THE SUCCESSFUL PARSI.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 12903, 14 February 1906, Page 7

THE SUCCESSFUL PARSI.

Mr Sidney Low, the special correspondent of the " Standard," is struck with the conspicuous part which is played by Parsis in Bombay. "There are only some 45,000 of them, men, women, and children, in Bombay, and well under a hundred thousand in the whole world, including Piccadilly. The fact seems incredible, for at the first " aspect Bombay gives the impression of a city, of Parsis. They are visible—'they and their work—everywhere. -The wealth, of the place is largely in their hands; so is the imanufacturing industry, and the real property.

"As everybody knows they play cricket. They play it so well that for the" last, year or two matches between them and British teams are discouraged; the native spectators having developed a taste fop 'barracking ' the beaten; eleven (which is .generally the white one!," and exulting riotously and offensively over the victory of the. men of Asia."

" But in India the Parsi is not quits happy. He is to some extent adrift ia an uncertain position between the Asiatic and the European. He is so English ia his customs, he talks English so well, and! he has got rid of so.-much of his superfluous Oriental baggage, that he has almost got into the habit of thinking himself a member of the ruling race. Yet he is painfully conscious that to nine Englishmen out of ien he is only a 'native,' lumped up unteremoniously with all the conglomerate «f civilised, semi-civilised, and savage hunanity denoted by that comprehensive term. And, indeed, from these same nr<lives lie receives only that qualified amount ♦f deference -which attaches rather to riches flian to grace. An English friend tells me -■flia-t'ift- Earsi gentleman was driving him iti hii rhaeton through the streets • of : Bomtar.. His horses were as smart" a. pair ef korss* a» y«a could want to sea in th*

R"-w; he handled whip and reins neatly; hi' was a. handsome mac,, well-dressed and v.eil set-up. The Englishman noticed that j p ilicemen and other officials saluted them with considerable precision, and made some I ie;nark.,on the respectfulness of their bearing. 'Yes.' said his friend rather bitterly, "bat that is because you are sitting beside ins, and they see you are one of the sahibs. ; U I were alone, not one of these men

v. vuld take the slightest notice of me. And they would rnakd me pull up and keep my horses standing if a white shop assistant cl?ass to dawdle across the street."