History of the Parsis : including their manners, customs, religion and present position : with coloured and other illustrations : in two volumes

226 AISTORY OF THE PARSIS. [CHAP. V.

by way of prayer; but his strong point is that he believes he is praying to God, and hopes that He, who understands all languages, will hear his prayers, forgive his sins, and guide him in the path of righteousness. He has been taught to believe from his infancy that his religion is the religion of the one true and living God. He has seen from his childhood his father praying, and he follows his example. He has been told that there is only one God, the Creator and Governor of the Universe, and that there is no other god superior to that God. He is instructed to believe that the worship of any other object except God is sinful and not allowed by his religion. He is taught from his earliest infancy that the whole fabric of his religion rests on three words—humata, hukhta, and hvarshta (good thoughts, good words, and good deeds), and he sees at once instinctively that a religion founded upon such principles is a good and true religion. Parsi youths of the present day, however deeply versed in Western education, have not only unreservedly accepted the religion without question, but with the light of their mcreased knowledge they are better able to understand its excellence, thanks to the researches of European scholars.

While the Parsi loves his religion dearly he is not a bigot, and while he reveres it he does not think ill of the religion of others. His own creed, no doubt, teaches hatred of idols and enjoins their destruction,