lie. , Lawson; spruce rw
warns AT soussv.
me... am l'lreWeeshipsea.
W at Passes W
any of
more al-
nd the
will series I have alreMy shown you
the worst forms of heathenlem today I
show you the least offensive. ,
, The prophet of the Parsees was Zoroaster
M Persia. He was poet and philosopher
,aud reformer as well as religionist. His
disciples thrived at first in Persia, but
"under Mohammedan permeation they re-
‘ leastsd to India, where I met them, and
in addition tewhat I saw of them at their
headquarters in Bombay, India, I had two
> weeks of usoehtlon with one of the most
learned and genial of their people on shlp~
board from Bombay to Brindisi. '
a Tenet as Faith. ,
The Bible of the Parsees, or fire wor-
shipers, as they are inaccurately called, is
. the Zend Aveeta, a collection of the
' drsngcst books that ever conic into my
hands. There were originally ill volumes,
hut Alexander the Great in a drunken fit
set fire to a palace which contained some
of them. and they went into ashes and
feraetiulness. But there are more of their
sacred volumes left than most people
would have patience to read. There are
many things in the religion of the Parsees
that suggest Christianity, and some of its
doctrines are in accord with our own re-
ligion. Zoroaster, who lived about 1,400
yearsbefore Christ, was a good man, suf-
fered'persecutlcn for his faith and was as-
sassinated while worshiping at an altar.
He announced the theory, “He is bestwho
is pure of heart!" and that there are two
great spirits in the world—Grimm, the
good spirit, and Ahrlman, the bad spirit-
and that all who do right are under the
influence of Ormusd, and all who do
wrong are under Abriman; that the Par-
aec must be born on the ground floor of
the house and must be buried from the
ground floor; that the dying. man must
have prayers said over him and a sacred
Juice giycn him to drink; that the good at
their docsasc go into eternal light and the
bad into eternal darkness; that having
. passed onto! this life the soul lingers near
the corpse three days in a paradisaic state,
enjoying more than all the nations of
earth put together could enjoy, or in a
pandomoninc state, enduring more than
all the nations put together could possibly
slider, but at the cm] of three days depart-
ing for its final destiny, and that there
will has resurrection of the body. They
are more careful than any other people
about their sblutions, and they wash and
wash and wash. They pay great attention
tophysical health. and it is a rare thing
“ to sccrnciok Pursue. They do not smoke
tobacco, for they consider that a misuse
offlro. At the clme of mortal life the soul
appears at the Bridge Chinvat, where an
angel presides, and questions the soul
about the thoughts and words and deeds
of its earthly state. Nothing, however, is
more intense in the Para!) faith than the
theory that the dead body is impure. A
devil is supposed to take possession of the
dead body. All who touch it are nucleoli,
and hence the strange style of obsoqulcs.
I'nraees on Virtue and Vice.
But here I must give three or four ques
tions and answers from one of the Pa rsco
onlechisms:
Quortlou.——~Who is the most fortunate
than in the world?
Answer—lie who is the most innocent.
Q.-—Who is the most innocent man in
the world?
A.-—iie who walks in the path of God
and shuns that of the devil.
Q.-—Whlch is the path of find, and
which that of the devil?
A.—-Virtue is the path of (lad, and vice
that of the devil.
Q.—-What constitutes virtue. and what
vice?
A.--Good thought». good words and
good deeds constitute virtue, and ovil
thoughts, evil words and evil doods eon~
stltuto vice.
Q.-—What constitute good thoughts.
good words and good (it’lidll and evil
thoughta, cvil words and evil deeds?
A.-licncety, charity and truthfulness
«institute the former, and dishonesty,
want of charity and falsehood constitute
the latter.
And now, ihe lwttcr to show you these
Parse“, I tell you of two things I saw
within a short time in Bombay. it was an
afternoon of contrast.
We started for Malabar hill, on which
the wealthy clauses have their emboworod
homes and tho Parsons their strange tem-
ple of the dead. As we rode along the wa~
ter's edge the sun was descending the sky.
and a disciple of Zoroastor. a Purses, was
in lowly posture, and with reverential
use looking into the sky. He would have
been said to have been worshiping the
sun, as all Hirsccs are said to worship the
,, fire. But the intelligent Parsoe does not
worship the fire. lie looks upon the sun
as the emblem of the warmth and light oi
the Creator. Looking at a bless of light,
whether on hearth, on mountain height or
in the sky, he can more easily bringtc
mind the lcryoi God-«st lesst,so the
Perseus tel me. indeed they are the
teat heathen I have met. They
treat their wives as equals, while the flin-
' docs and Buddhists treat them as cattle,
although the cattle and sheep and swine
eve battered than mostei thewcmen of
Ttharsceoutherosdeldecn ourway
to llalshar bill was the only one of that
’I hadever seen engagediuwor-
. Who knows but that beyond the
tofthesuucnwhlch hegsseehemay
catch a glimpse of the God who is light
3‘3".” yrhoin there is no darkness at
Where the Deal Lia.
‘ We pend on up through gates into the
announcer;
t .
”i gim'z Jamsbldii Jliibhel and is
beautiful flowers of all has and foil-
‘, not ell-siyiascf'veln and notch and
latest 2333‘ or '11 {Maui’s-VT
: . ’ ’ s
tell-st stave “swirl theses. Nov
heal the me a budding where
‘WI‘ I“
can , - ve these '
_ «he!» have not been needle"
. 5me whose business
this. carryiutheecrpse. They
. bytwomenwith loughssrds.
silence towhlohthcyeoins
l andietii ieet high and are
around and without'a roof. The four
carriersof thedeadand the twobcarded
Stir
gl
8:
9?
5‘:
E
i
i.
”it?
,§
§
of places for the dead—tbs outer rowior
the" men, the middle row for the women,
the inside row for the children. The life-
less bodieeerelsltsxposed a; far down as
the waist, As soon as the ernployeee retire
from the tower of silence the vultures,
now one, now two, now many, swoop
upon the lifeless form. These vultures fill
the air with their discordant voices. we
saw them in long rows on the top of the
whitewashed wall of the tower of silence.
in a few minutes they have taken the last
particle of flash ‘from the bones. There
had evidently been other opportunities for
them that day, and some dew away as
though surfeiied. They sometimes carry
away with them parts of a body, and it is
no unusual thing for the gentlemen in
their country seats to have dropped into
their dooryards a bone from the tower of
silence.
In the center of this tower is a well,
into which the bones are thrown after
they are bleached. The hot sun and the
rainy season and charcoal do their work
of disintegration and disinfection. and
then there are slwcus that carry into the
sea what remains of the dead. The wealthy
people of Malabar hill have made strenu-
ous efforts to have these strange towers re-
moved as a nuisance, but they remain and
will no doubt for ages remain:
Revenues For the Elements of Nature.
I talked with a learned Purses about
these mortuary customs. He said: “I sup-
pose you consider them very peculiar, but
the fact is we Parsees reverence the ele-
ments of nature and cannot consent to do
file them. We reverence the fire, and
therefore will not ask it to burn our dead.
We reverence the water and do not ask it
to submerge our dead. We reverence the
earth and will not ask it to bury our dead.
And so we let the vultures take them
away.” He confirmed me in the theory
that the Parsecs act on the principle that
the dead are unclean. No one must touch
each a body. The carriers of this “tomb
of silence" must not put their hands on
the form of the departed. They wear
gloves lest somehow they should be con
taminated. When the bones are to be re-
moved from the sides of the tower and put
in the well at the center, they are touched
carefully by tongs. Then these people be«
sides have very decided theories about the
democracy of the tomb. No such thing as
caste among the dead. Philosopher and
beer, the adincnt and the destitute must
go through the sauna "towor of silence,"
lie down side by side with other occupants,
have their bodies dropped into the some
abyss and be carried out through the same
canal and float away on the same sea. No
splendor of Necropolis, no sculpturlng of
mausoleum, no pomp of demo or obelisk.
Zoronsfcr’a teachings resulted in those
“towers of silence.” He wrote, “Naked
you came into the world. and naked you
must go out. "
As I stood at the close of day in this
garden on Malabar hill and heard the flap
of the vulturcs' wings coming from their
report, the funeral custom of the Parties
seemed horrible beyond compare, and yet
the dissolution of the human body by any
mode is awful, and the books of these fowl
are probably no more repulsive than the
worms of the body devouring the sacred
human form in cemeteries. Nothing but
the rcsuncctlon day can undo the awful
work of (loath, whether it now be put out
of sight by cutting spade or flying wing.
At a Wedding.
Starling honwward, We soon were in
the heart of the city and saw a building
all a-iiash with lights and resounding with
merry mime. it was a ‘l'tmaeo wedding,
in a building erected especially for the
marriage ceremony. We came to the door
and proposed to go in. but at first were
not permitted. They saw wd were not
Parsons. and that we were not even an-
ilvos. Sn wry politely they halted us on
the doorstcps. 'l'hls iomplo of nuptials
was chiefly occupied by wumen, their cars
and nooks and hands n-llnnio with jewels
or imitations of jewels. By pantomime
and gesture. as we hllil no use of their
vocabulary, we told them we were stran-
ucra and worn curious to see by what pmc~
was Parsons worn marrlod.
Gradually wo Worki’d our way inside
the dmr. The building and the surround.
lugs wore illumiucd by hundreds of can-
dies in glasses and lanterns, in unique and
grotesque holdings. Conversation run
high, and laughter bubbled over, and all
was gay. Then there was a sound of an
advancing hand of music, but the instru-
ments for the most part were strange to
our cars and eyes, Louder and louder were
the outside Voil‘l'fl, and the wind and
stringed instrument», until the procession
halted at the dom of tho ioniple and the
bridegroom mounted the stops. Then the
music ceased, and all the voices were still.
The mother of the briilcgmm, with a
platter loaded with aromatics and articles
of food, confronted her son and began to
address him. Then she took from the
platter a bottle of perfume and sprinkled
his face with the rmlolcacc. All the while
speaking in adroniug tone. she took irom
the platter a handful of rice, throwing
some of it on his he . spilling some of it
on his shoulder. pouring some oi it on his
hands. hlhc took from the platter a cocoa-
nut and waved it about his head. She lift-
ed a garland of flowers and threw it over
his cool: and a bouquet of ilowersend put
it in his hand. Her part of the ceremony
completed, the hand resumed its music.
and through another door the bridegroom
was «inducted into the center of the
building. The bride was, in the room, but
there was nothing to' designate her.
"Where is the bridal" i said, "Where is
the bridal" After awhile she was made
evident. The bride and groom were seated
on chairs opposite each other. A white
curtain was dropped between them so that
they could not see each other. Then the
attendants put their arms under this our-
tsln, took a long rope of linen and wound
it around the neck of the hridesnd the
groom in token that they were tchehound
together for life. Then some silk strings
were would around the couple, new around
this one and new around that. Then the
groom throw s handful of rice across the
curtain on the head of the bride, and the
bride mmmied by throwing a handful of
rice acme the curtain on the head of the
groom. 'l‘horcumri the curtain
and the bride's chair was removed and put
beside that of the game. Then a priest of
the Purses religion arose and faced the
I
The many went on intrinsically.
We wanted to hear the mansion, but
were told that the ceremony would so on
for a long while-winded that it would
not conclude until ll o'clock in the new» '
instead thiswas only between 'I and 8
o'clock in the evening. These would has
recess afterswhile in the ceremony. but it
would be taken up againia serum at
half part is. We enjoyed whatwe had
seen, but felt inwpacitsted for six more
hours of wedding ccnmcny. Silently
wishing the couple a happy life in each
cther's companionship, we‘ pressed our
way through the throng of congratulatory
Psrsees. All of there seemed brightaud
appreciative of the areas? The streets
outside icyously >sympst iced with the
transactions inside.
Werne- l- Kalb.
We rode on toward our hotel wishing
that marriage in all Kndla might be as
much honored as in the ceremony we had
that evening witnessed at the Par-see wed-
ding. The Bindoc women are not en mar-
ried. They are simply cursed into the
conjugal relation, Many of the girls are
married at ’f and 10 yearscf age, and some
of them are grandmothers at 30. They
can never go forth into the sunlight with
their faces uncovered. They must stay at
home. All styles of maltreatment are
theirs. If they become Christians, they be-
come outcasts. A missionary told me in
India of a Hindoo woman who becomes
Christian. She had inc chffilrou. Her
husband was over 70 years of age, and yet
at her. Christian baptism he told her to go,
and she went out homeless. As longas
woman is down India will be down. No
nation was over elevated except through
the elevation of Woman. Parsee marriage
lean improvement on Hindoo marriage,
but Christian marriage is an improvement
on Pursue marriage.
A fellow traveler in india told me he
had been writing to his home in England
trying to get a law passed that no white
woman could be legally married in India
until she had been there six months. Ad-
mirable law would that be! If a white
woman saw what married life with a
Bindoo is, she would never undertake it.
Off with the .thick and ugly veil from
woman's face! 0d with the crushing
burdens from her shoulder! Nothing but
the gospel of Jesus Christ will ever make
life in India what it ought to be.
But what an afternoon of contrast in
Bombay we experienced! From the tan
ple of silence to the temple of hilarity!
From the vultures to the doves! From
mourning to laughter! From gathering
shadows to gleaming lights! From obsc-
quies to wedding! But how much of all
our lives is made up of such opposites! I
have carried in the same pocket and read
from them in the some hour the liturgy of
the dead and the ceremony of espoueals.
And so the tear meets the smile, and the
dove meets the vulture.
The Glorious Gospel of Christ.
Thus 1 have set before you the best of
all the religions of the heathen world, and
Ihavc dunoao in order that you might
come to higher appreciation of the gin-
ripus religion which has put its benediction
over us and over Christendom.
Compare the absurdities and muinmcries
of heathen marriage with the plain “I
will!" of Christian marriage, the hands
joined in pledge "till death do you part."
Compare the doctrine that the dead may
not be touched with as sacred and tender
and loving a kiss as is ever given, the last
kiss of lips that never again will speak to
us. Compare the narrow bridge Chinvat,
ovorwhich thcdcpnrting i’arseo soul must
trumbllngly cross, to the wide open gate
of heaven, through which the departing
Christian soul may triumphantly cuter.
Compare the 2! invoke of the Zend Avcsta
of tho l'amve, which even the scholars of
the earth dimpalr of understanding, with
our lllblc, so much of it as is necessary for
our salvatkln in language sopluin that “a
wayfnring man, though a fool, need not
on therein." Compare the "lower of s!-
lonco, “ with its vultums, at Bombay with
tho (lrccnvvood of Brooklyn, with its
sculptured angels of resurrection, and bow
yourselves in thanksgiving and prayer as
you realize that if at tho battles of More
than and Sainmis l’crsia had triumphed
ovor iii-loco instead of Greece triumphing
over l’ersla, i’arsoclsm. which was the na-
tional religion of Persia, might have cov-
ered the earth, and you and 1 instead of
sitting in iho noonday light of our glo-
rious Christianity might have been grop~
ingin the depressing shadows of Parace-
lsm, a religion as inferior to that which
is cur inspiration in life and our hope in
death as Zormisu'r of Persia was inferior
to our radiant and suxmrhumau Christ, to
whom he honor and glory and dominion
and victory and song, world without end.
Amen! wwwwaw. , .
(iv-nerd Tchrrkoff Reaches Paris.
Paula, Doc. tit—General 'l‘cherkolf,
who was sent as special envoy tonnnounco
the admission of Czar Nicholas to the
throne of Russia, arrived here and was re-
aeivod with military honors. Thirty thou-
sand persons were assembled along the
streets through which i-ieaeral Tcherkofi’
missed, and he was heartily cheered.
Behind the Malls.
CINCMNATI, Doc. Menagerie '1’. Casey,
a clerk in the (‘ovlngton (Ky) poetoiiloe,
was arrested yesterday, and marked money
was taken from a decoy letter found on
him. lie couieasixi. it is estimated he has
fallen between 82,000 and $11,000 from the
malls within a your.
Village Almost Burned lip.
WILLIMIHI‘ORT, 1%.. Dee. lat—The ‘vil-
lags of Watsontown, in this county, was
visited by a fire which seriously threaten—
ad the entire town. As ltwae. it destroyed
the opera house, four dwellings. a large
livery stable. Faust's general store and
many outbuildings.
Canada Thanh England.
Lennon. Dec. iii—Sir Charles Topper,
on behalf of the Canadian government.
has issued aetswmeut thanking all classes
in Great Britain for the profound sym-
pathy manifested because of the death of
iilr John Thompson.
.., ._. . .. MW... .... .....
All Died with Their llouts on.
Dsavittr, KL. Dec. 8’4. - Mloajoh
, the despcvado. was killed at
Junction City by Town marshal mum,
whom be resisted. Rowsey was the but of
a family of seven sons, all of whom died
with their boots on.
Hotel Burned.
81m Anionic. Tea, Dee. Stu—The
Hot Sulphur Wells hotel and sanitarlum,
near this city, weredcetroycd by fire. Sev-
eral guest-had narrow escapes, and cons
saved any of their effects
mm Steam ripe ltiiiad he Isa.
amnion-“mg
;
Calendars
f Qelluloid Novelties
Booklets-
Wfiadi’es’ and Gent’s Handkerchiefs. “
Lawn. Linen and Silk. Fancy and initial.
Hosiery and G .oves.
A. Dickerman & Son,
84 wasumo'ron STREET. SOUTH Noawaut.‘ court.
Va 7' tine. Ware
Perl mes ‘
Ribbones;
HOLIDAY GOODS.
HOLIDIY GOODS.
HOLIDAY GOODS;
HOLIDAY GOODS.
Low PRICES.
Low PRICES.
, Low mess.
‘ Low Pl!!(2ES.
AT HILE'S.
IT HILE’SS
IT HILE'S.
IT HALE'S.
REMEMBER
The ileuneeilcui central llis la-
smacs 80., of iisrticrd,
will insure the life of a young man for sun»
for less than to saunter will sell him an en-
dowment for sumo :for less. than is a day,
payable to himself if he lives. and his people
ifhededouotnesloctto insure.
:S. S. l'llOIIEDIEO. lGEIl.
ill WiSlillOlOl ST.
HORSE gimme
WATER POWER.
Ifyou want your horsetelipped quick and
alien .
W. McQuhae,
58 North Main St"
'3 South Norwalk.
WAGONS.§_
”Maud”:
W. iii-cu. cc.
Prices to Suit All.
u
ennr Tm)"
!
In Carriages l have Buggies and Phatons and Canopies Extension Top Surries and Spindles andtlionaboutsdhsthle my
own make, and Fancy Traps and also the Brunswick Trap which is the finest Trap made.
hats and Lap Robesof all kinds, and the prices are right, Call and look at the Stock 1 have to show you.
WBIOHl’S REPOSITORY F0! OARRIAOES m SlEIOHS.
CORNER OF FilillKlll IND MlOlSOll STREETS, SDOlli IOllliilll. ODII.
..lrisiram ii Hyatt, Norwalk, can
more...
mi mm! mm“ Bum
FOB
SOIIIOS
AND fix
an lEilEilllj
Get my figures for;
work done by my ‘
Olliiiillm.
.1! .1! J
Thisis the kind at .
sleighs that I have b
stock. Call and look
at them if you are
thinking of buying
’ one.
.B
7.3 J
I also have Harnessesiaud: Bim—
The Leading Dry Goods Store.
Tristram & Hyatt,
No. 2 Gazette Building.
0?!!! IWGB UNTIL canes-as.
CLOAK DEPARTMENT.
We shall give each customer purchasing a Cloak or Fur Cape from now II .
Christmas .
m PER DENT. I OPEOIIl DlSOOllIT OF M PEI DEIT.
Table Linens and Napkins.
Table Linens and Napkins play an important part in the mt line and » «
prices will convince you that we are offering lpfflll inducements In thus .. . ,
All linen cream tabledsrnesk, at 25, 37}, 50 and a5 cents per yard.
75, 85 cents, 81. 31.10, 91.15, .1
All linen bleached table damark. at 39, 50. .
the above showa a wide rargeof pricrs, we «
1’5 r std. While . ‘ . ' W...
’wis‘b tread sites ties to our 85c and Cl qualiluze which are high grade . d!
dama~k, 72 inches wide. and are goods usually sold at 3i and $1.25 per yard.
lNaphlns.
' ” Bleached damask Na kiss, 20 inches square, at 75c.and Oi per-dozen.
5%.; 5 Belize at $1 25. '1 bill’, fl 75.82 and $2.25. Iargedmner Napkins which . .
housekee r will spprrciatesea prenat,esirs fine lush bleach, I use,» a.
d8,50,$lg;fl50snd$5perdoun. .
Linen Sets.
cloth and napkins to match in two since.
. no ,
NW]! W“ “9' m l‘ h ‘ ‘ pk". .ud 0M 'uk mam, .‘ “w, I
8:10 longed cloth and napkins.
.6 and to 50 per set.
8:12 fringed cloth and napkins,
plain and open work blfd m, at “Jo, fl.
and $7 per set. .
Towels.
Nice damask towels. from We to $1 each.
ALWAV‘STNWTHE LED.
14 [88. GOIIOUHD SOHO FOO SLOO
-:- FREE TO ALL. «—
Parchesrraof'l'ese or Coffeesthiseeekshssutlfulpictnrebcckeadels-
ih ahoutthepnfityofodrTflfldm
steadyiaerssse xmyhg‘wdtflhi (ill-“t1:
BUTTER - BUTTER - BUTTER.
m.wa-WW
(“alums
AND - NUTS.
Walnuts. “nib.
lined Nah. its. lb.
Ronni-103-
prieehsareseadvsaeeihalewdays.
nmmwllhiaweelasth
New York tracer! loan 1
‘ scum, summonses.
”on” as not cremation
} 'aswxoancm. ’
“I“ r
amnwm
Norwalk Chronicler