THE PARSIS 



pure ; but in this short sketch of the Parsis it is 

 impossible to enter into all these details. 



Naturally the ignorant and illiterate, instead of 

 following the laws of their prophet with reason, in- 

 troduce superstitions as in all other religions ; and 

 some may even worship the sun and fire themselves, 

 forgetting that they are only symbols of the Al- 

 mighty One. Unfortunately, very many of their 

 sacred books were lost or destroyed when they fled 

 from their native land of Persia ; the present ones 

 are of a later date. One more word though must 

 be said about their religion, because it is an inter- 

 esting point and peculiar to the religion of Zo- 

 roaster ; namely, to account for the good and evil 

 in the world, all of which is created by the one 

 God, they divide his work into two, and through 

 the agency of two spirits or causes he creates and 

 destroys always. Spento Marnyush is the increas- 

 ing or creative spirit, and Angro Marnyush the de- 

 structive spirit, but they are both part of him. 



In the same way man has a good side and a bad 

 side. 



The Parsis, unlike their Indian neighbours, may 

 only marry one wife at a time. With regard to the 

 table of the degrees of consanguinity and affinity 

 within which marriage is not allowed among the 

 Parsis, it is rather amusing to see they begin with 

 a man may not marry his great-grandmother, nor 

 his wife's great-grandmother ; one wonders why it 



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