Butte record. (Bidwell, Butte County, Cal.) 1853-1858, 1857-03-14
The Present Condition of the Jews.

This curious race of people, marked
by characteristic differences which have
not been effaced since their overthrow
as natioa, have within the last half
century greatly advanced in their So
cial position. The increasing liberality
Of the age has relieved them from ma
ny of the disabilities under which they
have labored for ages. In England, a
Jew is another person from what he
was in the time Of Richard the First,
or even George the First. The Lord
Mayor OF London is a Jew, and so are
some Of the members of Parliament.
In 1888. the first Jewish lawyer, named
Goldsmid, was admitted to the English
bar, and in New York there is quite a
number in the profession The Roth
childs are professedly the greatest
stock gamblers in Europe, and the best
friends of kingly borrowers In Ger
many all the highest walks in litera-
ture;and philosophy are filled with Jews
and in this country we find them in our
colleges and schools of learning, and
in the Senate of the United States.
They excel i'm many of the fine arts,
and as composers, musicians and act
ors, they are remarkable for their ex-
cellence. We need not look farther
than our own theatres to observe their
predominant tastes. They tread the
stage as performers, or fill the boxes of
the academy as patrons Oft the lyric art.
The greatest actress in the world is a
Jewess, Rachel the most popular bal
lad singer of the day is Jew, Russell
The composers of some of the most
scientific and classical operas are Jews
In business rome are more keen, though
others may be more scrupulons. They
occupy whole streets in Europe they
are beginning to do so in this country.
In this city, and even in Albany there
are par,s of the town where they mon.
opolize their peculiar branches of trade
Many of them do not hesitate to keep
their shops open on the Christian Sab.
bath as well as their own, and we have
heard this complained of by other
tradesmen as a great advantage taken
of those who observe at least one day
in the week.
The peculiarities of the Jewish char
acter are thought to consist in the sin.
gle mindedness with which each inivi-
dual follows his peculiar profession. A
says of them, that 'they
have the power of selzing the strong
points Of whatever they attempt to do,
beyond any other nation, and develop
ing them with unsurpassed energy and
Nothing is allowed to
stand in the way of their projects, and
thus they appear selfish in everything
they undertake. But they are devoted
to each other, and are capable of the
most generous actions.
1t is difficult to say, what at this
time are the real tenets of the Jews
The old distinction of Sadducees and
Pharasees is pretty much gone-the
latter prevailing in the synagogues,
and every where in the ascendant. In
Africa it is said some of the former
may yet be found, who deny the resur-
rection OF the body. Much tn6delity,
according to their own Rabbis, prevail
among them everywhere, and the low
er classes are very ignorant and poor
ly informed as to the exact nature of
their faith. The more learned are sub
tie and able in support of their opini-
ons, and are difficult to overcome IN
argument. 1t is a common opinion
among these that the Soeinians of mo-
dern times assimilate closely in their
belief. and would become Jews if it
was not for the rite of circumcision.
The Synagogues in this city are nu-
merous, and several OF them are very
elegant in their interior. The service
is solemn and curious, and the zeal with
which some of the prayers are recited
is remarkable. We have seen tears
coursing down the checks of men of
mature age as they uttered their heart
felt invocations to the God of their ia
theirs. The rites of their religion are
very scrupulously followed in this city
by a large number of the faithful, and
some of their ceremonies are singular
enough.
The feast Of Tabernacles was OBJ
served by some of the most strict, by
their actually living out of their houses
in their gardens the allotted period
and even the little boys of that per-
suasion might have been seen sitting
on dry goods boxes, at shop doors, with
green branches over their heads in play
full remembrance of the feast.
The Jewish population of this city is
estimated as high as 10000. 1t is ut
ierly impossible to say what their num-
bcrs are in the whole world. A re-
cent estimate gives the total at ten
millions, which is three times and a
third more than it was when they we're
in Canaan. Others suppose that the
extent is Elk millions. Their disper-
SION over the earth is remarkable full
filmenl of the predictions of their own
prophets but their final restoration to
their own home is fully believed in.
The period of this return Is fixed by
some commentators at 1866, to be pre-
ccded first by the fall of the Turkish
empire. As we walk up Chatam street
however, We see no particular prepar-
alton nor much anxiety for such an
event as trip to Palestine.--N. Y.
Hebrea0 paper.