PARSLEY 



PARSONS 



785 



light (they are almost the only eastern nation who 

 alis tain from smoking), yet they never consider 

 these as anything but emblems of divinity. The 

 fires are of live kinds. There are also five kinds of 

 'Sacrifice,' which term, however, is rather to be 

 understood in the sense of a sacred action in- 

 cluding the slaughtering of animals; prayer; the 

 sacrifice of expiation, consisting either ( a ) in flagel- 

 lation or (6) in gifts to the priest ; and, lastly, the 

 sacrifice for the souls of the dead. The purifica- 

 tion of physical and moral impurities is effected, 

 in the first place, by cleansing with holy water, 

 earth, &c. ; next, by prayers and the recitation 

 of the divine word ; but other self-castigations, 

 fasting, celibacy, &c. are considered hateful to 

 the Divinity. The ethical code may be summed 

 up in the three words purity of thought, of 

 word, and of deed : a religion ' that is for all, 

 and not for any particular nation,' as the Parsees 

 say. Various superstitions have in the course of 

 the tribulations of ages and the intimacy with 

 neighbouring countries defiled the original purity 

 of this creed, and its forms now vary much 

 among the different communities of the present 

 time. There are two main sects amongst them, 

 as well as Conservatives and Liberals in usage, the 

 latter allowing many innovations resisted by the 

 others. 



For further infonnation, seethe articles PERSIA, ZEND- 

 AVESTA. ZOKOASTEII (and works tliere quoted), DEVIL; 

 M onier Williams, Modern India (4t\ied. 1887); Houtum- 

 Scliindler in the Ztschr. Deutich. Morfjenl. Ges., xxxvi. ; 

 Haug, Eissays on the Sacred Lantjmuje, Writiun*, >i ml 

 Rtlujion of the Partees ( 2d ed. by West, 1878 ) ; Hove- 

 lao|ue. L'Avetta, Zoroasln, et le Muzdfisme (1H80) ; and 

 DoMiMiai Fiamji Karaka, C.S.I., History of Ike Parsit 

 (2 vols. Lond. Ifi84). 



Parsley (Petroselinum), a genus of plants of 

 the natural order Umbelliferre. The species are 

 annual or biennial, branching, smooth, herbaceous 

 plants, with variously pinnated leaves. Common 

 Parsley (P. sativum), which has tripiunate shining 

 N-aves, one of our best known culinary plants, is 

 a native of the south of Europe, growing chiefly 

 on rocks and old walls, and naturalised in some 

 parts of England. The cultivation of parsley is 

 extremely simple, seed requiring to be sown annu- 

 ally in order to keep up a constant supply. A 

 variety with curled leaflets is generally preferred 

 to the common kind with plain leaflets, as finer 

 and more beautiful, being often used as a garnish ; 

 it is also safer, as the poisonous Fool's Paisley 

 (q.v.) is sometimes gathered by mistake instead 

 of the other. Hamburg Parsley is a variety with 

 a large white carrot-like root, cultivated for the 

 sake of its root, and much in the same* way as the 

 carrot or parsnip. To produce large roots and of 

 delicate flavour a very rich soil is required. The 

 foliage of parsley is not merely of use for flavouring 

 soups, &c., hut is nutritious at the. Siime time that 

 it in stimulating, a quality which it seems to derive 

 from an essential oil present in every part of the 

 plant. Parsley contains also a peculiar gelatinous 

 substance called Apiine. The bruised leaves of 

 parsley are sometimes employed as a stimulating 

 poultice. The seeds are a deadly poison to many 

 birds, and when powdered they are sometimes used 

 for killing lice. 



Parsnip (Pnstinaca), a genus of plants of the 

 natural order Umbelliferte, having compound um- 

 bels with neither general nor partial involucres; 

 yellow flowers, with roundish, involute, sharp- 

 pointed petals; calyx almost without teeth ; fruit 

 dorsally compressed and flat, with a broad border, 

 the ridges very fine. The species are annual, bien- 

 nial, or perennial herbs, with carrot-like, often 

 fleshy mots and pinnate leaves. The Common 

 Parsnip ( P. gativa) is a native of England, although 

 362 



not of Scotland, and is abundant in some districts, 

 particularly in chalky and gravelly soils. It is also 

 round in many parts of Europe and of the north of 

 Asia. It is a biennial, with angular furrowed stem, 

 2 to 3 feet high, pinnate leaves with ovate leaflets, 

 rather shining, cut and seriated, and a three-lobed 

 terminal leaflet. The root of the wild plant is 

 white, aromatic, mucilaginous, sweet, but with 

 some acridness ; and injurious effects have followed 

 from its use. Cultivation has greatly modified the 

 qualities both of the root and foliage, rendering 

 them much more bland. The parsnip has long been 

 cultivated for the sake of its root, which in culti- 

 vation has greatly increased in size and become 

 more fleshy. The flavour is disliked bv some, as 

 well as the too great sweetness, but highly relished 

 by others ; and the root of the parsnip is more 

 nutritious than that of the carrot. The produce is 

 also on many soils of larger quantity ; and although 

 the parsnip delights in a very open rich soil, it will 

 succeed in clayey soils far too stiff for the carrot. 

 It is rather remarkable that it has not been exten- 

 sively cultivated as a field-crop, and for the feeding 

 of cattle, except in the Channel Islands and in 

 limited districts of continental Europe, more espe- 

 cially as cattle are very fond of it ; and not only 

 is the flesh of cattle fed on it of excellent quality, 

 but the butter of dairy-cows fed on parsnips in 

 winter is said by many to be superior to that |iro- 

 duced by almost any other kind of winter-feeding. 

 The mode of cultivation of the parsnip scarcely 

 differs from that of the carrot. There are several 

 varieties in cultivation. A very large variety called 

 corjiiaiiie, cultivated in the Channel Islands on deep 

 sandy soils, has roots sometimes 3 or 4 feet long ; 

 but this is fully twice the ordinary length, and there 

 is a smaller turnip-rooted variety sometimes culti- 

 vated in gardens where the soil is very shallow. 

 The parsnip is used chiefly in winter, whether for 

 the table or for feeding cattle. It is improved 

 rather than injured by frost, but is apt to become 

 rusty if allowed to remain too long in the ground, 

 and exhibits acrid qualities after it has begun to 

 grow again in spring. The root of the parsnip is 

 much used in the north of Ireland for making or 

 fermented liquor with yeast and hops, and both in 

 England and Ireland for making parsnip vine. 

 A spirit is also obtained from it similar to that of 

 the potato. Another species, the Cut-leaved Par- 

 snip or Sekakul (P. Sekaktd), having pinnatifid 

 cut leaflets, a native of India, Syria, and Egypt, 

 is cultivated in the Levant, and is very similar in 

 its uses to the common parsnip. 



Parson, the incumbent of a benefice in a parish. 

 He is called parson ( Lat. persona ) because he 

 represents the church. See CLERGY, DILAPI- 

 DATION, ORDERS, PARISH, RECTOR, VICAR, 

 TITHES, CHURCH-RATES, CHURCHYARD, &c. For 

 the Parson Bird, see HONEY-EATER. 



Parsons. FATHER KOIIERT, the chief of the 

 English Jesuits in their golden age, and a man of 

 remarkable talents and achievements, was born 

 of respectable parents in Somersetshire in 1546. 

 When eighteen years of age he passed from the 

 free school at Tan n ton to St Mary's Hall, Oxford, 

 and after two years migrated to Balliol College, 

 where he took his degrees of bachelor and master, 

 and became a fellow and tutor. Here he twice took 

 the oath abjuring the papal supremncy, but he 

 never received orders in the English Church. His 

 enemies in college brought charges against him 

 which led to his forced retirement from Oxford in 

 1574. He shortly afterwards became a Roman 

 Catholic, and went to Padua with a view of there 

 studying medicine, but, soon changing his mind, 

 he set out on foot to Rome, and ottered himself to 

 the Society of Jesus, which he entered July 1575. 

 He was ordained priest in 1578. When in the 



