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About The Oregon daily journal. (Portland, Or.) 1902-1972 | View Entire Issue (July 18, 1909)
9 THE OREGON " SUNDAY JOURNAL, PORTLAND, SUNDAY ; MORNING, JULY : 18, f 1909. ..s . 11 mm Vultures Devour Bodies of :Dead Parsees, First Flap , : Dinar Winj in Faces of ; Houmers Religious Be lief Basis of Mode. . v . Hinduism, beautiful add pure in theory but all that Is ylle In 4 "' practice and debasing In its et - 4 fecte, will ba briefly reviewed ', by Mr. . Hagkln In- bit next,, article. He will describe the ro- 4 bust slkhs. the fanatical Jalna- 4 and the devil-fearing Anlmlsts, descendants of the aboriginal 4 race of Hindustan.. . . - 4 4 4 : ' 4'; By Frederic J. Haakln. Washington, ' July' 17. The Parseea are the moat distinct and peculiar , of the many racea which have their Jiome In India, and their religion la interesting as a survival of the early Aryan faith ' whloh held sway- Mi Central Asia when the lamp of civilisation burned brightest In Persia. They expose their dead to be 'devoured by Vultures, and the sacred fire Is the emblem of their highest de1 votlon. These strikingly peculiar cus toms, together with the commercial su. premacy of the raoe in Bombay Invite the interest of every visitor to India, - The Parseea are followers ofZoroa's ter and believers in the sacred writings of the Zend-Avesta. Their religion was founded 12 or 14 centuries before Christ, and,;wtth marty 'changes, -remained the preparing faiths of Persia aid Central "Asia until the Mohammedan mission aries of the sword overthrew, their na tion and persecuted their religion. Jn the year 717 a small body of Persian ref ugee fled to India, and were welcomed by the Jilndu chief of Baroda, It was then that they assumed the cap ahaped like a horse's hoof In token or submis sion to the rulers of their adopted coun try. They led a precarious existence,' however, and did not assume.: Importance until after the English established Bom bay, when they Were, given an o: ppor-Tiusl- tunltv to make use of their natural neas snrewanesa. ; , .y , ........ , Parses meana simply. "Persian," and la a racial name. -The (religion la cor rectly called "Maxdaism," and ia some times known as Zoroastrianism, irora the name of "its great prophet. The Zend-Avesta, the sacred book of Persia, was not completed until many centuries after the death of Zoroaster, and the Parsees look to the Hebrew prophet 'Daniel as one of their greatest teachers. Parsees stoutly deny that they are fire worshipers, despite the opinion of centuries, ana tne veneraiMj wmcn -tnay ' I'm .!.. WnMM.l .1 ..... . ' TtKa refugees from .Persia brought the - em bers of "the sacred fire - from Central Asia, and the fires now allsht .In the Parsee temples of India are believed to have been kindled more than S000 years a so. Accordlna to the tenets of the .faith.-' there, are two SQjrlts, Ahura Masda. or good, and Peva. or evil, which are constantly striving for the mastery. Their hone and belief is that Soshios, son of Zoroaster, will b reincarnated and that he will destroy evil, purify the world anil make Maidalum suprm. This brflef Is -a Iierl tags from the-Jews through Daniel. ,w . . Xower Classes Are Pagaa. Thev bulleve In heaven and hell; that ronductMn life determines the future state of reward or - punishment. They deny the' doctrine of reincarnation.- ex cept in the case of the expected second coming of Soshios, and they hold that dulv -performed -religious rites by - the living heln the souls of their ancestors to happiness. The elements, fire, water and earth. L are revered as -the gifts of the - good " spirit, and the sun, moon and stars are also held sacred. Tl.e more Ignorant classes worship Ihe elements and the celestial bodies as gods. The hlaher classes consider them the holy gifts of the suDreme good God. Fire, water and earth are held most sacred. In the order. Parity of Paitb -Maintained. The religion was corrupted by con tsct with Hinduism for many centuries, but about too years ago there was fresh Immigration from Persia and the purity of fait was restored. In late years, under the Influence of the ' occidental civilisation, there has been a movement among the higher classes to differen tiate the fire and 'Other symbols from the higher worship, and thin has brought ahout a revival of study of the ancient Persian, language; and a closer organiza tion, of the religious body of the race. . Bquare If en la Business. One thing must be said of the Parsees -their-morals are hlrrh, and there la no blemish upon the conduct of their lives in their family relations as father and son, mother and daughter,- husband and wife. The Parsees have a high rep utation as men o? honor ln business, they will fulfill a contract to the minute and the letter. But it is wise for the other party to look sharp at the time the contract Is sealed. . , . i ' la the "Towers of Silence. The body, whence -the soul has de parted. Is accounted lnr.pure and unclean. Therefore fire must not be defiled .by burning it, water must not be defiled by casting It Into the sea or river, and earth must not be defiled by buryinjr It. 8a the practice-, began, ages ago, of ex posing the corpses to lie eaten by birds and beasts.. This practice has been re fined and systematized, and Is now In vested with the strict ceremonial of ultra-ritualism. - . . The Towers of Silence In Bombay are the most Interesting i things to be seen In that Interesting city. They stand at the top of Malabar Hilt the highest point of ground on - Bombay island. There are five circular towers of from 200 to 800'feet In circumference and about JO feet In height. , Permission to visit "the tower compound. Is easily ob tained, but np one is allowed to go near er than the flower garden which sur rounds the House of Prayer at tha gate. Even the mourners In a funeral train may not approach nearer than this. Undertakers Are Aoeurssd. Men set apart for the purpose, de spised by their coreligionists as un olean, take "the body from the house of prayer where the mourners stand with their clothes linked -together In token of united grief. They bear the body on a litter up the Inclined plane which leads to an Iron door, a little more than half way up the aide of the tower. Only these bearded carriers of the dead . are permitted to. enter the Towers. -If any other person should" see one of the bodies or skeletons Inside, he --would be cursed with eternal perdition and his descendants would , share his woe. :' Sepulture by Tultures. Inside, the tower ; is wholly occupied by a circular gridiron,, sloping toward a central well, and having three con centric rows of niohes for oodles. The Inside clrcla la for children, the next forewomen and the outer - circle for men. - The body, earners piace ineir Dur den In one of the niches remove the shroud, and leave the body quite naked, Then the waiting vultures swoop down Trora the aides of the tower and from every neighboring' tree. In less than an hour, nothing Is left -but. the cleanly picked skeleton. That is permitted to remain ror several uy, w iu, mj carriers again enter and throw the bones into the great well at the center, where they are left to await the slow opera tion of the transformation of "dust to dust" .- . The tower Is roofless, of course, and for that reason receives the rain. The rain water la polluted by contact with the . corpses and decaying bones, and, being one of the sacred elements. It m, va MirifiMT- The towers are drained Into the, central well, and from thence conduits run qui in rour aifec tlons. onder the toweF walls the water Is filtered through several feet of char coal, and again, at the end of the drain, through a filter of sand nd gravel. Thua purified, the water Is permitted to return again Jnto the earth and the sea, pert" eotioa of Sanitary Burial. " Of the five towers Of Silence at Bom ba. one Is reserved for the private use of the great Jeejeebhoy family, wno built it-and anotner lor me use oi me bodiea of those who have committed suicide or who ,,have died unnatural deaths, , western opinion concerning wn method of disposing of corpses Is di vided, some persons advocating It be cause Of ItB .unapuDiea niury J" , faction, but most foreign visitors iooa upon it with repugnance. Even the burning of the dead on open pyrea. as is done by the Hindus, seems less re- VThBwhite towers of themselves sug gest nothing half so greWsome as the serried grave rows of a western ceme tery; the house of prayer Is a simple platform open at th slde i and .roafed over; the garden is beautiful with the flowera of the tropic and thetemperate sones; and there is nothing in the ap pearance of the place to auggeat any thing unusual. The asb of tae BoaTeagere, GIGilliriG lUIIIIEL SYSTEM FI1SHE0 IcAdoo Tunnels and Tennis nals at v Xew York Are . Worlds "Wonders. . i New Tork, July 17.-The south tubes of the Hudson, and Manhattan Railroad company, commonly known as the Mo Adoo tunnels, running under the North River from the Hudson Terminal build ings, Manhattan, to the Pennsylvania Railroad station. Jersey City, will be opened to traffic Monday. The entire tunnel system, from the Hudson Ter minal building to the Pennsylvania. Erie land Lackawanna ' Railroad stations, will oe completed ana ready lor operation on that day, but failure on the part of the car builders to deliver sufficient equipment makes it .possible to operate then only that portion of .the line from the Hudson Terminal buildings to the Pennsylvania Railroad' station. ' The opening of the tunnels and the completion of the $60,000,000 system, which has been In course of construc tion, intermittently since -1S73,. will -be signalised by- a fitting celebration. Jersey City will be the scene of the principal celebration. When the first train starts - on. its trip Jerseyward Monday afternoon with the tunnel' day guests as passengers 20 dynamite bombs will be exploded high in the air .over the Pennsylvania Railroad ferryhouse. Then every locomotive - and factory whistle In the lower part of the town will be expected to get busy and every ferry and tug boat on the river will Join In the racket. ; XCUtory of a Oreat Project. ; The opening of - the : south tunnels marks the practical completion of the MoAdoo system,- which has been fre quently adjudged to be the greatest and most costly engineering- feat of the century, as well as the most com prehensive trafflo arrangement ever de vised. ; The project for tunnels to connect New Tork and New Jersey underneath the Hudson river was first broached in 1874. De Witt - Clinton Haskln. a elvir engineer of California, who had been active in the construction of the Union Pacifio railroad,, drew the plans and made the surveys . at his own ex pense. Starting at Fifteenth street, Jersey City, 100 feet inaide the river bulkhead, ne oegan nis nrsi core. - une work was soon stopped by an Injunction obtained me uacxa. wanna by years railroad. later the litigation was A few settled But there is always the whir of wings ove. a sound which .banishes forget- fulhess and insists upon constant eon- It on until In 1880. when some 1200 feet of the tunnel "had been completed, the company failed. The work was abandoned for . 10 . years .until Pearson & Bon, the great English contracting firm, and Sir John Fowler and Sir Benjamin Baker, who built the bridge across the Forth in Scotland, became Interested In the project and took It up again. Two years later the com pany again failed. MoAdoo Takes It Up. The work was revived in a short time, but it was riot until William O. McAdoo, a young lawyer, took hold of the en terprise and organised the Hudson and Manhattan company that It was success fully carried on. The McAdoo system comprlaoa four tunnels under the Hud son. The two north tubes were opened last year. . And .while this network of tunnels that , connects New Jersey with New Tork, , and which penetrates all over'. Manhattan Island, Is a wonderful piece of engineering, the Terminal' buildings, the great structure Into which all of tflese tunnels terminate, Is one of the marvels of the age. The structure con sists of two buildings situated on Church ' street, from Cortlandt to Dey streets and from Iey to Fulton. The ' buildings are 22 stories, high above the surface' and extend 76 . feet brlow the surfaces of bed rock. - 'Beneath- - these buildings is located the. great -terminal station, where 125,000 passengers- will be discharged every morning during the rush hours, 'and Where a like number will taker the tunnel trains every night to return to their New Jersey homes.' ' largest Offloe Building.' ' The Terminal buildings constitute the largest office - structure in the world, i There Is space on the tt floors fori 4000 offices, and probably It will bouse more varied interests than an y other office building on 'earth. One thousand persons a minute will pass through its corridors all day long, or-600,000 ' per sons in the course of a day. . Aside from this floating population, the build ings Will have as permanent .occupants at least-10,000 persona. The great space beneath the build ings, where the terminal station Is lo cated, will constitute a veritable city in use If. Here will be the great con course, the largest to be, found any-, where, .' waiting- rooms. restaurants, lunch . counters, bootblack stands, and every .other convenience possible In a railroad station. The - great concourse will be lined with stores and booths where the traveler "may buy clothing, hats and haberdashery, groceries and hardware, photographic and optical sup plies, drugs, furniture, .automobile sup plies and all of the other, necessaries of Ufa w " v- ' ' -: . S ' , : - The United States annually exports more wheat -flour than all other, coun tries'1 combined, about three .fifths of tha total amount . , IRELAND'S VJHERE SUMMER DEIGIIS ; ; ', ;T '' . - - A'y- Irish-AmeTican - Urges At traction of Emerald Isle ' as a Tourist Eetreat . . is- By Thomas. J.' Curtayne. - i ' (Charter member of the Irish-American . Athletic Club and charter member ot the' "Greeters." ;fic w-'-v-- New Tork, July 1.-With thousands of Americans : beginning their ' annual Dilarlmaae to Kurono., the Question re news -itself. "Why do not Irish-Americans, inspire in -tourists a desire to visit the beauties of the Emerald IsleT From inquiry among visitors to the other side during my IS years' experi ence in the -hotel business here; '! find tnat a very small proportion or tour ists visit . Ireland. , Some of - them seem a bo to know nothing at all surprised at the Questions : put to land and the Irish, .ii, On the .other hand, aut Ireland as a aummer . resort. . and I have been tt the ignorance shown in ma concerning . ire- many have com plained of the poor hotel accommoda tions and bad railroad facilities that existed some years ago. During a re cent visit there I found, that all this had been changed. ' Not only In 'Kll larney, my native town, but, throughout Ireland, during my six weeks' stay, I found .the same 1 improvements had been mada everywhere. - s- ' "Where could' tourists find a' prettier spot than Killarney, with its beautiful lakes and soenery? . It is said that here "angels fold their wings and rest." This is what Americans never think of doing. Not that Americans have wings, although the people of Killarney speak of them as having these aids to flight. They refer to them - flying in on one train and out on the next. This cer tainly Is not the way to enjoy Killar ney or any of tha other beauty spots of Ireland. I have been Informed that many of the fine mansions situated near the lakes are untenanted, owlne- it is said to the unsettled condition of the land purchase bill This I should : think might be an Ideal opportunity for, the American - millionaire to rent one of these mansions for a season. Why not form an American colony at Killarney? . Glengariff Is one of the best known health resorts. -It-Is a beautiful rt where even tha coach horses rrt n,l only move after some little persuasion. . The scenery and historical interest . up the river Lee from Queenstown tu ' Cork and Blarney Castle will please the most critical tourist, . y Then ' there is the lace Industry, la which. every woman traveler is Inter ested.: -Considerable money appropriated dur ing the hard times In Ireland was used in employing men upon road improve- ; ment, and today Ireland has some of the finest coaching and automobile i roads in the world. -.-', I England has her Toast beef and plum pudding, and Germany " her beer an-l ? cakes, but nowhere In' the world no ! theV have the delicious mutton of Ire- ' land . It is only In Ireland, too, with all her faults, that they know how to "s cook a potato.. ; . A Wide Reaching Effect. From the Philadelphia ledger. i While- the famous insurance prosecu- 4 tlons are now spoken of llghily. It must f be remembered that 'they scared some ii people Into belnc good and others so far V away that their badness, ceased to be r annoying. - v $ 444 Another INTovl Hotel : at Seal mok m . X 1 1 . "KS'T'T Oa the .tip end. of the promontory shown in the picture above, a modern hotel is soon to be erectedr combining every modern feature. Chief among these is a suspension bridge to the rocks in the ocean, htrpon which it is proposed to build observation towers, resting and reading rooms, making this place the v Cliff House of tire Oregon Coast Is the grandest portion of the Oregon coast. It is the ''Portland Heights of Cannon Beach." Prices are reasonable now, AND BE FORE THE END OF NEXT SEASON WILL BE WORTH THREE TIMES PRESENT PRICES. Terms easy. Transport ation ideal, and it is the place for a summer home. Bead for beautifully illustrated folder desoribing property. , Oregon Land and Timber Company SUITE 21-22 WASHINGTON BLOCK, TH & WASHINGTON I 1 u 1 1 11 " m n , . ::: ri-r:' ;,; 11 i The Beach of Beaches ' Seal 'Rock Beach -50xl00-oot Lots $150 Worth Ten Times What We Are Asking for Them Only 100 LotsYour Choice While They Last REMEMBER i t ii SEAL ROCK BEACH lots are located, on the 5 world-famed CANNON BEACH. Everything i 4,1 that goes to make an EXCLUSIVE SEA SHORE HOME is found at our beach. Call and see actual photographsthey tell the story. Phones: U J. Uwen &C.0. Main 150 A 3463 ! Largest Beach Land Subdividera in the Northwest 4 1 4 Lumber Exchange, 2nd and Stark ..inn.nHii of the DurDose of this dread nlaoe.' Huhdreds of hldeods -vultures sit around the rims of the towers, form Ins a living border of black to the pure ..hit., in structures. The trees are alive with the great, ugly birds, and as ; far as ine eye can imejt vutum, olrcllns;,. clrclln.- . - When the familiar, cortege Is seen winding tip the long' road that leads to the top of the hllU the vultures, cir cle closer and closer so that when the procession has arrived within the com pound the whole tribe of Kreedy ocaven Bers lS'present.,,.-The moment the-body carriers deposit - the corpse within and remove the shroud, there is a mighty rush of wings and the swift work of destruction Is begun. .- n J',.'.: CanVSaa Xnto a On.' !7' : Strange- and grewsome as It tnay seem.. It 1 even -more pronounced whfn one drives about- the streets of the city and sees here and there a marble statue of some Parsee benefactor whose, body) was eaten by those very vultures, when fro sees a the bank or market or in the club a wealthy and educated man, a knight of England, perhaps, who knows that his body will eventually be faod tor those same waiting birds. Western poets have gloomily dwelt on the horrors of the grave. and the rav ages of the worm, but time and custom have softened those dread pictures. The living-do not see the, grave worm at his work, but the vulture swoops down upon his prey In the open light. ' Whatever one may think of the tawar of allonre and Ita company of black feathered, sharp beaked- watchera, a visit to the place la something never. to b -forgotten. ; BALLINGER TO . : - VISIT MALHEUR ( Wnnhtnrtnn Burets of The Jonrnil.) Washington, July 17. Secretary Bal linger has wired Senator Bourne from Brattle that be will personally Inspect the Malheur Irrigation project In east ern Oregon, He will make tha inspection about two weeks hence. Camp Onifi This S iimsiicr rasa prlV" TRADE MARK Wild Pigeon Springs . j 7 Mineral .Water v . . 7.' : r . ,.- i ', - ; ... . .' A senu'ine mineral water served to you direct as It comes from the rock. A. great kidney remedy. . It camplnr lieges, wood and water. Plenty of fiah and hunting. " Transporta tion Inexpensive. We want you to visit WILD 7 PIGEON 7 MINERAL SPRINGS : the place where the Wild Pigeon Springs Mineral Water comes from, and test . Its me dlcinaf properties Aa Ideal sammer outing with practically no ex pense. ... . WHERE IT IS--Wlld Pigeon Springs, is sit uated In Cowllts coun ty, Washington, right on the Kalama fiver, 80 . miles up In , the mountain east of Ka lama, Washington.. . "has cured diabetes when the case-has been given up HOW TO GET THERE by thre prominent physicians. , "ulcers of thestom- , Fare from Portland ch and bowels are cured by this water, and.it is -to Kalama 75c, round nature's own.ure for constipation.- A blood purl- trip from Kalama v-to fteras teall as a laxatlr- Try -it -for any kind of- Springs, return4 when skin disease and note tha, beneficial effect. . Write you please, including for further particulars. " f -., -rx t 100 lbs. baggage, 6. . 7 i-,.-7 77. ronTtrTHx nmsauinbv 'ttPaw 7.-.y Wild Pigeon Springs Mineral Water Co. - 148 ASK MX. FHOITES KAXV 8633. A-&032, , VOMTXJiWB, O. ' '77,:'; .---V'7'7' " - 7."... 7: ?:7' y-: 7..;.; .7 EeQfleiP TBnaiim Qltae WafldldDiPil 1 . A tent in the open, a happy combination of salt air, salt water and an ,' enjoyment for the good" things of life and you have, tent life at COLUM--BIA BEACH. IT'S GREAT, BOYS! And, say, who ever heard of a tent equipped with four beds, blankets, good mattresses, pillows, pillow slips, sheets, mirror, wardrobe, four; chairs, two wasfy bowls, water pitcher, towels, lamp, table, camp stool, tea'kettle, dishpan, saucepans, frying pans, . 7 . . plates, coffee pot, cups and saucers, knives, forks and spoons? Did you ever in all your life! There's enough in each tent to 'start housekeeping" in-"" a ten-room house, and enough tents to accommodate everybody. Provi sions are to be had right on the beach' groceries, meats, etc. Our canvas ' home overlooks the beautiful Neacoxie Creek, and is set up in the midst of a restful grove of firs. For what else could we wish ? 7,- All of this is introductory to the fact that COLUMBIA BEACH is en tertaining its visitors in regal style these days. We're giving them a good - time, and they're" all happy they're coming back again next year. Tent life at a cost of $5 a week is better than the Waldorf-Astoria as the guest of John D. Furnished cottages may be had at $10 per week, or .hotel accommodations at moderate rates. And How Do We Get to GMiiJiiMMai We don't-walk"7-weonrt take a stage we don't go by pack train ' nor do we fly, for if we'did we could probably find an air route at a less dis tance.' We ride the cushions all the way, as representative and likewise respected. American citizens should do. .7 COLUMBIA BEACH is on a railroad operating six trains daily. The Astoria & Columbia River Railroad puts us down at the front door, where we get our first taste of COLUMBIA .BEACH hospitality. Dur- ing pur stay we enjoy a glorious round of pleasures black bass fishing, ca- ' " , noeing", digging clams and catching crabs, etc. ' . ' ' ' 7 - Let's4 take the trip, then all of us. It is enjoyable, and the pleasures of "7 a week at the beach are many, and tent life is a' real pleasurethat must, be 7 7".tried''at'the inbst ideaof ideal resorts' to be fully. appreciated," ' . crRRHiurr STA3ID CA1TNONJ BEACJi eoNSEtrJ f EACH . .XW , 1 g f . 1 v. " Tf . JSk,etr. rwflaQTOMi r ...... ,, Ml S V" B I 1 v a 1 m rr TILLAMOOK VAWHII.I. J" ' ' tYTLE BAT OCCAM. TO1 I '7;84'-F6unTEl STREET : Board ot Trade Bui'ulr.rj