erfectly. They do not
understand a single word of their prayers and recitations, which are
all in the old Zend language.'

What, then, do the laity know about religion? What makes the old
teaching of Zoroaster so dear to them that, in spite of all
differences of opinion among themselves, young and old seem equally
determined never to join any other religious community? Incredible as
it may sound, we are told by the best authority, by an enlightened yet
strictly orthodox Parsi, that there is hardly a man or a woman who
could give an account of the faith that is in them. 'The whole
religious education of a Parsi child consists in preparing by rote a
certain number of prayers in Zend, without understanding a word of
them; the knowledge of the doctrines of their religion being left to
be picked up from casual conversation.' A Parsi, in fact, hardly knows
what his faith is. The Zend-Avesta is to him a sealed book; and though
there is a Guzerati translation of it, that translation is not made
from the original, but from a Pehlevi paraphrase, nor is it recognised
by the priests as an authorised version. Till about five and twenty
years ago, there was no book from which a Parsi of an inquiring mind
could gather the principles of his religion. At that time, and, as it
would seem, chiefly in order to counteract the influence of Christian
missionaries, a small Dialogue was written in Guzerati--a kind of
Catechism, giving, in the form of questions and answers, the most
important tenets of Parsiism. We shall quote some passages from this
Dialogue, as translated by Mr. Dadabhai Naoroji. The subject of it is
thus described:

_A few Questions and Answers to acquaint the Children of the
holy Zarthosti Community with the Subject of the Mazdiashna
Religion, _i. e._ the Worship of God._

_Question._ Whom do we, of the Zarthosti community, believe
in?

_Answer._ We believe in only one God, and do not believe in
any besides Him.

_Q._ Who is that one God?

_A._ The God who created the heavens, the earth, the angels,
the stars, the sun, the moon, the fire, the water, or all
the four elements, and all things of the two worlds; that
God we believe in. Him we worship, him we invoke, him we
adore.

_Q._ Do we not believe in any other God?

_A._ Whoever believes in any other God but this, is an
infidel, and shall suffer the punishment of hell.

_Q._