October 1, 1887.] 



♦ KNOVSTLEDGE ♦ 



269 



woiild thus be 2,020 feet, whicli I believe to be correct. 

 Apropos to cloud scenery. I am .sure that, like myself, you 

 have often from deck or shore stood entranced at the 

 glorious and ever-changing piles of cumulus heaped on the 

 horizon. That grand old sufferer, Job, was asked — " Can 

 finii understand the spreadings of the clouds? " 



Can any one stand on the seashore, or on the deck of a 

 shi]) at sea, and watch on the horizon tlie piled-up and ever- 

 changing masses of snowy cumulus cloud, here assuming 

 grotesque forms, there stretching away into illimitable vistas, 

 as if forming approaches to " the plains of Heaven," with- 

 out wondering at the mysterious character of those glorious 

 dissolving views ? Can any one watch uninterested the 

 delicate and feathery forms of the cirrhus cloud, which 

 every moment changes and a.ssumes new beauties, ap- 

 parentl)' without an etfort ] Can anyone g.Tze unmoved 

 upon the dark and lowering nimbus as it approaches in 

 solemn grandeur, its dark recesses lit up by fitful lightning 

 flashes 1 Can any one watch the awful warfare of struggling 

 clouds in the cyclone, when the might of Him who makes 

 the clouds His chariot, and walketh upon the wings of the 

 wind, is most manifestly displayed in connection with the 

 utter helplessness of man, and answer this question 1 Can 

 any one gaze rapturously upon a rising or setting sun, 

 lighting up the surrounding clouds with glorious eflulgence, 

 or painting them with tints most gorgeous, and then under- 

 stand the "spreadings of the clouds"? What would you 

 not give to witness again the following sight : — " Did you 

 notice the wonderful atmospheric effects that were visible at 

 Madras last Thursday 1 (July 18, 1872.) I think I never 

 saw anything more beautiful, or anything more lifelike. 

 For an hour or two the city, situated upon a flat plain, was 

 surrounded by mountains as lofty and scenery as grand as 

 any that Scotland, or even Switzerland, could boast of. The 

 city was surrounded by a bank of clouds that formed a 

 magnificent girdle of mountains — some black and frowning, 

 others snow-clad, whose 



Kooky summits, split and rent, 



Formed turret, dome, and battlement 



Or seemed fantastically set 



With cupola or minaret ; 



With crest as paged ever decked, 



Or mosque of eastern architect. 



Going towards this magnificent pile of cloud-mountains was 

 like entering a pass ; and, further on, the snow-clad peaks 

 made me believe myself back in times long gone by, when, 

 with alpenstock in hand, I crossed the Bernese Oberland, 

 and looked up with eyes dimmed with delight at the glorious 

 Jungfrau." 



FIRE-WOBSHIP.* 



OTWITHSTANDING long pei-secutions, 

 which have continued over one thousand 

 years, and only now are beginning to relax, 

 and permit the Fire- Worshippers of Persia 

 to worship there unmolested, a small, stead- 

 fast band has always remained in that land, 

 preser-\ang the faith of their fathei-s and 

 their rites and ceremonials unchanged. 



In I'ersia they are called Guebres. This is simply a cor- 

 ruption of the Arabic term Kaffir, which means an heretic, 

 an unbeliever. In time it has become a word of contumely 

 and scorn. 



Although so few in numbers, yet the Guebres are a most 



* From an article by Mr. S. G. W. Benjamin in the Youth's 

 Companion. 



interesting community, for in them we see the old Persian 

 stock of the days of Cyrus and Xerxes unmixed with any 

 other race ; while the religion they practise is that whicli 

 was introduced into Persia, or perfected by the f;\mous 

 Zoroaster, or Zerduseht, who lived at least twenty-five 

 centuries ago. 



Zoroaster was born in the northern province, called both 

 then and now Azerbaijan; 'this name means the region of 

 fire, and it may have been so called because the religion 

 whose distinctive doctrine is supposed to be the woi-ship of 

 fire had its origin there. It is only just to state that 

 intelligent Guebres repudiate this doctrine. They assert that 

 it is a mistake to call them Fire-Worshippers. They say 

 that fire is to them not an object of worship, but only a 

 .symbol of the beneficent Oromasd, or good God, who is 

 clear and radiant and pure, like the glow of the rising sun 

 or the flames of fire, and that it is tbi-ough the symbol that 

 they adore the good Spirit. 



This may be true of the more intelligent followers of the 

 doctrines of Zoroaster; but there is no doubt that the 

 ignorant classes believe that light and fire are real emana- 

 tions of God, and worship them as such. Fire is by them 

 held so sacred th.at they never smoke tobacco, and for that 

 reason it is not by them considered courteous to use the 

 weed in the presence of a host or guest who is a Guebre. 



In every household of the Guebres fire kindled from the 

 sacred flame at the new year is kept bm-ning the entire 

 year. That is the purpose they follow ; but whether they 

 always succeed in preventing the fire from being extin- 

 guished is doubtful. 



The Guebres have many peculiar doctrines and customs. 

 One of these is the use of yellow in their garb ; another 

 concerns the theory of immortality. They maintain that 

 there are two principles, the good and the evil, which they 

 call Oromusdao and Ahrimasdao. The ancient Greeks 

 corrupted these names to Ormusd and Ahriman. These 

 two principles, or influences, fight for the mastery through 

 the ages, seeking to win possession of the soul of man. 



The new year is called by the Guebres the No Eooz, or 

 New Day. It comes at the time when the sun crosses the 

 line in March, Their traditions state that this festival was 

 ordained by their great legendar}' King Shah lemsheed. 

 Although most of the Persians are now Mohammedans, yet 

 they all accept the period for the commencement of the new 

 year established in their country long ages before the camel- 

 driver of the desert sent his armies to force them to his 

 creed ; and thus, at the No Rooz, Guebres and Mussulmen 

 alike rejoice. The latter pretend that they celebrate the 

 occasion because it is the birth anniversary of their Prophet, 

 but this is a mere flimsy excuse, concocted in order to show 

 their disdain for the Guebres. But in a hundred ways the 

 Persians show that in their celebration of this annual 

 festival they are following the traditions of their fire- 

 worshipping ancestors. 



Nowhere is the new year celebrated with more mysticism 

 and pomp and universal rejoicing than in Persia. For 

 weeks before it arrives the people begin their preparations 

 for the occasion. Every one seeks to raise money to purchase 

 the new suit of clothes he is expected to wear at the time, 

 and the confectioneiy and pro^nsions for the ten days of 

 feasting, as during that period the shops are mo.stly closed. 

 So important is it to be properly pi-epared for the No Eooz, 

 that articles of price that are family heirlooms are often 

 sacrificed in order to provide the needed money. 



When the new moon of that month appears devout 

 Persians look to the east, then, covering the face with their 

 hands, they are slowly turned until, on withdrawing the 

 hands, the gleaming sickle of the new moon is seen directly 

 in front. Perhaps our superstition about discovering the 



