But not the fiercest persecution could induce
the Fire-worshipers to change their religion for that of the
Koran. Preferring liberty and their altars in a foreign land to the
alternative of apostasy or persecution at home, the aboriginal Persian
inhabitants fled to other lands, settling immense colonies in Surat
and Bombay, where their descendants form in our day a large and
valuable element of the population. Their integrity, industry and
enterprise are proverbial all over the East; and while they live
strictly apart from all other races, the Parsees are never wanting in
sympathy and help for those who need them. Dwelling amid nations
who are almost universally destitute of veracity, the Parsees are
eminently truthful; surrounded by polygamists and sensualists, they
maintain habits of purity and virtue; and accustomed to every-day
association with those who make a boast of cheating, my memory fails
to recall the case of a single Fire-worshiper who was not strictly
upright and honorable in his dealings.
Commencing with the worship of the sun, and of fire as his emblem, the
Parsee grew into a sort of reverence for the elements of air, earth
and water. The air must not be contaminated by foul odors, and of
necessity no filth could be tolerated anywhere in house, street or
suburb; and to this reverence for the purity of the atmosphere may
be traced the absolute cleanliness for which Fire-worshipers are
everywhere noted.
Pages:
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283