful morn-
ing, stand in round, shallow baskets
during their lengthy toilets. This is
supposed to ensure them placid and
well-rounded lives in their new homes.
Hainan, recently annexed by the
French, is separated from the main-
land, like the Isle of Wight, and is
about 150 miles in length by 100 broad.
The separating chafihéi is called the‘
\
(6
GAZHT
Luichau Strait. and is sixteen miles
wide.
Country roads in China are never
bounded by fences, but are entirely un-
defined. While the farmer has the
right to plough up any road passing
through his land, drivers of vehicles
have an equal right, and they exercise
it, to traverse any portion of the coun-
try at large. ,
If a Chinaman dies while being tried
for murder, the very fact of his dying
is taken as evidence of his guilt. He
has departed, but somebody must suf-
fer, and his eldest son, if he has one,
is sent to prison for a. year. If he
has no son, then‘ his father or brother
gets a flogging. It’s all in the family,
and justice must be'administ’ered.
A curious industry in some of the
provinces of China is the manufacture
of mock-money for offering to the dead.
The pieces are only half the size of
the real coins, but the dead are sup-
posed not to know the difference. The
dummy coins are made out'of tin, ham-
mered to the thinness of paper, and
stamped out to the size-required.
There Were Others.
"Look!” she almost shrieked in her
rage, as she shook the paper under his
face. “Oh, villain, villain, I have
found you out in all your base perfldy!"
“I—I beg your pardon,” said the
young man, “but I’m afraid I don't
quite follow you."
“This is your letter to me.”
“Yes."
“It breathes the tenderest affection.
doesn’t it?”
“I flatter myself,” he answered. with
a complacent bow, “that it does.”
“It is ardent in its'protestations of
undying devotion, isn’t it?”
“If it was as I intended it, there's
no doubt about its being so." ,
"Look—look here," she hissed, "and
then turn your face in shame. Here
are the unmistakable traces of carbon
paper. This letter was manifoldedi”
. Almond Cream.
For almond cream blanch and pound
2 ozs. of sweet almonds, add to them
8 bitter almonds, pound quite smooth.
Take 34 pint of cream, a little sugar, .3
piece of thin rind 'of-lemon-peel; and
the beaten yolk 'of an' egg: put them in
‘a saucepan over the‘flre, let it simulat-
til! it thickens, stirring it all the-time;
take out the lemon-pcel,,,and‘ put in
the almonds. When nearly cold, add
3 dessertspconfuls of white wine.
Serve cold in cups.
Sentimental Miss: "Do you believe,
Mrs. Jawsnap, that it is always dab
kest before dawn?"
Mrs. J. (impatiently):
band. He knows.”
"Ask my hus-
A Secret .ilmld Bun-e.
A secret I have just found out,
I’ll tell you if you will not tell;
All trees. which bear in summer tim
Will bare in winter just as well. .
AN AUSTRALIAN CONTBIVANCE.
.. Warn ufl‘ the \Vomen During the Wool
of the Sacred Bora Dance.
(~o
.2 me men were handling a. little
1e of wood about the shape of a.
1111' boat, and four or five inches long,
.';:h a long reed kin-d of tail to it.
“What odd thing is that wooden
rat?" asked the guardsman.
“Wichi—wichi,” replied Warrigul.
Just then a native whirled one over
his head at a. dangerous gait, and sent
it flying out along the level ground.
The little nose of it bobbed up and
down, and the queer, oblong thing
worked its way along, with its tall as
9. balance, ata fearful rate; It ran
along the ground for sixty or seventy
yards. Others competed at the game
of wichi-wichi, until the winner scOred
over one hundred yards in the direct-
est line to the target.
Then they swung the hulawalla. This
is a fish- -shaped piece of thin wood tied
to a long string and swung around and
around by means of a. ion-g stick. The
noise of it much resembled the rear of
a giant bull enraged. The hulawala
is used by the tribesmen to warn oi!
the women during the week of the
sacred bora dance. It can be heard
three or four miles away, according to
the wind and lay of the country. Dur-
ing that week the |women must not
come in hearing of the dread instru-
ment, or they suffer dire agony to a.
sure death—Outing. 1
The Care at "oils.
The preservation of veils is an im—
portant item and a difficult one. Wind-
ing them over a piece of stiff card-
board is undoubtedly of some value
where one cannot have a. drawer for
their exclusive use. The best way is
to fold them ’on the width, as in oppo-
sition to the natural inclination of' the
day in stretching them round the brim
of the hat. A long box, like a glove
box, is the best thing to use, and it
they are neatly‘folded away each time,
will last a long time. Nothing ruins
veils so quickly as scattering them
carelessly in a drawer which is full at
other things.
Royalty Enjoys aJoko.
When in the country the Princess
of Wales delights in making little ex—
peditions incognito. An amusing and
true story has just leaked out about
one of these impromptu excursions at
Sandringham. Her Royal Highness,
with the two Princesses, had driven
a long distance from home in her fa-
vorite pony cart, and as lunch drew
hear they were glad to put up at a
picturesque village inn. The land-
lord had his suspicions as to who his
guests were, and after lunch had been
served brought the visitors’ book.
Whereupon the Princess, not to be
outdone, made the following entry:—
"Mrs. Wales and two daughters.”_—
New York Herald.
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A Daisy — 2.
Norwalk Chronicler