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Article REVIEWS OF NEW BOOKS. ← Page 3 of 3 Article REVIEWS OF NEW BOOKS. Page 3 of 3 Article THE MASONIC MIRROR. Page 1 of 5 →
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Reviews Of New Books.
other world ) , must live in Russia , but let him that wishes to have neither auloni haze , nor atiioin habo live at Jerusalem . " And it is " in Jerusalem alone , " adds Dr . Erankl , " where every word of the Bible is regarded as sacred , the command of the Bible , ' In the sweat of thy brow shaft thou eat bread , ' is practically ignored . " Our author also tells us ,
" It is deeply to be regretted that many Jewish workmen , who come to Jerusalem with the honest intention of making their own bread , soon abandon their different trades , which no doubt are more exhausting in a hot climate , and live on alms . For example , about sixteen years ago a tailor , dressed in the European fashion , inside his way from Amsterdam to Jerusalem : the last production of his uesdle was a Polish suit , made a short time before his arrival . He at once renounced his trade , and , following in the footsteps ofhis tailoring countrymanthe Prophet John
, of Leyden , he became a president , and of course wealthy . A tailor from Bavaria , who had previously tried to make his fortune in America , tuid and at length succeeded by a marriage at Jerusalem , had to give up his trade , because his aristocratic spouse at Jerusalem told him roundly , ' I do not sit '— ¦/ . c , I will not live ' with a tailor , ' and they uow both live very comf ' ortablv on alms . "
Dr . I ' l-ankl , who collects all the quaint stories he can , tells us the following one , illustrative of this city of beggars : — " The following still more amusing event , as it tends to illustrate the character of the people , may here be introduced : —Sir Moses Montefiore brought with him in wooden barrels dollars in specie , and resolved , with his usual kindness of disposition , to give with hi-s own hand a dollar to every poor person . It took many hours before his task was done aud
tho miserable exhibition of poverty concluded . It so happened that the noble distributor , forgetfulof himself , gave away the sum which he required to pay his travelling expenses home . He was obliged to borrow money . A man was soon found , who expressed his readiness to oblige him—for a consideration—and supplied him with the necessary sum , the amount of which was considerable , in specie . Ancl yet this man the previous day seemed to be the neediest of the needy , and had received a silver dollar from the hand of the benefactor of Palestine . "
Ihe ignorance of the presidents , cliachams , rabbis , and other spiritual heads of the community is very gross , ancl Dr . Erankl writes in severe terms of them generally . He says : — "When any knowledge of the Talmud is found to exist among the Asehkenasim tit Jerusalem—the Pcruschim enjoy the highest reputation in this branch—it has never been acquired in the Holy Oity , but been brought by the immigrants from their native laud . They never studthe Bible
y , and derive all their knowledge of it from the Talmud , to which they have recourse without any previous knowledge of grammar . But all study here is a mere mechanical exercise of memory , and iu the laud of Tamaim and Amoraim there is not a single person engaged in learned researches . I happened to mention to a rabbi , who enjoys a high reputation for learning , that I was about to visit Mount Gerizim and Ebal , and expected to reach them iu the course of two days . ' What ! tire they not a thousand miles from this V asked the rabbi , in istonishment . "
_ Dr . i < rankl also charges them with appropriating to themselves the lion ' s share of the princely contributions of the European Jews for their people at Jerusalem , ancl he further adds that' The poverty of some is so great that it cannot fail to excite surprise and compassion , while the wives of the presidents , who came there at hi-st quite as poor , are dressed in silk , and decked with gold and precious stoues . The daughter of one of them , on the day of her marriage , wore a dress which cost 1 , 000 piastres ; and the marriage feast , to which all the more distinguished members of society at Jerusalem were invited , cost l , o 00 piastres . ¦
\\ hen that active philanthropist , Mr . Albert Cohen , paid his second visit to Jerusalem , the wives of the rabbis were expressly forbidden to Wear their jewels during his stay . We havo often heard the poor , when speaking of their contributions , and the way in which they are applied oy the rulers , uso the characteristic expression , 'They devour them !' > Ve would not go quite so far as this , or assert that the highly honoured Presidents are guilty of embezzlement . We would take a charitable view of the subject , and say that they have an overweening idea of their jwn rank and importance " , which is all quite natural and pardonable , "nt then rank must lie supported , and they perhaps deduct a little too MUCH for themselves in the shape of Kadima . ''"
So also he tells us the office of travelling collector is hHilv Prized , and— ' " ° y " With what feelings of veneration is a Sheliach , a bogging delegate 0111 1 alestiue , greeted when he enters our houses to collect money for "ur pom- co-reli gionists at Jerusalem ? Does not the dust of the sacred f'Uil still adhere to his dress ? His eye has lingered and wept over the "ins oi the templeand himself from the
, tearing bosom of his family , io lias gone forth and exposed himself to the dangers of the stormy "Jcean and of a long journey by land . He tells us of those who are -mguisliing m povert y and starving with hunger in Jerusalem , who tire weeping and praying for us . nl ' B - y v , should we greet him if we knew that this collecting of mm * is simpl y a trade , aud that the delegate himself will pocket the
Reviews Of New Books.
greater part of the money which is contributed in perfectly good faith for the relief of those who are languishing and starving at Jerusalem ' ! " The office of delegate is sold in the holy city to the highest bidder ; usually to some respectable ohaeham or rabbi , to enable him to amass a fortune . It is quite true that he is bound to pay a certain sum to the community . The highest bidder continues to enjoy his right ; he is not bound to enter on his journey immediatelhe may put it off for months
y ; , or even for years , provided always that he pays the interest of the sum , which increases according to a fixed scale . This interest often amounts to a considerable sum , and there are cases where it has been paid for five or eight years . On his return the delegate receives the third part of the proceeds of his journey , but he does not receive the sum originally deposited ; it is , therefore , quite natural and pardonable that he should repay this sum to himself , and hand over only the balance to the community , which pays him the third part of the balance also . "
Dr . Erankl prides himself ou his enlarged ideas , and makes free with the superstition of his eastern brethren . Among the various attempts made to obstruct his school was one which recalls a kindred species of superstition much nearer home . He tells us he had taken a house and arranged it with no little difficulty and trouble . Crowds of miserable people brought their children asking for their admission , and invoking all kinds of
eastern blessings , such as " Receive my child into this institution , ancl thou shalt cat with the pious of the fish Leviathan ; " at last till matters likely to give offence having been carefully looked after , " The small synagogue of the school had to be removed from the first to the second floor , because it is forbidden to walk over the ark where the tbora or law is kept . " This accomplished , the day fixed for 02 iening , when at the last moment a cry was raised that there was u crucifix in the school : —
" The restless , idle zealots contrived to give me considerable annoyance to the last . The night before the ceremony of inauguration I was woke up aud informed that the report had been spread by the Russian Jews that there was a crucifix in the institution . I imagined that a crucifix might have been . wantonly thrown into it , or painted on the walls . I hastened to the house , but I could discover nothing , till my attention was directed to the fact that the Grand Cross of the Emperor ' s own Order was painted on his breast . I contrived with some difficulty to
scrape off the points of the cross with a knife ; in the same way I managed to remove the carving of a silver lamb , part of the arms of Simon von Ltimcl , which-were introduced beneath his picture , as a graven image is not allowed in a synagogue . " Iu taking leave of Dr . Erankl , we must say , though he is a western Jew , ancl his accounts arc both quaint and grotesque , there is nothing ill natured iu them . He deplores , as we do , the
degradation of the eastern portion of the house of Israel , but we believe , and for the sake of our Hebrew brethren , we hope , that as the eastern Jews sink into insignificance , the western Jews will rise hi gher unci higher towards the goal . To our Hebrew brethren ancl companions we cordially recommend the perusal of a work which treats so much of the customs and peculiarities of The Jars in the East ; and to all who feelas strongly as we do
, , such an interest in everything that concerns the immediately once favoured , and again to be the favoured , people of Gocl , wc sayread this work , which contains such a mass of information , pleasantly told , as no other series of books on The Jews in ihe East have told us before .
The Masonic Mirror.
THE MASONIC MIRROR .
MASONIC MEMS . TUB E . W . Prov . G . M ., of Wiltshire , Lord Metbuen , has convened a Prov . Grand Lodge to be held iu the Sew Hall , Chippenham , ou Tuesday , the 23 rd August . The Prov . Graud Lodge for Worcestershire is to bo held at Kidderminster , early iu September . The brethren are to proceed iu procession
to church , where full cathedral service is to be performed . METROPOLITAN . BEADON LODGE ( XO . 902 ) . —A meeting of this Lodge was held at tho Star and Garter , Kew , on Wednesday , the 17 th , when Bro . Collins was dulinstalled as W . J 1 . Amongst the officers appointed were l ! ros .
y Avery , S . AV . ; Sweeny , J . W . ; Jno . Scott , P . M ., Treas . ; J . W . Adams , "P . M ., Sec . ; and Daly , Tyler , . A . handsome supper closed the proceedings of the day . INSTRUCTION . CitvsTAL PALACE LODGE ( NO . 1 , 011 ) . —The fifteen sections will be worked at this Lodge of Instruction , held at the City Arms , West-square ,
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Reviews Of New Books.
other world ) , must live in Russia , but let him that wishes to have neither auloni haze , nor atiioin habo live at Jerusalem . " And it is " in Jerusalem alone , " adds Dr . Erankl , " where every word of the Bible is regarded as sacred , the command of the Bible , ' In the sweat of thy brow shaft thou eat bread , ' is practically ignored . " Our author also tells us ,
" It is deeply to be regretted that many Jewish workmen , who come to Jerusalem with the honest intention of making their own bread , soon abandon their different trades , which no doubt are more exhausting in a hot climate , and live on alms . For example , about sixteen years ago a tailor , dressed in the European fashion , inside his way from Amsterdam to Jerusalem : the last production of his uesdle was a Polish suit , made a short time before his arrival . He at once renounced his trade , and , following in the footsteps ofhis tailoring countrymanthe Prophet John
, of Leyden , he became a president , and of course wealthy . A tailor from Bavaria , who had previously tried to make his fortune in America , tuid and at length succeeded by a marriage at Jerusalem , had to give up his trade , because his aristocratic spouse at Jerusalem told him roundly , ' I do not sit '— ¦/ . c , I will not live ' with a tailor , ' and they uow both live very comf ' ortablv on alms . "
Dr . I ' l-ankl , who collects all the quaint stories he can , tells us the following one , illustrative of this city of beggars : — " The following still more amusing event , as it tends to illustrate the character of the people , may here be introduced : —Sir Moses Montefiore brought with him in wooden barrels dollars in specie , and resolved , with his usual kindness of disposition , to give with hi-s own hand a dollar to every poor person . It took many hours before his task was done aud
tho miserable exhibition of poverty concluded . It so happened that the noble distributor , forgetfulof himself , gave away the sum which he required to pay his travelling expenses home . He was obliged to borrow money . A man was soon found , who expressed his readiness to oblige him—for a consideration—and supplied him with the necessary sum , the amount of which was considerable , in specie . Ancl yet this man the previous day seemed to be the neediest of the needy , and had received a silver dollar from the hand of the benefactor of Palestine . "
Ihe ignorance of the presidents , cliachams , rabbis , and other spiritual heads of the community is very gross , ancl Dr . Erankl writes in severe terms of them generally . He says : — "When any knowledge of the Talmud is found to exist among the Asehkenasim tit Jerusalem—the Pcruschim enjoy the highest reputation in this branch—it has never been acquired in the Holy Oity , but been brought by the immigrants from their native laud . They never studthe Bible
y , and derive all their knowledge of it from the Talmud , to which they have recourse without any previous knowledge of grammar . But all study here is a mere mechanical exercise of memory , and iu the laud of Tamaim and Amoraim there is not a single person engaged in learned researches . I happened to mention to a rabbi , who enjoys a high reputation for learning , that I was about to visit Mount Gerizim and Ebal , and expected to reach them iu the course of two days . ' What ! tire they not a thousand miles from this V asked the rabbi , in istonishment . "
_ Dr . i < rankl also charges them with appropriating to themselves the lion ' s share of the princely contributions of the European Jews for their people at Jerusalem , ancl he further adds that' The poverty of some is so great that it cannot fail to excite surprise and compassion , while the wives of the presidents , who came there at hi-st quite as poor , are dressed in silk , and decked with gold and precious stoues . The daughter of one of them , on the day of her marriage , wore a dress which cost 1 , 000 piastres ; and the marriage feast , to which all the more distinguished members of society at Jerusalem were invited , cost l , o 00 piastres . ¦
\\ hen that active philanthropist , Mr . Albert Cohen , paid his second visit to Jerusalem , the wives of the rabbis were expressly forbidden to Wear their jewels during his stay . We havo often heard the poor , when speaking of their contributions , and the way in which they are applied oy the rulers , uso the characteristic expression , 'They devour them !' > Ve would not go quite so far as this , or assert that the highly honoured Presidents are guilty of embezzlement . We would take a charitable view of the subject , and say that they have an overweening idea of their jwn rank and importance " , which is all quite natural and pardonable , "nt then rank must lie supported , and they perhaps deduct a little too MUCH for themselves in the shape of Kadima . ''"
So also he tells us the office of travelling collector is hHilv Prized , and— ' " ° y " With what feelings of veneration is a Sheliach , a bogging delegate 0111 1 alestiue , greeted when he enters our houses to collect money for "ur pom- co-reli gionists at Jerusalem ? Does not the dust of the sacred f'Uil still adhere to his dress ? His eye has lingered and wept over the "ins oi the templeand himself from the
, tearing bosom of his family , io lias gone forth and exposed himself to the dangers of the stormy "Jcean and of a long journey by land . He tells us of those who are -mguisliing m povert y and starving with hunger in Jerusalem , who tire weeping and praying for us . nl ' B - y v , should we greet him if we knew that this collecting of mm * is simpl y a trade , aud that the delegate himself will pocket the
Reviews Of New Books.
greater part of the money which is contributed in perfectly good faith for the relief of those who are languishing and starving at Jerusalem ' ! " The office of delegate is sold in the holy city to the highest bidder ; usually to some respectable ohaeham or rabbi , to enable him to amass a fortune . It is quite true that he is bound to pay a certain sum to the community . The highest bidder continues to enjoy his right ; he is not bound to enter on his journey immediatelhe may put it off for months
y ; , or even for years , provided always that he pays the interest of the sum , which increases according to a fixed scale . This interest often amounts to a considerable sum , and there are cases where it has been paid for five or eight years . On his return the delegate receives the third part of the proceeds of his journey , but he does not receive the sum originally deposited ; it is , therefore , quite natural and pardonable that he should repay this sum to himself , and hand over only the balance to the community , which pays him the third part of the balance also . "
Dr . Erankl prides himself ou his enlarged ideas , and makes free with the superstition of his eastern brethren . Among the various attempts made to obstruct his school was one which recalls a kindred species of superstition much nearer home . He tells us he had taken a house and arranged it with no little difficulty and trouble . Crowds of miserable people brought their children asking for their admission , and invoking all kinds of
eastern blessings , such as " Receive my child into this institution , ancl thou shalt cat with the pious of the fish Leviathan ; " at last till matters likely to give offence having been carefully looked after , " The small synagogue of the school had to be removed from the first to the second floor , because it is forbidden to walk over the ark where the tbora or law is kept . " This accomplished , the day fixed for 02 iening , when at the last moment a cry was raised that there was u crucifix in the school : —
" The restless , idle zealots contrived to give me considerable annoyance to the last . The night before the ceremony of inauguration I was woke up aud informed that the report had been spread by the Russian Jews that there was a crucifix in the institution . I imagined that a crucifix might have been . wantonly thrown into it , or painted on the walls . I hastened to the house , but I could discover nothing , till my attention was directed to the fact that the Grand Cross of the Emperor ' s own Order was painted on his breast . I contrived with some difficulty to
scrape off the points of the cross with a knife ; in the same way I managed to remove the carving of a silver lamb , part of the arms of Simon von Ltimcl , which-were introduced beneath his picture , as a graven image is not allowed in a synagogue . " Iu taking leave of Dr . Erankl , we must say , though he is a western Jew , ancl his accounts arc both quaint and grotesque , there is nothing ill natured iu them . He deplores , as we do , the
degradation of the eastern portion of the house of Israel , but we believe , and for the sake of our Hebrew brethren , we hope , that as the eastern Jews sink into insignificance , the western Jews will rise hi gher unci higher towards the goal . To our Hebrew brethren ancl companions we cordially recommend the perusal of a work which treats so much of the customs and peculiarities of The Jars in the East ; and to all who feelas strongly as we do
, , such an interest in everything that concerns the immediately once favoured , and again to be the favoured , people of Gocl , wc sayread this work , which contains such a mass of information , pleasantly told , as no other series of books on The Jews in ihe East have told us before .
The Masonic Mirror.
THE MASONIC MIRROR .
MASONIC MEMS . TUB E . W . Prov . G . M ., of Wiltshire , Lord Metbuen , has convened a Prov . Grand Lodge to be held iu the Sew Hall , Chippenham , ou Tuesday , the 23 rd August . The Prov . Graud Lodge for Worcestershire is to bo held at Kidderminster , early iu September . The brethren are to proceed iu procession
to church , where full cathedral service is to be performed . METROPOLITAN . BEADON LODGE ( XO . 902 ) . —A meeting of this Lodge was held at tho Star and Garter , Kew , on Wednesday , the 17 th , when Bro . Collins was dulinstalled as W . J 1 . Amongst the officers appointed were l ! ros .
y Avery , S . AV . ; Sweeny , J . W . ; Jno . Scott , P . M ., Treas . ; J . W . Adams , "P . M ., Sec . ; and Daly , Tyler , . A . handsome supper closed the proceedings of the day . INSTRUCTION . CitvsTAL PALACE LODGE ( NO . 1 , 011 ) . —The fifteen sections will be worked at this Lodge of Instruction , held at the City Arms , West-square ,